Dominicana by Angie Cruz has had a lot of buzz since the beginning of the summer. It was chosen by the new Good Morning America book club and many of the bloggers I follow have been raving about it. Of course, when there is that much hype, I am generally disappointed. While this was not the case entirely, I thought Dominicana was good, but not amazing. It’s the story of a young immigrant bride who spends most of her new life in NY in her apartment, navigating her new life and loneliness. Some of the story was predictable and some was not fleshed out enough for my liking. On the whole, though, I liked the short chapters and the protagonist. It made for an interesting read about a culture I know little about. I especially liked learning at the end that this was based on Cruz’s mother’s life.

after the end by Clara Mackintosh was a creative and hopeful story, even though, at its core, it was very sad. Two-year-old Dylan has a brain tumor that has been operated on, but his prognosis is not good. His parents, Pip and Max, are not in agreement about next steps. Without giving away what happens, after the end, we follow different paths of what could have happened in Max and Pip’s lives. The story is told from three perspectives, Max’s, Pip’s, and Dylan’s doctors. The doctor’s perspective was fleshed out least, and, if I could change anything about this story, that’s what I would have altered. In addition, I found it somewhat challenging to keep track of which storyline I was reading, even though the year was at the start of the chapter. Overall, however, even though my family could not understand why I would voluntarily read a novel about a child with a brain tumor, it was a wonderful story and well-told.

How could you not grab a memoir with that subtitle?! And, Haben was a quick read that ran in short chapters and moved along at a good clip. While it had a slow start, about a third of the way through, I couldn’t put it down. It’s a glimpse into all the barriers for individuals with disabilities. Before I read this book, I might have said that Haben and what she has done is remarkable. After having read it, I changed my mindset to all the ways that the rest of us make her life, and the lives of others like her, more difficult. What an eye-opening and engaging read. I highly recommend.

While I am definitely tired of WWII books, The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman, was a nice exception and a good read. The story is about sisters who grow up in Brooklyn and can’t get along because one sister, Ruth, believes that beautiful Millie attracts all the boys and is favored by her parents. Ruth marries, has twins, and moves away, and ends up needing to reconcile with Millie after tragedy strikes. I enjoyed the twists and switching back and forth between characters, though there were random other characters interspersed, which I didn’t love. On the whole, though, this was a decent and enjoyable pick.

The Chain by Adrian McKinty was on the NY Post’s best reads of the summer list. That list had some duds on it, so I was skeptical when I grabbed this one. And, overall, it was a page-turning, alarming thriller that, while I had to suspend my disbelief at first to get into, once I did, I was all in. The basic premise is that a girl is kidnapped and her mom learns that she has to pay a ransom and kidnap someone else to have her daughter returned to her. It’s a chain of kidnappings without potential for end because of the threats and desire to have one’s own child returned safe and sound. Ultimately, of course, it’s about the lengths people will go to for their children. A crazy storyline to be sure, but a good read, nonetheless.

I’m not sure how I found We Came Here to Forget by Andrea Dunlop, but I am glad I did. It’s the story of an ex-skier who has had some kind of falling out with her sister. As the story is told, past verses present, the rift is explained and everything makes more sense. I enjoyed most of this story, but found the last third to be somewhat slower than the rest. Overall, however, it was an interesting story (if not much of a surprise once you find out the whole explanation).

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin was hyped a lot this summer. And, it lived up to most of that hype. It was a fast-paced, stressful read about a corporate team led to a team-building escape room and the parallel story of another firm employee. Of course, the parallel stories finally come together at the end. And, I, for one, was surprised by the way they did. It was a good read and thriller that was easy and quick. Don’t expect anything deep here, though.

Overall, I liked The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine, though I didn’t particularly like the twin main characters or the story. Hmmm. I liked the way the sisters lives focused on words from their original twin secret language and the moment their father brought home a huge stand and monstrous dictionary to put on it. It was easy to read and pretty skimmable, in addition to being short. The last ten pages and the ending were the best part of the book. I went into it thinking it was a memoir and was disappointed to discover early on that it was a novel. So, I guess, based on reading my review to myself, I wouldn’t really recommend this one. 🙂

Despite its mixed reviews, I liked Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. I liked the voice and the story, but it was unnecessarily long and I didn’t like the ending. It’s the story of Toby who has just separated from his wife, Rachel. He is left with his children and misses a lot of work to figure out how to cover their care. The point of view was somewhat challenging to follow, but overall, there was something about this story that I liked more than I thought I would. But, I didn’t love it and the bad reviews don’t surprise me.

You Me Everything (why no punctuation?) by Catherine Isaac is a pleasant, quick read with a somewhat predictable ending. However, even though you could suspect how it was going to end, it didn’t make the story less enjoyable. While the subject matter has a depressing overlay, overall, there’s hope. Jess and her 10-year-old William head to France to spend time with William’s father (who Jess broke up with several months after William’s birth). Jess is reluctant to take this trip because her mother is in a care home, suffering from Huntington’s disease. Throughout the story we get glimpses into why Jess is in her current state and why it’s hard for her to take this vacation. There are some elements of the story that are a little annoying — her friendships aren’t fleshed out very well and there are characters that seem unnecessary — but for the most part, this was a nice diversion and would make good escapist or beach reading (and it’s only $5.49 for the Kindle version).