Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: This is a great book, but I did not like it. Let me explain this paradox. None of the characters are likeable, neither the main nor the secondary ones. This is something I really hate, as it gives me no one to root for, which then, of course, makes me care less about the story. But the plot surprised me and has an unexpected but satisfying ending. It also provides a lot of food for thought about where social media is leading us.
Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan: I quite liked the story of Archer and Bree, although I find it a bit exhausting when main characters have to deal with so much trauma, especially when both of them have issues. I did enjoy the small town setting, though, and while the secondary characters were more there for support than actually doing much for the plot, there was a nice story arc and I liked the slow beginning. A cute book and a quick read.
Dolly all the Time by Annabel Monaghan: This book starts off great and I absolutely loved Dolly, who is funny and sassy and just gets things done. Stewart, on the other hand, comes across as rather weak. Dolly calls him a “gentle man”, but I found him to be too nice and too rich. And, of course, they both have some trauma as well. I am wondering, are there no more books without any trauma? I mean, life happens to all of us. Anyways, it is the last third of the book that I have an issue with. It felt as if someone else had written the ending. What happened to Dolly? Where did the sass go? Still, it is a fun book to read, just not as great as I had hoped it would be.
Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman: I remember vividly the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. At the time, watching it on TV, I knew that I was witnessing a historic moment, albeit only from far away. What I did not know was how the Wall came to be in the first place and how the German Democratic Republic came into existence after WWII. All this happened long before my time, so I had simply accepted it as a fact. Tunnel 29 is an incredible true story about a tunnel underneath the Wall that helped 29 people escape from East Berlin to the West. The opening chapters cover the emergence of the GDR and the history of the Wall. Despite its disappearance, it still plays a big part in today’s politics. This was an amazing and important book!
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