BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Amber H. (Asheville, NC)

L.A. Women
by Ella Berman

Slow start but picked up (3/21/2025)

This book was a slow start, it didn't pick up for me until about 40 of the way through. Gala was the more interesting character to me, Lane felt a bit whiny throughout the book. The buildup of the mystery of Gala felt like it didn't pay off in the end. I think I would have …more

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes
by Chanel Cleeton

Average Book for Me (2/17/2025)

This book is an average read for me. The plot of the story was interesting, particularly the story following Pilar. The other 2 views were a bit disjointed and almost felt like they were forced into the book to have the multiple timelines.

I think this book would have held …more

Fagin the Thief: A Novel
by Allison Epstein

Not for me (12/9/2024)

Sadly, I found this book quite boring. So much of the book was detail after detail about petty theft. I didn't get a good feel for Fagin or the other characters in the book. I wish there was more insight into the characters relationships with each other, their own thoughts/ …more

The Adversary: A Novel
by Michael Crummey

A miss for me (1/15/2024)

This book was a miss for me. The first ~20 I was interested in the developing story between the sibling main characters but the remainder of the book fell flat. The storyline kept changing and I never felt invested in the characters by that point. There's a lot going on, I …more

All You Have to Do Is Call
by Kerri Maher

Good Historical Fiction (6/24/2023)

I really enjoyed "All You Have to Do Is Call" - the book focuses on the lives of several very different women during the 1970s, particularly on their struggles on the tradition roles of women at that time, low pay, limited child care support, but mostly on abortion - women …more

The September House
by Carissa Orlando

Great fall read! (5/18/2023)

I really enjoyed September House. The story is unique and tackles mental illness, family drama, love & loss - several topics. Margaret, the main character, is likeable. The other characters, including the dead ones, were interesting. This will be the perfect read during …more

Zig-Zag Boy: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood
by Tanya Frank

Beautiful and Heartbreaking (2/19/2023)

Well written memoir focusing on how mental illness impacts the family system. Tanaya Frank also describes the challenges of the mental health system in both US and UK - many times, these systems are set up for failure. A difficult, yet important read to better understand …more

Iron Curtain: A Love Story
by Vesna Goldsworthy

Loved this book! (1/27/2023)

I loved this book - right from the start I was drawn into Milena and her story. The beginning is a bit dark, but that is relevant context for the rest of the story. I felt so many emotions reading Iron Curtain - it is sad, funny, disturbing, exciting, confusing, the list …more

Moonrise Over New Jessup
by Jamila Minnicks

Strong start but lost interest (12/26/2022)

I loved the first 25 of this book. Learning about Alice's travels to New Jessup, her backstory, etc. About the time Raymond came on the scene I started to lose interest. It felt like there were a lot of different story lines going on, but they were all disconnected from …more

River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer

Wonderful book, highly recommend (9/20/2022)

I loved the story and characters of this book. This book is based on the practice of separating slave children from their parents and one mother's desire to find out what happen to her own. This was a quick read and although difficult, provides important information to more …more

The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi

Not sure what to think (7/3/2022)

I'm not sure how to describe this book, as I'm not entirely sure what it is about. The book is a "girl coming of age" story, but there doesn't seem to be much of a story here. The description talks about a family curse which is hinted at, but there's very little of this …more

Some of It Was Real
by Nan Fischer

Good, quick read! (3/15/2022)

Reading the description, I didn't think this book would grab my interest but I was pleasantly surprised! By page 2 I was hooked! Well written, interesting characters and a good story line that kept me engaged. I read this in 2 days.

I was worried a story about a psychic …more

Crossing the River: Seven Stories That Saved My Life, A Memoir
by Carol Smith

Beautiful Memoir (2/22/2021)

I absolutely loved this memoir! As Carol Smith navigates the grief of her young son's death, she reflects on the stories of people throughout her life. These stories help her to see a way to balance holding onto her grief while navigating towards happiness again. I …more

The Prophets
by Robert Jones Jr.

Sigh, wanted to love (10/17/2020)

I love the story of this book, but didn't love the way the story was told. I found myself struggling to stay focused. Sometimes I couldn't follow the story, sometimes I was bored and sometimes I was confused. I really wanted to enjoy this book, I was interested in the story …more

American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins

Wow (11/12/2019)

One of the best books I have ever read. From the very first page to the last, I was hooked.

The story of Lydia & Luca is so beautifully written. I felt I was actually with them on every step of their journey.

This book isn't for the faint of heart - there are very …more

Remembrance
by Rita Woods

Wonderful Story! (10/23/2019)

I really enjoyed this book. The story was well written and kept me engaged. The descriptions of location and characters were beautiful. I also appreciated learning more about the experiences of slaves, including the history going back to Haiti in 1700s.
There were some …more

Beirut Hellfire Society
by Rawi Hage

Great idea, okay execution (5/20/2019)

I was initially drawn to this book because I wanted to learn more about war in Lebanon. The author does provide an interesting view of Pavlov's life. However, I felt like it was mostly disparate stories of Pavlov that didn't really come together until the last section of …more

House of Stone
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

This book was a struggle (12/18/2018)

I had a lot of difficulty reading this book. I wasn't able to follow the story line and frequently had to re-read the description on the back to remember what the point of the story was. It appeared to consistent of random stories about people and I was never really sure …more

The Kinship of Secrets
by Eugenia Kim

Glad I stuck with this book (10/11/2018)

This book started out a bit slow for me. I found it difficult to remember the details from chapter to chapter and I was slow to keep picking this book up again.

About half way, I became much more interested and the book picked up quite a bit. I'm glad I stuck with it thru …more

Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel
by Isabel Allende

Great read (5/12/2018)

I really enjoyed Island Beneath the Sea. Isabel Allende painted a detailed picture of 19th century St Domingue (now Haiti). Although this is book is fiction, the story of a woman slave during this period was realistic. I learned much about the history of Haiti and the slave …more

BookBrowse Book Club

Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating novel about an American heroine France Perkins—now in paperback!

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The Husbands
by Holly Gramazio

The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?

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The Jackal's Mistress
by Chris Bohjalian

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

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A Map to Paradise
by Susan Meissner

From the USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful. 1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

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