What Jenn Read

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Review: Well Matched

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Monday, November 29, 2021

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ One of the best books I've read all year!

Firekeeper’s Daughter by @angelineboulley is a stunning book. From the gorgeous front cover to the very last page, I was enthralled by Boulley’s vivid and suspenseful storytelling.

Daunis, 18, is a character who will stay with you. I loved her fierce strength of character and her deep cultural connections to her Ojibwe community despite her position as a nonenrolled member. I was invested in this coming-of-age story early on, but when Duanis witnesses a murder and gets pulled into an FBI investigation, I could barely put it down. Truly, I stayed up way past my bedtime turning the pages on this book and finished it in a weekend. There are so many layers, twists and turns - it was a five star read for me and probably one of the best books I’ve read all year.

Angeline Boulley shares incredible insight into the modern Native experience, highlighting a depth of culture and strength of community, the necessity of belonging, and the injustices faced by Indigenous peoples both historically and today. This is her debut novel and I cannot wait to see what she writes next. Firekeeper’s Daughter is a YA (young adult) book and I would recommend it to anyone but be mindful of the content, especially if you have advanced younger readers. I’ll absolutely encourage my kids to read it someday & I’m glad to see it being chosen widely by educators and book clubs everywhere.
🔥🏒🦉📖

cw: gun violence, drug abuse, sexual assault, mature language, death, overdose, grief

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Review: One Night on the Island

One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished One Night on the Island the other day and I’m having quite a difficult time not just starting over and diving right back into the world of Salvation Island, Otter Lodge, Cleo, Mack, & the island community. What a book! I have not been so transported or so moved by a story in a while (& I read relentlessly).

Josie Silver is a master of words, her descriptions are beautiful and soul deep. The pictures she paints with words are so vivid that they feel real and tangible. I want to open my eyes and live among these people!

I loved the way that this loving and romantic story also holds all the weight of heartache & sorrow (loneliness, marriage separation, single parenthood, loss), making the beauty and joy of found friendship and love all the more precious. The descriptions of Slànú are magical and make me want to pack a bag and find refuge on an Irish island STAT. Slànú reminded me of the remote areas of the Dingle Peninsula or the sea air at the Cliffs of Moher. I want to crawl into these pages and stay awhile at Otter Lodge.

This book is a solid 5 star read for me! It’s messy and beautiful, heartbreaking and heart-mending. I pre-ordered a copy for myself the second I was done (along with a copy of One Day in December which was already on my TBR list). I can’t wait to read it again … and probably again and again.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the early access to this book! I can’t wait for pub day! Mark your calendars for 2.15.22!

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Sunday, November 21, 2021

Review: Until We Meet

Until We Meet by Camille Di Maio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Until We Meet is a beautiful story highlighting the contrasting lives of the men sent to the front lines and the women and families on the American home front during WWII. I have read several WWII novels this year and this one was the first told from a strictly American perspective. The story felt a bit slow to me for the first half and the book’s description and cover (on NetGalley and Goodreads) seemed a bit misleading/confusing as I continued reading. Still, I found myself wrapped up in the developing friendship between Margaret and her pen pal as well as the deeply rooted friendships between the three women in Brooklyn and the three men on the front lines. Camille Di Maio’s storytelling had me hooked by the second half of the book & I could not put it down! I would definitely put this on your TBR for any WWII/historical fiction lovers.

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