Can I just live in this book please? A perfect book boyfriend, lovely world-building, just the right amount of spice….what more can we ask for? There is a reason it’s the most beloved book in the fantasy realm.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, (List Price: $19, Bloomsbury Publishing, 9781635575583, June 2020)
Reviewed by Kelley Dykes, Main Street Reads in , South Carolina
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This is a fun YA book that has an interesting take on zombies. I love the idea of science being able to reverse the effects of zombification and what ramifications would come with that. What if your loved one had killed your family when they weren’t themselves? Could you forgive them? It’s a fascinating take. The love story is well done. Only reason I didn’t rate it higher was that it didn’t have me on the edge of my seat like some of my favorite apocalyptic novels, but it’s still a solid read that I believe teens will especially enjoy.
Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer, (List Price: $19.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593698327, April 2024)
Reviewed by Kelley Dykes, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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Yet another powerful book from Kristin Hannah. Like most of her novels, it not only taught me about a time period, it made me feel it. She somehow manages to make you feel like you have experienced an entire life, full of rich experiences with everything explored, without being a gigantic book. It’s truly a talent of hers. As a former history major that specifically studied this time period, I still learned a ton from this book. It’s kind of shocking how many fiction books we have about WWII and how little we have about Vietnam. I found myself making a list of non fiction books after to explore more about the women in Vietnam, who as this book beautifully points out, were horribly ignored. It is a story that both needed to be told and was a treat to read.
The Women by Kristin Hannah, (List Price: $30, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250178633, February 2024)
Reviewed by Kelley Dykes, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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This was one of the most unique magic systems I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed this, especially the development in the characters and the emotion with which they were written. I am already anxiously awaiting the next book as I now want to understand the concept of Lore being a deathwitch more. This was the perfect mix of fantasy, romance, and gothic for my taste, and I got completely lost in the story wishing I could jump into the world and adventure through it myself – regardless of the dangers it held.
The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten, (List Price: $19.99, Orbit, 9780316435093, December 2023)
Reviewed by Charlotte Beck, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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This YA debut by Ali was not only riveting it was exceptionally written. This novel almost feels like chess when you’re reading it and watching how intricately Ali has weaved these characters together. Mallory, who loved chess until an unexpected tragedy in her family, now 18 and working to help support her family, beats a world champion, Nolan. Suddenly, everything in her life gets all mixed up as she stumbles into a romance she didn’t know she wanted. This novel, like her adult novels, does an AMAZING JOB touching on the sexism and expectations of a female vs male in the chess (STEM sport) community.
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood, (List Price: $14, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593619919, November 2023)
Reviewed by Charlotte Beck, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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Since I started this book I have been completely hooked. I am a big fan of Bon Crier’s Moon Duology but this one has taken first place as enrapturing, fantastical and captivating for me. I LOVE these characters and the way in which it spins off of fairytales. The spin on the fairytales are so unique. I absolutely love the use and importance of Red Rampion and how it ties into the fairytale retellings. I also love the plot in this book, how it tells not only a journey of a group of friends but a growth of the friends and how they have to deal with truth, loss, pain and hardship. I already CANNOT wait to find out what happens next and how they will (hopefully) break the Curse of the Grimm Forest. I could go on and on about this book but mostly I’ll just say, if you aren’t planning on reading this you are missing out on the journey of a life time and the most unique retelling of the classic fairytales I have ever heard of.
The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie, (List Price: 20, Wednesday Books, 9781250873002, September 2023)
Reviewed by Charlotte Beck, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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An August 2023 Read This Next! Book
This is the most "un-put-downable" piece of non-fiction I’ve ever read. A brash and well-written account that -without being trivial- allows hope and redemption to spring from addiction, incarceration and shame, liberally sprinkled with the power of the written word to empower and invoke change. Looking forward to discussing this work as it also shines a harsh light on the injustice system and one can hope, bring more of us to seek improvement. Truly an important and unique book, much applause!
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin, (List Price: 28.99, Simon & Schuster, 9781982197667, August 2023)
Reviewed by Shari Stauch, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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Filled with a neat balance of relatable humor and serious topics, You Truly Assumed is a memorable coming-of-age novel that touches on the struggles of three black, Muslim women and their fight to create a safe space and a voice to be heard for people just like them. You Truly Assumed is the perfect novel for teens or young adults who feel they don’t have a voice in the face of prejudice and fear, as it features funny, relatable characters and the raw effects of real events.
You Truly Assumed by Leila Sabreen, (List Price: $10.99, Inkyard Press, 9781335428646, February 2023)
Reviewed by Makayla Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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This is such a beautifully written story. The characters are so wonderfully honest and real. You are truly immersed in Eve’s world, you feel her pain and confusion. This is the story of one woman’s journey through grief and guilt after her husband takes his own life. Written like a memoir, straight from Eve’s thoughts and feelings, we follow her through every up and down, her highs and her lows. This is a beautiful reminder about the struggles of mental illness and the hidden pain of those around us. This is a must read!
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli, (List Price: $27.99, Graydon House, 9781525899805, September 2022)
Reviewed by Makayla Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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I give this book a SOLID 4.5 stars. This was a rare stand-alone prequel that adds so much to the first book, Bookshops and Bonedust has all the cozy vibes and action I had come to expect from Legends and Lattes. There’s a loveable animal companion, a frazzled bookshop owner, a baker of fine treats, and a necromancer lurking somewhere in the background. If you were wondering why a mercenary orc would want to open a coffee shop, read this, maybe with a nice cup of coffee of your own. This book is the perfect example of there’s a right book for every time and a right time for every book. Super cozy, super well written (and narrated), Travis has definitely made himself an instant buy author for me after these last two slam dunks.
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, (List Price: $17.99, Tor Books, 9781250886101, November 2023)
Reviewed by Charlotte Beck, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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Whether as a stand-alone read or for already die-hard fans of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, The Book Woman’s Daughter delivers! Honey, the original book woman’s daughter, must struggle to stay free against what seem often insurmountable odds against her: from being a “blue” to being fifteen, and unfortunately perhaps most, for being female in a time and place where women were considered property. Amidst loss and persecution, she must forge a path for hersef through the dense woods of Kentucky’s Appalachia Kentucky. Beautiful, evocative, and full of adventure, this book also shines a light on the gifts of friendship, no matter the appearance of the package. I loved this book every bit as much as Troublesome Creek, and look forward to sharing it with eager readers, just as Honey shares her love of books with her reading community… another fine work by Kim Michele Richardson!
The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson, (List Price: $26.99, Sourcebooks Landmark, 9781728252995, May 2022)
Reviewed by Shari Stauch, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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Holly Black has returned with a darkly enthralling new world where shadows are more than just a trick of the light, and magicians are the thing that go bump in the night. With everything from a kick-ass female lead, grand heists and blood magic, this is an urban fantasy that comes with a bite and leaves with a door slam to the face. I can’t wait to see where Black takes the rest of the series. Readers with a taste for the macabre won’t be able to put this one down. Black’s foray into adult fiction feels like a breath of fresh air for the modern fantasy reader, with a dash of dark academia and a new magic system that begs us to ask the question: what really is a human soul?
Book of Night by Holly Black, (List Price: $27.99, Tor Books, 9781250812193, May 2022)
Reviewed by Emma June Wood, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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Filled with a neat balance of relatable humor and serious topics, You Truly Assumed is a memorable coming-of-age novel that touches on the struggles of three black, Muslim young women and their fight to create a safe space and a voice to be heard for people just like them. You Truly Assumed is the perfect novel for teens or young adults who feel they don’t have a voice in the face of prejudice and fear, as it features funny, relatable characters and the raw effects of real events.
You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen, (List Price: $18.99, Inkyard Press, 9781335418654, February 2022)
Reviewed by Makayla Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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Mercy Street is a jarring look at the America of today, from the perspective of a dooms-day prepper with a knack for stalking women, an abortion clinic counselor who is exhausted with people asking her “how can you do that?”, and a drug dealer who wants out of the game once and for all. It is a crockpot of the alternating perspectives in our country, combined with phenomenal writing and distinctive character voices. Haigh has accomplished a piece of work that not only highlights the abortion debate, but even larger themes of identity, radicalism, and just how far kindness can be pushed before breaking. This novel will take you into places many of us have never gone, and unfortunately is the reality for just as many. Regardless of which side of the debate you’re on, this is a read that’ll be on your mind long after it’s been finished.
Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh, (List Price: $27.99, Ecco, 9780061763304, February 2022)
Reviewed by Emma June Wood, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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This was just such a cute graphic novel and so well done for its age range. It addresses some serious and important things well and was just simply a delight to read.
Squire by Nadia Shammas, (List Price: $14.99, Quill Tree Books, 9780062945846, March 2022)
Reviewed by Hannah Rose Summers, Main Street Reads in Summerville, South Carolina
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