katetipp's reviews
88 reviews

An engaging read about "mom influencer" social media culture and consent from the children they post about. The story follows a young woman who has been impacted by this theme and her fight for justice for herself and her sister. The audio narration was excellent on this one.  The author does a good job of setting up the protagonist so that we root for her and are intimately aware of her flaws. Themes of grief and friendships that heal are core to this book and there was an excellent therapist character, whose portrayal I really appreciated. 

A story of friendship as a stay at home mom grieving her professional identity and a politicians wife with a secret work
together to expose an abusive leader. This was an okay read, albeit predictable that highlighted the power of secrets and the challenging realities of income disparity. Major trigger warning for sexual abuse. 

A layered story set in coastal Maine following a woman in the aftermath of her mother's death as she learn more about the history of an old
home and its connection to her family. And sooo many more things are covered in this book - history, alcoholism, spirituality, ghosts/afterlife. A central theme is the importance of woman telling their stories, but for me, there were too many stories being told in this book that did not weave together on a cohesive narrative. The story is rich but often too dense and it was very slow reading for me on this one. 

A story about loneliness, belonging, loss, and self discovery that follows a mid 20s woman navigating her role in her family & the world, as she grapples with family expectations, career challenges, friendship, and more closely considers her multicultural identity. A really authentic and moving look at grief, family patterns, and true understanding of others and one's self. 

Ok this book has SO much potential but ended up disappointing for me. Highlights are the discussion around our general relationship with dopamine and how the pain and pleasure centered are connected. Understanding the updates in neurobiological research and how we all seek dopamine hits in big and small ways is fascinating. The author is a psychiatrist and she discusses doing psychotherapy with patients and her tone was off putting (judgmental) to me. She also chose vignettes that have a "shock factor" and followed them throughout the book, which I think distracted from her main points & message. 

Probably a least favorite of the year. A look into the lives of two sisters and the ways anxiety, primarily driven by family dynamics, impacts them in their 20s. The book is satirical and crude; the dry humor was sometimes funny but overall hit my style. The book was written from one POV and I honestly only kept reading because I had a theory for a twist that would make the book make more sense but I was wrong. Just not a particularly enjoyable read for me! 

After reading Ask Again Yes, I am officially a Mary Beth Keane fan. This one is the story about the impacts of financial struggles and infertility on a marriage and the difficult choices people make to cope. I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. Keane's writing is excellent but I really only felt drawn in by one character and just had a hard time feeling connected to the story, which felt so different from her previous books. Will still always read more of her work! 

I went into this knowing nothing about the author. She brings a realistic and honest look at the experiences of being a woman, mother, widow, blended family member, and middle aged person, and she is definitely writing only to an audience who fits at least some of those categories. Though the essays bring relevant cultural commentary, this is not a book with major takeaways or prompts for reflection. It felt more like chatting with a funny friend who is good at telling stories; good for a laid back audio listen. 

I appreciate Sissy's work and typically like her delivery. I did not love this book. Maybe it felt slightly redundant on the heels of reading The Worry Free parent which I did enjoy. I listened to audio and the tone of the narrator came off as so patronizing, which was particularly off putting given the content. Positives for me were the very specific examples of language to use to both understand and cope with anxiety, and I do think there was a lot of takeaway in terms of tools for anxiety from a Christian worldview. But ultimately, I think the approach felt reductionist if and left out a more nuanced understanding of anxiety, including Tom things like cultural context, home environment, social media, etc. I think the "why" is so important to understand and this book just felt too one dimensional. 

A book about friendship & race in the elite suburbs of VA. The authors took on many heavy themes- racism, Alzheimer's, marital issues, infertility. I thought they did a really good job of writing thought provoking and challenging content through the fictional story, though the themes are applied to the ultra wealthy and certainly have different implications for people with less resources. The ending of this book was super rushed and felt confusing compared to the pace of the book itself.