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.

"I tell you I feel tired and you say, 'But you slept for twelve hours,' and I knew you didn't get it."

~ Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back by Alicia Cook

The Neighbor Favor

"That he needed to be perfect in order to be worthy of her?" ~ pg .166

Lily is a shy editor stuck in the nonfiction division but dreams of working with children's books. Her escape is connecting with her favorite fantasy author via email. Then he ghosts her! Months later, Lily is seeking a date to her sister's wedding and enlists the help of her attractive new neighbor, Nick. He soon realizes that Lily is the same woman he fell in love with over email a few months ago. Little do they know, they're on each other's minds.

I should have left The Neighbor Favor on the digital shelf. But the cover is just too cute! I knew immediately that this novel featured characters of color. Then I read the synopsis and thought it would be a good charming story. Well...it was just okay and I fought the urge to not finish or skim through. And like most romances, the ending is predictable. The Neighbor Favor would've perhaps been better as a novella.

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 Neighbor Favor
Author: Kristina Forest
Published: February 2023
Pages: 277
Edition: Galley
Genre: Romance
Rating: 🖤 🖤

Lit Tidbits: Pithy Picks XIV

Hey, Bookhearts! Pithy Picks are a bookish meme created to help you quickly find books that are worth your time and coins. Just read the pithy reviews below!

Title: Worthy

Edited by: Jada Pinkett Smith
Published: October 2023
Pithy Review: Actress, rockstar, Red Table Talk show creator, Jada Pinkett Smith shares her unconventional upbringing, relationships and life. With so much controversy surrounding this book and the passages shared on the Innanet Streets, I feel like I've read the memoir well before I cracked the spine open. Come to find out, the best parts are the ones I already heard in interviews or quotes. I tried not to compare Jada's memoir to her legal husband's; Will's memoir was one of thee best I have ever read. This one? Not so much. This is her journey as she sees it and I recognize the work it took to publish such a personal piece. However, it seemed more of a written path to her self-discovery that was exaggerated for public consumption to paint herself in the best light possible. But do you, girl.
Quote: "It feels like I can't grasp my own journey." ~ pg. 279
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Woman in Me
Author: Britney Spears
Published: October 2023
Pithy Review: This is the memoir 80s babies didn't know we needed until June 21 when we listened to Britney Spears in open court finally share her truth. She lays it out bare for the world within these pages sparing no feelings, not using false names, and airing out those who wronged her from childhood to present-day. And yet, I get the sense so much more was left unsaid. It is written in her own candid words with no apologies. You better claim your freedom, girl! 
Quote: "I shouldn't be this strong." ~ pg. 234
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Opinions: A Decade of Arguments,Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business
Author: Roxane Gay
Published: October 2023
Pithy Review: New essays from bestselling author Roxane Gay? Immediate library reserve! In this new collection, she tackles big issues like politics, race, celebrity happenings, television shows, women's rights, slavery fan fiction, whether it's okay to schedule a daily 8 a.m. meeting and why Black people forgive (because we need to survive). It is the best of her opinions from over the past ten years. I empathized, nodded in agreement and even felt indifferent a couple times. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading chapter after chapter, especially the solicited advice section titled Ask Roxane. Great collection!
Quote: "I am 39. I am single. I am a black woman. I have too many advanced degrees. Many a news story tells me finding true love is likely a hopeless proposition." ~ pg. 128
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rebecca, Not Becky

"What in the whole caucastic hell?" ~ 75%

De'Andrea and her family move from Atlanta to Rolling Hills by circumstance and not choice. It's quite an adjustment leaving a comfortable life in the Black oasis of Atlanta to the overwhelming whiteness of Rolling Hills, Virginia. De'Andrea's therapist challenges her to befriend a white woman to help ease the transition. 

Rebecca is thrilled there's a new Black family in the neighborhood. She can put everything she's learned about antiracism into practice while running the Parent Diversity Committee. The two women come together for a common cause amidst the community's rising racial sentiments.

Le sigh. This could have been a really good novel if done right. 

The conflict of the story happened past the halfway mark. There was no reason to drag on this plot for such an underwhelming climax. I wanted to give up early on but kept pushing through. When is the good part? The dialogue is riddled with slang that will be outdated soon and the author leans into stereotypes with the unlikeable main characters. 

Where is the originality? What are the lessons learned that can help potential readers in a similar racial situation? At 55% through the galley, I figured I might as well finish the second half since the writing seemed better. But then the ending was thrown together. 

Bye, Becky! Don't listen to the blurb. This is not along the same vein as Such a Fun Age. It is not compulsively readable. Unfortunately, my recommendation is to skip this new release. Keep in mind though, just because I did not enjoy it does not mean you won't either.

Happy Pub Day, Christine Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene! Rebecca, Not Becky 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: Rebecca, Not Becky
Authors: Christine Platt and Catherine Wigginton Greene
Published: December 2023
Pages: 315
Edition: Galley
Genre: Chick Lit
Rating: 🖤

Series Sunday: Things We Left Behind

(Knockemout #3) 

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.

"Being alone meant not having to pretend to be okay." ~ 8%

My Series Sunday pick is Things We Left Behind, the final book in the Knockemout trilogy by Lucy Score. Broken men break women. That is what Lucian believes and has witnessed. He would rather be alone than put Sloane in harm's way. So he minds his mogul business. Sloane is a spitfire librarian carrying on her father's quest for justice. She tries her best to stay away from the man she once broke a promise to.

When their bickering turns into foreplay, the enemies-to-lovers reach an empasse. Sloan wants to start a family. Lucian refuses the idea of marriage and children. And so the dance begins between the tall, dark and evil Lucian and the short, fair and awesome Sloane.

Their story is told in past and present narration from both points of view. I so don't want to give anything away. Just know this book is thee best in the Knockemout series! It is worth calling into work and cuddling on the sofa with your favorite hot beverage. I will give one spoiler and say it's a happy ending that will give you all the feels!

Title: Things We Left Behind

Author: Lucy Score

Published: September 2023

Pages: 592

Edition: Paperback

Genre: Chick Lit Romance

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.

"I have a lot of opinions and I come by them honestly. From an early age, I watched my mother confidently expressing her opinions with wit and intellect. She always stood her ground and was unapologetic about her beliefs."

~ Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business by Roxane Gay

Lit Tidbits: Pithy Picks XIII

Hey, Bookhearts! Pithy Picks are a bookish meme created to help you quickly find books that are worth your time and coins. Just read the pithy review below!

Title: How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill

Edited by: Jericho Brown
Published: July 2023
Pithy Review: This is a nonfiction book by Black writers for Black writers. Have a paper or digital notebook and highlighter ready to use. The essays from over 30 Black writers provide encouragement, examples, templates and lessons. Despite the title, it is more of a guide and personal workshop than a how-to book on writing. Diverse voices such as Nikki Giovanni, Jacqueline Woodson, Tayari Jones, and Angela Flournoy together in one book for $12.99. Worth every copper coin. Seriously, buy it now. 
Quote: "A good grammarian knows how to write polyrhythmically." ~ 3%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Too Late
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: June 2023
Pithy Review: This novel is labeled CoHo's darkest romantic thriller. Sloan is caught up financially and emotionally with the notorious drug trafficker Asa Jackson. Knowing she is in dire straits and dependent on him, Asa develops a dangerous, disturbing obsession with Sloan. When undercover DEA agent Carter enters the picture, Sloan feels safe and an immediate attraction. But they have to find a way out of this dangerous situation before it's too late. There's sex (sometimes forced), a dash of romance and character un-development. It was okay despite the definitive edition having an epilogue to the epilogue to the epilogue.
Quote: "Love shouldn't feel like added weight. It should make you feel as light as air." ~ 75%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️

Title: A Night to Remember
Author: Walter Lord
Published: January 2005
Pithy Review: Everyone knows how the world's largest, most glamorous, ship sank after colliding with an iceberg. In less than 200 pages, Walter Lord retells the history of the Titanic wreckage, its passengers and few survivors, and a vivid retelling of the night to remember. A very informative, gripping read for history buffs.
Quote: "God himself could not sink this ship." ~ 19%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: There's No Coming Back from This
Author: Ann Garvin
Published: August 2023
Pithy Review: Single mother Poppy is on the verge of losing her home when her accountant runs off with her life savings and she's forced to file bankruptcy. An old flame offers her a job on a Hollywood movie set in wardrobe. Poppy is new to this world of movie stardom, iconic costumes and back-lot intrigue. Though she was quite immature for her 50-something age, it's chick lit level funny only worth the Amazon First Reads/Kindle Unlimited download.
Quote: "I wanted to hold on to this moment, but there was no speed limit for life, no brakes at all." ~ 12%
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️