Everything We Read in February 2021

We break down everything we read in February 2021, including from Raven Leilani, Jasmine Guillory, Casey McQuiston, Yaa Gyasi and more.

See which books we’re most excited for in March here.

1. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Transcendent Kingdom is out on March 4th and is an astonishing sophomore novel, telling the story of Gifty, as she navigates her relationship with her mother, after the death of her brother and abandonment by her father. It is a quiet, more meandering novel than Gyasi’s novel but contains all the multitudes that we have come to expect from Gyasi’s writing since Homegoing – a beautiful and thoughtfully written novel that handles a multitude of issues with astonishing grace – from race to faith and drug abuse. Above all, this is a novel about family and family ties – delicately and tenderly handled. 

Read our review here.

Pick up a copy here.

 

 

2. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Kiley Reid’s phenomenally successful novel is now available in paperback, charting the story of Emira Tucker, a twenty-something year-old who works in Philadelphia as a babysitter for the Chamberlains. The story deals with the aftermath of Emira’s interactions with a police officer, when he questions why she is in a grocery store with Briar – the Chamberlain’s child – dealing with Alix Chamberlain’s attempts to befriend Emira – the obsession bordering into neurosis. 

Like Transcendent Kingdom, it is a novel that delicately handles a whole host of different issues and it will sweep you along in its wake.

Read our review here.

Pick up a copy here.

 

3. If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha

Frances Cha’s debut novel delves into the lives of four different women in modern-day Seoul and their interactions. This is an eye-opening novel delving into issues around attitudes to beauty and plastic surgery, friendship, family and more. 

Read our review here.

Pick up a copy here.

 

 

 

4. The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s astonishing 2020 release handles the ordinary lives of undocumented Americans – a beautiful work of creative non-fiction, where the writing is nearly as beautiful as the stories that Villavicencio so tenderly tells. 

Read our review here.

Pick up a copy here.

 

 

 

5. Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Casey McQuiston’s novel Red White and Royal Blue has fast become a cult classic, a delicious romance telling the story of a fictionalised romance between the Prince of England and the First Son of the United States. It’s a compelling and propulsive story that whips you into their glamorous world, a flawlessly executed story that delves deeper into attitudes around sexuality without weighting the novel down with these topics.

Pick up a copy here.

 

 

 

6. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

This modern and artistic retelling of Lolita delves headfirst into issues of consent that are uncomfortable, tricky and unpalatable, making you question your own attitudes to the original novel. 

The story deals with Vanessa Wye and her relationship with her teaching, toggling back and forth between Vanessa as a teenager and as an adult dealing with the repercussions of her abuse and its ongoing effects on her life and her relationships.

Read our review here.

Pick up a copy here.

 

7. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

The first in Jasmine Guillory’s series of romances – The Wedding Date – is an immensely charming novel, telling the story of the unfolding romance between Alexa and Drew, after they meet by chance in an elevator. Alexa agrees to accompany Drew as his date to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding and from there the pair dive into a relationship, dealing with the distance between Berkeley and San Francisco. 

The story falls into all the tropes of a usual romance, including miscommunication, but it should not be taken for anything more than a deliciously fluffy romance. 

Pick up a copy here.

 

 

8. Luster by Raven Leilani

Raven Leilani’s debut novel tells the story of the relationship between Evie and a white middle-aged couple. The novel is uncomfortable, problematic and intoxicating, though by no means an easy read.

Read our review here.

Pick up a copy here.