I wished I loved it, but it fell short of my expectations. As the two characters flee their war-torn nation, the plot has tremendous potential as the characters move through various doors and end up everywhere from Mykonos to London. However, the narrative violates the "show don't tell" rule of writing for the entire book, robbing the reader of the chance to use their imagination and insight to understand the book-Hamid just tells you instead.

I loved this book! It's hard to believe this is Chang's first novel. She's a skilled storyteller who shares with us the story of a multigenerational family who once embodied the American Dream only to have lost it. Faced with bankruptcy, the father takes his two youngest children out of school to go on a road trip to his eldest daughter's hope. Funny, irreverent, and contemporary, this is a great story of a family's love for each other.

Best book of 2016. Vance's reflection of growing up in both Kentucky and Ohio gives a voice to the disenfranchised of the rust belt in a way like no other. He recounts in painful detail growing up in a turbulent home and how the support of his grandparents truly saved his life and put him on an entirely different path than of his relatives. Very engaging and relevant-a must read!

Highly readable and very authentic, this book is not your typical coming of age story. The main character moves through childhood and adolescence with all of the uncomfortable and awkward hallmarks of being a kid. The title of the book is a bit misleading, but it reminded me that so many of our experiences as kids are out of our control and that can be so frustrating and angst-ridden. Even though the pacing was a bit off, it's a must read.

A deep dive into the world of service proved to be both interesting and predictable. The best moments of the book are when she goes into detail about the inner workings of the restaurant and talks about the food itself. The meh moments are when the "new naïve girl in the big city" trope takes over.

I recently heard her interview on "Fresh Air" and had to read it. Sarah Hepola's memoir is highly-readable, engaging, and really frightening. Her approach is honest and is never preachy about her path to recovery. Definitely worth checking out!

This is a no-nonsense, but supportive book that helps you begin eating healthy, whole foods. Full disclosure: this is a lot of work, but if you follow their guidelines and stick with it, you'll enjoy cooking great food and you'll feel great.

A rare glimpse into the author's writing process! If you think of this novel as a work in progress, it's actually pretty interesting. With novels, we only ever get to see the end product and never the bits and pieces the author played around with before the plot and characters took shape.