I love Ethan Joella books so much. I love how succinct, yet full his stories are and I loved how he set this in his beloved hometown of Rehoboth BeachI love Ethan Joella books so much. I love how succinct, yet full his stories are and I loved how he set this in his beloved hometown of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. ...more
Since this author is new to me, I did not know what to expect, but I’m here to tell you this one is a WINNER. The first half mostly covers t4.5. LOVED
Since this author is new to me, I did not know what to expect, but I’m here to tell you this one is a WINNER. The first half mostly covers the girls when they are young and through college…it is the second half of the book (which covers adulthood) where things get very intense and very emotional. There is no doubt in my mind that this book came at a perfect time. It’s also so important to use as a lesson for what women all around the world are up against and as the US election creeps closer and closer, I hope we can avoid the fate of what occurred in Iran. Being that I am also highly interested in geopolitics and world history, this book was fascinating to me. The dichotomy of later 20th Century US versus Iran was very interesting and I loved how the message of women’s rights was put at the forefront. As I’ve said before, historical fiction is not my jam anymore. I was hesitant to pick this up because of that, but I’m SO GLAD I did because I would have missed a gem. I’m so grateful to have received this book and audiobook to enjoy.
As for format recommendation, either will work great, but I think the audio is the way to go here. It was a dual narration and hearing the correct pronunciation of names, food, places, etc. cannot be overstated. It’s important to hear these things with the correct pronunciation for authenticity as well as for our education. I will 100% be going back to read the author’s previous book and make sure I put this in as many hands as I can find.
Thank you to Gallery Books for the gifted finished copy and Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not a teacher, nor do I work in a school setting, but this book was very easy to connect to. I didn't know what to expect as this is my fi4 stars!
I’m not a teacher, nor do I work in a school setting, but this book was very easy to connect to. I didn't know what to expect as this is my first book by the author, but I think how the author chose to write this story was a great way to order the book. The author put a list with each character and what subject they taught/where they worked and then wrote a chapter featuring each teacher/administrator. So the book was structured kind of like a book of interconnected short stories!
There were stories that were funny, poignant, insightful and inspiring. I laughed out loud for some parts and felt very touched in others. In an ever increasing world of absurdity, there is a lot a teacher must deal with outside of actual teaching, but having an older substitute teacher die in the faculty lounge (of natural causes) to kick start everything is definitely not something I had on my bingo card - and what a way to start. It’s hard for me to identify my favorites, but I loved chapters: 3 (Mr. Rayfield and Ms. Sanderson), 5 (Mr. Williams), 6 (Asst. Principal Baker), 8 (Principal Baker), 9 (Ms. Guevara) and 11 (Nurse Honeycutt) best. The whole book was excellent, but these are the stories that really made the book.
As far as format goes, either format would be wonderful. The narrator for this audio was great, but I wish it was an ensemble cast. I’m sure there is a reason (probably monetary) that there wasn’t, but I think this would have really enhanced the listening experience. You really can’t go wrong either way though!
It’s too bad this wasn’t published in May for Teacher Appreciation Week, but it can make a great teacher gift at anytime!
Thank you to Dutton Books for the gifted copy and @prhaudio for the gifted audiobook.
This is my second book by Alison Espach and while I loved her last book, this was even better. I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like this5 stars!
This is my second book by Alison Espach and while I loved her last book, this was even better. I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like this in the beginning, but once I saw where the author was going with it...I couldn't have loved it more. So grateful to have read this and given it a chance.
A friend of mine detailed some of the traumatic events that occurred in the beginning and I thought wow...this is a lot of trigger warnings for one book, but at the same time...it's real life. This is what it can be - being in your 30s is when you're a woman - infertility, divorce, pet death, etc. So I just wasn't sure if I was in the right frame of mind to read, but I did see so many rave reviews and I thought well, if it's too hard, then I will just stop when it gets to be too much. Thankfully, I never felt this way. Maybe because I was listening? But the part explaining Phoebe's trauma wasn't dwelled upon, it wasn't half the book - it was maybe the first 20%, so you could properly get into why she felt suicide was the only option left. Once she meets Lila in the elevator, you see what the author is going to do and my hope is anyone beginning this book will be able to make it to this part so they can read this wonderful story.
Helen Laser did such a phenomenal job of narrating this book. There was a lot of emotional complexity in the main character and it was seamlessly read. I think either format would be excellent, it's just always an added bonus to have such a great narrator add that extra oomph to the words. There is some really sad dialogue, but there is also some extremely hilarious dialogue and to have that read as well as it was? Just perfection.
I highly recommend you make sure you're okay with the content before reading. I love going into books blind, but I was grateful for the heads up. I needed to know that the beginning wasn't the way the whole book was going to go. How Phoebe slowly came alive again was a wonderful thing to be a witness to and I just love all the side characters as well. A fantastic, ensemble book that I really hope will be optioned someday.
Thank you Henry Holt for the gifted arc copy and to Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
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