Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About J

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Just a girl, sitting in front of a book, wanting it to be good.

J's Reviews:

Beyond gold-diggers and groupies

The Sport Marriage: Women Who Make It Work by Steven M. Ortiz

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I requested this from NetGalley some months ago because the premise of the book is interesting. The wives and girlfriends (WAGs) of professional athletes aren’t unknown in entertainment. They’re featured in reality shows, fiction shows, and it’s an entire genre of kissing book. In all of these arenas, the focus is on the entertainment value of their lives. In Sport Marriage, Ortiz takes a more anthropological approach to the reality of WAG life. He interviews two cohorts of spouses across the more marquee US sports […]

I hate it when my internet fame ruins my real life

What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter

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Oh, this was a delight! Even as I say that, it reminded me of Eliza and Her Monsters, but much more ridiculous (and not quite as good). Like Kels’s IG, this was a twee cupcake of a book. Basic plot: Halle runs a bookstagram where her schtick is that she decorates cupcakes inspired by book covers. It’s focused on young adult books–because adults talking about YA books is apparently “cringey”, as the book tells us over and over and over again. She started the project […]

What comes next? (The Royal We #2)

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan

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I was over the freaking moon when I was approved to review an advance copy of The Heir Affair, Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan’s sequel to The Royal We. The Royal We is one of my very favorite books. When I was sick as a dog during my final pregnancy, I would read it until I reached the end and then flip back to the first page and start again. Though The Royal We felt complete, the door was left open for a sequel if […]

#NotMyDarcy

The Wrong Mr. Darcy by Evelyn Lozada, Holly Lörincz

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I am weak for a Pride & Prejudice retelling. My best friend pointed out that I never enjoy them, despite the fact that I will read almost any that come my way. One of the reasons I so often don’t enjoy them is because I don’t know what I want in a retelling. When do I begrudge the changes made to put the story in a new context? What elements are necessary to retain the spirit of the story I love? Do I need to […]

The bloom has come off the Rose

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

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Naomi Westfield is engaged to be married to the handsome, thoughtful Nicholas Rose. They are a saccharine pair, complete with their own wedding hashtag (#TrueLovesKissFromARose) and schmoopy social media posts. Naomi has a dark secret, though: she despises Nick and desperately wants out. But she can’t really afford to initiate the break-up, so she has to get Nick to want to leave her. And away we go. I look at Nicholas and realize I am actually marrying this man. Forty percent because I love him […]

Half agony, half hope, all swoon

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

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As much as I love Pride & Prejudice, the book just doesn’t update well. (I’m posting a review soon of a spectacular P&P fail.) So many of the elements of the story don’t work out of context. Seduction of underage girls, the importance of one sibling’s marriage on the family’s fortunes, how many families one dines with, fine eyes… stuff just hits different now. Persuasion, however, is, in many ways, a much easier tale to update. A young woman too sensitive to her family’s censure, […]



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