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[19] Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fiction / Women, because it’s the new TJR

Synopsis: It’s 1983, and it’s the night of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party in her Malibu home. Her life has recently been upended with her husband leaving her in a very public scandal, but Nina lives to take care of other people, especially her three tight-knit siblings, so the party goes on. Anyone who knows her address is invited, and people are fascinated by the Riva children – especially with their legendary singer father, so it’s guaranteed to be a wild night.

Format: This book is set up with hourly chapters starting at 7 am the morning of the party, until 7 am the morning after. The first part of the book alternates between the hourly chapters, and the history of the Riva siblings’ parents.

Review: This book is truly unputdownable, and I flew through it, which was such a fun feeling, since I’ve been reading at a much slower pace this year! I love family dramas, and loved the first half of this book as we got to learn about each Riva sibling, and especially, about their parents’ tumultuous past. Whoa. D-R-A-M-A. As the party starts in the second half of the book, the pace does not slow down, but it becomes a bit more cluttered with a lot of characters to keep track of at the party, when really, I just cared about the Riva siblings and not all the randos. But I still really enjoyed it.

Recommend? Yes

[20] A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure, read about on Stephany’s blog

Synopsis: Gerda’s family is divided by the Berlin Wall. She lives on the east side with her oldest brother and mother, and her father and other brother are on the west side. Years go by where they don’t see or communicate with each other, and Gerda knows she should just put her head down, keep her mouth shut, and hope for the best, but she can’t resist trying to do SOMETHING.

Review: I’ve wanted to learn about the Berlin Wall, and a youth book was the perfect introduction for me. And Gerda sure is one brave, courageous, determined, and resourceful young woman! The ending was suspenseful and nerve-wracking in an exciting way, but it felt a but abrupt – I would have liked an epilogue. That was my only complaint though – I thought this book was great!

Recommend: Yes!

[21] The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Fiction/Literary, heard about on Sarah’s Bookshelves Live Episode 64, “Catherine Adel West (Author of Saving Ruby King)”

Synopsis: Nella has been the only Black girl in her publishing office and is ecstatic when another Black girl is hired… but she’s not what she seems.

Review: Blah, what a disappointment. This was a very slow burn with extremely cluttered writing that made it hard to read, characters that are hard to keep track of (because information is purposefully withheld), and a confusing timeline. I saw reviews that said it really picked up in the last 20% so I stuck with it, but it was a huge letdown (I don’t even understand how it ended). With how much of a slow burn it was, there were potentially interesting parts of the story that weren’t even told. Bummer.

Recommend: No