I'm Fine and Neither Are You by Camille Pagán

Synopsis:
Wife. Mother. Breadwinner. Penelope Ruiz-Kar is doing it all—and barely keeping it together. Meanwhile, her best friend, Jenny Sweet, appears to be sailing through life. As close as the two women are, Jenny’s passionate marriage, pristine house, and ultra-polite child stand in stark contrast to Penelope’s underemployed husband, Sanjay, their unruly brood, and the daily grind she calls a career.

Then a shocking tragedy reveals that Jenny’s life is far from perfect. Reeling, Penelope vows to stop keeping the peace and finally deal with the issues in her relationship. So she and Sanjay agree to a radical proposal: both will write a list of changes they want each other to make—then commit to complete and total honesty.

What seems like a smart idea quickly spirals out of control, revealing new rifts and even deeper secrets. As Penelope stares down the possible implosion of her marriage, she must ask herself: When it comes to love, is honesty really the best policy?
(Synopsis from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:
Lately, I've been trying to get my TBR under control. I have a goal of reading at least twenty-five of my own books before I buy more, whether that be print books, or Kindle. Because of this, I decided to go through some of my NetGalley backlog. I've been loving the women's fiction books with cartoonish looking covers lately, so I decided to give I'm Fine and Neither Are You a try. I was surprised how much I loved this book.

I went into I'm Fine and Neither Are You with no expectations. I'll be honest, if it wasn't for the quirky title and the fun looking cover, I might not have even had much interest in reading the book. I thought at most, I might think it was okay. In actuality, It turned out to be one of my favorite books that I've read this year. I found the main character to be extremely relatable. I relataed more to her and what she was going through than any character I've read about in quite a long time. Most of the things she was thinking about, or struggling through, I have either been through, or know someone that has, especially the bits about marriage. Even though the list idea that Penny and Sanjay agree to was difficult, I think it's a genius idea that could help a lot of people in their marriage if they took the time to do it.

Not only was the book relatable on a way that I had never read before, it was also emotional. Maybe part of that is because it was so relatable. I don't remember the last time I cried so much while reading a book, especially towards the end. The author wrot ethe characters in such a way that the reader almost feels like they've known the characters for years. It feels like the reader is reading about close personal friends having these experiences, instead of made up fictional characters. It was easy to put myself in their shoes and feel every emotion that they're feeling while reading the book.

I'm Fine and Neither Are You was one of my favorite books that I've read this year. Heck, I have a feeling that it become one of my favorite books of all time. It was one of the "realest" fiction books that I've ever read. I loved the author's writing style, and the great job that she did connecting the reader to the characters. I will definitely be reading more of her books that she's written as soon as I read enough books to meet my goal. 

I give I'm Fine and Neither Are You: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: https://camillepagan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CamillePaganBooks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnoepagan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camille_pagan/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4462824.Camille_Pag_n

I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

To Drink Coffee with a Ghost by Amanda Lovelace

Synopsis:
"You cannot have a funeral for your mother without also having a funeral for yourself."  This book poses the ever-lingering question: What happens when someone dies before they're able to redeem themselves?

From the bestselling & award-winning poetess, Amanda Lovelace, comes the finale of her illustrated duology, "things that h(a)unt." In the first installment, to make monsters out of girls,  Lovelace explored the memory of being in a toxic romantic relationship. In to drink coffee with a ghost, Lovelace unravels the memory of the complicated relationship she had with her now-deceased mother.
(Synopsis from Goodreads). 

My Thoughts:
Amanda Lovelace is one of my favorite poets. In fact, her books are what spurned my love of poetry. After reading The Witch doesn't burn in this one, I quickly devoured all of her books. When I heard that she had a new book coming out, To Drink Coffee With a Ghost, I knew I had to read it. It came as no surprise to me that I loved it.

To Drink Coffee With a Ghost was extremely personal to me. It felt like Amanda Lovelace took a peek into my life over these past few years and wrote my story. I also had a mother that I had conflicts with. She passed away two years ago, and I've been struggling to deal with the grief and emotions that I've had. This book actually helped process those emotions, and helped deal with some of my grief. Reading Amanda Lovelace's experiences taught me it's okay to feel the way that I'm feeling, and most importantly that someone else has had the same experience AND survived it. I'm not the only one that has gone through that specific situation.

I will always be grateful for Amanda Lovelace's To Drink Coffee With a Ghost. It was an emotional journey reading through her poems, but one I desperately needed at a time I needed it. Thanks to this book, I have begun to heal from my grief and experiences. This solidified Amanda Lovelace as one of my favorite poets in my mind. 

I give To Drink Coffee with a Ghost: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website:  http://amandalovelace.com/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poetessamandalovelace
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladybookmad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladybookmad/

I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.