Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

Cover Art From Goodreads

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.* 

I've had this one on my TBR pile for a while, and I heard about it quite a bit at PLA, so I was pretty excited to read it. Not to mention, the cover just drew me in. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype for me. Not that it was a bad book, it just didn't keep me enthralled like I thought I would. 

The premise of the story is that Nina and her boyfriend decide to pull off a massive scam in order to pay for healthcare for Nina's dying mother (who, conveniently taught her everything she knows about scamming people). Her victim: Vanessa, the clueless sister of Nina's high school boyfriend. The story is somewhat told in alternating points of view between Vanessa and Nina, and honestly both women kind of suck. It's hard to feel sorry for anyone in this book because they're all pretty awful in their own ways. 

Nina chose to scam Vanessa because her parents treated Nina badly when they found out she was sleeping with their son. The whole book was based on teenage revenge/angst and it didn't feel like enough of a reason to me to ruin the girl's life. But Vanessa wasn't exactly a peach either. I feel like I knew what was going to happen long before the book ended, and that sort of took the fun out of it for me. 

All in all it's not an awful book, and I would definitely try more of Brown's work. 

He Started It by Samantha Downing

*I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.* 

I remember reading Ms. Downing's other book My Lovely Wife  and really not being sure how I felt about it. He Started It, however; did not leave me with any doubts about the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I started and finished it in one day because I just couldn't put it down.

Beth and her siblings are going on a road trip to spread her grandfather's ashes. None of them are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts though-- there's inheritance money involved. They have to make it through the trip together without getting into any trouble-- but none of them are there for the right reasons. 

Honestly, none of the characters were good people. That just made the book even more interesting to me though, because you wanted to get into their minds and figure out what their motives were for the things they were doing. The ending definitely made the book as well-- I didn't see it coming and that's new for me. I would definitely recommend this book over her first one! 

The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry

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When I saw the blurb comparing this novel to Bridget Jones' Diary,I was instantly intrigued. I can see why it was labeled that way, because the main character, Roxy, has a lot of the same temperament as Bridget, and (in my opinion) is just as likable.  

Roxy, the heroine, is an artist who makes ends meet by working at Whole Foods and renting out an extra room in her house to her ex boyfriend, Everett. She tells her story through letters that she is writing to Everett (not exactly a diary, but similar because she doesn't always send them to him- or doesn't send any of them, I'm not really sure on that one). She talks about her sex life (or lack there-of), the horrible men she dates, and her creeptastic boss, along with giving us insight in to her best friends and her underwear eating dog. Yes, it's as kitschy and chick-lit as it sounds. 

My only real complaint was the frequent use of the word "grrrrl" in any capacity. I know that the book was set in 2012, but I'm pretty sure no one in their late 20s was using that term. I know that at 22 I sure wasn't. But again, that's just me being petty because that phrase has always annoyed me. Grrrl problems aside, this was a funny, easy read that I would recommend to fans of Jennifer Weiner's or even Jane Green's. 

The Herd by Andrea Bartz

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own*

I wanted to like this one, and based on the description, I thought I was going to. It just.... fell flat for me. For one thing, I can tell you that working in an all female workspace isn't that great. I'm all for female empowerment, but women can be catty and ridiculous. I guess that was the point The Herd was trying to prove as well. 

The writing was decent, and the framework of the story was good. But reading it felt like a kid telling a story for attention: there was a dragon, and a candy fountain, and a witch", like she just kept adding things to the story because they were "cool" and not because they actually drove the story line any further. It took me a few days to finish because I just didn't care about any of the characters. Even the missing one. Not bad, not good, just "meh". 

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*

Hoo boy was this one interesting.Honestly I'm not sure if I mean that in a good way or a bad way. I know there was a lot of buzz on this one (it was even mentioned a few times when I was at PLA in Nashville) so I had to pick it up and read it, if only to see what all the hype was about. Aaaaannnnddd... I kinda wish I hadn't. 

This is the story of Vanessa. As a teen, she has a relationship with her MUCH older teacher. Fast forward a few years and he is being accused of assaulting another student of his. This of course affects her in ways she didn't expect. My Dark Vanessa  is NOT an easy read. It can be difficult to understand why she would continue a relationship that seems so gross, there's definitely some sex scenes I could have done without having in my brain, but I think this is an important topic that doesn't get discussed enough. 

I have a few points I'd like to bring up, so let me get on my soapbox for a second. I knew there was some controversy with this book, so I looked into it to see what it was.Apparently, the author took some inspiration from another writer, who is a woman of color, in order to help her write the book, which is in part based on the author's own life. It seemed as though people were saying that because she was white she wasn't entitled to her own trauma. I understand that we need more representation and other voices in literature, and in no way am I minimizing what happened to the other author, but for a victim to be able to come forward and write through her own trauma, because of encouragement she got from reading someone else's story (which she CREDITS, I might add) is an incredibly difficult thing to do. I can remember watching an episode of Switched at Birth that reminded me very much of my own assault. To the point where they could have taken it straight from my brain. Does that mean I think they copied me? No, rather, I think it's a shame that so many women have had the same experience that it's a common enough theme for people to write about. 

My second point of frustration with this book is that one of the other victims and the reporter seemed to shame Vanessa for not wanting to come forward with her own story originally. It's frustrating that people do this. I get that doing so would help the case against him, and prevent other girls from being assaulted, but it is NOT the responsibility of someone struggling with their own emotions to keep a grown man from assaulting other girls and she shouldn't be made to feel that it is. It's hard enough to deal with, women should be allowed to process things in their own time on their own terms. *end rant*

Clearly, I had some feelings about this book. 

The Grace Kelly Dress by Brenda Janowitz

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*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are mine*

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did! The story is told from three different points of view, Rose- a dressmaker in the 50s, Joanie- a bride in the 80s, and Rocky- a modern day bride. Each of these women has a connection to a particular dress; a dress that was a carbon copy of the one that Grace Kelly wore for her wedding to Prince Ranier. 

Once I started, I couldn't put this book down, because I was just enthralled with all three women and their stories. I was able to sympathize with all of them, but Rocky in particular because she felt like in order to make her mother happy she was unable to have the wedding that she wanted. She felt as though her sister was the beloved one, and she couldn't compete-- and I think that's something we all struggle with at one time or another. I love historical fiction, and at first I thought this book was going to focus on Grace Kelly herself, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that this wasn't the case, and each time period was distinguishable from the others, which can be hard to do when you're switching between three different perspectives. I could kind of see this being turned into a Hallmark movie, with less cheese. 

The Numbers Game by Danielle Steel

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*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. *

Y'all already know how I feel about Ms. Steel, because I've mentioned it a few times before. Her books are ALWAYS a treat for me, and The Numbers Game  was no exception. This book focuses on two characters, Eileen and Olivia. Olivia is having an affair with Eileen's husband. "Numbers Game" uses the alternating points of view between the two women to show how the affair manages to change both of their lives. 

This was a typical DS book. There's infidelity, rich, gorgeous men,all of the main female characters are beautiful, and there's a happy ending for everyone involved. Once again, it didn't take me very long to read (finished it within three hours) and it left me with one of those warm fuzzy types of feelings. It's a palate cleanser after the thrill that was Good Girls Lie, and I needed that. It's hard to find things to say about Steel's books. I feel like she's been writing the same story since the 80s, and while they're not bad, they're just... there. 

Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison

Cover Image from Good Reads

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. *

Published: 12/2019

Boarding school drama, LGBTQ+ relationships, and murders-- this book had everything a girl could ever want! Seriously though, Good Girls Lie  took me for a ride and I am HERE. FOR. IT. 

Our main character goes to an exclusive all girls boarding school after the death of her parents. There she is "tapped" to become part of an elusive club, and starts a strange relationship with one of the society's leaders. There is a twist that I'm not going to spoil. 

I was hooked on this book. Couldn't put it down. All of the characters were awful in their own ways, but they were supposed to be. It worked well for the plot and made me interested in reading more. 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys boarding school settings or thrillers-- or both!