thereadhersrecap's reviews
271 reviews

"Catch" by Tracy Evens was a nice little escape from my usual reading material.

Jules Bartlett spends 300 days a year on her family's fishing boats and absolutely adores it. If she's not on the water she's raising her daughter Bella. Jules has no time for romance or BS. After a heartbreaking divorce, Jules put a wall around her heart, vowing never to let anyone else hurt her.

But of course, there's always someone who breaks down those walls. Introducing Tyler Pace, Jules' self-made, and extremely handsome childhood friend. Tyler has always loved Jules but never took the chance in telling her. Until the two engage in some "casual sex" and change the course of their lives forever.

This book was a breath of fresh air. It was a sweet, cute friends/enemies to lovers trope. Honestly, enemies to lovers are one of my favorite romance tropes. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a romantic escape!

There’s not much I can say about this book that hasn’t been said already. It was fun, corny, and very cute. This is the perfect romance book to get you into the Halloween season.

Teenage Vivi accidentally curses her ex-boyfriend after their terrible breakup. Years later when Rhys comes comes back to town, he runs into Vivi and their past comes rushing back. But the curse still stands, and starts to affect their entire town. The two much manage their feelings in order to save the town and Rhys’ life.

On another note, spooky season is almost over! Anyone else feel like October went by in the blink of an eye?

Karla’s memoir was extremely interesting to read, I felt like I was there with her during each interview. You could tell she was giving true accounts of people’s personal lives - the good and the bad. She developed relationships with each person, weaving together her personal journey alongside the people she interviewed.

No matter your stand, it doesn’t hurt to gain insight into other people’s lives

A little backs story, Zeba Blay in 2013 first coined the term #carefreeblackgirls on Twitter. She explains in this book that the hashtag was a way to carve out space for black girls online. “Care Free Black Girls” is an essay collection of Blay’s thoughts and feelings on the work and achievements of Black women in the media – from Josephine Baker to Cardi B. She celebrates the strengths of Black women while also examining the stereotypes and identities that have clung to them.

Zeba Blay shares her personal experience with mental illness, suicide, racial violence, sexual abuse, body dysmorphia, and many more triggering materials. I was utterly saddened by her experiences, it's troubling that she is not the only one who experiences these feelings. Zeba Blay is also encouraging and inspiring, Blay expresses her hope for a better world for Black women.

I especially loved when Blay talks about representation, she explains that being “seen” is not the same as being understood. You can “see” someone as still misunderstand them; this is especially the case with Black women today. Society constantly sees Black women in the media and puts them in a box to fit a pretty little stereotype of their choosing. Blay calls to action a new phenomenon called the “Carefree Black Girl gaze”, where society sees Black girls in pop culture for what they are instead of relying on tropes and stereotypes, for Black women to be free of labels.

I don’t rate memoirs or autobiographies because of the simple fact that it is Zeba Blay’s life, she is allowing us a window into her thoughts and her deeply personal feelings and I think that’s unratable. It just is. It’s Zeba Blay. And I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

YAYY a romance!

How to Fail at Flirting follows Naya Turner, a childhood education professor and researcher at a local university who finds her job in jeopardy of budget cuts. Struggling with opening up after her previous abusive relationships, Naya throws herself into her work, throwing her social life to the wayside. Naya's friends determine she's in need of a distraction and convinces her to start dating again. Naya embarks on a night of no-strings-attached hookup propelled by a risque to-do list of her friends when she meets Jake. Jake is the perfect one-night stand, but plans go awry and Naya finds herself having intense feelings for him. Her one-night stand soon turns into her BAE. To make the situation more complicated, Naya finds out that Jake is actually head of the company in charge of determining budget cuts at the university. Naya wrestles with the love of her job, her past relationship, and her newfound lover.

"I wanted to be kissed like that again, like I was something special, something wanted, like I was... someone".

This book was one of my FAVORITES of May! I actually ended the month reading this book and I could not be happier about that, what a great book to end the month on. This book was oddly light-hearted and easy to read. It had the typically romantic comedy feel to it, but it also questioned many issues relating to domestic violence and the struggle victims face after "getting out" of the abusive relationship. In this book, Naya was confronted with her past violence in ways in which no survivor should EVER have to do. The supporting characters really emphasized the many different opinions of others in the face of DM, you have some women who looked at Naya like she was using sexuality as a means to "get ahead" in the workplace, not even knowing her full story. There were male characters, who watched from the sidelines, mouth closed, exhibiting no action whatsoever being complicit in her abuse. Then you have the characters who are supportive, and fiercely protective, and loyal. I commend Denise Williams and the multiple depictions of support to survivors of DV.

This book is a must-read summer read! Read it by the lake, pool, or beach. You won't regret it!!

In his brutally honest memoir, Steven Donnelly recounts his rise and fall as a Catholic priest. He acknowledges his battle with cocaine and alcohol addiction, and his struggle with celibacy that ultimately led to him leaving the church.

The Catholic church had always been apart of Steven Donnelly's life, his parents were married at a church in Queens, and he was baptized Catholic upon his birth. In 1997, at the age of 42, he was ordained. Only three years later he descended into a world of cocaine and alcohol. He then met and started a relationship with his Spanish tutor all while taking a an oath under God to uphold the values of priesthood.

In his own words Steven says, "I was living a triple life: priest by day, lover by night, and a full fledged drug addict whenever I could."

I definitely have some preconceived ideas and believes about the Catholic church and their priests (who doesn't), but after reading this memoir I found that not all is what it seems!

"Until you've lived it, you probably won't understand it"

This memoir really drove home the idea that literally NO ONE is perfect! And whether you know it or not everyone is struggling with something. I commend the author's bravery in talking about dark and clandestine topics.

I think its worth the read!