Love, Lies, and Cherry Pies by Jackie Lau

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Crawling out of a reading slump slowly and I decided to read a romance from my backlist. I own many Jackie Lau books all gifted by publishers or free e-book offerings  and I'm ashamed to say I haven't read most of them. This was the only one I had the audiobook for so it became my in the car read. And once I was a significant amount into it I decided to finish it outside of the car. I received a finished copy of Love, Lies, and Cherry Pies from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

 

Emily Hung is an author who also works as a barista and is still barely making ends meet. She's in her early 30s and unsatisfied about her marital status, inability to afford a decent apartment on her own downtown, and her position as an author of color in the very racist publishing industry. In an effort to stop the pressure from family in regards to her love life she decided to fake date Mark Chen, a seemly perfect prospect hand selected by her mother.

The title truly makes no sense in the context of this book. I can probably count on one hand the number of times cherry pie was mentioned. It wasn't a significant food/dessert to the couple nor did it hold special meaning in the story. So I'm perplexed that it made it's way into the title. We get a couple mentions of a cherry pie milkshake but truly it was nothing special to the story. Nobody in this is a baker either. They never bonded over cherry pie!

Though I'm someone who is invested in publishing even I experienced fatigue when it came to the constantly info dumps about the publishing industry. Maybe some of the information might be fascinating to readers who have no idea about the inner workings of the publishing industry. If you've spent years on bookish social media around authors of color none of what was discussed here is new to you. At times it felt like Emily was an avatar for the author and her frustrations with publishing. The constant unprompted inner monologues about everything wrong with the publishing industry and how being an author who is traditionally published worked, detracted from the romance itself. The author also failed to highlight the positives when it came to Emily as a creative. I can't even remember what her books are normally about let alone what the current book she was writing is about. Every chapter she was trying to write but couldn't because she was in a writing slump.

Another weird choice was the switching from most of the book being Emily's pov to randomly including Mark's pov in the second half of the story. It didn't add any new insight and only seemed to lengthen a story that was droning on at a slow pace all book. Mark had a cute cat but was otherwise a very forgettable love interest that had little chemistry with Emily.

The themes of being in your thirties and not achieving everything you thought you would hits very close to home for so many people. There's so many aspects that are very relatable in this story that were bogged down by pacing and repetition.

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

Welcome Back, Booklovers! It had been awhile since I read a YA contemporary but Needy Little Things was gifted to me by Wednesday Books and I needed a book that was the opposite of my usual reads after falling into a slump.

Sariyah Lee Bryant is a teenage with clairvoyant type powers. While she doesn't get visions she can hear people's needs without them voicing them. In fact she hears them so loudly she walks around with varying items to gift people to silence the voices in her head. The loud voices make it hard to concentrate and as a result she's doing badly in school. The problem is this gift doesn't work on those she's closest with. While attending a music festival with her friends one of their friends disappears. For Sariyah and her friend Malcolm this hits too close to home as Malcolm's sister was kidnapped a few years before. Now Sariyah must try and use her gift to piece together her friend's disappearance. 

This book address a number of issues from dealing with a family member with chronic illness,  depression, family separation, money troubles, and ADHD. And that was in addition to the discussion surrounding the way missing Black girls are treated. While all very necessary topics to discussion at times it felt a little piled on to one character and left little page time for her to exist outside of those issues.

The book started to loose steam towards the end as we got closer to solving the mystery. I wasn't sure what the take away message was supposed to be from this book because I felt like some events at the end undermined the overall message. It felt as if the speculative element was just added to the story to make it stand out amongst a sea of thrillers. Her gift of clairvoyance is heavily discussed and coveted by some characters. But outside of being told it was passed down through from generations we don't get much on the origin and background. Her powers were more of a nuisance to her and the story could've still been told and played out almost the exact same way without them.

One of Chanelle Desamour's strengths is her dialogue. These characters sound like real people, like real teens. Her straightforward storytelling methods made this a very smooth and easy read. But in many ways it plays it safe and doesn't fully flesh out some things.

The Perfect Ruin by Shanora Williams

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I had been meaning to read The Perfect Ruin for a couple of years now. It first caught my eye back in 2021, when I was wanting to read more Black thrillers. After reading another recent Shanora Williams book I decided it was time to check this one out at the library. 

In The Perfect Ruin, we're introduced to Ivy, a young woman who has had a rough life. We don't know the detail right away but we know her therapist has given her the name of the person responsible for her trouble. Lola Maxwell is the name of the woman and Ivy wanting her revenge does her research on Lola looking for an opening into her world. Ivy changes her appearances and infiltrates Lola's inner circle becoming close friends with her and taking out anyone who stands in her path. 

Shanora William's has compulsively readable writing. Thought the pacing was off early on in this book I was still yearning to find out what direction the story would go in. The reveal of what Lola did to Ivy that has her so vengeful was dangled over the audience's head for far too long. By the time it's revealed it has you expecting something a bit grander. But still I had to keep reading to the end as other twists were revealed. This is a thriller that is over the top and most comparable to a Lifetime thriller. That trainwreck that doesn't make the most logical sense but still sucks you in. I could tell the author was a longtime writer of romance in the way she wrote some of the racier scenes in this book even though there wasn't anything romantic here. This was Williams first foray into thrillers and I'm interested in reading some of her subsequent thrillers to see how her writing has changed.

Interview with Author/Illustrator Bea Jackson

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Last month I read Lily's Dream, which is the first in a new series (Fairies Welcome) from author/illustrator Bea Jackson. Now I'm coming at you with an interview where she discusses stepping into the author role, favorite projects, and her inspiration. 

What inspired you to get into illustration as a career? And did you have any formal training?

I was inspired by storytelling. I love movies and fantasy, and I always wanted to tell my own stories. I started by drawing different characters and creating stories about them. I haven’t had any formal training in illustration. 

Are there any artists that influence your early artwork?

I absolutely love Norman Rockwell’s work, and the way he’s able to capture a moment in time through his paintings. His work is still a big influence on me today.

What draws you to working on certain projects?

I love projects that challenge my imagination, or that teach me about something I didn’t know before, like a part of history or the life of a historical figure. I love stories about building connections and friendships.

How do you balance working on multiple projects?

It can be a challenge balancing multiple projects. But one thing I really appreciate about switching from one project to another is that it allows me the ability to approach it with a fresh set of eyes. 

How did you come up with the Fairies Welcome series? Was it always meant to be a series?

Lily’s Dream came from the idea that I wasn’t seeing Black fantasy stories. I’m starting to see Black fantasy more now, but when I first started thinking about a fairy story, there wasn’t a lot of representation of Black characters in fantasy. If there was a Black character, their magic was bad, or they were painted in a negative light. They were a villain, or they transformed into something else. You couldn’t see them as they were. I wanted to explore fantasy through Black characters whose world you were able to step into as people. I didn’t want it to be hyper-focused on their skin color, but that is where the idea came from: a desire to see Black fantasy.

Originally Fairies Welcome was just a story about two people connecting — a fairy and a human. But there’s only so much space in a 32-page picture book to allow the characters to meet and develop. The additional books allowed me to expand on their story and give the characters room to grow as people and show their friendship evolve over time. They have challenges, and learn from each other and grow together.

 In your author’s note you talk about the ways in which nature inspires you. Were there any specific locations that inspired any of the illustrations in Lily’s Dream? 

I live near a place called Cranbrook House and Gardens. It was once the home to a very affluent family, and is now a historical site. It’s a beautiful estate that has around 20 gardens. Some are Victorian, some are Japanese, they’re all different, and they have flowers from all over the country. It’s a beautiful place to spend time soaking up nature. I take a lot of inspiration from Cranbrook House and Gardens. I’ll visit and take photos of some of the plants and flowers that I want to incorporate into my illustrations. 

What is one big thing you learned stepping into the author role?

Before writing the Fairies Welcome series, a lot of my personal writing was geared toward an older audience. Writing this series, I had to learn how to communicate to younger people, how to speak their language and simplify things in a way that’s easier for children to understand. I also had to learn to find the right balance between text and artwork, so my illustrations could tell a visual story that complements the text.

Outside of your picture books do you have a favorite project? 

The first time I was paid to draw whatever I wanted was my Christmas collection for Target. Most of what I’d done prior to that project was to illustrate other people’s stories. With the Target collection, I was able to tell my own stories and compensated and supported for it. It was a very freeing experience. 

Do you have any hobbies outside of illustrating and writing that you enjoy? 

I have a lot of hobbies, but I especially love cooking and going on long walks. 

What other books do you have releasing next?

The next books I have coming out are the Fairies Welcome Ready-to-Read books and chapter books. Beyond that, I’m currently illustrating a book with Simon & Schuster titled Emeka, Eat Egusi, which I’m very excited about. 

You can connect with Bea Jackson via her website https://www.beagifted.com  and Instagram:bea.gifted

Frenemies with Benefits by Synithia Williams

Welcome Back, Booklovers! We return to Peachtree Cove for a third time in Frenemies with Benefits this time following Tracey and Brian who we've seen glimpses of in the other books. I received a copy for review from Harlequin Audio so keep reading for my thoughts.

Tracey's family has always been a subject of her small town's gossip thanks to her mom and dad's back and forth relationship antics. But this past year the focus has been on her divorce from her husband after he cheated and got one of her employees pregnant.  Now Tracey is putting more focus on the bed and breakfast she runs and making some much needed changes in her personal life. After changing her hair and clothes, she's ready to tackle her love life. Her pleasure wasn't the priority in her marriage but she's ready to finally get hers.

Brian has been divorced for awhile but that doesn't stop his ex wife from lurking and hoping to rekindle things. But Brian is trying to move on and he has his sights set on Tracey. Despite his mother's warnings he can't help but get involved and proposes a friends with benefits situationship to Tracey. 

This book does a great job exploring Tracey's sexuality as a newly divorced woman, having the sometimes uncomfortable conversations about not being secure in her own skin and not knowing what she likes and dislikes in the bedroom. Brian is a healthy communicator and shows Tracey what a open and honest relationship should look like. 

While it can be read as a standalone I liked that there were elements from the other books present here. The time capsule that the women buried when they were younger was brought back up again in this book and we got to see them open it. The series does a great job showcasing the closeness of these friends and how they support each other through their relationship ups and downs.