Good Reads & Views

True Biz by Sara Novic
Fiction 

What’s it about: Three students at the River Valley School for the Deaf have gone missing. Told through multiply points of view, the reader starts in the present day and travels back to go through the days and events that lead to the students going missing. A coming-of-age story of teenagers who are struggling to find themselves and learn about what it means to be deaf and the culture that surrounds it.  

Why this book: This is a great book to read if you are interested in learning more about the Deaf community. Sara Novic does an excellent job of exploring Deaf Culture and showing the struggles the Deaf community faces in a hearing world. Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction 2022. 

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American Royals (#1) by Katherine McGee
YA Fiction

What it’s about: Imagine if instead of America winning the Revolutionary War and setting up a Democracy, they instead created their own Monarchy. In American Royals, this is exactly what happens. For two and a half centuries, the House of Washington has reigned over the American people. The King is sick and that leaves heir to the throne Princess Beatrice and twin spares Samantha and Jefferson to step up. Will Princess Beatrice be up for the momentous job of being America’s first Queen? 

Why you might like it: This is for anyone who is fascinated with the British Royals. The Washington siblings (Beatrice, Samantha, and Jefferson) are all teenagers and have a lot of drama in their lives outside of being royalty. Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction 2019.  

Series Alert: American Royals is the first in the series. Book two is Majesty, book three is Rivals and a book four (untitled) is scheduled to come out sometime in 2023.  

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Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
Fiction

What it’s about: The story begins in Wisconsin during the winter of 1919. Young mom Mathilda is found dead in a lake, leaving behind her husband, young daughter Ruth, and sister. What enfolds is an exploration into the depths of secrets between family members and how it impacts them all.  

Why you might like it: A fast-paced psychological thriller that has readers going back and forth between viewpoints and time. If I say anymore, I would be giving it away so instead I will say, READ THIS BOOK! 

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The Layover by Lacie Waldon
Fiction 

What it’s about: Ava Green has been a flight attendant for the past 10 years. Recently engaged, her fiancé is set on her quitting her job and living a more settled life. On her last flight, bad boy flight attendant Jack Stone is on the crew and trouble ensues. The airplane is grounded in Belize and the crew is taken to a resort to stay until the plane is fixed. Ava can’t seem to escape Jack and her personal life starts to unravel. Will Ava finally hang up her wings and settle down with her fiancé, or will she continue to explore the world and float from place to place? 

Why you might like it: This is a debut novel that shows the behind the scenes of being a flight attendant. If you enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope with a will they, won’t they plot, this is a light and easy read.  

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Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Fiction 

What it's about: Two college friends (who used to date) get tangled up in the lives of a married couple. The wife, Melissa, is an artist, and husband Nick is an actor. Both seem to gravitate towards Frances (the narrator) and Bobbi, two women who perform spoken word poetry in Dublin. Soon bonds are formed and secrets are kept. Lovers of book to screen adaptions, this is for you. Now a 12-episode TV show on Hulu. All episodes are out and available to stream.  

An aside: If you’ve never read Sally Rooney, she is known for writing in the third person and doesn’t use quotation marks for dialogue. The words that Rooney chooses are deliberate and not wasted. Her characters are flawed and are relatable to millennials.  

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The Friend Zone (#1) by Abby Jimenez 
Fiction

What it’s about: Kristen Petersen is in a long-distance relationship with a military man. Knowing she can’t have children, Kristen refuses to fall for someone who wants children. Everything is going fine for Kristen, that is, until she meets Josh, a firefighter. Josh and Kristen instantly butt heads but continue to be drawn towards each other. If you enjoy the enemies to lovers’ trope, then pick this up. CONTENT WARNING: This book deals with health issues and death.   

Series alert: This is the first book of a three-book series. Each book follows a new pair and their journey to find love.  

Reviewers say: “Harnessing sass, heartfelt struggle, and unapologetic sexuality, Jimenez's debut is as hysterical as it is tear-jerking” (Publisher’s Weekly Review).  

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The Bromance Book Club (#1) by Lyssa Kay Adams
Fiction 

Why this book: Besides the amazing title, this book explores the falling apart of a relationship and what it takes to put it back together. Gavin Scott is a baseball player in Nashville, TN. He is married to his college sweetheart and has two kids. Life is great until Gavin discovers a secret that his wife has been keeping from him. To win his wife back, Gavin joins the Bromance Book Club made up of other elite Nashville men. Will the Bromance Book Club help Gavin overcome his relationship hang-ups and save his marriage? 

Series Alert: There are five books already published in this series with more to come. Each book centers around one guy from the Bromance Book Club but also deals with a different subgenre of the romance genre.  

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The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke by Tessa Dare
Fiction 

Why this book: If you like historical romance and haven’t read a Tessa Dare book, do yourself a favor and read this. Tessa Dare is not only a fabulous writer, but she makes her characters jump off the page. Even though this book takes place in 18^th century England, I found myself relating to the main character Emma a lot. The Duke of Ashbury was scarred during a war and has shut himself off from love and happiness. Realizing he needs an heir, he decides to set up rules to protect himself from getting hurt. Little does he know that the woman he has landed on, Emma, has rules of her own.  

Good to know: This book is amazing on audio. It is read by two narrators, each covering one of the two main characters. This really helps to get into the man and woman’s point of view. Plus, being read to by a British man is always great…that accent! 

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The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
Fiction 

What it’s about: A debut novel that will leave you charmed by its characters, plot, and idyllic town of Chawton, located in the United Kingdom. This historical novel is centered around Chawton House, which is where Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life. The world is recovering from WWII and the distant relatives of Jane Austen are unable to keep up with the maintenance of Chawton House. A group of Austen lovers join forces to save Chawton House and restore it to its full grandeur. Chapters are told by alternating characters and readers discover the past of the characters and why they are so invested in Jane Austen and saving Chawton House.  

Why you might like it: Fans of Jane Austen will enjoy reading about her life and how this real-life society helped to preserve Chawton House; if you are interested in reading about the aftereffects of WWII and how it shaped people in the small town; those who enjoy reading romance stories that include “will they/won’t they” get together plots.

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