October 2019 Book Review

I don't know about you but I feel like I blinked and October came and went.

You know what else came?

Cooler weather! Whoop! We've been in the 70's this week and I'm not mad about it.

I only finished 2 books this month but I'm half way through 2 others.

First up was a read aloud with my girls.

Lately, my budding teenagers have enjoyed autobiographies from athletes.

We found this book on the shelves at Treasure Hunt a while back for only $3.

Simone is proof that big things can come in small packages. She is only 4 foot 8.

Simone is a four-time Olympic gold-winning and record-setting American gymnast. She shares how her faith, family, passion, and perseverance against tremendous odds helped make her one of the top athletes and record-breaking gymnasts in the world—now with 25 world championship medals. 

She's also proof that your beginnings don't have to define your future.

She started out as a kid, in and out of the foster care system. At the age of 6, she and her younger sister were adopted by their biological grandparents (whom she calls mom and dad).

She has ADHD and was homeschooled during her high school years.

We found this book to be a fascinating look into the world of competitive gymnastics. Simone is also very much just an average kid. An average kid with an extraordinary support system of family and coaches who helped her reach her fullest potential.

A wonderful and inspiring read for any young girl.

I decided to try another fiction book this month.

Searching for Sylvie Lee sounded intriguing.

I'm not usually into mysteries but I took the advice of Jenna Bush Hagar.

It begins with a mystery. Sylvie, the beautiful, brilliant, successful older daughter of the Lee family, flies to the Netherlands for one final visit with her dying grandmother—and then vanishes.

Amy, the sheltered baby of the Lee family, is too young to remember a time when her parents were newly immigrated and too poor to keep Sylvie. Seven years older, Sylvie was raised by a distant relative in a faraway, foreign place, and didn’t rejoin her family in America until the age of nine. Timid and shy, Amy has always looked up to her sister, the fierce and fearless protector who showered her with unconditional love. But what happened to Sylvie? Amy and her parents are distraught and desperate for answers. Sylvie has always looked out for them. Now, it’s Amy’s turn to help. Terrified yet determined, Amy retraces her sister’s steps, flying to the last place Sylvie was seen. But instead of simple answers, she discovers something much more valuable: the truth.

Turns out Sylvie, the golden girl, kept painful secrets . . . secrets that will reveal more about Amy’s complicated family.

I liked the fact that this book had short chapters, written in each character's narration. However, it took me a LONG time to get anywhere with this book. I can't even count how many times I started and stopped. For me, it didn't really get going until 2/3 of the way in. Then it became gripping. All of the family secrets came out. I was hoping for a different ending but the one I got was sad. Now, I don't necessarily mind sad endings but this one was depressing and a bit disturbing.

In the end, I sort of wish I hadn't read it. But that's just me.

I'm not used to reading these kinds of books.

Thanks but no thanks, Jenna. 😒
I'd say this one is rated closer to R for its depressing ending and complicated themes.

I hope to read many more uplifting books next month!