Summary: Little Fires Everywhere takes place in 1990s Shaker Heights, Ohio, a progressive suburb outside of Cleveland where everything is planned- what colors houses can be painted, how the roads must wind, where trees can be grown, etc. No one exemplifies Shaker Heights more than Elena Richardson, who attempts to raise her children with the belief that playing by the rules will get give them all the success and more. Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl, rent a house from Elena, the Richardson children are captivated by the traveling duo, and Pearl and Mia quickly become more than just tenants. When the McCulloughs, friends of the Richardsons, want to adopt a Chinese-American baby, the custody battle divides Shaker Heights, putting Mia and Elena on opposite sides. Mia’s distaste for the status quo riffles Elena’s feathers, who begins to question Mia’s mysterious past.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I traded books with Kelsey of MyFictionalBF over on Twitter, and in exchange for Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, Kelsey sent me an ARC of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere. I had been anticipating Little Fires Everywhere since I read Ng’s debut novel, Everything I Never Told You, at the end of 2016. I didn’t even realize they were giving away ARCS at Book Con, so many thanks to Kelsey!

One of my favorite parts of Little Fires Everywhere was Celeste Ng’s writing style, specifically how her story unravels. Similar to Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere begins with the “ending” of the story. We’re introduced to the Richardsons, watching their house burn down. In the next chapter, we go nine months back, the Richardson house perfectly standing, as Mia and Pearl Warren enter Shaker Heights. Elena, more often referred as Mrs. Richardson, sees her new tenants as a charity case, giving the Warrens a good home in a good neighborhood with a good school system. She’s a bit more intrigued in Mia’s photography, thinking she can extend her good charity even further, perhaps asking Mia to take family portraits. Mia isn’t a typical photographer, taking up and traveling to where whatever projects her mind suits, but she’s promised Pearl that they’ll stay in Shaker Heights until she graduates from high school.

And of course, we have the Richardson children: Lexie, Trip, Moody and Izzy. Each Richardson had their own personality, but I enjoyed Lexi and Izzy’s storylines the most. Moody instantly hits it off with Pearl, becoming best friends, however they grow apart, as Pearl grows closer to Lexie and Trip. I think for this reason we get a bit less time with Moody, but I enjoyed his role in the book. We don’t get much for Trip himself as well, with most of Trip’s parts focusing on his growing relationship with Pearl. Lexi definitely had one of the more complex storylines in the novel, especially since she enlists her help from Pearl and Mia. Izzy was hands-down my favorite Richardson. I love how Mia inspired her to fight the status quo, and how she grew from a spark, as she’s referenced as, to a flame. It made me so angry how Elena treated her as the odd one out and was always faulting Izzy for her actions (RIP Izzy’s Doc Martens). My favorite Izzy moment was when Elena reflects on having “the talk” with Lexie and Izzy,

“She and Mr. Richardson did not speak to the children about their love lives- she’d have a talk with Lexie and Izzy, when their periods had started, about their responsibilities. (“Vulnerabilities”, Izzy had corrected her, and left the room.)”

I appreciated Izzy’s defiance and sass when it came to dealing with her mother. Between the custody battle over Mirabelle/ May Ling and Lexie, Pearl, and Trip exploring sexuality in their relationships, there’s a lot of discussion regarding babies, responsibility, and sex. Elena really reminded me of Mrs. Cooper from Riverdale (I’m ready for season 2, okay?). She was so old school–why didn’t Trip and Moody get “the talk”? — and being a third generation Shaker Heights girl, played by the rules. I loved how Mia was the opposite of Elena. I really enjoyed exploring her past, even though I hate how it was all because of Elena’ snooping, and I so wanted Mia to take Izzy and just run far away from Elena’s control and expectations.

Overall, I really enjoyed how the first one hundred pages or so and the novel as a whole allows its readers to really get to know the characters. A lot of the blurbs on Little Fires Everywhere focus on the custody battle between the McCulloughs and Bebe, which is an essential part of the novel, but we don’t get a glimpse of our full cast of characters. While taking notes on Little Fires Everywhere while reading, I wrote within the first fifty page mark that I was falling into the novel, and guess what? I completely fell into this book and the story and the characters; it’s a book that I can’t help but still think about. Little Fires Everywhere is hands-down one of my favorite books of 2017, and I can’t wait to see what Celeste Ng brings out next!

Do you plan on picking up Little Fires Everywhere? Let me know in the comments!

Hi my name is Haley of Fangirl Fury, and I am an audiobook newbie.

I’ve tried listening to audiobooks before, especially the Harry Potters ones, but I often had trouble connecting to the narrator. They didn’t feel like how I had imagined the character or characters in my head.

However, I’ve had a change of heart about audiobooks because of Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg. Aziz Ansari is my favorite comedian and I fell in love with his Netflix show, Master of None, early this summer. And unless you’re new around here, you know that I am forever rewatching Parks and Recreation. After additionally watching some of Aziz’s comedy specials on Netflix, I felt inspired to read Modern Romance, as Aziz talks about some of his findings in a few of his shows.

In Modern Romance, Aziz teams up with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg to study how people go about forming relationships today. As you can probably imagine, today’s technology, especially dating apps like Tinder, have a lot to do with how people meet and connect. Add in Aziz’s comedy and if you’re listening to the audiobook, him telling you that you were too lazy to read the physical book, and you have a humorous yet informative and personal read. Aziz often refers to his current and past relationships, and one of my favorite aspects was when he would read aloud people’s online conversations.

So what did I do while listening to Modern Romance? The audiobook is just over six hours long, and I found myself listening to it while I was driving, packing to go back to school, setting up my dorm room, and at the gym. I often found myself laughing at loud, and my only disappointment is that I wish that I had taken more notes while listening.

I plan on listening to another audiobook hopefully soon. I’ve heard amazing things about The Illuminae Files and the Six of Crows audiobooks, especially because they have a full cast of narrators.

Summary: Imogen is an orphan, a runaway heiress, and a girl who wants to escape life’s expectations. Jule is an athlete, a loyal friend, and a girl with a hidden history of her own. Romance, disappearances, and more takes place in E.Lockhart’s latest thriller, Genuine Fraud.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I was fortunate enough (and survived the line) to receive an ARC of Genuine Fraud at Book Con 2017. I loved E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars when I read it back in 2015, so it was super exciting to get an early copy of her latest release and meet E.Lockhart herself.Like We Were Liars, Genuine Fraud is a thriller that makes readers question every twist and turn and like WWL, I recommend going into Genuine Fraud without knowing too much.

What makes Genuine Fraud such a unique read, especially in the young-adult lit world, is that it is told from end to beginning. The book begins on Chapter 18 with Jule’s latest whereabouts, and with each chapter, we go back in time and trace Jule’s own origin story and her relationship with Imogen. I really enjoyed going back in time, except for the fact that it was easier to predict certain plot details, especially when it came to the murderous rendezvous the book’s blurb promotes.

One of the best elements of Genuine Fraud is E. Lockhart’s social commentary about male and female roles. From reading books to watching movies, Jule realizes that women weren’t the stars in most action-filled stories, usually being upstaged by the masculine “great white hetero hero”. It’s interesting to see Jule take on this role as a hero, especially as she creates her origin story (a background something to what you expect of superheroes). However, you know from the beginning that Jule isn’t the hero of this story: she’s the antihero, and one who has to watch her every move.

I’ll be leaving this review spoiler-free in hope that you’ll pick Genuine Fraud and due to the fact that it’s best to go into this one blind! As you’ll see up top, I’ve rated the book four out of five stars, but as I think about it more and more, I might have to bump up my rating at some point.

If you’ve read or planning to pick up Genuine Fraud, share your thoughts in the comments!