Thisldu Book Reviews: March - American Royals, The Trust, Summer of '79, The Jetsetters, and Anna K: A Love Story
My goodness, what a different place we are in now—literally and figuratively—compared to when I released last month’s book review. Garrett and I were catching up on some much-needed rest at Club de Yates in Acapulco, getting ready to sail to Huatulco. Because we had a good weather window, we skipped Huatulco and pressed forward to Chiapas, extending our planned two-night sail into a four-night excursion to the last port of call in Mexico.
We had a bit of a miserable week in Chiapas as we awaited another good weather window to sail south yet again. There wasn’t much to do there; the marina was in the middle of nowhere and it was hot. Books were my only salvation. Between sailing two and three and four night passages and getting stuck in undesirable destinations, I read five books in March. One of those books was a novella, so I’m not sure if it counts, but for the sake of simplicity, I’m counting it.
In March, I read American Royals by Katharine McGee, The Trust by Ronald H. Balson, Summer of ‘79 by Elin Hilderbrand, The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward, and Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee. Below are my thoughts on each.
American Royals by Katharine McGee was cute. A nice, light read with an interesting concept: what if, after the Revolutionary War, George Washington became our king and not our president? What if the United States was a monarchy and not a democracy? What if our first family was royalty, all descending from the Washington line? That’s how it is in American Royals. It’s present day and the Washingtons are still in the White House. The eldest daughter, Beatrice, is next in line to the throne. Her younger siblings, twins Samantha and Jeffrey, live a life of carefree luxury while she is being groomed to rule the country. American Royals tells each of their stories, mostly through a rom-com lens. The characters are likable and the story is pleasant, but it all kind of felt surface level. I still liked it though and will read the next book in the trilogy that’s due to come out in September. If you’re looking for an easy and enjoyable read, this is your book!
I picked up a (digital) copy of The Trust by Ronald H. Balson because my sister Liz was reading it. She was reading The Trust because she thought my dad was, too, but found out after finishing it that he hadn’t read it after all. Thanks, Dad. Anyway. The Trust is a mystery thriller about a long-lost family member, Liam, who is called home to Northern Ireland at the death of his beloved Uncle Fergus. Although he and his uncle had a falling out sixteen years prior, Fergus still named Liam the trustee of his will and estate, an estate that cannot be doled out to its recipients until the events surrounding Fergus’s death are solved. This, of course, causes a lot of problems amongst Liam’s estranged family members, and, one by one, a few others fall victim to the murderer at large. Balson’s writing is fast paced and the characters seemed real, but I did find the story to drag on a bit. I liked The Trust, but didn’t love it.
Summer of ’79 by Elin Hilderbrand is a short story, a postscript to her novel Summer of ’69. In it, you’re catching up with sisters Blair, Kirby, and Jessie ten years later when they all return to Nantucket for their grandmother Exalta’s funeral. I really enjoyed Summer of ’69 (see my review here) and was excited to read this continuation. It didn’t disappoint and I wished it was longer! If you read Summer of ’69, this one is a must. If you haven’t, read them both!
The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward was Reese Witherspoon’s pick for this month’s Hello Sunshine read. It’s about an estranged family who go on a European cruise together. They all have their baggage, of course—the eldest daughter who never made it big in Hollywood, the middle son who struggles with addiction issues, the youngest daughter who is miserable in her marriage, the mother who never wants to deal with anything difficult—and they’re about to all unpack it during the cruise. This book has been compared to Emma Straub’s The Vacationers and Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney’s The Nest, but I didn’t think it was as good as either. I didn’t really find any of the characters to be likable. I wouldn’t add The Jetsetters to my list of recommendations.
Anna K: A Love Story by Jenny Lee is a modern-day take on Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. It was recommended in The Skimm, and even though it technically falls in the Young Adult Category, it sounded too fun of a read to pass up. And it was. It takes place between New York City and Greenwich, Connecticut with, you guessed it, Anna K at the center. Anna is a smart, lovable teenager poised at the top of New York and Greenwich society. She’s comfortable in her boring long-term relationship until she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky and everything changes. The story also follows the dramatic lives of Anna’s brother and other Manhattan elite and, if I’m being honest, if I were a parent, I wouldn’t want my teens reading this because, well, it’s juicy. Think the dramas of Gossip Girl combined with the tragedies of Tolstoy. I liked it. If you’re looking for a fun book, then I would recommend this one.
That’s it for March! Who else is excited for this month to be over?!
If you’re looking for more book reviews, check out:
Thisldu Book Reviews - January: Circe, The Most Fun We Ever Had, and Such a Fun Age
Happy Reading!