1. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (Thriller) - This was a good thriller, but the best part of the story was the developing relationship between Hannah and Bailey, stepmother and stepdaughter who didn't want a relationship with the stepmother. As they searched for their husband/father, it was powerful to watch them get closer and watch Bailey gradually open up and trust Hannah more. There were twists in this story, but I love when stories have strong characters more than when they are twisty and this one had great characters.
2. Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips (Literary Fiction) - This was a literary story with a mystery at its core. The book was essentially a novel-in-stories, where each chapter focused on a new character but were interconnected. Characters reappeared between stories but many of the connections from chapter-to-chapter were looser. This story focuses on characters in the Kamchatka Russian peninsula, which is not a setting I had read about before. They were a mix of Russian characters and indigenous Natives to the peninsula. I found this to be an interesting and unique read. As with any book with many characters, I was more invested in some than others.
3. Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi (YA Contemporary Fiction) - This was a powerful story about two sisters, Jayne and June. They had a very complex relationship and I enjoyed reading about the developments in their relationship. While this is officially marketed as Young Adult, a lot of the situations read as more adult, as June was no longer in college and Jayne was college-aged, but the book didn't focus much on college at all. Both sisters are dealing with difficult things. Jayne struggles with body image and eating disorders, while June struggles with uterine cancer. They are both dealing with a lot and I liked how they were gradually able to lean on each other more and more over the course of the story. I like when books make me feel a range of emotions, and this book did that well.
4. Shipped by Angie Hockman (Romance) - This was a fun, light, and cute read. I enjoyed the tropical settings, and as a biology teacher, I enjoyed the mentions of Darwin and the Galapagos. The hate-to-love romance and banter were cute. Henley and Graeme had a lot of chemistry early on, and I liked watching them figure out their relationship. I also liked reading about Henley's relationship with her younger sister, Walsh, who was struggling figuring out some things on her own. This would be a great summer read!
5. How Lucky by Will Leitch (Contemporary Fiction) - This was a sweet, quick read! I thought it had a very strong voice from the beginning, and enjoyed getting to be in Daniel's head. This book offered a perspective that I hadn't read before - that of a man with spinal muscular atrophy. It was interesting to read his positive outlook on his life, despite his condition and that he likely would have a shorter life than average. There was a mystery aspect to the story as well, as Daniel may have been the only witness to a kidnapping. I enjoyed getting to see how this mystery played out, and was not sure of the results.
6. Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang (Thriller) - This was an interesting novel that was mostly a quick read. There were some parts where I wished the perspective had stayed more focused on Alice and Julia, rather than jumping around to some other characters. I can see why some of the side perspectives needed to be included though. I think this book was better in the beginning/middle, when it was more character-driven, and I wasn't as interested in the end, probably because spy stories are less my thing. Overall, it was still a good read.
7. Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur (Romance) - This was a thoroughly cute story. I loved Annie and Brendon together. At times, the romance moved a bit too fast, but that is understandable in a romance book. I also enjoyed the focus on Annie's friendships in Seattle as well. I liked getting to revisit Darcy, Elle, and Margot. I look forward to getting to read Margot's story next year!
Rereads:
1. Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers (Contemporary Fiction) - I enjoyed this book just as much the 2nd time!
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