babewithabookandabeer's reviews
340 reviews

Hot Springs Drive by Lindsay Hunter

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Roxane Gay Books for my Netgalley copy of HOT SPRINGS DRIVE by Lindsay Hunter, out 11/4/23!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did NOT disappoint! HOLY COW, I ate this shit UP! Dubbed as a “twisting literary page-turner that will appeal to readers of Celeste Ng and Marty Gaitskill,” let me just say………..YES. If grimy lit fic is your jam, pick this up ASAP!

Jackie Stinson’s best friend is dead, and everyone knows who killed her. Jackie wants to be many things, but a martyr has never been one of them. She is an ex-emotional eater and mother of four, who has finally lost the weight she’s long yearned to be free from. Leaving her old self behind is harder than it looks. Misery continues to chase her and motherhood threatens to consume her.

Her only salve is her best friend Theresa. Perfect, with a quiet and quaint little girl instead of four unruly and disgusting boys. Jackie starts to see how easy it is to steal a little bit of Theresa’s perfect life, until it all comes crashing down…

The synopsis makes it read like a thriller, and it kind of is, but mostly it is a heart-pounding exploration of women and motherhood. It’s all about our deepest, most fucked up desires, ones we try to make our own that aren’t convoluted with the revolting grip of men. The novel is full of different perspectives from Theresa to Jackie, to the children, husbands, realtors, investigative journalists and more - giving us a 360 degree view into the consequences of the murder that changed both families forever.

Hunter is a master at keeping the momentum going - every POV is necessary and offers new insights. I found myself cringing, and nodding, and guffawing and basically… I participated in every emotion under the sun while reading this book. You root for some of these characters while simultaneously despising them. It’s masterful writing!

This book was riveting and I think it will be loved by very specific types of readers. Also, thanks Lindsay Hunter for reminding me that men secretly want to fuck their mothers LOL. This novel definitely solidified the fact that I was right to delete my dating apps and charge my vibrator again. I want to read everything Hunter writes!!!

Come & Get It by Kiley Reid

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Putnam for my Netgalley copy of COME & GET IT by Kiley Reid, out on 1/9/24!

After reading and loving SUCH A FUN AGE a few years ago, I had to request Kiley Reid’s latest novel. It is a fresh and provocative novel about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a queer professor writing about money and three unruly students at the University of Arkansas. 

Millie, our RA, wants to graduate, get a job and buy a house after taking a gap year to take care of her mother with glaucoma. She comes in cahoots with Agatha Paul, a visiting professor from New York taking a break from her spouse who is on her health insurance and who has very different ideas about what to spend money on, causing a clash in their relationship. Agatha starts to write about marriage through focus groups, but when she meets the girls in the dorm, she changes her writing to money, class and the power it brings.

The book leads up to one destructive moment where all the characters collide. To be honest, I thought the build-up would lead to something more…. If you’re looking for plot, I don’t think this is the book for you. But this book is very nuanced in its writing about identity. This is a quiet campus novel about class and race differences. It’s smart, quippy and full of observations and details that help you understand each character.

It kind of feels like an extension of her first novel - but it’s smarter and delves deeper into the ideas through quiet examination. The reading experience reminded me of how I felt when reading On Beauty by Zadie Smith. Agatha and Millie are very complex characters - I wish the other characters were fleshed out a little more. The insights on how money differences in a relationship can lead to resentment were spot-on. And the ruminations on grief were powerful. There is a part on pleasure deprivation that was very interesting. I really liked this book - it’s the slowest I’ve read a novel in awhile because I didn’t want to skip a single detail. They all allude to the inner workings of each character in a fascinating way. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for this release. A fabulous sophomore novel from Reid.

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you William Morrow for my Netgalley copy of THE LEFTOVER WOMAN by Jean Kwok, out on 10/10/23!

This is one of the most unique thrillers I have ever read! I seriously could not put it down and the story was so original, and complex, and absolutely incredible. The Leftover Woman is an evocative family drama and riveting mystery about the ferocious pull of motherhood.

Jasmine Yang arrives in NYC from a rural Chinese village without any money or support, fleeing a controlling husband, and on a search to find her missing daughter who her husband secretly turned over for adoption with the One Child Policy in place.

Meanwhile, publishing executive Rebecca Whitney is rich, has a career she is rebuilding after a humiliating disqualification from a prestigious award by one of the books she edited, with a handsome husband with secrets, an adopted daughter she adores but is struggling to connect with her culturally, and a nanny helping her balance the demands of it all. 

This book went somewhere I was not expecting at ALL and I loved every minute of it. Wow wow wow. Please add this to your TBR!!! You will not regret it! It is an astounding exploration of identity, motherhood, and cultural and class differences in opposite parts of the globe. The plot moves so fast and both women are fascinating to follow, with such complex happenings and meanderings. The timing, writing, pacing, and absolute MASTERY of a storyline were just impeccable. 100 stars for this one!!! Will read anything Kwok writes after this breathtaking reading experience I wish I could relive over and over again.

The Sweetest Revenge by Lizzy Dent

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Putnam for my Netgalley copy of THE SWEETEST REVENGE by Lizzy Dent, out now!

As soon as I saw Emily Henry wrote a blurb, I instantly requested this book for an advanced copy! Bridesmaids meets Emily in Paris, this is a heartfelt and fun-loving story about a woman named Amy Duffy making the comeback of her life, both in her career and in her love life, after a humiliating split with her ex that the entire internet saw.

This book started off a little goofy at first and I didn’t quite believe the storyline, but the dialogue quickly sucked me in, the chemistry was through the roof once Amy meets her adorable and hunky neighbor with an embarrassing story of his own, and the empowering nature of Amy’s drive in her career inspired me and it was nice to see a woman’s aspirations front and center.

As someone who also loves the idea of TV writing, this was a super enticing read as Amy moves from making trailers for failing British television to creatively writing, pitching and working towards producing her own drama show.

The climactic event of this book? Amy’s ex-boyfriend who ruined her life is hired as her new boss, so her sparks flying with her hot new neighbor turned collaboration partner collides with the humiliation she thought she left in her past.

SUPER fun read. 5/5 stars. No notes. 

Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for my Netgalley copy of KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE by Leah Konen, out January 30th, 2024!

I read this entire book in one sitting on a plane ride and whizzed through it. It’s definitely a page-turning thriller once the action starts to finally happen. With a slow build-up, the ending was major wow factor and I loved the ride Konen took us on.

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle with her asshole soon-to-be ex-husband, Mary is in need of friend. One day, she coincidentally… meets the extremely charming and extrovertedly intoxicating Willa at a playground. When they’re drunk one night, Mary reveals a huge secret about her ex. The next day, Willa compeltely ghosts her.

Two months later, as she’s exploring her new hometown up north in New York nearing the finalization of her divorce, she runs into Willa. Or, should I say Annie? That’s her new identity and Willa is acting like she doesn’t know her. Then, Mary’s husband George ends up dead as a doornail and Mary is the prime suspect.

Who is Willa? Who killed George?There is twist after twist in this novel and it’s extremely fun uncovering who is who in this wild ride. Definitely a mini-feminist thriller about the emotional and mental load that women take on in marriage and motherhood, and class differences when families combine. The dual timelines of this book take a minute to follow, but it really keeps you guessing as you flip the page. Short chapters + constant cliffhangs = an unputdownable book! To no one’s surprise, men are not shit! Add this one to your TBR for a fun, feminist and freaktastic read my book-lovin’ pals.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

5.0

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for my Netgalley copy of TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES by Ashley Tate, out today - 1/30/24!

This thrilling debut involves a small town grieving the loss of a teenage girl named Phoebe, ten years after she died in a car accident with her brother Grant as the driver, who waited twenty-seven minutes to call 911. If he would have called sooner, she would be alive. So what happened that fateful night?

This was a very unique premise with a wild case of characters - the problem was you really couldn’t root for anyone. Many of the POV’s were downright insane and awful. Becca, who was also in the car accident that night, was UNBEARABLE. I hated her chapters. And Grant was incredibly mean and disgusting to everyone around him. June, a townsperson whose brother Wyatt went missing that same night, is really the only redeemable character and I think the story could have been amazing if it was solely from her perspective. 

Everyone in this town has secrets that slowly get revealed as the story goes on. The problem is the story went on and on and on… it could definitely have been edited down quite a bit. Some of the side characters like Grant and Phoebe’s mother and one of the town’s jocks (Ashley I think?) could have been fleshed out more, because sometimes it felt like they weren’t important enough to be included.

All in all, this thriller is a fast read and the twist is pretty fun. I figured it out about halfway through which is probably why I wanted the author to speed it up a little, but it was still fun once it was unveiled. A fun read that also has some gut punches about the tragedy of grief and the holes secrets burn in you if you let them linger too long.

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you Scribner for my Netgalley copy of RIPE by Sarah Rose Etter, out now! 

Apologies if this is not the most coherent review as I finished this doped up on pain pills after my breast reduction lmao. Ripe follows a woman named Cassie who is a year into her ‘dream job’ at a cutthroat Silicon Valley start-up, where Ivy League grads complain about their limited snack options in a multi-million dollar building overlooking the bay filled with unhoused people bathing in the sea and setting themselves on fire.

As we follow Cassie through long hours, toxic bosses and unethical projects many look the other way for to nab a paycheck, a literal black hole follows her around as a manifestation of her anxiety and depression. Suddenly, Cassie finds herself pregnant, we witness her life swirl into disarray in the middle of a capitalistic hellscape. 

I liked this book a lot. It’s obscenely readable. The tone is very depressing, eerie and sinister. If you’re looking for a hopeful read, this is not the one lol. I really think the book could have gone more into her pregnancy and how corporate life ignores the strifes of expecting women, often adding boatlads of stress and anxiety to what is supposed to be a happy and exciting time for those wanting a child. There was also a lot of room for more examination of the housing crisis. For what I expected to be a major ‘plot point’ in a semi-plotless book, unhoused people were there for the narrator to bare witness to, but there were no real thoughts on what was happening.

But, the prose of this book is as engaging and enticing as the cover, and if you’re looking for a narrator dredging through the trenches of capitalism with thoughts of emptiness, give this banger a read.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Ecco Books for my Netgalley copy of FAMILY LORE  by Elizabeth Acevedo, out now! 

This is my second time reading Acevedo’s work, but this is her first adult fiction novel! I loved it. It follows one Dominican-American family told through the many different voices of its women as they await a wake for one of the aunties that is still alive. This auntie, Flor, has a magical gift in which she can predict when someone will die. So the question is, has Flor envisioned her own death or one of her sister’s? 

The entire story has you wondering what’s going to happen. We get perspectives from Flor’s sisters - Matilde, Pastora and Camila, along with the next generation of women - cousins Ona and Yadi. In the beginning, I did find myself struggling to keep everyone straight. Some of the voices tended to blend together, but I finally found my footing around halfway through.

This novel weaves together the struggle between love and loneliness with infidelity and humiliation. It covers reuniting with one’s first and true love after years of imprisonment. It longingly grapples with the inability to conceive and losing one’s purpose. 

If you pick this book up, stick with it as Acevedo time travels with you from New York City to Santo Domingo, entwining past and present. It’s a beautiful collection of what it means to be a woman. I loved the ending and had a few tears in the end. At my sister’s wedding recently, she played our family’s favorite song we used to karaoke to growing up “We Are Family” and all the sisters in my family danced together. There’s a scene at the end that compares in its own cultural way and it was incredibly meaningful to me. I loved this book and can’t wait to see what Acevedo comes up with next. 

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0