[13] Something Bad Wrong by Eryk Pruitt
Fiction / Thrillers / Crime, Free on Amazon First Reads, read on Kindle, did buddy read with Courtney

Synopsis: Jess Keeler is determined to solve the double homicide that eluded her deputy grandfather 50 years ago, and to bring the story to the masses via a true crime podcast. However, she quickly finds out it’s a story people will do anything to keep under wraps.

Review: I should add, true crime is NOT my jam, but I wanted to do a buddy read with Courtney and she had already picked this book as her Amazon First Read, so I decided to try it out (and was hoping for the best!).

I did not care for this book AT ALL. Nearly all the characters are unlikeable and one-dimensional. There are too many characters. The story is too slow moving. The language used is annoying (look at the title!). The ending was unsatisfactory. Just, meh, all around. It blows my mind this is set up to be a series – I never want to read about Jess Keeler again. (For the record, Courtney didn’t care for it either.)

Recommend? No

[14] The Stand-In by Lily Chu
Fiction/Women, saw at Target and thought someone had recommended but no idea who, read paperback
Trigger warning: sexual harassment

Synopsis: Gracie Reed is on the struggle bus. Her boss is harassing her at work but she doesn’t have enough proof to file anything legally, and she can’t afford to quit or find a new job. Her mom has Alzheimer’s and lives in a second-rate care facility that Gracie desperately wants to get her out of, but she worries about the cost of a nicer facility.

So when famous Chinese movie star Wei Fangli offers to pay Gracie to be her stand-in and make weekly public appearances for her, she wants to say no, but doesn’t – she really needs the money. Gracie discovers being famous is a lot harder than it looks, especially when it comes to dealing with Sam Yao – Wei’s close (extremely hot actor) friend who is completely opposed to the idea but has to play along because he and Wei are always seen together.

Review: Gah, this book was so fun! Even though it deals with tough issues lightly (sexual harassment, aging parents, depression) I thought it was an amazing fantasy and escape. I was rooting for Gracie and Wei and Sam and loved the sneak peek into an actor’s life. I thought the writing was clever and enjoyed the banter between characters. My only complaint is that I wish there would have been a prologue – I wanted to see what happened after the story. I could totally see this becoming a movie.

Recommend? YES YES YES

[15] Choosing to Run: A Memoir by Des Linden with Bonnie D. Ford
Memoir/Sports, hose to read because of my interest in marathons, read on Kindle

Synopsis: This is the story of professional marathoner Des Linden’s 2018 Boston Marathon victory interspersed with tales of her upbringing, college and team training, and personal thoughts and mantras.

Review: I love a memoir about an idol of mine, and I’m nosy, so this is right up my alley. Des went behind the scenes on what was really going on at the 2018 Boston Marathon (and many other races), how she really felt about her coaches and a certain team member, and revealed a energy-depleting disease I had no idea she had. I kept seeing reviews of this book making people cry and I was like “huh?” until I got to the part where she won Boston then I was crying. I really enjoyed this and my only wish is that it had gone into more details about her training and life, because (see above) I’m nosy.

Recommend? Yes, if you’re interested in running