As you may know, Reese Witherspoon created her own book club a few years ago, called Hello Sunshine. And my friend Sarah, the other member of my 2 person book club GCBC and partner in crime (if the crime is reading and making lists of books to read), and I have been reading all or most of the selections. Some are better than others - I think Reese also picks books because she wants to adapt them, not necessarily because they’re the best books. But she’s also definitely introduced me to some books I might not have read otherwise. We were going to do a blog about all the books, but there are so darn many we realized we should split them up. Consider this part 1, covering from when Reese started the book club in June 2017 through December 2018.
Sarah adds: One of the things I love about Reese’s book club is that she only chooses female authors and goes out of her way to pick books from diverse authors and stories that empower women.
Jen: I know a lot of people loved this one, but to me it was just okay. I had heard it was a charming book about a quirky character, but Eleanor was both a black-out drunk and mentally ill which I found disturbing rather than charming. Note that I read this one for my other book club (sorry Sarah, you’re not my only book club), and I think everyone else liked it more than me. 3 stars.
Sarah: I really loved this book, but mostly because of the ending (which I won’t reveal here). Eleanor is definitely a dark character, but she also made me laugh out loud with her witty observations. The book is dark, but it is also hopeful. I read this book with my bookstore book club and most everyone loved it. It also made for a lively discussion. I gave this book four stars.
Jen: It’s not that I disliked this book - it’s more that when I read one of those books that everyone else loved and I merely like it at the end of the day, I get that over-hyped feeling of disappointment. And this one definitely has not improved for me looking back, because I remember mostly the parts I didn’t like rather than that I started to warm up to it by the end.
Sarah: I completely agree. When a book is overhyped, you have such high expectations. I sometimes think it would be better to read books where I have no or low expectations, because then I can be happily surprised all the time. That’s one way in which Reese’s picks have improved - she now picks books that have no previous hype and most times have the release date coincide with her pick. Then again, maybe I have a high expectation because she’s picking them...it's a catch 22
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Jen: Great historical fiction set during World War I, following a novice female spy, and 1947, when a young American woman is in Europe looking for her cousin who disappeared during World War II. 4 stars.
Sarah: For me this is one of those books that would make a great movie or miniseries, so I can see why Reese chose it. Overall the story was good, but I found it a little slow at times. 4 stars.
Jen: I agree, if this book had a weakness it was that it was a long book that at times felt a little too long. But still a great story!
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Jen: Ruth Ware is one of my favorite contemporary writers of mysteries and thrillers, and I think one of yours too Sarah. But I have to say I’m rather perplexed as to why Reese picked this particular one, which in my opinion is by far the weakest of Ware’s books. Not that it was bad - still a good read, just a little slow with an annoying main character. But disappointing compared to her other books. 3.5 stars
Sarah: I agree that this is by far Ruth Ware’s worst book (although still better than a lot of other non Ruth Ware books). Again, I think it will make a great movie. This was one of Reese’s earlier picks, so maybe she was still figuring things out… I gave this one 3 stars (I’ve given every other book by Ruth Ware 4 or 5 stars).
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Jen: A book about family, friends, secrets, life in the suburbs, etc. I read this one with my other book club too! Reese already adapted this one, into a Hulu limited tv series, though I haven’t gotten around to watching it yet. 4 stars.
Sarah: I read this book long before Reese picked it for her book club and I really enjoyed it and even suggested it to a bunch of friends. I tried watching the miniseries on Hulu but got bored quickly (although admittedly my tv tastes are pretty low-brow). Definitely a worthwhile read and great for book club discussion. 4 stars.
Jen: Yes, definitely a great book club book. My book club had previously read Celeste Ng’s first book but I think this one was better.
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Jen: This one is a prequel to Alice Hoffman’s decades-old Practical Magic, which I read so long ago I didn’t really remember it. Definitely not Alice Hoffman’s best book - kinda slow and meandering though with some nice writing and imagery. 3 stars.
Sarah: I found this book extremely boring. 2 stars.
Jen: I actually thought I had given this one maybe 2 or 2.5 stars but my contemporaneous rating on Goodreads was a 3. So I guess it has gotten worse in my memory.
Sarah: That happens to me a lot - books get better or worse in my memory. Some psychologist somewhere should study that….
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
Jen: I love Ann Patchett’s novels (two of them have made my top 10 lists), but I don’t know if I would have read this non-fiction collection of previously published mostly autobiographical essays had it not turned up on Reese’s list. I think I would have preferred a more straightforward memoir - because of its format, this was a little all over the place with some pieces better than others. 3 stars.
Sarah: I found this collection pretty uneven. There were a couple of essays that really spoke to me but most of them fell flat. 3 stars.
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Jen: A page turning psychological thriller, but between half the book being told from from the perspective of a sociopath and some other disturbing plot points, it was not a very pleasant read for me. 3 stars.
Sarah: I really loved this book. The plot was original, I didn’t see the twists coming and I just generally found it entertaining. I really couldn’t put it down. 5 stars.
Jen: This is the first one we have really diverged on!
Sarah: That is because I love books about socialites and social climbers and you don’t. See, e.g., Crazy Rich Asians.
Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown
Jen: I have not read this one.
Sarah: I am usually not into self-help books, but I found this book very empowering. It's short and sweet (you could read it in a couple of hours), but packed with wisdom. Nothing groundbreaking here for me, but sometimes it's good to be reminded of the things you already know. I actually bought this book for a couple of friends who I thought could use it. 4 stars.
Jen: Ok, maybe I’ll check it out. It didn’t sound like my type of book, but I do like to have a second book I read on my phone when I’m stuck waiting places, so this could be good for that.
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
Jen: I had mixed feelings about this contemporary women’s fiction book - it drew me in and kept me reading but the characters were annoying and I found the overall message of the book problematic rather than romantic. 3 stars.
Sarah: I found this book extremely sappy and maudlin. I am rolling my eyes right now just thinking about it! And I agree that the overall message was problematic. 3 stars.
Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur
Jen: I haven’t read this one. To be honest I was kind of scared off by the title!
Sarah: This book is so great! A story of female empowerment in an immigrant community outside London. A very fun book with a great message. Don’t be scared! 4 stars
Sarah: You didn’t put a counter comment on this so I am going to comment again - don’t be scared! Read this book - its chick lit with aunties! Who doesn’t love that?
Happiness by Heather Harpham
Jen: Apparently I skipped much of this section of the list, because I haven’t read this one either!
Sarah: I read this book but I don’t remember what it was about, so I guess that tells you something about it...I don’t usually go in for this type of sappy memoir and only read this book because Reese chose it. It was meh. I think you can skip this one. 3 stars.
You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld
Jen: Compelling and well-written short story collection. I love Curtis Sittenfeld so I definitely would have read this regardless of it being on Reese’s list. 4 stars.
Sarah: I enjoyed this collection but found it uneven. 3 stars.
Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
Jen: This thriller starts with its main character burying a body, then flashes back 3 months so we can see how she ended up there. Not very likeable characters and kind of preposterous, but it was a suspenseful and entertaining read. 3 stars.
Sarah: A good thriller. The premise was sort of preposterous, but if you can put that aside this was a fun page turner. 4 stars.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Jen: Historical fiction set in both the Cuban revolution and the present. I wanted to read this even before Reese picked it because I fell in love with the cover and I love dual-time period historical fiction. The Cuban setting was interesting and I enjoyed the book, I just wanted to like it even better. I do vaguely plan to read Chanel Cleeton’s follow up books, but I haven’t gotten around to doing so yet. 3.5 stars.
Sarah: I was also excited to read this book because it sounded great and the cover is gorgeous. But, as they say, you can’t judge a book by its cover - this book was sort of slow and just didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe I judged it more harshly because I had high hopes. 2.5 stars.
Still Lives by Maria Hummel
Jen: I haven’t read this one yet.
Sarah: Loved this book! In fact I think it was a top 10 book for me in 2018. 5 stars.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Jen: Most of this book is the coming of age of a young girl who has to learn to survive an isolated life in the marshes of North Carolina. I thought this part was wonderful, but the other part of the book, about a police investigation and trial, was not so successful. This one might be Reese’s biggest hit, as it topped the bestseller list for ages and seemingly everyone I knew read it. Most people loved this book; I thought it was very good but a little overrated. 3.75 stars.
Sarah: This is the most overrated book of the last 2 years. I don’t know how it could be on the bestseller list for over 100 weeks. Maybe I just don’t like what other people like… Anyway, the first half of this book was really good, but then it started to fall apart with the end being downright stupid. 3 stars.
Jen: Again, I did like this - but at the same time totally perplexed why this is everyone’s favorite book and such a best seller. (See also non-Reese book Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate).
Sarah: I think this goes back to the expectation thing. It's not that the book was bad, but when you expect it to be amazing, and then its only ok, you just feel disappointed. And, for what it's worth, almost everyone I know thought this book was pretty mediocre.
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
Jen: A terrific book about a big quirky loving family where one of the sons, at a young age, expresses that he wants to be a girl. Thought-provoking and emotional. Read it with my other book club and it made for a great discussion as well. And ended up on my 2018 ten favorites list. 4.5 stars.
Sarah: This book should be required reading for adults everywhere. Emotional without being heavy, it really made me think and explained the issue in a way that is very relatable. 4 stars.
The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
Jen: A preposterous and idiotic thriller, the worst book I read in 2018. Stupid plot, stupid characters, bad writing. I’ll bump it half a star only for being a quick read even if it was a hate read. 1.5 stars
Sarah: What she said. Somehow I gave this book 3 stars at the time, but in retrospect it's a 1 star book.
Jen: As I recall we had a hilarious conversation about this book back in 2018 when we read it about how the book and the main character were so stupid because the main character should have just walked away from the guy from the very beginning. But then the book would have ended around chapter 3.
Sarah: Probably would have been better ending in Chapter 3. What a waste of time.
One Day in December by Josie Silver
Jen: Very cute British chick lit. 4 stars.
Sarah: Adorable romance that didn’t make me roll my eyes. 4 stars.
Jen: Somehow neither of us has much to say about this one. But fans of chick lit/contemporary women’s fiction should totally go read it!
Sarah: Agree! Its garden variety chick lit but it is super cute and not stupid. If you like Emily Giffin or Marian Keyes, this is for you.
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So there you have it. In future installments you can look forward to Sarah and I discussing the 2019 and 2020 picks!
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