Roger's Reads

Author & Book Reviewer

You are here: Home / Archives for Roger Hyttinen

Roger Hyttinen

Review of You Have a Match by Emma Lord

by Leave a Comment

Synopsis:

From the beloved author of Tweet Cute comes Emma Lord’s You Have a Match, a YA novel of family, friendship, romance and sisterhood…

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

My Review:

I loved the premise of this — the idea of discovering a sister you never knew you had as a result of a DNA test. I also love stories set at summer camp, so that was another massive plus for me — and that aspect of it was very well done, with plenty of zany camp shenanigans, witty banter, and quirky hijinks included.

As for our main two characters, Savvy and Abby, I loved how utterly different they were from each other, with Abby being an artistic, rule-breaking, consequences-be-damned rebel who’s not all that concerned about academics, and Savvy, a social media-obsessed, always-in-control, play-by-the-rules type of person. I loved how obsessed with Instagram Savvy is, and though it seems as though that obsession is a bit over-the-top, I know people in real life who are just like this (okay…maybe without the 500,000 followers!), so it not unrealistic.

Though there was a romance aspect to this, it took a back to the newly discovered sister relationship, and it was so much fun watching the girls get to know each other and begin to understand the other. I felt that their characters were well-fleshed out and realistic, complete with flaws, doubts, and insecurities. I enjoyed how they put their heads together to try to discover why their parents gave Savvy up and uncover the reason why they never told Abby she had a sister. The big reveal regarding that mystery was well done and a lot of fun.

I loved how complicated and messy all of the relationships in the book were, all of which had not only a compelling dynamic but also changed and evolved as the narrative progressed, complete with all the related angst, raw emotions, tension, and anxiety that come with it. I especially enjoyed the awkwardness of Leo and Abby’s relationship because of the BEI (Big Embarrassing Incident) as they danced around their true feelings for each other and suffered through all sorts of miscommunications.

You Have a Match is a beautifully rendered and unique exploration of friendship, with all of its exhilaration, disappointments, and mistakes, with a fair amount of melodrama thrown it. And it is through friendship that Abbey learns some of the most important truths about herself and the kind of person she wants to be.

My only niggle with the book was the excessive Harry Potter references, something I always dislike in novels. That’s just a personal pet peeve of mine, but I wish authors would move past this already…so that part of the book was a bit eye-rolling. But apart from Harry Potter, I enjoyed this little gem of a novel, and I would definitely read more of this author’s work.

Release Date: January 12th

Purchase You Have a Match from The Book Depository

Purchase You Have a Match from Amazon

Review of Beautiful Things Shoppe by Philip William Stover

by Leave a Comment

Blurb:

Their collections may clash but their hearts are a perfect match.

Moving to eclectic New Hope, Pennsylvania, and running The Beautiful Things Shoppe is a dream come true for elegant and reserved fine arts dealer Prescott J. Henderson. He never agreed to share the space with Danny Roman, an easygoing extrovert who collects retro toys and colorful knickknacks.

And yet here they are, trapped together in the quaint shop as they scramble to open in time for New Hope’s charming Winter Festival.

Danny has spent years leading with his heart instead of his head. The Beautiful Things Shoppe is his chance to ground himself and build something permanent and joyful. The last thing he needs is an uptight snob who doesn’t appreciate his whimsy occupying half his shop.

It’s only when two of New Hope’s historic landmarks—each as different as Danny and Prescott—are threatened that a tentative alliance forms. And with it, the first blush of romance. Suddenly, running The Beautiful Things Shoppe together doesn’t seem so bad…until Danny’s secret threatens to ruin it all.

Review:

The Beautiful Things Shoppe, which is the second book in the Seasons of New Hope series, is a sweet enemies-to-lovers/opposites attract romance. It completely stands on its own as this story focuses on different characters, though a couple of the characters from the first book (The Hideaway Inn) do make a guest appearance.

The two main characters in this story are Danny and Prescott, are so much fun! Here we see two opposites who find themselves in somewhat of a forced business situation. I loved how different they were from each other, with Prescott being a stuffy, elegant, almost snooty fine arts dealer and Danny being an easy-going extrovert who collects retro toys and colorful pop culture tchotchkes. I enjoyed the plot device of having these two opposites sharing the same retail space when they thought they’d leased the entire space for themselves, all of which resulted in plenty of comical situations and snarky banter.

Our two characters, each of whom finds the other attractive, come to realize that they actually complement each other in ways they didn’t expect. Once they stop bickering, they eventually discover that there’s a fantastic chemistry between them, and I enjoyed watching their false assumptions about the other come crumbling down as they wormed their way into each other’s hearts. The rich and quirky secondary characters also really added to this story’s charm, and I loved seeing a couple of familiar faces from the first book.

It was heart-warming to see how both of the guys set their differences aside in order to come together to help save a couple of architecturally significant buildings. So, all in all, I found The Beautiful Things Shoppe to be a light-hearted yet addicting and engaging story that oozes with romance yet is layered with complexities of identity and judging people by outward appearances. It’s an emotive story with distinctly drawn, genuine characters, and I loved watching their relationship play out on the page. I’ll definitely be picking up the third book in this series.

Purchase The Beautiful Things Shoppe at The Book Depository

Review of In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

by Leave a Comment

First off, let me start by saying that I love the film “Groundhog Day,” so the synopsis of this story caught my attention right away, so I ordered it. It was actually December’s Book of the Month Club pick.

So “In a Holidaze” is a time-travel Christmas romance and the story starts on out December 26th. We follow a somewhat disenchanted woman named Maelyn, who has just spent the Christmas holidays with her family at a cabin in Utah with two other families, a tradition that they’ve all done since before she was born. She’s embarrassed, and maybe just a little bit humiliated because, over the holiday, she made a super-embarrassing romantic mistake. Not only that, she hates her job, is living with her parents, and has just learned that this was the last Christmas they all would be spending at the beloved cabin because the owners plan on selling it. As she broods over her life, she makes a wish to the universe: “Please show me what will make me happy.”

Her parents’ car then collides with another vehicle, and everything goes black. When she wakes up, it’s December 21st again, and she’s on an airplane bound for Utah to begin the holiday trip once again. This happens several times — she blacks out and wakes up back on the plane on December 21st, heading to Utah. So now she has to figure out what she needs to do to break this Groundhog Day-style time loop that she’s caught in. It just might have something to do with one of the two handsome brothers, Andrew and Theo Hollis, who share the cabin with her and her family and both of whom she’s known all her life. One brother is the recipient of her long-time secret crush, which she’s harbored for years, and the other is a cherished friend and just may have a crush on her.

Each time she gets sent back, she makes different choices, but as she learns, if she makes one mistake, one misstep, she had to do it all over again. Eventually, she figures out that if she ever wants to escape the loop, she just might have to overcome her fears and do that which frightens her the most.

This was a super fun, fluffy, heart-warming story, and I loved how the author used the time-loop as a plot device. It worked really well in this story. I also loved the nostalgic aspect of this story about holiday traditions, a dual-family vacation, complete with snowball fights, snow sculpture contests, playing games, stolen kisses, and eggnog.

There was also plenty of humor and a fantastic cast of characters. All of the other family and friends in the story were so endearing, with each person playing an essential element in the narrative — though I was especially fond of her family friend, Benny, who helped steer our protagonist in the right direction and who was the only one who knew what was really going on with Mae. I also enjoyed how she started to avoid the little disasters and mistakes that she knew were coming and figured that if she can prevent the little ones, she should be able to avoid the big ones too. Right?

And at the end, Mae receives an answer to her question and learns exactly what it is that will make her happy.

All in all, I found In a Holidaze to be a lovely, emotional, heartfelt Christmas romance with an intriguing plot about finding the courage to pursue one’s happiness. This playful story is ideal for anyone looking for a fast and breezy low-angst tale with plenty of holiday cheer and a big heart.

Purchase In a Holidaze from The Book Depository

Review of The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

by Leave a Comment

The story takes place in Birmingham, AL, and follows twenty-three-year-old Jane, a former foster child who has just arrived in town and is looking to start a new life. She works as a dog-walker in an extremely affluent gated community called Thornfield Estates, where, in addition to walking her client’s dogs, she also swipes their expensive jewelry.

Early on, we learn that Jane is not her real name, and she has some sort of dark past that she’s running from — an incident that occurred at her last foster home. Since that time, she’s been on the run. So now, she’s mostly broke, walking dogs and living with a rather unctuous roommate.

But her luck changes when she takes on a new client: the handsome and incredibly wealthy Eddie Rochester, a recent widower. His successful entrepreneur wife Bea (also not her real name), along with her best friend Blanche, drowned in a boating accident several months prior during a “girls only” weekend at the lake cabin. But their bodies were never found. Dum…Dum…Dum.

Jane now sets her sights much higher than merely on expensive jewelry — she sets them on Eddie and soon, is determined that she will be the new Mrs. Rochester. Sparks fly as Jane and Eddie begin a whirlwind romance. But as we soon learn, Jane is not the only one keeping deep dark secrets — secrets which may involve even murder.

As Jane gets to know Eddie and the gossipy neighbor women, she begins piecing together Bea’s past and figures out that Bea and Blanche weren’t really best friends but rather fierce competitors — enemies even. Though Jane hopes to put Eddie’s past behind them and start fresh, let’s just say that the past refuses to say buried. So we then begin to wonder: Is Bea really dead? Is Blanche really dead? Because remember… no bodies. Is Eddie really who he claimed he is? Is Jane safe? And most importantly: what really happened that night at the lake?

Jane then makes a shocking discovery that changes everything.

This is supposedly a darker retelling of Jane Eyre, which I really can’t comment on, given that I haven’t read it. But I can say that this was one hell of a dark and twisty rags-to-riches domestic thriller with a plethora of evil and menacing characters and a compelling mystery to solve.

Pretty much every character in the book is unlikable and has secrets, and that’s what made this book so much fun. I actually ended up liking all these mostly unlikeable people as they were, I thought, compelling and fascinating. Additionally, every relationship in this book was utterly dysfunctional: Eddie and Bea, Bea and Blanche, Blanche and her husband Tripp, Eddie and Blanche, and Jane and her slimy roommate.

Jane, who is quite a compelling and complex character, is the principal narrator in the story though later on in the book, there are some chapters told from Eddie’s and Bea’s point of view, which added to the suspense and intrigue of the narrative. It was fun to see the story unravel from several different perspectives, all of which help provide a clearer picture of what actually happened to Bea and Blanche.

As the story deepens, we see that there’s really a lot going on in this novel: blackmail, class differences, deception, murder, manipulation, keeping up with the Jones, identity, hidden agendas, dark pasts and layers upon layers of secrets, as well as plenty of suspense.

I love a story where nobody or nothing is as they seem, which was definitely the case here. There was also kind of a Rebecca vibe (by Daphne du Maurier) as Jane found herself living under the shadow of Bea — a self-starter who created a multimillion-dollar empire.

All in all, The Wife Upstairs is an immersive and addicting story with a Southern gothic vibe that held me in rapt attention until the surprising ending. I loved how the taut tension, as well as a sense of unease, builds up slowly as we move through the pages. So many lies, so many secrets, leading to many surprising twists, all resulting in a fast read with plenty of punch.

And I loved the fact that you didn’t know who to believe until the very end of the book. Because that’s what makes this dark and chilling novel so absolutely good, the not knowing what’s happening, the constant doubt. The past then meets up with all the characters in the present, and the intensity builds to a crescendo, resulting in a satisfying yet stomach-churning psychological thriller.

Purchase The Wife Upstairs from The Book Depository

Review of Boy Shattered by Eli Easton

by Leave a Comment

Boy Shattered follows our two main characters, Brian and Landon, and takes place at Jefferson Waller High School. The story starts off as an ordinary day at school, and we’re introduced to our two protagonists, who, as of yet, barely know each other. Brian Marshall is a handsome and popular quarterback who is secretly hiding the fact that he’s gay, mainly because of his extreme right-wing gun-praising father and Landon Hughes, one of only a few openly out and proud gay students at the school.

The next day, two gunmen attack the school, and in the midst of the shooting rampage, Landon comes across Brian in the school cafeteria, bleeding out from a gunshot wound on the floor. Following his instincts, Landon immediately put pressure on the wound and saves Brian’s life.

What follows in the heart-wrenching aftermath of the school tragedy is the strong connection that forms between Brian and Landon. Brian is now living with severe PTSD and survivor’s guilt, and through it all, Landon ends up becoming Brian’s sole system of support. Brian now only feels safe when he’s in Landon’s presence and comes to depend on him. It’s also worth mentioning that the shooters were not caught, which only adds to Brian’s anxiety.

In the days that follow, Brian starts spending more and more time with Landon and his parents, and a powerful friendship developed between the two boys. It doesn’t take long for Brian to admit to Landon that he’s not only gay but that he’s had a secret crush on Landon for a while; though this admission doesn’t happen right away — the romance is definitely a slow burn.

I enjoyed that the story is told both from Brian and Landon’s point of view, allowing us to see both the events and the aftermath from both of their perspectives. We really get a feel for Brian’s fear, anxiety, and uncertainty and Landon’s strong desired to not only protect Brian but to enact permanent change. It also helped to show the different paths each had to take in order to heal from the event.

Now let me say that the first couple of chapters, which chronicled the events of the shooting massacre, were absolutely brutal to read. The author does not sugarcoat the events of the shooting nor the aftermath and steps us through the event in a realistic way. It then zeros in on the shell-shocked survivors in the subsequent days.

This story hit me hard: it’s raw, heart-shattering, visceral, and with so much horror and grief. And though it’s fiction, you realize while reading it that this has actually happened to real people in real life. That realization was extra tough to get through.

But through the tragedy, there is a silver lining, and that is the slow and tender romance that develops between Brian and Landon. Their story was hopeful and uplifting — a light that shines through the darkness. But though there was a romance between the two boys, the heart of this story was how each of them deals with the after-effects of the shooting, each coping and healing in different ways. It’s a psychological drama with so many serious and importing themes such as school violence, coming out, bullying, compassion, healing friendship, survivor’s guilt, gun control, innocence taken, PTSD, and first love. There is also a mystery to solve as the killers were not initially caught, which added extra intrigue and tension to the story.

Reading this story leaves you outraged, angry, sad, and frightened for our characters, but it also leaves you with hope at the end — that Brian and Landon, through their love, will be okay. So while this story is indeed gut-wrench and brutal, it is also beautiful in many ways. One of the more emotional elements in the story were Brian’s poems, which made me misty-eyed on a couple of occasions.

Yes, this is a painful story, but there’s a lot of beauty and heart to it as well. So if you have the fortitude to take on a story such as this one, you may find it as rewarding as I did. If you have PTSD, however, proceed with caution, as many people may find this too triggering.

All in all, I’m so glad this story came to my attention. I admit, I put off reading it for quite some time because of the heavy subject matter but ultimately, I’m glad that I finally picked it up. I’ve enjoyed every book that I’ve read by this author, and this one was no exception, though the author’s impressive writing skills really shone through in the story. Not every author has the writing chops to pull off what Easton did here.

Purchase Boy Shattered from the Book Depository

Review of Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

by Leave a Comment

Giovanni’s Room is a tragic classic gay literary novel written in 1956 and is quite a courageous novel for its time. The story takes place in Paris in the 1950s and follows an American man named David, who is desperately trying to suppress his sexuality and deal with his internalized homophobia.

He has a fiancé named Hella, who is off traveling in Spain. While in Paris, David begins a love affair with a handsome and passionate Italian bartender named Giovanni. He ends living with him in “Giovanni’s room,” leading to a catastrophic turn of events, mainly due to David’s inability to acknowledge or accept his true feelings for Giovanni.

David, the narrator of the story, is an extremely unlikeable character: he’s selfish, dishonest, cruel, extremely judgmental, self-loathing, self-deprecating, and feels next to nothing when he hurts those who love him. He hates himself and seems to hate anyone who cares for him, and though he claims to be happy at times, there is a shadow hanging over him, a claustrophobic feeling of despair. Yet, you can’t help but relate to him on some level, especially the shame and regret he experiences.

So what we have is a broken and complex young man struggling with his sexuality and the love triangle which he has created, creating a sort of self-made prison. Though David is mostly an unlikeable protagonist, your heart still breaks for him because of his deep self-loathing and shame, which seem to crush him and both of which, unfortunately, win out in this story leading to pain and loneliness, and terrible tragedy.

Yes, it is a grim, draining, and heart-wrenching story. Still, there are so many compelling messages and metaphors within the pages, all expressed in Baldwin’s beautiful and mesmerizing prose, almost like music. The incisive writing itself swept me away. Though it’s a short novel — coming in at only around 150 pages — it is as hauntingly beautiful as it is evocative and packs an all-mighty emotional punch in such a short span of pages.

Giovanni’s Room is an honest exploration of identity and sexuality and perhaps a reminder that love needs to be open, free, and without shame. This story was a clear example of how, when love has shame and guilt at its core, that love can quickly turn to hatred.

Purchase Giovanni’s Room from the Book Depository