Fun for the Whole Family

 

“Fun for the Whole Family” by Jennifer E Smith

Published by Ballantine Books (release date 4/8/25)

 

I highly recommend this one. It’s a family drama, but more so, it’s a family love story showing the bond between four siblings during their highs and lows of life. It tells how they depended on each other while growing up, how (and why) they became estranged for a number of years, and their ability and willingness to forgive and re-bond when given the opportunity. And they were all in need of the opportunity. It also shows that even when they were estranged, they never stopped loving each other. Are the sibling livelihoods as a whole realistic? Not really. Does that matter? No. It’s not about the individual lives they lead. It’s about the relationships between them.  And with the way the chapters are broken up between the past and present, with each character having a voice, you’re able to fully understand each sibling’s point of view and the dynamic between them. Yes, the foreshadowing within the book makes it fairly predictable, but that’s OK because it’s not a mystery.  Overall, I thought it was beautifully done and let me feel all the feelings.

 

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review and completely my own. 

 

Finished 3/27/25 – 4/5 stars

 

#funforthewholefamily #jenniferesmith #ballantinebooks #netgalley #2025reads #genxreads

The Death of Vivek Oji

“The Death of Vivek Oji” by Akwaeke Emezi
Published by Riverhead Books
 
The last 50 pages were the best part of this book – very emotional.  It’s an LGBTQ+ book with focus on closeting true identities and relationships due to lack of acceptance from family and the Nigerian culture.  Reading about LGBTQ+ relationships in general doesn’t bother me, but in this book one of the relationships is between first cousins and that is just icky.  Forbidden love is one thing but to me, this is incest, making it hard for me to enjoy it.  You want love and happiness for each of the characters, just not with each other.
 
Finished 3/23/25 – 2/5 stars
 
#thedeathofvivekoji #akwaekeemezi #lgbtqbook #2025reads #genxreads
 

Saltwater

 

“Saltwater” by Katy Hays
Published by Ballantine Books
 
Multiple mysteries, multiple twists, lots of family drama, and plenty of unlikable characters, all set in a beautiful Italian villa.  What it doesn’t have is suspense and deep character development, making it harder to relate to any of them.  Granted, it’s a rich egotistical family so it would be hard to relate anyway.  Overall, I enjoyed the story but truly didn’t like the ending.  I actually wish it had ended a couple chapters earlier.  I simply found the final twists unnecessary, but that’s just my opinion.  If you read it, I’d love to know yours.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.
 
Finished 3/19/25 – 3/5 stars
 
#saltwater #katyhays #ballantinebooks #netgalley #2025reads #genxreads

Please Look After Mom

 

“Please Look After Mom” by Kyung-Sook Shin
Published by Vintage Contemporaries
 
I have mixed feelings about this book.  I enjoyed the stories within, however, the way it’s written, I found it confusing at times as to who was narrating the story.  I also found it slow and hard to connect with any of the characters.  Some of these issues could have simply been due to cultural differences or maybe something being lost in translation (originally published in Korean). If you enjoy books centered around family dynamics and relationships, I would say give it a try.  It’s an award-winning novel so obviously others enjoyed it more than I did.
 
Finished 3/12/25 – 3/5 stars
 
#pleaselookaftermom #kyungsookshin #vintagecontemporaries #2025reads #genxreads

I Must Say

 

“I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend” by Martin Short

Published by Harper Audio

 

This book should be listened to rather than read.  With the audio you get to hear his impersonations of others and the voices of his well-known characters.  I just don’t think it would read the same in the written format.  You also get to hear the absolute love he had for his wife through his voice. You can just tell what she meant to him.  I do wish he had waited another decade before writing his memoir though because I would have loved to have heard more about his tour with Steve Martin and his time on Only Murders in the Building. 

 

Finished 3/10/25 – 3/5 stars

 

#imustsay #martinshort #harperaudio #2025reads #genxreads

Peach Blossom Spring

 

“Peach Blossom Spring” by Melissa Fu

Published by Little, Brown and Company

 

I really like the premise of the story and parts of it are beautifully written, however, it dragged in places. It is a multi-generational story that begins when the Japanese invade a province in China in 1938 and ends in the United States in 2005. During that time, you see the strength a mother bears to protect her son, and later, due to the trauma of the past, the lengths a father will go to protect his daughter from it. There is obviously Chinese history and culture throughout it as well. You can even learn a handful of Mandarin words. Overall, I enjoyed the story that took place in China and Taiwan more than the American storyline. I do recommend it if you like historical fiction, cultural fiction, or just enjoy having diversity in your reading journey (which everyone should).

 

Finished 3/7/25 – 3/5 stars

 

#peachblossomspring #melissafu #littlebrownandcompany #botm #2025reads #genxreads

The Lost Passenger

“The Lost Passenger” by Frances Quinn
Published by Ballantine Books
 
This is the story of a woman stuck in a loveless marriage, living with her in-laws who completely loathe her.  When she and her son survive the sinking of the Titanic, she decides to take the opportunity to start a new life in New York under a different name rather than return to the miserable life waiting for her back in England.  What will she do with this new lease on life?  What if someone finds out?  It’s a risk, but one she feels she must take.
 
I thought it was a good read.  Unfortunately, during the first half of the book I had a hard time not picturing the movie Titanic and making comparisons to the storylines.  It didn’t help that one of the side characters was named Rose.  But putting that aside, I thought it flowed well and had good character development.  I did prefer the New York half of the book better than the 1^st half in England though.  It just seemed a little slower at the beginning.  I do recommend it though – I enjoyed it, and it definitely kept my interest.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.
 
Finished 2/27/25 – 3.5/4 stars
 
#thelostpassenger #francesquinn #ballantinebooks #netgalley #2025reads #genxreads