While there may be a stack of books pictured here, I chose audiobooks for the week. Unfortunately, none of these reads (listens) were groundbreaking for me. But, I still checked off four books for my #clearyourshelfchallenge goal for 2023.

What I Read This Week

• The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz – By all accounts, I should have loved this thriller. A one-hit writer uses his student’s story idea for his new bestselling novel and has to deal with the fallout, including mysterious “I know what you did” messages? It sounds like a book I’d devour, but The Plot fell flat for me, with an unoriginal twist.
• Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade – For someone who says she’s not a huge fan of romance novels, I’ve definitely been on a binge lately. This contemporary romance features a plus-size heroine who writes fan fiction about her favorite TV series and falls in love with the main actor, who just happens to write his own fan-fic as well. This one wasn’t my favorite, but I appreciated its representation of learning disability and body positivity. Also, it had way more kink than I’d anticipated, causing plenty of blushing while I listened to the audiobook!
• Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore – This is definitely a case of I think I would have enjoyed the physical book more than the audiobook. Set in west Texas, Valentine is about a young girl’s sexual assault and the aftermath of how the community responds. It’s an emotional, but sparse, book with beautiful writing, but I had a difficult time connecting with the narrator because of the subject matter.
• I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson – This book, originally published in 2003, fits right in with that time period’s height of “chick lit.” Kate Reddy is an overwhelmed mom of two who works outside the home while trying to make it all look easy. Of course, everything is held together with a very thin string and quickly starts to fall apart. A stereotypical early 2000s read, but still fairly enjoyable. If you caught the Sarah Jessica Parker film version of the book, you’re not missing much.