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Book Review: The Women by Kristin Hannah

B

The Gist: The Women is a powerful novel about the erasure and resilience of women during the Vietnam War through the lens of friendship, societal challenges, and the lasting impacts of conflict.

Series: Standalone

Release Date: February 6, 2024

Synopsis
An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over- whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Ending
HFN. Frankie has found peace with her past and has opened up a centre to help women who served. She’s on the road to healing her relationship with her parents. And… there’s an open-ended ending for the romantic subplot. I’ll just say… OMGGGG I KNEW HE WAS ALIVE.
Representation
• Black supporting characters
• Black side characters
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Death of protagonist’s brother in the war
• Medical trauma (e.g., amputation, surgery, gunshot wounds)
• Children and pregnant women are described as victims of the war in Vietnam
• Gore
• Miscarriage
• Alcoholism
• Drug addiction
• Depression
• Suicidal ideation
• Suicide attempt
• PTSD
• War themes
• Death of supporting characters
• Grief
• Racism
• Police brutality discussed
• Sexism
• Infidelity
Mature Themes
• Non-descriptive sex scenes
• Swearing
• Alcohol and drug consumption and abuse
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 5-stars

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Book Review: Ashes of You by Catherine Cowles

B

The Gist: A heartwarming and suspenseful must-read for fans of the single parent x nanny trope and romantic thrillers, Ashes of You expertly blends love, family, and gripping intrigue in a captivating small-town setting.

Series: Lost and Found, #5*

Release Date: February 8, 2024

Synopsis
Five years ago, I nearly lost everything. But there was a glimmer of hope on that darkest night. There was him—a stranger I could never forget.

Now, I’m finally getting the fresh start I’ve longed for. But when I show up to interview for a nanny position in the small mountain town, the single dad has startlingly familiar blue eyes.

Eyes that have haunted my dreams for the past five years.

Lawson Hartley is everything I know I can’t have. Older, handsome, and my boss. Not to mention the shadows in his eyes that tell me he has demons, too.

Still, he seems to understand me better than anyone I’ve ever met. So gentle and careful of my scars, yet somehow making me believe I’m stronger than I ever thought possible.

And when his lips touch mine, I’m lost.

We find what we’ve been missing in each other. But the terrors of my past aren’t done with me yet, and this time, Lawson might not be able to save me…

Ending
HEA with Epilogue. Married and expecting triplets in extended epilogue.
Representation
• Gay side characters
• Achillean side relationship
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Recounting of child endangerment
• Assault
• Abduction, captivity and torture of Heroine recounted
• Gun violence
• Abduction and captivity (on-page)
• PTSD
• Panic attacks (on-page)
• Sexual harassment
• Sexual assault
• Murder
• Description of murder (what happened to the women)
Safety Rating: Safe
No cheating
No OW/OM drama
– Heroine is insecure the Hero still loves his ex-wife but soon finds out that he hates her
– Heroine is periodically hit on by OM throughout the book, but they’re all rebuffed
Does have the Hero briefly pushing the Heroine away
No separation
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Kindle Unlimited

Rating: 5-stars

*Each book in the series is Standalone

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Book Review: Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

B

The Gist: Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter is a poignant and darkly satirical exploration of classism, mental health, and the dystopian nature of modern work culture.

Series: Standalone

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Synopsis
A year into her dream job at a cutthroat Silicon Valley startup, Cassie finds herself trapped in a corporate nightmare. In addition to the long hours, toxic bosses, and unethical projects, she struggles to reconcile the glittering promise of a city where obscene wealth lives alongside abject poverty. Ivy League grads complain about the snack selection from a conference room with a view of unhoused people bathing in the bay. Startup burnouts leap into the paths of commuter trains, and men set themselves on fire in the streets.

Though isolated, Cassie is never alone. From her earliest memory, a miniature black hole has been her constant companion. It feeds on her depression and anxiety, its size changing in relation to her distress. The black hole watches, but it also waits. Its relentless pull draws Cassie ever-closer as the world around her unravels.

When her CEO’s demands cross an illegal threshold and she ends up unexpectedly pregnant, Cassie must decide whether the tempting fruits of Silicon Valley are really worth it. Sharp but vulnerable, funny yet unsettling, Ripe portrays one millennial woman’s journey through a late-capitalist hellscape and offers an incisive look at the absurdities of modern life.

Ending
Reflective. Open-ended. It could be construed as suicide or that she finally confronted her depression and was ready to find a fulfilling life by treating her depression.
Representation
• Main character with depression
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Classism
• Depression
• Recounting of child abuse (including flashbacks)
• Intrusive thoughts
• Suicidal ideation
• Surgical abortion
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Drug and alcohol consumption after pregnancy is confirmed
• Toxic parental relationships
• Toxic and abusive workplace
• Panic attacks
• Sexism
Mature Themes
• Drug consumption and abuse
• Alcohol consumption and abuse
• Explicit sexual content
• Swearing
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 5-stars

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Book Review: The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

B

The Gist: In The Connellys of County Down, Tracey Lange skillfully delves into complex sibling dynamics and the aftermath of a criminal conviction, yet the novel falls short with its romantic subplot and fails to address critical systemic policing issues.

Series: Standalone

Release Date: August 1, 2023

Synopsis
When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won’t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister’s fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.

While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys’ secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.

The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.

Ending
HEA
Representation
• Main character who suffers from a traumatic brain injury (leading to migraines, seizures, and compromised vision)
• Main character who exhibits hoarding behaviours
Possible Triggers: Yes
• Recounting of physical assault while in prison
• Main character who suffers from hoarding
• Recounting of incarceration
• Recounting of the murder of parents during a home invasion
• Police intimidation
• Recounting of car accident resulting in hospitalization of a main character
• Parental abandonment
• Recounting of the Connelly siblings’ mother dying from c@ncer when they were children
Mature Themes
• Sex (alluded to, not explicit)
• Alcohol consumption and abuse (by a side character)
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4-stars

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