My 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge: May - June

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

Fern Brady was told she couldn't be autistic because she's had loads of boyfriends and is good at eye contact. This is a story of how being female can get in the way of being autistic and how being autistic gets in the way of being the 'right kind' of woman.

As someone who has always felt a bit different and who has suspected that it was very likely that they were on the autism spectrum (most likely with Asperger Syndrome), reading much of this felt like holding up a mirror. The amount of times that I had to stop and take a moment, because I had had the exact same experiences or behaviours was pretty mind-boggling. Because of this, this was one of the most relatable memoirs that I have ever read. Thankfully I haven't experienced any of the major hardships that Fern has and even though I didn't know who she was, prior to picking up this book, I'm so glad that I spotted all of the rave reviews because I truly felt seen for one of the first times in my life, while also appreciating Fern's bravery in sharing her own story.

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

After yet another disastrous date, Hallie decides it's time to grow up. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut and a new wardrobe. But when she logs into an app to find new love, she matches with none other than Jack: the guy the wrong kind of sparks had flown with just weeks earlier. Agreeing that they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realise that they're each other's perfect wing-person - and join forces in their searches for The One. They even place a wager on who can find romance first. But when they agree to be fake dates for a wedding, all bets are off.

I've never been a huge fan of friends to lovers-style stories but the fact that Hallie and Jack had already drunkenly hooked up definitely put an interesting spin on that trope. And speaking of tropes, I loved seeing the one bed trope, fake dating at a family wedding and how good their banter was. You could feel a real friendship (and a bit more) blossom between the pair. Was I frustrated that Jack wouldn't just tell her how he felt? Yes. But I did like seeing the guy fall first. I also liked that even though I knew that there would be a third act breakup, it wasn't drawn out too long and let both of them think about just how much the other meant to them.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Fizzy is lost. Sure, she has an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist. But she hasn't been practising what she's preached. Connor, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves that his work allows him to live near his daughter. Then his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting it all in jeopardy. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance falling head-over-heels?

Even though there were only eight Heroes, I found it difficult to discern who was who, other than when they are immediately introduced. So I really had zero investment in those almost throwaway characters. Even the final two had almost no personality. I liked Fizzy and seeing her experience true love for the first time and them fall for each other. But things stalled in the third act. The actual final episode of the dating show and how everything was revealed to Fizzy in front of the world felt a bit off for me, for some reason, too.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

Everyone believes that Lenora Hope is a mass murderer. When the Hope family was massacred decades ago, she was the only one left after that tragic night. Mute, paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora has never been able to tell her side of the story. Until her new live-in caregiver Kit brings her a typewriter. And with one working finger Lenora begins to type: I want to tell you everything.

Riley Sager is definitely back on form with this book. I loved all the different mysteries going on within this. There were some nice twists and I really enjoyed the way that the story progressed through the typed sections. I also liked the atmospheric world that was created and the gothic vibes that it gave, despite it primarily being set in the 1980s, with flashbacks to 1920s. I'm not entirely sure I liked the reveal of who killed Mary/Kit's relation to the Hope family. But I did like how it ended overall.

Publication date: 4th July 2023

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

Keiko is 36 years old. She's never had a boyfriend, and she's been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years. Keiko's family wishes she'd get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won't get married. But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she's not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store.

This isn't a 'quirky' Japanese woman, this is someone with at the very least, autism. And I think if you read it from that standpoint, you'll get a lot more out of it. I found the commentary on the traditional path of adulthood - getting a full time job, getting married, having children - interesting. It was, however, frustrating seeing Shiraha take advantage of her in the way that he does. I just really despised him and hated any moment that he appeared. It is bizarre at times and not at all funny, like some reviews claim. But I liked that it was unlike anything that I'd read before.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody. When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song. But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault.

The concepts of plagiarism, cancel culture on social media, cultural appropriation and the publishing industry as a whole were interesting ones. I also enjoyed how meta it was, in terms of talking about Goodreads reviews, Reddit and book bloggers. But sadly I found the main character incredibly unlikeable. She was so self entitled and self absorbed that I found it quite difficult to feel sorry for her at any point in this, which definitely detracted from the story overall for me. I felt very little sympathy for Athena either. It was also tricky to separate the main character from the author throughout the entire story. The ending felt a bit rushed and underwhelming too.