Please note:  I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Dane Riley's grasp on reality is slipping, and he's not sure that he cares. While his mother has moved on after his father's death, Dane desperately misses the man who made Dane feel okay to be himself. He can't stand his mother's boyfriend, or the boyfriend's son, whose favorite pastime is tormenting Dane. Then there's the girl next door: Dane can't quite define their relationship, and he doesn't know if he's got the courage to leave the friend zone.

An emotional novel about mental health, and dealing with grief and growing up, The Tragedy of Dane Riley is the story of a teenager looking to make sense of his feelings in the wake of tragedy, and finding the strength he needs to make life worth living. 

Review:

While I was a little put off at first with Dane's obsession with suicide, I found this story to be a heartfelt look into the complicated lives of teens.  Mental health is a serious issue for young adults, and this novel deals honestly with the challenges that parents, teachers, and friends face when trying to help a teen in crisis.  

What I Liked:

Characters:

Dane is grieving over the death of his dad which comes out as anger towards his mom.   This adds to a depression that has persisted for several years.  As he enters his senior year of high school, Dane has absolutely no idea what he wants to do after graduation.  He doesn't see himself going to college, like most of his peers.  But he also doesn't see any other path for his future.   This is making him even more anxious than he usually is.  I think the author gets this restlessness spot on.  Very few seventeen year-olds know what they want to do in life.  And the pressure to have set goals, such as to attend college, is enormous.  

Ophelia is Dane's neighbor and the girl of his dreams.  She is also under pressure from her father to be the perfect daughter: straight A student, completely focused on school, and responsible.  But no one is perfect.  I think she feels compelled to please her father because her mother has a drug problem.  She has gotten the message from her dad that she can't take after her mom if she wants his love.

Mental Health Issues:

Dane has dealt with depression for several years as the book opens, and has attempted suicide in the past.  This make his mom very anxious about how he's dealing with his father's death.  While Dane thinks his mom is going overboard with therapists, it's what any competent parent would do.  

What I found so realistic about this story is that Dane can't see that there's anything wrong with him, yet he has a serious problem with impulse control.  For instance, he thinks that setting a fire in the backyard and nearly burning the house down is just a simple misunderstanding.  He doesn't really consider the consequences of his actions.  While it's understandable in a teenager, he make several missteps that put his life in danger.  At several points in the book, I wanted to yell, "Dane, don't do it!"

What I Was Mixed About:

Romance:

As Dane and Ophelia discover that they like each other, they decide to place an expiration date on their relationship.  Their rationale is that the best part of dating is at the beginning, so why not just set a date on when it's over?  Then, one doesn't need to deal with all the messy bits.  But as another character points out, this is a lazy solution.  They never need to put any effort in their romance to make it actually work.  If they truly cared about each other, which I believe they did, they should have wanted to learn more about each other, and from the relationship.  I think ending their dating on a specific date was the easy way out.

Possible Date Rape:

The book also touches on a possible sexual assault of one of the characters.  We see all the signs that a person was given a date-rape drug, and the victim shows signs of trauma. But nothing comes of it in the story.  The girl never says that she actually was assaulted, and Dane doesn't feel the need to find out.  I found this really strange.  Sure, everyone deserves a right to privacy, but, if you think that someone you care about has been raped, wouldn't you want to help the girl get some assistance?    

Trigger Warning for suicide and sexual assault!

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  June 22, 2021

Author:  Kat Spear

Publisher:  Wednesday Books

Genre:  YA Contemporary Fiction

Page Length:  320 Pages

Source:  Publisher & NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  An honest look at grief and the pressure on teens to be perfect.  You'll simultaneously root for Dane, and wince at some of his choices.

Please note:  I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my reviews in any way.

Synopsis (from NetGalley):

The year is 1969, and the Bayleen Island Folk Fest is abuzz with one name: Jesse Reid. Tall and soft-spoken, with eyes blue as stone-washed denim, Jesse Reid's intricate guitar riffs and supple baritone are poised to tip from fame to legend with this one headlining performance. That is, until his motorcycle crashes on the way to the show.

Jane Quinn is a Bayleen Island local whose music flows as naturally as her long blond hair. When she and her bandmates are asked to play in Jesse Reid's place at the festival, it almost doesn't seem real. But Jane plants her bare feet on the Main Stage and delivers the performance of a lifetime, stopping Jesse's disappointed fans in their tracks: A star is born.

Jesse stays on the island to recover from his near-fatal accident and he strikes up a friendship with Jane, coaching her through the production of her first record. As Jane contends with the music industry's sexism, Jesse becomes her advocate, and what starts as a shared calling soon becomes a passionate love affair. On tour with Jesse, Jane is so captivated by the giant stadiums, the late nights, the wild parties, and the media attention, that she is blind-sided when she stumbles on the dark secret beneath Jesse's music. With nowhere to turn, Jane must reckon with the shadows of her own past; what follows is the birth of one of most iconic albums of all time.

Shot through with the lyrics, the icons, the lore, the adrenaline of the early 70s music scene, Songs in Ursa Major pulses with romantic longing and asks the question so many female artists must face: What are we willing to sacrifice for our dreams?

Review:

As someone who loves music I really enjoy books about the music industry.  Loosely based on the brief romance between Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, Songs in Ursa Major, by Emma Brodie, may be fiction, but it reads like a memoir.  With masterful descriptions of the song writing process, behind the scenes tales of recording an album, and the thrills and perils of going on tour, this book feels so real, I wish I could get my hands on the music, and listen to Jane and Jesse sing their hearts out.

What I Liked:

Song Writing Process:

I loved how the author describes the creative process of writing a song.  While Jesse and Jane each had different methods for writing, they both used imagery to bring themes of longing, love, and betrayal to their music.  Jane would get the tune first, and then use that mood to find lyrics to match.  While Jesse's song writing method was less apparent, what was clear was that both of them were poets.  I would love to hear the music that the author described.

Depiction of the Music Industry:

The book was set in the 1970's, where men ran everything.  Although she was the lead singer in her band, Jane had to contend with executives only speaking to the male members of the band, and not taking her music seriously.  There was also a vindictive record producer who tried to sabotage Jane's career.  She learned the hard way that the record industry had total control over her career, no matter how successful she was.  

Strangely, I don't think much has changed in the present.  There is still sexism, creepy record producers, and corporate greed in the music industry.  But there are also independent record labels, YouTube, and Spotify that can circumvent these influences.

Substance Abuse Shame and Family Secrets:

A major theme in this book was how the shame of substance abuse could tear families apart.  Jesse's father seemed, at first, to be an unfeeling, control freak who delighted in pointing out Jesse's problems.  But, later we learn all about what Jesse put his dad through, and we feel much more compassion for him.  

Jane's family also suffers from the loss of her mother to (possibly) mental illness.  Janes's mother disappeared when she was a child after becoming emotionally unstable.  But the secrets and shame her grandmother and aunt had surrounding the mom's actions were what did the most damage to Jane.  As this book is set in the early 1970's, this was realistic.  But it was heartbreaking all the same.

What I Was Mixed About:

I suppose it was a novel about Rock-n-Roll, and drugs and sex were a big part of the music scene.  I really liked how the book dealt with substance abuse.  The author didn't glamorize anything.  There were harrowing scenes of overdoses, and it showed the toll this had on relationships and generations of families .  Fair warning: the sex in the book was rather raw.  Again, this added to the Rock-n-Roll atmosphere of the novel, but skip this book if you don't want to read sex on the page.   

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  June 22nd, 2021

Author:  Emma Brodie

Publisher:  Knopf Publisher Group

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  336 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation: If you love Rock and Roll, you will really enjoy this novel about the music industry.  The fantastic writing made me want to hear the music described and be a fan of Janie Q!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A family reunion for the ages when two clans convene for the summer at their beloved getaway in the Catskills--perfect for fans of Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel--from the acclaimed author of The Floating Feldmans.

In its heyday, The Golden Hotel was the crown jewel of the hotter-than-hot Catskills vacation scene. For more than sixty years, the Goldman and Weingold families - best friends and business partners - have presided over this glamorous resort which served as a second home for well-heeled guests and celebrities. But the Catskills are not what they used to be - and neither is the relationship between the Goldmans and the Weingolds. As the facilities and management begin to fall apart, a tempting offer to sell forces the two families together again to make a heart-wrenching decision. Can they save their beloved Golden or is it too late?

Long-buried secrets emerge, new dramas and financial scandal erupt, and everyone from the traditional grandparents to the millennial grandchildren wants a say in the hotel's future. Business and pleasure clash in this fast-paced, hilarious, nostalgia-filled story, where the hotel owners rediscover the magic of a bygone era of nonstop fun even as they grapple with what may be their last resort.

Review:

When I learned that Elyssa Friedman had a new novel out, I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible.  I really enjoyed her humorous take on cruise ships (written pre-COVID) called, The Floating Feldmans where everything that could go wrong does.  Last Summer at the Golden Hotel, Friedman's latest book, follows two families who run an old fashioned Catskills resort.  The clash between generations, and between nostalgia and innovation, come to a head as an offer has been made by a casino to purchase the hotel.  

What I Liked:

Premise:

In flashbacks, the novel fondly recalls a time where Jewish families would spend the entire summer in the Catskills.  Men would work in New York during the week, and join their families on the weekends to relax and have family time.  But now, the hotel is a relic of the past with run down buildings, and low occupancy.  Several generations have a vote on whether or not to sell the hotel.  But each member has different motives that will influence their vote.  I loved the clash of generations, and the conflict between sentiment and practicality.  

Characters:

Since there were two families, there are wonderful characters from several generations that I fell in love with.  And I enjoyed that the novel didn't focus solely on the younger characters.  The eighty year olds were just as interesting as the twenty-somethings.  Franny and Louise, the wives of the founders of the hotel, continued long-standing slights and misunderstandings.  And all of the older generation has reverence for one member who has passed away, Benny, Abe's business partner.  The middle generation (the sandwich generation), were caught between looking out for their parents, and worrying about their own adult children.  Amy feels untethered with her three kids all grown up, and her marriage in trouble.  Brian, who was nearly fifty, was still working for his parents at the hotel.  Is he up to the task of running the hotel?  Or should he try to make his own way.  Brian's brother Peter worked as an attorney to create a comfortable life for his wife, Greta.  But, as the book progresses, it's clear that money doesn't buy happiness.  The youngest generations, all twenty-somethings, are also still figuring out what they want, and who they want to spend their lives with.  They also were the most eager to embrace changes to the hotel.  But can their changes improve the hotel, or ruin what made the hotel special to begin with?

Catskills Resorts:

If you enjoyed the movie, Dirty Dancing, then you'll have a feeling for what the Catskills were like in its heyday.  But even if you haven't seen the movie, the novel does a wonderful job of lovingly describing the magical summertimes of years gone by.  From the activities such as bingo, cha-cha lessons, and canasta, to the bountiful food, the author shows us a time where people really understood what vacation time was all about. 

But the book also recounts some of the not so wonderful happenings at such a resort.  "Bungalow Bunnies" were wives who slept with the staff while their husbands were away working, the men also cheated on their wives.  And parents arranged marriages with other families based on superficial attributes such as the appearance of the girl, and the boys future job prospects.  

It's also worth noting why these resorts were set up in the first place.  Jewish people were often barred from country clubs, and other types of resorts.  So, hotels in the Catskills were created to cater solely to this group.  I understand that the author wanted to keep the book light, but I think a little historical context might help readers understand the significance of these places.  

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  May 18th, 2021

Author:  Elyssa Friedland

Publisher:  Berkley Books

Genre:  Literary Fiction

Page Length:  384 Pages

Source:  Public Library

Format:  Audiobook

Narrator:  Julia Whelan

Audiobook Length:  9 hours, 26 minutes       

Recommendation:  A very funny novel about trying to  find common ground between generations of family members.  Full of nostalgia, this novel is a lovely reminder of how some people used to vacation.  I loved this novel.                                         

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Conspiracies abound in this surreal and yet all-too-real technothriller in which a deadly underground alternate reality game might just be altering reality itself, set in the same world as the popular Rabbits podcast.

It's an average work day. You've been wrapped up in a task, and you check the clock when you come up for air--4:44 pm. You go to check your email, and 44 unread messages have built up. With a shock, you realize it is April 4th--4/4. And when you get in your car to drive home, your odometer reads 44,444. Coincidence? Or have you just seen the edge of a rabbit hole?

Rabbits is a mysterious alternate reality game so vast it uses our global reality as its canvas. Since the game first started in 1959, ten iterations have appeared and nine winners have been declared. Their identities are unknown. So is their reward, which is whispered to be NSA or CIA recruitment, vast wealth, immortality, or perhaps even the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe itself. But the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes. Players have died in the past--and the body count is rising.

And now the eleventh round is about to begin. Enter K--a Rabbits obsessive who has been trying to find a way into the game for years. That path opens when K is approached by billionaire Alan Scarpio, the alleged winner of the sixth iteration. Scarpio says that something has gone wrong with the game and that K needs to fix it before Eleven starts or the whole world will pay the price.

Five days later, Scarpio is declared missing. Two weeks after that, K blows the deadline and Eleven begins. And suddenly, the fate of the entire universe is at stake.

Review:

It seems that more people believe in conspiracy theories now than every before.  I think that's because there's too much information for us to consume.  It is impossible to keep up with everything that is going on, so we might easily believe we are missing something big happening right under our noses.  It's this paranoia that fuels conspiracy theories.  The book Rabbits, by Terry Miles, feeds into this by being about a vast, secret game where the winners will get untold riches and their heart's desire if only they can find the clues.  Although it can get very twisty with its plot, this had wonderful characters, and lots of mystery.  It was a scary and enjoyable book.

What I Liked:

Characters:

I think there are many people who will identify with K.  He is an extreme gamer, getting a thrill from uncovering secret messages from books, social media, and pop culture. The subversive nature of Rabbits is extremely alluring to him.  But, he also can become obsessed with finding meaning in everything.  This is great for games, but exhausting for his friends.  I liked that K did want to work with his friends to solve the mystery.  He was not a loner.  Perhaps this is due to him losing his parents from a young age.

Chloe is also deeply interested in Rabbits.  But she doesn't get in so deep that she loses all sense of the real world.  She holds down a job, and is very responsible.  She cares deeply for K and her other friends.  And that is why she follows along on some of K's more hare-brained ideas.  She is looking out for him.

Concept:

This book is written by Terry Miles, who also has a podcast called "Rabbits" , which I started listening to after I read the book.  Both the podcast and the book capitalize on people's fears that we, as a culture, are being manipulated by some someone, or something that permeates all parts of society.  It's like a more subtle, non political, version of the Q conspiracy.  It's fascinating to see how easily people can get sucked in.  The game Rabbits utilizes all types of media to sprinkle clues around: social media, movies, books, political rhetoric, music, art, you name it.  I think if there would be a game such as Rabbits, it would be hard to keep it a secret, given how popular it would instantly become.

Issues of Mental Health:

Part of the mystery of the book is whether or not K is playing a game called Rabbits, or is having a mental health episode.  It really could be either.  K shows signs of having a mental break from reality, with strange things happening that only he can see, losing minutes (and then, hours) of time, obsessive behavior, and paranoia.  While he realizes that he might have a mental illness, he also realizes that he can't confide in anyone.  Imagine if you experienced seeing really bizarre things, had physical symptoms of anxiety attacks, forgot what you were doing for days at a time.  You would desperately want to be believed.  Now imagine if you want to be believed, but you also secretly dread that you need help.  This may be what people struggling with mental illness experience. 

What I Was Mixed About:

While, of course, the plot of the book is meant to be twisty, it was sometimes hard to follow.  You will need to be really current on your pop culture, and have a working knowledge of Theoretical String Theory, to be able to follow all the action without getting lost, at least at some point.   I had to go back and re-read some passages to see if I could figure out what was happening.  It was at times both frustrating and really fun. 

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  June 8th, 2021

Author:  Terry Miles

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Genre:  Spectulative Fiction

Pager Length:  448 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  If you like a good conspiracy with lots of pop cultural references, you're in for a treat!  This was a really fun book.

Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Malibu: August 1983. It's the day of Nina Riva's annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over--especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud--because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he's been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can't stop thinking about promised she'll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own--including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family's generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.

Review:

I was first introduced to the writings of Taylor Jenkins Reid through my book club when we read The Nine Lives of Evelyn Hugo.  Since then, I've read Daisy Jones and The Six, and now, her latest novel, Malibu Rising.   Although this is another story about people in the entertainment industry, at its core, it's a story of a family.  The novel moves between two time periods: a day in 1983, where the adult Riva children are gearing up for a party, and the 1950's and 1960's, which follows the story of their parents.  With strong characters, and an insight into the price of fame, this was an entertaining book that raised many interesting questions.   Are we the product of our genetics, or our upbringing?  Do people deserve a second (or a third, or  a fourth) chance when they screw up?  I really enjoyed this novel.

What I Liked:

Story format:

The story moves back and forth between Mic and June's rocky romance and marriage, and the aftermath of that relationship on their four children.  We learn everything on a need to know basis, so there's a lot of cuts between the two storylines.  I really liked the format.  It kept me guessing as to why the author was showing certain parts of the story at a given moment.  But it all made sense.  

I also liked the linear countdown aspect of the kids story.  The author tells us, up front, there's going to be an epic party where the relationships between the siblings will be altered forever, and that there will be a major fire.  So as the countdown to disaster happens, we know something big is "rising".

Characters:

Mic and June are almost stereotypes for a 1950's Hollywood marriage.  Mic's rise to fame is exciting for June.  She gets the stability of a successful husband's career, and Mic gets all sorts of adulation.  But you know where this is headed.  With women throwing themselves at Mic, it's just a matter of time before there is trouble.  But as we learn from Mic's backstory, his dad was also a womanizer.  So would Mic eventually have become one even without the fame?

June is all too happy to be a housewife, having children and raising them.  When things go sour, June steps up to the plate and continues to provide love and support to her children.  But keeping a smile on her face for the kids has a price.  She becomes a serious alcoholic.

All this has an effect on the kids (how could it not?).  I think this is the most interesting aspect of the book.  Nina, the oldest, has had to become a mother to her three younger siblings.  Every time June, passes out (and more), Nina is there to pick up the pieces.  This is admirable, except that Nina really sacrifices a lot for her family, more that one could imagine.  It's not just missed opportunities she missed out on, she becomes accepting of people walking all over her (just like her mom did).  Will she be able to stand up for herself, or will she self-destruct like her mom?

Jay and Hud both feel the absence of their father the most, and have something to prove.  Can they be  as successful as their dad?  They each are on a path to a major career.  But, like their dad, they don't seem to mind that a woman (Nina) is taking care of things so they can focus on their careers.  Plus they are competitive with each other is a passive-aggressive way.  They will have a lot to work through as major revelations come to light be the end of the party. 

Kit, is the youngest, and doesn't feel in sync with her siblings.  She knows that she is a fantastic surfer (like some of her siblings), but she is very intimidated by Nina's beauty.  She doesn't feel all that girly like Nina or her friends.  And she has yet, at twenty, to even kiss a guy.  She will figure out some things about herself by the end of the night too.  One thing that she already has in abundance, is a low tolerance for bull$!#t. She is the most no-nonsense of the siblings.  I loved that she doesn't accept excuses for people's bad behavior.  And her assertiveness is just what she can lend to Nina.  She might be the youngest, but she will probably become the most famous of them all by sheer grit and determination.

Themes:

The theme of family duty and love is prevalent in this book.  June is completely in love with, first Mic, and then her children, and is willing to sacrifice all her hopes to make sure they are taken care of.  This is especially difficult when Mic leaves her with the kids, and doesn't provide any financial support.  Yes, she could have taken him to court, but she also had her pride.  She did not want to be seen as the long suffering wife.  Nina takes up the banner, when June begins drinking too much.  Again, she sacrificed everything for the family.

I can't help but think that the message that the author is trying to make is that there needs to be a balance between taking care of your loved ones, and meeting your own needs.  All the care that June, and then Nina, took of the other kids came at a steep price.  

The party itself is a metaphor.  Even though Nina creates a beautiful party, compete with valets, bartenders, waitresses, catered food, etc. people abuse her hospitality.  They steal, break things on purpose, and generally make a spectacle of themselves.  All the guests know this is THE party to be seen at, so they make sure to do just that.  All the care that Nina has put into the party is taken for granted.  Just like Mic has neglected and walked all over his family.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  June 1st, 2021

Author:  Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publisher:  Ballentine Books

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  384 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  With unforgettable characters, this book will get you thinking about our expectations of family, and fame.  This will be a great summer read.