Lake Efffect

Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, 288 pages

It's 1977 in a tight-knit neighborhood in Rochester, New York, and when a recently divorced woman gives all of the ladies in the neighborhood book group a copy of The Joy of Sex, it's like a bomb has gone off. Nina begins to realize that her long and emotionless marriage isn't making her happy anymore and that she should seek pleasure elsewhere. Meanwhile, Nina's oldest daughter, Clara, steals the book to woo the boy next door, her first love. But when Nina and her prominent neighbor run off for quickie divorces and a wedding, it upends everything, including Clara's relationship with her now-stepbrother. Just as we're getting used to the late 1970s, the book jumps forward 20 years, to check in on food stylist Clara and her estrangement from her family.

This was a quick, engaging read that took some odd and hilarious turns, and really examined family, betrayal, love, and somehow surviving it all. My problem with this book is that most of the development seems to happen in the 20-year gap between the 70s and 90s. Both sections are fantastic and well worth reading, but I kinda wish we'd had a chance to see exactly how everyone got to where they were in the 90s. Still, definitely worth the read!

Fun for the Whole Family

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith, 368 pages

The four Endicott siblings didn't have the best relationship with their mom, who was mostly absent from their lives. However, every summer, she'd arrive and take them on a road trip to random states across the country, staying in crappy hotels, eating diner food, and stopping for odd roadside attractions. This continued until a fire at a hotel forced their dad to put a stop to their annual travels, and the siblings slowly drifted apart. Now estranged adults, straitlaced Gemma is trying to get pregnant (even though she's not really sure she wants to be a mom, after shepherding her younger siblings her whole life); author Connor has alienated his family with his largely autobiographical debut novel and is now fighting writer's block on his follow-up novel; and twins Roddy and Jude have excelled at their chosen professions, gaining fame and fortune as a professional soccer player and acclaimed actress, respectively. But when Jude calls them all for a final family vacation in snowy North Dakota, Gemma, Connor, and Roddy show up ready for a tense and hopefully cathartic reunion.

I'm a sucker for a dysfunctional family story, and this one had all the hallmarks of a great one, with well-developed characters, slightly unrealistic complications, and a lot of heart to tie it all together. As someone whose parents dragged her all over the country in an attempt to visit all 50 states (I just have Alaska left!), this book was particularly poignant for me, and I'll freely admit that the epilogue left me ugly-crying for a solid 10 minutes. However, unless you're a member of my immediate family, that probably won't happen to you. Highly recommended!

A Killing Cold

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall, 304 pages

After a whirlwind romance, Theo heads to meet her fiancé Connor's family for Christmas at their remote mountain getaway, Idlewood. But just before the trip, Theo starts receiving anonymous texts warning her to stay away from Connor and threatening to expose Theo's checkered past, part of which she has no memory of. When she arrives, Theo realizes that someone in Connor's uber-rich immediate family must have sent the texts, and between a sudden resurgence in disturbing nightmares and her suspicions about Connor's family, Theo's on edge for an already high-stress situation.

This is a twisty thriller that combines blackmail and manipulation, deeply buried family secrets, and the very real terror of meeting the future in-laws (though massively heightened, of course). There are a few things that push past the edge of believability, but as that fits the genre, it doesn't really bother me here. It's a domestic thriller that keeps the reader guessing.

Diavola

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne, 291 pages

As the lone singleton on her family vacation to Tuscany, Anna is a bit of an outcast. She's useful because she speaks Italian, but otherwise, her parents and siblings pretty much treat her as an attention-hogging waste of space. When she starts noticing creepy stuff happening at the villa they've rented, Anna's observations just feed into her family's assumptions. But before long, even they can't ignore the unexplained events going on at their villa...

This horror novel was scary on multiple levels, from the uncannily real way Anna's family treats her to the supernatural spookiness that latches onto the main character. I loved that this book kept me guessing, and I really loved that my guesses were never right. A fantastic horror novel.

Sweetness in the Skin

Sweetness in the Skin by Ishi Robinson, 362 pages

Pumkin Patterson does not have an easy life. She lives with her grandmother, her Aunt Sophie, and her mom, Paulette, who is mercifully rarely home, as she's often physically and verbally abusive to Pumkin. Pumkin's grandma and aunt want a better life for her, and Aunt Sophie in particular wants to escape their downtrodden home for life in Paris. But when Sophie makes the move to France without Pumkin, and her grandmother dies, Pumkin is suddenly struggling to achieve her dreams through baking and studying hard, despite Paulette's determination to hold her back.

This is a heartbreaking story to read, despite the delectable presence of Jamaican baking and culture. It does end happily, though it was not easy to read about all of the things that Pumkin had to go through to get there. That said, I could see this being a popular book for teens seeking out more literary reading.

A Reason to See You Again

A Reason to See You Again by Jami Attenberg, 230 pages

After the death of family patriarch Rudy, the Cohen women are set adrift. Rudy's widow, Frieda, drowns her sorrows in alcohol, while daughters Shelly and Nancy run off to take the tech industry by storm and marry a shady traveling salesman, respectively. Over the course of 50+ years, their lives diverge and come together, creating a complex tapestry of strained relationships and unresolved grief. Told through vignettes set every few years between the late 1960s and today, it's a very realistic story of a very dysfunctional family.

All the Murmuring Bones

 All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter, 367 pages.

In times long enough ago that they have fallen into family legend, the O'Malley family made a deal with the Mer, trading one child in each generation for wealth, power, and protection from the sea. But the O'Malley family isn't what it once was and Miren O'Malley is the last true descendent, bearing the heavy burden of her family's dark history.

I really enjoyed this dark fairy tale, and I enjoyed even more discussing it with Orcs & Aliens this week! I found the characters compelling, even if it wouldn't be strictly accurate to call them good. I also liked how full and rich the world felt, and I definitely plan to read more books set in this same universe (luckily there are several). This book reminded me in many places of T. Kingfisher's Nettle and Bone, which I would consider high praise. I would definitely recommend this for people looking for a gothic novel (with a happier ending than is standard in the genre) or for people who enjoy a dark twist on fairy tales (with a sadder ending than is standard in the genre). 

All the Murmuring Bones

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter, 367 pages

I first read this Irish-tinged gothic fantasy back in 2021 and, at the time, found it thought-provoking, lived-in, and atmospheric (see my initial blog post here). That has not changed. I'm happy to say that the Orcs & Aliens book group agreed with me when we discussed it on Monday night, though we also agreed that it's a bit light on mermaids for a book with a giant tail on the cover. But the wealth of other creatures from Irish folklore more than made up for that. Glad I gave this one a second read-through, and I'll definitely be looking into more of Slatter's books in this world.

Pride and Joy

Pride and Joy by Louisa Onomé, 336 pages

Joy is in the midst of setting up for her mother Mary's 70th birthday party when the birthday girl suddenly dies while napping. Already stressed about the party preparations and onslaught of pushy relatives and party guests, Joy's frustrations skyrocket when her aunt declares that a cow has prophesized Mary's resurrection two days hence (on Easter, as it happens). Before Joy knows what's happening, a public access religious program is sending a reporter to interview the family and livestream the resurrection, while hordes of strangers crowd the driveway of the rented home to hold a vigil in anticipation of Mary's return. Throw in a slew of self-centered relatives, an ex-husband Joy still cares for, and a pile of revelations, and it's no wonder Joy is ready to scream.

There's something that I love about dysfunctional family stories, and hoo-boy is this family dysfunctional! The mix of Nigerian culture, religious zeal, and Joy's control-freak nature is a perfect storm of nuttiness, which made the book feel a bit frantic and out of control at times (though, as that could also describe the characters, it's appropriate). If I could change anything, I'd give it a few extra pages of setup at the beginning before the craziness sets in. Otherwise, this was an excellent depiction of grief's many stages in the form of Joy and her relatives.

*This book will be published March 12, 2024.

Grave Expectations

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell, 340 pages

Claire has been able to see and communicate with ghosts for 20 years, ever since her best friend Sophie mysteriously disappeared and then turned up in ghostly form at a vigil being held in her honor. In the two decades since, Claire and spirit Sophie have been constant companions, leading Claire to become a medium for hire...though she'll be the first to admit that she's not particularly good at it. That doesn't stop Claire's acquaintance from college hiring her as the entertainment at a family event. Unfortunately, while she's there, Claire and Sophie encounter a ghost that is obviously a victim who was killed during the previous year's party. Soon Claire and Sophie have teamed up with family oddballs Alex and Basher to figure out who got killed, why, and who did it.

A blurb on the back of this delightful book describes it as having "Knives Out vibes with added ghosts," and really, that's an excellent description. There's a dysfunctional family with clashing possible motives, a giant manor in the country, and some excellent humor. I love Sophie, who will forever be wearing the teal velour tracksuit she died in at 17, and the relationship between her and Claire is surprisingly realistic, given their differing alive/dead status. The mystery is good, the characters are fantastic, and I really hope Bell writes more of Claire and Sophie's adventures, hopefully with Alex and Basher in tow. This was SO FUN.

The Fixer Upper

The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe (2022) 286 pages

Aly runs into a former boyfriend and was startled to learn that he was married and doing well and that he credited his success to her, for pushing him to make some life changes. Aly's work friends, Tola and Eric, note that she's really good at this kind of thing, and as a lark, they start helping women they know by injecting themselves into situations where they play-act near the woman's partner, which helps move that partner to make some changes in how they behave, improving the relationships.

Their Fixer Upper group becomes so successful that they are approached by Nicki, a well-known social media influencer, who would like for them to get her boyfriend to propose marriage to her. When the boyfriend turns out to be Aly's old best friend from high school, whom she has now avoided for fifteen years, she finds herself feeling conflicted. Added to that, she has been dealing with her divorced parents' issues and her quest for a promotion at work. 

This is a fast read with many memorable and/or likeable characters.

China Rich Girlfriend & Rich People Problems

China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan, 479 pages

Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan, 397 pages

In these sequels to Crazy Rich Asians, we find Rachel and Nick finally ready to settle down, despite all of the Nick's family's worst intentions. While Nick's controlling mother and grandmother are persona non grata with the happy couple, that doesn't stop Eleanor Young from trying to weasel her way back into her son's life. And this time she has the trump card — she found Rachel's biological father, a man that Rachel's been searching the globe for since she learned about him in the first book. And in the final book of the trilogy, Nick's faced with a dilemma, as his estranged grandmother is dying. While their recent relationship has been rough, they were quite close when Nick was younger, to the point that EVERYONE knew that Nick was Ah Ma's favorite. Should he try to mend fences before it's too late? And if he tries, will his materialistic cousin Eddie even let him into the house?

While the first book was centered on the Youngs of Singapore, in these books, we also mingle with the uber-rich of Shanghai and Hong Kong, including Rachel's biological father and half-brother, social-climbing former porn actress Kitty Pong, and Nick's lovely and stylish cousin, Astrid. As always, the books are full of Kwan's trademark footnotes full of frothy gossip, slang translations, and jaw-dropping pricetags, all of which make this series fun and, to me at least, infinitely rereadable.

Let's Not Do That Again

Let's Not Do That Again by Grant Ginder, 336 pages

Nancy Harrison is a longtime New York Congresswoman running for the Senate, just weeks away from Election Day, when her daughter, Greta, is photographed destroying property during a political demonstration in Paris. Nancy sends her long-suffering son, Nick, to France to retrieve his sister, while she focuses on managing the scandal back home. But as Nancy's campaign team starts to investigate Greta's actions and friends, the situation becomes much more complex.

I love dysfunctional family stories (they make mine seem so normal!), and Ginder has a gift for telling dysfunctional family stories, which should make this a home run for me. For the most part, I loved not knowing how straight-laced Nancy and loose cannon Greta would interact, as well as how mediator Nick would deal with these two stubborn women. But then something happens about 3/4 of the way through the book that took the story past the point of believability and unfortunately, it never came back. I won't spoil it here, as some may have a completely different take than I do, but the ending just didn't work for me. If anyone else reads it though, I'd love to chat about it!

Malibu Rising

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 369 pages

For most of her life, surfer and model Nina Riva has taken care of her three younger siblings, since her rock star dad abandoned their family and her mom hasn't handled it particularly well. Dropping out of high school, running the family business, taking any and all modeling jobs to get the money... all of it has been so Nina's two brothers and sister could get their education and follow their dreams (one of her brothers is a pro surfer while the other is a surf photographer). But now that her wealthy husband has left her for another woman, cracks are starting to show in Nina's tough exterior and everything comes to a head at the annual Riva end-of-summer party.

Told over the course of 24 hours (though interspersed with lots of flashback chapters), Malibu Rising shows the impact parents have on their kids, particularly when those parents are running away from their responsibilities. This was an enjoyable book, particularly for those who get vicarious glee out of the destruction of beautiful things at parties.

Hidden Valley Road

 

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the mind of an American Family / Robert Kolker, read by Sean Pratt, 398 pgs.

The Galvin family was made up of Don and Mimi and their 12 kids.  They seemed to be living the American Dream. Don was well respected at work and accomplished, Mimi seemed to manage the house without issues.  But then their first born started showing signs of illness.  Mental illness.  In what seemed fairly rapid succession another of the brothers fell ill.  Before it was over six of the 10 Galvin brothers would be diagnosed with schizophrenia.  Nothing was ever easy.  The family didn't have the money for expensive private treatments so the brothers cycled in and out of public facilities.  Discovered by researchers, this family helped scientists understand the disease. Told from the family perspective with highlights from the science, this is a stunning tale that will leave you wondering how any of the Galvin's made it through.

Malibu Rising

 

Malibu Rising / Taylor Jenkins Reid, read by Julia Whelan, 369 pgs.

Ouch...the last book was sooo good.  But Malibu Rising is just mediocre.  I usually love a good dysfunctional family but everyone here is saintly or horrible and not fleshed out enough to care about.  Mostly a tale of 4 siblings who were left on their own when their mom died to young, their famous dad abandoned them YEARS ago and they are too proud to force him to pony up.  They manage on their own and are planning their annual blow out party and unexpectedly their dad shows up.  Yes, this is about a thin a plot as you can imagine and you are hoping for more but 369 well read pages go by and you never really get more.  Skip this one and listen to "Daisy Jones and the Six" instead.

All the Murmuring Bones

All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter, 367 pages

Generations ago, Miren O'Malley's family made a deal with a sea witch to keep the family prosperous and healthy in exchange for the sacrifice of a child every generation. Well, it worked for a long time, but over time, despite some frankly incestuous marriage practices, the bloodlines have thinned and spread out, leaving Miren as the final O'Malley in a now-crumbling estate with few pennies to her name. Upon learning that the parents she thought were long dead are alive and just very far away, Miren runs away from the cousin she's supposed to marry, seeking out the only other O'Malleys who were able to leave the ancestral home in hopes of ending the brutal tradition. But it turns out that some things are hard to leave behind.

This is a wonderfully atmospheric and haunting bit of gothic fantasy. Slatter has created a fully realized — and fully creepy — world for Miren to navigate, while making our main character both strong and sympathetic. This is a book for those who prefer the original bloody versions of fairy tales, not the singsong Disney version. I'll be mulling this one over for ages.

Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West, 340 pages

High-end interior designer Alice Sullivan has a picture-perfect life, with a gorgeous house, two well-behaved children, a successful lawyer husband, and a cute dog. But while at a parent-teacher conference for her second-grader (who, it turns out, isn't doing so well in reading), Alice receives an emergency call to the junior high, where her son has been involved in a very public bullying incident — as the bully. Suddenly, the perfect world she's created begins crumbling, and Alice understandably is struggling to hold it together, a process made all the more difficult by her husband's absence (business trip) and some big news her child-psychologist mother is planning on divulging (completely oblivious to how this will affect Alice, of course).

Sometimes dysfunctional family stories can end up over-the-top crazy, with unrealistic problems, wacky solutions, and outsized personalities. Thankfully (and, as a parent of similar-aged kids to Alice's, a bit unsettlingly), West manages realistic people and situations marvelously, with plenty of heart, humor, and life-like parenting frustrations. I absolutely loved this book.

The cousins

 

The cousins / Karen M. McManus, read by a cast, 325 pgs.

I enjoyed this YA title about adult children who had been disowned by their very wealthy mother.  Now their kids get called to the home town to work for a summer and meet their granny.  The cousins don't really know each other but bond fairly quickly.  The whole arrangement is odd and everyone has something they are hiding.  I love the dysfunctional family aspects of this story.  It is easy to relate to the main characters.  It is an entertaining if not completely unrealistic read. The audio is well done by a cast that helps you identify each character.

All Adults Here

All Adults Here by Emma Straub, 356 pages

An upstanding resident who knows EVERYTHING about what's going on in her small upstate New York town of Clapham, Astrid is the mother of three grown children — Elliot, Porter, and Nicky — all of whom have complex relationships with Astrid. Single-mom-to-be Porter runs her own dairy in Clapham, and Elliot's still there too, trying to live up to the expectations of his late father. Meanwhile, although Nicky left home right out of high school, he turns to his mom to take over when his teenage daughter has some trouble at her Brooklyn school. Astrid agrees, despite the fact that she's still reeling from witnessing a fatal accident and subsequently reexamining her own life. Soon Nicky's daughter is living in Clapham, and is clearly the most grown-up person in the family, despite being one of the youngest. 

I love a good dysfunctional family story, and this book certainly fits the bill. That said, I'm not sure how much I like any of the adult characters, all of whom needed a good smack upside the head for one reason or another. (Nicky's daughter, Cecelia, and her new friend, August, though? LOVED them.) There's a lot to think about in this book, particularly about failure and communication. I'd be interested to check in on this family again in a few years to see what new problems they have.