wordylocks's reviews
628 reviews

bell hooks said that, "deep, abiding friendships are the place where many women know lasting love.” This is true. Which is why it is also true that a breakup of a friendship can be as devastating as a breakup in a romantic relationship. Understandably, I was expecting a lot of depth in this novel about a woman who is being ghosted by her mommy friends and is trying to figure out why. Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to my expectations. For starters, many of the Mc's (Fallon's) concerns are #WhitePeopleProblems and it took me a while to see things from this character's perspective. Secondly, the book hinges on the mystery of why Fallon's friends are ghosting her, but I really could not get myself to care because it became clear pretty soon that these friends are not very nice people at all, especially from their treatment of another friend of Fallon's who is a woman of colour and a single mother. Third, Fallon hosts a Mexican fiesta, to connect with her friends which has an actual Hispanic person working to serve and clean, and that whole bit felt very cringey to me. Fourth, Fallon's therapist seems to send her a message that focussing on her marriage may be a better use of her time than focussing on her friendships, and this was something that disappointed me, because it's the message that society feeds women anyway. Granted, those friends did deserve to be left behind and forgotten, but Fallon has two other wonderful female friends - both women of colour, who do so much for her, as well as a new friend she makes who refuses to give up on her. I wish the therapist had asked her to focus on those relationships instead. That said, the author does emphasize how important and beautiful these other friendships are. And the therapy sessions are where Fallon has some major breakthroughs and where I as a reader felt more drawn into the story. Fallon is also an adoptee, so the book also deals with that as a theme; as also the struggles of mothers who try to balance work and home. 
I also liked the message that the author is trying to give — that not all friendships are equal, and that it's better to end some friendships, because they start to actively harm us instead of help us, while holding on to those friendships that nurture us and grow with us. 
On the whole, while I appreciate the attempt the author has made to tackle such an important issue, the book wasn't for me. 
I received an ARC copy of this audiobook from the publisher via Netgalley. 

You know a book intends to disturb you when it begins with a woman undergoing forensic examination after rape. We soon find out who the woman is — Aparna, a staunch feminist and rationalist who has come under fire for her views. Set very firmly in the present, in an India under a government that props up Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism, the book explores this environment of hate and divisiveness. Many things in the book are trigerring, not least the conversations that Aparna has with family and friends, who are more concerned with ensuring her compliance/silence, than with the blatant injustices perpetrated in the name of religion. If these conversations, and the faux news headlines  that appear in the novel seem all too real — they are. Opposing Aparna is Hari, a Hindu nationalist who is bigoted and patriarchal. Aparna's daughter Naseem and Hari's daughter Kashi, are the other major players in this book. The heart of the book, in fact, lies in the mother-daughter relationships between Aparna and Naseem; and Kashi and Lata. These complicated relationships, and the push and pull that politics brings into them are all too relatable. There is a sense that the book is written with a non-Indian audience in mind (italicized Desi words, for example) but not so much that a Desi audience will feel alienated.  Everything comes to a head in the memorable last chapter that throws up everything from unexpected sisterhood, to predictable tragedy, to a tiny flame of hope. The book ends so abruptly that I wondered if I had pages missing in my copy, but then  on a closer reading I realized that the author had said everything she needed to, with an image she leaves us with, of a woman's young daughter pulling her mother onto a different path. I'm sure I will be thinking of this for many days to come, and writing many different endings in my own head. This was a brilliant read that I highly recommend. 

Cozy Holmesian murder mystery and sapphic romance; let's take that one by one, shall we? 
Cozy — check. Also, at 176 pages, a short read as well.
Holmesian — yeeeesssss; I can see how one of the MCs (Mossa) is a bit like Holmes, but it's not so in your face? Also, her Watson (Pleiti) is not just a dump for her brilliance and hold her own like a boss. 
Murder mystery — I'd say that if one approaches this solely as a murder mystery, it would be a bit disappointing, not because it's bad, but simply because it doesn't stick too closely to the tropes one expects from murder mysteries. The solution, when it comes, feels a bit rushed, and underwhelming. But see the murder mystery simply as a vehicle for the science fiction, and it's brilliant. I wish I could say more, but that would be giving away too many spoilers. All I will say, is that I love the world building here, and the possibilities that the author teases. I want a sequel, so very much! 
Sapphic romance — subtler than I would have liked, but there. I like both Mossa and Pleiti as characters, and it was nice to see them be vulnerable with each other and care for each other, which ultimately is what one wants from a romance, no? 
I really enjoyed this book, and my only complaint is that it was too short.  
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. 

The title of this anthology of poetry promises growth and wholeness, and it certainly delivered that for me. I've been reading a few poems a day, for the past couple of weeks, and I've found it incredibly relaxing and/or reflective. Progressing across the seasons (in the US), the poetry, takes us through the garden as it transforms, while also tying them to everything we experience as humans. So, it's not just toxic positivity about sunshine and happiness that we get, but also the dark days, or the days just spent waiting. We move through grief, and loss and injustice, and see how engaging with the soil, and growing plants can be healing. I'm interested these days in the idea of collective/community care, and gardens — the growing of food, specifically, is an idea that comes up again and again as something essential to bringing people together, in everything I read about the topic. Reading these poems, I can see why. Each of the sections (pertaining to a season) is introduced by one of the featured poets, who narrates a personal anecdote related to gardening, and how that connected to something important in their life and shares a recipe that stars fruits/vegetables that are seasonal. The anecdotes were beautiful and moving, and I fully intend to try out the recipes. This is a beautiful, joyful book, and it would make a lovely gift for friends who like gardening and/or poetry. 

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley.