Tag: fiction

Review: Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur

Robin2 Comments

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Truly Livingston has always believed in happily ever afters, owed to her parents’ successful marriage of 33 years, and her career as a historical romance novelist. When she catches her fiance cheating and her parents soon after announce their separation, her world is shaken and she finds herself in a writing rut for the first time. In the middle of all this is a podcast Truly agreed to record in which she and a self-described realist give dating advice live to viewers. The self-described realist is family lawyer Colin McCory, whose views on love and dating are polar opposite to Truly’s, made clear when he calls her out during the recording of their first episode. Though she fully expects to not continue with the podcast, Truly returns after Colin makes an unexpected apology, and from there the show takes off running. In between recording and writing, Truly and Colin strike up an unlikely friendship lingering on the border of something more, and it could be, if Truly can convince herself she is worthy of writing her own love story.

Alexandria Bellefleur reaches soul-deep to deliver the romance novel of the year, filled with scorching levels of heat, podcast arguments, social media mishaps, and all the awkwardness in taking charge of your own love story. Truly, Madly, Deeply is hands down one of the best romance novels from Bellefleur since she departed from her Written in the Stars series. I initially had my doubts since that trilogy holds such a special place in my heart, but I’ve since learned never to doubt Bellefleur and this is further proof. I reread this almost immediately after reading through it for the first time, and I really can’t wait to do so again. Truly, Madly, Deeply is everything I’ve come to love from Bellefleur, open, honest, and so bisexual. 

Truly, Madly, Deeply features two characters, a realist and a romantic, falling in love and reexamining their set ideals and agency in their own lives. It’s a beautiful story that burrows down deep and takes time to settle before consuming every waking thought thereafter. Bellefleur has written an up close and personal love story for the hopeless romantics out there, the people who have found themselves adrift for the first time and are seeking a solid landing place. The setup for this one was everything I was hoping for, a snarky back and forth between two opposites on a podcast, that introduces a raw honesty that is just what each character needs. Now Truly Livingston is a total icon and not even her embarrassing social media mistakes could have me not backing her up (because yeah, Colin is the hottest man to ever exist. next question). Her struggle with feeling like she’s not a good enough version of herself to jump back into dating was certainly relatable and it was a kind of reward to see her go after what she wanted and be proactive in creating her own happiness. I’m a big fan of right person, right time, even when our characters can’t see that at first, and this book absolutely delivered on that. All the little moments between Colin and Truly fueled me, from the impromptu coffee hangs, to late-night drinks, and impassioned conversations about biphobia. I just love them dearly. Truly and Colin were the epitome of bisexual chaos and their bickering turned full arguments turned back around to understanding was all-consuming and seriously entertaining. Truly, Madly, Deeply has reminded me of the power of connection and the strength that comes from our close relationships – of the happiness we can’t wait around for and must create for ourselves. It left me with a truly debilitating crush on a fictional character and a massive book hangover and I wish I could do it all over again.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing the advance copy.

Trigger warnings: infidelity, biphobia

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Review: Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Robin1 Comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

On the edge of a small southern town, a house stands alone. Left to fester by the townspeople determined to move on from the town’s less-than-savory history, Starling House and its heir haven’t been seen for years. In a motel across town, Opal and her brother are just trying to survive Eden enough to one day leave it behind, but an innate curiosity keeps dragging Opal back to Starling House and its wrought iron gates. Opal can’t pull herself away, and one evening she finds herself at the gates of Starling House, only she’s not alone. The next day, she is given an opportunity that could get her brother out of Eden, but she will have to go back to the house. Opal returns to Starling House, where she explores its maze of rooms and discovers that all of the stories may have a kernel of truth to them. Outside parties are seeking entrance to Starling House as well, and they realize Opal is the way through. To stake her claim and build herself the home she has been longing for, Opal must return to Eden’s complicated history to discover what exactly lies buried underneath.

With Starling House, Alix E. Harrow captures a festering darkness in a small Southern town, and the strange house caught up in the center of it that refuses to let the past stay buried. It’s a gritty contemporary Southern Gothic that dragged me under from its very first pages. Now it should surprise no one that I’m an Alix E. Harrow enthusiast. I’ll read anything she writes at a drop of a hat and you’ll find me hunched over one of her books in my room for hours at a time until I reach the end of its pages. Her previous works drove me absolutely wild, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that her newest would inspire much of the same feeling. Starling House is a punishing gothic novel innately entangled with fairy tales and the undercurrent of truth that inevitably runs through them. Harrow ensnares readers in The Underland, a children’s fable depicting the monsters below the earth and one girl’s journey into the foul places below that ring more true than initially believed. Starling House is alive, a labyrinthian estate filled with twisting secrets and locked rooms that beg to be exposed. The house takes on a life of its own, much like the two focal points for this novel, Opal and Arthur. Harrow delivers a clever heroine and tortured heir, completely buried under the weight of their pasts, and unable to figure out how to drag themselves out of the surrounding dark. The romance is very much “we should rot in this old house together” and I was more than here for it. Starling House gives voice to two individuals who have just been trying to survive for so long that they no longer know how to do anything else but exist. The entire journey out of that is joyous, painful, and every emotion in between. Alix E. Harrow is a brilliant storyteller, reaching into those dark places that must be uncovered and exposing them to the light of day, all in her own time. Starling House feels like a reckoning as much as a journey toward healing and love, with a signature Harrow flair. This twisted story will drag you down into the depths of the earth where the truth lies, and leave you clawing for more. 

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger warnings: blood, death, fire, grief

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Review: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

As the only mortal of the Gorgons, Medusa knows true weakness. Residing with her sisters in their windswept cave by the sea, she and the Gorgons are fully at the mercy of the whims and desires of the gods. When the sea god Poseidon enacts a violence against her in the Temple of Athene, Athene takes her revenge, transforming Medusa from a young woman into a monster. Armed with a head full of snakes and a piercing gaze that can turn any viewer to stone, Medusa becomes a proper Gorgon. Resigned to never harm a living thing, she retreats to a life of solitude, until a quest blinded by arrogance places the hero Perseus on her shores. With quests and complicated deals at play, limiting the scope of her power may be impossible when divine intervention reigns supreme and women are mere tools for the beings above.

Natalie Haynes transforms the Medusa story we’ve been fed into a layered history of the women at its center and the monster we’ve all been taught to fear. Stone Blind delivers exactly the kind of retelling I have been craving, inexplicably rich, lyrical, and wound up in tragedy. Distinctive with this one is the emphasis on the intersection of time and place, with all characters that coalesce in the Medusa myth. There is not a singular focus on the figure of Medusa, as Haynes grasps at the threads binding the story together, fashioning an elaborate tapestry that rivals that of Athene. I was pulled into the story almost immediately with Medusa’s golden childhood by the sea, completely torn asunder by the acts of violence against her by Poseidon and Athene. Like the tide returns to the sea and back again, there is a constant give and take in Haynes’s narrative, with seemingly insignificant events that take shape, strike, and then fade into the background. Every action leaves behind an echo that lingers, leaving an imprint on every event that takes place further on. There are a broad range of voices present, from godly beings to nymphs, and even animals lending their eyes to the narrative voice. With every delicate line and merciless moment, Haynes dismantles the complex relationships and powerful forces at play within the Medusa myth, creating a wholly authentic view of the monster and existing as a woman within the sphere of the gods. As the focus shifts back to Perseus, it’s clear that existing in spite of these overtly monstrous qualities can equate to a loss of agency in the wrong hands. Stone Blind is the kind of story that will forever be imprinted upon me, long after I have managed to look away from its pages. Natalie Haynes crafts a Medusa retelling that will withstand the test of time, bringing new meaning to the Medusa figure and every woman held within the confines of her myth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger Warnings: rape, death, sexual assault, violence

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Review: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Renowned athlete Carrie Soto quickly surpassed the masses to become one of the world’s most legendary tennis players. Aided by her cutthroat attitude, her passionate coach of a father, and her willingness to win no matter the cost, she broke nearly every record and managed to collect twenty Grand Slam titles in her time. Six years after her retirement from tennis, an upfront spot in the stands at the 1994 U.S open to her record’s demise compels Carrie to come out of retirement and reclaim what was taken. This tremendous decision will have Carrie relying on her father to coach her again and pair her up with the very person to whom she almost gave her heart. One final season to win or lose, and make her mark on the world for a final time.

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid returns with Carrie Soto is Back, a relentless and immersive portrayal of a female athlete’s legendary tennis career. First introduced to Carrie Soto back in Malibu Rising, I could not imagine Reid’s next book would center around her, yet I was all the more excited having learned so. Carrie Soto is the high-stakes entertaining read I needed for the summer, full of all the twists and intricate relationships I’ve come to expect from its author. Not only is this novel comprised of all things tennis, but a touching father-daughter relationship over the years, and an assessment of the media’s treatment of women in sports. Carrie herself is an easy character to fall in love with, wonderfully vicious, and determined to claim every victory. Her journey took hold of me right at the beginning, with the decisive introductory chapter of a retired Carrie witnessing the downfall of her legacy and deciding to take action. From that moment on, I was here for every upswing and countermove on her path to reclaiming her title. In standard fashion, Reid has created a heroine that is uncompromising, but in different ways from those of her previous novels. I really appreciated reading about Carrie’s dedication to succeed and the sacrifices required in order to make it to the top as a world champion. Reid does an incredible job with the setup and payoff here, especially regarding the initial and final chapters of the story. The mirroring of those two moments was equally gratifying as it was vindicating on my part of having called it from the very start. Tennis may not be my forte, but this novel certainly makes you feel a part of the game. Taylor Jenkins Reid has become a staple author for many, and Carrie Soto is Back is her next unapologetically fierce read to devour.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc to review.

Trigger warnings: death, grief, injury

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