First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"As a little girl, I was obsessed with all things beauty."

~ The Glory in Your Story by Monique Rodriguez

The First Gentleman

"Don't get involved. Observe and report." ~ pg. 142

The President of the United States is up for re-election. But her husband is on trial for murder. Talk about bad timing. A pair of journalists hit the streets, do their research and investigate whether the First Gentleman is a killer.

I am disappointed with The First Gentleman. I loved the previous collabs from Patterson and Clinton, The President is Missing and The President's Daughter, so much that my hopes were up. I just knew it would be a page-turner. Their writing did not complement each other this go-round. It did not flow. The chapters were choppy trying to stick with Patterson's signature writing style. It lacked the usual suspense and plot building that Patterson is known for. Clinton slacked on the political intrigue.

Where was the thrill in this thriller? Pass on it, Bookhearts. Save the time of reading almost 500 pages of an unsatisfying read.

Happy Early Pub Day, James Patterson and Bill Clinton! The First Gentleman will be available Monday, June 2.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The First Gentleman
Author: James Patterson and Bill Clinton
Published: June 2025
Pages: 474
Edition: Galley
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 🖤

A Clean Mess

"But that's the thing, my emotions are like a jack-in-the-box. I never know which one is gonna pop up. And I don't have the right tools to, like, deal with them." ~ 23%

A Clean Mess: A Memoir of Sobriety After a Lifetime of Being Numb is a vulnerable, transparent look into Tiffany Jenkins' life after addiction. In a funny, raw new memoir that reads easy like a novel, Tiffany tells of her fresh start after being released from prison and struggle with an opioid addiction. Parenthood, romance, marriage, divorce, adulthood and entering the workplace are just a few of the topics. Life came at her fast! 

Memoirs are my favorite genre. It is admirable how writers open their hearts and life to the public. Tiffany Jenkins bared her soul on these pages! Girl, it was a lot! She shared truths and vulnerabilities despite the judgment or criticism she may receive. The positive impact that her story will give the sober community and addicts will make it worth it. Her clean mess is an inspiring 5-star read.

"Yes, bitch, that's when naps take place." ~ 26%

I most certainly added her first memoir, High Achiever, to my reading list. I recommend Bookhearts add both to their shelves.

Happy Early Pub Day, Tiffany Jenkins! A Clean Mess will be available Tuesday, June 3.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: A Clean Mess
Author: Tiffany Jenkins
Published: June 2025
Pages: 304
Edition: Galley
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Sistah Speak Sunday: The Last of Us

(Sistah Speak: The Last of Us) 

Do you watch the HBO Max original series, The Last of Us? Did you play the game? Are you looking for a podcast hosted by diverse women? Well, check out Sistah Speak: The Last of Us where we discuss the second season from a Sistah's point of view.

Listen Now 🎧 

Watch Now 🎥

Podcast: Sistah Speak Productions
Co-Hosts: Sistah A, Sistah J, Sistah K and Sistah LM

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"They say there is no love like a mother's love for her child."

~ The Last Sound by Jack Hunt 

Go Higher

"Feeling uncomfortable signals to me that I'm about to encounter an opportunity to learn or grow." ~ pg. 194

Coming from the same hometown (Detroit) and high school (Cass Tech), I have followed Big Sean's career and am fan of his music. So when I saw he was publishing a nonfiction book, I immediately added to my TBR anticipating its release day. It was not what I expected!

Don't judge a book by its author (a rapper). Go Higher is part memoir, part mental health awareness/self-help, part letter to his son. He shares five (5) best practices that have shaped his purpose, success and inner peace. Every chapter ends with questions that prompt an action or opportunity to reflect. Even though at times an anecdote seemed better placed elsewhere in the book, his personal stories give testimony to the practices he suggests for readers and were a welcome addition. It gave Go Higher that personal touch. Another way for Big Sean to connect with fans.

I took my time reading this one, Bookhearts. I picked up my reserved copy from the local library late January and just now finishing. I read a chapter, journaled my answers to the prompts and put what I learned into action. My writing hand and mind got a workout! Go Higher helps with mental health, personal growth and will serve as a resource that I will revisit as needed.

If you are looking for a reference to help motivate your journey to success, I recommend Go Higher. Have your notebook, highlighter and blue ink pen ready.

Title: Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace

Author: Big Sean

Published: January 2025

Pages: 253

Edition: Hardcover

Genre: Spiritual Nonfiction

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 

Series Sunday: Fifty Fifty

(Eddie Flynn #5) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Fifty Fifty, the fifth book in the Eddie Flynn series by Steve Cavanagh. There are two calls to 911 within minutes from the same residence. Two sisters asking for help because their dad is dead, claiming the other twin killed him and is still in the house. One of them is a liar and a killer. But which one?

"Sometimes you just can't see something because you're looking at it from completely the wrong angle." ~ 91%

Eddie Flynn is an ex-con, now lawyer. He is good at reading clients and juries. He can usually determine right away if a client is telling the truth of innocence. For majority of the book, readers are led every which way before figuring out whether Flynn is defending the right sister in court. 

What started as super interesting ended as meh. The dual 911 calls. The intrigue of murder. The twin dynamic. All very interesting. Then it went downhill and didn't quite deliver. Fifty Fifty is my introduction to this series and the character Eddie Flynn. Unfortunately, it did not make a good enough impression for me to start the series from the beginning.

Happy Early Pub Day, Steve Cavanagh! Fifty Fifty will be available Tuesday, June 3.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Fifty Fifty

Author: Steve Cavanagh

Published: June 2025

Pages: 384

Edition: Galley

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"Later, a daughter will miss the sound of her mother calling her name."

~ Matriarch by Tina Knowles

Follow my Live Read here!

The Great Mann

"There ain't no peacetime for the American Negro." ~ 59%

I am not a fan of retellings. I find that most are too close to the original so why bother. While others are so modernized that it's, again, why bother. The Great Gatsby is one of the few classic lit books that I enjoy re-reading every few years. So when I saw there is a new retelling set amongst L.A.'s Black elite, I could not resist reading the advance copy.

Let me set the picture for you, Bookhearts. The year is 1945. Young veteran Charlie Trammel steps off a cross-country train into Los Angeles. He is looking to settle in starting with a promising career at a Black-owned insurance firm. His cousin, Margie, introduces him to Black excellence in Sugar Hill. 

It is there that Trammel meets James "Reaper" Mann, the host of extravagant parties with guests such as Hattie McDaniel. Even though everyone keeps saying Sugar Hill is safe, tension thickens as whites become frustrated with their own dwindling fortunes while watching the Black elite thrive in a post-war America.

"Wealth's got a heartbeat." ~ 81%

The Great Mann is a retelling done right! Just enough of the original story with a unique point of view. Extravagance, lies, courtroom drama, an affair, wealth and cameos. At the heart of the story is the central theme of the American Dream, just like in The Great Gatsby. The characters and dialogue kept me so interested that I was lost in their 1940s world. Kyra Davis Lurie masterfully remixes a classic with a Black spin. Need I say more? Add to your bookshelves soon as it is available.

Happy Early Pub Day, Kyra Davis Lurie! The Great Mann will be available Tuesday, June 10.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Great Mann
Author: Kyra Davis Lurie
Published: June 2025
Pages: 320
Edition: Galley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

When We Talk to God

"Jesus paid it all, and I would like the dividends of peace, please." ~ pg. 59

Poet-theologian Sharifa Stevens captures the arc, ache and grace of a Black woman in a new release titled When We Talk to God. Through prayers and poems, she covers a broad range of topics such as motherhood, grief, joy, faith and success. I did not relate to all but there were plenty that I bookmarked to revisit again. There is a poem/prayer for every mood and every season in a Black woman's life within this collection.

I admit a few of the passages threw me off because of the language bordering on blasphemy (questioning God) but the author keeps it real. She put on paper what some of us may be thinking. My major takeaway was how the prayers encourage us to talk to God. Have a conversation. Nothing is off limits. Don't worry about being politically correct or saying the right thing the right away at a designated time. Just open your heart and talk to Him.

The vivid artistic book cover of When We Talk to God, as well as the beautiful illustrations within, will make it a good addition to your personal library, coffee table, or gift for Mother's Day, Women's Day or Girls' Night. 

Happy Pub Day, Sharifa Stevens! When We Talk to God is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: When We Talk to God
Author: Sharifa Stevens
Published: May 2025
Pages: 192
Edition: Galley
Genre: Spiritual Nonfiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"For a trial lawyer, there are two words in the English language that terrify us more than any other."

~ Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

If You Stayed

"Let go of what's dragging you, baby girl. Then you can walk more freely." ~ 6%

How many times have we asked ourselves this book title? What if you stayed? Well author Brittainy Cherry answers this question and more in a new romance fiction novel. 

Gabriel is Kierra's first everything. Her first friend, first kiss, first love and first heartbreak. One tragic accident tore them apart, leaving Gabriel with no memory and Kierra with a world of guilt. Fast forward a few years to Kierra in a loveless marriage when Gabriel re-enters her life (because we all know it's a small world). Feelings stir, memories threaten to surface and controlling jealousy rears its ugly head.

"Self-forgiveness was one of the hardest things to do." ~ 68%

As an overthinker, I appreciated Kierra's natural instinct to think through every possible scenario. She did not make any kneejerk decisions like chicks in romance novels often do. She was a planner that considered others' feelings before her own. This was not the typical spin the block plot. It really was a second chance romance that I could not put down.

Oh, the emotions this book gave me! All the feels as the story came together! Bookhearts, you will want to read this book in just one or two sittings. It is not spicy or steamy romance. It is what could happen IRL type romance. All sides of love are explored: the good, the bad and the ugly. Tension is built with suspense hanging at every chapter. And the writing is just beautiful.

I have not read many of Brittainy Cherry's books, but I will definitely add more to my shelf now. I recommend you do the same.

If You Stayed is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: If You Stayed
Author: Brittainy Cherry
Published: April 2025
Pages: 397
Edition: Galley
Genre: Romance
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

My Friends

"It's hard to tell a story, any story, but it's almost impossible if it's your own." ~ 75%

A group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending time together at the pier. Their figures sitting at the end of a long pier are almost unnoticeable in one of the most famous paintings in the world. To the normal eye, the painting is a depiction of the sea. But to Louisa, an artist herself, she wants to find the story behind the people in the corner.

I have no doubt that devout Backman fans will consider this a good read, but I will not recommend it. I am disappointed in the boring plot and unrealistic actions of characters to force a connection. I had to constantly fight the urge to not skim pages at a time. Maybe every Backman book isn't for me.

Happy Pub Day, Fredrik Backman! My Friends is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: My Friends
Author: Fredrik Backman
Published: May 2025
Pages: 448
Edition: Galley
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤