"The Project" by Courtney Summers

The Project is a contemporary novel set in upstate New York. The book is written from the perspective of two sisters: Lo (first person narration) and Bea (third person narration). Lo was in a horrendous car accident when she was 13. Her parents were killed and she ended up in an ICU. Bea (the older sister who was not in the car with them) is now desperate for her sister to survive. After doctors tell her that Lo might not make it, Bea in utter despair reaches out to God and pleads for help. At that time a strange man shows up at the hospital. It is Lev Warren, a self-proclaimed redeemer and founder of a religious community called the Unity Project. He talks to Bea, lays hands on Lo and she miraculously recovers. Now Bea, in awe of what she witnessed, follows Lev and joins the Unity Project. We then fast-forward a few years into the future. Lo is now a young adult living on her own and franticly trying to find her sister.

When I first began reading the book, I felt it was maybe a 3-star read at most. Lo’s anger was just too over the top for me. As the plot moved along, however, the story twisted in a way that made it hard to put the book down. In the end, I ended up giving it 4 stars. 

The narrative is structure in a way that the reader experiences the pull of Lev Warren’s charisma through the eyes of the two main protagonists. Bea is immediately taken with him. He brings her baby sister back to life so she wholeheartedly believes in him and abandons her life for the Unity Project. Lo on the other hand, has grown up hating Lev Warren and all that he stands for. As far as she is concerned, he and his cult have kept her sister away from her all these years, and she is on a mission to bring him down. The closer she gets to Lev though, the harder it is for her to figure out what is true. Is he a manipulative cult leader, or truly a holy man walking the earth doing good works? The reader is left wondering along with Lo.

Even though the Unity Project hits all of the bullets of being a cult, their good works (shelters, soup kitchens, etc) are too big of a presence in the community. All of the members are also tight lipped about the inner workings of the group and are fiercely loyal to Lev Warren. The author gives us just enough hints to keep wondering.

What I really liked about this novel is the way it examines psychological manipulation, group psychology, and vulnerability that leads to blind faith. It was a fascinating read. I would love to know more about the author’s research into the subject. I think this book would make a great read for book clubs and would spark some interesting discussions. 

One weakness in the novel is the relationship that Lo has with her boss Paul. It is just too unrealistic. As someone who has held jobs in various business settings for over 20 years, I have never seen a boss and a personal assistant speak to each other the way these two do. It is too informal and at times borders on familiarity largely unacceptable in today’s business world. In addition, their last phone call with Paul basically begging her to come back to work for him is simply unbelievable to me. No matter how good of an assistant Lo was, it is hard to imagine this would ever happen in real life. Finally, I wish the author would explain a bit better the final scene in the lake. We know Lo mysteriously ended up on shore, and I am not sure if there was supposed to be some sort of mystical element here. It did not come off as one and instead was just confusing.

Overall, I do recommend this book. 4 out 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"The Wife Upstairs" by Rachel Hawkins

I have read a couple of Rachel Hawkins' YA books and they were fun. This is her first foray into the adult thriller/mystery genre and I would say it was a success. Hawkins took the very familiar story of Jane Eyre and set it in modern-day Alabama. Fans of Jane Eyre will recognize many names and draw parallels in characters' backgrounds and intentions. 

The marketing for this book might have centered around it being a loose retelling of Jane Eyre, but the characters and the plot are quite original and have little to do with the Victorian classic. Since it is a mystery, it is difficult to describe the plot without giving anything away. I think knowing what it is based on is enough to pique someone's interest - it certainly piqued mine. 

If you don't like suspense, this book will appeal to you as well. The tension created by the author is not intense. In fact, at one point I was wondering when things would start unraveling. I did very much like the twist at the end and the conclusion itself. To me, it was worth the read. I would say the last 40 pages or so of the book changed my mind about this being a mediocre novel and I ended up giving it 4 out 5 stars. 

In conclusion, a modern, feminist take on a beloved classic. At the center of it is a character who is a true survivor, who does everything possible to climb out of the gutter and make something better of the hand she's been dealt.

"You Have a Match" by Emma Lord

You Have a Match was my first novel by this author. Emma Lord writes YA contemporaries and her debut novel Tweet Cute was immensely popular last year. You Have a Match is not strictly a romance, although there are a couple of romantic storylines in it. Our main character Abby takes a DNA test as part of her anthropology class project to learn about her ancestry. Unexpectedly, she gets a message through that website from someone who has been identified as her full-bloodied sister. The two girls meet and the story takes off from there.

First let me tell you what I liked about this book. I did like the plot line about the two sisters who never knew about each other and the surrounding mystery. The two girls do not immediately tell their parents that they are in touch, and try to dig through old documents and photographs to learn something on their own. The suspense of uncovering the past bit by bit kept me very interested and engaged. I liked the friendships in the book and I also liked the presence of parents on the page and how engaged they were in their children's lives. 

There were, however, a couple of things that I did not enjoy. First of all, a lot of the romantic plot is hinged on miscommunication or misunderstanding of the "I like him/her but he/she does not like me back" variety. Predictably, it takes the characters the entire length of the book to discover the misunderstanding and finally talk to each other. In addition, the ending of this novel is over-the-top happy. We are talking every single dream comes true, every relationship is mended, every past wrong is righted and forgiven. It was just too much. Finally, the way the teenagers speak/behave is sometimes unrealistic. I guess it is true of many YA novels. The characters are basically teenagers who sound and behave like someone in their twenties.

Overall, a very quick read, a great palate cleanser between heftier books. I would take this novel to the beach or on an airplane ride (I do hope travel is in our not-so-distant future). 3 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"Home Fire" by Kamila Shamsie

I listened to Home Fire on audio. It is a contemporary novel which explores the themes of what it is like to be a Muslim in a western country, how the war on terror has impacted traditionally Muslim communities and  whether assimilation means the loss of one's cultural identity or religion. I found this novel to be deeply moving and heartbreaking. At the center of it are three Pakistani-British siblings whose father died while being transported to Guantanamo. He was a jihadi who had fought in many hot spots in the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East, and now his son is being approached by a man who paints a rosy picture of life in Syria. 

It is best to go into this book without knowing much more about the plot. It does focus on how such family history impacts the children this man left behind. Their mother also died and they are now adults trying to find their own way in the world. The book also does a great job showing how subtly radicalization can creep into someone's life. Ultimately, the novel is about the western society's myopic view of immigrant communities and their unwillingness to understand and embrace them. The story in the book is truly tragic and in some ways hopeless. 

I highly recommend this book. Audio format was fine, but sometimes transitions from one character to another were quite abrupt and not easy to follow. I do think it is because I listened to it on audio. 5 out of 5 stars.

"Lore" by Alexandra Bracken

Lore is a standalone YA urban fantasy novel rooted in Greek mythology. The setting is present-day New York, but our main characters are descendants of the famous Greek heroes (Perseus, Hercules, etc.) who have been sent by Zeus to hunt the Gods of Olympus who angered him around the time of the fall of Rome. Every seven years, the banished gods reside in mortal bodies and can be hunted and killed. Their power then is absorbed by the hunter who kills them. It is sort of an never-ending hunt for power and immortality. 

This book will appeal to the fans of the Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi. It is a similar set up with ancient secrets, a quest, dangerous powers and a desire to right past wrongs. A big chunk of the book is dedicated to explaining the Agon (Greek for contest, conflict or struggle), and I must say, Bracken did it brilliantly. The book never felt like an info-dump. In fact, I kept reading because I wanted to know more about the world and the mythology behind it.

Our main character Lore is a hunter from the house of Perseus whose entire family has been killed by a rival house. She was able to escape the slaughter and for the past seven years has lived with the "unblooded" (i.e., normal humans who are not part of this secret world). However, she is yanked back into the Agon when an injured goddess Athena shows up on her doorstep one day.

This book is non-stop action. So if you like quest stories with many twists and turns, this one is for you. I personally find that even though I enjoy them while reading them, I quickly forget the plot soon afterwards. The book is also not without its flaws. I felt that the whole transition of power and immortality from gods to hunters is not well explained. I kept wondering what happens to the essence of they slain gods - do they just disappear? I was also confused why Lore was being compared to the Gorgon. In Greek mythology, Perseus is the one who kills Medusa the Gorgon, so why would his descendent exhibit her traits? This was never explained. In addition, Zeus' overall intent behind the Agon is not clear. I kept looking for some larger purpose and did not see it.

Overall, an interesting action-packed story. 3 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

2021 Reading Goals

 This year, I think I am going to keep in simple:

1. Read 100 books.

2. Read fewer ARCs (I read 30 last year and it was too much), so maybe pick up 10 or 12

3. Read mostly the books I already own

4. Read 10 non-fiction books

5. Read 5 classics

6. Work on finishing off some series