Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This will absolutely be one of my favorite reads of this year, hands down.

I loved Rowell’s Eleanor & Park years ago but I hadn’t read another novel by her in a long time. I wasn’t sure if this would read like YA even though it’s not. I was worried I might not like it.

But I was wrong.

I fell in love from the moment I started this story. Shiloh and Cary have known each other forever. They were best friends. And then they fell out of touch. And suddenly they see each other at a wedding. And they find their way back to each other.

Shiloh and Cary broke my heart and then put it back together. The emotion is so palpable and so beautiful in this story that it was impossible not to root for these two broken souls. It’s impossible not to fall in love with them.

Rowell knows how to write love. She does an exquisite job here. I won’t forget this story for a long long time.

with gratitude to netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’ve read and loved Hur’s translations so I was truly looking forward to this book. but alas it was either the wrong book at the wrong time or the wrong audience because I could not ever get into the story.

I loved parts of the writing and much of the dialogue. I was intrigued at the idea of this story but the execution just didn’t make it for me. I kept getting pulled out of the story, not able to follow the narrative and the combination of plot and musings and character just never came together for me.

I will still make sure to read Hur’s next book because he’s such an excellent writer.

with gratitude to netgalley and HarperVia for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am officially an Ethan Joella fan. I will read anything he writes at this point because he simply doesn’t disappoint. His writing makes me think of Anne Tyler with real characters in small towns living beautiful, ordinary lives.

People whom you can’t help but connect to and grow to love. People whom you root for and who end up feeling like family. People you remember long after the story is finished.

Jack is no exception. He stays with the reader long long after the book is over. So do all the other characters from the diner.

Joella’s books make me feel less alone in the world. They are the best of what fiction can do which is give you a whole world to get lost in, remind you of the beauty of community and of the extraordinary in our ordinary lives. I love every moment I get to spend with his books. I hope there are many, many more to come.

with gratitude to netgalley and Scribner for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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The Stranger by Kiersten Modglin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. Twisty. You know something is wrong. You’re not sure what it is. You keep changing your mind. Until the end 🙂

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Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book on audio. Others said it was too cute or too romancy. I didn’t care. I love Waxman’s writing and this one was no exception. Fun, light, and sweet.

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Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lamott truly never disappoints. She’s kind, generous, true and makes you feel less alone in the world by not only existing alongside all of us but sharing her stories so we can feel a deeper sense of belonging.

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