These are the books that I’ve read or listened to since last month.
Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
SYNOPSIS- Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist.
On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend….
After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about the other.
MY THOUGHTS: This is one of those books that is just a light, quick and fun read. I also like that while it’s a “chick-lit” type of book, all of the characters are NOT Caucasian. It is a multi-cultural romance!! The setting is also Northern California which is fun for me! The book is number 1 in a series of 5. Book 5 will be released in June of this year. The author is also from Oakland, CA so I like supporting the Bay Area talent!
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
SYNOPSIS: When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise—or happen in front of 45,000 people.
When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part—they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up—in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes.
MY THOUGHTS: This is book 2 in the series and also has the distinction of being a Reese Witherspoon monthly pick for Audible. You’ll recognize characters from the first book but this book takes place in Southern California and the main characters shift. Again, it’s a fun easy read with a multi-cultural cast. Yes, the books follow a formula but it’s a formula that works. I like books that continue stories and introduce new characters. I do plan to read the other books in this series-The Wedding Party, Royal Holiday and Party of Two.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
SYNOPSIS: Prickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is “a compelling life force” (San Francisco Chronicle). TheNew Yorker has said that Elizabeth Strout “animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,” and she has never done so more clearly than in these pages, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire us—in Strout’s words—“to bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.”
MY THOUGHTS: This character is so hard to like most of time but I don’t judge a book by whether or not I like the characters. Olive is really, really human and very flawed but also a remnant of her time. She was brought up to not think or talk about feelings and is very rules oriented. She can only see things one way and doesn’t get those who are less rigid. She thinks they’re stupid or lazy! However, experiencing how Olive moves through the world is eye opening and thought provoking. I recommend this book along with the first one, Olive Kitteridge.
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
SYNOPSIS: As the daughter of a drug dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. It’s safer to keep her mouth shut and stay out of sight. Struggling to raise her little brother, Donal, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible adult around. Obsessed with the constellations, she finds peace in the starry night sky above the fields behind her house, until one night her star gazing causes an accident. After witnessing his motorcycle wreck, she forms an unusual friendship with one of her father’s thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold.
By the time Wavy is a teenager, her relationship with Kellen is the only tender thing in a brutal world of addicts and debauchery. When tragedy rips Wavy’s family apart, a well-meaning aunt steps in, and what is beautiful to Wavy looks ugly under the scrutiny of the outside world.
MY THOUGHTS: This is a really good book but it is a tough listen. I don’t want to give too much away but you find yourself disgusted and still rooting for those who disgust you. There is also the matter that life happens to these innocent children and it is difficult to be a spectator. Even still, this book is worth reading. Just know that it will stick with you.
China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan
SYNOPSIS: It’s the eve of Rachel Chu’s wedding, and she should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond, a wedding dress she loves, and a fiancé willing to thwart his meddling relatives and give up one of the biggest fortunes in Asia in order to marry her. Still, Rachel mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be there to walk her down the aisle.
Then a chance accident reveals his identity. Suddenly, Rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of Shanghai splendor, a world where people attend church in a penthouse, where exotic cars race down the boulevard, and where people aren’t just crazy rich … they’re China rich.
MY THOUGHTS: This is the 2nd book in the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I loved the 1st and 3rd books (Crazy Rich Asians & Rich People Problems) and have had this book in my Audible library just waiting. And once again, it did not disappoint. This book is light read but has depth. There are laugh out loud moments-some of the characters do and say outrageous things.
After reading the Bryn Greenwood book, I really needed something light, easy and funny.
That’s it for this month. I’m hoping to continue to read more each month. I feel like I’m on a good roll. I’ve just started a new listen and will download another one to read.
What are you reading?? Share in the comments.
