Book Reviews

Funny Story

Funny Story by Emily Henry begins as a tragic love story and shifts into an adorable romantic tale about two adults stuck in the same awful situation. Daphne and Peter are engaged after being in love for years. Both are counting down the days until they get to spend the rest of their lives together, until Peter's bachelor party, when he doesn’t come home until the following day. Petra, Miles' girlfriend, who was also at the bachelor party, doesn’t come home until the next morning either. In the next few days Miles and Daphne find themselves cramped in Miles' apartment trying to make sense of their nightmare while Petra and Peter plan to live happily ever after together, leaving their exes in the dust. Although Miles is kind enough to offer Daphne to live with him until she gets back on her feet, the only thing Daphne can think about is leaving. She spends her time counting down the days until she can leave the town of Waning Bay. She wants to escape from everything “Peter” once and for all.

“All those moments throughout the days, weeks, months that don't get marked on calendars with hand-drawn stars or little stickers. Those are the moments that make a life. Not grand gestures, but mundane details that, over time, accumulate until you have a home, instead of a house…there's only one place that feeling exists for me, only one person with whom I belong” (Henry 329).                            - Said by Daphne

The Off Campus Series

The Off Campus Series is hands down the most addictive and engaging set of novels I have read in a long time. You physically cannot stop reading. When I was gifted the first book in the series I had the mindset that, “I don’t do series because after the first few books they become boring and repetitive”. Five books later in the series I would definitely say I’ve changed my mind on that theory. Elle Kennedy changed my perspective on series novels: if you find the right one they are most definitely not boring in the slightest. It is so amazing to watch the story unfold throughout different perspectives and finally, read as all of the perspectives come together.

In the Off Campus Series readers dive into the details of Garret’s, Logan’s, Dean’s and Tucker’s personal lives. The four college students were brought together by their D1 hockey team at Briar University. Since they met the four became an inseparable friend group, living together at an off-campus house. Each book in the series focuses on one of the four and is told in their perspective as well as the perspective of their love interests. Each novel tells a unique tale of how two people come together. Although each couple; romantic and not, has their hurdles throughout the books, their perseverance and unwavering love for each other shines through every time. These are an inseparable group of teens and it’s so amazing to watch them grow together throughout college. 

Elle Kennedy is one of the most illustrative authors I have ever encountered. She has a talent of painting a picture in my head as I am reading, and I can’t stress enough how beautiful and descriptive she writes. Although I would only recommend this author/series for older and more mature teens due to the romance I still want to encourage all my Tiger readers to keep Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus Series in the back of their mind to read one day. I will forever miss reading these books for the first time and I envy anyone who is able to. If you are interested in a series with drama, comedy, excitement and most of all, romance, then the Off Campus Series is most definitely a must read. 

Let It Snow

Let It Snow is a Christmas rom-com written by Beth Moran that illustrates a unique Christmas-at-home equipped with adventure and drama. During the novel local and beloved weather reporter Bea Armstrong returns home for the holidays for the first time in years. For Bea, a Christmas at home is the opposite of relaxing. Her holiday getaway consists of her childhood nemesis: Henry Fairfax, living at her house and an obnoxious weather reporter taking away Bea’s family time. 

Let It Snow serves as a plot driven book specifically one with internal conflict. Two life altering decisions take place during the novel; leaving Bea Armstrong with tough choices to make. Bea’s Christmas getaway spent with her family doesn’t last longer than a few days. Soon she receives an invitation to interview for a national weather reporting company, creating a large internal conflict in the novel. 

Bea struggles on the choice of staying at home for a well-needed family Christmas or pushing herself to interview for a possible life changing career. Bea Armstrong begins to spend more time with her childhood nemesis, Henry Fairfax for he coincidently happened to swoop in as Bea’s night and shining armor. As Bea begins to spend more time with Henry her second internal conflict arises. Are Henry and her becoming friends? Is it more than a friendship with Henry? Not only is Henry a factor, but Bea’s ex-boyfriend who she dated her whole life and only broke up with 6 months prior to Christmas, happens to show up at her childhood home, creating an even more difficult life altering decision for Bea. 

Overall, the character Bea Armstrong struggles with internal conflict in two different scenarios during the novel Let It Snow by Beth Moran ultimately creating a drama-packed irresistible romance comedy. If you are in need of a comfort Christmas novel to cuddle up with this winter, Let It Snow is the book for you. 

Unmasked

A book like no other, paper with carefully thought out writing that completely alters the way you view the world. Unmasked, the autobiography authored by Paul Holes is the complete opposite of a beach read. Holes strings us along in his whirlwind of a career Unmasked criminals by evaluating crime scenes. Unmasked is crafted beautifully, Holes does an immaculate job with imagery as he illustrates his life stories. 

Throughout Unmasked Paul Holes runs us through a timeline of his life and the cases he worked on as well as his personal life. We hear many tragedies and are told true stories of cases Holes solved and cases that were left cold. During Holes time as a detective a case file arises that shapes Holes entire career. Joseph DeAngelo is a serial rapist and murder, Paul Holes had been on the journey of deciphering this case for 24 years. Holes has gone to great lengths for this case, staying up late, reaching out to other officers and detectives, sacrificing family milestones and memories with his beloved wife. 

Before jumping into Paul Holes world you must prepare yourself for the emotional connections you will make with the characters in this book. Not only does Holes make you feel everything he feels but he also helps you understand the importance of his job and what is going on behind closed doors. Unmasked is extremely powerful and will eternally remain the most influential true crime autobiography in my reading career. 

“A poor Black kid is bleeding out in the middle of the street, a victim of gun violence, and his grief-stricken mom is wailing over him, but not a single reporter is there to tell their story” (54). 

“Thinking about those celebrities wrapped in plastic and stacked in piles along with everyone else. Death does not discriminate” (124). 

Carrie Soto Is Back

Carrie Soto Is Back illustrates a whole new view of the art of tennis. Tennis is not only a sport but a lifestyle, a lifestyle that Carrie Soto demonstrates every day of her life.

Although the character Carrie Soto is only fictional, her strength, motivation and ambition demonstrated within this novel forges an inspirational figure. Those who sacrifice time to escape reality and enter Carrie Soto’s world of competition and devotion to the sport of tennis will fall in love with the person she is written out to be. 

Taylor Jenkins Reid, walks us through the story of Carrie Soto and her love for the game of tennis. The storyline starts young with Carrie’s desire to constantly be out on the court with her father as a child. As Carrie Soto progresses and improves overtime, she allows her hobby of playing tennis to become her career. This career soon leads to a lifetime of fame for one of the world's greatest tennis players of all time (fictional). Carrie Soto is not only a phenomenal tennis player, but she is also brave, heroic, powerful and self-assured in herself, as well as her ability to conquer any challenge thrown at her. 

There is truly not enough praise I can give to Taylor Jenkins Reid. Reid’s style of writing is so addictive you simply can not put her books down. When reading Carrie Soto Is Back you escape into Carrie's world where Tennis is the priority and everything else is in its shadow. Not only am I recommending this phenomenal book, but I am also pushing you to try multiple books by this author, Taylor Jenkins Reid who will forever alter your view on reading no matter where you are now.

Malibu Rising

Award-winning novel Malibu Rising written by Taylor Jenkins Reid illustrates the story of the four Riva siblings and the obstacles they persevered through to make it to where they are today. Taylor Jenkins Reid authors this novel in a frame story structure blending chapters from current time with the Riva’s past embellishing the significance of the sibling's journey together as well as their background creating an opportunity for critical thinking as you read. Reid is the author of five other extraordinary novels; highly recommended due to her creativity and imagery in her writing but Malibu Rising has exceeded all other literary work I have read. If you desire a book with romance, tragedy, and intrigue, lend a discerning eye to Taylor Reid’s captivating novel Malibu Rising. 

“It was the beginning of a lesson her children would learn by heart: Alcoholism is a disease with many faces, and some of them look beautiful” (Reid pg 133).