The Last Girls. 3 stars. Perfectly good concept, fair execution. Could have been much better. Should have been, actually.
Homegoing. 5 stars. Excellent, perfect book. Definitely in my top ten for the year.
The Handmaid’s Tale. 4 stars, sort of. Didn’t exactly love it but it’s a must read nonetheless.
Emmy & Oliver. 3 stars. So-so young adult story, not really my thing, a little too teen soap opera for me.
Life After Life. 4 stars. Is mostly so good but, god, what is with that ending? I’m still mad about it.
Jane Steele. 3 stars. Another one that should have been better than it was. Jane Eyre as a serial killer should have been amazing but this was just okay.
Shelter. 3 stars. Picked up a lot halfway through. A lukewarm recommend from me but I’m pretty interested in her follow-up.
All Is Not Forgotten. 3 stars initially but this has done the opposite of growing on me. Interesting attempt but not a good book.
How to Party with an Infant. 2 stars. Lots of mommy lit out there, lots of better mommy lit out there. Not terrible enough for a one star but I hated it.
The Red Car. 3 stars. A little too all over the place for me. I don’t get what the appeal was here.
The Mothers. 3 stars. Another disappointment! Feels like it’s meant to be a cautionary tale about not trying to leave your past behind or something. Whatever, you can leave the past behind, I’m a big fan.
Invincible Summer. High 3 stars. Not especially memorable but charming enough, especially when I was in a big slump.
We Could Be Beautiful. 1 star. So bad that I actually feel sorry for it. If Jackie Collins thought she was writing great literature, this would be the result.
Leaving Lucy Pear. 4 stars. A little slow and disorganized, but lovely and charming and sweet.
The Magician’s Assistant. 4 stars. Glad I finally read this after accidentally avoiding it all this time! Great characters and very thought provoking themes.
Top picks: Homegoing above and beyond all else.
