I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: February 27, 2018
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.
Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called “the Golden State Killer.” Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic—one which fulfilled Michelle’s dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is the true story of the Golden State Killer, also known as the East Area Rapist. He terrorized California, committing at least 13 murders, more than 50 rapes, and over 100 burglaries in from 1974 to 1986. Author Michelle McNamara believed she was coming close to discovering the Golden State Killer’s identity when she unfortunately passed away. She did not complete I’ll Be Gone in the Dark but her husband, Patton Oswald, decided to publish it anyway. He and her researchers pieced together the gaps in her writing. Any time they have done this, it’s explained in the text at the point where it occurs.
Coincidentally, the Golden State Killer was caught shortly after this book was published, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to read it. It’s a lot more satisfying to read true crime if the crime has been solved! I found this book to be a little disjointed and confusing. However, that’s understandable considering it’s basically unfinished. Michelle worked on this book for years and it’s amazingly well-researched. She was allowed to take boxes upon boxes of police files home to look at and she analyzed them all thoroughly. She also performed several interviews with people involved with the case.
The Golden State Killer’s capture is bittersweet. Of course it’s fantastic that he was caught but it’s sad the Michelle wasn’t alive to see it. She was, in her own words, obsessed with this case. At the end of the book is a letter to the Golden State Killer from Michelle about what she thinks will happen when he is captured that is eerily close to the truth.
Fans of true crime and those curious about the Golden State Killer should definitely check out I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.
P.S. If you want even more information about the Golden State Killer, I highly recommend the episodes that the podcast Case Files did on him. They put out an update after the killer was apprehended explaining what led the police to finally find him and so forth that was really good.
October 25th, 2018 in
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Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 17th, 2018
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes.
Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better.
Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that’s been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing.
Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her father’s actions.
Once again Jewell Parker Rhodes deftly weaves historical and socio-political layers into a gripping and poignant story about how children and families face the complexities of today’s world, and how one boy grows to understand American blackness in the aftermath of his own death.
Jerome is a black boy who is only twelve years old when is shot and killed at the playground by a police officer who supposedly thought the toy gun he was playing with was real. After he dies, his spirit remains close to home. He can watch his grieving family but they can’t see him. The only person who can see him is Sarah, the daughter of the police officer who shot him. She is struggling with the dichotomy of loving her father but hating what he’s done. The realization that he’s racist (whether he knows it or not) is hard on her. She looks to Jerome to help her deal with her feelings but he cannot absolve her guilt about what her father has done.
After a while, the spirit of Emmett Till, the real life black boy who was lynched in 1955 at fourteen years old, comes to visit Jerome. It’s then that one realizes that not much has changed in sixty years. Black people are still viewed with fear and suspicion.
Ghost Boys is extremely timely, as unarmed black men and boys are being repeatedly killed by police officers with little to no consequences for the officers involved. It’s a heartbreaking story, especially for a middle-grade book. I think parents should read it with their children because it will likely bring up emotions that a child will have trouble working through on their own.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper
Publisher: Scribner
Release Date: October 9, 2018 – that’s today!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
There comes a time in every sitcom actress’s life when she is faced with the prospect of writing a book. When Ellie Kemper’s number was up, she was ready. Contagiously cheerful, predictably wholesome, and mostly inspiring except for one essay about her husband’s feet, My Squirrel Days is a funny, free-wheeling tour of Ellie’s life—from growing up in suburban St. Louis with a vivid imagination and a crush on David Letterman to moving to Los Angeles and accidentally falling on Doris Kearns Goodwin.
But those are not the only famous names dropped in this synopsis. Ellie will also share stories of inadvertently insulting Ricky Gervais at the Emmy Awards, telling Tina Fey that she has “great hair—really strong and thick,” and offering a maxi pad to Steve Carell. She will take you back to her childhood as a nature lover determined to commune with squirrels, to her college career as a benchwarming field hockey player with no assigned position, and to her young professional days writing radio commercials for McDonald’s but never getting paid. Ellie will guide you along her journey through adulthood, from unorganized bride to impatient wife to anxious mother who—as recently observed by a sassy hairstylist—“dresses like a mom.” Well, sassy hairstylist, Ellie Kemper is a mom. And she has been dressing like it since she was four.
Ellie has written for GQ, Esquire, The New York Times, McSweeney’s, and The Onion. Her voice is the perfect antidote to the chaos of modern life. In short, she will tell you nothing you need to know about making it in show business, and everything you need to know about discreetly changing a diaper at a Cibo Express.
Ellie Kemper is so sweet and funny. My Squirrel Days is a collection of essays about various events in her life. There’s no celebrity dirt in it, but it’s not needed. Even if she wasn’t famous, this book would still be hysterical. I laughed out loud so much while reading it.
I only know Ellie from The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Bridesmaids but she has quite an impressive resume. She went to Princeton and spent several years doing improve before landing a role on The Office. She’s also written for several publications including McSweeney’s and The Onion. She’s one smart cookie, which is why this book is so well written and hilarious.
I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves to laugh – even if you’ve never heard of Ellie Kemper.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
October 9th, 2018 in
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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (Signed Edition): A Novel by Hank Green
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: September 25, 2018
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green—cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow—spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she’s part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined.
The Carls just appeared.
Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.
Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.
Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring for the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now.
April May is a graphic designer who lives in New York City. One night while walking home after getting off work at 3am, she comes across a ten foot statue of a robot in the middle of the sidewalk. No one else seems to be taking notice of him. Her first instinct is to call her friend and YouTuber Andy to come down and film it. He meets her at the robot and makes a video of April and the robot, who she has named Carl. Andy goes home and posts the video and by the time April wakes up, it’s got viral. Majorly viral. And that’s all the details of the plot I can give you without spoiling it.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing raises important questions about Internet fame in this age of social media and YouTube. How far is too far to go in the pursuit of internet fame? Can two sides of an issue ever see eye to eye or have a nuanced discussion using social media and the internet? What role does fear play in communicating using social media? These are just a few examples of what this book will make you think about.
Hank Green is a great person to tackle these themes because he has what April refers to in the book as Third Tier internet fame himself. (He’ll probably trend on Twitter if he dies.) He and his brother John started the vlogbrothers YouTube channel around ten years ago and have millions of subscribers now. They also host the hilarious podcast Dear Hank and John. Hank is the CEO of Complexly, which produces a number of educational YouTube shows like Crash Course and SciShow. He founded VidCon, he invented 2D glasses – the list goes on and on!
If you are a Nerdfighter (i.e. fan of vlogbrothers) like me, you’ll recognize several Easter eggs that Hank has put in An Absolutely Remarkable Thing for us. I want to go back and read it because I’m sure I missed some. And Hank and April have some similarities that I think Nerdfighters will recognize as well.
Even if you’ve never heard of Hank Green, I recommend this book. It’s insightful but also a lot of fun. It ended with a doozy of a cliffhanger – I can’t wait for the sequel!
October 5th, 2018 in
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The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: October 2, 2018 – That’s today!
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
When Carly Sears, a young woman widowed by the Vietnam War, receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970, and she is told that nothing can be done to help her child. But her brother-in-law, a physicist with a mysterious past, tells her that perhaps there is a way to save her baby. What he suggests is something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Carly has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage she never knew existed. Something that will mean an unimaginable leap of faith on Carly’s part.
And all for the love of her unborn child.
The Dream Daughter is a rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother’s quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.
Carly Sears has just found out that her unborn child has a fatal heart defect. She’s already struggling because her husband, the child’s father, was killed in the Vietnam War. Her life feels hopeless. Then her brother-in-law tells her he may have a way to save her unborn baby. What is a terminal heart defect in the 1970s is operable in the 2000s. Is what he suggesting for real? If so, does Carly have the courage to go through with it?
I don’t want to say much more, except that things do not go as planned and so there are many twists and turns to Carly’s story. Time travel is not a new concept in literature but I found the way Chamberlain uses it to be totally original and creative. Carly’s journey to save her daughter is full of complications and I could not for the life of me predict how the book would end. It was bittersweet but satisfying.
Even though there is an element of science fiction in this book, at its heart, it’s a story of family and a mother’s love for her child. I think it would make an excellent book club selection. As a mother, it made me think deeply about what lengths I would go to and what sacrifices I would make for my children. I imagine a book club could have a robust discussion about what they could do vs. what Carly did.
The other book I’ve read by Chamberlain is Necessary Lies, which I loved as well. However, it’s so different from this book; I’m impressed with the range that she has. I definitely want to read more from her. I also want to read The Dream Daughter again. It’s the kind of book that is so well plotted that you will gain even more from it when you read it through knowing what’s in store at the end. I highly recommend it.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
October 2nd, 2018 in
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Even though Thirteen Reasons Why was originally published in 2007, it’s on the Top Ten Most Challenged books in 2017 because Netflix adapted it into a series that became very popular and brought the book back into the spotlight. The series and by extension, the book, caused a lot of controversy because adults worried that it glamorized suicide and would lead to an increase in teen suicides.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Publisher: Razorbill
Released in 2007
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush, who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice explains that there are 13 reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.
Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah’s pain, and learns the truth about himself – a truth he never wanted to face.
Thirteen Reasons Why is about a high school girl named Hannah Baker. At the beginning of the book, it’s been just a few days since she killed herself. Clay Jensen, a boy at the same school, receives a package of cassette tapes. On them, Hannah has recorded the thirteen reasons why she decided to commit suicide. Each reason is a person who has wronged Hannah in some way. The first tape informs Clay that if he received the tapes, that means that one of them is about him. He is to listen to all of the tapes and then pass them on to the next person on the list, the list of people who have hurt Hannah. If the people on the tapes don’t pass them on as instructed, then the tapes will be released to the public and everyone will know what they’ve done.
I want to get one thing out of the way – this book is not that well written. Asher is in serious need of an editor. He uses So.Many.Words. to describe the most mundane things. It felt like he had been given a certain word count he had to reach so he was going to put in as many extra words as he could until he reached it:
“I take the package into the kitchen and set it on the counter. I slide open the junk drawer and pull out of a pair of scissors. Then I run a scissor blade around the package and lift off its top.”
Just tell us you opened the damn package Clay! Or, when Clay is looking for something to play the tapes with:
“The garage! The stereo on the workbench. My dad bought it at a yard sale for almost nothing. It’s old, so he doesn’t care if it gets coated with sawdust or splattered with paint. And best of all, it places tapes.”
For god’s sake Clay, we don’t freaking care about the history of the tape player! I wouldn’t get this upset except that the entire book had this much superfluous, excruciating detail. Luckily, the story was engaging enough that I kept reading anyway. I really wanted to find out what those thirteen people had done to Hannah.
The justification I’ve seen used to justify the banning of this book is that it will put the idea of suicide into teenager’s heads. That idea is already there. I think that if your child is reading this book or watching the TV series, it’s important to talk with them about it. Read the book yourself. Watch the show with your kids. Keep your eye out for warning signs that something is wrong. Instead of banning a book outright, parents should make the choice for their own children, not everyone else’s.
I can’t end this review without mentioning that Asher was expelled from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators last year after they investigated allegations of sexual harassment that had been made against him. I didn’t know this until after I had already started reading the book. Luckily, I checked it out of the library so I didn’t give him any of my money.
That’s a whole other issue for another post on another day: Is it okay to appreciate and enjoy an person’s work, even when that person is an asshole?
September 27th, 2018 in
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Today’s review is for George by Alex Gino. It has been challenged and banned because it features a transgender child. Keep reading to find out about one of my friend’s personal fight to keep this book IN schools.
George by Alex Gino
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Paperback release date: April 25, 2017
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she’s not a boy. She knows she’s a girl.
George thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte’s Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can’t even try out for the part . . . because she’s a boy.
With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte — but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.
George is a middle-grade book about George, a fourth-grader who was born a boy but knows in her heart that’s she’s a girl. She hasn’t told anyone, not even her best friend. Every day is a struggle. She comforts herself by looking at the models in her secret stash of fashion magazines when she gets home from school.
The fourth-grade school play is Charlotte’s Web. George desperately wants to play Charlotte and decides to audition for the part. She knows she’d be perfect. Unfortunately, her teacher is not open to a “boy” playing a female role.
I first learned about George when my friend Kelly posted on Facebook about how she fought to get her son’s school library to carry it. George was nominated for the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, an annual book award selected by a vote of Kansas schoolchildren from a list prepared by the committee. One of the other moms at the school noticed that one of the books on the poster of the ten nominated books was covered up. She asked the school librarian why and the librarian said it was a book the district was not “promoting as a part of the William Allen White book event” and the students kept asking her about George because she had shown them a slide show presentation of the other nine books and they noticed George was not in it.
When Kelly found out about this from that mom, she read the book and immediately contacted a friend who is not only a children’s author, but a former lawyer to boot! They met with the principal and he said that he agreed with them and that they needed to take it to the next level. So Kelly and her friend met with Dr. Lori Franklin, Library Coordinator for the Olathe (Kansas) school district. She said she chose not to promote the book because it had subject matter not appropriate for 3rd-5th graders. It mentions tampons, dirty magazines and porn. (I read the book with my 3rd-grade daughter, who knows what a tampon is – they are nothing to be ashamed of! And the other stuff will go right over kids’ heads. ) Kelly specially asked her if her decision had anything to do with the fact that the main character was transgender and Dr. Franklin said no, but Kelly could tell she was not sincere.
Next, Kelly and her friend met with Dr. Yeager, the Administrator of Elementary Education for Olathe schools, after first researching the selection process for the William Allen White Children’s Book Award and the NLA’s policy on censorship. Luckily, Dr. Yeager agreed that not allowing this book in the schools sent a clear message that the schools did not want to have discussions about transgender people. He actually said he was embarrassed that this situation happened. He told them that there may have to be some sort of compromise but that he would do everything he could to get the book into the schools. A week later, Kelly’s son’s school had a new poster and three copies of the book! The compromise was that when a child wanted to check out the book, their parent had to give verbal consent.
I’m so proud of Kelly. Her persistence really paid off! And her son got to be the very first child to check George out when his school library got it in stock. I have to say that I was shocked by this whole situation. Usually, the parents are the ones who want a book banned and the librarians who fight against it.
Like I said, I read this book with my eight-year-old daughter and while I don’t think she totally got the concept of what it means to be transgender, she does have at least some knowledge now. It was a good starting point for us to discuss it. She did think it was quite unfair that George couldn’t audition to play Charlotte.
It’s a quick read for an adult so if you’re unsure if this book is right for you and your child, it won’t take long to read it yourself first. Once you do, I think you’ll agree that it’s an important book that will lead to empathy and understanding. I highly recommend George for kids of all ages.
(This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a wee bit from qualifying purchases that allow me to offset the expenses of running this blog. Thanks for your support!)
September 25th, 2018 in
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This week is Banned Books Week. What is Banned Books Week? According to bannedbooksweek.org:
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
This year, I decided that to commemorate banned books week, I would read some books from the ALA’s list of Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2017. This is the ALA’s list:
- Thirteen Reasons Why written by Jay Asher
Originally published in 2007, this New York Times bestseller has resurfaced as a controversial book after Netflix aired a TV series by the same name. This YA novel was challenged and banned in multiple school districts because it discusses suicide.
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie
Consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this National Book Award winner was challenged in school curriculums because of profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.
- Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
This Stonewall Honor Award-winning, 2012 graphic novel from an acclaimed cartoonist was challenged and banned in school libraries because it includes LGBT characters and was considered “confusing.”
- The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini
This critically acclaimed, multigenerational novel was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”
- George written by Alex Gino
Written for elementary-age children, this Lambda Literary Award winner was challenged and banned because it includes a transgender child.
- Sex is a Funny Word written by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth
This 2015 informational children’s book written by a certified sex educator was challenged because it addresses sex education and is believed to lead children to “want to have sex or ask questions about sex.”
- To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, considered an American classic, was challenged and banned because of violence and its use of the N-word.
- The Hate U Give written by Angie Thomas
Despite winning multiple awards and being the most searched-for book on Goodreads during its debut year, this YA novel was challenged and banned in school libraries and curriculums because it was considered “pervasively vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language.
- And Tango Makes Three written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson and illustrated by Henry Cole
Returning after a brief hiatus from the Top Ten Most Challenged list, this ALA Notable Children’s Book, published in 2005, was challenged and labeled because it features a same-sex relationship.
- I Am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
This autobiographical picture book co-written by the 13-year-old protagonist was challenged because it addresses gender identity.
I’ve already read and reviewed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. You can find my review here. I highly recommend it.
I’ve also read To Kill a Mockingbird but that was pre-blog so I don’t have a review to link to. However, my eighth-grade son told me that his gifted class is reading it and doing projects on it which makes me very happy. Of course, he wouldn’t elaborate when I asked him what kind of projects because he is a surly teenager and I have to drag every iota of information I get out of him. It’s exhausting.
I chose George and Thirteen Reasons Why to read this year. Have you read any books on the list? What did you think? I’ll be reviewing my two picks later in the week, so come back!
September 23rd, 2018 in
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Dork Diaries Book 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star by Rachel Renée Russell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Released in 2014
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Everyone’s been rooting for Nikki Maxwell and her crush, Brandon—and fans will finally learn if they had their first kiss in this seventh book of the New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series!
Nikki’s juggling a lot this month. A reality TV crew is following Nikki and her friends as they record their hit song together, plus there are voice lessons, dance practice, and little sister Brianna’s latest wacky hijinks. Nikki’s sure she can handle everything, but will all the excitement cause new problems for Nikki and Brandon, now that cameras are everywhere Nikki goes?
I know what you’re thinking – she’s reviewing another Dork Diaries book?? Why yes, I am. I review most every book I read. I like having the review to look back on if I forget what the book is about – which happens often! And since my daughter is way into Dork Diaries right now, you can expect even more reviews after this one. There are twelve books in the series right now and a new one comes out in October.
Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star is book seven but I think it can stand alone. Not surprisingly, it has roughly the same broad plot points as Book 9: Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen, the other book in the series I’ve read. Firstly, Mackenzie schemes against Nikki. This time it’s because Mackenzie is jealous that Nikki scored her own reality TV show after her band appears on Trevor Chase’s show. Mackenzie wants to be famous and on TV too. She and Nikki are horrible to each other. Secondly, Nikki and her crush Brandon can’t seem to get their acts together so that they can spend time together.
I didn’t like this book as much as Drama Queen. I think it’s because it was so unrealistic. How many middle-schoolers have a band that’s good enough to get on national TV and spawn a reality TV show? That didn’t seem to bother my daughter though and that’s what matters. I just picked up a couple more books in the series for her at a used book sale so look for more Dork Diaries reviews in the future!
September 20th, 2018 in
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California Summer by Anita Hughes
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: June 19, 2018
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Anita Hughes’s California Summer is a charming and beautiful love story about a former Hollywood producer who trades her cast list in for cookbooks in the hopes of following her dreams and finding new love.
Ben and Rosie are Hollywood’s newest director/producer dream team. After hitting it big at Sundance, it seems that their ten years of love and hard work are finally paying off. Rosie is happy making independent films, but Ben wants the A-List celebrity package: a house in Beverly Hills, fancy cars in the driveway, and his name on the biggest blockbusters. He’s willing to do anything, even sleep with the most famous producer in town, to get them.
Rosie is devastated by Ben’s affair, and she decides to take a break from show business. She accepts her best friend’s invitation to spend the summer at her parents’ estate in Montecito. It’s far away from L.A., the perfect place to start over.
In Montecito, Rosie meets a colorful cast of characters including Rachel, who owns a chocolate shop, and Josh, a handsome local who splits his time between surfing and classic cars. Suddenly Rosie has new friends and a new purpose. She starts a business in the village, and her luck seems to be turning around. But Rosie knows all too well that success comes with a price, and the price might be losing love…again.
California Summer is a touching and romantic story about following your dreams but not letting them get in the way of love.
Ben and Rosie have been together for ten years. They live together and work together in the film industry. They are so close they can finish each other’s sentences. Their life together is basically perfect. Until it isn’t. Ben has always had more ambition than Rosie. Amazed at the success they’ve had so far, Rosie is content producing the film they are currently working on. Ben, however, wants more. He is determined to be the biggest director in Hollywood and will do anything to get there – including betraying Rosie.
After learning of Ben’s betrayal, Rosie decides to spend the summer in Montecito at her friend’s parents’ guest house, to mourn and to decide what to do now. Once there, she forms a circle of friends who offer her support and advice.
Rosie was such a doormat! I wanted to shake her and tell her to have some respect for herself. She lets people, especially men, walk all over her. This book is a pretty basic romance with simple writing and the typical tropes and characters. There’s the gay best friend, the guy who’s been burned and sworn off relationships, etc. Even so, I enjoyed reading California Summer. It’s definitely a light beach read and I think romance fans will like it.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
September 14th, 2018 in
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