October 2022 Book Reviews and Recommendations

I’ve definitely had some time to read these past few weeks. We brought our newborn home and my older children quickly came down with pneumonia, RSV, and COVID so I am isolating in our lower level with the baby. Below are the books I reviewed for October including a simple, cute romance perfect to read around Halloween.

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The Personal Librarian

The Personal Librarian is slow but enjoyable. Although historical fiction, I appreciate how the author tried to stick to historical accuracy as much as possible.

Belle is a college librarian who gets the opportunity to interview to become the personal librarian to JP Morgan. She would be in charge of seeking out rare books and manuscripts plus art to make JP Morgan’s library one of the greatest personal collections in the world.

The only potential problem is if Mr. Morgan ever finds out Belle is actually a black woman passing as white.

Throughout the story, you learn of Belle’s romantic relationships as well as her struggles with the loss of her true identity. She becomes known as the most influential working woman in the world, devoting her life to this library and this man.

I would say if you don’t enjoy historical fiction this one isn’t for you.

The Ex Hex

Looking for a good book to read during the week of Halloween? Try The Ex Hex. It’s a cute, easy, and quick read about witches with a side of romance.

A young woman lives in a town famous for its mystical past and present. The town plays up this fact and hosts festivals. But the local college still does have two sections, one for “normal” people and one to teach witches – obviously, the normal people know nothing about the witch curriculum.

When a fellow college student breaks this young woman’s heart she curses him.  Jump forward many years and he returns for the sake of his family’s history. The curse gets set into motion causing lots of problems for both him and the entire town.

The curse needs to be broken and no one knows how to do it. Will old romantic feelings between the two get stirred up? Or will this curse be the ruination of them all?

White Ivy

In White Ivy, a young girl moves to the US from China to join her parents after being raised by her grandmother. She wants to fit in with the waspy white kids at school but doesn’t because she’s shy, poor, and her parents are strict.

Eventually, the family moves to New Jersey and she misses her old school. The girl starts stealing and befriends a local bad boy.

Then the book jumps ahead into adulthood when she’s a teacher with the opportunity to meet her childhood crush from when she attended the waspy school. The reconnection turns into a relationship but it always seems like she is way more interested than him especially when it comes to sex.

She decides to become a lawyer to better fit in with his friends and family.  But her past comes back to haunt her and she fears it will derail her relationship. 

A few things about the story are predictable but the ending seemed abrupt and very strange. I didn’t especially like any of the characters. Personally, I would skip it.

We Are Not Like Them

We Are Not Like Them is about two best friends who come to odds when one of their husbands (a white cop) mistakenly shoots a black teenager. The other friend is a black reporter for the local TV news and this could be the big break she is looking for in her career. Can she be an impartial reporter when it’s her best friend’s husband who was the shooter?

Many race issues get brought up between the two friends that they’ve never discussed before. Will the cop get off without any consequences or will the community want to set an example by him? Will the best friend’s friendship survive?

Want more book reviews? Take a look at my September Book Reviews!