Book Reviews
A column dedicated to providing summaries and honest reviews on stories across several genres of literature.
Book 1: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Summary: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson explores the broken criminal justice system within the United States. The story follows Stevenson’s perspective as a lawyer in Montgomery, Alabama as he attempts to clear the name of death row prisoner Walter McMillian. McMillian is a black man accused of murdering a young white girl; however, multiple accounts can testify that he was not involved or guilty. McMillian spends years behind bars, awaiting his undeserved death date, while Stevenson vigorously works to prove that he is innocent. The further he investigates, the more Stevenson realizes the racial motives behind McMillian’s sentencing, thus using it as fuel to work harder. Occasionally, chapters alternate from McMillian’s situation to shorter stories on more death row or long-term prisoners. Each circumstance reveals cracks within the criminal justice system and its tendency to mask its racial injustice or incarcerate the impoverished. Throughout Stevenson’s journey, he also highlights historical Supreme Court decisions or laws, providing readers with an educational summary on their importance to his job. By the end of the novel, Stevenson is able to clear McMillian and several other prisoners’ names, along with growing his non-profit law organization, Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). To close, Stevenson restates his passion and commitment to help others impacted by injustice within the criminal justice system.
Review: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson was shockingly interesting. Coming from the perspective of someone who typically does not read memoirs, I found myself enlightened and intrigued by the topics discussed within the book. At times, the tough situations that Stevenson described made me feel more emotional towards the overall message. More specifically, when Stevenson laid out the evidence used to frame Walter McMillian, I found it obviously false. There were so many holes in the story of his accuser, Ralph Myers, and that frustrated me, ultimately keeping me engaged in the story. However, while I did enjoy this aspect, I unfortunately found myself getting lost in Stevenson’s writing style. He would rotate chapters between law facts, McMillian’s situation, and other cases he was working on at the time. I began to lose track of the names he was introducing, as well as the stories that belonged to each person. Most of the time, I found myself wishing the chapters were shorter and that more of McMillian’s case was incorporated. Overall, I did not hate the story and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in criminal justice, bias within the system, and memoirs. As for me, I don’t think I will be reading any more law-related books and this book did not convince me to change that.
Rating: 3.5/5
Book 2: People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry
Summary: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry is a romance novel that explores the relationship between Poppy Wright and Alex Nilsen. Despite being complete opposites, both main characters have been best friends for over a decade. Initially, when they became friends in college, they decided to take annual summer vacation trips together. The trips ranged from being extremely low-budget to more upscale getaways paid for by Poppy’s job, a travel magazine company. Abruptly, one summer in Croatia, something happens between the pair that puts their friendship on hiatus for two years. In present time, Poppy finds herself in a complete slump, slowly losing her love for travel. Desperate to maintain her admiration for the job, she invites Alex on one last summer trip, advertising it as “like the old days.” Alex agrees to take part in the vacation, under the impression that Poppy’s work is paying for it. Chapters alternate between the past and the present, each exploring different vacation trips that Poppy and Alex traveled on together. While Poppy is trying to mend her broken friendship and find her drive for traveling again, chapters are slowly revealing what happened to cause such a large falling out. Eventually, both characters admit their decade-long hidden affection for the other, but once the trip nears its end, they have to split and return home. They go through a short period of reflection before finally meeting back up at the end of the novel. During this meet-up, they discuss how they have resolved their personal issues. Both characters realize that they finally have the opportunity to be together and become a couple, thus ending the book on a happy note.
Review: Social media had plenty of not-so-nice comments to say about People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry. Online this book is advertised as Emily Henry’s weakest story, which I agree with. However, this does not mean that I hated the novel at all. I actually really enjoyed the way Henry was able to write such a complex storyline. She made it extremely easy for readers to distinguish the past from the present, and she provided suspense and anticipation that led right up until the very last chapter. The characters were very likable and they had realistic struggles, allowing readers to resonate with their problems. All in all, the positives within this book outweigh the negatives. The only reason I say this is my least favorite Emily Henry novel is because she only has three stories, her fourth is being released in April of 2023. Compared to the story lines of both Beach Read and Book Lovers (Henry’s other works), People We Meet On Vacation only lacks behind a little bit. Personally, romance novels with the friends-to-lovers trope aren’t as entertaining, which is why this book is the lowest on my list. Another problem I recognized was that the beginning of the novel was extremely slow. This pace could’ve been done on purpose, but my impatience hated it. To conclude, despite my obvious favoritism for Henry’s other books, People We Meet On Vacation was surprisingly enjoyable and worth the read. It doesn’t deserve the nasty reviews it received, but I can see why it isn’t a fan favorite.
Rating: 4/5
Book 3: Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Summary: Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a novel in which members of the no-longer band, Daisy Jones and The Six, look back on their rise to fame and what led to their ultimate break-up. Through the captivating world of rock and roll during the 70s, Reid introduces Daisy Jones, a young girl in Los Angeles, California who enjoys sneaking out, partying, and the thrills of life. Daisy’s beauty and natural talent for singing allow her to acquire a role in the lives of musicians at her parties, but eventually she starts to consider making her own name. Meanwhile, brothers Billy and Graham Dunne have formed their own band, the Dunne Brothers. After reaching six members: Billy, Graham, Karen, Warren, Eddie, and Pete, the band is renamed to The Six. Both Daisy and the band separately struggle with their own personal problems, such as addictions, writing music, and discovering their identity. Eventually, through the encouragement of Teddy Price, Daisy gets set up to work on a duet with The Six for one of their songs. The duet becomes a huge success and Daisy starts opening for the band on their shows. Eventually, despite the reluctance of Billy, Daisy becomes a guest member in the band, renaming it Daisy Jones and The Six. Together they write an album titled Aurora, which grants them skyrocketed fame. However, despite the luxuries that success brings, there are still plenty of secrets within the band that lead to its shocking split after an incredible performance in Chicago. Daisy Jones and The Six explores the perspectives of each band member and their separate stories on the band’s success, but also their stories on the band’s split.
Review: Daisy Jones and the Six was executed almost perfectly. Author Taylor Jenkins Reid is known for her unique style when writing her books, and this story definitely falls under that uniqueness. At first, while reading, I did not enjoy the documentary-style writing. However, as I reached the end of the novel, and Julia was revealed to be the author, I found myself in love with the concept. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Daisy Jones could not have been written any other way. It was a creative idea that I’m just not used to reading, and honestly, I liked that. Besides my discomfort with the layout of the book, there wasn’t much I hated. The characters all dealt with real world struggles. They weren’t perfect and at times I disagreed with some of their decisions, but I’d rather have characters like that, considering how much they added to the story, then boring characters. Daisy and Billy’s relationship, along with Karen and Graham’s, is what kept me engaged the entire time. I found myself eager to learn how things played out between them and how their rocky relationships contributed to the falling out of the band. Despite this, my favorite character would have to be Camilla. She added so much to the story and was able to keep Billy grounded for the majority of his rise to fame. My favorite portion of the book would have to be the ending. It didn’t feel rushed, nor did it feel incomplete. It also encouraged me to boost my overall rating of the novel. All in all, Daisy Jones and The Six was a unique story that I’m glad I got the opportunity to read. Its writing style was a little awkward to read at first, but it was necessary for the overall plot.
Rating: 5/5
Book 4: All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Summary: All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr takes place during World War II. Werner Pfennig is an orphan boy who is recruited by the Nazis at a young age because of his intelligence. He is forced to leave his sister, Jutta, behind Marie-Laure Leblanc is a blind French girl whose father works as a locksmith at Paris’ Museum of Natural History. When disaster strikes the town Marie-Laure lives in, she is forced to evacuate with her father and travel to Saint-Malo to stay with her uncle, Etienne, and his housekeeper, Madame Manec. Before they leave, the museum informs her father that they need to hide the Sea of Flames which is an expensive diamond with a tragic backstory. The owner of the stone is cursed with eternal life and the death of all their friends and family. They tell Mr. Leblanc that he and two other people will carry the diamonds. Two are fake and one is real so none of them will know if they have the real one. All The Light We Cannot See follows these characters and their struggles, heartbreaks, and flickers of hope.
Review: Many people recommended this book to me because it focused on World War II from different perspectives. I appreciate the attempt to write a new novel like this, but I was, however, very disappointed by the timeline of the book. With all the buildup of the separate stories of Marie-Laure and Werner, their paths only crossed for a couple of pages. While both their stories were happening, there was also a mystery happening. The Sea of Flames was a sought after diamond and was a major story line in the book but I felt that it didn’t move the story line along at all. I knew almost immediately that Marie-Laure had it because of the misfortunes she faced. Because of this, there were countless descriptive pages that just felt like space fillers and feel I would have liked the book a lot more if the chapters just got straight to the point. Because of the story lines shifting so frequently, I also never found myself particularly attached to any of the characters. Even though I wasn’t fond of this book, Anthony Doerr is a critically acclaimed author so I might try to read another book by him.
Rating: 2/5
Book 5: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Summary: At 79 years old, Hollywood actress Evelyn Hugo gives her final interview with Monique Grant. Monique is an unknown journalist, so Evelyn’s decision to choose her shocks the world. Evelyn shares her life’s story from her escape from poverty to her rise to fame, to, you guessed it, her seven marriages. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo takes you through Evelyn’s life as she reveals her true identity and behind the scenes information. She survived Hollywood fame, and she now is ready to tell everyone how. But one question still lingers in everyone’s minds: who is Evelyn Hugo’s greatest love?
Review: Evelyn Hugo is such a complex, well-rounded character. Even while being loosely based on some Hollywood actresses, she still had her own personality and her own life. I enjoyed the writing style of this book because I haven’t read anything set up like this before. The intertwined relationships in this book made the story line very interesting with the plot twists in almost every chapter. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tackles race, misogyny, and sexuality in a way that readers of all ages can relate to. All the characters seem so real and I feel that’s a major part of the appeal of this book. Everything and everyone had a purpose. My only complaint is that the ending was rushed and jumbled. I appreciate the attempt to have everyone’s stories line up but a little mystery is okay sometimes. Evelyn Hugo, you are an icon: you make us love you, hate you, and sympathize with you.
Rating: 4/5
Book 6: Denton Little’s Death Date by Lance Rubin
Summary: Denton Little’s Death Date takes place during a time when people are born knowing when they will die. Denton Little is one of three kids who will die during high school. His life has been nothing out of the ordinary and he has always been okay with that. Until he finally reached his death date. He wakes up in his best friend Paola’s house with no recollection of the night before. He knows he will die tomorrow and he must attend his funeral today. Denton goes to his bathroom and sees a huge purple splotch on his leg. Is this how he is going to die? He tells his friends and his girlfriend about it and they have one too. Are Denton, Veronica, Paola, and Taryn all going to die? They all go to the funeral and act like nothing is wrong. There is a man claiming to know Denton’s real mother and warning him to stay away from the government tries to talk to him but his stepmother intervenes. Denton must figure out all the answers to all his questions before his time is up.
Review: This was an easy and enjoyable read. Although it is a young adult book, I feel like everyone can relate to it. Every day is a gift and everyone has a timeline whether they know it or not. The idea that everyone knows when they die is an interesting and very real possibility in the future and that’s what kind of drew me to this book. The dialogue was witty and fun considering it’s a book about death, but that’s what made it so intriguing. Denton wanted to leave his mark on the world before he left and that was touching, but also kind of sad that a lot of people only cared about him because his life was ending soon. There were a lot of loose ends when the book concluded. I am just dying to read the sequel!
Rating: 4/5
Book 7: Me Before You by Jojo Mayes
Summary: Louisa Clark lives in South Wales with her parents and her sister, Treena. When she is unexpectedly laid off from her job at the cafe, she is forced to find an alternative career. Syed, from the job center, helps Louisa find an ad to be a caregiver for the Traynor family. She only goes to the interview because of the pay. When she goes to the house, she meets Will Traynor, a 35-year-old former banker who is now a quadriplegic after a horrible motorbike accident. She also meets Nathan who is Will’s medical caretaker who she will be working very closely with. Will is very cold to Louisa but nonetheless, she continues to take care of him. Louisa learns that Will wants to be euthanized in Switzerland so she makes it her mission to show him that there is still life left to live. They go to a horse race, a classical music concert, and the wedding of Will’s ex-girlfriend. In one final attempt to save his life, Louisa plans a trip to the island of Mauritius.
Review: This is one of the very few times where I will admit I liked the movie adaptation more than the actual book. I just felt a deeper connection to the movie version of Louisa and Will. Either way, this is a very moving story. A man and a woman who never would have crossed paths unless it was for a tragic accident and who complimented each other very well with their different perspectives of the world. Will deciding to take his own life has caused arguments among readers. Louisa truly did everything she could to save him but some people don’t want to be saved. I believe they shared a true love for each other and I feel they could have been happy in another life. Will had the life every man dreams of and he lost that and never truly recovered physically or mentally.
Rating: 3/5
Book 8: If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
Summary: I read If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio over a couple of weeks and I really enjoyed the overall plot. It is an engrossing dark academia novel that enticed me from the very first page. The book follows the main character, Oliver, who has just been released from prison, through the full events that led him to imprisonment. This murder mystery, which takes place in a prestigious Shakespearian conservatory, blends secrets and responsibility into a ghastly story that took my breath away.
Review: Overall, I disliked that some of the characters were underdeveloped. For example, Richard and Fillipa were always seen in one way from Oliver's point of view. Richard was a bully and Fillipa was seen as a one trick pony. I believe that with more development of these characters, especially Richard, the overall understanding of the unfolding events could have been enhanced. I also disliked that the ending was somewhat predictable, but a highlight was that it was left open for interpretation. However, the characters who were developed showed despair and agony perfectly. In describing these characters' lives people are able to relate to them and understand why they did what they did in the novel. For example, Meredith, who has always been known for her beauty, breaks down in the book explaining that she thinks that she would never be enough because nobody knows her for her personality. Instances like these allowed the audience to recognize humanity in these characters and their actions, which I enjoyed.
