Happy Wednesday!
I’m currently in the middle of one too many books, which somehow is becoming a regular occurance. I thought that today, I’d talk about three of these books that are currently taking up a lot of my time.
Red White and Royal Blue – a reread
The Dream Thieves
One True Loves
Everything I Never Told You
The Honey-Don’t List
One of my all time favorite reads is “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid so I decided to explore her other books. This is one of her earlier publications and it’s about a woman who finds out her husband, Jesse, who’s to be assumed dead after a helicopter accident three years ago is actually alive. Only thing is that after three years of mourning, she’s finally moved on and is engaged to Sam.
There are many things that I like about this book. The first one is that I’m flying through it. I’m so absorbed into the story that I can’t stop reading.
One thing I do wish is that we get to see more of Jesse and Sam. The way the story is told is very generic? I don’t know how to properly phrase it but I’m going to try to explain myself.
The plot doesn’t dwell into the details of Emma’s relationships with Sam or Jesse. We don’t get many specifics so I personally am not entirely emotionally attached to either of them as much as I would have loved to. I obviously care for them but it’s not like I’m strongly emotionally attached which is what I love for to happen in books. That being said, I think that this is intentional. I think that TJR isn’t necessarily writing this story for us to pick a team but instead to showcase how these two men are two true loves of Emma. They fit into her lives perfectly in different stages of her life and it’s an artistic move I appreciate.
While I do like TJR’s way of not overloading us with details, I do wish that the writing didn’t feel so bland. I understand that it may have been a move done to minimize the details but I still think that the writing could have been more captivating and still accomplish this goal.
I’m only 75 pages into this book and my gosh, it is HEAVY. I didn’t know much about the plot going into the book and I think I liked that. Even though I read just 75 pages, it feels like I read at least a 100. Ng’s writing is gorgeous. I wish I owned this book because I would be underlining almost every line. I love a lot of things about this book so far.
The first is the tone. It’s like a cloud has settled over my heart. There’s this invisible weight as I read through the mystery of the novel unraveling and well… the characters themselves devolving. The exploration of race, the desire to belong, the desire to stand out, and the 1950/1970’s timeline is a powerful cocktail that’s hard to swallow but at the same time refreshing to read about. I love it, I love it, I love it so far.
Ay, this book. I love how Christina Lauren are exploring different themes in their romance stories. I’ve heard that their previous story was about celebrities and fame. This book explores workplace toxicity and emotionally abusive relationships, so be aware of triggers before going in. I’m so gripped by this subplot that I’m reading this so fast. The mc’s employer is just awful, awFUL, and she’s getting me so mad that at this point, I’m angry reading to see how everything resolves.
Unfortunately, I care absolutely nothing for the romance. I think it was rushed and is the epitome of insta love. At first, I thought it was endearing but as the story continued and I still couldn’t connect or care for the romance almost 70% into the book, I didn’t think the insta love was cute anymore. The way the romance plotline started was just way too abrupt. I’m okay with insta love as long as there’s a lot of development after the initial spark but I feel like this book never did that.
A brief example of the insta love I’m talking about:
Male MC: “Oh, I’ve never noticed she smells like daisies, when were her lips so big? Why did I never notice that pink is such a lovely color on her”
Female MC: “I never noticed his shoulders were so strong or that bone that pops out when he flexes”
Again, this is not MY kind of romance and I think it’s because I’ve been reading so many romance novels that I’ve gotten a specific taste of what I like and don’t like. Unfortunately, while this type of romance may be for you, it isn’t for me. I wanted to give an example in case you as a reader like this trope.
What are you currently reading?
I’m in the same situation. I’m reading WAY TOO MANY books right now – technically – because honestly, I don’t remember the last time I properly sat down and read for more than a few minutes and actually immersed myself in a story. I’m just sooo busy right now. … I might DNF one of them soon and try some manga for some light reading.