Shut Up & Read

Send Her Back and Other Stories by Munashe Kaseke My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Send Her Back and Other Stories by Munashe Kaseke is an interesting look into the lives of immigrant women both in the United States and in their own countries. Each of the stories in this book are from the woman's perspective and tell their stories of hope, struggle, sacrifice, success, and failure. I enjoyed the open, honest writing style and the no-holds truth these women faced in their everyday lives. The author addressed difficult issues relevant to immigrant women. Each story was unique and interesting in its own way. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to expand their horizons. I listened to the audio of this book. The narrator was engaging and authentic. I enjoyed listening to it I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. See allof my reviews

The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I've been on a WWII kick lately. I love reading about the every day people who went above and beyond to help their to become unsung war heroes. It gives me hope for humanity. The Ways We Hide is a historical fiction story based around true events. Fenna had a good, but hard life. She went through many hardships and overcame them to do great things. Her story is one of love and loss and courage to endure. I enjoyed her story, her tenacity, and her unwillingness to give up on those she loves. This was my second book by this author, and I've come to enjoy the writing style and storytelling. I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. See all of my reviews

Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton  and  James Patterson My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I chose to read this book partly because I love James Patterson and partly because I love Dolly Parton. I was quite intrigued by the matchup of these two and felt I had to find out what this duo could produce. Run Rose Run is the story of a young, talented singer trying to hide from her past. I loved the characters, and the story was quite charming. This was a quick, easy read. Somewhat predictable, but entertaining nonetheless. Overall, I would probably read more books from this pair of authors. I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Kelsea Ballerini and Ms. Dolly Parton herself, and I have to say, the narration was my favorite part of the book. If I had been reading a physical copy, it would not have been nearly as engaging. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See all of my reviews

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I knew I wanted to read this book as soon as I read the description. I love the idea of an antiheroine, a girl who started with nothing and stole her way up to the top. Vanja is a great character. You want to root for her even though you know, and she knows, what she is doing is wrong. The rest of main characters are eccentric and fun, which makes for a great story. I would have liked the curse to be a bit more of a main plot in the story, as it seemed to just be sort of an afterthought, but overall, this was a great read. This is the first book I've read by this author, but if they are all this well-written and entertaining, I'll most definitely be reading more. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See all of my reviews

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mickey is an Expendable. His job description literally is to be expendable. I love the idea of this and the reasoning behind it. There are some jobs machines just can't do as well as humans, but these jobs could be potentially dangerous for said humans…so, what do you do? I liked Mickey as the narrator of the story. He's a bit quirky, funny, and a loyal friend. My only question is what happens next? I love a good standalone, but I really want to know what happens to Mickey and the colony on Niflheim. I love that this book is set so many years in the future after so many advances in science and technology, but the basis is just humans doing what humans do best…Hostile takeovers, killing anything that they don't find useful, and destroying beautiful worlds to fit their own agenda. It's humanity. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. See all of my reviews

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers is a quick, easy read. I looked at this book initially because I listen to the author's podcast, but the premise caught my attention and I decided to give it a try. The book started slow for me but picked up quickly. I enjoyed following Margot as she delved into a cold case everyone seemed to want to forget. Dealing with her personal issues while trying to work and find out what really happened to her childhood friend was challenging, but the author wrote it in well. The ending was a surprise for me, so that's always a bonus. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. See all of my reviews

Other Birds  by  Sarah Addison Allen My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Other Birds is an enchanting story about love, loss, and finding yourself. Zoey is an 18-year-old following the memory of her mother out into the big world, truly on her own for the first time. She finds it's not always easy, but along the way of finding out who she wants to be, she meets up with an engaging cast of characters who love her just as she is. This is a gem of a book I'm glad I had the opportunity to read. The writing is whimsical and the setting of the book was magical. I want to go to Mallow Island and see it for myself! This is my first book by this author, but I am definitely going to check out her others. I would recommend this book to everyone. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. See all of my reviews

  I'm Glad My Mom Died  by  Jennette McCurdy My rating:   4/5 stars My oldest daughter grew up with iCarly and Sam & Cat, so I've seen most of the episodes. I always thought they were entertaining and fun, something we could watch together. It's sometimes hard to remember while you're being entertained by the TV that those are real people with real lives and real problems. I chose to read this book partly because I love biographies/memoirs but also partly because of Jennette McCurdy and her tie to those shows. It's heartbreaking to see how she grew up and the love she had for her mother who was so obviously (to anyone on the outside looking in) abusive. She was a great actress, but absolutely hated it. In this book Jennette was open and honest about her childhood, teens, and early adulthood. She managed to take this horribly sad and disturbing story of her life and turn it into something positive for herself. I'm sure she will always struggle with her body i...

You'd Be Home Now  by  Kathleen Glasgow My rating:  4 of 5 stars What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life? This book was much more emotional and real than I had expected. I laughed…I cried. Seriously. I don't remember the last time I cried with a book. This was the story of Emory, but also of her brother Joey. Their lives are so intertwined that Emory can't seem to separate them. As she watches him go down the road of addiction and everything that comes with that, as his life unravels and everything it touches, all she wants is to be able to fix him, fix herself, and be seen. Maddie, her older sister is the perfect one, Joey is the bad one, and Emory is the good one, the invisible one. What I took away from this story is that addiction is hard on everyone, not just the one addicted. Life is hard. We mess up. Sometimes a lot. But we have to pick ourselves back up and try again. Because in the end, it doesn't matter that we messed up, but that we didn...