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The Spectacular
by Zoe Whittall
I actually requested this book by accident, while looking for a book by the same name, different author. But the premise looked interesting and I'm glad I read it! It's primarily told from two perspectives (Missy, the daughter; and Carola, the mother), though there's a brief interlude from the perspective of Missy's grandmother/Carola's mother-in-law, Ruth). I liked the set-up of the book, that the two different viewpoints weren't the 'how will these two things be realted?' framework which feels overdone lately, and I also thought it was great that the grandmother was from the paternal side—it was unexpected and gave a different perspective. Missy is a musician, on tour with her band. She grew up with an unconventional childhood as her parents started a commune and her mother left when she was young. Needless to say, that complicated their relationship which was non-existent for a while and then fraught. Each of the three women tries to find authenticity in the book, to figure out who they are and what they want and what they can control, given the confines of their time. A very emotionally interesting book.
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One True Loves
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is an early book by an author I really enjoy. This one was intersting too but definitely didn't grab me the way her later books do—maybe that shows her growth as a writer. But it was still a good book and the premise is really interesting. Emma Blair marries her high school love, Jesse. She wants to get away from MA and the bookstore her family owns. He wants to stop competitive swimming. They move to CA and travel the world, having adventures together and living an incredible life. But, 364 days after they get married, Jesse disappears in a helicopter crash. Emma is obviously devastated, and in an attempt to heal she moves back to MA. Slowly, she starts to recover. A chance run-in with Sam (who worked at her parents book store when they were in high school) leads to a relationship, happiness, and an engagement—a second chance for love. Until Jesse is, miraculously, found. He's been stranded, alone, on a Pacific atoll and in a desperate attempt to get home, swam himself far enough to be rescued by a ship. And now that he's back, what happens with Emma, with their marriage, with Sam? Emma has a choice to make and so many things to figure out. This one really makes you think about what you might do in a similar, impossible situation!
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The Orchardist
by Amanda Coplin
This book is slow and quiet, but not boring. The characters are complicated and richly drawn, as is the location in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the twentieth century. William Talmadge is a farmer, an orchardist, and he lives alone after the death of his mother and the disappearance of his sister. His life is solitary, and quiet, and routine—until two pregnant teenagers appear on his land. They're scared, feral, and both drawn to and afraid of him. He takes them in, on their own terms, giving them the space they need. But then armed men show up looking for them and set off a chain of events.
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