A Bookworm's Book Reviews

The Secret Book of Flora Lea – Patti Callahan Henry

Title: The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Author: Patti Callahan Henry

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Plot: Hazel and Flora Lee are kids during WW2 in London. Operation Pied Piper sends all of London’s children to the countryside. Hazel and Flora are sent to a small town outside of Oxford. The girls end up with Birdie Aberdeen and her son, Henry, who happens to be Hazel’s age. To help keep Flora calm, Hazel tells stories of a make believe world called Whisperwood. While there, Flora disappears. She’s presumed drowned when the police find her stuffed bear at the river’s edge. Hazel, her mom, and the Aberdeen’s are distraught. Hazel refuses to believe that. She still holds out hope that she’s out there somewhere. Twenty years later, a journalist is doing stories about the kids who were sent to the countryside during the war. Hazel refuses to talk to the journalist, as she wants to talk about Flora. She works at a rare bookstore. Her boss receives a set of first edition illustrations for an American series. It’s from a book about Whisperwood. But Hazel’s never told anyone besides Flora about Whisperwood. Hazel becomes bound and determined to find out who else knows about her childhood stories. But that brings up old memories. As she digs deep into the mystery, she learns more about what could’ve happened to her sister. But what really happened to Flora? Who else learned of Whisperwood?

Rating: 4.0 – a great historical fiction mystery

Opinion: I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow to start, but ended up being a good book. The author does a good job with the time jumps between chapters. There’s just enough information sprinkled through the book to keep you guessing. The ending was a little confusing at times because there was a bigger amount of info dumped. But it a sweet ending. It seemed like a more logical ending than I was expecting. I expected a little more of a fluffy happy ending. This was still a happy ending, but the characters know that things change and can’t go back to where they were before. Overall, this was a great book.I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction mysteries.

You Again – Kate Goldbeck

Title: You Again

Author: Kate Goldbeck

Genre: Romance

Plot: Ari Stone and Josh Ketsenburgh met a their mutual girlfriend’s house and instantly hated each other. They get on each other’s every nerve. Ari storms out and they don’t see each other again. But then they see each other a few times some time later. They make such negative impression on each other that they instantly see and avoid each other. Until they can’t. They slowly start to understand each other. But they don’t want to be more than friends, in case they ruin what they have. When they want something more, they may not be ready for what comes next. Can Ari and Josh come to an understanding? Will they stay friends? Or work together to start a deeper relationship?

Rating: 3.5 – a different take on enemies to lovers

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I was interested in this enemies to lovers story. But I really wanted to like this story but I couldn’t get into it. I had a hard time relating to the characters. I was a little distracted with how Josh could afford his place in NYC without seeming to work. Though for some reason the author described how Ari could afford it. I had a hard time picturing the connections in the book. Though the one thing I’ll give this book is that it talked about different expectations in a relationship and wanting different things from a relationship. While this book wasn’t bad, I didn’t really enjoy it. I’d recommend this book for people who like a different style of romance book.

The Unmaking of June Farrow – Adrienne Young

Title: The Unmaking of June Farrow

Author: Adrienne Young

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: The Farrow women are cursed. June Farrow knows this all too well. Her mother lost her mind and disappeared when June was a couple months old. Her grandma who raised her is losing hers as well. She found out a year ago, June is starting to lose her mind as well. Not long after her grandma passes, June gets a letter from her grandma. It has photos of June’s parents, but dated from 1912, about 50 years too early. This leads June down the path to discover what really happened to her mom, and what’s happening to her family. But what did happen to her mom? Why do the women in her family lose their minds? What’s really going on in her mind?

Rating: 3.8 – a slow start time travel romance

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I wasn’t sure I’d like it because of how it started. It was a bit of a slow start for me. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book with time travel. I liked how they did it. It was a little confusing at first. There was good explanation about what was going on. One or two times it felt a bit too much like an info dump. But as far as info dumps go, it wasn’t bad. The author does a good job of explaining things. Overall I really enjoyed the book. I stayed up too late to finish the book because I ended up loving the book that much. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes small town fantasy.

Ever Faithful – Karen Barnett

Title: Ever Faithful

Author: Karen Barnett

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Elsie Brookes is a ranger’s daughter in Yellowstone National Park. She’s working as a maid to save up for college so she can be a teacher. After the summer, she should have enough money saved to go actually go to college. That summer, FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps (or CCC) starts in Yellowstone. Nate Webber is one of the men to sign up. He is a natural leader and soon becomes the foreman of his group. He and Elsie meet and spark an instant connection. But Nate has a hard time with a certain aspect of his job. More fires than normal threaten the park and Nate and Elsie’s friends. Can their friendship keep going? Will it grow to something more? Or will something happen to put an end to everything?

Rating: 4.0 – a sappy romance and historical fiction

Opinion: I enjoyed this book. It was nice to read a sappy romance. I loved that the characters made smart decisions, especially for a romance book. The history surrounding the book was interesting. I’d heard of FDR’s New Deals, but not the Civilian Conservation Corps. There was a blurb in the back that this was one of FDR’s most successful programs. I liked this program cause it helped people get a better education and a better job. It was an interesting part of history and a part you don’t hear as much about. I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick and easy read. I liked the slight air of mystery, too. I recommend this book for anyone who likes sappy romance and historical fiction.

Fairy Tale – Stephen King

Title: Fairy Tale

Author: Stephen King

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Charlie is at the end of his junior year of high school. He had a rough childhood, he and his father are learning to get along again. Then Charlie heard the creepy house neighbor’s dog scared barking. He found the owner, Mr. Bowditch, with a broken leg. Charlie called 911 and promised to take care of Mr. Bowditch’s dog, a German Shepherd named Radar. During visiting hours at the hospital, Charlie starts to befriend Mr. Bowditch. Charlie finds some strange things in Mr. Bowditch’s house when he starts looking after the house, and asks his dad about it. His dad looks into it but finds nothing conclusive. Then Charlie agrees to help take care of Mr. Bowditch when he’s released from the hospital. As Mr. Bowditch gets better, he suddenly dies. No one sees anything suspicious except Charlie. Then he finds an old recorder with a message from Mr. Bowditch in it. He explains that there’s a hidden world in his shed with the power to turn back time for someone. Charlie checks it out and finds out that it’s real. He brings Radar with him. He hopes he can heal Radar in the magic land. Soon Charlie finds himself on a bigger adventure than he bargained for. The magic kingdom needs help and Charlie gets sucked in. But what can Charlie do to help? Is there any way to help the broken kingdom?

Rating: 4.3 – a darker take on classic fairytales

Opinion: I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure I would since, it’s a Stephen King book. I’d heard good things about it from non horror/thriller fans, so I thought I’d give it a try. It was a slow start, but picked up after a while. There was lots of great character development. It was a great coming of age story. I really enjoyed the fairytale style of the book. It was truer to the original, darker fairytales. Which is truer to the style of what I know of Stephen King. I like this style of book. I’m planning on reading more of Stephen King’s books, as I liked the book that much. A fun little side note is that the book mentions another one of Stephan King’s books in this book. This is a great book. I highly recommend this book if you like darker fairytales and have time for a 600 page book.

The Jerusalem Chronicles – Bodie and Brock Theone

Title: Book 1 – When Jesus Wept

Author: Bodie and Brock Theone

Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction

Plot: David ben Lazarus is a vineyard owner near Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. When he hears of Jesus through John the Baptist, he’s curious but skeptical. But everything changes when he actually meets him. David ben Lazarus becomes a disciple. Not everyone in the world around him believes in Jesus. Things in Jerusalem are tense as it is. When a sickness threatens the city, David ben Lazarus helps. But then he gets sick himself. He doesn’t survive. But Jesus comes and brings him back to life. Then both Jesus and David ben Lazarus’ lives are threatened. What will they do? How safe are they really?

Rating: 3.5 – a different side of Jesus’ ministry

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoyed learning about different aspects of Judean life during the Roman occupation. I also enjoyed learning about how to tend vineyards. There was some character development but it was weak and not the most developed part of the story. A few parts of the story felt too cheesy. It was still an interesting story and I enjoyed reading it. I’m curious to read the other books in the trilogy when I’m done with some other books. This is a good book for anyone who likes Christian fiction and historical fiction.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Plot: Coriolanus Snow is in his last year of school. His family was once very prominent, wealthy family before the war and dark days. Now he lives with his cousin, Tigris, and their grandma’am. They try to hide this fact they’re poor now by sprucing up their old clothes and his parent’s clothes. With the 10th Hunger Games approaching, the headmaster of the school and the head game maker have started a mentorship program. Each capital student is pared with a district tribute. Coriolanus is paired with District 12’s girl, Lucy Gray Baird. She’s gifted musically, but no one thinks she stands a chance. Coriolanus tries his best to promote her to the Capital into thinking Lucy Gray can win. When she and Coriolanus are thought to be cheating when Lucy Gray wins, Coriolanus is sent to the army as punishment. Lucy Gray’s win is swept under the rug and she’s quickly forgotten. What will happen to Coriolanus when he’s sent to the districts? What will happen to Lucy Gray?

Rating: 3.5 – an interesting prequel

Opinion: This was an interesting book. I enjoyed learning more about President Snow before he became president. It was interesting to see Snow’s thought process and how he handled things, from his ‘friends’ problems to his family’s needs as well his own personal problems. The one thing I didn’t love was all of the plotting and scheming. While it was necessary to understand how Snow became Snow, I made the story a little boring. It felt a little too long and drawn out. The last couple chapters felt a little disconnected to the rest of the story. Overall, this was a good book. If you have the time to read this, I highly recommend it to anyone who liked the Hunger Games.

Nine – Rachelle Dekker

Title: Nine

Author: Rachelle Dekker

Genre: Thriller

Plot: Zoe’s a private person trying to run from painful memories. She works at a diner for the moment. She plans on moving on soon. That’s when she meets a teenager girl who stops at her diner. The teen has no memories and barely remembers her name. All the girl knows is that she needs to get to Corpus Cristi, Texas. Against her better judgement, Zoe helps the girl get there. The more the pair travels, the darker and more complicated the teen’s past becomes. Can Zoe truly help the girl? Can the girl regain her memories? Can both overcome their pasts?

Rating: 3.5 – an interesting thriller about humanity

Opinion: This was an interesting book. It was a good mix of standard thriller and spy-like thriller. I like how this book talked about humanity. It was also a great book about not being defined by your past and being about to chose your own future. There’s lots of good character development in the book. I enjoyed that the characters who had a change of heart didn’t instantly change but had to work for it and not fall back into old patterns. It made the characters more relatable. This was a slower paced thriller, but I still enjoyed it. I recommend this book for anyone who loves thrillers and spy story lines.

Love Theoretically- Ali Hazelwood

Title: Love Theoretically

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Genre: Romance

Plot: Elsie Hannaway is a recent Phd grad who’s making pennies as an adjunct theoretical physics professor. She’s had to take up working for a fake dating company to make ends meet. Her current ‘boyfriend,’ Greg, takes Elsie to meet his family to get them off his back. There she meets his brother Jack. He seems familiar to her, but she can explain why. Not long after, a fellow physics professor tells Elsie about a job opportunity as a tenure track professor at a different university. Elsie jumps at the chance until she realizes who’s in charge of the physics department, Jack Turner-Smith, an experimental physicist and Greg’s brother, who hates all theoretical physicists. Elsie still wants this job so she pushes through with the interviews and lectures. Somehow they find some common ground. Will Elsie get the job? Can Elsie and Jack learn to work things out?

Rating: 4 – a sappy enemies to lovers in STEM academia

Opinion: This was a sweet book. I hadn’t realized that there was such a pay difference between adjunct and tenure track professors. It kinda makes sense but I didn’t know it was that big of difference. This gave a good insight of some of the politics of academia and ways to make it more inclusive for women. This style of science is easy to understand and doesn’t feel dumbed down. I like this authors style of romance. I’m always a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope. It’s mainly sweet and sappy with a little bit of sex. It’s nice that it doesn’t focus on the sex but the relationship itself. The characters have a deep relationship before that start to do anything in bed and it’s always consensual. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys sappy romance books.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Robert Dugoni

Title: The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Author: Robert Dugoni

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Plot: Samuel Hill was born with ocular albinism. This makes his eyes bright red. His mother says his eyes are ‘a gift from God.’ His classmates call him ‘the devil’s child.’ What makes life bearable are his two friends, Ernie (the only black kid at school), and Mickie (the girl who doesn’t seem to fit in). His chief bully is Pete Davidson. Pete seems to have a personal vendetta against Sam. While Sam avoids Pete, he focuses on his studies. Will Sam rise against the challenges in his life? How so? Or will the negative voices in his life get the best of him?

Rating: 4.0 – a sweet tale of life, differences, and over coming challenges

Opinion: This was a bittersweet book. I was so hopeful for Sam. He stayed strong, even though he was scared. I liked that his friends believed in him and saw the best in him, even when he didn’t. They both thought he deserved better than his lot in life. I really hoped that Sam and Mickie would end up together and was so glad they did. The end of part six broke my heart. I was starting to get hopeful about that part of Sam’s life. I understood where Sam was coming from. I’m glad that Sam got the help he needed and was able to overcome his grief. I kinda related to Sam, with my speech instead of eyes. I learned to keep my head down like he did. I had a small group of friends, too. I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend this book who loves a great coming of age story, and a story of life, love, and overcoming challenges.