On the Rooftop | 
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I enjoyed this character-driven book club pick! It follows a mother and her 3 adult daughters-all in their early 20s and living in those moments of relationship change, while also living through gentrification and other societal changes of the early 1950s. I was impressed with how realistic the characters felt and the way that the author wove their stories together-you understand everyone‘s motivations, whether you agree with them or not.
so-soThis is so much like Fiddler on the Roof; obviously, the setting and characters are different, but the themes and plot are strikingly similar.
I did find myself having to reread many passages - I just am not a big fan of the writing.
pick11-17-22: My 115th finished book of 2022! It‘s 1953 in the San Francisco neighborhood called the Fillmore. Vivian, a mother to 3 talented singers, is trying to make them stars. Known as The Salvations, Ruth, Esther, & Chole seem to want to make it big and are due to audition for a club in LA, but now that they are adults, their priorities are changing. A portrait of a family who love one another deeply and care for their community.
so-soThis book was different than I expected. All in all, I found it to be mediocre. As I read it, there were times I thought to myself that I‘m not the right audience for the story. I didn‘t especially find any of the characters likable. I thought the book would get more into the music aspect than it did.
pickEngaging and beautifully written story of a mother‘s dreams for her girl group daughters, and what happens when the daughters‘ own dreams diverge from hers. I enjoyed getting to know Vivian, Ruth, Esther and Chloe, and their friends and family in 1950s San Francisco. The author noted in her acknowledgments that she wrote this book as an homage to Fiddler on the Roof. As soon as I read that, I could see how she did that. 🤯
so-soThis was a #GoodNotGreat and a #BorrowDontBuy read for me. I feel like there was so much happening that the author couldn‘t really give any one storyline the attention needed to make this a great read. I just kept thinking, “And then what happened? No, don‘t jump to her, go back to the other plot and dig deep!!” A strong “meh” 3 star, so-so read.
Windows open on Oct. 10? No complaints!! 😍 My current read is a good, not great read. For some reason I can‘t get swept away with the story. I‘ll finish it, the story is good, just not a “OMG, I have to put everything else on hold so I can devour this book” 🫤
so-soStage mom Vivian wants her daughters to fulfill her music dreams by becoming a girl group. I‘ve read and liked MWS before, but this one didn‘t hit for me. I liked the premise, but I feel like she tried to do too much and didn‘t do justice to many of the plot lines. There‘s one plot point in particular that is dropped in and should reverberate but doesn‘t, and that bothered me.
pickI saw this cover and dove in without reading what the story was about. The story envisioned about a black 50s girl group was really just the setup for a bigger story of three sisters‘ struggles to live (or not) their mama‘s dreams. Once I got over my misconception, I really liked it. ↓
pickToday was dads last follow up Dr appointment and whilst he had an echocardiogram done I kept company with this read! This is so good. Told from multiple POV‘s this is a story about family and dreams and there was so much emotion. Truly enjoyed this one. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
September BookPage has arrived! Looking forward to the new Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. I think it is the new Reese‘s Book Club pick. I really enjoyed her last novel, The Revisioners.
