The first book list of Brooklyn Bridge Books is officially here! Today I’ll be talking about the top 5 books that are hands down, without a doubt, must reads. So, if they aren’t already on your TBR lists, now is the time to start adding them!!
1. Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Alright first on our list is “Mad Honey” by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan! This book is insane! Something you all should know about me; I love a book with multiple POVs and tastefully done flashbacks. Picoult and Finny Boylan successfully utilized both of these tools and immediately had me in their pockets.
Picoult and Finney Boylan were able to weave a story that gripped me by the throat in the first chapter. Reading about Olivia’s struggle was heartbreaking, and Lily’s story was one that I thought I already knew. Except I was completely blindsided and started reading this book with a different pair of eyes after one of the biggest plots twists, I’ve ever read in a book!!
“Mad Honey” is definitely a book that deserves love and recognition for the way that it so elegantly and flawlessly tells the story of these two women without losing the reader’s interest. I can’t wait to read it again, but this time slower so that I can appreciate all the hidden clues and breadcrumbs that Picoult and Finney Boylan left throughout the entirety of this phenomenal novel!
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Next on our list is “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”! Suspense, misdirection, plot twists, characters with more sass in their left pinky than I have in my entire body, I mean what else could you want in a book that spans from the 50s throughout the 80s, just to pick back up with the tell-all (any bachelor or bachelorette fans here?) in 2017. Evelyn is exactly what I think every woman in the movie industry in the 50s-80s would be like. On the outside she’s put together and classy, exactly the type of woman you would want to go and get a glass of wine with. The inner workings of Evelyn, well that’s a completely different story.
First off, the writing is simply exquisite. Reid’s prose is lush and evocative, drawing me deep into the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood. The characters are vividly drawn, with Evelyn Hugo in particular being one of the most complex and fascinating protagonists I’ve ever encountered. Her story spans several decades and multiple marriages, and as she reveals the details of her life to journalists Monique Grant, I was left on the edge of my seat, desperate to know what would happen next.
But what really sets this book apart is the way it deals with issues of identity, sexuality, and the price of fame. Through Evelyn’s experiences, Reid examines the ways in which society pigeonholes and judges women, particularly those who are ambitious and unapologetically sexual. At the same time, she also delves into the hidden costs of fame and how it can be both intoxicating and suffocating.
With this being the first book of Taylor Jenkins Reid that I’ve read I was absolutely hooked! Reid’s writing style is so different from other books that I’ve ready that picking up this book for me felt so foreign. I love the way that the entire story is written through flashbacks to Evelyn’s film days with Monique truly digging deep and asking the difficult and uncomfortable questions. Questions with answers that Monique simply is not ready for. “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” is one that if you’re as determined as me, you’ll finish it in a day and then be reeling the rest of the night from all the bombshells Reid drops on you! If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh, cry and feel everything in between, this is the one for you.
3. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Where do I even begin with this stunning and captivating book?? I don’t know maybe with the fact that magic is real, some older sisters actually love and want to protect their younger if not slightly aggravating sisters, and that’s right a mystery man you know you shouldn’t trust but something in your gut tells you to keep him around for a while!
Now I read this book and the subsequent books in the series (Legendary and Finale) a couple of years ago; however, Miss Stephanie Garber knew exactly what she was doing when she gave us the world of “Caraval”. When I tell y’all that I could not put this book down, whew! Stephanie Garber delivered with “Caraval”, and I mean DELIVERED! I have dreamt my entire life of being engulfed in magic and fairytales and making wishes that come true, and Stephanie gave me all of that with her debut novel!
The story centers around Scarlett Dragna, who has spent her entire life dreaming of attending Caraval, a legendary annual event where participants can win a wish. When Scarlett finally receives an invitation to attend, she and her sister Tella set out to the mysterious island where Caraval is held, leaving behind their abusive father and their mundane lives.
Upon arriving, Scarlett and Tella discover that Caraval is not just a simple game, but a dangerous and unpredictable one, where reality and illusion blue together. The sisters are quickly swept up in the game’s twists and turns, following a series of clues that lead them deeper into a world of secrets and deception.
As Scarlett searches for her missing sister, she encounters a cast of characters that are both enchanting and menacing, including the seductive and enigmatic Julian, who seems to be both her ally and her enemy. The stakes of the game grow higher as Scarlett becomes more and more embroiled in the mysteries of Caraval, until she’s not sure what’s real and what’s a magical illusion.
Garber’s writing is rich and atmospheric, bringing the world of Caraval to life in vivid detail. The book is full of twists and turns that will keep any reader on the edge of their seat, as I say, I paid for the whole seat, but I only needed the edge.
This is a thrilling and insanely magical read that transport readers to a world of wonder and danger. “Every person has the power to change their fate if they are brave enough to fight for what they desire more than anything.”
Are you ready to change your fate?
4. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
Growing up an only child I always wanted siblings. I fantasized about what it would be like to play dress up with my sisters, if we would get along and make sure that nothing bad happened to each other. I thought if I had sisters, we would be thick as thieves, the best of friends, they would literally be my built in friends and how cool is that? I think there’s something that can be said for sisters who love each other but at times wish the other wasn’t alive. I think those sisters have the love balance right, the sisters that are constantly agreeing with each other and always friendly. Yeah, there’s something wrong with those siblings. A set of triplet sisters with magical powers, that have to fight for the crown on their 16th birthday. I’m sure there’s nothing unhealthy about those sibling ties at all.
Arsinoe, Katharine, and Mirabella. Triplet queens born on the magical island of Fennbirn with like I said earlier, magic of their own! These three had me locked in from just the synopsis, I didn’t even have to read the first chapter. I knew from the beginning that I was going to love this book and all that it had to offer. Kendare Blake did a phenomenal job of getting me to love these three girls and simultaneously hate little parts of each of them.
But that’s not to say that the good doesn’t outweigh the bad, well in one case the bad outweighs the good and I was ecstatic for that moment!! Why did I immediately want to be one of the triplet queens in this book?? Because I’m an only child? Because I’m looking for that perfect opportunity to just dome another person? Could be both, therapy would probably help me figure that out, but that’s definitely not happening any time soon.
Just ughhhh the way Kendare Blake brought this entire magical island to life with potentially homicidal siblings in the mix was just *chef’s kiss *. I know I haven’t given much to go on about this book, but I swear whoever reads it will be so happy you listened to me. Also, “Three Dark Crowns” is the first in a completed series, so if you do love the book you don’t have to wait for the sequel to come out! Do yourselves a favor and go read it, I promise you’ll love it!!
5. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
If I could live forever and yet no one would be able to remember me once I was out of sight, I’m not sure that’s a deal I would make. I don’t think that’s a deal that Addie LaRue would have made either if she would have known what being immortal would entail.
Desperation can cause even the sanest of us to make rash incomprehensible decisions that define the rest of our lives. Unfortunately for Addie this just so happens to be the case, and yet the forces of good might still prevail when after 300 years have passed, someone finally remembers who Addie LaRue is after meeting her.
For readers who want something whimsical, this is the book for you. For readers who want a love story, look no further because V.E. Schwab handles that too. For readers who may or may not want their hearts shattered and then repaired, well…look no further!
I remember reading this book and feeling like I was on one of the wildest rollercoasters of my life. Words do not do this book justice. Go buy or check out a copy of “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” now!! You will not regret it!