Jen Ryland Reviews

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Review of Nice Girls by Catherine Dang

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Looking for more New Adult mysteries? Nice Girls by Catherine Dang is about a college student with issues who has to slink back to her small hometown and solve a mystery. Check out my review of Nice Girls by Catherine Dang!

Review of Nice Girls
Review of Nice Girls

Nice Girls by Catherine Dang

Nice Girls by Catherine Dang. To be published by William Morrow on September 14, 2021. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.

Synopsis: Growing up in Liberty Lake, Minnesota, Mary was chubby, awkward, and smart. Earning a scholarship to an Ivy League school was her ticket out. Three years later, “Ivy League Mary” is back. Kicked out of school at the beginning of senior year, she won’t tell anyone why. Working at the local grocery store, she sees familiar faces from high school and tries to make sense of the past and her life. When beautiful, magnetic Olivia Willand, a rising social media star, goes missing, Mary—like the rest of Liberty Lake—becomes obsessed. Best friends in childhood, Mary and Olivia haven’t spoken in years. Everyone admired Olivia, but Mary knows better than anyone that behind the Instagram persona hid a willful, manipulative girl with sharp edges. As the world worries for perfect, lovely Olivia, Mary can’t help but hate her. She also believes that her disappearance is tied to another missing person—a nineteen-year-old girl named DeMaria Jackson whose disappearance has gone under the radar.

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My Favorite End of Summer Reads of 2021

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Summer is drawing to a close. What should you read to enjoy a last few summer feels before facing fall? Check out My Favorite End of Summer Reads 2021!

My Favorite End of the Summer Reads of 2021

My Favorite Summer Reads of 2021!

The past two summers have been challenging. Lockdowns, virus variants, and mask-wearing took the place of carefree holidays in the sun. Here’s hoping that summer 2022 is much better!

But here we are at the end of summer 2021. There are a few short weeks left of summer, and I believe in trying to make summer lemonade out of a summer that’s been a bit of a lemon.

My criteria for My Favorite Summer Reads of 2021:

  1. YA or adult books with a summery feel (beachy, romantic, and/or featuring a fun setting)
  2. Books that are fun to read
  3. Titles that are out an available NOW

That’s it. So……

What Are My Favorite End of Summer Reading Recommendations for 2021?

If you want romance with the chance to vicariously travel:

woman looking at the map

XOXO by Axie Oh. This cute YA romance about a normal girl who falls for the member of a Kpop group doesn’t take place in summer. But it features both romance and travel (between Los Angeles and Seoul) and I guarantee it will put a smile on your face! You can read my review of XOXO here.

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean. If you’re looking for a charming rom com with a secret princess plot line, travel, and a heartwarming story of family, second chances, look no further. This YA romance takes place in the Pacific Northwest and Japan. You can read my review of Tokyo Ever After here.

If you love escapist princess romance books in general, check out my list of YA Books Featuring Royal Romance!

If you love family drama and want a book that makes you feel like you’re at the beach:

photo of woman leaning on wooden fence

Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This adult book has the escapist feel of a 1980s beach book (maybe because it’s set in the 80s). It’s a fun read filled with family drama and set on the beaches of Malibu! You can read my review of Malibu Rising here.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. I’m not always a fan of “book club books.” But this adult book about a middle-aged mom caught between the secrets of her past and her present featured a detailed and interesting family history and a richly described setting that worked for me. There’s not a lot of plot here, but I really enjoyed this one. If you’ve read it, come join my Spoiler Discussion for The Paper Palace.

If you’ve had it with all things sad and serious and just want to smile:

two young women having fun while looking at a laptop

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Okay this comic cozy mystery is COMPLETELY unrealistic and very silly. But Dial A for Aunties also made me laugh more than most books I’ve read recently. A young wedding planner who works with her meddling aunties suddenly has a dead body to contend with.

Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. This comic adult mystery, about a hot mess of a divorced mom who accidentally becomes a contract killer, is completely implausible but very amusing.

If you want a seriously escapist book to transition you into fall 2021:

people wearing backpacks

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead. In My Dreams I Hold a Knife features more drama than plot and a very toxic friend group. This adult book about a group of friends looking back on the murder of one of their own ten years ago is entertaining but short on depth. Check this one out if you don’t mind unlikeable characters!

How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao. A Pretty Little Liars meets I Know What We Did Last Summer homage set in Manhattan, this YA mystery accurately portrays the pressures of high school and the class issues at an elite school. However, it also features a soap-opera-worthy conclusion.

Read any of these? Have thoughts or a recommendation of other end-of-summer books? Talk to me in comments!

Thrillers With Last Minute Plot Twists

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If you read thrillers, then you’ll know what I mean. You think a book is over. And then (often in an epilogue) comes a weird little info drop that turns everything on its head and leaves everything up in the air again. I’m talking about the Last Minute Plot Twist that cause an Unresolved Ending and it’s a trend I’m not that thrilled about.

Last Minute Plot Twists

Thrillers With Last Minute Plot Twists: The New and Unsatisfying Trend of the Unresolved Epilogue

In this post I will give examples of books that have Last Minute Plot Twists, but with NO SPOILERS. If you DO want spoilers, you can click through to my spoiler post on each book and read the ending.

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