End Of Summer Book Review

Hi friends! So I don’t know about you, but this summer has felt like the LONGEST summer ever.

I don’t know if it has to do with quarantine or the fact that now, graduation feels so long ago, but whatever the case is, I’ve been going through books a lot quicker than usual. AND I’M NOT COMPLAINING.

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So here’s a run down of the books I’ve read:

I’m going to share what I like about the book, how many stars I would give, and if I recommend it. Let’s get to it!

Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex by Michael Todd

Rating: 4.9/5

Relationship Goals is by this amazing pastor, named Mike Todd who is the Lead Pastor for Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In this book, he talks about what it means to have a good, intentional, and a godly relationship. But it doesn’t just talk about relationships, Todd also talks about things that we should be doing while waiting for mr or miss right.

Drawing on his personal experiences with his wife and using other people’s stories, Todd speaks to the reader on a personal level, almost giving off a “look I’ve been where you’ve been…” type of vibe. I really liked it and how he looked for ways to relate to just about anyone at all stages of the relationship journey.

The only thing I didn’t like was that it was so short.

Would I Recommend? Yes.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Rating: 5/5

Before I begin, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Liane Moriarty!! I read her books such as The Husband’s Secret and Big, Little Lies. AND they have been amazing! I love how she sucks the reader in to the situation of the book.

Funny enough, I got this as a gift from a random person. I was working one day at a restaurant and this person walks in with this book.

Before I knew it the words fell out of my mouth: “Oh my god, I’ve been meaning to get my hands on that book!”

And they responded with, “Well, here. A friend of mine gave it to me and said that when I was done, that I could pass it along… So here”

AND THEY GAVE ME THE BOOK

Y’all this was probably the best day of my life.

About a year later, I finally got around to reading it and it did not disappoint. It talks about nine strangers who cross paths at a wellness resort and ALL the shit that goes down, along with the things that lead them to embark on this journey.

Would I Recommend? Yes. 10/10 would recommend

Engines of Liberty: The Power of Citizen Activists to Make Constitutional Law by David Cole

Rating: 5/5

I heard of this book back when I was at Community college, when we were doing our Leadership day for success. We brought in someone from the ACLU, to come out and talk to us about constitutionalism and they talked about this book by someone who works closely with them.

This book is an amazing book that touches on 3 prime examples: the LGBT legalization movement, gun rights movement, and the aspect of human rights on the war on terror. Essentially this book touches on how grassroots organizations and activism helped influence and shape state laws when it came to each of these issues.

Time and recent events have shown me that I really needed to get in the know about politics and take the time to educate myself on them. I found this book to be very enlightening, surprising and just fascinating.

Would I recommend? Yes yes yes.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren

Rating: 3.9/5

Oh wow, where do I begin with this one… This one was recommended to me by one of my friends and I gotta be honest here, y’all, I didn’t like it as much as Christina Lauren’s other books like “Josh + Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating” and ” Dating You, Hating You“.

The book follows this woman, named Millie, who’s a full-time professor at University of California Santa Barbara and has a group of guy friends who also work there. She gets with one of her closer guy friends and they soon develop feelings for each other.

The issue here is, prior to all of this, the whole friend group made a pact to hop on dating sites because they have the University’s annual gala and need dates. Millie makes a dating profile, but gets roasted for it, so she decides to make another one using a fake alias. But she ends up matching with her closer guy friend and she discloses a lot more than she ever has to anyone.

Personally, I didn’t like this conflict that Millie was having. I honestly didn’t understand what she was afraid of. I definitely feel like if she had been honest from the get-go that relationship could’ve flourished a little bit better.

I felt that it was unnecessarily long, but from what I’ve noticed from this author-duo, is they write a lot of slow burn novels. So while I didn’t like this one, per se, I did like their other two books that I read. I like the use of employing different perspectives, as well.

Would I Recommend? If you’re into a psychological thriller, mixed with a little bit of rom-com, then this is the book for you.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Rating: 4.5/5

An American Marriage is a great book! It follows this African American couple, Roy and Celestial, who are newly weds and they’re each reflecting on their relationship with each other. The husband, gets convicted of a crime he did not commit and is sentenced to 12 years in prison.

This puts a strain on their already strained marriage and so the book follows his journey in prison and her journey navigating life and trying to find a new normal. Celestial reconnects with her childhood friend, Andre and falls for him, but when her husband, Roy comes home 7 years earlier than expected… That’s when shit hits the fan.

a lot of the book switches between the past and the present, which, if you’re not paying attention, it is so hard to know what time period they were in.

But maybe that was done on purpose, by the author, to highlight the theme of love’s timeless nature.

I really appreciated the poetic nature of this book at certain points, but at other points, it seemed a little over the top and confusing. Like I may have had to read over some parts over and over again, to understand what the author was trying to convey.

Overall, it had a happy ending that resulted in everyone getting what they wanted in the end. Which is always nice.

Would I recommend? If you like poetry and people reflecting on their experiences, this is a book for you.

I hope all of you enjoyed my honest review of these books!

Sending a ton of love and light your way,

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A Dynamic Mentality