Woof. I’m in a reading rut. Such a Fun Age was my favorite of the month, but overall none of these selections really WOWED me. Midnight Sun was interesting for a bit because *nostalgia*, but WOW I did not notice how angsty Edward was when 17 year old me read twilight! And All the Missing Girls….I wanted to love it, but it just didn’t hold my attention. I’ve come to realize that if I don’t like the narrator, I’m not going to like the book. I want to root for the main character….not wish I had picked up any other piece of literature to spend time with.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Grade: B+
Such a Fun Age tells the story of a young black woman who is wrongly accused of kidnapping while babysitting a white child, and the events that follow the incident. I powered through this one in a couple of days! I truly liked it throughout and kept wondering how each situation would pan out. The relationship between wealthy housewife and entrepreneur, Alix, and her children’s babysitter, Emira, is interesting and provides a lot of insight into the dynamics between employer and employee. I’d recommend if you’re looking for a good book that focuses on relationships and unspoken, unintentional biases.
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
Grade: (As a book – D, For Nostalgia Purposes – B)
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer is the new retelling of Twilight from Edward’s perspective. Oh wow…. I have never in my life wanted to tell a fictional character to shut up more than I did with this book. Edward feels so sorry for himself that I truly wonder how he’s made it this long – and furthermore, why Bella stuck around. The angst is just too much for me. And the stalker-ie obsession with Bella. UGH. My teenage-self loved Twilight. I absolutely adored the books and devoured them over and over again. THIS BOOK WAS 300 PAGES TOO LONG. And filled with SO. MUCH. SELF. LOATHING. Was it worse because I listened to the audio book version? Perhaps. All I know is that I found myself rolling my eyes about every 30 seconds. If you’re a twilight fan, I think it’s a rule somewhere that you have to at least try to read Midnight Sun – but if there’s any way around it, I’d recommend skipping it. There wasn’t nearly enough new content to justify the absurd page count.
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Grade : C-
Nicolette Farrell left her hometown ten years ago after the disappearance of her best friend. Her ailing father brings her back and soon after her arrival another girl disappears. Links begin to form between the two missing person’s cases and Nicolette wants to uncover what’s really going on. Even more interesting? The story is told in reverse. I really don’t know what to say. For all intents and purposes, it should have been right up my alley, but it fell flat. The backwards story telling felt unnecessarily confusing. I had to keep forcing myself to pick it up, and in the end it went into my DNF pile. I’m sure it’s a great book for someone – but that someone wasn’t me.
Wildflower Collective 