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

Cover art from GoodReads

*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

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*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! 

Together We Caught Fire by Eva V. Gibson

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

Okay, so, this book topic was certainly a choice. Looking at the reviews I can see that I'm one of the few who was NOT impressed with it. Here's the gist: Lane has had a crush on Grey forever. But Grey is in a relationship with Sadie. He's also her STEPBROTHER thanks to her dad marrying his mom. Weirdness ensues of course. 

So I'm no stranger to the incest trope. I grew up reading V C Andrews books for crying out loud. But this... just fell flat. For one thing, she barely knew the kid, but was in love with him because they dissected a frog together in middle school? Nah bruh. Then there was the fact that Sadie and Grey are in love and going to get married, but they're like sixteen. *eye. roll.* Their relationship wasn't exactly forbidden. It bears repeating that, THEY WEREN'T RELATED. The description tried to play up the "incest" angle, but the book was more like, "I can't have this guy because he's actually in a relationship and in love with someone else that happens to be my friend". If he was single, I don't think this story would have been near as interesting. Bad pornography storyline at most.

 The slut shaming that Sadie did toward Lane was a hard pass for me as well. At one point she tells Lane that she needs to "wear more clothes" when she's in her yard gardening, because Grey is around. Okay, and? I get that Sadie was raised in an overly religious household, and her dad was a jerk, but she was kind of awful. Honestly everyone in this book was kind of awful. and not in the fun VC Andrews way. 

What Kind of Girl By Alyssa Sheinmel

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

TW: abuse, self harm, eating disorders

Within the first five minutes of reading this book, I was PISSED OFF. Based on the back cover of the book, you know that a high school girl has suffered abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, and that she reports it. This information has caused a divide in the student body, because her boyfriend is essentially Mr. Perfect-- and no one saw it coming. As a matter of fact, no one would believe her if it weren't for the bruise on her face. 

What Kind of Girl gives the perspective of different girls: the burnout, the cutter, etc. Each of them has their own opinion on what happened to the victim and how much of it was her fault. Upon reading, you realize that there are actually only two girls telling the story: the victim and her best friend. The different perspectives are different aspects of their personalities. It was hard enough reading the first part where the "popular girl" says that she doesn't believe the victim because "what kind of girl doesn't report it when it starts" and "what kind of girl stays when her boyfriend hits her" so "it must have been her fault" but it was even more heartbreaking to realize that the "popular girl" was the victim herself, and she was questioning herself. 

The best friend offers a different perspective, because she feels like she should have known what was going on, and blames herself for what happened. She is a feminist and wants to rally the girls together to get Mike Parker expelled from school, but she also has her own doubts-- especially when her own friend doesn't know if she wants him expelled. 

There is talk of self harm, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obviously domestic abuse. This was NOT an easy read, especially from someone who has suffered through all of these things. However, I think it's something that needs to be talked about. We need to start commending those girls who come forward, and stop letting them think that it was their fault. No one should have to take responsibility for someone else laying a hand on them. I had to pause a few times and remind myself that things do get better, so I can see how this book would be triggering for some people. I also liked the ending. There isn't a happy ever after, things don't automatically get better-- but that's life. It's not a black and white situation, and even though there is hope for our main character, the author lets us know that she still has a tough road ahead of her, sadly, just like most victims do. 

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Cover Art from GoodReads

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

First of all, yes this is a YA novel. Yes, I am an almost 30 year old woman. Yes, I still read (and ENJOY) YA novels. No I don't care if you think I'm too old for that, or if you don't like it. Keep scrolling. 

Alright, now that that unpleasantness is out of the way... I LOVED this book. Pepper and Jack were two of my favorite characters I've been introduced to in a while. Pepper was high strung and very type A, compounded by the pressure she received from her mom to help run their burger joint's Twitter. Jack is her exact opposite, except that he also helps run his family business's Twitter account. When the two businesses end up in a Twitter war, they eventually figure out their connection, and try to put their angst aside to become friends.What they don't realize is that they've been baring their souls to each other on a secret app where all the participants have their identities hidden. I kept wanting to yell at both of them, because I was ready for the HEA, but Ms. Lord did NOT disappoint on that end. 

This was one of those sickly sweet romances that I probably would have hated during my teen years, but come to appreciate after having been in the actual dating scene ( 0/10 would NOT recommend). There aren't any steamy scenes (it is YA after all) and all in all this is a cute, easy read. I would definitely recommend it to our teen readers and even some of our adults as well.