Hurricane Summer

This book broke my heart.

Tilla and her younger sister, Mia, are spending the summer in Jamaica with their father and his entire family. Mia, a nine year old filled with energy, is beyond exited to see their father again. But eighteen year old Tilla remembers all his broken promises, all the trips home to Canada that never happened....

Needless to say, their Jamaican vacation was vastly different from each others.

This book is an exploration into coming into your own identity. It is about love, and shame, and heartache. It is growing up without being given a chance to do it on your own. This is Tilla's story. From the moment she got to the countryside, she immediately felt like an outsider. She was reintroduced to family she hadn't seen in years, to kids she played with as a child, to new friends and enemies who would play a part in shaping who she is at the end of her journey.

I cried.

I cried right alongside Tilla.

I cried when her family verbally attacked her.

I cried for the person she was and felt joy for the person she became.

There are many sensitive topics spoken about in Hurricane Summer, such as death, rape, sexual assault, and violence. All of these are relevant to the story, as it shapes the stigma of shame that many women in Jamaica feel on a day to day basis.

This story is also told through a mix of English and Jamaican Patois. Author, Asha Bromfield includes a Patois Word Bank at the very beginning of the novel that I found myself flipping back to as a reference. I myself have friends that are Jamaican, so I was already familiar with some of the words and phrases, but there is definitely a learning curve when reading Patois.

Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for sending me an advanced copy of Hurricane Summer. I cannot wait for all of you to read this book!

 

Mark your calendars, Hurricane Summer hits shelves May 4, 2021!

Quiet

I've always considered myself to be an introvert.

Turns out almost half the population believe they too are introverts.

I asked some of my closest friends and coworkers if they believed they were introverted or extroverted. Their answers were mixed but after taking the quick questionnaire at the beginning of the book, we found most of us were introverts or ambiverts.

What Susan Cain put into this book really spoke to me. She took introversion and turned it into a positive thing. There's nothing wrong with kids needing to recharge after school. There's nothing wrong with working quietly by yourself, instead of in a group. Even though this book was released nearly 10 years ago, a lot of this research still rings true today. Plus we're seeing a rise of introverts in the workplace, even if they are hiding behind their self-imposed extroverted tendencies.

Cain also differentiated between introversion, shyness, and social anxiety.

I always assumed they were one in the same, but turns out I just have all three!

 

There were also many instances that I didn't realize were considered introverted tendencies, such as driving to a new location the day before you need to be there, just so you can get a feel of the journey without being overwhelmed the day of. Which also got me thinking about my mom, who now in my head seems like an introvert too. Growing up we were always told not to put her on the spot with after school playdates. I remember her riding with me to my new college campus (40 mins away) the weekend before I started. I remember us walking around campus so I could find the buildings I would be in that following Monday. But now I wonder if that was for me or for her or for our shared introversion?

I think that introversion is something that we really should celebrate. It doesn't make you less of a person, it doesn't invalidate your ideas, it shouldn't dictate your life. But you should know that's what makes you, you.

The Saturday Night Ghost Club

I stayed up way too late reading this last night. But I couldn't stop. I just continued reading with my jaw hanging open and my hand over my heart. I closed the book, closed my eyes, and said, "Damn, you had no business being this good."

I feel a weird sort of attachment to this book. I'm not sure if it's my basic childhood nostalgia or if it was that my heart was breaking for Uncle C. I know the story is told through twelve year old, Jake's eyes, but I found myself waiting for Uncle C to show back up.

Calvin is obviously the fun uncle, but with an underlying darkness surrounding him. He runs a shop called the Occultorium where he sells all things occult; phone's that can contact the dead, herbs, potions, all the witchy and wonderful things to connect you with the spirit world. It's there that Jake meets the Yellowbird's, Billy and Dove. They quickly strike up a friendship and form The Saturday Night Ghost Club, where they follow Uncle C into the depths of the unknown.

I'm sure you're thinking a ghost club sounds ridiculous, but there's so much more to the story than that. Jake grows up to become a neurosurgeon. Dove runs off to San Fransisco to become an artist. Billy heads home to see Slave Lake. But Uncle C, my heart is still breaking for him. He's still the quirky fun uncle, just less intense about the whole thing.

I loved how beautifully all of these stories fit together.

Easily in my top 10 favorite books of all time.

Murder in the Bayou

I don't know how to feel about this book.

The Jeff Davis 8 refers to the cold cases of eight murdered women. Every single murdered woman knew at least one of the other women who were murdered. They frequented the same bars and hotels, hung around many of the same people, all struggled with drug addiction, and they were all sex workers. But what I don't understand is how or why they were all killed in similar manners, yet no one has been charged with their murders in the last 16 years.

This book honestly was infuriating to read.

The first several chapters are just leading up to the murders, pretty much building backstories for some of the suspects. The chapters written specifically for the murdered women were probably the best written chapters. It went into their history, their families, what they saw, and their informant work with the police. But what really frustrated me was that the first half of the book was detailing the shady police department, but then author Ethan Brown goes on to say he doesn't believe the police were involved. The book continues on the murder trail and still no definite suspects. The last few chapters of the book are especially annoying to read. Ethan Brown goes on to defend himself against the Jeff Davis Parish Police.

I was expecting facts, instead I got a shoddy mix of conjecture and gossip from locals who agreed to be interviewed for Brown's research. It wasn't the best work of nonfiction by any means, but it did open the door for me to research the Jeff Davis 8 Murders on my own.

I actually look up recent articles to see if there has been any breaks in the case since the release of Murder in the Bayou in 2016. The most significant information I found was that Frankie Richards, a longtime suspect, and confidante of many of the victims, passed away in 2020. The Coroner's office stated Frankie was suffering from a form of pulmonary disease, and likely died of natural causes.....which means no autopsy would be performed. However, police told his family he died of a tainted heroin overdose. Could this department still be trying to cover their tracks?

Good Girl, Bad Blood

I honestly was not expecting to enjoy this series, like at all. I expected it to be overrated and filled with angsty teens who fight crime. But it's so much more than that. I feel like this series could fall into two categories, teen fiction and new adult fiction. Yes, the main character is a high school student, but literally everyone else is in their early to mid-20s.

Good Girl, Bad Blood follows Pip and Ravi's new hobby, podcasting. The idea behind the podcast was to continue following the trial for the murders of Sal Singh and Andie Bell. Oh, and of course, Max Hastings' trial for drugging and raping women at local parties. But in the middle of all this, Pip's friend, Jamie goes missing. Pip has vowed to stop investigative reporting, even if it is her close friend who is missing. She can't allow herself to fall back down that rabbit hole.

 

Jamie could be in serious trouble, and Pip's gut is telling her to help. So of course, she immediately starts interviewing Jamie's friends and family to establish a timeline for the night he went missing. When she realizes there's a catfish situation going on, she knows something crazy is happening. But who could Layla Mead be?

I had the same qualms in both A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood. Both books in this series involve confessions for literally no reason. None of these people had to tell Pip ANYTHING. But, based on the extremely elaborate ending, I think the next book could get verrrrrrry messy and honestly, I can't wait.

Looking for the rest of the series?

Kill Joy (AGGGTM #0.5)

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (AGGGTM #1)

As Good As Dead (AGGGTM #3)

My Best Friend's Exorcism

That's it, I'm obsessed with Grady Hendrix.

 

My Best Friend's Exorcism is set in the same little town as The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, but it's set in the late '80s instead of the '90s. That being said, a lot of the characteristics are the same; small southern town with a deep dark secret that is obviously supernatural but no one picks up on it.

 

So Abby and Gretchen are besties on and off throughout this entire story. But their friendship begins to change after they all decide to drop acid at their friends lake house. Gretchen goes missing for several hours while the girls are running around the property trying to find her. When she finally reappears the next morning, Abby knows something in her best friend is broken.

 

As in typical thrasher films, this book includes birds flying into windows, teenagers hearing voices, breakups and makeups, and of course, teenagers getting in way over their heads and avoiding contact with their parents.

Honestly, I felt like the first half of the book was slow. But then I turned around and finished the other half of the book last night. The storyline picks up, the exorcist shows up, and everything begins falling into place. This book honestly amazing.

I'll be buying all of Grady Hendrix's novels this weekend.

Looking for other books by Grady Hendrix?

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Horrorstör

The Final Girl Support Group

We Sold Our Souls

How to Sell a Haunted House

BadAsstronauts