August 2022 – Gen The Bookworm

{Thank to @getredprbooks & @berkleypub for my #gifted copy and amazing PR box!}⁣

The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland

Does this photo make you go down memory lane?! Then maybe you were also a 90s/early 2000s teenager too! Shout out to the other elderly millennials out there! 💃🏻⁣

@getredprbooks sent out the most amazing package for this book, and I actually squealed with delight when I opened it! Blockbuster card… ✔️Choker necklace…✔️ Bubble Yum…✔️ Great Lash mascara….#MaybeItsMaybelline! 🎶💋⁣

⁣Paired with my own high school yearbooks, it was one of my most favorite photos to put together….I even included my own high school senior portrait which I dug out just for this special occasion! Jewelry from Claire’s of course…➡️💎📷⁣

The Most Likely Club by author @elyssafriedland was one of my favorite women’s fiction reads this summer. This book had it all- and as a nearly forty year old, it was all too relatable and had me laughing aloud at times. Even better, it also had so much heart and took on the idea of what came to be for four high school best friends. 👯‍♀️👯‍♀️⁣

⁣I enjoyed the throw back references to the 90s, the long-lasting friendships, second chances and the hints of romance, But most importantly, I loved that it showed women coming together…especially where it matters. All four characters were unique and had their own paths and challenges along the way. 💖⁣

This was the perfect mix of being an easy read while also having enough substance to balance it all out and I just enjoyed it so much! The Most Likely Club publishes 9.6.22. In Addition, it was picked as a Book Of The Month add-on read for September, so you can get a copy even sooner, HERE. Not a BOTM member yet? You can join using my referral link HERE! 📦⁣

⁣✨QOTD: Did your high school have #TheMostLikelyTo… feature in your yearbook? If so, were you selected for any of them? Ours did not, and I feel rather grateful for that now…😅 I am discussing this book over on my Bookstagram feed @genthebookworm and I would love it if you joined in on the conversation

Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!

{Thank you to @williammorrowbooks for my free copy to read, review & share with all of you!}

Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean

My August reading is off to a great start, and I am excited to share that I had my first #FiveStarRead of the month! 🤩⁣
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Mika in Real Life surprised me, in the best possible way. It’s been a while since I read a book about family that just felt so real, and human. Don’t let this cute book cover deceive you, because while this book is totally heartwarming, it’s also real and covers some heavy topics that made this book really stick. 💗⁣
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Mika is a Japanese-American woman in her mid-30s who’s life looks nothing like the one she had once imagined. Mike is at a low point when her daughter she had given up for adoption 16 years earlier, reaches out to her, hoping to connect. ☎️⁣
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In her quest to be a person her daughter Penny is proud of, Mika creates a few white lies which, of course, end up snowballing into something way bigger than she ever imagined. While this storyline seems predictable at first, it ends up being the foundation of a novel that captures the essence of what makes a parent and what makes a life. 📖⁣
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Not only is Mika endearing but she’s also beautifully flawed. Author Emiko Jean delves into how our own pasts have made us who we are, and how our families expectations have shaped us but also don’t make us. The Japanese American immigrant experience was woven in throughout this story. In addition, the side characters are multifaceted and add so much to this brilliant novel. 🙌⁣
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I can’t say enough about this book and I know it will stick with me for a long time. It was also picked as the @gmabookclub August selection and I highly recommend adding to your end of summer reading list. Is Mika In Real Life on your reading radar yet? ☀️📝⁣

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✨QOTD: What was your last five star read? I am discussing this one over on my @genthebookworm Instagram feed and I would love to hear your thoughts!