A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

WHEN WE WERE SILENT Book Review

Welcome, Tartlets, to a special Saturday edition of the blog. I’m excited to post this book review as part of the Blog Tour for When We Were Silent, the debut novel written by Fiona McPhillips and published by Flatiron Books.   What’s When We Were Silent about? Set in the 1980s, When We Were Silent is about working-class girl Louise, who enrolls in an exclusive Dublin school called Highfield Manor. We first meet Louise in present day, when...

THE VASTER WILDS Book Review

There are a lot of book reviews out there saying that The Vaster Wilds is about a starving girl shitting in the woods. Yes. Yes, it is. And it’s beautiful.   What’s The Vaster Wilds about? I don't think the book jacket description of The Vaster Wilds conveys an accurate idea of what this unique story is about. And, I can get why. If you looked at the back of the book and read "this story is about a girl dying of starvation and hypothermia...

RELATIVE STRANGERS Book Review

I seem to be on a Jane Austen retelling kick lately: first Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, and now Relative Strangers, which is a modern reimagining of Sense and Sensibility.   What’s Relative Strangers about? Amelia Bae-Wood ((ahem, Marianne Dashwood) goes to live with her widowed sister Eleanor, her widowed mother, and her niece Margaret after her glamorous foodie-preneur lifestyle falls apart. Her family has been rendered near penniless...

FORGOTTEN SISTERS Book Review

Forgotten Sisters combines true crime, suspense, historical fiction, fairy tales, and supernatural horror to deliver a ghostly tale of two sisters with a past.    What’s Forgotten Sisters about? The Forgotten Sisters follows Anna and Jennie Arbor, who live in an historic and ghost-filled house on the Chicago River. Anna hosts her own spooky podcast, while Jennie fixes antique musical instruments. Neither young woman leaves the house...

MORNING IN THIS BROKEN WORLD Book Review

I cried from the very first page of Morning in this Broken World. The more I read, the more I cried. In good and bad ways. But, the important thing is that I kept reading. Because Morning in this Broken World is one of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time.     What’s Morning in this Broken World about? Morning in this Broken World is about love. The power of love, and how it can be both healing and destructive all at once. It's...

ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY Book Review

I actually let out a cheer while reading Once Persuaded, Twice Shy. I mean, it was a quiet cheer. Because it was 4am and my husband was asleep next to me. But, at a crucial moment in the book, a fist pump and a hissed "yes!" went up in honor of Anne Elliot.    What’s Once Persuaded, Twice Shy about? Once Persuaded, Twice Shy is Melodie Edwards’ modern rom-com reimagining of Jane Austen’s famous novel Persuasion. I’ve only read...

SEX ROMP GONE WRONG Book Review

I really wanted to love Sex Romp Gone Wrong. However, this collection of short stories by Julia Ridley Smith wasn’t quite what I was expecting.   What’s Sex Romp Gone Wrong about? Sex Romp Gone Wrong covers relationships and friendships, love and romance, marriage and kids, and all the blurred lines in between. Based on the wonderfully intriguing title -- the sole reason I requested an ARC of this book --  I expected the stories to be a...

A BAKERY IN PARIS Book Review

Although I started off a little annoyed with A Bakery in Paris, this heartwarming story about two Parisian ladies -- and their delicious French recipes -- grew on me by the end of the book.   What’s A Bakery in Paris about? A Bakery in Paris follows two women in the same family. There's Lisette, who lives in 1870, and Micheline, who lives in 1946. Each woman finds comfort in friendship, baking, and freedoms she didn’t know she needed as...

THE CLOISTERS Book Review

Tartlets, I’m a bit confused about my thoughts on The Cloisters. When I first finished reading this suspense novel that combines medieval art history, dark academia, and astrology, I really liked it. Then, after talking with a few people, I realized that I didn't like this book as much as I think I did. You know how when you’re dating someone new and you think they're awesome? Then, that person meets your friends, and they all throw you...

SPARE Book Review

I knew I was going to love Spare before I even read it. In all honesty, I was predisposed to love it: I’m that girl who got up at 6am to watch Kate Middleton marry Prince William and risked being late for her train because I didn’t want to leave the house before she walked down the aisle. I’m that girl baked scones at 5am and donned a fascinator when Prince Harry married Megan Markle. I’ve seen every season of The Crown, and I’m...