It is hard to convince anyone how empowering the book is as you relay one plot point after another, but it truly is. It had all the frustrations women feel and felt through the ages, wrapped up in a harrowing tale that made me grip the reading chair with worry, gasp in well expressed grief and wallop when battles are hard won.

This story was exactly what I needed to get me out of a reading slump. I read this after a heavy book. It truly was love and light. The magical realism was sprinkled through in such a plausible way to give hope and make natural talents sparkle and glimmer.

A very twisty turny tale. Though I figured out a few of the plot lines, I still enjoyed the book. The characters were complex and sometimes annoying, but in that way that humans can be, and at times, they could be so relatable.

This was a cute story that did dive deeper, which was great. But I didn't feel as much magic in the notes, which made me wonder when the explanation would come. It was still a pick, but I feel something is missing.

I love books with an artistic, fraught protagonist. I also especially love the story of a woman reclaiming her own strength and power in middle age. I wanted to be friends with Johanna from page one. I loved how messy it got and how strong she remembered she was.

This storyline was a tad inconceivable, but it was told well and had me laughing out loud a few times. It talked about the nastier side of representation and how the best intentions can be misconstrued and how scary it is to have and express opinions when you are famous because it all goes awry fast. Then you get canceled. I really enjoyed it and read it on a rainy weekend.

Another romance to remind me to STOP with the whole story "I don't enjoy romances." This one was rich with many delights. 20s fashion and music world in Harlem, going your own path, found family, and a sense of deep romantic love running through. The magic element was the cherry on top. Once the big surprise came out, I was able to predict the ending, but that was ok. It was a beautiful ending plus epilogue.

I love historical fiction that tells womens' stories. And though I do read a lot of stories about wars, I love it when I find one that centers around other events. I learned a lot about San Francisco earthquake and fires and enjoyed all four of the womens' stories. The two authors co-wrote a very enjoyable book that was seamless to read.

This was a long read for me. At first, it was because the protagonist was driving me crazy but I was so damn intrigued already. But I was rewarded for accompanying Esther through the journey because it was breathtaking with the poetic prose. The descriptions dreamy, the story symbolic.

It took quite a while to finish this short beauty because I kept stopping to take notes and letting the creative energy in this book inspire me. It is a book I will need to re-buy in hard copy to come back to as often as I need.

I liked the uncertainty the writer gave the reader until the end. I chose this book as I visited Key West, where it is set. The terms of endearment were creepy, but that was not the author's doing but rather a true account within this story.

This was such a great read about women's stories. I especially love the morally grey characters that have such an enriching back story. The characters' voices were strong and individual and had me empathizing with each of them.

Another masterpiece by Kristin Hannah that put my heart through a blender. The range of emotions through this epic, and I am going to believe what I want of the open ending. Now I am just sad that I'm done!

This is a fantastic account into how Van Gogh died a starving artist to now having exhibitions of his art juxtaposed with quotes and letters from him. This is a wonderful story about a woman who made that all possible. I love how each part is named after one of his paintings. It also reminds me how happy I am to not have been born in that time as a woman.

I breezed through this one in two sittings. It was an engrossing story with loveable characters. It felt like a metaphorical journey the author was sorting through, and I was here for it.

I didn't think it was possible to read a story that mirrored mine so very closely, right down to the new fear that our broken hearts will surely fail any day now. Tears streamed down my face while I read this, as I suspected they would.

It took me almost a week to read this story because of the way she writes grief so clearly and it burrowed in deep. It was both heartbreaking and heart mending for me, but without the added bonus of cake lol

This was a smart cat and mouse story. One you don't realize is being played on you as well. It was very well done. There were parts that I felt I had to get through to get to the other side, but it made it a slower read for me.

I read this in one day and cursed all the tasks that stood between me and this book. I love the characters. The settings and descriptions were rich in all senses.

Every single character's bad decisions grated on me. It took a while for me to get through it. The story itself is interesting, but this isn‘t my favorite of hers.

This was an empowering retelling. With retellings, there isn't as much surprise in the storytelling, but this was enjoyable as a story in itself. The theme was easy to decipher and was relatable for sure. The novella length also made the pacing of the story perfect.

After 5 days I found myself on page 89 of 291 and knew I had to bail. I really wanted to love this. Maybe I put too much "first book of the year" pressure on it but I cannot continue.

That was not what I was expecting, though I am not sure what I was expecting beyond the "haunted house," likely due to a lack of imagination on my part. The writing was simply delicious.

This historical fiction read was unlike many and had many intertwined subplots that the author miraculously kept going. It was so friggin maddeningly wild to read about the antiquated laws back then, especially towards women. Hence, the need to swiftly take justice in your own hands in such an amazing fashion.

I liked the multi faith component a lot. I disliked some of the miscommunication tropes, but these stayed true to real life. I enjoyed the fact that there were so many moving parts. And mostly, I love how much it reinforces the idea that there is no war on Christmas....all faiths can wish each other blessings for the season no matter which holiday they celebrate in their faith.

I enjoyed every single layer of this complex story. I like the social elements. The relationships between characters aren't an easy given, and the fact that there is no automatic or easy romance made the important plot issues stand out as they should.

What a wonderful twisty, turny story. As the author says in her acknowledgments, it is very meta. How she kept that plot together with all the authors and their retellings weaving in and out blew my mind.

I chose to read this one because I've been wanting to skip Xmas myself. This reads like it was written in the 80s, complete with the stereotypical male author writing women and it was icky all the way through.

I am not into the amateur sleuth trope, but Nita does it well twice now. It had an intricate plot, but it sometimes the backstory pulled me out of the story. I have to admit I didn't guess the culprit, so there's that.

This was not your typical Christmas book. I liked it a lot for that reason. I was reading this in a constant state of "oh no what's going to happen" and completely relieved by the happy ending. The picture of life with and without technology was well done. I may even borrow a phrase from that simpler time "don't borrow trouble" as it seems to still hold as wise advice.

Another lovely heartwarming cozy Christmas read from MKA. I enjoyed the community of characters as well as the main characters' relationships, but I especially love the HEA.

It was slower to get into, but when it took off, I was all in. A story about the sacrifices of mothers and a woman's place in the world whether you fulfill the mother role or don't and the judgment they face while trying to juggle it all.

This was a great reflection on a woman's sense of feminism and how she could have misconstrued it altogether. It was interesting to see how each woman tried to find her own way, convinced it was logical and using the lessons of the generation before, only for all their ideals be challenged and turn their lives upside down.

Eeesh this didn't age well.

I thought I would remember what I wanted to write about this, but it was too much of an emotional roller-coaster to have held onto such things. It was sorrow, it was rage, it was inspiration, it was love and beauty.

This story took a winding path to get to the point where it captured me, but when it did, I found myself in love with both Edith and Rowan. I actually really loved many of the characters in both timelines. I experienced the heart thump typical to the end of a good ending.

Another twisted thriller. I audibly exclaimed when I hit a plot twist, which scared my husband. You pick up one of her books, and it could go in any direction. It was an entertaining and fast read, and it was exactly what I was in the mood for.

This may be the ultimate enemy to lover story I have read in a long time. I enjoyed all the found family feels. This book has a Christmas mood without being a Christmas read. And though I don't usually enjoy the miscommunication thing, there is a line in here that I won't soon forget.

This story made me rethink the entire idea and happenings referred to as deja vu. I read this book with this anticipatory ache in my chest and, at one point, was too scared to read on in case it didn‘t go the way I needed it to go. It was my unmaking!

This was a different side of her writing for me. The themes of silence were interesting as well as how different people/magic could communicate (or not) but could reach an understanding without a word. I liked the open ending that felt ominious or hopeful, depending on your mood.

This book is a magical debut. It had mystery, magic, romance, love, and everything in between. It sheds light on themes of forgiving and forgetting as well as holding grief and sorrow as having loved and lost being better than not having loved at all.

Woah! The first chapter hooked me. Then, as it set the scene, I was wondering where the first chapter magic went until the twist came and set the entire story in motion. It was a story this chicken couldn't read in bed at night 🙃.

This reads like a YA for sure. As a matter of fact, the main character who goes from a child at the beginning of this promising book shoots up to 40, and you don't even notice the difference. I couldn't understand what was going on, and I couldn't picture the scenes I did understand.I am just about to bail on this book that had such promise.

The stories told from 3 points of view of three women made my blood boil with rage, and my heart beat double time throughout, cheering them on towards well served justice.

OMG! I don't know how I'm going to wait for book 2 of this new(ish) trilogy. All the threads are not tied in a bow at the end. As a matter of fact, like the first book in a trilogy, there is barely a bow in sight, and I love it.

I read this after the Darker Shades read-a-long and with a friend. She is only approaching the halfway point, and I am bursting at the seams!

I loved this retelling! There were so many good descriptions, and I laughed out loud several times. I loved the metaphors and the meta of novel writing and storytelling within the Fables and current day.

Fairy Tale Retellings are a relatively new discovery for me, and I love their possibilities. It was cheeky and had hope and good zingers. This one is the first of two for the Fractured Fables series, I hope there will be many more.

This was an intricate plot with so many moving parts. It is a complete mind f&!@ and really well titled. For bonus content, there is a little complementary podcast/audio book to let you hear how eerie this story would sound like as it unraveled.