Devil Is Fine by John Vercher is a Blend of Family and Literary Fiction with Touches of Magical Realism!
Our unnamed narrator is a biracial American auDevil Is Fine by John Vercher is a Blend of Family and Literary Fiction with Touches of Magical Realism!
Our unnamed narrator is a biracial American author who leads us through this story speaking in his head to his recently deceased teenage son, Malcolm. He is ravaged with grief, resulting in debilitating panic attacks.
Days after the funeral, he receives a letter from an attorney concerning beachfront property Malcolm inherited from his estranged white maternal grandfather, Malcolm's great-grandfather. As his son's next of kin, this property now falls to him.
What begins as a quick trip south to view and sell the property, ends with unexpected news from an on-site inspection. Our unnamed narrator feels himself spinning in the aftermath of the tragic death of his only child and the shock of what is on this inherited land...
Devil is Fine is the first book I've read by this author and there is much to love about Vercher's beautiful writing, choice of sensitive topics, and flawed characters. This is one of the best books I've read this year and, at less than 300 pages and 9 hours, it's a perfect choice as an immersion read. The audiobook, magnificently narrated by Dion Graham and one of the best narrations I've experienced, was my preference, but either format will deliver a memorable read.
I felt compassion for our unnamed narrator who struggles with his biracial identity, his intense grief, and the bridges he's burned in his relationships. His spiral was hard to witness as he continued making poor choices, yet, I was mesmerized by the author's use of Magical Realism which left me questioning what was real, imagined, or mystical, and feeling much like the unnamed narrator felt.
If you enjoy a blend of Family and Literary Fiction with touches of Magical Realism that leave you wondering, Devil is Fine is a satisfying option I highly recommend!
5⭐
Thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and John Vercher for a DRC and an ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been a pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review. ...more
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is a Stunningly Beautiful Story!
Did I fall in love with the cover first? I didn't read the synopsis and I dThis Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel is a Stunningly Beautiful Story!
Did I fall in love with the cover first? I didn't read the synopsis and I didn't know where it would take me, but I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. If I were to tell you how much I loved this story, it wouldn't be enough...
This Is How It Always Is is a uniquely original and unexpectedly beautiful story with engaging writing and a soft, quiet narrative. It's about a family of seven: five boys, mom Rosie, who is a doctor, and dad Penn, who is a writer. The youngest child, Claude, is different from the other four boys. He feels different, sees himself differently, and when he's five years old, he tells his family that he wants to be a girl when he grows up...
I couldn't stop listening to this story as it carried me along like another member of their family. I adored all of them for their resilience and their immovable displays of love that start at the top, with Rosie and Penn, and trickle down to youngest child, Claude. This is a couple who loves each other, their family, and each of their children in equal measure. Their relationship as a couple is the heartwood that supports the weight of their family.
Mixed within this story is a fairytale told to the children by Penn each night at bedtime that lends a metaphorical tone to the story. Children love fantasy and magic, and Penn loves subliminally playing to the crowd. Did I mention that Penn was my favorite character and his words of reason were magic to my ears?
This Is How It Always Is isn't just a story about one topic, one family, and one different child. At its core, Rosie and Penn are making decisions concerning their children. It comes with the territory and even with the best intentions, it's a tough place to be. This component brings shocking realities to the story.
The audiobook was the best choice for me and my love of the story. Hearing Gabra Zackman narrate this family's story in her soothing voice was exactly what I needed. Why did I wait so long to listen?
This is how you write about a polemical topic and balance it with sensitivity, understanding, and compassion through a loving and thoughtful family of seven. This is how reading can awaken an awareness about the impacts of being transgender from a child's, parent's, and sibling's perspectives.
This Is How It Always Is is a well-thought-out, thought-provoking, and stunningly beautiful story that brought tears to my eyes as I smiled. I highly recommend this amazing book to everyone who can read!
5⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Laurie Frankel for an ALC of this book. It has been a pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review....more
You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley is a Blend of Family and Literary Fiction!
In alternating chapters, we hear from the three maiYou Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley is a Blend of Family and Literary Fiction!
In alternating chapters, we hear from the three main characters who are related, co-dependent, and sucking the life out of each other...
Tom is a gay sixty-something architect and father figure to his niece Cecily. He's experiencing a bad break-up with his long-time boyfriend, Alan, and struggling with several challenges at work.
Cecily is a professor in the thick of a Title IX investigation at the university she's currently suspended from. The stress of the accusation is playing havoc with her career path and her relationship with her boyfriend, Santosh.
Dorothy is Cecily's egotistic single mother and Tom's high-maintenance sister. She's using her life savings to open a retreat center in Woodstock, N.Y. with her business partner, and wellness expert, Fiona Snow.
And now, after thirty-four years, Dorothy decides she wants to tell Cecily who her father is...
You Only Call When You're in Trouble is my first glimpse at McCauley's writing style and storytelling. I found it to be a read filled with the flawed characters he's well-known for and a story that's humorous, engaging, and entertaining.
The humor is the kind you hear in your head about situations and individuals but wouldn't dare to speak them aloud. It's this continuous narrative of honest thoughts and opinions streaming through the story that kept me glued and continuously giggling. As I listened and giggled, with AirPods in my ears, my hubby looked at me like I was nuts.
This was an immersion reading experience through the gifted Digital Reading Copy and Advanced Listening Copy. The audiobook narrated by André Santana is my preference, but either format will deliver a great experience.
You Only Call When You're in Trouble is full of family and relationship drama from beginning to end. It holds serious, life-changing topics delivered in a witty, honest, and fun-loving narrative. By the end, I found these characters to be slightly more tolerable in an oddly endearing way and I recommend this book to readers who might feel the same!
4.25⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Co., Macmillan Audio, and Stephen McCauley for a DRC and an ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review....more
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a Mystery-Suspense and Family Fiction Story!
"HEIRESS, PHILANTHROPIST, ONETIME KIDNAP VICTIM, RUBY MCTAVISH CALLAHAN WThe Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a Mystery-Suspense and Family Fiction Story!
"HEIRESS, PHILANTHROPIST, ONETIME KIDNAP VICTIM, RUBY MCTAVISH CALLAHAN WOODWARD MILLER KENMORE DIES AT 73." ~ The Asheville Citizen-Times, April 2, 2013
Ten years ago when Ruby's entire estate, immense fortune, and newsworthy family history, were passed to her adopted son, Camden McTavish, he turned his nose up at his inheritance and the entire McTavish Family.
Until now...
Now the home and family Camden ran from after Ruby's death are calling him back. The fifteen-bedroom mansion, Ashby House, is in serious disrepair and the tangled mess of Ruby's will makes it next to impossible for the family to request funds for maintenance without Camden's help.
Camden and his wife, Jules, decide together to travel from their home in Colorado to Tavistock, North Carolina, to see the condition of their estate for themselves...
The Heiress was a twisty ride and the first book I've read by Rachel Hawkins. I fully understood Camden's desire to flee the old homestead ten years ago. The McTavish clan was a despicable, disturbing, and dysfunctional family that resulted in a barrel of nasty fun for this reader.
Without a doubt, the most entertaining part of this tale was Ruby's story told through letters written to an unknown recipient. Jules' folksy point-of-view was interesting and enlightening, too, but poor Camden was a major stress case making his narrative no fun at all.
This was an immersion reading experience through the gifted Digital Reading Copy and Advanced Listening Copy. The audiobook has four narrators: Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. Either format will deliver a great experience but if you have a choice, pick the audiobook. The voices of Ruby and Jules should NOT be missed.
The Heiress was a fun read/listen that I recommend to readers who enjoy mystery-suspense stories about complicated, messed-up families!
4.25⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Rachel Hawkins for a DRC and an ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review....more
Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a Blend of Family, Literary, and Romance Fiction with a Touch of Coming-of-Age!
Seventeen-year-old Marley West is the new gMercury by Amy Jo Burns is a Blend of Family, Literary, and Romance Fiction with a Touch of Coming-of-Age!
Seventeen-year-old Marley West is the new girl in Mercury, Pennsylvania, a town where few new people come to live. She gets noticed quickly by Baylor Joseph and eventually gets her place at the table of the Joseph Family. She's attracted to Baylor but when football season calls him away, it's his younger brother, Waylon, that Marley falls in love with...
Mercury is an intense Family Fiction story that begins in 1990 and travels with the characters through the years. The Joseph Family is at the heart of the story with parents, Mick and Elise, and their three sons, Baylor - the oldest, Waylon - thirteen months younger, and Shay - the youngest by quite a few years. This is one complicated dysfunctional family, and the dynamics are deep and ingrained.
At the center of this family is the business, JOSEPH & SONS ROOFING, and along with it are the expectations that each son will join the business in some capacity. The business, all it entails and consumes, is like another character in this story.
What stands out most about this book is the simple writing style that quickly connects you to the characters and the family drama. The way the story is written feels different and multi-layered, told from the 'outside in' and then from the 'inside out', and it works for this story, giving it a higher level of backstory and a character-study feel.
There's a mystery built into the story that takes a surprising twist. Still, it's our protagonist Marley who steers us through this story with her resilience, growth, and determination that kept me reading and listening until there was no more story left.
This was an immersion reading experience through the gifted Digital Reading Copy and Advanced Listening Copy. The audiobook is narrated by Maria Liatis, whose voicing skills are strong, however, either format will deliver a great experience.
I love Family Fiction and this one is surprisingly good. I have added both of Amy Jo Burns' previous books Cinderland: A Memoir and Shiner her debut novel to my TBR List. I highly recommend Mercury to readers who enjoy books with blended genres, engaging writing, fully fleshed-out characters, and discovering a surprise or two within the story!
4⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and Amy Jo Burns for a DRC and an ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review....more
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