I haven’t found an Ali Hazelwood book that I haven’t loved (although I haven’t read Bride) and I was hesitant to listen to this one, so I purchased it and sure enough I loved it. It takes place at Stanford and is about diver Scarlett and swimmer Lukas. Lukas was dating Scarlett’s friend on her team which causes some tension between teammates. Scarlett is also struggling with a mental block in diving after an injury.I could understand how Lukas, who wants to take care of Scarlett, and Scarlett, who wants to be cared for, ended up falling for each other. It took Scarlett a lot longer to realize that it was meant to be! I liked that this book still falls in the world of STEM like the author’s previous novels, and that Olive and Adam play a role! This is probably about as steamy of a romance as I can read without it being too cringe worthy. I liked the story that went along with the rest of it as well. Are you better at swimming or diving?
I got Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister from Book of the Month. It was one of my highly anticipated books this year because I loved this author’s previous two books. I loved this one as well. It is about Cam, whose husband disappears and turns up involved in a hostage situation – in which he is the hostage taker. But things may not be what they seem. The hostage negotiator, Niall, also has viewpoint chapters, which was interesting as well.This book was suspenseful and entertaining with reveals about the situation feeling realistic. I think if you enjoyed her previous books, this one will be a hit as well. Do you have a favorite type of pen? Or what's the last thing you wrote down?
I received The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones from minotaur_books in 2021 and I listened to off of my backlistbooks2025 list. It is about Rachel, who along with her husband Jack, her best friend Paige and Paige’s husband Noah, is going to Ali’s wedding to Jack’s brother Will. Rachel doesn’t like Ali and suspects she is sleeping with her husband.⁣ ⁣ Everyone in the story had secrets. I was convinced that Ali was up to something completely different, and I was wrong. I think if I was right, it may have been more entertaining! As it was, things didn’t seem all that surprising.⁣ ⁣ What is one of your guilty pleasures?
Thank you getredprbooks for sending me a copy of Surviving The Survivor by Joel Z Waldman. This book is written as a conversation between the author and his mother, a Holocaust survivor. They cohost a podcast on true crime, and the first crime the author mentions is the one recently fictionalized by Tova Mirvis! The author and his mother discuss topics including the death of his father, the loss of his older brother to a genetic disease, 10/7 and Israel, and more.⁣ ⁣ The way this mother and son speak to each other is definitely unique. They argue a lot. I suppose their style is funny on their podcast. I imagine the book is meant to draw more people to listen to it!⁣ ⁣ Have you heard of this podcast or do you enjoy podcasts in general?
Thank you to aliveandbeating for sending me a copy of Alive and Beating by Rebecca Wolf. When the author reached out to me about her book, I did not know that the story was based on that of Alisa Flatow, a young person who was killed in a terrorist attack in Israel in the ’90s. After her death, she was very well known by name in my area of NJ, because she grew up nearby. Rebecca Wolf wrote this story about the people who received life saving organ transplants after a similar situation, inspired by Alisa.While each of the six characters in the story have individual stories, they are interconnected by knowing similar people. It reads as a microcosm of Israeli society that I really enjoyed, although the stories were left prior to the actual transplants, leaving the reader wondering about their outcomes. I wanted to know what happened to Jamal! The author lives close to where I’ll be in about a week, so maybe I will stalk her and ask her! Just kidding…maybe. I'm also obsessed with the orange crochet flowers. They match the cover but they also have meaning for current events in Israel. So thank you again to the author for including them! What was your favorite book in March?
Thank you harperkids for the middle grade books which I read during middlegrademarch! ⁣ ⁣ Old School by Gordon Korman is about Dex, who grew up in a retirement community and is now starting middle school for the first time. He adapts to this new environment well but doesn't quite know the rules and ends up suspended. I loved how the kids and the seniors interacted on his behalf. He's not a bird like the cover!⁣ ⁣ Noodle and Bao by Shaina Lu is a graphic novel. Noodle is Bao's grandma and the story is told by Bao's friend Momo. It is about gentrification in Chinatown and how Noodle has to change their restaurant into a food cart. There is conflict between Noodle and Bao about expanding the menu versus staying traditional. I like how the animal depictions represented immigrants and the humans shown were second generation immigrants. I also liked how Chinese language characters were used as well as English. ⁣ ⁣ A Split Second by Janae Marks is about Elise, who experiences a time jump and discovers she is no longer friends with her closest friends. Her new friend Cora tries to help her fix things. I liked the bit of a twist in the middle and how Cora was into crafts. I don't like that the kids sneak out though.This was a fun mystery!⁣ ⁣ Gordon Korman was the first author I ever met as an elementary school student! Did your school ever bring in someone well known to talk to the kids?