Realistic Fiction – Talk Nerdy Book Blog

September 19, 2020

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Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 9, 2020

Synopsis:

Elise Armstrong, Carmen Bradshaw, and DeeDee Davis meet in a yoga class. Though vastly different, these women discover they all have one thing in common: their mothers have recently passed away. Becoming fast friends, the trio make a pact to help each other sort through the belongings their mothers’ left behind. But when they find old letters and diaries, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee are astonished to learn that each of their mothers hid secrets—secrets that will transform their own lives.

Meeting each month over margaritas, the trio share laughter, advice, and support. As they help each other overcome challenges and celebrate successes, Elise, Carmen, and DeeDee gain not only a better understanding of the women their mothers were, but of themselves. They also come to realize they have what their mothers needed most but did not have during difficult times—other women they could trust.

Filled with poignant life lessons, The Secret Women pays tribute to the power of friendship and family and the bonds that tie us together. Beautiful, full of spirit and heart, it is a thoughtful and ultimately uplifting story of unconditional love.

Ending:

HFN

Representation

• Black biracial main character
• Black main and supporting characters

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Mental Illness — Bipolar disorder
• Attempted suicide and murder of children
• Death of parent

Mature Themes

• Death of parent
• Allusions to teenagers drinking
• (Amicable) divorce
• Children (who are late 40s to early 60s) lashing out at parents who start dating after their spouse dies
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Paperback

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Clever and Bold: The Body Politic by Brian Platzer

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

September 11, 2020

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Series: Standalone

Release Date: March 3, 2020

Synopsis:

New York City is still regaining its balance in the years following 9/11, when four twenty-somethings—Tess, Tazio, David, and Angelica—meet in a bar, each yearning for something: connection, recognition, a place in the world, a cause to believe in. Nearly fifteen years later, as their city recalibrates in the wake of the 2016 election, their bond has endured—but almost everything else has changed.

As freshmen at Cooper Union, Tess and Tazio were the ambitious, talented future of the art world—but by thirty-six, Tess is married to David, the mother of two young boys, and working as an understudy on Broadway. Kind and steady, David is everything Tess lacked in her own childhood—but a recent freak accident has left him with befuddling symptoms, and she’s still adjusting to her new role as caretaker.

Meanwhile, Tazio—who once had a knack for earning the kind of attention that Cooper Union students long for—has left the art world for a career in creative branding and politics. But in December 2016, fresh off the astonishing loss of his candidate, Tazio is adrift, and not even his gorgeous and accomplished fiancée, Angelica, seems able to get through to him. With tensions rising on the national stage, the four friends are forced to face the reality of their shared histories, especially a long-ago betrayal that has shaped every aspect of their friendship.

Elegant and perceptive, The Body Politic explores the meaning of commitment, the nature of forgiveness, the way that buried secrets will always find their way to the surface, and how all of it can shift—and eventually erupt—over the course of a life.

Ending:

HFN… I guess.

Representation

• Black-Thai biracial supporting/main character
• Latino biracial supporting character
• Latina side character
• Trans woman side character
• Challenges ableism: the MC is working through living with chronic dizziness

Possible Triggers: Yes

• Witnessing the murder of a parent by another parent
• Depression
• Parental abandonment
• Physical abuse
• Rape
• Alcoholism
• Death of parent

Safety Rating (of the married couple, Tess and David): Not Safe

• Does have cheating (Tess has cheated on David multiple times and with little regret)
• Does have OM drama
— OM is David and Tess’s best friend, Tazio, who is a main supporting character
— Tess also recently cheated on David with a co-star
• Does have OW drama
— Tess brings up feel like David’s business partner wants to get with him… but decides to trust David (it’s left unresolved)
• Does have the Hero and Herojne pushing each other away
• Does have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Format: Hardcover

Rating: 4/5 stars

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Count On Me (Count on Me, #1) by Melyssa Winchester

By Sarah

In 4-stars, Book Review

November 12, 2014

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Series: Count On Me*

Release Date: April 19th, 2014

Synopsis:

There are people that tell you high school is the best time of your life.

They lied.

High school is horrible when you’re like me and you’re autistic.

They think that because I don’t talk and I seem to always be lost in my own world, I’m stupid or deaf. Some even think I’m retarded. i’m none of those things and I don’t like that word.

Just because I’ve got issues, doesn’t mean it’s all I am. There’s a lot more to me, but no one really takes the time to get to know t. St least that’s how it was until Kayden.

Kayden Walker is bad news. he spends his time making people that are different, like me, feel even worse about themselves and he does it with a smile. He’s everything I don’t need in my life, yet he’s the one person I can’t seem to live without.

Underneath, there’s more to him that he’s afraid to let the rest of the world see. I’ve seen it and as I’m finding out, we’re not so different after all.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• Main character is autistic
• Supporting character has Asperger’s Syndrome

Possible Triggers

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Allusions to alcoholism
• Warning: The bullying of Bella is detailed and includes intense psychological as well as physical abuse.
• Note: The Hero is a very cruel bully of the Heroine–he is never physical with her.

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Safety Rating: Safe

• No cheating
• Kind of OW drama
– The Hero dated-in the past-the Heroine’s main tormentor. But, there was no drama in relation to the OW wanting Kayden back.
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

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Magnolia (Magnolia Branch, #1) by Kristi Cook

By Sarah

In 2-stars, Book Review

October 20, 2014

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Series: Magnolia Branch

Release Date: August 5th, 2014

Synopsis:

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

Ending

 HFN

Representation

• Black side characters

Possible Triggers

• Hurricane storm
• Death
• Cancer

Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions

• No cheating
• Does have OM drama
– The Heroine kisses and goes on dates with OM (before the Hero and her get close)
• Does have OW drama
– There’s a rumour that the Hero hooked up with the Heroine’s cousin (we never find out if it’s true)
– Hero leads on OW–Heroine heard the Hero and the OW made out but there’s no clarification if that happened or not
– The Hero was trying to make the Heroine jealous
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• No separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

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