It still sucks.
I have nothing on my mind today besides wondering if it is too late to get a coffee in the library’s shop (it is). You are here for the reviews anyway, and we have some good ones for you. So without further ado, your quick reviews for lazy readers.
A Taxonomy Of Love
Written by: Rachael Allen
Released on: 1/9/2018
Genre: YA
Reviewed by: Bea
Rating: 4 Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
Recommended for: Fans of Stephanie Perkins who liked Wonder (and Beth’s daughter)
This is my favorite YA in a long time. Sweet Spencer will worm his way into your heart in the first few pages, a lonely thirteen year-old who takes care of caterpillars, can’t live up to his Mike Newton-esque brother, and instantly adores his new neighbor, Hope. You’ll love him even more when he’s an upperclassman helping other misfits find their place. I love a book about maybe romantic best friends that stretches over a long period of time. Rachael Allen does a good job writing thoughtfully from the perspective of a boy dealing with Tourette’s Syndrome without making it his defining characteristic. Now off to the library website to put a hold on Allen’s earlier books. And if anybody has a grandma as awesome as Spencer’s, will you please loan her to me? Buy it.
The Darkling Bride
Written by: Laura Andersen
Released on: 3/6/18
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by: Janna*
Rating: 4 Castle Ghosts
Recommended for: Fans of Kate Morton or Daphne du Maurier
Deeprath Castle has belonged to the Gallagher family for centuries, and has seen its share of murders and mysteries. But the only murders that matter to Lord Aidan Gallagher, 17th Viscount of Wicklow, are those of his parents when he was 10 years old. Unsolved for over two decades, Aidan hopes to rid himself of the horrible memories by turning the castle over to the National Trust and never looking back. That is, until he meets Carragh, the spunky American hired to archive the castle’s impressive library.
Carragh Ryan, a half-Chinese America with a violent past, is trying to solve a mystery of her own. A fan of the 19th Century English novelist Evan Chase, who married a Gallagher heiress and lived at Deeprath until his wife’s apparent suicide, Carragh hopes to find the missing manuscript to his unfinished novel The Darkling Bride. But Deeprath Castle seems to have a mind of its own, and Carragh isn’t sure if the castle ghosts are trying to help her…or harm her.
This book got an A+ for atmosphere..a gothic haunted castle in the wild Irish mountains? Love it. An ancient chapel converted into a library full of first editions? When can I move in?? No seriously. My bags are packed. It wasn’t an edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it kept me guessing and was really entertaining. Carragh is a great protagonist-smart, independent, confident, but with realistic struggles and hangups. The romance was a secondary plot, but well done; it was nice to see a heroine that didn’t become a weak-kneed, stuttering mess around the gorgeous, wealthy, and enigmatic hero. If you’re wanting a gothic mystery with a lush, dark setting, then The Darkling Bride is exactly what you’re looking for. Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
I Was Anastasia
Written by: Ariel Lawhon
Released on: 3/27/18
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Leanne*
Rating: 3.5 Russian Revolutions
Recommended for: Russian history buffs, mystery lovers
In 1918, former Tzar Nicholas II, his wife, five children and four servants were repeatedly shot and stabbed in order to preserve the new Bolshevik regime. Several years later a woman using the name Ana Anderson claimed to be youngest daughter of the Tzar. Her tale of terror and survival, reinforced by her severely scared body, captivated the world and began a mystery that persisted for almost a century.
As a teen I loved the story of Anastasia Romanov and the possibility that she somehow survived the massacre that took her family. This story has been revisited time and again through literature, television, film and on Broadway, a testament to its fascination. Although fiction, Ariel Lawhon’s novel, I Was Anastasia, is a less romanticized version of this tale, and takes into account the DNA evidence that solved the mystery of Anastasia once and for all. The novel’s timeline can be a little difficult to follow as two stories unfold simultaneously, one moving chronologically and the other moving backward. Though some of the impact may be lost if you already know the outcome, I Was Anastasia is a ride worth taking with an ending that is appropriately based in reality. Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
Everything is Horrible and Wonderful: A Tragicomic Memoir of Genius, Heroin, Love and Loss
Written by: Stephanie Wittels Wachs
Released on: 2/27/18
Genre: Memoir
Reviewed by: Emily L.*
Rating: 4.5 liters of tears that you’ll cry reading this book
Recommended for: Anyone who loves the world of comedy, but also loves to cry because this book is about a comedic genius who left this world too soon.
Trigger warning: only read this book if you need a good cry. IT WILL MAKE YOU CRY. Stephanie’s brother Harris Wittels, writer for Parks and Rec, Master of None, and podcast star for the ages overdosed on heroin in 2015. This is an account of her life for the year after, written to Harris. It’s raw, heartbreaking, but overarchingly hopeful. It’s the grieving process put into words, and it’s beautiful. As a fan of Harris, it was tough to read but so enlightening. The public only saw a bit of the amazing talent he possessed. He will be greatly missed. Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
I Have Lost My Way
Written by: Gayle Forman
Released on: 3/27/18
Genre: Contemporary YA
Reviewed by: Angela*
Rating: 5 Friendship Bracelets
Recommended for: Anyone that has ever felt a bit lost
Freya is a rising celebrity, but recently her voice has been giving out and it is putting her recording contract on the line. Harun is stuck deciding between his religious family and the boy he has loved for over a year. Nathaniel just secretly arrived in NYC to find his father. All three are feeling lost. They are brought together when Freya falls off of a bridge and onto Nathaniel with Harun witnessing it all. The book follows these three through the city as they face the things holding them back, finding not only themselves, but real friends in the process. All in a single day.
Fans of Gayle Forman will not be disappointed with her latest YA book. Somehow she always figures out how to set a tone that is both melancholic and hopeful. And the best part is that you won’t want to throw the book across the room the way we all did after Just One Day/Just One Year! Buy it.
*arc provided by publisher in exchange for honest review
There you have it! Real quick reviews for books we loved … real quick because we lazy. Hope you find something new to read. But in the meantime, tell us what you are reading in the comments or on twitter using #TNReads.
