Told from alternating perspectives, an evocative and riveting novel about the lifelong bond between two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event—a powerful and poignant exploration of race in America today and its devastating impact on ordinary lives.
Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.
But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.
Like Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them explores complex questions of race and how they pervade and shape our most intimate spaces in a deeply divided world. But at its heart, it’s a story of enduring friendship—a love that defies the odds even as it faces its most difficult challenges.
October was a pretty great month of reading even though it seems like years ago at this point…I had to consult with my book reviews and my Goodreads app to remember all my ratings, so thank goodness for those things! I wish I was the kind of person that kept a book tracking journal or an excel spreadsheet, but I am just not.
Alright, I will try to make this short and sweet so hopefully I can get my November recap up very soon.
Hello and Happy (mid) August – I hope your month is off to a good start. Last month was a great month of reading and I have been eager to share these titles with all of you. These monthly recap posts matter to me(shout out to the other Lazy Genius fans!), so I strive to get them on here even if lately they have been a couple of weeks late…
July was the perfect mix of fiction and non-fiction books and I had quite a few 4 & 5 star reads. I also decided I am going to start regularly sharing the books I DNFed (did not finish) and my thoughts behind this process as a reader who wants to give thoughtful but also authentic reviews.
Who else can believe that it is already almost September?! August is always a funny month because part of it is full-on summer and then the end is getting back into our regular routine of school. I read a lot of great books this past month, my favorite being The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. I also did some vacation reading and really enjoyed The Forever Summer and The Islanders.
(This one is currently on sale HERE and if you haven’t grabbed it already you should, it’s one of my favorite books ever and is only $12 right now for the hardcover!
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can read my full (raving!) review HERE. This just might be my favorite book I have ever read!
*Full review coming soon. A great beach read that is enjoyable but not super fluffy! I loved connecting with these characters and especially loved Lu, her story just got me.
You can read my full review HERE. This one doesn’t come out until January but this review also lists some of my favorite Diane Chamberlain books you can read before then!
You can read my full review HERE. Dominicana was my August Book of The Month selection(*referral link) that is being released next week. It is a coming of age book that reminded me a lot of A Woman is No Man and the writing is just beautiful!
You can read my full review HERE. I am a huge fan of memoirs and this one was one of those books that I wasn’t quite sure about while reading a lot of it, but then ended up being a very powerful read that I kept thinking about once I was finished.
*Full review coming soon. This was my first Jamie Brenner book and it was the perfect summer read! I loved the characters, the storyline and just found it super engaging with a satisfying ending.
*Full review coming soon. I decided I needed to read this before Cilka’s Journey is released this fall! I listened ot it on audiobook and it was heartbreaking and powerful.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, it helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
Hello! Happy last day of May! Did this month speed by for you? It felt like we did a lot of things but it also felt like a pretty long month…which when it is 31 days, I guess it really is!
Audiobooks and going back and forth:
I have moved into my more busy season at work which means that my audiobook listening starts to make up a part of my monthly book count. I often will listen to a book on Audible or the Libby app and also read it either with a hard copy book or on my Kindle. I did this with A Woman Is No Man this month for instance.
This reading juggle works rather well for me and keeps me engaged with books during the times of the year when I don’t have as much downtime. I tend to listen to non-fiction books or fiction books that are a little more slow-moving (vs. a page turner) because otherwise, I get way too confused.
My May reading high:
I always love looking back on Goodreads to see how everything I read played out. I have a terrible memory so I would be lost without Goodreads! Not only is it the way I keep track of the books I am reading but it also is where I keep my list of books I want to read in the future. It’s the best.
The highlight of my reading month was definitely A Woman is No Man. It was amazingly powerful but also so readable and I know it will stick with me for a long time…you can read my full review HERE.
I also loved If You Only Knew(currently a Kindle deal!!) & Montauk, and think both of them would be great to add to your summer reading list.
Different reactions and perspectives to books:
I did read a few books this month that I found were just okay. I always find it is interesting how people react so differently to a book. Even more own experience as a reader can be affected so much by what is currently going on in my life.
I would always rather talk about book highlights than books I didn’t love, but I think there is a place for both in a thoughtful and respectful way. When I don’t love a book, often it just wasn’t the right fit for me at that specific time. My own perspective can change things so much and just because I didn’t love it doesn’t’ mean someone else won’t love it!
A few months into having a public IG page one a person that had been following along DMed me and said: “I can’t believe you recommend this book, I thought it was terrible!” I immediately felt awful but as time has gone on, I really have come to terms with the fact that we all react to things so differently, and that is what makes life interesting.
My reading lows this past month:
I often have a hard time when reading a second book by an author that I initially just loved. I was a huge fan of Lilac Girls and Lost Roses just didn’t’ wow me, and I had a hard time feeling engaging with the characters. I also really struggled with The Last House Guest, and I have previously really enjoyed her work.
Happy April 1st! How was your last month of reading? I read some amazing books during the month of March that were all 4 & 5-star reads! I did have one book that I really didn’t enjoy but you can’t win them all!
I don’t normally give a star ratings with my actual book reviews, but I do use them when rating books over on Goodreads and NetGalley and when I am sharing my monthly recaps on Instagram. Last month I thought it might be fun to start regularly posting my monthly recaps here too because it is a great and quick way to give book recommendations. You can see what I read in February HERE if you are interested.
Do you like star ratings? I love them although I wish Goodreads would allow half stars as well because I think it is a lot easier to rate them that way!
February was a shorter month with a lot of reading packed in for me. I ended up reading a couple books that I just loved and quite a few that were just so-so.
I always find it interesting how differently we all react to the same pieces of writing. I even will respond differently to something depending on my mood, time of year, stage of life, etc.
As I share more and more about books I always want to be aware that my feedback is just that, my own, and you may have a completely different reading experience. I think that is with makes books and media in general so interesting to share about too, we all have such different responses. 💜
My full review of More Than Words can be found HERE.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren: Plenty of emotions and imperfect characters made this very enjoyable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC releasing 5/14/19)
My full review of the Unhoneymooners can be found HERE.
Marriage-ology by Belinda Luscombe: A fascinating and relatable book about marriage that was easy to connect with and thought provoking. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC releasing 5/21/19)
The Au Pair by Emma Rous: I enjoyed much of this but the ending just didn’t work for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My full review of The Au Pair can be found HERE.
My full review of A Stranger on the Beach can be found HERE.
Maid by Stephanie Land: Many powerful parts of this book but I had mixed feelings about the writing style…⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen McManus: I think YA books are just not my favorite because I struggle to connect with the characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Juliet’s School of Possibilities by Laura Vanderkam: A unique take on time management advice…a fiction novella that was easy to consume and a fun way to share her knowledge in a fresh way. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ARC releasing 3/12/19)
My full review of Juliet’s School of Possibilities can be found HERE.
Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly: Heartbreaking and often difficult to read as a parent but amazing storytelling and a truly engaging read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (ARC releasing 4/2/19)
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams: A heavier read than you first anticipate that is full of important and timely topics…enjoyed seeing her process of self-love while dealing with many challenges…struggled with some of the choices of the main character. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (ARC releasing 3/19/19)
