When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson

 

5*

Oh, my! It was worth the 10-year wait since the publication of my all-time favorite young adult book, I’ll Give You the Sun, to finally read Jandy Nelson’s new book, When the World Tips Over. Other than excellent writing, I had no idea what to expect and never could have anticipated this tear-inducing, heartbreaking, romantic, redemptive family saga full of magical realism, sibling rivalry, and fanciful storytelling. Like its predecessor, a central theme is the way children cope with the loss of a parent, whether through death, abandonment or mental illness. It’s also vaguely reminiscent of Esquival’s Like Water for Chocolate minus the overwhelming tragedy. That’s not to say that this story is a happy one.

In its 500+ pages, there’s plenty of space for Nelson to weave a tale that gives sufficient attention to all of the characters and their lives, both separate from each other and in the ways they intermingle. She successfully juggles the various timelines and multiple POVs; handles multiple traumatic, potentially triggering events with sensitivity; describes the impact her characters’ bad decisions have on people around them while still not seeming to judge them harshly; introduces ghosts and curses without them seeming fantastical; and paves the way for a very dysfunctional family to come together and begin to heal following a near-tragedy. I found the idea of nature vs. nurture very interesting, especially how genetics can have a profound impact on someone’s life in both positive and negatives ways (whether it’s synesthesia, sexual orientation, musical talent, etc.), and appreciated how Nelson handled queer characters and their navigation of their sexuality and gender identity in the face of adversity. The exploration of love in all its forms (e.g., familial, platonic, romantic) is a thread that runs throughout the story, and is a potent motivator for many characters.

There are so many emotional highs and lows in this story. I actually cried in the first chapter and several other times throughout, but there was never a feeling of hopelessness. Of course, I also thought how much this family (especially the children) could benefit from therapy. Having a dog you can talk with telepathically is not a healthy coping mechanism! A quote near the end, which references the title, pretty much sums it up: “I do believe now that when the world tips over, joy spills out with all the sorrow.”

Although this is billed as a young adult novel, I want to emphasize that the number of triggers is very high, so this would be most appropriate for older teens, young adults and adults. It’s an unforgettable story that deserves all the awards and accolades I suspect it will receive. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Dial Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

If you don't want to see the triggers in case you consider them spoilers, don't read beyond this point.

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Tags and Triggers: #FamilySaga, #Curses, #StarCrossedLovers, #LGBTQ, #California, #Vineyards, #Brothers, #Musicians, #Synesthesia, #Infidelity, #Neglect, #Abandonment, #DomesticViolence, #SexualAssault, #Death, #Grief, #YALit, #YoungAdult, #Romance, #MultipleTimelines, #MultiplePOV, #Tearjerker, #Soulmates, #DysfunctionalFamily, #LoveAtFirstSight, #Family, #Depression, #MentalIllness, #Addiction, #Alcoholism, #SingleParent, #AccidentalPregnancy, #Abuse, #ChildAbuse, #Trauma, #CleanRomance, #LoveTriangle, #ForbiddenLove, #Dogs, #MMRomance, #GayRomance, #Bullying, #Guilt, #Wineries, #Stepsiblings, #LiteraryFiction, #RoadTrip, #MagicalRealism, #Chefs, #Paranormal, #SexualAbuse, #Ghosts, #Adultery, #OralStorytelling, #Coming-of-Age, #Bildungsroman, #Diaries, #Dreams

The Fake Wedding Project by Pippa Grant

 

2*

This was an okay (not) Christmas story, although the small, fictional town of Tinsel, MI celebrates the holiday year-round. The premise is that Amanda, visiting from NYC, in an effort to avoid having a dreaded conversation with her pushy grandmother, pretends to be engaged to her secret best friend Lorelei’s brother Dane who is visiting from San Francisco. Why a secret BFF? Well, that’s because their families have been feuding for about 150 years and no one remembers why. Unfortunately, the whole town walks on eggshells because their parents’ and grandparents’ primary pastime, when they’re not running rival bakeries (her family’s gingerbread and his family’s fruitcake), is to play a mean game of oneupmanship, not hesitating to use their offsprings’ accomplishments as pawns in their petty war rather than just showing pride. Dane, who hasn’t really seen Amanda since high school (when he harbored a crush on her), readily agrees to fake an engagement with the lie that they’ll elope to Vegas a month later. However, the feud-weary townsfolk decide they should get married within the week. Do they not have enough to keep themselves busy that they can drop everything to throw together a wedding in a matter of days…and not have the courtesy to even ask the couple if they’re okay with it?

I just couldn’t get on board with the idea that they’re both such pushovers and are so easily bulldozed by everyone, that they really think they can use their very brief engagement to end the feud, and that announcing it is fake just before the ceremony won’t have everything blow up in their faces. There’s just so much that’s unrealistic about this story, and I got bored and frustrated with how rude and inconsiderate Dane’s uncle and all their grandparents were to their supposed future spouses. Although there was spice (as in the sexy kind, not the baking type), I didn’t feel any chemistry between them. I also didn’t buy into the instalove trope, even if they were sharing a cabin for a few days. Not a horrible book, but not the least bit memorable either.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Montlake through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Duke’s Christmas Bride (Drop Dead Dukes #3) by Anna Bradley

 

4*

In the best tradition of Christmas stories set in Regency England, Anna Bradley has gifted readers with a heartwarming confection full of joyous redemption, ginger nut biscuits whose taste and smell evoke memories long forgotten, and a slow burn but spicy romance between a penniless, but kind and beautiful commoner and a surly, jaded duke hiding a hurting boy inside. It’s light on the angst, but enriched with romantic gestures, honest, heartfelt conversations, and friends who provide loving guidance to both Rose and Max, Duke of Grantham. Although it’s set at Christmas, there’s very little mention of festivities until the latter part of the story other than Max’s bad memories associated with the holiday. Regardless, it’s a welcome addition to the genre. Although part of a series, it can be read as a standalone although the couples from books 1 and 2 make an appearance. Recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Kensington Zebra through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

The Start of the Story by Jane Lovering

 

4*

This story “started” in the mid-1800s with the arrival of Irish immigrants fleeing the famine and settling in the cold, desolate landscape of Yorkshire England. Rowan Thorpe is a folklorist whose current project is uncovering the stories told, and eventually written, about the Fairy Stane, a large, heavy stone set among the reeds and bracken on the moor between her restored mill cottage and the remains of an English manor house. Legend has it that the Stane is the gateway to Fairyland and it isn’t to be moved or the “little people” will escape and wreak havoc on the earth. Although she knows that the tale isn’t true, she’s highly protective of the site, both in honor of those long gone and for more personal reasons. So, it’s no wonder she doesn’t welcome visiting Professor Conor O’Keefe, an historian who is in York to research a possible Roman settlement on land where the Stane sits and who announces when first meeting her that he might have to turn the stone over to check for markings. As these two wounded souls are thrown together, first due to noisy neighbors, then thanks to blizzard conditions, they begin to build a friendship and to realize that they have more in common than they initially thought. Rowan’s job is to record and preserve these oral traditions and Conor’s is to gather facts and uncover artifacts to explain history, but the lines begin to blur the more they share about themselves and the motivations that inform their actions.

Although there is an enemies-to-lovers romance that slowly builds, this book focuses more on how grief, guilt, and shame manifest and the stories that people tell themselves and eventually share with others as a way either to explain things they can’t comprehend or to provide comfort when tragic life events occur with no rhyme or reason, both of which are at the heart of the oral storytelling tradition. The pace of this story is very slow, sort of like an archaeological dig. It’s told from Rowan’s POV, and I would like to have heard more of Conor’s perspective. Initially, I had trouble understanding Rowan’s protectiveness of the Stane, which made her seem very rude and antagonistic. Since she doesn’t believe that fairies are real, and everyone who told or recorded the stories originally is long gone, who besides herself would have a problem with the stone being lifted temporarily? Moving the stone doesn’t negate the value of oral storytelling, especially from an historical perspective, but she argues that it does. Luckily, as time goes on, Rowan’s and Conor’s motivations both become clear, and Lovering does a stellar job of tying all elements of the story together. Anglophiles, history buffs, and readers who like closed door romances embedded in more complex stories will find this book compelling. Recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Boldwood Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A Very Irish Christmas by Debbie Johnson

5*

This is everything I want in a Christmas story: gorgeous Cotswolds and Cork settings; a love triangle with a handsome, generous, and thoughtful English lord, a flirty, gorgeous, dark-haired Irishman, and an Irish-American heroine who has fled to England in the hopes of finding herself after being jilted and left heartbroken; and a delightful cast of villagers and one scruffy stray dog who add heart, wisdom, and comic relief to balance out the (off-page) tragedies that have contributed to the main characters’ feelings about love and second chances. As a former event planner, I also got a kick out of the fact that heroine Cassie shares the same profession, which features prominently.

Debbie Johnson has become one of my favorite romance authors with her talent for writing complex characters who navigate some of life’s greatest challenges with maturity, kindness and hope. As an Anglophile, I also appreciate being able to imagine myself in the rich settings she describes, many of which often seem like characters themselves. A Very Irish Christmas is a gift for the senses and the heart, and with its clean romance, it will appeal to hopeless romantics of all ages. I highly recommend this delightful story which I will be adding to my annual Christmas reading list.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

 

5*

What a beautiful, heartwarming story! Set in a small town in Australia, it’s about an 82-year-old widower named Fred who is mistaken for a recently deceased nursing home resident named Bernard. Due to their uncanny resemblance and Bernard’s dementia, nobody believes Fred when he tries to correct the misunderstanding, and he finally gives up trying to convince the staff because living as someone else with a comfy room, 3 meals a day, and the friendship of his fellow residents to stave off his crushing loneliness is much better than being homeless, which was his next step had fate not intervened. However, when he learns that Bernard has a daughter he was estranged from for over 30 years, Fred has to make the difficult decision of whether to come clean or try to be a father to this lovely woman who has already lost so much in her life.

Author Johnston has written a unique story that highlights the plight of the elderly which is universal. Although the message is ultimately uplifting and redemptive for Fred, it also illustrates how shamefully inadequate the social safety nets are for some of society’s most vulnerable citizens. Fred is as healthy as an octogenarian can be, with no signs of dementia, but thanks to medical debt he incurred when his late wife was battling cancer, he was forced to sell his home and is eventually evicted with nowhere else to go. More fortunate seniors are able to afford decent nursing homes, but they are still at risk of shabby treatment by staff if oversight is lacking, which is portrayed in this book by a nurse who is barely coping with the dissolution of her marriage by turning to alcohol. Johnston also uses a delightful character named Albert to portray dementia and Fred’s friendship with him to demonstrate the correct way to interact so as to cause the least emotional upset and heartbreak. There is plenty of humor as it relates to the human condition, but also plenty of tears. As someone who witnessed her own mother’s long battle with dementia, this story was sometimes painful to read, but I have no regrets thanks to Johnston’s thoughtful handling of the disease.

If you’ve read and enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures, you’ll want to read this book as well. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from William Morrow through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

All I Want Is You by Fallon Ballard

 

4*

A few years ago, I read The Roughest Draft, a romance about two authors (and ex-lovers) who are forced together to co-write the final book of their contract. I remember disliking it intensely because of the clear animosity between the two emotionally-repressed protagonists and feeling like I didn’t want them to have a second chance. There was also a slimeball agent vs. the editors and publicity manager in this story who truly seem to have Nick and Jess’s best interests at heart. Although All I Want is You has a similar premise, the sense of hope and holiday spirit in this story is the antithesis of its lesser counterpart. Yes, it’s a second chance, forced proximity romance in which the protagonists are co-writing a holiday romance that somewhat mirrors their own, but it’s also obvious from the start that Nick and Jess still very much care for each other despite a painful breakup five years prior. Although there are lingering heartbreak and questions about what led to the breakup, there’s also respect and admiration for what they’ve each accomplished in their careers, even if Nick’s trajectory has been steep and highly-successful while Jess’s has been slow and steady, but not yet to the point she can quit her day job. I love the way author Ballard manages to weave together a story within a story that loosely follows the rekindling of their romance and seamlessly blends their differing writing styles. The setting, a cozy cabin-style boutique hotel in upstate New York during a blizzard, decked out in its Christmas finery, is delightful and the perfect backdrop for this sweet, but steamy holiday romance. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from G.P. Putnam’s Sons through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

 

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean

 

2*

Sorry, but I did not like this book. My biggest pet peeve is when authors randomly skip from one time to another, from chapter to chapter, for no justifiable reason. This is one of the worst examples of that writing device. At the start of each chapter, I had to calculate (based on the year) approximately how old Amanda (Mandy) was, and each time, it took me out of the story. Sometimes she was kindergarten age, then in her late twenties, or just 17, heading over to London, then second grade and so on. Not only were the loose ends not tied up at the end, but I also felt like the author intentionally misdirected readers about who Mandy was going to marry. It just all made my head spin and kept me from feeling at all engaged with the main characters or the story. Not recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Holiday Cottage by Sarah Morgan

4*

Sarah Morgan has written another heartwarming Christmas story. Set in both London and the Cotswolds, The Holiday Cottage is about finding family, forgiveness, a true home, and unconditional love and finally discovering the joy that is Christmas. I am a true Anglophile, so I appreciate how beautifully Morgan describes the charm of the fictional Winterbury including the sparkle of lights against the yellow stone shops and cottages, the Christmas market, and the wintry walks through the fields. The sweet friends-to-lovers romance between Imogen and Miles isn’t the central focus but adds another touching plot line to a story that’s full of emotion and second chances. I highly recommend adding The Holiday Cottage to your Christmas story collection.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Canary Street Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers

 

2*

Spoilers:




Sometimes a book can be really well-written, but it just doesn’t do it for me. The Book Swap is one such book. I struggled to get through it, hoping for the happily ever after that readers depend on in romances, but the longer I read, the less I liked the female main character, Erin. I thought both Erin and James were immature and so burdened by their traumas that it really stunted their emotional growth. They both dealt with mommy issues and the cancer death of their mutual best friend, but their utter lack of communication (vs. the tired miscommunication trope) and Erin’s selfish unwillingness to let James explain his actions and forgive him just annoyed me.

The premise of a romance building between two strangers who share ever-increasing parts of themselves in the margins of books found in a London little book library should have been a slam dunk for this romance-loving librarian, but the narrative was just too bogged down with grief, job dissatisfaction, James’s mother’s bipolar disorder, and Erin’s mom’s betrayal. As a former educator and parent, I really hated reading about James’s bullying, and couldn’t fathom why no adults in his life put a stop to it. They both should have been in therapy in their adolescence, another failure on the part of their parents. Even when Erin’s (ironically) psychotherapist sister forced her into therapy at age 30, it was clear that it wasn’t doing her any good in terms of her grieving and stubbornness in holding on to others’ past transgressions. Pretty much everyone in the book is either miserable or making others so. Bottom line, I just found this book depressing and, if I’m being honest, somewhat triggering. Speaking of, there should be trigger warnings for death, bullying, mental illness, and abandonment. Not recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Grayson House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.