Can you believe that we are already on Round 4 of the Book Review Series? Not to mention, I already have Round 5 (fall edition) almost finished, so that will be going live shortly after this one! What can I say? I’ve done a lot of reading lately! I love sharing my reading picks with you guys + I always love getting recommendations in DM’s, emails, and comments! With the weather starting to cool down, grab one of these books instead of opting for a Netflix show.  You won’t regret it, I promise!

Book Review: Round 4

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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

If you’ve read my previous Book Reviews, then you know I’m Moriarty’s #1 fan ha! I love all of her books and I love how the books are always written in different point of views with mind-blowing connections happening throughout the whole book.  I read Big Little Lies after watching the show, but I’m still glad I did! Big Little Lies is the story of a group of wealthy New Zealand women who all have children at the same primary school.  This is suburbia gone wrong when there is a tragedy at the school’s trivia night. You get to know each character so well (one of the many things I love about Moriarty’s writing!) and although this kind of sounds like a crime novel, it’s definitely not.  It’s just a matter of figuring out all of the details and connections, which in this case is a series of linked events and points of view. Per usual, highly recommend this one by my fave author!

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Warning: you will cry when you read this book. I bawled my eyes out.  Based in Australia, Tom Sherbourne takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, an isolated island off the coast.  He brings his wife, Isabel, where you follow along with their life on Janus Rock. Years later, Isabel faces two miscarriages and one stillbirth.  As someone who never has experienced the pain and grief of this, I found this part very heartbreaking. While Isabel is still grieving the stillbirth of her last child, she hears a baby’s cries in the winds when a boat is washed up on shore with a man who has died and a crying baby girl.  Despite her husband’s requests to report the missing boat, father, and baby, Isabel begs him to keep the baby that they’ve named Lucy, since it seemed as though God has delivered this gift to them right after the stillbirth.  However, when they return to the mainland a few years later, Tom is haunted by the consequences of their decisions. This book definitely tugs on your heartstrings and is quite the emotional read.

“We live with the decisions we make. … That’s what bravery is. Standing by the consequences of your mistakes.” — M. L. Stedman from The Light Between Oceans

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Anyone else loved this movie? I read this in the not so popular manner — AFTER watching the movie, but in my defense, I didn’t realize it was a book (actually a trilogy!) until after I watched the movie. This book, as expected, follows the movie pretty closely, but there are a few different twists that the book had that the movie didn’t include (as with all books/movies). Rachel Chu from NY is dating Nicholas Young, where they end up spending the summer in Singapore for his best friend’s wedding.  Little did Rachel know that Nick’s family isn’t just rich…but crazy rich (like billions and billions of dollars rich). They’re both in for a big surprise as Rachel meets the Youngs (cue his disapproving mother) and they become quite the gossip since most girls in Singapore view Rachel as an American gold digger. It’s fun, dramatic, and 10x better than reality TV + it’s so easy to love Rachel and Nick’s relationship.  Totally love this trilogy!

On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins

This book is a lighthearted & quick one that I honestly read in just a day or two.  It features alternating point of views from two half sisters, Ainsley and Kate, who are both facing individual heartbreaks. Ainsley’s boyfriend survived cancer and when she thinks he’s about to propose, he actually breaks up with her, and then publicizes it on his blog, which goes viral.  Kate found her husband Nathan after almost giving up on men and children for good, but is killed shortly after their marriage by a freak accident.  This book navigates the relationship between the sisters, but also loss, love, and healing, and don’t worry, there were plenty of moments that had me laughing out loud!

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

This is a special book.  In a nutshell, A Man Called Ove is about a curmudgeon old man who very reluctantly gets to know his new fun and needy neighbors that just moved in.  This is one of those books that transports you to his life and you really get to know how he came to be — including the loss of his wife, Sonja.  I say that it’s ‘special’ because it may not relate to everyone and there is a lot less dialogue with a lot more narrative prose.  However, you have to commit to Ove’s character development, which captures the reader instantly, but my fair warning: the writing is a bit unconventional.

Photography by Erin Trimble

What have you been reading lately? Drop them in the comments below!