What I Read: March 2021

I’ve definitely been struggling on the reading front lately. While I LOVE all 4 books I ended up reading in March, I also had a few “false starts” that I ditched after about 25 pages. I’ve become a believer that life is too short to read books you don’t love… but sometimes that means I’m quick to ditch a book if I’m not sucked in quickly.

There were two books that came out in March that I was SO excited to read. Olive by Emma Gannon which I’ve been eying for well over a year as it’s been out in the UK. I’ve also become a total Jill Santopolo fan girl and couldn’t wait to read her newest book, Everything After.

How about you: Any favorites recent reads I should check out?

What I Read This Month:

More Than Words by Jill Santopolo

Synopsis from Bookshop: Nina has always known who she’s supposed to be. But is that who she truly is?

Nina Gregory has always been a good daughter. Raised by her father, owner of New York City’s glamorous Gregory Hotels, Nina was taught that family, reputation, and legacy are what matter most. And Tim–her devoted boyfriend and best friend since childhood–feels the same. But when Nina’s father dies, he leaves behind a secret that shocks Nina to her core. Soon, Nina begins to see the men in her life–her father, her boyfriend, and unexpectedly, her boss, Rafael–in a new light, finding herself caught between the world she loves, and a passion that could upend everything.

My Thoughts: Jill Santopolo has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She has this addicting way of writing that I can’t seem to put her books down.

The bar was set pretty high for me though with her first book, The Light We Lost which absolutely GUTTED me in the best kind of way (check out my full review here!) More Than Words is just as addictingly good. I could definitely relate to aspects of the main character, Nina, and her desire to live up to everyone’s expectations of her. While her decisions felt frustrating at times (and I think that’s what made it feel realistic — people sometimes make foolish choices!) I really love the surprising direction this book ended up going in.

My Rating: 4.5/5

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Synopsis from Bookshop: Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers–especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

My Thoughts: This is the second book I’ve read by Elizabeth Acevedo that’s written in verse (Clap When You Land is EXCELLENT. My full review is here). I never thought I’d like reading something in verse, poetry isn’t necessarily my thing, but WOW does Elizabeth Acevedo write a brilliant and captivating book. I loved entering Xiomara’s world as a young, Afro-Latina in Harlem finding her voice and her power. Even if you’re unsure about reading a book in verse, give this one a shot. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

My Rating: 5/5

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Olive by Emma Gannon

Synopsis from Bookshop: Olive is many things. Independent. Driven. Loyal. And a little bit adrift.

She’s okay with still figuring it all out, navigating her world without a compass. But life comes with expectations and big choices to be made. So when her best friends’ lives branch away towards marriage and motherhood, leaving the path they’ve always followed together, she starts to question her choices–because life according to Olive looks a little bit different.

Moving, memorable, and a mirror for anyone at a crossroads, OLIVE has a little bit of all of us. Told with humor and great warmth, this is a modern tale about the obstacle course of adulthood and the challenges of having–and deciding not to have–children.

My Thoughts: This book has been on my radar for some time now. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to read a book that openly talks about choosing to be child-free. It’s a topic that I’ve been grappling with myself for the last few years (more on that here). When I think about it, there are SO few women in the books I read that talk openly about not wanting to have kids. Yeah, I read a lot of saccharine romances. But even so, there’s often talk about the main character for sure wanting to have kids!

I was hyped to read a book where I’d feel “seen.” And wow did this one hit close to home. I probably would’ve been a wreck starting it had I not been in public at the time. Olive and I could be life twins in many ways: dated the same guy for most of our 20’s. Break up after 8+ years is because he wants kids and you don’t. Moved to the city to get the hell away from our hometown. She even is a writer and talks about her life a lot for her job… which obviously I do too.

This book discusses about SO many of the things I’ve been thinking about over the last few years when it comes to not wanting to have kids. I found myself nodding along to SO much of what Olive talks about — I even jotted down quotes that I deeply related to.

Overall I loved this book — it’s the book I wish I would’ve had a few years ago when I felt so lost trying to figure out what I personally want rather than what society wants from me. I will say the ending did fall a bit flat for me. It’s not a total slap in the face but does go in a direction I didn’t love.

Otherwise, hot damn. Olive is the book I’ve been waiting for for so long.

My Rating: 4.5/5

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Everything After by Jill Santopolo

CW: Miscarriage

Synopsis from Bookshop: Two loves. Two choices. One chance to follow her dreams.

Emily has come a long way since she lost her two passions fifteen years ago: music and Rob. She’s a psychologist at NYU who helps troubled college students like the one she once was. Together with her caring doctor husband, Ezra, she has a beautiful life. They’re happy. They hope to start a family. But when a tragic event in Emily’s present too closely echoes her past, and parts of her story that she’d hoped never to share come to light, her perfect life is suddenly upturned. Then Emily hears a song on the radio about the woman who got away. The melody and voice are hauntingly familiar. Could it be? As Emily’s past passions come roaring back into her life, she’ll find herself asking: Who is she meant to be? Who is she meant to love?

My thoughts: Ah, from reading about choosing to be child-free to a book all about miscarriages. As always, Jill Santopolo knows how to suck me right in with her books and I devoured this one. It flips back and forth from Emily in the present to Emily sharing her experience in the past. The mash-up of the two versions of Emily was brilliantly done.

I LOVED how this book spoke about music. Growing up, music was such a big part of my life. Going to voice lessons was the highlight of my week and my favorite subject in high school was Music Theory. When it came time to apply to college I applied to a handful of theater programs for acting, and a handful of music programs for music therapy. I ended up going the acting route. Much like Emily, the music part of my life feels like a distant dream. This book made me want to dust off my keyboard, sing a bit, and get back in touch with that old side of me.

I’m also now SO sad I’ve read everything by Jill Santopolo. I want MORE and can’t find anything that compares!

My Rating: 4/5

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