Book 20 Nothing to See Here

 

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson fulfilled the category “A Magical Realism Book” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. I looked up the term before I choose my novel for the prompt. I know most genres, but apparently, I failed to notice this one. Magical realism is a story that takes place in the modern regular world, but there’s a bit of magic hiding or in plain sight. In this book, the children catch on fire when they are agitated.

Lillian is asked by an old childhood friend to help care for her new stepchildren. Madison is the wife of a wealthy politician, and the children are her husband’s from his first marriage. All Lillian has to do is care for the kids for a short time while their father waits on a political nomination. Sounds easy until Lillian finds out the kids catch on fire all the time. Not that they play with matches or they are pyromaniacs. They literally burst into flames when upset, agitated, mad, scared, angsty… You get the idea. Lillian embraces the job to prove to herself, her old friend, and the universe that she can do this.

Children on fire.

As if parenthood wasn’t tough enough. Now the children are on fire. I read the book with the thought of children’s mental health as the real issue. (Yes, kids on fire is a great metaphor for so many things. But my kids have mental health issues, so I went with that.) Lillian is a trooper. She has practically no clue on how to interact with children, much less with kids that flame up and can burn down the universe if they don’t get a Popsicle. All the while I kept thinking, this fire thing is like the depression or anxiety that my teens feel in our Covid-rocked world. Luckily, I don’t have to cover it up because of politics, nor douse my girls with fire extinguishers. I do have to intervene with soothing talk, quiet times, and understand their level of need. I felt Lillian’s struggle with childcare.

For such an odd concept, the book was well-written, interesting, and tear-jerking. I loved the journey Lillian took throughout the story, and I rooted for her the entire way. In the end, I wanted more. I needed to know what happens next because those kids catch on fire, literally. And I was impressed that the male author did such a superb job with writing the main female character. Plus, the women played basketball. Kudos on that too.

I had several great titles on my list for this prompt including Big Fish (a movie I loved) and Night Circus (which I read half of previously and will try again). I’m so glad I choose this title for the prompt. As a popular title, I’ve seen it several times at the library and wondered what that cover was all about. It’s perfect—the cover and the text.

I give Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson Five Fire Extinguishers.

 

Book 19 Red, White, and Royal Blue

 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston fulfilled the category “A Book Set in Multiple Countries” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. The novel takes place in Washington D.C., England, and Texas. Okay, so it’s only slightly multiple countries. But it works for the prompt as these characters live in different nations and must travel to see each other.

I almost didn’t read the novel. It had a hugely positive reception when it first came out, but a few good friends of mine disliked the book for various reasons. (I can’t remember what they were now.) So, I put it on my “Maybe Someday” shelf in my head. I cannot tell you why I picked up for the challenge this year. Probably because I loved Boyfriend Material so very much and wanted more like it. It’s not as wonderful as that title, but it comes close.

Red, White, and Royal Blue delves into the world of the “First Children” the kids of the President. I loved how the book had a female president who was all action and a real person. But this story is about Alex Claremont-Diaz, the Latino child of the President. He’s a bit of a wild thing, playing in politics and with all the ladies he can find. His nemesis, His Royal Highness Prince Henry is the bane of Alex’s existence. The two men do not get along from the start. Because of Alex’s bad choices, he is forced to create some positive PR between himself and Prince Henry. The two pretended to be best friends. (Hmmm, it does sound like Boyfriend Material.) Instead of friendship, the two men fall in love but must hide it from the world.

Forbidden love is a wonderful thing. The book is a coming-out story for both main characters. Alex realizes he’s bi-sexual. Henry already knows who he is but cannot come out because of his title. Both men must contend with the logistics, the fame, and the complications of their political positions to find their happily-ever-after. And it’s a fun ride. There are other plot points such as Alex’s mother’s reelection campaign, Alex’s journey to find his true self, and Henry’s dealing with being a royal. The plot was rich, the romance was heavenly, and I truly enjoyed the book.

As per my usual, I listened to the novel on audio. The reader did a wonderful job in creating the characters with just his voice. He handled the nuances of a modern story well, and by that I mean, reading out the emails and text messages without bogging the reader down with the heading. He said them with a quick, clipped tone and made them disappear like the word “said.” Though I giggled every time he said the screen name Alex gave Henry, which included a poop emoji.

If you’re looking for a “new adult” romance without all the trauma, check out this title.

I give Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Five Silly Emojis.

 

 

Book 18 The Cousins

 

The Cousins by Karen M. MacManus fulfilled the category “Book with a Family Tree” for the PopSugar 2021 Reading Challenge. This suspense novel contains a family tree depicting the Story family from grandparents, Abraham and Mildred to siblings Adam, Anders, Allison, and Archer to the cousins Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah.

I chose the story from a list of suggestions on the PopSugar Facebook page. The Royal We is on my list, but I read Red, White, and Royal Blue and Queen of Nothing. I didn’t want to overdo the royalty thing.

I love a good suspense book. And this novel had a little suspense… It’s written by the same author as One of Us is Lying. Sometimes YA books don’t translate well into adult categories, like suspense. I’m not saying it wasn’t a great story. It was well-written and interesting, just not nail-biting and unputdownable. (Is that a word?)

In the novel, three cousins are invited to their grandmother’s resort on a semi-private island near Martha’s Vineyard. None of the teens have ever met the woman. When their parents were teens, the grandmother threw them out of the house. She never spoke to any of her four children again. Each parent has had difficulties since being thrown to the wolves. They all hope for an explanation and perhaps an inheritance. So they send their children (three in total) to the resort to work.

The kids spend the summer uncovering what happened when their parents were young adults. Along the way, they find one of them is lying (see what I did there) and discover their long-lost uncle in disguise. The book had some impressive twists and ended on a great note.

What else can I say about this title? It was a good read, but not overly wonderful. It didn’t have any issues or events that triggered me in any way. Except the youngins drinking, but kids will do that unsupervised at a resort. There were tons of teen angst, some clue following, too many questions that no one pushed for answers, and a bit of romance. The book switched around from the three cousins’ points of view for each section. Great for clue finding and when one was in trouble. Still, it was all kinda beige.

May I also add, names are important. Most authors spend a chunk of time selecting character names. Having five characters with the same first letter in their name was confusing and annoying. It’s hard to keep track of people when names are blurred by similarity. Perhaps she did this on purpose to muddy the waters, but in a mystery, I like my suspects to be distinct for the reader.

I’d recommend this book for younger readers—teens, mostly. Adults who love YA as I do might feel a little empty at the end. Nonetheless…

I give The Cousins by Karen M. MacManus Four Oversized Watches.