Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean {Five Star Read!}

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

Mika in Real Life

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! 🤩⁣

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. 💗⁣

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. ☎️⁣

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. 📖⁣

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. 🙌⁣

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? ☀️📝⁣

GMA book club
✨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!

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!

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin | Berkley Publishing {Book Rating & Discussion}

{Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy}

Mom Jeans And Other MistakesMom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

Book Summary:

Two best friends say “I do” to living together, for better or worse, in this bold women’s fiction novel from Alexa Martin.

Jude Andrews is famous. Well, at least on Instagram. Her brand is clean eating, good vibes, Pilates, and casually looking like a sun-kissed goddess. In real life, however, she’s a total disaster. She has a strained relationship with her fame-hungry mom and her latest bad decision emptied out her entire savings account.

Lauren Turner had a plan: graduate medical school and become the top surgeon in the country. But when she became unexpectedly pregnant, those plans changed. And when her fiancé left her, they changed again. Now navigating the new world of coparenting, mom groups, and dating,  she decides to launch a mommy podcast with all the advice she wishes someone had given her.

Jude and Lauren don’t have much in common, but maybe that’s why they’ve been best friends since the third grade. Through ups and downs, they’ve been by each other’s sides. But now? They’re broke, single, and do the only thing that makes sense—move in together, just like they talked about when they were teenagers. Except when they were younger, the plan didn’t include a five-year-old daughter and more baggage than their new townhouse can hold.

Purchase Your Copy:

Amazon Link

LibroFM Bookstore Link

My Thoughts & Review:

Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes

I have to say, I was initially drawn to this book by the title and book cover, it’s just perfection. But what I I didn’t expect is that behind this cute cover and clever name would ultimately be SO much more than just an easy contemporary fiction read.

Author Alexa Martin draws you in and introduces you to childhood best friends, Lauren and Jude. Their lives could not be more different but when unforeseen circumstances arise, they decide to enact their childhood dream of moving in together.

They are hoping to be able to help each other out while they both are feeling a bit down on their luck. Lauren is a Black single mom to her five year old daughter Addy and Jude is a social media “influencer”, so of course, things don’t go exactly as planned, as these friends are each in very different stages of life.

What I loved about this book is the focus on adult female friendship, and how it isn’t always smooth sailing. Seeing these two women root for one another, themselves and their relationship together while also traveling the bumpy road of adulthood was relatable and inspiring.

I appreciated that there were elements of love but this this story was also based in reality. Hard topics weren’t only tied in but also fully discussed, including, race, child custody, mental health, alcoholism,and motherhood. Both women have empowering parts of their lives and also things they are working through, and I appreciated that so much.

This was my first book by Alexa Martin and certainly won’t be my last! I highly recommend this one and think it would maker for a great book club discussion.

I shared this book over on my instagram account @genthebookworm back when this was published in September, if you are interested in hearing more!

Disclosure: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission that helps keep this website running and at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!

 

Life Lately…{September 1st, 2020}

Gen The Bookworm blogGood morning and a big shout out to all the parents who have made it to September! We may be smiling but are also crying on the inside, LOL.2020-09-01_0007We like to hide inside our L.L.Bean sweatshirts when we get nervous, which has been quite frequent lately. These striped sweatshirts were basically our quarantine uniforms March-June and these fall temps has us pulling them back out once again! While I have no affiliation with L.L.Bean, I would be happy to be their spokesperson if they are looking…

This summer has been a rollercoaster of emotions and while we have had many highs we also have had just as many lows. There have been plans that have had to be changed and many pivots in our daily family and work lives. We normally would have started school by now but this year we are starting after Labor Day which means we got a couple of extra weeks of summer. Continue reading “Life Lately…{September 1st, 2020}”