My Week in Books // 7-14-21

*** One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Omg…Casey McQuiston does it again! One Last Stop was a truly delightful audiobook experience. The story is full of love, friendship, and dedication. August and Jane are such great characters, but I loved the cast of secondary characters just as much. All of them create a beautiful sense of found family and reignite a belief in humanity and all that’s good in this world. I loved the NYC setting…really I just loved everything about this one!

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

I really enjoyed Lee’s book, Pachinko, so I wanted to give this, her debut novel, a try as well. It took me awhile to build up my stamina (this book is 680 pages long!), but I reminded myself that tome books usually end up being some of my favorites! That was enough to encourage me to finally dive in.

This book is very different than Pachinko. First of all, it takes place in New York, not Korea. It is about Korean Americans though and the sacrifices that have to be made in order to succeed in a foreign country. I always love books about immigration because it helps remind me not to take my privilege for granted. The main character, Casey, was incredible. She is totally flawed; her stubbornness, though extremely problematic for her personally, was also somehow admirable to me as the reader. She was determined to face challenges head on and with little help from others. She is a survivor in the true sense of the word and I really enjoyed her.

As for the rest of the story, it was ok. Definitely not as engaging as Pachinko, I found myself having to fight through this one. I wanted to love it more, but I’m still glad I read it.

*** Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

When Lena’s twin sister allegedly commits suicide on Hairpin Bridge, something doesn’t feel quite right. She launches her own investigation into the death of her sister, Cambry. I pick up thrillers because they’re generally quick reads and something I can let myself get lost in. I had Free Food for Millionaires (see above) as my physical book but it was just too big and heavy to try to read in bed, so I downloaded this one for my nighttime reading.

It was a fast and intense ride and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t see many of the twists (I never do), and it certainly had me turning the pages as fast as I could. I have yet to read his previous novel, No Exit, and from the reviews I’ve read of this one, No Exit is better…so that makes me excited to give Taylor Adams another shot!

(#partner #freebooks: All books noted by asterisks (***) indicate I received the book for free from the publisher, the author, or another promotional company to review. All opinions are my own.)