Although she’s not an author, Reese Witherspoon is such an iconic figure in the literary world and I wanted to share my honest thoughts for some Reese’s Book Club book reviews. Reese has also tapped into her acting + producing skills to bring a few novels to the big screen, including Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies and Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere. I love Reese and everything she stands for, so scroll on to see my thoughts on her selections I’ve read.
Reese’s Book Club Reviews – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
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★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Books
This Is How It Always Is – Laurie Frankel
If you could only read one Reese’s Book Club pick, let it be this one. This Is How It Always Is is my go-to book recommendation. The book reads like poetry, the characters feel real and honest, and the story is witty & heartbreaking. Here’s Goodreads’ mini synopsis:
This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.
When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.
One Day in December – Josie Silver
#BookTip: For maximum feels, definitely read this book in December. The holiday magic comes alive, and the wistful “will they, won’t they” feeling between the two love interests is magnified.
I bought One Day in December in March 2019 but waited until December 2019 to finally read it, and although I’m in California and have never experienced a white Christmas, This contemporary romance by Josie Silver does a great job of balancing the lighthearted & serious aspects of the story, and that balance definitely drew me in more.
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
If you haven’t read Where the Crawdads Sing by now, I’m sure you’ve at least seen it paraded across every social media channel you follow. Delia Owens’ NYT bestseller is immensely popular, and for me, I think the best aspect of this book is its originality.
Crawdads explores the rumors behind its protagonist, the so-called “Marsh Girl” Kya Clark, and her life after a local + handsome man is found dead. I loved the way this story was told and the secrets that are unveiled throughout each chapter.
The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
I rarely read historical fiction, but The Alice Network completely blew me away. The book follows two women, each with their own story during World War I and World War II.
In 1915, Eve Gardiner is a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France. In 1947, Charlie St. Clair is a pregnant, unmarried American college student. When Charlie interrupts Eve’s now-reminiscing lifestyle to ask for help with finding a missing person after the war, the two develop an unlikely friendship that leads to many uncovered secrets. Kate Quinn’s novel is a masterpiece, and if you need more convincing, check out the 4.27-star Goodreads review.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is another much-loved Reese’s Book Club pick. Eleanor’s life is meticulously scheduled to avoid human interaction, and her character definitely got on my nerves in the beginning. However, as Gail Honeyman slowly reveals Eleanor’s backstory, I grew to love the quirky, messed-up protagonist.
And as Goodreads (4.29 ★ avg!) puts it, Eleanor’s “deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open your heart.”
The Last Mrs. Parrish – Liv Constantine
This was the first Reese’s Book Club pick I read, and I finished this one before I joined Bookstagram and saw the hype surrounding it. I’ve seen mixed reviews for this novel by Liv Constantine, but I really enjoyed this twisted domestic thriller.
If you’re into vicariously living the lives of the filthy rich through reading, this one is for you. It’s filled with lies, mysteries, and just the right amount of craftiness. There are also some devious twists that make you stay up all night to finish the book.
★ ★ ★ ★ Books
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng
Now a wildly popular Hulu show, Little Fires Everywhere explores the relationship between the ~white picket fence~ Richardson family and the Warrens, a mother-daughter duo who rent the Richardson’s guest house.
Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere is filled with some great questions about family, motherhood, and identity. I loved the one-of-a-kind personalities of all the characters, and the little secrets that kept threatening to reveal themselves.
The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott
Like The Alice Network, Lara Prescott’s The Secrets We Kept is a historical fiction novel that explores the actions of female spies during a war. This novel takes place during the Cold War, and follows Sally and Irina, “two spies who risk it all for love and adventure.”
I loved The Secrets We Kept for its espionage and female power. Although I’m not at all familiar with the Cold War, I was able to follow the storyline and recognize the importance of certain plot aspects. There were some parts that had more emphasis on the historical than the fiction element, but this was definitely an entertaining read.
Whisper Network – Chandler Baker
Chandler Baker’s Whisper Network tells the story of four women who speak up about sexual harassment and assault in corporate America. I loved how even though the book switched between the perspectives of different women, the characters all had shared secrets.
This one was a quick read, and I found it to be witty and a little dark. It took a little bit of time to get into, but after that it was definitely a page turner.
Daisy Jones and the Six – Taylor Jenkins Reid
This one was technically 4.5 stars for me, but a bit closer to a 4 than a 5. Daisy Jones & The Six is another crazy popular book choice from Reese Witherspoon. Told as an oral history of a fictitious band, this novel covers the highs and lows of extreme fame. I loved how authentic the characters felt, and how TJR makes every plot choice a realistic one.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is my favorite book by TJR, but I loved how nostalgic Daisy Jones felt. It’s also being turned into a TV show by—you guessed it—Queen Reese.
The Proposal – Jasmine Guillory
I love when Reese includes a contemporary romance pick because (surprise) I love flirty contemporary romances. The Proposal is the second book in Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date “series” (they feature some overlapping characters, but you don’t need to read them in any particular order–I didn’t 😊).
I loved this one for the whirlwind romance and the chemistry between the main characters. I’ve read a few of Jasmine’s other books, and got to meet her in person at the release of The Wedding Party.
The Other Woman – Sandie Jones
Another thriller from Reese’s Book Club! The Other Woman mixes domestic + psychological suspense to create a twisted story featuring the relationship between a woman and her mother-in-law. This one was definitely a satisfying page turner; I read this in one day & stayed up all night to finish it up. Here’s what Goodreads has to say:
“A deliciously disturbing, compulsively readable debut domestic suspense—prepare to meet The Other Woman: there’s nothing she won’t do to keep you away from her son…”
★ ★ ★ Books
The Lying Game
This thriller was a 3.5-star read for me, and it definitely didn’t live up to Ruth Ware‘s other books as well as Reese’s other thriller picks. The Lying Game features four estranged women who were once a tight knit group at a British boarding school. The girls were notorious for playing the Lying Game, spinning lies to their peers, teachers, and whoever would believe them.
After the girls are expelled in their final year of school, the clique separates, taking their secrets with them. Now, in the present, it seems like one of their carefully crafted lies is about to come undone. I read this a while ago and it wasn’t super memorable, and although it was chilling, it seemed a little complex in other aspects.
Something in the Water – Catherine Steadman
I loved the premise of Something in the Water, but unfortunately the actual book didn’t exactly follow through. Newlyweds Erin and Mark are living up their honeymoon in Bora Bora when they find something chilling while scuba diving in the clear-blue water.
I’ll admit this one spooked me a little, but in the end, I wasn’t at all satisfied by what the book gave me. I felt like I still had way too many unanswered questions and the twists added more to my confusion. If you’ve read this one (or if you’re going to read it), let me know if you agree.
The Light We Lost – Jill Santopolo
I feel bad saying this because I know The Light We Lost is super loved on Bookstagram, but this one just didn’t do it for me. It was too depressing and heartbreaking for me, and although heavy books can certainly tell fantastic stories and leave an impact, I just felt way too sad after finishing this one. I read it all in one go on a long plane ride (California to Australia) so I might’ve been exhausted + a little too wrapped up in the world of this book, but I still felt mopey af after I read this one.
The Light We Lost features Lucy and Gabe over 13 years, starting from their introduction as seniors at Columbia, and all the way through love, loss and fate.
The Jetsetters – Amanda Eyre Word
I really struggled to get into The Jetsetters. It took me a week to even get halfway through, and although I read it pretty quickly after that (the action finally came through at the end), I had to force myself to read in the beginning.
The Jetsetters follows a mother who wins a European cruise, and her dreams of using the exotic trip as a way to reunite her estranged family. Maybe I was too young to fully appreciate the family drama and estrangement, but I was bored by this one and wasn’t super motivated to read it. The ending had some teachable moments, and there were a few fun characters.
The Last House Guest – Megan Miranda
I honestly thought that I had finished with this post because I completely forgot I read The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda. The thriller definitely had good potential, and I really liked the author’s other book (All The Missing Girls), but I just didn’t feel compelled to get through this one. The setting, a vacation beach town in Maine that has had some unfavorable deaths occur, is really the only creepy thing about the book. Any other aspect of suspense was drowned out by the complex dramas of the townspeople and their irrelevant affairs.
I did finish it because I wanted to know what happened, but it was a meh read for me.
DNF
The Rules of Magic
Still Lives
It might not be fair to review these as I only got a few chapters in, but for whatever reason, I could NOT get into The Rules of Magic and Still Lives. With both of these books my mind was struggling to follow the words, and I felt pretty bored by the story.
There are still some Reese’s Book Club picks on my TBR (The Library Book, The Cactus, and Such a Fun Age) that I’m working my way up to, but I’ve read a decent amount. I’m looking forward to a screen adaptation of Daisy Jones & the Six, and any others that Reese Witherspoon puts her magic in. Let me know what your favorite Reese’s Book Club pick is!
9 Comments
I really liked The Rules of Magic. Maybe you just had to read more of it.
Yeah, I want to try reading it again!
Having yet to finish a few of the titles, mainly because I enjoy so many books. I am grateful for your reviews. Getting drawn into a book then not finishing or find the book lacking is a huge disappointment!
Aww thank you so much! Yes! I try my hardest to seek books I think I’ll truly love and want to continue reading.
Some of the books you did not like I actually loved. I feel reading a book can go either way depending on what is happening in our own lives at the moment and our moods at that time. And we are all just different.
Definitely! I’ve seen reviews for certain books I also loved but people thought flopped. So interesting how we have our different likes and loves, even with books.