The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Monica Wood has penned a heartfelt, endearing story of friendship between a young boy, and a 104-year-old lady that ripples out to the boys parents.  They share an affinity for world records, and also share in loss.

Ona Vitkus, meets a young boy when he is assigned to her property to complete his yard work badge for Boy Scouts.  The boy's father, Quinn, comes to finish his son's good dead, and to try to make up for his shortcomings as a father and in doing so, comes to understand his son.  Ona and Quinn form an unlikely pairing.  They embark on carrying out the boy's wish to make Ona the world's oldest driver.

There are a few unnecessary characters and plot threads, but all-in-all a charming read.

A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi

A special thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This unforgettable story from the author of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell is an emotional journey of sisterhood, friendship, love, and hope that highlights the plight of women that are bound by a traditional culture.

Awaiting trial for the murder of her husband, Zeba meets a group of women in prison that are confined and defined by the immoral crimes they have committed; Nafisa is an eighteen-year-old who was imprisoned to protect her from an honour killing, Latifa is a twenty-five year-old that chooses to be imprisoned because it is safer for her to be incarcerated than her actual life, and Mezghan a twenty-year-old who is pregnant, unmarried and waiting on a court order.  When Zeba arrives at the womens' prison, she is in a state of shock and a shattered version of her former self.  She is unable to account for her whereabouts at the time of the murder and cannot bring herself to speak of the events to defend herself.  Her case is assigned to Yusef, an Afghan-born American lawyer who has returned to his birthplace out of commitment to human rights.  This is his first case, and it proves to be more than what he originally thought.           

This astonishing, and sometimes disturbing novel is a glimpse into what the modern women of Afghanistan face.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

A special thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Once again, Cleave's writing is gorgeous and moving.  Historical fiction can be fickle and tricky, but Cleave effortlessly transports you to another time and makes his version new.  His WWII story takes place in London and Malta; I can already see this one becoming a movie.  

I have read all of his other books and savoured each one because of his beautiful writing.  There is a tenderness to the way he develops his characters with his moving prose, they are deep and complex, much like the setting.  We have Mary, who is barely nineteen, and comes from a wealthy family.  She uses the war to rebel against her parents, romanticized by possibility and not seeing war for what it is.  She is assigned to a school to teach children and meets Tom Shaw, who is the head administrator.  The two embark on a romantic relationship that becomes complicated when she is introduced to Tom's flatmate, Alistair Heath, an art conservator that gets deployed to active duty in Malta.  Rounding out the cast is Hilda, Mary's inferior friend and ambulance partner.  

The only negative was the pace, which moved between slow and steady.  This was probably deliberate on Cleave's part to let the story unfold, to immerse the reader in WWII, and to develop the characters.  Stay with it, you will be glad you did.

The Girls by Emma Cline

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before requesting, I read other people's reviews of the book and was intrigued by Cline's debut which is a fictional account of a cult murder.  Unfortunately, I didn't like the book and am in the minority with my less than glowing review. 

Our narrator is Evie, who is either her 14 year-old self in 1969, or her adult self in present day.  I felt that as a character, the main character, Evie wasn't overly deep or robust and came off as very one-dimensional.  I wasn't sure if Cline purposely wrote her this way so that Evie would be more of an unreliable narrator (because she wasn't present for the actual event), or because she's supposed to be 14, but I felt detached from Evie, and therefore also detached from the story.  The narrative was such a slow build that I almost gave up on the book several times.  I expected to be more mesmerized by Susanne since Evie seemed to be more enamored with her rather than the so-called charismatic leader, Russell, but again, I was not and didn't see the attraction.

The story lacked in any originality.  It was like reading an account of the Manson family with lovelier prose.  I would definitely pick up another book by this author, she is a beautiful writer, but this particular book wasn't for me.     

 

Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies (And Why We Don't Learn Them From Movies Any More) by Hadley Freeman

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I miss the 80s, like I really miss the 80s (well, except for the unfortunate fashion choices that have actually become endearing).  How can you not miss the music, the hair, and of course, the movies?  Was there anything better than packing up your Kaboodle full of Kissing Potion, scrunchies, and jelly bracelets to go to a sleepover at your bestie's house where you would binge on John Hughes movies?

Freeman's book really hits the mark for movie buffs and 80s aficionados alike.  I couldn't help but quote movie lines in my head, and add to her lists.  She clearly has done her research and time as a journalist, her writing is quite good.  But...what I wasn't prepared for was the topic of feminism as it was not advertised anywhere in the marketing/synopsis of the book.  I don't necessarily feel that this is a bad thing.  She can be incredibly witty, insightful, and thought provoking.  There were some solid points about the lack of movies for women/lack of women directors, but I felt she went a little overboard and in this case, less would've been more because her writing is so articulate.  I also disagree with her thoughts on Weird Science, I love this movie!

I feel like I could write this type of book.  I mean who doesn't want to talk about being kissed by Jake Ryan, or Blaine?  I mean, seriously!  And how good does an 80s movie make you feel?  This book made me dig out my VHS tapes and get reacquainted with some old friends.  Thank you Hadley for this gem, I would definitely recommend this read.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

A special thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Rainbow Rowell.  Like I really adore her writing!  But...this wasn't my favourite book of hers.  I wanted so badly to love it, and parts of it I did, but parts of it, I didn't.

The reviews online were positive, but many are making the same parallel that I did.  This screams of Harry Potter fan fiction.  Was that the point?  I had such high hopes for Simon and Baz after learning they would be appearing in their own novel apart from Fangirl.  Anything I've read from Rowell claims that this is her take on "the Chosen One" type of story, but I disagree and couldn't help drawing many parallels to Harry Potter, too many to be a coincidence.   

Like Rowell's other books, this too is adorable and heartwarming.  If you love Simon Snow, this book is your bag.