April: What I’ve Been Reading

Well, I keep thinking I will have more time to read, but that hasn’t been the case. That being said, I’m keeping up with my monthly average of reading 3 books. They were all pretty different reads; I thought one was fantastic, one was great, and one was good!

This month I read…

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

The first two books were ones that I couldn’t put down…

The Push:

The Push

Summary:

Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.

But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter–she doesn’t behave like most children do.

Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.

Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she’d always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.

The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.

Quick Thoughts:

The main characters are Etta, Cecilia, Blythe, and Violet, and was written in Blythe’s point of view. Because of that, she ‘s the character that the reader gets to know the most.

The chapters were pretty short, and this was definitely a page turner, I felt like I knew how it should end based off of what was going on, but as the book drew to an end, I wondered if it was going to end like I thought it would. It did. This was a heartbreaking read, and I can honestly say I’ve never read a book like it. The topic of motherhood is central to the story with snippets of how difficult life can be for some depending on their upbringing.

A quote that stood out to me was: “You know, there’s a lot about ourselves that we can’t change– it’s just the way we’re born. But some parts of us are shaped by what we see. And how we’re treated by other people. How we’re made to feel.”

Rating:

This is the book that I thought was “great,” as I’ve never read anything like it…I’d say that I actually rank it with 4.5 stars.

Firefly Lane:

Firefly Lane

Summary:

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness. 

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship—jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend

Quick Thoughts:

I loved how the parts of the book were organized by decade and have song for the title. For example, Part One: The Seventies Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen and Part Three: The Nineties I’m Every Woman, it’s all in me. The song titles fit the time period of their lives as well as the plot.

I always think it’s so interesting when two total opposites are best friends. Tully and Kate definitely balance each other out, are there for each other in the highs and lows of life, and treat each other like sisters. Proof that the “grass isn’t always greener,” they are envious of each other’s lives as adults when one chooses career and the other chooses family.

This book gutted me. I haven’t ugly cried at the end of a book like this since 2006 when I read Marley and Me. The last few chapters took me forever to read because I had tears in my eyes the entire time.

I can easily see how the book could be made into a series. I’ve heard the book is better than the Netflix series, but I did start watching it. (#duh) After three episodes, I can already tell the book is better, but I like the actresses who play Tully and Kate, so I’m sure I will see it though til the end.

I’m on hold for book 2: Fly Away…Thankfully, it won’t be my turn to read it for a few weeks…which gives me some time to recover!

Rating:

This was the book that I thought was fantastic. It will most likely be a top 2021 read for me.

Little Disasters:

Little Disasters

Summary:

A new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.

You think you know her…but look a little closer.

She is a stay-at-home mother-of-three with boundless reserves of patience, energy, and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.

Then one moment changes everything.

Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface—and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself. The truth can’t come soon enough.

Quick Thoughts:

This was another challenging book about motherhood. There was some suspense to it as I tried to put the pieces together of what happened after the “one moment that changes everything,” but as the book wrapped up, and the ending made sense, I still was left thinking the outcome felt a little odd and forced.

Rating:

So, that means this is the book that I thought was good, not great or fantastic!

What have you been reading lately? My reading list continues to grow, and I’m so happy that our libraries have opened back up, so I can pop in to peruse the shelves when I have time.

See you back here tomorrow for the Monthly Musings link up.

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