Tag: therapy

REVIEW: The Plus One by Mazey Eddings

REVIEW: The Plus One by Mazey Eddings

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Chris was just the latest in what felt like a lifetime of men who leave. Indira catching him with another woman was just the tip of the heart-wrenching iceberg. Leaving Chris meant losing her home as well as her boyfriend, so she packed her things to go stay with her brother Collin and his fiancé, Jeremy.

She hadn’t figured Jude into the equation.

Indira and Collin’s best friend have NEVER gotten along. Every conversation was abrasive – like trying to pet a cat against the direction of its fur. And this time is more of the same as they both hang out in Collin and Jeremy’s guest rooms until the wedding. In fact, both Indira and Jude are more fragile than they ever were before, making this living situation more tense than usual.

But when Jude steps into an awkward moment between Indira and Chris, pretending he and Indira are a couple, they realize a fake relationship could help them both out. Indira gets a buffer in her interactions with Chris who is a groomsman in this wedding, and Jude gets a buffer from the loud crowds and pre-wedding shenanigans that leave him feeling a breath away from shattering. But it’s not long before their fake relationship starts feeling alarmingly real.

Review

I picked this up because I love fake relationship stories. And this one is especially good. Most of the peer group knows the truth, so the reader isn’t subjected to early angst – just later angst when the friends start to wonder how “fake” things really are. There are some hilarious moments mixed in to offset the tropey angst. And romance readers who like some steam in their stories will find a lot here to enjoy.

While I enjoyed the characters, and all the trope-y-ness, what really sold me on this was the psychology of the story. Both characters are working through past trauma and trying to find their way to something healthy on the other side. Their personal work and some of the therapy scenes were quite profound and super well-done.

I had no issues jumping into this Brush with Love series on book 3. I can see where the series connections are with the characters, but this story stands solidly on its own. In fact, I don’t anticipate going back to read the other two books. This one was the right story and characters for me.  (Language, sex, PTSD)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: A Thorn in the Saddle by Rebekah Weatherspoon

REVIEW: A Thorn in the Saddle by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington/Dafina in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Jesse Pleasant is thrilled that his brothers have found love. But his anger and resentment at being the dependable one – the rock – the family caretaker – is starting to feel like too much. In fact, he completely loses his cool when he walks in on his grandmother and her new boyfriend. He knows his response was way over the top.

Lily-Grace is furious that her father got hurt because Jesse had a temper tantrum. And she’s prepared to make him suffer her wrath over it for awhile. But when he takes her chiding to heart and gets a therapist, she wonders if the sweet kid she met in elementary school is still there in the heart of this angry, brooding man.

While things start to thaw  – and then heat up – between Jesse and Lily-Grace, both are at a crossroads in life. Will their choices push them closer in the end or lead them on separate paths?

Review

When I first picked this up, I meant to just start it – a chapter or two before bed. Next thing I knew, I was up way past my bedtime and halfway through the novel. It was worth the loss of sleep to spend time with the Pleasant family again. The therapy-positive focus of this book was awesome. I enjoyed the exploration of Jesse’s anger and his journey through the whole book.

I loved Jesse and Lily-Grace together. There are some great one-liners here to balance out the more serious moments. Fans of re-imagined fairytales should enjoy this take on Beauty and the Beast. I have really enjoyed how the author has taken these well-known stories and made them her own. The connections are clear if you are looking for them, but they are also super subtle and nuanced so that it’s possible you won’t even notice the parallels. Series fans should NOT miss this latest installment of the Cowboys of California series. I don’t believe these have to be read in order to be enjoyed, but it does help establish the relationships in the family. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope by Sam Maggs

REVIEW: The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope by Sam Maggs

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Marvel Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Nadia Van Dyne – the Unstoppable Wasp – was stolen from her father, Hank Pym, before she was born. Her mother was kidnapped while pregnant and killed, and Nadia was raised in the Red Room. But now she’s free. She’s with her step-mother, Janet Van Dyne, and she runs a science lab called G.I.R.L. – Genius In action Research Labs. Nadia runs the lab out of Pym Laboratories and hopes it will convince SHIELD to recognize and encourage more female scientists.

Nadia’s training, her personality, and her bipolar disorder make her pretty driven. And when she’s struggling, she can take on too many things at once and become a workaholic. To help, she takes her meds, goes to therapy, and her friends keep an eye on her. Also to help, Janet gives her a virtual assistant – VERA.

VERA reminds Nadia to get enough sleep and take her meds. It also helps her do research and track her projects. She even gets to meet VERA’s creator, Margaret Hoff. But despite all of her productivity, Nadia is soon feeling estranged from all of her friends and lost in projects that the others don’t think she should be working on. Nadia’s family is concerned about her, but she doesn’t seem to recognize that she might be in trouble.

Review

I have mixed feelings on this one. There are things I loved and others things I struggled with. My only connection to Wasp before this was the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is not the same timeline/universe, so I had a lot of catching up to do when I started reading this. That added to the lag I felt early on as I tried to find the rhythm of this. Other readers more familiar with Nadia won’t have that issue.

Other places I struggled:

  • VERA, the crux of the plot, was barely present in the first third of the story. While this made for some great character development time, I kept wondering where the plot was.
  • There’s some name dropping early on that didn’t feel essential to the narrative. I get anchoring the book in the larger universe – and characters like Janet and Bobbie and a fun surprise at the end do that. It makes sense that a Marvel author would want to play with the larger palette of Marvel characters, but when a name seems to be there just to be there, I was distracted.
  • I was also distracted by the use of the words “boys” and “girls” when talking about adults in the story. For example, there was one scene in my review copy where Nadia and Margaret are together doing something and the book refers to them together as the “girls.” Nadia is 16; Margaret is at least 23 or 24. I couldn’t find her exact age, but she started her company at 22, and it’s been doing business for at least a little while.  In a story about empowering women and girls, it was jarring to see this pair referred to as “girls” when one of them is an adult.
  • The previous things probably sound minor in the scheme of things, but the one piece that almost drove me to giving up on the book was the intrusive inclusion of “Nadia’s Neat Science Facts” throughout the story.  These are not footnotes (which the book also has, but uses pretty well), but instead they are first person interludes of science information. I found that they interrupted the flow of the story almost every time they were used. And some didn’t even seem necessary at all to explain the science going on in the story. I wish they had been included at the beginning or end of chapters instead, where there’s a natural break, rather then interrupt the narrative of the book.

But it wasn’t not all a struggle. There were also things I loved:

  • I thoroughly enjoy found family stories, and this is a great one.
  • Nadia’s squad has some diversity in race, in sexual orientation (two of the girls are dating), and one team member has cerebral palsy.
  • The action descriptions, especially in the fight scenes, are outstanding. I read a lot of superhero stories, and often the fight scenes lose me, and I skim past them. They get wordy and drag down the story. This was NOT the case in this book. I could actually visualize the scene from the writing. The author did an exceptionally good job with this in my opinion.
  • The mental health and therapy pieces are woven in naturally. Medication and education about her bipolar disorder are normalized, everyday parts of Nadia’s life.
  • Once the VERA story takes off, I enjoyed the book. I didn’t click readily with the team in this because of some of the dynamics in play because of the story, but I did enjoy seeing Nadia and her crew working together.

I might check out a sequel if the storyline sounds compelling. Sadly, I didn’t really click with any of the characters enough here for them to draw me back no matter what, so the plot will be a big factor.

If you enjoy the Unstoppable Wasp already, or if you like superhero stories or STEM stories featuring young women, consider giving this one a go.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

REVIEW: The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House/Wendy Lamb Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

When Bea was 8, her parents sat her down to tell her that her dad was gay and they were getting a divorce. At the same time, they gave her a notebook. Inside they had made a list – The List of Things that Will Not Change. It included affirmations of love from both of her parents as well as a reminder that they were still a family, even if the family looked different in the future.

Now that Bea’s dad and Jesse are getting married, Bea is thrilled with the idea that she is going to finally have a sister. Jesse’s daughter, Sonia, is Bea’s age. She lives in California, but after Christmas she’ll be visiting New York for a week. Bea is certain they’ll become the best of friends and that Sonia will be as happy as she is.

But as the wedding gets closer, Bea discovers that different people, and different families, can have complicated feelings about big changes. And she discovers she has some complicated feelings herself.

Review

This was delightful! I adored Bea from the very beginning. She is creative and insightful and completely realistic for her age. The entire cast of characters is fantastic. No one is perfect or perfectly happy. There are complex situations and complex feelings. But the adults are committed to Bea and Sonia and to supporting one another. And Bea’s friends are a great support for her.

My favorite relationship in the whole book is Bea’s relationship with her therapist. It’s matter-of-fact and never something for her to be self-conscious about. Bea is honest about places where she holds back. She listens to what Miriam says, even if she isn’t sure Miriam is right. The whole thing is SO well done.

Because the relationship between Bea and Miriam is so strong, there are a ton of great pieces here about feelings and emotions – anger, emotions that can be masked by anger, acting on our feelings, dealing with worries, and imagining the feelings of others. I loved all of it!

The relationship between Bea’s dad and his boyfriend is great. Each has his own “voice” and way of relating to Bea that feels realistic. I especially loved Jesse’s relationship with Bea.

Not everyone in the book is on board with the gay relationship, which adds to some of the conflict in the book. It’s painful to watch, but also honest . And the book gives Bea space to process that.

There are SO MANY rich things that could be done with this book in a classroom setting – read-alouds with discussion, book groups, etc. But I think kids will also love just spending time with Bea and her friends and family, soaking up all the goodness here. Fans of Rebecca Stead should not miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Tuesday Night Miracles by Kris Radish

REVIEW: Tuesday Night Miracles by Kris Radish

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Four women are court ordered to an anger management class.

  • Kit, grieving the loss of her mother after being her caregiver for months, attacks her brother with a broken wine bottle after he shoves her and accuses her of causing their mother to die “sooner”
  • Jane attacked another real estate broker with her stilettos when a crucial deal broke down
  • Grace, weighed down by life choices, weary work, and raising teens who are not turning out like she expected, repeatedly rams her daughter’s boyfriends car with her own.
  • Leah loses control of her temper with her children after years as a victim of domestic violence.

Shepherding these women is Dr. Bayer, a therapist on the edge of retirement who thinks it is time to try some unusual interventions that she’s always wanted to explore. These women will be her last group, and she’s hoping for some miracles in their Tuesday night meetings.

Review

I really enjoyed this book! The premise was terrific, and it was executed well. I cared about what happened to these women. The unusual therapy was terrific – a mixed bag of success and failure. This is pretty realistic.

I identified most with Kit. I was angry FOR her in the inciting incident. And I enjoyed her evolution the most in the story. Leah was also an endearing character. While suffering more than any of the other women, she was also the most ready to dig in and pursue change for her own sake as well as the sake of her children.

I’m so glad I stumbled on to this book – the cover really grabbed my attention. The dog in the story was sweet. I took note of one of the author’s other titles when I discovered this one, and I am looking forward to giving that a try. (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥