book review Archives - A Bookie's Books

What I Read This Week: Spring Break Edition

This week was such a good reading week for me because it was spring break! I did not have anything to do for school and did not have my night classes, so I was free to read whenever I wasn’t working. I read 5 physical books, 2 digital, and 4 audiobooks.

That is 11 books! I wish I had the time to read 11 books a week more often.

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

I loved this! This is a graphic novel and it has amazing pictures and is so fun. I need more horse stories. I want a huge stack of graphic novels that include horses. My horse era is beginning again. I used to own horses, but now that I moved away from home it is nice to be able to miss my horses again. But back to this story! It was so cute and touching. Little spoiler, but I love a good story that doesn’t necessarily end with everyone being best buds again. It’s good to show growth and change away from people.

3 Allison Montclair Books

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

I love Allison Montclair’s stories. I was really impressed by The Haunting of the Desks. It is a short story. Most extra short stories I feel like do not add anything or just don’t have a good plot structure, but this one felt like all the other books and even though it was quick it was a full story. The Lady From Burma is one I listened to on audio, and they switched narrators for this book. I HATE that, and it made this book harder to get into since I couldn’t recognize the character’s voices anymore. But I am excited to see where we go in the next book.

Swimming Lessons by Lili Reinhart

I love poetry. I love celebrity drama. These two books combined were perfect! I have not read a poetry book in a few months and this was so refreshing. This is by an actress named Lili Reinhart. She plays in Riverdale. Her relationship (which may or may not be with Cole Sprouse) is examined in this book and it’s nice to kind of see behind the scenes how someone makes someone else feel. It always looks so perfect from the camera, but seeing behind a celebrity’s eyes is always fun.

Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

I love this series! I will say, that this book is dragging out the lets-find-out-the-secrets-of-my-dad plot point a bit longer than needed. We should have solved that mystery in this book. I hope that there is a plan here, and hope we learn the secrets in the next book or it will just get too repetitive. Though I do love the will-they-wont-they tension in this romance and how it broke epically in this book.

I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books (and SMP) the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company.

AGH HORROR! Tell me why I had this huge discussion with my roommate about how I didn’t think I liked horror because all the horror books I have read (3 books) didn’t seem like horror books. Then I asked what makes a book horror, which she said she didn’t know. Then I proceeded to say, “Well these books I have read have me horrified and disturbed by the graphic images and all the freaky stuff I saw.” She then looked at me and rolled her eyes saying, I think you just described horror. So now I get it.

I will say though if that is the definition of horror this book is mild in that term. There is some great suspense involving the secrets the narrator is holding in, but once those are revealed it gets a little slower for me. BUT I still think the ending was heart-racing and I was entirely sucked into this novel. It is on the milder side of freaky, which is a great thing because who goes looking for that kind of pain?

Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph

Honestly, I have nothing to say about this book. I was neither impressed nor not impressed. The ending came out of nowhere, and not in a good way. It was solidly alright.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

I read this book a few years back and I am adding the link to that original review here. I do not want to re-review this book, but I will say I LOVE this book.

However, my reading experience was thwarted by people on the internet. I originally read this book a long time ago in its self-published form. When I bought the official book and its sequel, I was just going to start with the sequel. But, someone online told me that I needed to re-read the first book since the self-published version and the new version were completely different and I wouldn’t understand. Well, they were wrong. It was basically all the same. If it were one of those spot-the-difference photos, I could maybe only spot the difference. It was the same. I waited two years to read this book again because I was so nervous and the text is so daunting when I could have just started the second years ago.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

AGH YET ANOTHER GRAPHIC NOVEL!!!!!!!

I love a good graphic novel. I need to read them more often! This book was so fun. The illustrations were beautiful. I was drooling over how well done they were. It was such a complex and captivating story. I was sucked in. I had originally planned to read it over a few days and I devoured it in like two hours. This is a great book!

A Conjuring of Light by VE Schwab

I do not think I have had enough time to process the end of the series. Truly I do not have words. This book was a mammoth. I enjoyed it immensely and wish it would never end. (Please do not remind me that there is a spin-off series because I already have enough on my plate). I am just glad I got through the series and that it was not a disappointing conclusion. I quite literally cried and the ending. So good!!

Okay, let me know what I should read next!

What I Read This Week

This was a fantastic week for reading. I read three audiobooks and then two physical books. I loved each of the books I read. It was a great week for reading. I am finally in the groove with school and with work, so I can read more.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood is and will forever be my favorite romance author. Most people name her work dorky or cringey, which is exactly why I like them. They are so real. This story, seated deeply (hopefully a funny pun) in the supernatural, is no different. The vampire is shy and awkward and falls in love with an awesome male. I love it! This was Ali’s introduction to the Omegaverse, and also my introduction to the Omegaverse. While I was knot (I tried again) prepared for everything I witnessed, I was extremely satisfied with this story.

Add this to your Goodreads!

Bone Crier’s Dawn by Kathryn Purdie

I have been wanting to read this duology for years! And randomly I bought two copies of this second book, and no copies of the first book because I thought the second copy I bought was the first book. So I needed to read these books because I have this horrible embarrassment over my stupidity. And these books were so worth it! I loved the fantasy and the mythology. I listened on audiobook, and the narrator for Bastien left a little to be desired (voice is great but the accent was a little distracting and I felt like he kept bobbing his head to make that accent, I dont know how to explain it). These books were fantastic.

Add this to your Goodreads!

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

Disclaimer: I work for Minotaur Books the publisher of this book. My opinions about this book are mine and have no representation of the company. This book was for free from my work, but that does not affect my review of this book. Okay anyway, this book was so good! This is a thriller and it was so fast-paced and engaging, I finished this book in two days. This was my first book by this author and I am excited to read some of his other books now. I demanded my roommate read it, so if she ever does I will let you know. This was read before the publication date and will come out in May.

Add this to your Goodreads!

Out of the Blue by Jason June

Cutesy pretty babies. That was my mind throughout this whole book. This book was fun, not the greatest this week, but it was really fun. I thought it was really sweet. I listened to it on audiobook and one of the narrators was not my favorite, but that’s probably because I listen to it at like 2.5x speed.

Add this to your Goodreads!

Death by a Thousand Sips by Gretchen Rue

Death by a Thousand Sips cover image read

I have been waiting for this book since I read the first one almost a year ago. I loved the first book and this second book was about the same. The little hints at magic, the awesome noise the audiobook narrator makes to imitate a cat, and the cute covers drug me further in love with this series. The writing is great.

The story takes place in Washington State which is where I am from, so it was nice to revisit my home through the pages of a book (or in this case words through my headphones, but you get my drift). This book talked about more places that I recognized and this fake town is theoretically near my college town so that was fun to feel sort of connected. This was probably my favorite read this week, but only a decimal point away from tying with the first three books. It was just nice to revisit home a bit and reconnect with the main character and her lovely cat.

Add this to your Goodreads!

Let me know what I should read next.

American in Scotland

I listened to An American in Scotland last month and I loved it!

Add American Scotland to your Goodreads!

An american in scotland cover, scenic painting of a scottish church like castle with a stormy night background, lighting crashing above, a path of flowers and stone railing leads up to it

I recently got on this really random kick of wanting to read cozy mysteries, especially ones with cats on the cover. This does not have a cat on the cover, but I was scrolling through Libby and this was a comp title on their lists. I thought, “Hey I am going to Scotland in a few months; I should read this.”

Oh boy was this a great choice!

Firstly, I love when a book makes me want to kick my feet an squeal. And let’s just say, I did a lot of that.

Secondly, this narrator was fantastic! Her range of accents and voices was really impressive.

The book takes place on a remote Scottish Isle. The main character moves here to be a doctor and starts living in the church. On her first night, she is confronted with lots of people’s worst nightmare, a dead body. While trying to solve the murder as the medical examiner, she also tries to navigate her new setting which made me laugh.

I am really wanting more of this book. All of the characters, especially Laird Ewan Campbell, are so wonderful and lovable. I want more of the story and the romance since it only ended up being nearer to the end of the book.

This book is great and you should pick up your copy from Amazon. If you use this link, I may receive a small commission so I can continue to support my blog.

Thank you for reading!

Star Rating:

Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood Review

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the copy of Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood ARC!

Check and mate by ali hazelwood cover pink background, black and white square checkboard on bottom, chess pieces flying, blonde white girl wearing blue shirt and white skirt and brown hair tan boy wearing blue shirt and red pants shaking hands,

This is one of my most anticipated reads of this year. Ali Hazelwood cannot miss.

I loved the Love Hypothesis. And I loved this!

This is Hazelwood’s debut YA novel which was a little nerve-wracking for me. I couldn’t see how Hazelwood could go from removing galaxy-tights-during-adult-times to anything without “adult” topics.

She does it though.

The book keeps her witty charm and does have some more “raunchy” scenes while also staying true to a YA plot.

The romance is sweet and empowering. It has that male character that Hazelwood is known for with rivals-to-lovers.

The plot revolves around chess, which I believe in the acknowledgments Hazelwood addresses that she took some creative liberties, (I am not sure about the game itself or rules or tournament lingo), so for the more chess-inclined, just relax and enjoy the book.

While it is a romance book, it addresses sexism in the chess world in true Hazelwood fashion. I always appreciate her books showing the sexism in the fields she covers. Also, I love her science-field-based books, but goodness I wanted her to write more chess books. This book was so cute, divine, adorable, and a million other synonyms.

One disclaimer, the book is riddled with “cringey” stuff like talking about TikTok and slang, and I am warning you now because when it comes out I don’t want to see anyone complaining about it. It’s normal to write like that so please just let people breathe.

As always I am giving her book a five out of five stars. I thoroughly enjoyed it. No, I DEVOURED this book.

This book will be out in November, so pick up your copy.

You can pre-order Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood by clicking on this link for Amazon. I may receive a commission from this link which would help support this blog.

Thanks for reading!!

Star Rating: 5

Book About the Murder of a Cheater’s Mistress

This is not Jeneva Rose’s best book.

Book Review:

I loved One of Us Is Dead. So, after reading that, I was excited to dive into her other books, but I was a bit disappointed after reading this book. It didn’t have the spark that One of Us is Dead had.

Book Plot:

The plot was exciting. It was interesting to read a story about the murder of the male main character’s mistress while also reading the perspective of the wife who had to defend her husband in his trial.

The twists and turns of the story were cool. I liked seeing where it went. I wish it had been executed better.

Quality of Writing:

Everything felt rushed. It wasn’t shoddy writing, but it wasn’t excellent. It didn’t flow as well as her other story. I didn’t feel a connection to it like the last one.

What I Liked:

Murder
Crazy plot twist (albeit a bit predictable if you thought hard enough)

What I Didn’t:

No real character development
So many ethics rules broken

Read This Book If You Love:

Jeneva Rose
Murder

Star: 2.8

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Book:

Title: The Perfect Marriage

Author: Jeneva Rose

Published July 13th, 2020

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 344

“Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. As a named partner at her firm, life is going exactly how she planned. The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He’s a struggling writer who has had little success in his career and he tires of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.

Out in the secluded woods, at the couple’s lake house, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers. But one morning everything changes. Kelly is found brutally stabbed to death and now, Sarah must take on her hardest case yet, defending her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.” –Goodreads

Last Book of the Parasol Protectorate

And with that, the Parasol Protectorate book series is complete!

Book Review:

Timeless is an exquisite ending to an even better series. I am sad to be saying goodbye to Lady and Lord Maccon’s love story. Alexia has been one of my favorite characters because she is unapologetic and so witty. It is so sad to see her go.

Book Plot:

In my last review of the series for Heartless, I complained about the lack of going to new places. I thought the story was just filler text.

This story made up for that a lot. We learned so much about the characters and the preternatural state. I suffered so many emotions; happy, sad, depressed, and hopeful all at the same time. I love how this book tugged on my heart strings. Gail Carriger did some daring things at the end, a couple twists and turns, that really threw me for a loop. I won’t spoil anything, but she really made a fantastic ending to the series.

Book Characters:

Alexia, oh crazy Alexia, I am going to miss you. While writing this I have already started reading the next series, The Custard Protocol, and I know she is in the story a bit. But I am still going to miss her perspective on espionage and protocols.

Lord Maccon is also showing up in the next series, but I will miss him. He was always funny, and I loved the audiobook voice actor’s voice of him.

All the other characters in the book are fantastic. I hope to see some of them in future stories. I love how Carriger incorporates old characters. It excites me every time.

Book Setting:

One of my main complaints is that we never left London last book. Guess what? We leave London!

We went to Egypt. It was so cool seeing all the lore in real time that the characters hinted at.

Romance:

As usual, the romance was a bit subpar because the couple has been together for four books now. I still love Lord and Lady Maccon even though nothing new really happens in this book.

Quality of Writing:

Carriger writes in such a unique way. The prose is always so light and witty. I love it. I am glad to continue enjoying her writing.

What I Liked:

Completing the series
Ending
All questions answered
Writing style
Egypt!
Alexia Maccon

What I Didn’t:

Honestly? I don’t have any complaints

Read This If You Love:

Steampunk
Historical Fantasy
Uncomplicated romances
Pregnancy tropes
London
Travel

Star: 4

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Book:

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Title: Timeless

Series: Parasol Protectorate #5

Author: Gail Carriger

Published March 1st 2012 by Orbit

Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 407

“Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire’s second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell’s acting troupe’s latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a dampener on Alexia’s enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?”-Goodreads

Crumbs: Cutest Graphic Novel EVER!

Crumbs is the cutest graphic novel I have ever read.

When Crumbs came in the mail, I screamed.

My mom ordered this during Barnes and Nobles Black Friday sale last year. It came right on my birthday!

I had not read this before on Webtoon, so I am not an original fan. I still found myself obsessed and glad that I did not have to wait every week for a new bit of the story and devoured it all in one go.

Also, isn’t it crazy that I have had so many 5-star reviews lately?

View Crumbs on Goodreads by clicking here.

Crumbs Plot:

This graphic novel had everything. It had magic, chaos, coming-of-age aspects, and one outstanding romance. I was transported through pictures and words to this amazing world, and I loved every bit of it.

Crumbs Romance:

Again, this is a romance graphic novel, so all I really want to talk about is the loveeeee.

This story made me believe in love again. I feel like I say that about every romance book I read, but this one was really special.

The main character, Ray, is someone I can relate to very well. A lot of her behaviors I do as well. She is also very career oriented which affects her relationship.

The love story is so unproblematic. There are some issues but there is a really clear form of communication, which helps propel a better romance for the audience. It is so important to put forth healthy relationships in mainstream media. I loved this romance, and it is a great read.

What I Liked:

Healthy relationships
Beautiful illustrations
A diverse love
Diverse friend group
MAGIC!

What I Didn’t:

Literally nothing

Read This If You Love:

Magic
Witches
Romance
Graphic Novels
Webtoon

Star: 5

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Thank you!

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Romance Time: Funny You Should Ask

Was this a good romance book? Funny you should ask…

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Thank you!

Book Review:

Funny You Should Ask Book Near Dumbo Bridge in Brooklyn NEw YOrk

This book was unremarkable (and I will say that about fifteen times in this review). It had nothing super crazy. The couple was not phenomenal, but they weren’t boring.

I thought the premise was unique and the way the story was written was unique, but it was confusing at the beginning.

It will be something I can recommend to people who like romance books. It is a fun romance, but nothing remarkable.

Book Characters:

Chani is fun. I liked her voice a lot in the book. She was not the most profound narrator, but she also wasn’t the worst. She was unremarkable.

Gabe, her co-main character, was also not super remarkable. He won’t be at the end of my favorites list, but not on the top.

Book Romance:

Undeniably, the romance was great. I love the lost love found again trope. It really makes me happy.

While this wasn’t a remarkable romance, it was good. I had fun. It made me happy, and it was a bit different. That is all that matters.

I really enjoy books where the romance isn’t toxic. Yes, the characters don’t know how to deal with their own drama, but their relationship isn’t unhealthy. They do have fights and a little miscommunication, but they are all things that they can fix.

Ease of Reading:

It was a bit confusing in the beginning. The format was past and present storytelling, mixed in with articles from the past and present. It was a bit confusing in the beginning but eventually, I got the hang of it.

What I Liked:

LA setting
Cute dog
Montana setting
Boy trying to do anything to impress the girl

What I Didn’t:

Unremarkable
Confusing at the beginning

Read This If You Love:

Star-struck romance
Meeting your crush
Movie stars
Romance books
Journalists

Star: 3.5

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Here is the Book:

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Funny You Should Ask Book Cover from Goodreads a romance book — Funny You Should Ask Cover

Title: Funny You Should Ask

Author: Elissa Sussman

Published April 12th, 2022 by Dell

Genre: Romance

Pages: 352

Synopsis:

“A restless young journalist with big dreams interviews a Hollywood heartthrob–and, ten years later, it’s clear that their time together meant more than meets the eye in this sexy, engrossing adult debut novel.

Then. Twentysomething writer Chani Horowitz is stuck. While her former MFA classmates are nabbing book deals, she’s in the trenches writing puff pieces. Then she’s hired to write a profile of movie star Gabe Parker. The Gabe Parker–her forever celebrity crush, the object of her fantasies, the background photo on her phone–who’s also just been cast as the new James Bond. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at once . . . yet if she can keep her cool and nail the piece, it could be a huge win. Gabe will get good press, and her career will skyrocket. But what comes next proves to be life-changing in ways Chani never saw coming, as the interview turns into a whirlwind weekend that has the tabloids buzzing.

Now. Ten years later, after a brutal divorce and a heavy dose of therapy, Chani is back in Los Angeles, laser-focused on one thing: her work. But she’s still spent the better part of the last decade getting asked about her deeply personal Gabe Parker profile at every turn. No matter what new essay collection or viral editorial she’s promoting, it always comes back to Gabe. So when his PR team requests that they reunite for a second interview, she wants to say no. She wants to pretend that she’s forgotten about the time they spent together, years ago. But the truth is that those seventy-two hours are still crystal clear, etched in her memory. And so . . . she says yes.

Chani knows that facing Gabe again also means facing feelings she’s tried so hard to push away. Alternating between their first meeting and their reunion a decade later, this deliciously irresistible novel will have you hanging on until the last word.”-Goodreads

A New Book About Time Travel

Welp, I just don’t know how I feel.

I want to thank the Head of Zeus and Net Galley for letting me receive a copy of this ARC for an honest review.

Book Review:

The book started slow, so slow that I couldn’t even read it. And then by the end, it as going so fast I could barely comprehend.

The twists and turns made my head hurt, and even after getting all the answers, I still don’t get it.

Time travel is such a hard topic to wrap a head around. I feel like there are some assumptions made in this book that just make it hard to get it.

The dad, Sam, whole role was frankly unnecessary. His time travel POVs were not necessary to the story as a whole. They only provided a glimpse of what was going on with him. Then halfway throughout the book, his POVs dropped off.

Adeline had a great storyline, and I loved the twists and turns of her characters. But I still don’t understand why. Why did she do what she did half the time? Her constitution swayed so much between who and what she trusted.

If you read this book, you have to hold out til the last half to get sucked in.

What I Liked:

Twists
Secrets
Time travel

What I Didn’t:

The machine didn’t make a whole lot of sense
Bored

Read This If You Love:

Science fiction
Time travel
Dinosaurs

Star: 2

The Book:

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Title: Lost In Time

Author: A.G. Riddle

September 1st 2022 by Head of Zeus

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 416

Synopsis:

“When his daughter is falsely accused of murder, a scientist must travel 200 million years into the past to save her. But there are secrets waiting there. And more than her life is at stake.

From the worldwide bestselling author of Departure and Winter World comes a standalone novel with a twist you’ll never see coming.

Control the Past.
Save the Future.

One morning, Dr. Sam Anderson wakes up to discover that the woman he loves has been murdered.

For Sam, the horror is only beginning.

He and his daughter are accused of the crime.

The evidence is ironclad. They will be convicted.
And so, Sam does what he must: he confesses to the crime.

But in the future, murderers aren’t sent to prison.

They’re sent to the past.

Two hundred million years into the past—to the age of the dinosaurs—to live out their lives alone, in exile from the human race.

Sam accepts his fate.

But his daughter doesn’t.

Adeline Anderson has already lost her mother to a deadly and unfair disease. She can’t bear to lose her father.

She sets out on a quest to prove him innocent. And get him back. People around her insist that both are impossible tasks.” -Goodreads

A 5-Star Book Debut from Mateo Askaripour

Do you want a book that absolutely wrecks your brain? Read Black Buck.

Book Review:

The entire time my mind kept screaming “What the fuck?!”

I am not lying. This book was seriously insane. I have not read a book that has taken me through such a crazy mind tunnel. Black Buck was a phenomenal book.

Book Plot:

Everything was a twist and a turn. We went through this absolutely insane racist workplace and this guy absolutely fucking up his life. Speaking too much about the plot can lead to huge spoilers so I am just going to say this book is seriously insane, and you should read it.

Book Characters:

Darren is the most unlikeable character I have ever met. Throughout the story, he becomes this absolutely tortuous character. I hated him for hundreds of pages. Yes, In the beginning, and the end he is a better person, but this man goes into the craziest head spaces. Did I hate him? So much so. Do I love him? YES

I don’t have much to say about the other characters. Soraya was great and seeing her life through little moments was upper interesting. Everyone else was good, bad, and ugly.

There were huge character-driven twists at the end of this. My friend, who read this book with me, and I were absolutely blown away by the character’s development.

Quality of Writing:

During my summer program, Mateo Askaripour, the author, came and spoke at our class. While speaking, he told us about how it took him three books to finally get Black Buck published. He sounded exactly like his book read. His writing was provocative, stunning, and addictive. I cannot wait for Mateo’s next book just so I can read his writing again.

What I Liked:

The absolute crazy shit that happened
Speaking about the themes of racism in the sales world
Beautiful writing
The author
The shock factors

What I Didn’t:

It was a bit much, but I think that is the point. The point was to be a lot.

Read This Book If You Love:

Diverse books
Starbucks
Death of a Salesman
Literary fiction

Star Rating: 5

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Book:

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Thank you!

Title: Black Buck

Author: Mateo Askaripour

Published January 5th, 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Race

Pages: 388

“There’s nothing like a Black salesman on a mission.

An unambitious twenty-two-year-old, Darren lives in a Bed-Stuy brownstone with his mother, who wants nothing more than to see him live up to his potential as the valedictorian of Bronx Science. But Darren is content working at Starbucks in the lobby of a Midtown office building, hanging out with his girlfriend, Soraya, and eating his mother’s home-cooked meals. All that changes when a chance encounter with Rhett Daniels, the silver-tongued CEO of Sumwun, NYC’s hottest tech startup, results in an exclusive invitation for Darren to join an elite sales team on the thirty-sixth floor.

After enduring a “hell week” of training, Darren, the only Black person in the company, reimagines himself as “Buck,” a ruthless salesman unrecognizable to his friends and family. But when things turn tragic at home and Buck feels he’s hit rock bottom, he begins to hatch a plan to help young people of color infiltrate America’s sales force, setting off a chain of events that forever changes the game.

Black Buck is a hilarious, razor-sharp skewering of America’s workforce; it is a propulsive, crackling debut that explores ambition and race, and makes way for a necessary new vision of the American dream.” –Goodreads