March Book Review
Follow the links to grab your own copy of one or all of my March reads!
Open Book by Jessica Simpson
I love Jessica Simpson, I think she’s stunning, and I love that she embraces her body at every size. She went through her first marriage with millions of people watching, and the entire world labeled her as a dumb blonde without knowing anything about her. I love her, and when her book came out a few weeks ago, I bought it at Target instead of on Amazon. For me that means I really want it. Anyways, the book is great. I loved going back to the beginning, and I felt like I learned so much about the girl I knew on tv. She talks about being molested as a young girl, growing up in a conservative Christian household, absolutely blowing her Mickey Mouse Club audition, and her struggle to fit into the Christian music scene. The Nick romance brought me back to high school, and it broke my heart all over again. I’ll be honest though, the John Mayer years destroyed my soul, and hurt me to my core. While I’m taking it with a grain of salt, I mean it’s her side, not his, I still hate to see a man and musician I love so much be destroyed on the pages in front of me. I’m also critical of the last 100 pages or so because I felt like she goes from pouring her soul out to her readers, to grazing over huge issues. Where is she in her faith? Her father is obviously gay, how did that impact her? I just feel like I’m missing some pages. However, I would read it again, and if you’re thinking about it, you should too. It’s a quick read, but it brought Miss Simpson down to earth for me, and made me smile, cry, and laugh within a few hundred pages.
The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
Lee’s mom gave me this book for Christmas, and somehow it got put on the shelf in a spot where only previously read books go, so it took me a couple of months to find it! I blame Lee. Anyways, I’m glad I picked it up! The lead character, Avery, is a smart girl who, through a variety of accidents and circumstances, finds herself orphaned as a teenager, and when her grandmother passes after high school, struggling to find her way. During that time she befriends Sadie Loman, the daughter of the wealthiest family in her coastal town in Maine. Her best friend is the daughter of the family she now works for and lives with, so each summer she finds herself growing closer and closer to Sadie, and when she mysteriously dies, not only is Avery heartbroken, but she also finds herself searching for answers.
I love a good thriller, and I like characters I can relate to. These characters were in their late 20’s, and recently moving from New England, I felt comfortable with the setting as well. Overall, it’s a good read, and it really did keep me interested. It’s a great option to pass the time during our stay at home season!
Neon Girls by Jennifer Worley
This is another example of a book I may not have picked up if it weren’t for the Harper Perennial influencer campaign. Neon Girls is a true story, and follows Jennifer through her career as a striper in San Fransisco in the mid 90’s. Worley was in pursuit of her PhD, and realized in order to devote more time to school, she needed to cut back on her hours at work. After seeing an add in the classifieds, she finds herself an employee at the Lusty Lady. She comes to realize a lot of the women she works with are in the same position as her, working to pay for school, and many even have undergrad and post graduate degrees already.
While the Lusty Lady helped these women pay their bills, it wasn’t an easy place to work. Strict rules and harsh punishments made for a constant revolving door of girls, and discrimination made life difficult for those that didn’t fit the idea of the Lusty’s perfect stripper. Eventually, they work together to create the first stripper’s union. This isn’t some dirty novel that talks about Jennifer’s sexuality, but instead, it focuses on her journey, and the fight for rights for those working in the sex industry. It’s different, but if you like different, I think it’s a really good read.
Also, I should note, it is not available in paperback or hardback until June, but is available via Kindle now.
Get Out of Your Own Way by Dave Hollis
Like most months, I try to get in at least one personal development book. This month was dedicated to Mr. Dave Hollis, the husband of one of my favorite people in the entire world, Rachel Hollis. If you have read either of Rachel’s books, Girl Wash Your Face or Girl Stop Apologizing, you know that Rachel takes no crap from anyone, especially herself, and refuses to blame any person, group of persons, or circumstances for her inability to achieve her dreams. She’s an amazing woman, and I expected nothing less than for her to have an amazing man behind her. Unfortunately, Dave hasn’t always been all that amazing.
This book was technically written for men, but I think it holds some truths that are important for everyone, regardless of gender. It was interesting to read how Dave has grown over the years, and how Rachel’s success really pushed him to reevaluate himself personally. It’s healthy to see that someone you expect to be perfect hasn’t always been, nor ever will be perfect, and I enjoy reading and learning more about self-reflection and it’s direct correlation to growth. I think it’s a good read if you’re looking to dip your toes in self-development because it doesn’t come off as preachy or weirdly introspective.
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
This book broke my heart and made me cry for women I have never met. Etaf describes the life of three generations Muslim women and their journey to discover who they are in their own religion and the world around them. It hurt me to read this shockingly raw telling of the treatment of these women, even here in America. I can only imagine how difficult it was for her to tell this story, knowing that she was casting her religion in such a negative light, but I applaud her for having the courage to do it. This is a story that needs to be told, and I am so grateful Etaf told it.
Read this knowing you will cry. Read this knowing you will get angry. Read this knowing this is the reality for many women in the world, not just overseas, but here in America. But most importantly, just read this.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
This was my virtual book club’s pick for this month, and it was so good I read it in two days. Now, for some reason I read faster on my phone than I do holding a book, but this one was so good I couldn’t stop. I needed answers.
The main character is a female police officer, Mickey, in a tough part of Philly, and it flows between her past and current situation. She recounts her sister’s downward spiral that eventually led to her falling into prostitution to pay for her drug addiction, and how Mickey, goes from wanting to be an English teacher to a police officer and a single mother.
Throughout her recounting of her past we also follow Mickey in the present as she tries to find her sister and also figure out who has been murdering prostitutes in the neighborhood she grew up in and now patrols. There were some amazing twists I never saw coming, and in the end it was such a good read. It didn’t end how I wanted it to, but that’s usually the sign of a good book for me.
Like always, my March reads were all over the place, but I hope that gives you some options for your next book choice! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out, or drop a comment. I would love to hear from you!
Love,
Lilly
