This was a cute, easy beach read and follow up to It Happened One Summer. The central relationship was a little frustrating at times, but I loved the characters (especially Hannah!)

Fences is a beautifully written yet heart wrenching story of a black man and father being so affected by the past that he can’t move forward, causing him to lose control of those he loved over time. Troy, the main character of the play, is in many ways scarred from his past. He works with his hands because his father did and he knows that a skill if the only thing the harsh world can’t take away from you. Growing up in the post-civil war time period and seeing the ways in which his father and black people struggled, he refuses to believe society will ever treat black people justly and allow them a chance to pursue what they love most. This is reflected in his refusal to sign a paper and let Cory, his son, play football and gain an opportunity for college. Troy can not fathom a world which allows black people to play mainstream sports and tries to prevent the pain before it starts by stopping Cory from playing. Resentment grows in Cory and with added issues of society’s treatment of his disabled veteran brother, Gabe, Troy begins to feel stuck and out of control with his life’s path. In doing so, he cheats on his wife, Rose, with a woman named Alberta and becomes the father to a girl who he asks Rose to take in. Miserable, and pushing away all who cared about him in his life, he becomes a stranger in his own home and begins his “fight” with death until he passes 8 years later. His impact on those around him (both good and bad) lingers on. I liked the story, even with us heartfelt sad ending. It is an overall great book!

At first I thought this book was very silly but once I got about 1/2 way through it got better. I started to like Vera more and see her transform and develop.

I don’t think I want to read any more books by this author. I tried her last one and that was a DNF and this one was almost a DNF too but I pushed through. I didn’t like Josie at all, she was too much of a wallflower character.

I really did not like this one. The pacing was very slow. I liked the present timeline more than the past .

I enjoy Riley savers writing style, so I always enjoy his books. Usually I prefer his books with more shocking twist and speechless endings, but this book didn’t give me it.

Was my summer reading book and I had low expectations going in but I actually enjoyed it! It’s a very dramatic play about the Salem witch trials so it’s fun to see references to actual historical things. It’s also very strong and thematic. The author intended it to compare to the red scare going on at the time of the book, but I think it can be related to really any point in time. Some parts are iffy, but honestly I got hooked by the end!

I really liked this book. The characters felt so real and I grew to care about them a lot. It was interesting and sad and powerful all at the same time. I also learned so much about Iranian people’s history and how they stood up against the regime. It opened my eyes to stuff I didn’t know before. If you like stories about strong women and real-life struggles, this one’s totally worth reading.

I like Chase, Ryder, and and the Paw Patrol. I like reading this book with my mommy because it has so many stories. My favorite is Adventures with Grandpa. If you like Paw Patrol, you will like it too!

Flint is my favorite poem from here. Saw him on AGT and had to get his book. Super great. He can get a little religious which isn’t typically my cup of tea but it wasn’t too much. Still a great poet and sooo amazing.