What I Read: March 2020

Reading was a total struggle this month. There were a few books I started and DNF (did not finish) because I couldn’t get into them. I didn’t read at ALL in Nicaragua besides on the plane. I’ve felt SUPER distracted in the last few weeks for obvious reasons. And overall I didn’t love most of the books I read compared to the last two months. Welp.

I’m honestly surprised I managed to read 5 books this month — and I’m still on track to read 52 books in 2020. I think it helped that The Miseducation of Henry Cane was quick and super short, and The Idea of You totally sucked me in.

As always I’d love to hear from you: What are you currently reading? I feel like quarantine has put me in a total book slump these past two weeks and I’m on the hunt for books that will suck me.

What I Read This Month:

📚 The rom-com for musical theater lovers:

Roomies by Christina Lauren

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by the writing duo behind Christina Lauren and Roomies is no exception. This book was especially my jam because it involved my favorite thing: musical theater.

Holland Bakker has a huge crush on the guitarist that plays regularly in her nearby subway station.

Holland sets Calvin up with an audition for a hit Broadway show. The only problem is he is an undocumented immigrant from Ireland and is not able to work in the US. Holland agrees to marry Calvin so he can take the job making these two almost strangers roomies.

I liked the book but didn’t love it the way I absolutely loved Christina Lauren’s book My Favorite Half-Night Stand.

Roomies is a predictable rom-com in many ways and with some familiar notes (no music pun intended) but it’s still cute and worth reading, especially if you love musical theater.

My Rating: 3/5 Stars – ★★★

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📚 The book I felt so-so about:

Best Worst Man by Mia Sosa

I wanted to LOVE this book, but I ended up feeling luke-warm about it.

Carolina Santos is a wedding planner that got left at the altar. Ironic? Yup. Three years later she is a super successful wedding planner in Washington DC and up for an exciting position at a fancy hotel. As a part of the job interview process, she has to put together an elaborate presentation. Turns out the marketing expert she has to collaborate with on the presentation is her ex-fiance’s brother Max AKA the guy who apparently convinced her fiance to call off the wedding.

Even though Lina tries to hate Max she starts to realize he’s not such a bad guy after all and maybe she could even like him or find him attractive.

The book is cute and I love the weaving of Lina’s Brazilian heritage throughout but it just didn’t do it for me. Something about it was almost too saccharine and it felt like from the get-go I could tell where the book was heading.

My Rating: 3/5 Stars – ★★★

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📚 The book that’s just for fun (and fans of Younger):

The Miseducation of Henry Cane by Charles Brookes

Ghostwritten by Jo Piazza who co-wrote two of my favorite books The Knockoff and Fitness Junkie.

I’m a huge fan of the TV show Younger and was excited to read this book “written” by Charles from the TV show.

In the book, Henry Cane (aka a young version of Charles) is about to enter the real world after graduating from Princeton. He spends the summer after graduation in Sag Habor, just like he always has. This summer is different, though, and he accidentally starts to live a double-life and spends his days on a boat as a blue-collar fisherman named Joe. That summer he also finds himself in a crazy affair with a rich, older, married, woman.

I wanted the book to give more depth into who Charles is. It just fell kind of flat.

All in all the book wasn’t anything special and definitely isn’t worth it if you’re not a Younger fan.

I actually really liked the book Marriage Vacation, which was “written” by Charles’ ex-wife. Marriage Vacation had a really interesting point of view about feeling like you’ve lost your identity as a mom and wife.

My Rating: 2/5 Stars – ★★

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📚 The YA book that’s totally different:

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I’d never heard of this book but bought it because it was the Bad on Paper’s March book club book. I’m torn about my thoughts on this book. It’s BEAUTIFULLY written and got me crying quite a few times. I can’t hate on any book that gives me the feels! But on the other hand, it was painful to get through at times. I found myself speed reading so I could just keep chugging along during certain points.

The book follows twins Noah and Jude and alternates between the past when they were in middle school and the present three years later. Noah and Jude used to be inseparable but now, not so much. Throughout the book, you learn all the ups and downs of their relationship and why things are so strained right now.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars – ★★★★ Although I think I’d actually give it a 3.5 if there was a half star symbol I could use 😂

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📚 The book that WRECKED me and gave me the worst book hangover ever:

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee

THIS. BOOK. Gahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

There are not enough exclamation points for me to share my absolute love of this book. I’ve heard good things about The Idea of You but was on the fence — it sounded cheesy to me. But trust me, it’s good.

The book starts with Solene Marchand, a 39-year old divorced gallery owner living in LA, bringing her pre-teen daughter to a meet-and-greet in Vegas for a popular boy band after her ex-husband bails.

One of the members, charming, British, gorgeous, 20-year old Hayes Cambell (loosely based on Harry Styles!), flirts with Solene and invites her and her daughter to come backstage after the show.

Through a series of events, Hayes and Solene begin a crazy, whirlwind, relationship.

I read this book in a span of 3 days. And that’s only because I forced myself to slow down and savor parts of it. I am currently experiencing a “book hangover” and am struggling to start another book.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this book and why people are SO obsessed with it, myself included. I think there are a few factors that make this book SO damn good:

• Lead character Solene is not a damsel in distress. She’s smart, she’s successful, and she doesn’t need to be saved.
• The book is sincere and not overly cutesy or saccharine.
• It feels very real, even though the fantasy of capturing the heart of a famous pop-star seems like pure fantasy.
• It brings up really interesting points on being a female that’s no longer “young” and in her prime. There are so many discussions in the book about Solene’s age and how people judge her for this fling with a younger guy, yet if the tables were turned no one would bat an eye.

TLDR: Please stop whatever you’re doing and read this book so that I can discuss it with you. Thank you.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars – ★★★★★

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