ELLY REVIEWS SPARK OF LIGHT BY JODI PICOULT

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite writers. I have read all of her books and I am never disappointed. A Spark of Light was no exception. I gave this one a solid 5 stars!

Picoult never shies away from controversy in her books. A Spark of Light centers around a shooting at an abortion clinic in the deep south. She masterfully weaves in different points of view and does a beautiful job of addressing all angles of a difficult issue. Ultimately, Picoult’s pro-choice views are pretty clear, but she isn’t overbearing or condescending. She introduces realistic characters who struggle with difficult decisions and the consequences that result.

I encouraged readers to approach this book with an open mind. Picoult’s skill at humanizing her characters, even the ones with whom we vehemently disagree, always generates reflection and a healthy debate, even with one’s own preconceptions.

Elly Reviews GIRL, WASH YOUR FACE by Rachel Hollis

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

I have been hearing rave reviews on Girl, Wash Your Face for the past few months. I was hesitant to read it because Audrey and I read a short 5-day devotional series based on the book and didn’t love it. However, I listened to a couple of chapters of it on her Rise podcast and changed my mind.

I’m glad I did.  I gave the book 4 stars out of 5. It was really motivational to me as I am working toward some goals I have set for myself and my Willing Beauty business. I’ll get to that later!

The premise of the book is that we believe lots of lies that society has passed on to us. We believe that something else will make us happy. We believe we aren’t good enough. We believe that we aren’t worth keeping our own promises to ourselves (this was my favorite takeaway). Rachel breaks down why she has believed these lies and how she overcame them.

Most of the book was very relatable. However, I really struggled with her perceptions on a couple of topics. One: My life is up to me. I get that to an extent- I make my choices and I have to live with the outcome. If I want better, I have to do better. My gripe with the “it’s up to me” philosophy is that  I just don’t believe that I can do it all IN MY OWN STRENGTH. It is essential that I must rely on the Holy Spirit to change me. I can not do anything on my own. Maybe I am interpreting her self-reliance incorrectly, because Rachel is a believer. However, I just can’t completely take my life and my future and my plans into my own hands like she suggests. I have to lean on God and His plans for me.

The other thing that really really bugged me about the book is her relentless body image issues. I get that she thinks that God made us all to be thin and fit. Specifically, she says, “I also believe that humans were not made to be out of shape and severely overweight.” She goes on to say that we are to love and care for our bodies. Okay. I get that. I agree. Where she loses me is when she begins talking about her own obsession with body image. There is a difference in caring for and nourishing your body and being obsessed with fitness and being, in her words from a Rise podcast episode, “in sick [extremely muscular] physical condition.” She has battled emotional eating and what I would term disordered eating. She overcame them, like she does with everything, through therapy and willpower.  I’m pretty sure, based on the things she writes and says, she judges every chubby woman as someone who just makes excuses and doesn’t really try. Maybe that is true for some. Or, maybe for others, being “in sick physical condition” isn’t a priority. AND THAT’S OKAY. Her best self is not my best self.

But, Elly, you gave this book 4 stars! Your review sounds like you hated this book!

Not true at all! I just needed to disagree with her on those key points. Otherwise, the book has had a massive impact on my life and my thinking. Rachel’s advice has motivated me to keep my promises to myself. For example, I have been working with Willing Beauty as a Beauty Advisor since August. August was an amazing month for my business! September WAS NOT. The goals I had set for myself were not happening. I felt like giving up. Fortunately, this was when I was reading Girl, Wash Your Face. It encouraged me to be persistent in my business, if this was what I really wanted.  Well, it was, so I knew what I needed to do. Stop being so quick to give up just because a thing was hard. Stop breaking promises I made to myself. That is a mantra I have adopted and put forth in all areas of my life. If I tell myself I’m going to do it, I HAVE to do it. What a change I’ve seen as a result of that thinking!

Audrey Reviews ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY by Dave Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day is a collection of essays about different parts of David Sedaris’s life. From speech therapy in elementary school to living in Paris with his boyfriend Hugh, David Sedaris takes you on a hilarious journey through his life. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars, but it was really worth 4.5 out of 5 stars. Sedaris’s tone in some of the most hilarious stories was priceless. He points out ridiculous discrimination in a way that makes it funny. His essay topics range from bathroom humor to cultural prejudice. The book is divided into two parts, the first is his about his life before he met Hugh and moved to Paris, while the second part is about his life in Paris and learning French. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a good laugh and anyone who likes memoirs. 

Audrey Reviews FLIPPED by Wendelin Van Draanen

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Flipped, a middle school book by Wendelin Van Draanen, earns a generous six out of ten stars from me. Main characters Bryce and Juli are eighth graders who have known each other for years. Bryce thinks Juli is obsessed with him, and she is a little obsessed. However, once Juli finds out that perfect Bryce isn’t so perfect, their roles reverse. Bryce comes from a very difficult family. His father is very insulting and jumps to conclusions without knowing the whole story. Juli's family, on the other hand, is kind and creative. The contrast between the families and the character development make for an interesting story, but the ending is just disappointing. There were also parts of the book that were just unnecessary, but they were better than some major plot points.

I would recommend this book for 5th and 6th graders. It wasn't terrible, but it was very mediocre. There is also a movie based on this book, but it is set in the 1950's instead of present day. Otherwise, the movie did follow the book pretty closely and wasn't a bad adaptation.

Audrey Reviews FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury

Guy Montag is a fireman in his anti-book society. Since all of the houses are fireproof, firemen burn books. Montag comes to the realization that what he is doing is wrong, and decides to start defying the norm of society. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the best dystopian books I’ve ever read. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending, the rest of the book was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the book burning aspect of it. I am not a fan of censorship, so when Montag rebelled against his society, I loved it. The ending wasn’t satisfying for me. The men in the forest just seem to come out of nowhere and they just kind of derailed the story. This book was totally worth five stars, including the ending. Bradbury gave the society scarily realistic futuristic aspects and a general topic for people to think about.

Audrey reviews MATCHED by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie
*I read this book in early August and am just now getting time to write the review!*

Matched is a romantic dystopia, based on the concept of everyone being matched with their soulmates by the government. The system is supposed to work perfectly, except in Cassia’s case. She was matched with her closest childhood friend, and someone who’s always been in the background of her life.

I thought that Matched was very predictable. Don’t get me wrong, I liked parts of it, but the predictability ruined the effect. Cassia was kind of a flighty character and she ruined a lot of her opportunities. The society also seemed really forced. But I did like it when she took initiative and spoke to Ky, and when she started to realize what her society was really like. All in all, I would give this three stars. Matched was a little unoriginal and kind of sad for the characters. I might read the other books in the series if I get in a reading lull, but I won’t be reading them soon.

Elly Reviews THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

A couple of things before my review:

1. School started on August 1 and that has been all we've had time for! We sincerely apologize for having nothing new to review!!! Now that we've gotten into the groove of school, I'm sure we'll have more to share.

2. How was I so late to the GUERNSEY party? I have checked this book out at least once or twice the last several years but I never started it. Because I want to watch the Netflix movie, I finally buckled down and started reading it, which brings me to this review.

This book deserves FIVE STARS! I don't give five stars out often or with little thought. Most recently, I gave Silas House's Southermost five stars for the same reason Guernsey gets them: a beautiful story that gave me characters that I wept with and cheered for. A five star book goes beyond entertaining or enjoyable. I am moved and wowed by a five star and Guernsey did just that.

I will admit that at first, the set up of a novel in letters didn't excite me. I think that is why it took me several tries to get started on the book. Once I was able to establish who the each of the characters were and how they fit together, the letters were no longer an obstacle.

The gist of this book is that Juliet, a young writer in post-war London, takes an interest in the history of the occupied island of Guernsey and begins corresponding with the people there to learn more of the heartbreak they endured and the resilience they developed during the German Occupation, particularly the stories that surround a brave young woman named Elizabeth. Juliet eventually moves there and finds that the stories she has heard have become part of who she is.

I truly loved this book and the characters created by authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It was sweet, sad, and hopeful all at the same time. Tonight, I think we will watch the movie and see how it stacks up. Half of the cast came from Downton Abbey so I imagine it will be delightful as well!

Audrey Reviews The Summer I Turned Pretty Series

The Summer I Turned Pretty Series by Jenny Han

I recently read Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series and I loved it, so I decided to read her The Summer I Turned Pretty series. As much as I loved the first series, the second was a complete let down. The Summer I Turned Pretty was the first book in the series about Belly Conklin and her struggles with love. The second book, It’s Not Summer Without You, takes place a year later and follows Belly and her first summer not in Cousins. The last book, We’ll Always Have Summer, takes place at the end of her freshman year in college and shows Belly go through another summer and a lot of drama. For me, this series was very disappointing. Belly was a messy character and she seemed to get herself into unnecessary trouble. Conrad was one of the only characters I saw actual character development in. Belly’s inability to think about others was just sad. I gave this series three stars, but I was feeling generous so it’s probably more of two and a half star average. I wouldn’t recommend this series to anyone.

Audrey Reviews All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Audrey Reviews All Fall Down by Ally Carter

All Fall Down was the beginning of the Embassy Row series, which follows Grace and her search for revenge on her mother’s murder. All Fall Down was well-written and it really made you think. The flashbacks in the story made Grace’s struggle with trauma realistic and Ally Carter has made the fictional country of Adria seem real. I gave this book 4/5  stars because it was interesting and realistic. I am planning on reading the other two books in the series at a later time, but I am going to hold off on reading them right now because I have other books that are about to expire from the library.

Both Gilbert Girls review Jenny Han's Lara Jean Series

This week, Audrey and I finished reading Jenny Han’s Lara Jean book series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You,  and Always and Forever, Lara Jean. We will admit that the upcoming Netflix movie, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, inspired us to read the series. The movie will come out on August 17.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before tells the story about Lara Jean Covey and the chaos that unleashes after her secret love letters are sent out. The second book, P.S. I Still Love You talks more about Lara Jean and her now not-fake boyfriend Peter Kavinsky. The third book, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, is set a year later and outlines the stress of senior year.

Audrey’s take: The whole series is really funny and cute. I read it because I thought that it would be a fluff read, but I realized that you can’t judge a book on it’s title. While it was quick, and at some points, a little fluffy, it was actually really substantive and interesting. Lara Jean was like a real person. Some authors don’t develop their characters well, but Jenny Han did an excellent job. Han also incorporated references to famous rom-coms, which made the books even more lovable. The series was great all around. I gave the series an average four stars because the characters were well developed and the story was cute and funny.

Elly’s take:  I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed all three, especially the first and second books. I would give the series as a whole four out of five stars, even though the third book didn’t quite give me the ending I was hoping for. What I liked most about the series was how much it reminded me of books I read in middle school, especially my beloved Judy Blume books and the Linda Berman series (We Hate Everything But Boys, etc) by Linda Lewis. I have to wonder if Jenny Han, who grew up around the same time I did, read these, too! They had a sweet, nostalgic feel. I felt like Han had a good ear for teenage dialogue, and she dealt realistically with problems facing teenagers, while still preserving Lara Jean’s inherent values. I enjoyed Lara Jean’s evolution and would love for Han to give us a glimpse of her college adventures, but Han says she is finished with the character, so I’ll just have to imagine grown up Lara Jean on my own!

Elly reviews WORDS WE DON'T SAY by K.J. Reilly

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of K.J.Reilly's forthcoming young adult novel,
Words We Don't Say, hitting bookstores in October. I rated this 4/5 Stars...More like 3.5 stars, but I’ll round up this time because Joel’s struggle and character development worked for me. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to love this book but I felt compelled to see it through and I am glad it did. I appreciated Joel’s evolution from having so much inside him that he couldn’t share...so very like many young people I know and work with. The author’s use of saved text messages brought this age old struggle beautifully into the present. I loved  the PTSD/veteran storyline but I will confess that I didn’t love the darkness that the gun brought to the story. That alone will give me pause in recommending this to students. Otherwise, it was a powerful commentary on the curse of PTSD that taught me much about a problem that needs to be better addressed in our society.

Audrey reviews Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Henry and Rachel have been friends for ten years, but when Rachel moved to Sea Ridge, their friendship weakened. Rachel lost her brother, Cal, along with her old self. Henry found out that his girlfriend doesn’t actually love him. When Rachel moves back to Gracetown and starts to work at Henry’s family’s bookshop, Howling Books, they try to rekindle the flame of their friendship but end up finding something more. 
Along with the main story of Rachel and Henry in Words in Deep Blue, there were the side stories of George and Cal, George and Martin, and Amy and Henry, which all fit in perfectly with the main story, and didn’t distract from Henry and Rachel. Because much of the story takes place in the bookstore, the author, Cath Crowley, was able to tell the some of the side stories in a unique format. George and Cal got to know each other through letters in the Letter Library, a place where anyone could leave notes in books for other people to read. George and Martin became friends through the letters as well. Amy and Henry's relationship was the obstacle that Henry helped to realize that he was meant to be with Rachel.

The author's use of the Letter Library created a format that gave the story an interesting twist. Through the letters, we got to know the characters better than we would have without them. Whether they were letters left by the characters in the book or by random readers, they gave us an inside look into what people think about while they read. 
Words in Deep Blue was much like a journey. A journey from grief and tragedy. A journey to find old friendship. A journey to find love. Rachel was overcome by grief from the death of her brother, Cal, and Henry has just found out that the “love of this life” didn’t actually love him. This book dealt with the subjects of grief, love, and friendship so well, that it was like you were living along with Henry and Rachel as they were experiencing them.
I recommend this book for fans of Rainbow Rowell and John Green. Anyone who likes books about people who enjoy reading, or geeky characters, would find this book relevant and meaningful. People who are grieving might find this book comforting as well. I gave Words in Deep Blue a five-star rating because it’s funny, interesting, and thought-provoking.

Elly reviews Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers

3/5 Stars

I received an ARC of this book. Pros: Loved the podcast frame of the narrative. I also enjoyed the bond between the sisters and May Bell. Reasons for so few stars? I felt like there were dots that didn’t connect for me, especially at the end. I just felt like some parts were just thrown in for red herrings or to shock the reader. It just didn’t click for me. Also, I teach advanced students in middle and high school and I don’t know that I would recommend it for young adults, even though it is branded YA. It was just a bit too dark and trigger filled for most of my kids.