Today I’m sharing some short reviews of a few REALLY excellent books I’ve read in the past month! I have actually been completely floored by the books I’ve read lately – almost all of them have moved me to tears or made me grin like a crazy bookworm or cause me to gush about them to everyone I see, whether they care or not. I can’t believe how many great books I’m including in this post – I hope one or two of them make it on to your list too! Linking up today with Steph & Jana for Show us Your Books.

Lovely War by Julie Berry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book SOOOOOOO much. This book has probably/almost/maybe claimed a spot on my list of favourite books of all time. The audiobook was absolutely incredible with a full-cast narration. The premise of this book doesn’t necessarily sell it at all, but this is a story of two different couples during World War I as told by Aphrodite, the goddess of love when defending herself and her to her husband, Hephaestus, the god of fire. Throughout the story, I sometimes forgot a bit about the gods as narrators but there are other perspectives too: Hades, the god of the underworld, Apollo, the god of music and dance, Ares, the god of war, and others. It sounds a bit strange and fantasy-based but I assure you it works better than I could have imagined and I am blown away by the uniqueness and intimacy of this storytelling. I cannot recommend this book enough and I don’t intend to stop raving about how excellent it is anytime soon, so beware of that 🙂

What You Wish For by Katherine Center
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I’d been waiting not-very-patiently for this book for at least a year and a half when I saw on Katherine Center’s instagram that she was in Galveston doing research for a book starring Duncan from Happiness for Beginners. I already knew right then and there that I would love this book no matter what, but in many ways, reading it still surprised me and surpassed my expectations in ways I was not expecting. I originally expected lightheartedness and silly jokes throughout but there were some highly serious issues tackled in this book in a very realistic and universal way.

Needless to say, I really had no idea what this was about (aside from Duncan) until a few weeks ago when I read the synopsis here on Goodreads and I was quite surprised that Duncan might not be the incredibly easygoing and carefree character that I’d grown to adore in Happiness for Beginners. Why? How? Ahhh!! I knew there’d be a reason for it, and I knew I’d love it anyway, so when I got the ARC in an e-mail from St. Martin’s Press I dropped everything and started it that same day.

This book has some amazing underlying themes of seeking joy instead of sorrow, embracing friendships and relationships and friends becoming your family. There are several health issues that are touched on. I knew (hoped!!!) there would be a tiny mention of Helen and Jake from Happiness for Beginners, and that surpassed all my wildest expectations. I adored the setting including the incredible-sounding school environment. I choked up during several lines of this book and also grinned wider than ever other times. The side characters including all of the other teachers at the school (especially Alice with her math t-shirts!!) and a delightfully inquisitive 3rd grader named Clay were fun and multi-faceted.

Fans of Katherine Center’s books will adore this one, I’m sure. I really, really enjoyed the ending, and of course, the epilogue, but there are lines throughout this that I want to underline and remind myself of daily. Steam-wise and romance wise, this falls closer in line with Happiness for Beginners than Things you Save in a Fire in case anyone is curious about that. This book was inspiring, hopeful, funny, realistic, heart-wrenching, beautiful, and so special. I can’t recommend it enough. 🙂

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was exceptionally difficult to absorb, as it is meant to be, but also exceptionally well written and the narration by the author was wonderfully done. I know it’s been said before about this book, but I truly feel like the eye-opening stories and accounts of Bryan Stevenson’s work and experiences detailed here should be required reading for absolutely everyone.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was utterly fantastic. I’d seen it described as a read-alike to The Snow Child and Harry’s Trees, both of which I really enjoyed, and while I see the comparisons, this book is extremely unique as well. I really enjoyed the characters, my jaw dropped a bit when everything kind of came together and the story was revealed a bit more, and the ending was so nice. This book is full of a myriad of raw emotions and I would also say that there are some trigger warnings which I can mention in a private message to avoid spoilers here. Overall though, well worth the read if you enjoy contemporary fiction that takes awhile to figure out and has lovely imagery and fantastic characters as well as an interesting setting & premise.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was fascinating from the point of view of how and why we develop habits. It is *not* as much a manual for developing better habits and if that is what you are seeking, I would recommend Atomic Habits for a more how-to guide. However, I found the science included in this book super fascinating!!! Keep in mind that my background is in psychology, so I am fascinated in the way the brain works and how people behave, but this was written in a really interesting way with a lot of anecdotes and cases discussed to illustrate particular points. I highly recommend this one on audio but just know that while it is motivating, it is more about the background and effect of habits on lives.

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Wow! I really loved this. It took me a little longer to get into than The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, which I loved instantaneously last year, but by the end of this, I was still in love with Abbi Waxman’s writing and characters. This book has some very sad moments due to the main character being a sudden widow as well as a mother of young girls (close in age to mine so I related well to some of her thoughts on these pages). The gardening aspects felt very appropriate to read in spring and some of those chapter snippets were really funny! Overall, Abbi Waxman’s writing is some of the best I’ve enjoyed lately in women’s fiction and I can’t wait to read her other books as well.

Photos of You by Tammy Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hesitant to pick this book up despite being sent the ARC in an e-mail because I was worried it would be just a bit too sad and I figured I needed to be in the right headspace to read it. I was right – it is incredibly sad, but it is also immensely hopeful, completely beautiful, and so worth the time. We learn in the first few pages that our beloved main character, 28-yr-old Ava, has been diagnosed with terminal breast cancer after being in remission for several years. She has a couple of unbelievably close, fantastic girlfriends and two adoring parents. Many of her short years on earth earth were affected by her cancer. She decides to have a “wedding” in which she is the bride but there is no groom as a bit of a celebration of life and the story takes off from there. These pages are full of love, hopeful message, and poignant thoughts and observations about life. Ava is brave, but she is also sad and bitter about her situation at times. The ending of this book was lovely despite its sadness and I adored every moment with these interesting and fun characters. The setting of the book is also gorgeous and important at times – the descriptions of some of the locations were breathtaking and made me feel like hopping on a plane to New Zealand tomorrow. Fans of Me Before You will love this book. Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow – this is a book you should read if you or anyone you know has experienced depression. It is not a self-help book but more of a memoir that will likely cause you to feel so seen if you’ve had periods of depression in your life. Matt Haig’s experience that he details and shares in these pages is raw, intense, and so well described compared to all other books I’ve read about depression. Of course, not everyone will feel the same in any way, but I think this book includes enough broad strokes of experience to resonate with anyone, honestly.

I especially loved the parts about how books helped to save him, as well as writing, yoga, running, and his family and partner. So many quotable lines.

This will probably be an emotional book to read if you are in the thick of depression or anxiety at the present, but it might also just be the healing solidarity you need.

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A few bookworm friends that I really trust mentioned that this book was fantastic so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I was also warned that they cried and that it was emotional and after devouring this, I can see how it would move someone to those emotions. I felt it myself.

The premise of this book is quite interesting. At the beginning of this relatively short novel, our main character Dannie, who is a major type-A lawyer in Manhattan with her entire life planned to the month, has a strange dream-like experience in which she wakes up leading a very different life than she could ever imagine five years in the future. We go back to the present day and skip around a little bit but it became obvious that something was going to happen to make this book UNABLE to put down and indeed that did happen.

I felt profoundly connected to these characters even though I couldn’t personally relate to them in the same way I often do with characters. I loved the NYC setting. I felt the pain that these fictional characters were going through as well as the decisions they were faced with and the consequences of those decisions. This story included a lot of friendship, love, sadness, joy, hope, unexpected turns, and everything in between. It was an extremely quick read that I did not want to put down.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I first started this book, I thought I was going to have to put it down. I felt absolutely heartbroken about the beginning and so frustrated for Laurie but I knew Mhairi McFarlane would make it all okay and I was along for the ride. I’m so glad I stuck with this book because I TOTALLY LOVED IT. I loved the character development, I loved the introduction of new characters and their depths, I was absolutely in love with how British everything was (it’s just so fun!!!). And of course, overall, I loved the ending too and the way things all played out. Was it predictable? Yes…of course…in some ways. Did I still feel very happy and enjoy every word? Yep.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

New Kid by Jerry Craft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After my beloved favourite book-recommender Janssen from Everyday Reading recommended this on Instagram or in a blog post (I can’t remember which!), I knew that I had to get my hands on this graphic novel immediately. Then it won the Newbery and I was beyond antsy to read it. This book did not disappoint and graphic-novel lovers should pick this up ASAP. I loved Jordan’s very profound and mature observations of his new school. His parents were wonderful and so human. This book really represents how many of us feel in middle school, but even more so starting at a new private school and starting to fit in and find one’s place. Jordan’s friends were so fun and there were a lot of very humorous and unexpected plot twists in this book.

Themes of embracing diversity and reducing prejudice abound in this book but it is subtle enough to be totally approachable to middle-grade readers. My 8 year old also loved it though I imagine some of it went over her head.

I also read the sixth book in the Ravenels series, Chasing Cassandra (it was SO good and potentially my new favourite), Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, The BFG with the kiddos, Lauren Layne’s newest, Yours in Scandal, which comes out today, and a few other books for Erin’s challenge. I’m currently reading The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel, When we Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal, and still slowly making my way through The Poisonwood Bible.

TL;DR: Add Lovely War, What You Wish For (out July 14!), Where the Forest Meets the Stars (on Kindle Unlmited!), and Just Mercy to your list ASAP!!