Every time I get a book recommendation or see a new release that looks intriguing, I add it to my holds list (currently numbering 17 books) at the LA County Library (which has, in the opinion of someone who collects library cards like they’re autographs, the best online collection of all).
Every once in a while that library makes a “skip the line” copy of something popular available for 7 days instead of 21, and last week three of my holds became available all at once – Happily Never After, by Lynn Painter, Family Family, by Laurie Frankel, and I’ll Give You The Sun, by Jandy Nelson. I was in Texas for Book Bonanza and was therefore too busy to read when they downloaded to my Kindle, so I crammed all three books into the last few days. Pro-tip, if your library loan is in danger of being returned before you can finish it, you can put your e-reader into airplane mode. The books will stay there until you reconnect to the internet, which is a trick I had to use to be able to finish the last of the skip the line books.
FYI, when I review books, I mostly just tell you what I loved about them. I know how stupidly hard it is to write compelling back cover copy for books, so I would never presume to attempt to describe plot better than the authors are marketing people do. Besides, you can read for yourself what the books are about – I’m just here to recommend them.
Happily Never After is an absolutely delightful romantic comedy, with classic tropes, and surprisingly fresh characters who tell each other truths without all the miscommunication blunders that are so common in romance. Sophie and Max were so well-written that I immediately went back to the library and discovered many more Lynn Painter romances to add to my book holds list at the library because I’m operating under the assumption that if Lynn Painter wrote these characters so well – as if we’d all happily be friends off the page – she’ll do it again in all her books.
It’s probably sad how much I appreciate characters who are honest with each other.
Laurie Frankel wrote This is How it Always Is, one of my favorite literary fiction books about a family whose youngest child is transgender. Her newest book is Family Family and is a wonderfully compelling glimpse into adoption stories. Both books are written for adults, but are suitable for anyone who enjoys character studies of families, with the added bonus of being both deliberately and casually inclusive.
So, that’s a thing I’m actively doing – reading for deliberate diversity – especially books for young people, which is probably why I actually bought I’ll Give You The Sun instead of just borrowing it at the library.
I finished the book at 4:30am this morning, and then still couldn’t sleep as I examined all the reasons I loved it so much. It was written for a YA audience, and will absolutely be added to my deliberately diverse book boxes (more on that later). It won the 2015 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, and a Stonewall Honor Book Award. It was beautifully written, with complex characters woven together for an intriguing plot – twin siblings, artists, parents and children, would-be lovers, friends and enemies: people to root for, people to love, the possibility of tears, and a happily ever after to satisfy even the most cynical reader.
All three books had wonderful characters and I loved every minute (even the hard ones) that I spent with them. Plots were interesting and unexpected, and I was hooked on each one to the degree that middle-of-the-night wake ups were a welcome chance to read. Consider adding all three books to your own TBR for addicting summer reading.
Lynn Painter does write beautifully real characters that are quirky and funny! Thank you for the recommendations! 💓