BOOK REVIEW: Love of My Lives by Yamile Saied Méndez

 

A contemporary love story about fate and the lifelong journey of finding your soul mate. 

BOOK DETAILS

Title: Love of My Lives

Author: Yamile Saied Méndez

Publisher: Kensington Books

Publication Date: September 26, 2023

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Point of View: 3rd Person

Trope(s): Soul Mates, Magical Realism, Travel 

MY SYNOPSIS

On the night Madi Ramirez lost her abuela at the age of 13, her grandmother's spirit paid her a visit and revealed an image of the man she was destined to marry. As Madi grew older and began to date, it became her single focus to find this mysterious man.

Fast forward to present day >> every man Madi believed was the love of her lives has turned out to be a disappointment. When Madi finds herself once again reeling from a breakup, she decides to seek solace by traveling to her grandmother's homeland in Puerto Rico. 

 

Madi immediately feels at home on the island and soon meets a man with whom she feels an instant connection. The only problem? He doesn't haven't the same initials as the man she saw in her vision as a child. Madi must decide if she wants to continue living for a day in the future that may never come or live in the present and enjoy every moment she possibly can with the man right in front of her. 

MY THOUGHTS

LOVE OF MY LIVES is a fun, lighthearted read that would be perfect for the beach. The plot is interesting and unique, and the author added a lot of great descriptive and background information about Puerto Rico. It made me want to book a flight to see the beauty for myself. 

However, I would have liked to feel a deeper connection between Madi and the main love interest. Their relationship just didn't feel believable to me. There were also a few events that seemed too far fetched and a few others that didn't really add anything to the story. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable read that could use another round of editing. 

I'd recommend to readers looking for a fun travel romance, as well as fans of soul mates, magical realism, and instalove. 

OVERALL RATING: ❤️❤️❤️

*A big thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.  

BOOK REVIEW: Admission by Julie Buxbaum

ADMISSION is a fictional story about the very real college admissions scandal that sparked outrage and passionate debate across the country. With sensitivity and grace, Julie Buxbaum has woven a tale about the forces that perpetuate elitism and white privilege and the destruction those forces leave in their wake. 

Chloe Berringer is living the good life in sunny, southern California. Well... she was living it before the FBI showed up with guns drawn and a warrant for her mother's arrest. 

Until that fateful day, Chloe had lived the most uneventful life that ever existed. Nothing bad ever happened, and senior year was shaping up to be the best yet! An acceptance letter from Chloe's dream school had just arrived (despite her mediocre GPA and the school's notoriously selective acceptance policy), and her lifelong crush had finally asked her to Prom.

In the blink of an eye (or the clink of her mom's cuffs), Chloe's good fortune makes a complete 180 before nosediving straight into the ground. Unable to return to school and with her best friend MIA, Chloe is forced to face some hard truths alone.  

MY THOUGHTS

I found myself captivated by Chloe's story. Indeed, I read this ARC from start to finish without putting it down. Despite a few (very minor) holes in the subplot of a secondary character, I thoroughly enjoyed ADMISSION and think it's an important story worth telling.

Ignorance may be bliss, but it's also irresponsible. 

OVERALL RATING: ❤️❤️❤️❤️

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 👩‍⚖️👩‍⚖️👩‍⚖️👩‍⚖️👩‍⚖️

STORYLINE: 📚📚📚📚

Scheduled Release Date: December 1, 2020

*A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: The Seduction Expert by Saya Lopez Ortega

Let me first say -- I've been looking forward to the release of THE SEDUCTION EXPERT by Saya Lopez Ortega for a longgggg time. I requested an ARC more than a year ago, so imagine my surprise when I saw the request had been approved yesterday. Unfortunately, the story fell drastically short of my expectations and read more like the fictional, female equivalent of THE GAME by Neil Strauss.

The Seduction Expert, who is referred to only as Baroness, is a consultant living in Paris, France. Namely, she consults women on all matters related to their intimate relationships. She helps them meet men, break up with men, extort men, you name it. She's a supremely unlikable character and psychotic narcissist. 

For example, she describes herself as someone women want to call on because "men imagine life by my side" and "I daunt mankind". Yet, few people "dare approach her". 

The Baroness sees herself as a champion of women, yet debases them at every turn. I've seen people describe this book as pro-feminist, which is unequivocally false. Every female character is depicted as a spineless, self-conscious, and weak woman. In the same way that women are clueless souls who desperately need help, every man is a hapless schmuck. 

Also, there was a lot of wording I didn't understand. Translation issues, perhaps? Example: "...the way he looks at her largely witness for his interest."

WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?

To be blunt, I very much hated this book.  

FINAL RATING: ❤️

*A big thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. The thoughts expressed in this review are my own personal opinions and have been written in my own words.

BOOK REVIEW: When Elephants Fly by Nancy Richardson Fischer

A heartwarming coming-of-age tale about mental illness, tolerance, and the beautiful bonds that can form between animal and human. WHEN ELEPHANTS FLY, at its heart, is about the importance of fighting for what you believe in, living in the moment, and never giving up hope. 

Lily Decker has spent most of her life fearing the day she becomes her schizophrenic mother. The same mother who attempted to kill her when she was 11-years-old. 

Because schizophrenia is largely genetic and deeply ingrained in her family's lineage, Lily lives life by a specific code of conduct. It's what she refers to as her "12-Year Plan". The plan consists of living life by logic rather than emotion and adhering to a clean living lifestyle, to avoid the well-known triggers of schizophrenia -- stress, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, alcohol and drug use. To implement her plan, Lily runs three miles every day, meditates, and avoids parties and high-stress situations. The only problem with Lily's plan -- it's BORING.

Lily is nothing if not apathetic about life. That is, until an internship at her local newspaper brings her to the zoo, where she bears witness to an elephant trying to kill its three-week-old calf, Swifty. (Ya know, like Lily's mother once tried to do to her.) She can't bear to turn her back on the news story, or the baby calf, but Lily knows she'll need to abandon her "12-Year Plan" if she wants to help. So, when she learns that Swifty is dying from grief, Lily makes a life-altering decision that could not only break her sanity, but also, her heart.

Life may not always be a fairy tale, but there are many forms of happily-ever-after. This story was inspiring, heartfelt, and adorable.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

RATING: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

*A big thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. The thoughts expressed in this review are my own personal opinions and have been written in my own words.

Publish Date: September 4, 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

BOOK REVIEW: Our House by Louise Candlish

Our House by Louise Candlish
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I’VE READ ALL YEAR.

OUR HOUSE is a spellbinding story that will surprise you over and over again. I honestly can’t remember the last time a book surprised me as much as this one did.

Fiona (known as Fi) lives in a darling suburb outside of London that is known for its beautiful landscape and skyrocketing property values. Despite the strained relationship with her estranged husband Bram, Fi has been coping relatively well with their separation and trial run custody agreement. That all changes when she arrives home early from a trip to find a family in her driveway with a moving truck. Not only does the family claim to legally own her home, but her possessions, estranged husband, and two children are also missing.

The narrative of OUR HOUSE is told from the alternating perspectives of Fi and Bram in very unique and differing formats. Fi’s story is shared in the form of a guest interview on a crime podcast called The Victim, while Bram tells his version of events in the form of a suicide letter. (No spoilers here; the reader learns this in the first few chapters.) The unreliability of the narrators adds to the suspense and mystery of the story, and Candlish does an amazing job of tying it all together in the end, by using the perspective of a third, neutral narrator.

As OUR HOUSE begins to unravel, one nightmare after another is revealed. Fraud, blackmail, secrets, lies, infidelity, betrayal. They all twist and turn until you find yourself lost inside a labyrinth. It’s a cautionary and terrifying story about how one hidden truth can turn into a tsunami of lies and destroy everything in its wake.

OVERALL: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SUSPENSE: 😬😬😬😬😬

*A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion written in my own words.


View all my reviews

BOOK REVIEW: Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall

OUR KIND OF CRUELTY by Araminta Hall is told from the perspective of an obsessed and delusional stalker named Mike.

Mike thinks he's playing a game of cat and mouse with his ex-girlfriend and love of his life, Verity. In reality, Verity (or V) has moved on with "the most eligible bachelor in London," and is engaged to be married in the coming months. When V sends Mike an invitation to the wedding, Mike is convinced the invitation is a calculated move in an ongoing, twisted game they've named Crave. Now, it's Mike's move.

I can't delve into plot specifics without spoiling the story, but I'll share what I can.

Our Kind of Cruelty is divided into three parts.

PART ONE

The backstory. The reader learns about Mike's traumatic childhood, how he met V, the highs and lows of their EIGHT year relationship, and the dynamics of the silly games they play. It sets the stage for what's to come and gives the reader a foundation for Mike's later actions.

PART TWO

The main event.

PART THREE

The story comes full circle when the main event is retold from the inside of a courtroom.


I had a hard time putting this book down, so it definitely deserves a few points for holding my attention. However, there were a good number of things I found problematic.  

First, let's talk about Mike. This man has little to no social intelligence and misinterprets the most basic of social cues on a near constant basis. Yet, despite his OBVIOUS social ineptitude, the author would have us believe that Mike rakes in million dollar bonuses every year at his high profile banking job.

V's character is just as incongruent as Mike. If the author's objective was to make Verity a sympathetic character, the author does a poor job. The reader isn't given ANY information about her personality, her thoughts, what motivates her (...to, you know, send a stalking ex-boyfriend an invitation to her wedding when she should know EXACTLY how he would respond to that? They dated for eight years!)

We don't know if Verity is genuine or honest. Did she ever care about Mike at all? And if she never cared, WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE POINT OF THIS STORY?

Did V take advantage of Mike's lack of social skills and mold him into the type of man she could easily manipulate? Is it fair to condemn a man based on his actions if he was motivated by your manipulative behavior? 

OUR KIND OF CRUELY is more depressing than it is disturbing, and I would have preferred a more resolute ending. However, I'm sure this will be a popular read among book clubs (as there is much to discuss!) 

RATING: ❤️❤️❤️

*A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.