The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham

What I Loved: The writing in this book was descriptive, yet never over-describing so that I lost interest. I loved the way the author built this story. The timeline would jump back and forth between Auschwitz and before the war. The way Lily Graham made the time jumps helped to build the characters and was done just right.

Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim

What I Loved: I stumbled across this book as I was perusing Amazon’s Kindle library. The synopsis grabbed me and I was not disappointed! The relationship between the two main characters, Lisbeth and Mattie was so beautiful. I loved being able to watch their relationship develop from Lisbeth’s birth. While the story covers a terrible part of American history, the story of these two people was beautiful.

A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean

What I Loved: The then and now story line in this book was amazing….I’m always a sucker for it!  Initially, I wasn’t sure I was going to like the “then” part of the story, but I got sucked in really fast!

Hidden Pearl by J.E. Laufer

What I Loved: Learning about the hiding of Jewish children in plain sight was so great. I have not read a story like this before and it just drew me in from the first page. I loved how J.E. Laufer wrote the story. She kept the scenes short and moved the book right along. I actually would have enjoyed this book being a bit longer!

Bossypants by Tina Fey

What I Loved: I listened to the audio of this book because I couldn’t imagine anything better than hearing Tina Fey read this to me, and I was right. She was amazing. The book, the stories, her inflections, all of it rocked. I’m sure reading the book is great as well, but I highly recommend the audio.

Of Bitter Herbs and Sweet Confections by Susan Shalev

What I Loved: Susan Shalev’s writing sucked me into this story. I would be distracted while I was reading by something (a child or my husband) and I felt like I was coming out of a trance. I truly stepped into the pages of this book and was pulled into these character’s lives.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

What I Loved: I LOVED this book. I’m already thinking about when I can read it again. The dystopian world that Kim Liggett creates in this book is fascinating! I was completely drawn into the story and the universe. The “Grace Year” location was so well built, I could see everything. I was right there with them through the whole experience.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

What I Loved: The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is written as a diary of the main character. I found that to be such an intriguing way to tell this story. I loved that at times, she had others write their stories in her diary, so we got to see the experiences of others as well. I also loved that the author wrapped up loose ends with side characters, so we know where their stories went as well. It made the story feel complete.

The Book of Flora by Meg Elison

What I Loved: Oh, I loved this book. There were so many times I wanted to stop reading just so that I could start writing about it. My two MAIN loves were:

• The reverence for books throughout the entire story. It’s a book-lover’s dream.
• The LGBTQ+ stories were just so enlightening. The confusion and struggles that Etta/Eddie, Flora, and Connie go through give the reader such a wonderful view of the inner and outer struggles that a person could be going through.

The Wanderlust Diaries by Maria Martinico

What I Loved: I LOVED this book from start to finish! The author’s writing style was so captivating! Have you ever sat down with a friend and they told you the craziest story? That’s what this felt like. I sat down with a friend and they told me of their travels. I got to hear the ups and downs and her side commentary. We laughed and cried together. It was amazing!

Four Day Prince Charming by K. Leigh

What I Loved: I loved the story line. From the moment Chandler notices Lexi, to the last page, I was just in love with the plot. It was a romance story first and foremost, but it was also a lovely story about family and caring for others and I just found all of it so captivating!

Summer at Enid’s by Britt Laux

What I Loved: This book’s story was so simple and beautiful. I loved the relationships between each of the characters and I found myself stepping back and thinking about the relationships I have with my own family while reading. Britt Laux’s writing was so real, I was attached to each character quite quickly. Enid was especially touching, you fall in love with her on page 2 and she stays with your heart the whole way through.

The Other Gloria by L.A. Villafane

What I Loved: The mystery that surrounded this story was captivating! I was so interested in what had happened, what would happen, and in what order. The way the story was told had me moving through the book as fast as I could!

The Flower Arranger by J.J. Ellis

What I Loved: The setting of this book was in Japan and covered a variety of locations. The writing really took me to each of these places and made me appreciate each one’s beauty.

Seven Crows by Kate Kessler

What I Loved: The character Killian was such a bad-A$$. I was engrossed with her character. You remember that little movie, Taken, well she’s the female version of that dad. Kate Kessler wrote a book that played like an action movie in my head. Every description she used was just the right one, and I loved it.

Nineteen by Arly Carmack

What I Loved: Nineteen is a book so stuffed with emotions, you cannot help but be completely sucked in. Arly Carmack writes with such real love, sorrow, and passion, I felt everything the main character, Cameron was feeling. The story was written so vividly and Cameron’s experiences were so authentic, it just connected with me. I expect that it will connect with many other readers as well.

The Return by Camille Funk

What I Loved: The concept of reincarnation and remembering your previous lives was so captivating! I loved the way Camille Funk wrote this story. She focused on the first life of the main character and the 7th life, or the current life. The story was being told at the same pace for each life, switching between the two lives every other chapter. This writing style allowed the story to be revealed to the reader expertly. I LOVED it and I cannot wait until the next book comes out!

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

What I Loved: I LOVED this book. I’m already thinking about when I can read it again. The dystopian world that Kim Liggett creates in this book is fascinating! I was completely drawn into the story and the universe. The “Grace Year” location was so well built, I could see everything. I was right there with them through the whole experience.