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For the past few months I have been attending Guest of a Guest book club. I am loving getting to chat with other book lovers while also reading books I may not personally pick up myself. It has opened me up to different stories and genres. This last edition of what books I read this past fall consist of all book club picks. While I may have mixed reviews on some, I think each one creates a stimulating discussion. There are so many layers to each book that you can easily chat about and dissect. Here are the last 3 book reviews of my fall reading list.
*as always the reviews have spoilers in them
After years of trying to make it in the publishing world in New York, Harper Cruz is at a crossroads. Barely being able to make rent, she is desperate for a job. When Harper stumbles upon a job opening for self-help guru Charlotte Green, she decides to submit her resume– even though she knows nothing about Charlotte and her cult-like following of women. When Harper is surprisingly select out of thousands of candidates, she takes a leap of faith and moves to Nashville. Becoming the newest member of The Greenhouse. With Charlotte’s relentless optimism and can-do spirit, Harper gets swept up in the self-help environment. However, the longer she is in this inner circle the more she realizes that having it all comes with a price. Under The Influence is about toxic workplace environments, having an identity outside of what you do, and to be careful who you surround yourself with.
5/5 stars
Review
This book was juicy! And when you find out that it’s “loosely” based on the authors real-life experience working for a renowned self-help guru, it makes this book even better. As someone who is in the influencer industry I can relate to the long working hours, the competition and comparison, and the relentless numbers game. However, I have not once heard anyone speak in hashtags (only as a joke). Also the majority of influencers I know are down to earth and very supportive, it doesn’t mean there aren’t a few bad eggs– every industry has them. And I see, even with non-influencers, how social media has changed us as society. Anyway, I do not blame Harper for getting swept up in the hoopla of The Greenhouse company. I could easily see myself doing the same thing. Especially in the self-help industry. It would make me feel good to be helping women empower themselves. I just wouldn’t want to do it under someone who is clearly only doing it for ego purposes. Even if you are not in the influencer space, you may relate to toxic work environments. We have all had at least one boss that has created an unhealthy working situation. But again, I do not blame Harper for staying as long as she did. She needed the money, she thought she was doing something good and worthy, and she was inspired by Charlotte. On paper that seems like the dream job. What I do blame Harper for not leaving when Charlotte clearly didn’t respect a work/life balance or boundaries, and was problematic in the things she said and did. But I have the hindsight of being older and living in a time period where we care about work/life balance. So easier said than done.
Ola and Michael are the “It” couple in London. Both being prominent social figures, they have built a nice little following. With a month left until they are married, Ola and Michael seem to have it all. Until one day a list of names, with serious allegations, is released on Twitter by an anonymous account. Usually Ola, a journalist at Womxxxn Magazine, would be the first to call out these men and demand justice. However, this time Michael’s name is on it. Ola now has to struggle between standing by her fiancé or believing an anonymous accuser. But first she must find the truth and with her wedding in a month, she doesn’t have that much time to do so. The List is about standing by our morals or the ones we love. About the dangers of social media. About being there for your friends, even when you are hurting.
3.75/5 stars
Trigger warning: this book talks about SA and suicide
Review
This book comes with a lot of controversy and rightfully so. It starts off as a Me Too movement and ends with a lesson in how social media can be a witch hunt with no real evidence to back up claims. While I thought the book was good and very interesting, I was surprised in which the direction of how the story went. I liked how it showed Ola side– as someone who was a voice in the Me Too movement is now faced with the hardest decision of her life. Does she believe Michael, who she knows and trust, or does she believe women– more importantly an anonymous accuser. You hope to be someone that believes women and to not be an apologist for your partner. However, I think it’s a very difficult situation to be in and one I do not judge (when there is no hard evidence) because we never know how we would act. Where I do judge Ola is when she goes through with the wedding. Why would you want to marry someone you have barely spoken to in weeks, are still not sure they are telling the truth, and are very much in the middle of a public scandal. I do not understand why she went through it. Even if Michael was innocent, you will always look back on that day with a dark cloud. The ending completely shocked me, but also made up for the controversial truth of the allegations. It was a plot twist I didn’t see. It shows you just how anyone can accuse anyone else of anything. I think the overall lesson of social media is a very important one. We see it all the time; random accounts, gossip sites, and even news journalist creating fake narratives. Social media is a place of maybe too much freedom of speech sometimes. We have to be careful of what we choose to believe and who we choose to get information from.
Each Marte sister has a unique gift. Pastora is great at reading people’s truth. Camila is great with herbs. Matilde can dance. Flor can predict someone’s death. These gifts are both a blessing and a curse. When Flor decides she wants to have a living wake, the family is rightfully concerned. Who did Flor see in her premonition? While she won’t tell her sisters or her daughter and niece the truth, Flor is determined to bring everyone together to celebrate. However, she isn’t the only one with secrets, each sister is hiding something from the family. While we follow along with the planning of Flor’s wake, we travel back in time to when the sister’s grew up together in the Dominican Republic, as well as their current lives in New York. Family Lore is about the importance of family, being there for one another, and the celebration of life.
3/5 stars
Review
While I loved the family dynamic between the sisters I thought this book had too many characters and storylines. For me, some of it was unnecessary for the overall plot line. I think Matilde may have been my favorite character to follow in the present day, probably because she loved to dance. Pastora was my favorite to follow in their days as children in the DR, as she had a strong and mischievous personality. I enjoyed learning about their lives with the cultural differences between the Dominican Republic and New York. How they continued with their traditions here in the US. How Yadi and Ona differ from their mother’s because they grew up in America and not the DR. As the Flor’s premonition, I personally had different thoughts throughout the book on who was ultimately going to pass, but wasn’t surprised with the ending. What I took away from the book was how important it is to cherish the time you have with family and friends. That life and the people that you love should be celebrated.
*Read Part 1of what books I read this past fall
*Read Part 2of what books I read this a past fall