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Bright Young Women
By Jessica Knoll
S&s/ Marysue Rucci Books, 9781501153235, August 2024, 400pp.

The Short of It:

A killer, a house full of sorority girls, what could go wrong?

The Rest of It:

Plenty! Knoll wastes no time, we learn very early on what happened to those sorority girls, we just don’t know who did it. Pamela, the sorority president takes her role very seriously. In the aftermath of what’s happened, she feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. Contact the parents, get the other girls to safety, talk to the police and yes, the press.

She is the only one who saw his face. As a law students, she knows the importance of this and knows that cases can go sideways quickly. For that to happen though, they have to have the suspect in custody.

That’s where Tina comes in. She shows up out of nowhere, offers to help. Offers a place to stay. Gives Pamela pointers on who to talk to in the press and who to steer clear from. Tina is a problem. She lost her friend Ruth years earlier and has been hell bent on finding her killer. Tina’s instincts and intentions seem good but is she taking Pamela down the wrong path? Plus, Tina has a horrible reputation with law enforcement so her friendship with Pamela is questioned.

I was very invested in this story for the first half. The details as they unraveled piqued my interest. Pamela is a strong, likable character but Tina is not and her opinions take up much of the story. I also felt that although Pamela’s closeness to one of the victims is what drives her to look for her killer, I did not know enough about the girl to really care for her. Sure, no one wants someone to be murdered but besides her being a sorority sister, what gives?

The author makes some decisions with some of the characters that raised my eyebrows. They felt like an addendum rather than part of the story. Kind of tacked on for mystery’s sake. I didn’t care for it. Also, the sexual orientation of the girls was woven into the story, but I’m not sure it was needed or if it brought anything else to the story, really. My opinion.

My book club chose this book for January’s meeting. I really liked that first half but it left me a little frustrated by the end. I looked back at another book by this author, Luckiest Girl Alive, and felt the same way.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

The Reading List
By Sara Nisha Adams
William Morrow & Company, 9780063025295, August 2022, 400pp.

The Short of It:

Sweet and charming. Wholesome, even.

The Rest of It:

This is another winner. A book about books and reading. I’ve been loving these this year.

Mukesh is a widow. He lost his dear Naina but his three adult daughters keep him on his toes, as well as his young granddaughter, Priya. They are all a bit chatty over him. “Get out more, Papa. Eat better, Papa. Make more friends, Papa.” They mean well.

Aleisha is a young teen, only seventeen and a librarian at the local library. She lives at home with her older brother Aiden, whom she adores, and her mother who is suffering from an unnamed mental break that causes her to have fits, remain inside a buttoned up house, and requires constant care. Between Aleisha and Aiden, they do the best they can for her, but what she needs is professional care and she refuses it.

To get Aleisha out of the house, Aiden encourages her to take a librarian job. Aleisha doesn’t read and really isn’t an example of customer service because what Aleisha wants is to be left alone.

In walks Mukesh. He asks Aleisha for a book recommendation. His wife used to read so much, he’d like to see what all the fuss is about. Aleisha is initially very rude to him. Sarcastic even. Mukesh is confused by this but goes on his way.

But then a list is left behind at the library. A list with books on it. She’s curious who left the list but thinks that maybe these can be the books she can recommend in the future. Books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, Beloved, Little Women.

Aleisha uses this list and a friendship is born between Mr. P (Mukesh) and Aleisha. Down the line, this friendship becomes very important as they learn about themselves through books.

This was a wonderful read. Full of reading goodness but also dealing with some heavy topics. Love, loss, mental illness. Woven between these bookish interactions is a lot of pain and trial but in the end, there is hope.

Highly recommend. It’s an older title, came out in 2022 but I missed it when it first came out and it was readily available from the library! Lovers of libraries, grab a copy and enjoy.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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