Tropical Girl Reads

The Second Chance Supper Club – Book Review

Just finished listening to The Second Chance Supper Club by Nicole Meier

Always With a Book : Review: The Second Chance Supper Club by ...

Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings.

They had a forever bond, until a sudden tragedy thrust them apart. Now, each at a crossroad in her own life, two sisters’ paths are about to intersect.

Broadcast journalist Julia Frank has it all: a career, an ambitious fiancé, and the hard-won respect of her peers. Until a ruinous decision destroys her reputation, puts her job at risk, and sends her reeling toward the only soul left to turn to: her estranged sister, Ginny.

The owner of a clandestine supper club hidden in the Arizona desert, Ginny Frank has a lot on her plate. The last thing she wants is more drama—or the burden of nursing her younger sister’s wounded ego. But family is family. Besides, Ginny can use the help in more ways than one, and she’s going to make sure Julia pulls her weight.

As a tenuous reunion reopens old wounds, Julia and Ginny have no choice but to confront the pain and betrayals of the past. Will working to keep the secret supper club running be just what they need to find common ground and a path toward forgiveness, or will the increasing stress push them even further apart?

No. of pages :- 267 Pages

Date Published :- September 2019

Genre:- Rural Fiction/ Contemporary Fiction

Nicole Meier is the author of The House of Bradbury, The Girl Made of Clay, and The Second Chance Supper Club. She is a native Southern Californian who pulled up roots and moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband, three children, and one very nosy Aussiedoodle. Visit her at http://www.nicolemeierauthor.com.

Here’s the nutshell of the story. Julia Frank seems to have a successful career as a broadcast journalist but one day, her career seems to have just ended when she asked the mayor of New York a question on live that seemed to have angered him. She then flees to Arizona to get away from the chaos and tries to reunite with her estranged sister, Ginny. Ginny used to be a former chef who also used to live in New York but now is running a secret supper club in her house during the night. This is the story about how the two estranged sisters trying to patch up their relationship.

So here are the things I liked about the book.

I would say that the book was well written. I like the way the author has used the description that makes the reader feel as if they are in Arizona with the characters.
The description of the food was amazing and made me feel hungry and mouth watering!
I also like the book cover because I thought it looked cute!
Another good thing about the book is it is actually a quick read and didn’t take too much time to finish the book!

Now the things I didn’t like the book

I did not like the characters at all, particularly Julia and Olive, Ginny’s daughter. To me, Julia sounds like a whiny naive character–I mean she is a journalist and shouldn’t she at least try to save her at least her reputation by proving her point? Also Olive sounded more like a whiny teenager than a twenty one year old.
I do like the story about the two estranged sisters getting back together to renew their relationship but then some parts of the story doesn’t sound realistic

Overall, this book is a good quick and cosy read. Worth three stars!

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The Family Upstairs- Book Review

Back with a book review! Just finished reading The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell and here’s my review for the book!

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

Hardcover: 352 pages

Date Published : November 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Domestic Thriller/Women’s Fiction

Lisa Jewell is the internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone and the UK instant Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller The Family Upstairs, as well as other much loved novels such as Watching You, I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into over twenty five languages. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters. Connect with her on Twitter @LisaJewellUK and on Facebook @LisaJewellOfficial.

This is the first time I was reading Lisa Jewell’s book. Found this copy of The Family Upstairs during my recent visit to a bookstore and so decided to get this book. And I was not to be disappointed.

In a nutshell, Libby Jones inherits a house in Chelsea through a trust fund that was created for her when she turned twenty-five years old. Despite the expensive and exquisite look from outside, the house however was known to have some dark secrets–twenty five years ago, the bodies of three decomposing people were found on the floor of the kitchen and Libby, who was just a baby was well fed and was left in a cot in another room. There used to be four children in the house but they were missing. Libby finds that her real name was Serenity Lamb and together with the Guardian journalist Miller, she discovers some dark secrets about the house.

Now as usual, let’s start with the ones I like about the book.

The book was actually well written and the author did a good job of keeping the reader hooked into the story.
There were some twists in the story that made the reader was made at the edge of the seat and wanting to know what is going to happen next in the story.
The story was divided into four parts and was told from the perspectives of three people–Libby, Lucy and the past which is told from the perspective of Henry, who happened to be Lucy’s brother set in somewhere in 1990’s. The house used to be full of parties and social life until Henry’s mother invited a woman named Birdie into the house along with a man named David Thomsen who eventually changes the house to the rags. So as a reader you can see how some unknown strangers changes everything around the house. This shows how naive people can be to let some unknown strangers into the house who eventually take control of the house.
By reading through different perspectives the reader will get to know what is happening in each part of the story.
It was really good and I really couldn’t stop reading the book as I want to read more and want to know what is going to happen next!

The things I didn’t like about the book.

I am actually confused about the title–The Family Upstairs didn’t really suit to the story.
Some parts of the story doesn’t really sound realistic to me–what type of person would let some unknown stranger to run the house let alone take all their stuff including money? Sometimes, I found it hard to believe it. Particularly the parts where the children were punished by locking up in their room, not feeding them, not giving them proper food. But then maybe, it may happen in real life.
Following a cult like that is actually disturbing to read sometimes.
The ending to me was bit confusing

Overall, this was a good psychological thriller book to read which will actually keep you up all night. Worth four stars!

July TBR List – Part 1

Hey all!!! These are tentative list of the books I am hoping to read in July!

The Second Chance of Supper Club – Nicole Meier

Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings.

They had a forever bond, until a sudden tragedy thrust them apart. Now, each at a crossroad in her own life, two sisters’ paths are about to intersect.

2. The Family Upstairs – Lisa Jewell

An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

3. An American Marriage – Tayari Jones

Newlyweds, Celestial and Roy, are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive and she is artist on the brink of an exciting career. They are settling into the routine of their life together, when they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
This stirring love story is a deeply insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward- with hope and pain- into the future.

4. Rose’s Travelling Tea Shop – Rebecca Raisin

The trip of a lifetime!
Rosie Lewis has her life together.

A swanky job as a Michelin-Starred Sous Chef, a loving husband and future children scheduled for exactly January 2021.

That’s until she comes home one day to find her husband’s pre-packed bag and a confession that he’s had an affair.

Heartbroken and devastated, Rosie drowns her sorrows in a glass (or three) of wine, only to discover the following morning that she has spontaneously invested in a bright pink campervan to facilitate her grand plans to travel the country.

Now, Rosie is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, and the chance to change her life! With Poppy, her new-found travelling tea shop in tow, nothing could go wrong, could it…?

A laugh-out-loud novel of love, friendship and adventure! Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Holly Martin.

5. Don’t Turn Around – Jessica Barry

Don't Turn Around: A Novel by [Jessica Barry]

322 miles of road. 6 hours. 2 strangers. 1 killer. Too many secrets.

Midnight. Cait Monaghan and Rebecca McRae are on a desolate road that slices through the New Mexican desert. They’ve never met before tonight. Both have secrets to protect. Both of their lives are in danger.

When a truck pulls up fast behind them, they assume it’s punk teenagers or run-of-the-mill road rage, but it soon becomes clear that whoever is driving the truck is hunting them for sport—and they are out to draw blood.

As the miles unspool and the dangers mount, the pasts they’ve worked so hard to keep buried have come back to haunt them. Someone wants one of them dead. But which one? And given the lives the two women have been leading, that someone could be almost anyone.

If Cait and Rebecca are going to survive, they’ll have to learn to trust one another—and themselves. But trust is a costly business, and they’ve both paid the price before. . . .

June Wrap Up

The month of June is over and July is here! Here’s a wrap up of the books I have read in the month of June

Five Star Rated Books

You Should See Me in a Crown – Leah Johnson
A Woman is No Man – Etaf Rum
Tuesday’s Child – Anya Mora
I Am Watching You – Teresa Driscoll
#MeToo – Patricia Dixon
Liars- Patricia Dixon and Anita Waller

Four Star Rated Books

Tea Tiramisu and Tough Guys – Harper Li
The Secret Messenger – Mandy Robotham
What Happened to Us? – Faith Hogan
The Heavenly Italian Ice Cream Shop – Abbie Clements
Aunt Lee’s Delights – Ovidia Yu

Three Star Rated Books

The Restaurant – Pamela Kelley
Cream Puff Murder- Sandi Scott
Eight Perfect Murders – Peter Swanson

Total Number of Books Read – 14

No. of E-Books – 14

No. of Physical books – 0

Best Book I have read this month- You Should See Me In A Crown – Leah Johnson

Worst Book I have read this month- Eight Perfect Murders – Peter Swanson

You Should See Me In A Crown- Book Review

Just finished with the audio book of You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson. Can’t wait to share my thoughts with you all!

Amazon.com: You Should See Me in a Crown (9781338503265): Johnson ...

Becky Albertalli meets Jenny Han in a smart, hilarious, black girl magic, own voices rom-com by a staggeringly talented new writer.

Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.

But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.

The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She’s smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

No. of Pages :- 336 pages

Date published:- June 2020

Genre:- YA Fiction/ LGBT fiction

Leah Johnson, author of You Should See Me in a Crown | Feminist ...

Leah Johnson is a writer, editor and eternal Midwesterner, currently moonlighting as a New Yorker. She is a graduate of Indiana University and Sarah Lawrence College, where she received her MFA in fiction writing, and currently teaches in their undergraduate writing program

This is actually my first time reading LGBTQ themed books. This book is also the debut book of author Leah Johnson.

So in a nutshell, Liz Lightley believes that she is too black, too poor, too awkward to take part in the prom that seems to be an obsession in her small town Campbell, Indiana. But when she loses the financial aid she has been aiming for to get into her dream college, Pennington College. Her only choice would have been to join the highly publicized high school prom event which will offer her the check to her get into Pennington so she could become a doctor. But being black is not the reason why Liz was a bit hesitant if she will win the prom–she is actually a queer.

So anyway, I will tell you all about the ones I liked about the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I simply couldn’t put it down.It was funny, it was so well written. Kudos to the author for writing this book well. It was also interesting too to read that I simply couldn’t put it down.
Many of the characters in this book are all likable except of course Rachel. I really like the main protagonist, Liz Lightley’s character in the book. She was funny, but she was also very open, a bit sensitive and is particularly close to her brother Robbie.
I also like how Liz’s friend particularly Gabby and Britt were all supportive to her, helping her to prep for the prom, knowing her sexuality. This shows the true friendship between the girls. I like how Jordan, her friend from middle school was supporting her in the end.
I should say, the narrator who was reading the book did a good job reading it as I was drawn into the book!
I like the budding romance between Liz and the new girl, Amanda McCarthy, known as Mac. I also like how the author made it realistic as Liz was feeling a bit insecure with her feelings.
This is such a cute book! This book is full of activity and also I had an emotional roller coaster ride while reading this book.
This book is told from the perspective of Liz so we can actually know what Liz is really feeling. She seemed to be a kind heart likable character, sometimes making bad decisions.
I like the competition the high school is having to secure a position in the prom court, like the bake sale, volunteer work.
I like how nearly the entire community support Liz in the end–it was so heart breaking and emotional as how Liz had to go through because she is black and because of her sexuality.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book to everyone! It was fun, enjoyable, unputdownable and overall an emotional roller coaster ride. Worth five stars!

The Restaurant – Book Review

Hey all! I am back with a book review. Just finished reading The Restaurant by Pamela Kelley and I am going to share my thoughts with you all.

Three sisters. An inherited Nantucket restaurant. One year before they can sell.

Mandy, Emma and Jill are as close as three sisters who live hundreds of miles apart can be. They grew up together on Nantucket, but Mandy is the only one that stayed.

Jill lives a glamorous life in Manhattan as a co-owner of a successful executive search firm. Never married, she is in her mid-thirties and lives in a stunning, corner condo with breathtaking views of the city and Hudson river. Everyone thinks there’s something going on with her partner, Nick, because as a workaholic, she spends more time with him than anyone else. But there’s never been anything but friendship between them and Nick loves being a bachelor in NYC.

Emma lives in Arizona and is an elementary school teacher and an aspiring photographer. She met her college professor husband, Peter, in grad school and they’ve been married for over fifteen years. In recent years, she’s noticed that Peter has grown distant. But when he shares a surprising secret, she doesn’t see it coming and her world is turned upside down.

Mandy followed her high school boyfriend, Cory to Boston College, and right after graduation, they married and settled in Dover, just outside of Boston. Cory joined a successful hedge fund, while Mandy took a job at a downtown financial services firm as an administrative assistant. She quit a year later, when Blake, the first baby came. Two years later, when Brooke was born, Cory left to open a competing Hedge Fund and they moved home to Nantucket. Now that the children are older, Mandy has more free time and is eager to do more than just volunteer with local charity events. But Cory doesn’t want her to work. He thinks it doesn’t reflect well on him and appearances are everything to Cory. Though when Mandy finds a second cell phone in his gym bag, she begins to question what is really going on.

When their beloved grandmother, Ethel Ferguson passes peacefully in her sleep a week before her ninety-ninth birthday she leaves them quite a surprise. In addition to her Nantucket home, they learned that she was the silent owner of Mimi’s Place, one of Nantucket’s most popular year-round restaurants.

There was of course, a catch–she left the restaurant equally to Mandy, Emma, and Jill–and also to Paul, the chef for the past fifteen years.

And before they could sell, all three girls needed to work at the restaurant for a period of one year–or else the entire restaurant would go to Paul.

The same Paul that broke Emma’s heart many years ago.

Pages :- 282 pahes

Date Published:- May 2020

Genre:- Family Saga/ Women’s Fiction

Pamela M. Kelley is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of women’s fiction, family sagas, and suspense. Readers often describe her books as feel-good reads with people you’d want as friends.

She lives in a historic seaside town near Cape Cod and just south of Boston. She has always been an avid reader of women’s fiction, romance, mysteries, thrillers and cook books. There’s also a good chance you might get hungry when you read her books as she is a foodie, and occasionally shares a recipe or two.

First of all I really like the cover! The cover made me want to buy the book and saw I bought the book through Kindle.

So in a nutshell, the three sisters, Jane, Mandy and Emma are living in different lives from each other. Jane has her own company in Manhattan and is very successful in her career and she questions about her budding friendship with Billy who had been her partner in the business. Emma is overcoming with heartbreak after her husband Peter cheats on her. She moves back to Nantucket from Scottsdale, Arizona. Mandy was the only one who remained in Nantucket, seemingly have a successful marriage with her college sweetheart Cory and are blessed with two children Brooke and Blake. Then one day, the girls’ grandmother dies and the sisters reunite together and discover that a popular Italian restaurant known as Mimi’s Place was actually owned by their grandmother and she had left a will of the restaurant for them. But on one condition–the three sisters need to work together with another chef Paul for one year in order for them succeed the ownership of the restaurant. But there’s one catch–Paul happened to Emma’s ex-boyfriend from high school.

So I will start with the ones I like about the book.

I really like the bond that is shared between the three sisters–Jane, Mandy and Emma and how they support each other during their hard times.
The first few chapters were interesting and I like the parts in the book where Mandy finds her grandmother’s diary and finds out her grandmother had acquired the restaurant. It is interesting as a reader to know the history of how the sisters’ grandmother acquired the restaurant.
Some of the descriptions of the food written by the author was mouthwatering and wished you can actually eat it!
The plot line was good.

Now the things I didn’t like about the book.

I didn’t like the writing much, it was OK not that great though towards the end, it got better.
Too much dialogue, not very interesting sometimes, got bored sometimes. It was always about meeting up, going out for food and some dialogue thing between the characters. So as a result, it was a bit boring.
Sometimes, the food descriptions is not very appetizing and not very enjoyable
I felt the book was being rushed a little, as if the author really wanted to finish the book early so didn’t like it much.
It was not very realistic, very predictable because you know in the end what was going to happen and as I said, a bit boring.

Overall, this is a good book, not a great book but an OK book, worth three stars in my opinion!

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Childhood Books Part 1

Hello all! I am still reading the books and still haven’t finished reading them so today, I decided to share with you some of the books I used to love as a child.

Well, this is going to be a weekly post so today, I will tell you my favorite childhood books.

I used to read lot of Enid Blyton’s books. Secret Seven series are one of them.

This was one of my favorite books by Enid Blyton although I have read several of her books. Maybe someday, I will read them again and do a review about it!

Tea, Tiramisu and Tough Guys – Book Review

Just finished reading Harper Lin’s second book of the Cape Bay series, Tea, Tiramisu and Tough Guys.

Tea, Tiramisu, and Tough Guys (A Cape Bay Cafe Mystery Book 2) by [Harper Lin]

From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Harper Lin: a culinary cozy mystery series with recipes set in a charming beach town!

When Francesca’s old high school crush, Todd, is accused of murder, she is convinced he is innocent. The police don’t believe Todd’s story, and neither does Matty.

During the busy summer tourist season at Cape Bay, Francesca sets out to prove Todd’s innocence. Matty, however, investigates to prove Todd is guilty. Why does Matty detest Todd so much? But what if he’s right—what if Todd is a murderer?

Harper Lin is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of cozy mysteries. When she’s not reading or writing mysteries, she loves going to yoga classes, hiking, and hanging out with her family and friends.

In case if you have been following my blog, I have done a book review of the first book of the Cape Bay series, Cappuccinos, Cupcakes and a Corpse, written by the same author. So in here, a man named Joe was stabbed in the car park of a gym owned by Francesca’s former high school classmate and crush, Todd. Since Todd does not have a good alibi, he becomes the main suspect of Joe’s murder. Francesca believes that Todd is innocent and like in the first book, she goes out to find the real murderer.

So I read the book or rather listened on audio book. It was actually short about four hours long so actually for people who want a quick read or want to listen to an audio book that is not too long, this book is good.
I still like the community setting of Cape Bay and I like how Frannie is introducing new items into her cafe to make her coffee shop more successful. In this case, she introduced tea into her coffee shop by studying and experimenting with different types of tea and makes a business deal with an Italian restaurant owner Monica to make tiramisus. So that’s why the title comes from. Oh and Joe who was murdered was doing kick boxing and that’s why the third title, tough guys comes from.
Just like the first book, Frannie along with Matt goes out to investigate on their own. However, Matt initially was convinced that Todd killed Joe. This also shows the growing budding romance between Matt and Frannie.
The writing sounds simple and the description of tiramisus made me mouth water!
I like the relationship Frannie had with her co-workers in the shop.
This is a cozy mystery novel so you can kind of guess who the murderer is.

Overall, this is a good quick book to read and if you like cozy mysteries, try reading Cape Bay mysteries. P.S. you don’t really need to start from the beginning. There’s no continuation part I have noticed except the main characters are the same.

Overall I give four stars!

Pride Month

Hey all! June is the month of pride month. Pride means LGBT month. To honor this month, I will list out the LGBTQ themed books I have read or would want to read someday.

Something to Talk About – Meryl Wilsner

A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn’t come at a worse time—threatening Emma’s promotion and Jo’s new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a “source” is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is “no comment”.

With the launch of Jo’s film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all…but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

2. Felix Ever After- Kacen Callender

From Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle….

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.

3. All Boys Aren’t Blue – George M Johnson

n a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.

Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren’t Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.

4. You Should See Me in a Crown – Leah Johnson

5. Red, White and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel by [Casey McQuiston]

What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.

Sneak Peek at the Books Currently Reading

Hey all! These are the books I am currently reading.

The Restaurant – Pamela Malley

Three sisters. An inherited Nantucket restaurant. One year before they can sell.

Mandy, Emma and Jill are as close as three sisters who live hundreds of miles apart can be. They grew up together on Nantucket, but Mandy is the only one that stayed.

There was of course, a catch–she left the restaurant equally to Mandy, Emma, and Jill–and also to Paul, the chef for the past fifteen years.

And before they could sell, all three girls needed to work at the restaurant for a period of one year–or else the entire restaurant would go to Paul.

The same Paul that broke Emma’s heart many years ago.

2. The Family Upstairs – Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs: The #1 bestseller and gripping Richard & Judy Book Club pick by [Lisa Jewell]

In a large house in London’s fashionable Chelsea, a baby is awake in her cot. Well-fed and cared for, she is happily waiting for someone to pick her up.

In the kitchen lie three decomposing corpses. Close to them is a hastily scrawled note.

They’ve been dead for several days.

Who has been looking after the baby?

And where did they go?

Two entangled families.
A house with the darkest of secrets.
A compulsive new thriller from Lisa Jewell.

3. Tea, Tiramisu and Tough Guys – Harper Lin

From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Harper Lin: a culinary cozy mystery series with recipes set in a charming beach town!

When Francesca’s old high school crush, Todd, is accused of murder, she is convinced he is innocent. The police don’t believe Todd’s story, and neither does Matty.

Includes two special recipes!