celestesbookshelf's reviews
259 reviews

Invisible Life of Addie LaRue 🫥 

This is a “Bookstagram Made Me Do It” read! My first Schwab novel and I love the way she writes.

What I LOVED:
The methods Addie employs to help the curse work for her. Her learning to use the curse to her advantage and all of the plot involving her part in history, art, literature, I could read those flashbacks for days. I loved Schwab’s writing style, I was hooked within a few pages.

Not so much:
Unpopular opinion 🫣 I didn’t like Henry’s character. I felt the chapters in his POV were romanticizing intoxication. The “live fast die young” lifestyle. I hoped his reason for the initial dilemma would be resolved towards the end or at least have improved. 

🚨 Spoilers below ⬇️ 

I liked how Schwab finished the novel. For a period I thought Addie would truly fall for Luc and I felt uncomfortable with that development. Considering he’s evil and cruel and all. Then initially I felt she had given up her life for Henry and that it was too cliche for a woman to give up her life for love…The Little Mermaid anyone? HOWEVER. Schwab totally blew it out of the park by implicitly stating Addie is giving up her life for his because he will remember her. He will tell her story and that’s what the entire novel built up to - that no one would remember her so it wasn’t for love. The way I interpreted it is she set him free of his curse so that by telling her story he is undoing her curse of being forgotten. Just perfect. 

Latinx (noun or adjective): a person of Latin American origin or descent, used as a gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina. 

Author is journalist @paoramos, she embarks on a journey to find Latinx voices who have been overlooked from the beginning. Afrolatinx, indigenous, and undocumented voices who have never felt they fit in. They’re not “brown enough” to be Latinx, they’re not enough X to be labeled Y so where do they fit in?

Author interviews multiple people and tells their story. Included are families of the victims of the El Paso massacre in 2019; a crime fueled by hate against Mexicans. This hit close to home as I frequent El Paso, my husband was born there and he still has family who call it home. 

Ramos also breaks down the rise of Trumpism during the 2016 presidential election. How hate became normalized, how bullying in schools K-12 increased exponentially against immigrants.

Then to her surprise and mine she interviewed Enrique Tarrio - a Puerto Rican who is a leader for the Proud Boys Miami division. He recently was indicted for his role in the Capitol Riot. His reasons for his anti-immigrant activism are morally gray and seem more a cover to be violent. He shows up to riot removal of confederacy statues to protect American history but then leads a riot on the Capitol because he’s unhappy with the politicians who occupy it. Not sure if Tarrio hoped to garner sympathy or simply understanding for his reasons but neither was accomplished. 

I enjoyed the stories of immigrants who’ve had the odds stacked against them and they beat the odds. Such as Angel from chapter 6, an ex-con now attending law school. He’s the stories that all Latinx who’ve ever felt marginalized need to hear! 

SOON
Big Chicas Don't Cry available September 1st,
2022.
What I loved:
A story about four cousins navigating through life
from childhood to adulthood.
As a Mexican woman I loved the Mexican culture
at the center of the story, there's a scene where
one of the cousins approaches her great-
grandma and "Ponds face cream danced across
my nose" totally relatable! My grandmother uses
Ponds and the fragrance is unforgettable. The
cooking scenes all touched me, especially
bringing in armfuls of raisins for the sweet
tamales. The strong family bond between cousins
and aunts and nieces was very relatable. Mexican
culture has cousins raised as sisters and the
author did a wonderful job of showcasing the
bonds that bring them together.


What I didn't like:
Spoilers follow *
I felt the four women didn't have enough
character development. They are all professional
women and all at some point encounter some
form of being overlooked or flat out disrespected.
They express anger and indignation but don't
stand up for themselves towards the beginning. In
Mexico there's a phrase, "calladita te vez más
bonita", translates to "you look prettier when you
don't say anything". I wanted better for them.

Three of the four cousins seemed to be in love
with guys who have done absolutely nothing to
win them over. Erika's love interest she overhears
him falling her a "mediocre reporter" and up until
the end of the book he has stood her up for his
ex-girlfriend and put her opinion over Erika's in
professional matters. Even then in the same page
when he finally shows up she's leaning on his
shoulder, head-over-heels for him.
Gracie the entire book is portrayed as prudent
and rational. The new teacher at her school
happens to be a guy who in grade school treated
her badly. There's never much a resolution or
closure on how he treated her in grade school
and before we know it she's pregnant and he tells
her he's not ready and hopes she doesn't expect
anything from him.

Marisol lost her identity being a trophy wife and everything she went through during the book doesn't
mean much because without much effort on Esteban's part they seem to be rekindling their relationship.

Amazon First Reads provided an e-ARC of historical fiction short story “Signal Moon” by Kate Quinn! Loved it! Fast paced and if you’re a history buff or enjoy WWII, time- travel and inspiring women then this one’s for you!

Lily Baines - petty officer and part of Y Listeners, has the ears of a bat and quickly scribbles any message she intercepts. Her messages are sent to Bletchley Park for decoding and this is how WWII was won. One evening on her shift she picks up a ship attack, she listens to the entire ship go down but what doesn’t make sense is that it is taking place in 2023. 

 

I enjoyed the switching between 2023 and 1943 - the references to TV, Downton Abbey, Uber and then the confusion from Lily back in 1943. The Author’s Note recommended “The Bletchley Girls” by Tessa Dunlop for further reading about these hero’s behind the scenes!

If you’re looking for a historical fiction novel with strong female characters - this is for you!

“Bloomsbury Girls” follows the lives of three women all at different stages of their life. The novel is set in postwar London so PTSD in men is discussed as well as its effect on their families. However, the main plot of the book is the injustices experienced by women of this age. Being turned down in favor of a less accomplished male, having literary work rejected simply because it is by a female, being passed up for promotion simply because “women have never held that position”, Many subplots make the reader feel frustrated at the antiquity of the times, the helpless position that the women are placed in regardless of their strengths. 

What I enjoyed most of this novel is the references to historical figures of the time, e.g. Peggy Guggenheim, Daphne du Maurier, Sonia Blair (George Orwell’s widow), and others. Their being brought to life and imagining them in London at a luncheon was exciting and new.

🔅Vladimir by Julia May Jones @juliamaynot ! Thank you @blackbookbitch for my ARC 💙 

🔅Will be released in UK on 26 May 2022 

🔅Thoughts: This book surprised me! I was expecting a forbidden or taboo romance novel but it was not and ended up so much better.

“Vladimir” is narrated by a college professor, we never get her name which to me was symbolism for the loss of identity she is going through. Her husband of almost 30 years has come under scrutiny for affairs with his students - all of them consensual - but the students have now criticized him for preying on student whose grades he had control over.

I loved our narrator - I felt like I knew her. She describes her body without boundaries, calling her “breasts conical rather than globular”, she describes the lengths to which she goes to appear more attractive but then hates herself for it. Her inner monologue is honest and relatable - she describes her frustration with students who believe themselves free from the strict patriarchal system and who unsolicited spring their opinion about her marriage on her. Yet when she speaks to them she’s the epitome of “politically correct”. How to professionally tell your students to F off 😊. 


And any book about books will quickly become a favorite, here’s a quote from our narrator: “I loved that the complexities of my emotions were understood by authors writing hundreds of years ago.” Some books that are mentioned are “Girl, Interrupted”, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Lady Chatterly’s Lover”, “The Yellow Wall-Paper” and many more! There’s references to authors, plays, movies and just all around cultural staples that have formed our society.

The narrator is said to be in her mid-50s and is experiencing a new awareness of the difference in her age with that of her students, especially concerning the issue they now all have with her husband. Seeing students congregated she muses “I understood not only the
bonding that comes out of complaining but also the incredible sense
of identity that comes with discovering why you think something is
wrong.” Her perception of youth was just….spot-on. I loved the narrator. So who is Vladimir? Where does he come in? 

He’s the new junior professor at the college whom our narrator lusts after. Her fantasies though are after thoughts in the complexity of her life and never become the main plot. I won’t spoil it but I think the climax of the relationship was perfect example of expectation vs reality. 

I’m glad I have the British copy of the book with the woman on the cover because the book is about her - not the guy.

🔅Pub Day: April 12th, 2022

🔅I’m so happy @atriabooks honored me with sending me this requested ARC! When I read the synopsis I thought it sounded heartwarming and funny and I wasn’t wrong.

If you enjoy a lighthearted read about community this is for you. For dog lovers, modern families, and those who have experienced the inevitable friction between parents and their children. 

Bambalina was my favorite character, an elderly Pomeranian who rides around in a red wagon and is being tormented by a litter of schnauzers! 🐾 

There’s unrequited love, new love, everlasting love and love beyond the grave yet love is not main plot which made me enjoy this more - the plot is all about community coming together. And for all of us who were locked in our homes for a year and then some - community uniting is refreshing. 

🔅 As a Catholic I really enjoyed the main character having a compendium of all the patron saints, I had to Google a few because I couldn’t believe it!

Sally Hepworth is the master of misdirection and turning stereotypes on their head. “The Younger Wife” follows sisters Rachel and Tully who are mourning the loss of their mother who has advanced dementia and does not recognize them most of the time, dealing with their father who is marrying a woman younger than them and their own issues. 

If you’re like me and you hear a man marrying a younger woman you most likely quickly form an opinion of said woman. Gold digger - selfish, unlikeable. Hepworth as usual turns this stereotype around and makes the younger wife nothing like that. What if it’s their father the one that has ruined their family at its core? 

“Pam was your client, and not only did you fail to meet her brief, you took off with her husband!” As the younger wife it’s expected that your fiancé’s former friends will look on you as a home wrecker and never think about how the husband is to blame.

If you enjoyed “The Good Sister” and “The Mother-in-Law” then you’ll find similar excitement and mystery in “The Younger Wife”. Or if you’re a fan of “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins then this book is also for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my e-ARC! 

The Last Green Valley - Mark T. Sullivan

🔅I received this book as part of Amazon First Reads back in December, the kindle and the audible version. After a few chapters I switched solely to audible and would listen only when driving alone.

🔅I don’t know why I continue to read WWII historical fiction novels if I always finish devastated - this was no exception.

Don’t be dissuaded from reading this because of reviews that claim it is slow-paced. This novel is based on a true story and thus constant plot twists or dramatic surprises are not what build this book. This is slow and gut-wrenching, just as the lives were of the people being oppressed by the Soviets and Nazi’s during and after WWII. 

The events described during our main characters migration often made me wince - such as a mother burying her child, a father/husband being ripped from his family never to be heard from again. Or the emotional, physical and mental abuse that the POW’s endured in the camps where they were forced to work nonstop with meager portions, poor protection against severe weather and minimal sleep. Their lives were expendable and simply measured in quantity of work they could give before their bodies failed them.

The Martel’s family reliance and trust in God is a recurrent theme in the novel and by the end you see how their faith really did aid them in beating the odds.

If you read this don’t skip the Afterword, Sullivan recollects on his research and time with the real Martel’s.

Listened to The Golden Couple on
my road trip to Dallas! I had to speed it up because I
couldn't wait to figure out what happened!
Full of twists and unexpected turns this domestic
thriller won't disappoint. My first read by these ladies
and I like this cover aesthetic more than their prior one!