The Friends We Keep by Jane Green

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have been best friends since Uni. The three were inseparable, always looked out for one another, and swore they would be friends forever. Years later, they have parted ways. As the years continue to pass, they drift further and further apart, yet none of them are living the life they envisioned. When they were young they had so many hopes and dreams, and they seemed to be on track to make them all come true.

Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her successful career after sleeping with a married man.

Maggie married Ben—the boy she fell for at university—never imagining the impact of his drinking and the heartbreak it would bring.

Topher became a successful actor but the shame of a childhood trauma made him incapable of any form of intimacy, even with those he loved.

Their thirtieth reunion brings the friends together and by being together, they have a second chance at happiness. But a long-held secret surfaces and changes everything.

Green's novel is about how disappointments and mistakes shape your life, but ultimately don't define you, and that it is never too late to find the place you call home. She explores many relationships: friendships, marriages, infatuations, and between a parent and child.

I loved the settings, London and New York City. Green couldn't have picked more dynamic and vibrant cities, each unique and historical in their own ways. What I ultimately struggled with was the barrage of problems that afflicted the characters: drug use, verbal and physical abuse, infidelity, alcoholism, as well as fat shaming and homophobia. I really felt like less was more and it became trite at times.

The writing could have been more direct. For example, Maggie's doorbell rings and instead of Maggie just answering the door, the narrative goes sideways first speculating who might be at the door, and then segued into a whole to a whole backstory about a neighbour and a hedgerow problem. That's not to say that the neighbour part didn't play into the story further along, but it seemed to get too much attention at such a pivotal moment in the story.

JANE GREEN is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written nineteen novels, one cookbook, and various short stories. Green is published in over 25 languages and over ten million books in print worldwide.

She resides in Westport, Connecticut with her husband, a small menagerie of animals, and (too) many children. 

Light From Other Stars by Erika Swyler

A special thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA/Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is 1986 and eleven-year-old Nedda Papas is obsessed with becoming an astronaut. Her father, Theo, is a scientist who has recently been laid off from his job at NASA. Theo is being consumed by an idea of his own making as a result of never getting over the loss of his newborn son—he has invented something that will alter time.

This is a story of women, of fathers and daughters, and of sacrifice.

I've been a fan of Swyler's writing since reviewing The Mermaid Girl, which is the prequel to The Book of Speculation. While I enjoyed the exploration of the father-daughter relationship, this story missed the mark. I feel party responsible for the mediocrity I felt while reading this book because I didn't realize it was science fiction. That's not a criticism of the genre, it is just simply not for me and had I realized this, I would not have requested the book.

The story is framed in two time periods—at the time of the Challenger explosion and then in the future. It was the futuristic timeline/time in space that was disengaging and I was happy to be immersed in the earlier timeline.

What I did enjoy was the writing, there is no doubt that Swyler is a talented author, but I felt bogged down by the terminology and high level of detail and therefore was emotionally disconnected.

ERIKA SWYLER is a graduate of New York University. She is a writer and playwright whose work has appeared in literary journals and anthologies. Born and raised on Long Island's north shore, Erika is also a baker, photographer and blogger.

The Editor by Steven Rowley

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin First to Read/Penguin Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

James Smale is a struggling writer in 1990s New York City. He finally sells his novel to a major publishing house, but what he doesn't know, is that his big break comes because one of the most famous women in America has championed his work.

His editor is none other than Jacqueline Kenney Onasis—or Mrs. Onassis as she is called in the office—as in the former First Lady of the United States. She happened to fall in love with Jame's candid semi-autobiographical novel that pulls back the curtain on his own dysfunctional family.

The stress of publication is putting on strain on James' relationships with both his partner and his family. James suddenly finds himself unable to finish the manuscript even with Jackie's encouragement.

Jackie and James develop a friendship and it is Jackie who persuades James to visit his mother. James returns home to confront the truth about his relationship with his mother and during the visit, a family secret is unearthed. It is another mother's intuition that has a hand in James' life's plan.

Rowley's latest book is about mothers and sons, and an unexpected friendship that will forever change one man.

What I found so fantastic is that Jackie didn't eclipse James—she is the perfect addition to the story with her poise, grace, and sophistication. There is also an immense sadness about her and instead of being swallowed up and consumed by grief, Jackie is empathetic and clever as is the story. Rowley took a risk using someone as famous as Jackie Kennedy Onassis because she could have stolen the scenes away from James thus making him more of a supporting character, but this doesn't happen at all.

Rowley took a risk using someone as famous as Jackie Kennedy Onassis because she could have stolen the scenes away from James thus making him more of a supporting character, but this doesn't happen at all—he stays true to James' story. James is a well-developed character with an incredible amount of depth and growth. What happens instead is the two characters play off one another, and the reader is a witness to their beautiful friendship.

The Editor is utterly endearing and Rowley's words are as elegant as Jackie herself.

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STEVEN ROWLEY has worked as a freelance writer, newspaper columnist, and screenwriter. Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College. Lily and the Octopus was his first novel.

He currently resides in Los Angeles with his boyfriend and their dog. 

Books and Brunch with Lisa See

Author and book cover photo source: Simon & Schuster. Other photo by Girl Well Read—do not use without written permission.

Blue Heron Books hosted "Books & Brunch" featuring Lisa See. The event was moderated by Leena Rahusaar who asked Lisa about her writing process, inspiration, and theme of her latest work. A question and answer period, as well as a book signing, followed.

Instead of performing a reading, Lisa engaged the audience in an exercise to demonstrate how long the women divers from South Korea's Jeju island could hold their breath for. See told the audience that the haenyeo started diving at the age of 15 and were retired by 55. In the 1970s, there were still approximately 30,000 of these women actively diving. Today, there are less than 4,000 that are still active, the youngest are 55 and the oldest are in their 80s and 90s. It is estimated that in fifteen years time, this culture will no longer exist—the culture is dying off simply because women are educated and don't have to perform this dangerous work anymore. See said that each of these woman that dives into the sea has a coffin on her back.

The Island of Sea Women spans several years, from 1938-2008. The book opens in 2008 and covers a four-day period. These vignettes from 2008 are dispersed throughout the story, each one provides a clue that moves the reader forward, but at the same time, anchors them in the past.

Set on a Korean island, the story is about the matrifocal society of the haenyeo. These women can hold their breath for two-three minutes and can dive down to depths of 60 feet in order to harvest seafood. This is very dangerous work—they could run out of air, get their hair caught on a rock, come in contact with sharks, get tangled in fishing line or seaweed, or get swept away by a tidal surge. It is these women that are the breadwinners of the family, while it is the men that take care of the babies, cook meals, keep a house, and take care of the elders. Because these women are gone all day, there is no one to nurse the babies until the mother return so there are crying babies everywhere.

The haenyeo were somewhat valued because they made the money and could afford to send their sons to school. They also supplied their men with allowances that many of them spent on alcohol, gambling, even on other women. What they should've been recognized and valued for was their incredible physical fortitude and emotional strength—this is what allowed them to perform this dangerous work.

The second half of the novel chronicles the 4.3 Incident. Named for the date it began, which was April 3, 1948, three years after Japan surrendered occupation of Korea, tens of thousands of people were killed. See dramatizes the atrocities committed by the military during the Bukchon massacre in a harrowing scene in which Young-sook loses both the majority of her family and her friendship to Mi-ja.

Korea is most "Confucius" of lands. The protocol is that a daughter obeys her father, a wife obeys her husband, and a widow obeys her son. That is why they had such a deep emotional connection to the sea—it was so healing to these women on a psychological, emotional, and physical level.

See writes about women relationships—mother and daughter, sisters, best friends. The best friend dynamic is a particular kind of intimacy that opens you up to betrayal because there are things that you would only tell your best friend. In her novels, it is rarely the men that bring these women any joy. Abuse of male power is common in her stories, whether it be fathers, brothers, husbands, lovers, or bosses.

Other themes explored in the book are guilt or expectation, as well as forgiveness (the island as a whole is an example of this). "For forgiveness, one side has to own up and one side has to forgive." See asks, "Is it self-sacrifice, or self-preservation?"

Her writing process

She started with article she came across about ten years ago. See was in the waiting room of a doctor's office and was flipping through some magazines when she came across a tiny little article about these diving women from this one island of the coast of South Korea. She found it so fascinating that she ripped out the article and knew that one day she would be writing about these women. Very quietly she started collecting information and conducting research. See questioned the ability for these women to handle the cold, was it genetic? Scientific? She also visited the island to involve all her senses—what does the air feel like? What does the air smell like? Her research also involved simply walking along the shore and speaking to women on the beach and many of her experiences made it into the book.

The Island of Sea Women 

Lisa See's newest novel is set on the small Korean island of Jeju and is about female friendship and family secrets.

Mi-ja and Young-sook are best friends that are from vastly different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they become divers like the rest of the women in their seaside village. The all-female diving collective is led by Young-sook’s mother. Even though they are "baby divers," the girls realize that with this great responsibility comes great danger.

The novel spans several decades and is anchored with vignettes set in 2008. These vignettes that are dispersed throughout the story provide clues that move the reader forward, but at the same time, anchor them in the past. Beginning during the Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 40s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, and in the modern era which introduces the divers to wet suits and cell phones.

Jeju's residents are caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, forever marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will eventually inherit her mother’s position as their leader. The girls have shared more than just dives, they have shared life's milestones and all of their secrets. But when outside forces turn their world upside down, it become too much for their friendship to survive.

LISA SEE self-published her first book in 1993 and has gone on to write ten more novels. Her works have been published in 39 languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.

Ms. See lives in Los Angeles.

An Elle Canada VIP Author Event: Daisy Jones & The Six

Top photo source: Elle Canada.  All other photos by Girl Well Read—do not use without written permission.

A special thank you to Elle Canada, Elizabeth Arden, and Girls' Night Out Wine for hosting a fantastic VIP evening at the Only One Gallery in Toronto for Taylor Jenkins Reid's newest book, Daisy Jones & The Six. Or for one night only, Daisy Jones IN The Six. Taylor was articulate, charming, and engaging as she spoke with Carli Whitwell from Elle Canada about her latest work.

This book is a fictional oral history of the rise and fall of a 70s rock band. They were the biggest band of that decade and this is a story of their break up as well as their rise to fame. At first Taylor thought she didn't have the authority to write this book because she is not a musician or musically inclined in any way, but she says that "authority is not a real thing." (Love that!)

Jenkins Reid is coming off the heels of the hugely successful The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. She loved the idea of continuing to write about Los Angeles, but moved (away from where Evelyn Hugo took place) to the Sunset Strip.

As mentioned, Daisy Jones & The Six is written as an oral history, which is a way that we tell non-fiction stories, but she used that format and structure to frame her narrative. Each character's name precedes their part—everyone is chiming in to tell their account. This is not a traditional narrative and sometimes their stories contradict.

The central relationship in the story is between the two main characters, the most obvious inspiration being Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac). Jenkins Reid also drew from other female/male partnerships like The Mamas and the Pappas, Johnny Cash and June Carter, even Beyoncé and Jay Z. There is a tension, and it is this tension that informs the music.

Inspiration for Daisy Jones & The Six

"I think part of it was that I just wanted to continue writing about famous people... When you think about it, every piece of our culture is selling us a story, and a piece of every story we're sold is true."

Taylor did her homework by extensively researching the 60s and 70s music scene, reading anything and everything she could get her hands on. The nostalgia is mythologized. She writes about spaces she wants to live in and brings her readers there.

A woman's perspective is hugely important to Taylor. She wants to make women feel seen and heard. Traditionally 70s rock is thought of as a male dominated space, but there were so many incredible women in that time period and she wanted to celebrate these women and their contributions. She LOVES Stevie Nicks and it would be a dream come true if Stevie knew about this book. Taylor wrote Daisy Jones & the Six in part because of her love for Nicks, but to be clear, it is a not a story about Fleetwood Mac.

Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine, is turning Daisy Jones & The Six into a TV show with Amazon Studios. Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber—the Oscar nominated duo behind (500) Days of Summer, The Fault In Our Stars, and The Disaster Artist—are writing and producing the series.

Fun fact: she named the drummer, Warren, after her father-in-law and said that he was the most fun character to write.

When asked about her writing process, Jenkins Reid said that she penned the story in the order it reads. She actually tried to write the songs before the book, but she needed to learn about the characters first, and then she could use them as the vehicle for the song. Basically, she had to get out of the way.  Interestingly, Taylor has never written a song before. And no surprise, she is a natural.

Dispelling the perception that a writer's life is glamorous, Taylor admitted that she writes in sweats. But she does have a dedicated space in her home where it is quiet and had her "ergonomic mouse and gel pad" and that she couldn't write in a cafe because she needs to focus.

What is Taylor's advice to budding authors? 

"If you've written something that you've earned the right to call yourself a writer." She also went on to say that "there are two parts to writing; the first part is doing it, the second part is sharing it" and that "the sharing can be scary, but it's an important piece."

She was pretty tight-lipped with details about casting for the Daisy Jones & The Six TV show. I guess we will just have to tune in to find out. Can't. Hardly. Wait.

Daisy Jones & The Six

Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

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TAYLOR JENKINS REID is the author of the New York Times Bestselling novels Daisy Jones and the Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her books have been chosen by Reese’s Book Club, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Her novel, Daisy Jones and The Six, is is currently being adapted by Hello Sunshine into a limited series for Amazon.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

A special thank you to NetGalley, BookishFirst, Gallery/Scout Press, and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meet Queenie Jenkins—a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman who is straddling two heritages and trying find her place. She has just been dumped by her long-time white boyfriend and is on notice at work where she is constantly comparing herself to her white middle class peers.

Needless to say, Queenie is not in a good frame of mind and she is making some pretty awful decisions concerning who she spends her free time with and with whom she is seeks comfort from.

Carty-Williams has written an honest account of one woman's struggle, which sadly many women can relate to, and at the same time, given us a character to root for. Unfortunately Queenie's story isn't unique, there are many women out there struggling with issues of sexism, racism, and self-acceptance. She is a modern woman trying to navigate her way through a messy break-up, figuring out where she fits in, and learning that her self-worth does not come in the form of toxic relationships.

Queenie is so much more than Bridget Jones, and I don't mean that as a slight to Helen Fielding's brilliant heroine, but there is no comparison. Bridget is a funny, awkward, and endearing character that journals her life in cheeky entries, whereas Queenie is a more serious character with incredible depth. There is also a heaviness about the story and again, this is another reason why a Bridget Jones comparison is doing this novel a disservice.

I adored her grandparents, especially her grandfather (and those of you who have read this book will know what scene I am referring to). What I didn't like was that the author uses Queenie's promiscuity as a symptom of her anxiety and I'm not sure that this is entirely accurate—I think that it is rather a symptom of her lack of self esteem.

What is also interesting is that Carty-Williams makes no apologies for Queenie, nor should she. She is a bold, brash, and flawed character who at times does some really unlikeable things. But we keep pulling for her.

Carty-Williams explores identity, racism, mental health and what its like to be a young woman in the dating scene in the age of technology. She tackles some daunting social issues and uses Queenie's humour and solid supporting cast of friends/grandparent to keep the story from getting too dark.

CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS is a Senior Marketing Executive at Vintage. In 2016, she created and launched the Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, which aims to find, champion, and celebrate Black, Asian, and minority ethnic writers.

She contributes regularly to Refinery29 and i-D, and her pieces have been shared globally, especially those about blackness and sexuality. Queenie is her first novel.

Books and Brunch with Lauren B.Davis and Thea Lim

Author photo sources: Penguin Random House Canada. Other photos by Girl Well Read—do not use without written permission.

Blue Heron Books hosted "Books & Brunch" featuring Giller Prize nominee, Thea Lim, and Lauren B. Davis. The ladies gave a reading and were asked about their inspirations and themes of their latest works. A question and answer period, as well as a book signing, followed.

Lim's work, An Ocean of Minutes is a dystopian time-travel story about migration and displacement. A fatal virus has infected a number of Americans and there is a cure that has been invented in the future. If loved ones agree to time travel (forward), the state will fund the treatment for those left behind. She says that as humans, we are time bound. In this novel, time travel is forward only, yet so much of the book is about recouping the past. Lim based her visa system on the US visa system, more specifically the O-1visa.

Polly makes a plan to meet up with Frank, her love, at an agreed upon spot at a specific time in the future. Photos won't survive time travel, so Polly takes Frank's baseball cards—they appear to be practical in that they hold some value, but to Polly, they are more personally valuable.

How did she decide which pop culture references to include? 

Everything resets after 1981. Lim liked the Dionne Warwick lyrics "A fool will lose tomorrow reaching back for yesterday." Also, Mel Gibson was on the rise in the 80s. There is a sense of collective nostalgia with pop culture.

The cost of love, nostalgia, what is the right way to let go?

Lim says that the reader decides.

An Ocean of Minutes

America is in the grip of a deadly flu pandemic. When Frank catches the virus, his girlfriend Polly will do whatever it takes to save him, even if it means risking everything. She agrees to a radical plan—time travel has been invented in the future to thwart the virus. If she signs up for a one-way-trip into the future to work as a bonded labourer, the company will pay for the life-saving treatment Frank needs. Polly promises to meet Frank again in Galveston, Texas, where she will arrive in twelve years.

But when Polly is re-routed an extra five years into the future, Frank is nowhere to be found. Alone in a changed and divided America, with no status and no money, Polly must navigate a new life and find a way to locate Frank, to discover if he is alive, and if their love has endured.

THEA LIM has received multiple awards and fellowships for her work, including artists' grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council. She holds an MFA from the University of Houston and she previously served as nonfiction editor at Gulf Coast.

She grew up in Singapore and lives in Toronto, where she is a professor of creative writing.

---

Lauren B. Davis' The Grimoire of Kensington Market is a story about addiction and family. It is linked to grammar in that it becomes both a book and a place.

Davis was inspired by The Snow Queen, a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Set in Toronto, there is an opioid crisis—the city is being ravaged by a drug called Elysium which induces a dream-like state. She uses the fairy tale as a way to bring the audience in. Davis is also no stranger to addiction and was very candid about her own struggles with alcohol. Lauren revealed that she lost two brothers to suicide—both had struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.

Davis incorporates lots of animals in her books. Her tagline for the book is, “The dog doesn’t die!” She is appalled at how many writers kill off dogs.

When did you want to be a writer?

Lauren, without hesitation, said she always wanted to be a writer.

The Grimoire of Kensington Market

The downtown core of Toronto is being consumed by Elysium, a drug that allows its users to slip through the permeable edges of this world and then consumes them utterly. Peddled by the icy Srebrenka, few have managed to escape the drug and its dealer. But Maggie has.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," The Grimoire of Kensington Market is the story of Maggie, guardian of The Grimoire bookstore, which expands and contracts as stories are born . . . or die. Only those who are destined to find The Grimoire enter through its front door. But one day a messenger arrives with a mysterious note that reads, "follow me." The next day, another note arrives and then another. The messages, Maggie realizes, are from her brother, Kyle, who has fallen under the influence of the Elysium. Kyle has gone too far into the Silver World and needs his sister, a recovering addict herself, to rescue him.

Driven by guilt and love in equal measure, Maggie sets off on a quest where bands of robbers stalk the woods, tavern keepers weave clouds to hide mountains and caribou fly on the Northern Lights. A journey where dreams and the dead both come to life.

LAUREN B. DAVIS is a Canadian author. She is best known for her novels Our Daily Bread, which was named one of the best books of 2011 by The Globe and Mail and The Boston Globe and The Empty Room, a semi-autobiographical novel about alcoholism.

She currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband and their dog.

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor

A special thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The last thing that Joe Thorne wants is to return to his hometown. There's nothing there for him except regrets, painful memories, and tragedy. And he thought he would never go back, especially not after what happened to his sister, Annie, all those years ago. But Joe doesn't have a choice because it appears to be happening again and he needs to set things right.

Joe is a bit of a mess—he's got a drinking problem and a gambling problem—and his former friends are not happy he's back, nor are his enemies. But the hardest part of returning home will be going back to the abandoned mine where it all went wrong and his life was forever changed. For Joe, the worst moment of his life wasn't the day his sister went missing, it was the day she came back.

I assume this is a homage to Stephen King, otherwise, her plot twist was too familiar to anyone that has read Pet Cemetery.

That being said, there were parts that were extremely clever and tight, and then there were times where the narrative rambled and completely went off the rails. But what caught me the most off guard were the supernatural/horror elements in a book that I assumed was in the thriller/mystery/suspense genre. If you like horror, and you are a fan of Stephen King, than this book will totally be your bag.

C.J. TUDOR is the author of a complex and thrilling debut, The Chalk Man. Over the years she has worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voice-over artist, and dog walker. She is thrilled to be a full-time writer, and doesn’t miss chasing wet dogs through muddy fields all that much.

She currently resides in Nottingham with her partner and daughter. 

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Scribner for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa See's newest novel is set on the small Korean island of Jeju and is about female friendship and family secrets.

Mi-ja and Young-sook are best friends that are from vastly different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they become divers like the rest of the women in their seaside village. The all-female diving collective is led by Young-sook’s mother. Even though they are "baby divers," the girls realize that with this great responsibility comes great danger.

The novel spans several decades and is anchored with vignettes set in 2008. These vignettes that are dispersed throughout the story provide clues that move the reader forward, but at the same time, anchor them in the past. Beginning during the Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 40s, followed by World War II, the Korean War and its aftermath, and in the modern era which introduces the divers to wet suits and cell phones.

Jeju's residents are caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator, forever marked by this association. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will eventually inherit her mother’s position as their leader. The girls have shared more than just dives, they have shared life's milestones and all of their secrets. But when outside forces turn their world upside down, it become too much for their friendship to survive.

The second half of the novel chronicles the 4.3 Incident. Named for the date it began, which was April 3, 1948, three years after Japan surrendered occupation of Korea, tens of thousands of people were killed. See dramatizes the atrocities committed by the military during the Bukchon massacre in a harrowing scene in which Young-sook loses both the majority of her family and her friendship to Mi-ja.

See's novel is incredibly rich in culture and history, both of which are marred by grief and a monumental historic event. Her writing is intricate and moving, and innately female. She explores the relationships between women: mother-daughter, sister, coworker, and best friend. The best friend dynamic is a particular kind of intimacy that opens you up to betrayal because there are things that you would only tell your best friend. In her novels, it is rarely the men that bring these women any joy. Abuse of male power is also another popular theme whether it be fathers, brothers, husbands, lovers, or bosses.

LISA SEE self-published her first book in 1993 and has gone on to write ten more novels. Her works have been published in 39 languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.

Ms. See lives in Los Angeles.

Golden Child by Claire Adam

A special thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and SJP for Hogarth for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This deeply affecting novel is set in rural Trinidad. We follow the lives of a family that is trying to make their way with little by way of resources. They live in a brick house on stilts that was built by hand and is surrounded by bush. Clyde, the man of the house, works shifts at the petroleum plant and spends long hours away from his wife, Joy, and their thirteen-year-old twins. The boys must rise early every day to attend school in the capital, Port of Spain.

Although they are twins, the boys are vastly different—Paul was deprived of oxygen at birth and is considered to be developmentally delayed, while his brother, Peter is thought to be a genius destined for greatness.

One afternoon Paul doesn't return home. Clyde sets out on a search for the missing boy who has always caused him trouble. As the days pile up, Paul's fate becomes apparent, and Clyde is faced with making a gut-wrenching, unimaginable decision. This story is not for the feint of heart. Although it is set against a beautiful backdrop, this novel will shake you to the very core.

People are either going to love Adam's debut, or be too outraged with the outcome. I happen to fall into the latter. For me the book was an example of toxic masculinity that the author juxtaposes against a beautiful setting. Trinidad comes to life on the page and becomes one of the only likeable things.

Told mostly from Clyde's perspective, there is a complete lack of growth and trajectory, and you can figure out where the plot is headed fairly quickly. There's really not much of a story and what little there is, is lacking in character development. I wanted more of the twins—they are perfect opposites, two halves of a whole.

As mentioned, the ending is devastating, detached, and abrupt. Given the length of the story, there was certainly room to flesh out the characters and explore more depth of the plot.

CLAIRE ADAM was born and raised in Trinidad. She lives in London

Wingspan by Chris Bohjalian

A special thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Originally Wingspan was produced as a one-act play starring Grace Experience and K.K. Glick. It is the story of Emily, a young flight attendant who is about to embark on her first transatlantic trip. The only problem is that Emily is afraid of flying. Accompanying her on the flight is Karen, a veteran attendant. who is trying to help navigate her fears during a turbulent flight.

The two strike up a conversation and Karen discovers that a fear of flying is not Emily's only secret.

This is Bohjalian's first play and I don't suspect it will be his last. He is a master at dialogue and creating complex and interesting characters. Emily is both vulnerable and strong, she doesn't allow herself to get swallowed up by her fear.

Bohjalian's piece is a commentary on issues women face and the backlash that looms as a result of their decisions.

CHRIS BOHJALIAN is the author of twenty books, including The Guest Room; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; The Double Bind; and Midwives which was not only a number one New York Times bestseller, but an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

Bohjalian's work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and three novels have become movies (Secrets of Eden, Midwives, and Past the Bleachers) and The Flight Attendant has been optioned for a televisions series.

Chris lives in Vermont with his wife.

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group—Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A college freshman stumbles back to her dorm room and falls asleep. She sleeps all morning and into the next evening. Her roommate, Mei, tries to wake her without success; paramedics can't rouse her, nor the doctors at the hospital. Then another girl falls asleep, and then another.

The college is put on lockdown quarantining the students. Panic sets in as the once sleepy town descends into chaos. Those that are infected are experiencing a higher-than-normal level of brain activity and are intensely dreaming, but what are they dreaming about?

Thompson Walker uses third person perspective and divides the book into small, digestible chapters. This is not particularly effective, in fact there is a disconnect—it is as if the narrator is completely detached. Because of this format, the characters are not fully developed and I didn't feel an affinity towards any of them—I wanted to, especially Mei.

Written in luminous, hypnotic prose, The Dreamers is a beautiful, sweeping novel yet I was left feeling frustrated because nothing actually happens. That, coupled with the fact that there are several loose ends, left me thinking about this book long after I finished it. I'm rather perplexed to be honest, and not in a good thought-provoking way, but questioning what I just actually read.

KAREN THOMPSON WALKER is a graduate of UCLA and the Columbia MFA program. A former book editor, she wrote The Age of Miracles in the mornings before work. Born and raised in San Diego, California, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband.

Is There Still Sex in the City? by Candace Bushnell

A special thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sex and the City was a cultural phenomenon—Carrie Bradshaw redefined the single girl. Fast forward twenty years and Candace Bushnell is back with a commentary on sex, dating, and friendship after the age of fifty.

In this book, Bushnell's topical chapters are a comment on trying to find love when you are middle aged, and how to navigate after divorce with the modern tools that are readily available to singles today. She also updates one of her more popular stories from Sex and the City, "The Bicycle Boys," about the dudes who are always trying to bring their bicycles up to a woman's apartment. There are other amusing anecdotes—getting Tindered, or the "Unintended Cub Situation" where a competent, put-together older woman temporarily loses all sensibility when she becomes the love interest of a much younger man.

Is There Still Sex in the City? is a satirical look at how middle-aged women are perceived, the unrealistic expectations put upon women by way of not aging and doing/having it all, as well as all the different stages and types of love—marriage, having children, not having children, divorce, and widowhood. This book is exactly what we need more of. What does it really mean to have it all? Who judges these things? Why are women constantly being compared to another woman's best instead of their own personal best? Some days it is a huge feat just to even get out of bed in the morning. The levels of expectations that women, both young and old, experience, and the pressures of society to be thin, beautiful, youthful, and successful are both crippling and unrealistic. These same pressures are not put on men, especially with appearance (see the section about the "Mona Lisa" treatment).

Bushnell is a fantastic writer. She's engaging, captivating, and razor sharp and this wry social commentary collection is no exception.

CANDACE BUSHNELL is the critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling author of Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle, The Carrie Diaries, One Fifth Avenue, Trading Up, Four Blondes, Summer and the City, and Killing Monica.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A charming couple living in the burbs with their two children—she's a real estate agent and he is a tennis pro—seem to have it all, even good looks. They are the couple next door, members of your clubs, parents of your kid's friends, and the friends you have dinner parties with.

But forget about the seven-year itch, how about the fifteen-year one that brings with it the most interesting, yet gruesome way to keep a marriage alive.

Theirs is getting away with murder.

Samantha Downing, that was a crazy ride and I loved every second of it!

The character development is nothing short of incredible and the reader will have a love/hate relationship with them. Gah! Prepare to have your loyalties tested, you won't know who to trust. This book is dark and twisty in the best possible way, and I'm totally blown away that this seize-you-by-the-throat-thriller is Samantha Downing's debut.

Downing's writing is taught and tense and kept me on my toes. I absolutely had no idea what was going to happen. And can I tell you that the last sentence of the book literally made me gasp. Bravo!

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SAMANTHA DOWNING is working on her next standalone novel.

She currently lives in New Orleans.