Category: Contemporary

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney C. Stevens

In this book we’re following Billie McCaffrey, daughter of the town preacher, and just one of the guys. Living in the small southern town of Otters Holt, Billie knows people are used to conventional thinking. But Billie isn’t used to being conventional. We follow her as she comes to terms with her own sexuality when she realizes she may be in love with two of her best friends.

I’ve had this on my shelf for years and have been meaning to read it, and have even started it before, but just have never gotten around to finishing it. Thankfully this buddy read forced me to actually read it. Unfortunately,

I thought the synopsis of the story sounded so interesting but the execution needed to be better. I was not a fan of Billie. She didn’t like that people assumed things about her but she spent quite a bit of the novel making assumptions about everyone else. She also seemed selfish in some of her actions and decisions. I did like that she had such a close group of friends. What I liked even more was that Davey’s friends took her in so quickly without even a second thought.

The book just overall was not it for me. It was too slow paced and if it hadn’t been a buddy read, I probably would have set it back down again. I wouldn’t recommend this book but would rather read something else that deals with coming to terms with your own sexuality and identity. 

The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe

I won a free copy of This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf in a Goodreads giveaway. Special thanks to William Morrow for hosting the giveaway and the publisher Custom House. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this story we are following a woman named Rebecca Farwell, a small town girl from Pierson Illinois, who works at Town Hall when she starts buying and selling art. In a different city, a thousand miles away, Reba Farwell–as she’s known to those in the art business–has made a fortune by selling off her paintings. Rebecca/Reba’s art dealings have been fueled by money she’s taken from the town’s accounts. We follow her story over the course of thirty years, watching as she takes larger risks and gains bigger rewards. But all good things come with a price and we must ask: how long can she play this game? 

This book ended up being a miss for me. It was a slow read and I had to force myself to pick it back up and continue it. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and everything was just very dull. I couldn’t tell if the author was trying to portray Rebecca/Reba as having antisocial personality disorder or what was going on with Rebecca/Reba. She knew that the town was going bankrupt from her stealing the money, but she continued to do it, sometimes even blaming others (the state, etc.). What’s more, she attempted to hold fundraisers to raise money for the town and was praised as a great citizen of the town who loved Pierson. She spent tons of money on her friend Ingrid and children, but when Ingrid wanted to do something specific for her children, Rebecca/Reba ignored her, thinking that her own way was the only correct way. The one time she was almost caught by her boss, she freaked out and put money back into the account, and then tried to equate his kissing her while he was married as the same as her embezzling money from the town accounts. 

Rebecca/Reba had little regard for people. She used people and then threw them away when they were no longer of use to her. The book itself was not super engaging. There were only a few occasions where it seemed any action happened, and for a book that was over 300 pages, that is not nearly enough. I don’t mind slice of life, day-to-day books, but there needs to be something happening or at least have some interesting and well-rounded characters. 

Also, this book is classified as a mystery. I’m sorry but that is incorrect. I’ve tagged it as such, but what’s the mystery? The question is can or can’t she continue to get away with embezzling money? No mystery there.

Book is set for Publication September 29. 

How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi

I won a free e-ARC of this book thanks to PenguinTeen in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this novel we are following Amir Azadi, who has recently come out to his Muslim family and forced to go through an interrogation at an airport after he and his family have an argument on an airplane. As told to the security men during the interrogation, we learn that he had decided to run away to Rome, and things in his new life started to feel natural, until his past came back to haunt him and everything he had come to know was in jeopardy. 

The story is told in a sort of dual-timeline aspect. The present day is when they’re in the interrogation room and the past is through flashbacks. It’s mostly told in Amir’s narrative, except when we get to the interrogation aspect, which also includes perspectives from his family members. I’ll be honest, those aspects got confusing sometimes and it was hard to differentiate who was who, but I did like that they were included in the story.

I’m sad to say this didn’t live up to the high expectations that I put on it. It wasn’t *terrible* but it wasn’t the masterpiece that I had pictured it to be in my mind. There were things that I found somewhat problematic and overall it just wasn’t knock-your-socks-off amazing. 

So what were some of the issues I had? Well, Amir seemed to have very unlimited resources for an 18 year old who decides to leave his home on a whim. Once he got to Rome, every friend he makes are attractive gay men who befriend Amir and takes him under their wing. Not only that, but they are all older than he is. This felt wrong, and it’s constantly being pointed out how much younger he is than them, by the pop culture references and lack of knowledge. This book also is marketed as focusing on how coming out relates to Amir’s Muslim family but when he talks about it it is more of a culture thing. 

I didn’t have issues with everything in this book. I enjoyed reading the book for the most part and I read this pretty quickly. There was one disturbing scene and I don’t know why that was included. I liked Amir’s character, but most of the time I had trouble remembering that he was actually 18, as he seemed younger than that.

Despite the issues I had with this book, I did like it. Was it all that I had hyped it up to be? Unfortunately, no. That’s typically the case when I do that. Will I ever stop? Most likely not. Should you still read this book? I think so. Just maybe go into it knowing that the synopsis is a bit wrong or misleading, and you should be good. Publication is set for September 22.

White Fox by Sara Faring

As a member of the Faring Society, I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group-Imprint in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this novel we are following two sisters, Manon and Thais, as they work to uncover the truth behind their famous mother’s disappearance. They’ve returned to their home island, Viloxin, after being gone for years and living in America. They find their mother’s famous last work, White Fox, which holds the clue to truths about her. Now they can try to find out what really happened to her. But with knowledge comes cold, harsh reality. Are they ready to accept that everything they thought they knew about their lives may be lies? 

Y’all, when I read the synopsis for this book, I just HAD to read it. Of course I joined the Faring Society when I had the opportunity because why wouldn’t I?! I love reading spooky stories and psychological thrillers. And let me tell you, parts of this book go there.

The atmosphere of this book really sets the tone. The girls venture back to this island that they haven’t been to since they were children. They haven’t lived in their childhood home in years, and it is described almost as a living entity. It’s creepy but adds to the story in such a necessary way. It almost taunts, but I loved the descriptions of it. Along with the fortress of the childhood home, there are the surrounding woods: Delirium Forest, as it’s called. They’re known for people going in and not coming back out. It was haunting but I was loving the way these areas were described. They were spooky but really created such a vibe that made me want to keep reading.

We’re introduced to so many people on Viloxin and most seem shady or like they’re hiding something. As we come to find out, things are not as they always appear and people are not always who they appear to be. One thing that was frustrating was that, as I said, we were introduced to so many characters and seemingly so many important plot points, and then these plot points would just never be mentioned again. I think we could have done away with so many characters and just focused on a few and really fleshed out their storylines. As it was, we have several characters who seemingly are significant but we never really explore why they’re significant or really go anywhere with them. 

I would have liked the ending to have been different. Without going into any details I’ll just say that it wasn’t what I expected. 

Overall I enjoyed this book. There were a few things I’d have liked to see changed or improved upon, but it was a good read. I recommend picking this one up. It’s a perfect spooky read for fall! Publication is set for September 22.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood

I received a free e-ARC of this book thanks to Edelweiss and Doubleday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

In this story we follow two characters and their families: Anvar and Safwa/Azza. Anvar is a Pakistani native who immigrates with his family to San Francisco in the 1990s. Safwa/Azza is living in Baghdad with her father and facing the fallout of the war until they also immigrate to San Francisco. We follow both characters from the 1990s through 2016 and see where their stories ultimately intertwine. 

Why I liked The Bad Muslim Discount

I really enjoyed this book and gave it a 5/5. I felt like the characters were developed very well. They were recognizable and we could see their thoughts, motives, and flaws. The way that Masood wrote them, I felt personally invested in their lives and wanted certain things to happen for them or to not happen. 

The Bad Muslim Discount covers so many important topics. Religion and what it means to be a “good” muslim is a key component of this book. Masood also includes the power of love, what it means to be true to yourself, family dynamics, the power of a community, and identity—both personal and collective.

One particularly poignant passage stood out to me (quote is from e-ARC and may change upon publication):

“‘America is still the most powerful nation in the world. So why are its people so terrified all the time?’

…

‘We live on stolen land,’ I finally said, ‘in a country built on slavery and reliant on the continued economic exploitation of other people. The oppressor always lives in fear of the oppressed. Americans have always been afraid, first of people native to this continent, then of black men, then of the innocent Japanese citizens they interned and now of Muslims and immigrants. So the real question, I think, is who is next?’”

I highly recommend The Bad Muslim Discount and urge you to read it. Syed M. Masood is writing amazing important books and you’ll be missing out if you don’t pick this up. Publication is set for November.

The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood ARC