The Secrets Between Us and The Ex Talk (book reviews)

Happy Sunday everyone! Brrr...🥶 It's cold! When the cold weather hits, so do my desire to curl up with a cozy blanket and read. In fact, I think that may be what I do this afternoon after we go to church and after I drop Rebecca off at her friend's house. I think I may come home, put football on for the boys and curl up and read. So far in January, I have read 7 books! I think I am on a good pace to meet my challenge of reading 26 books this year. Today, I thought I'd review the last 2 books that I have read.

 

First up was The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. This is the sequel to a book I reviewed earlier in January, The Space Between Us.

FROM THE BACK COVER: Bhima, the unforgettable main character of Thrity Umrigar’s beloved national bestseller The Space Between Us, returns in this triumphant sequel—a poignant and compelling novel in which the former servant struggles against the circumstances of class and misfortune to forge a new path for herself and her granddaughter in modern India.

Poor and illiterate, Bhima had faithfully worked for the Dubash family, an upper-middle-class Parsi household, for more than twenty years. Yet after courageously speaking the truth about a heinous crime perpetrated against her own family, the devoted servant was cruelly fired. The sting of that dismissal was made more painful coming from Sera Dubash, the temperamental employer who had long been Bhima’s only confidante. A woman who has endured despair and loss with stoicism, Bhima must now find some other way to support herself and her granddaughter, Maya.

Bhima’s fortunes take an unexpected turn when her path intersects with Parvati, a bitter, taciturn older woman. The two acquaintances soon form a tentative business partnership, selling fruits and vegetables at the local market. As they work together, these two women seemingly bound by fate grow closer, each confessing the truth about their lives and the wounds that haunt them. Discovering her first true friend, Bhima pieces together a new life, and together, the two women learn to stand on their own.

A dazzling story of gender, strength, friendship, and second chances, The Secrets Between Us is a powerful and perceptive novel that brilliantly evokes the complexities of life in modern India and the harsh realities faced by women born without privilege as they struggle to survive.  

MY THOUGHTS: Just like with The Space Between Us, The Secrets Between Us is a deep read that covers topics such as relationships between women trying to survive, a look into the caste system in India, and between different beliefs and how those beliefs clash and shape who we are. I really enjoyed reading this and finishing up the story of the main character Bhima. I was a little disappointed in that the ending seemed like a Hallmark ending and superficial in some ways after I had invested in the Bhima's story for 2 books. It was still a wonderful read, and I would recommend this book. 

MY STAR RATING (OUT OF 5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I also read The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon. 

This is the February read for the online book club that I am a part of. This is not a book that I would typically pick, as it seemed too "Hallmarky". What I mean by that is that it seems like it would be some story that you would see in a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. Not that there is anything wrong with those types of stories, they are just not the type that I gravitate towards. 

FROM THE BACK COVER: Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagine working anywhere else. But lately it's been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who's fresh off a journalism master's program and convinced he knows everything about public radio. 

When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it's this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it's not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.  

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers. 

MY THOUGHTS: Well, I have mixed feelings about this book. One, as I mentioned, is that it seemed very Hallmarky. The characters were stereotypical, with maybe too much of an emphasis on characters that were part of different communities---the LGBTQ+, Asian, African, etc. There were several areas of the book that seemed awkward and that was because out of nowhere there was conversations about race that didn't fit with the story. The 2 main characters, Shay and Dominic, come off as whiny and just over-developed if that makes sense. I did like the premise of the book better than I thought that I would. The book started off slow however once Shay and Dominic stop fighting with each other and begin to learn about each other then I became invested with their relationship. I doubt that I would reread this book in the future, but it isn't in my list of books that I would never read again.  

MY STAR RATING (OUT OF 5): ⭐⭐

So, there you have it. 2 more books that I read this month. One I would recommend, and one that I wouldn't necessarily recommend. Right now, I am currently reading Flying Angels by Danielle Steel.

 

What are you reading right now?