Sponsored by Algonquin Books.
In this riveting novel from the author of the critically acclaimed Sugar Run, Alex and Elana, a young married couple, move from Virginia to El Paso but spend most of their time across the border in Mexico. Elana has no idea that Alex has fallen in love with Mateo, a lucha libre wrestler. When Alex goes missing and Elana can’t determine if he was kidnapped, it’s clear that neither of them has been honest about who they are. You will not be able to stop turning the pages of this smart, suspenseful, seductive novel. Click to start reading!
Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that should absolutely be put at the top of your TBR pile. Recommended books will vary across genre and age category and include shiny new books, older books you may have missed, and some classics I suggest finally getting around to. Make space for another pile of books on your floor because here we go!
Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!
Today’s pick is one that I am so happy exists. It was more entertaining and honest than I had anticipated and I laughed at multiple points during this book (and I cried a bit too).
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
Lori Gottlieb is a writer and also a therapist. This book looks at therapy from a bunch of different angles. Interwoven are stories about her work with her clients and how she came to be a therapist. Another main thread is about her finding a therapist for herself to work through what started as a huge breakup but also some much deeper stuff too. Finally, there are also bits about what therapists in general do, what therapy is about, and how therapy can help people.
One of the patients the author talks about, Julie, has terminal cancer. Julie is seeing Lori (our author) to help her prepare for her own death. If talking a lot about death and cancer are triggers for you, then you may not want to read this book. Other difficult things discussed with patients in this book are child abuse, alcoholism, and the death of a child. That being said, there is a good balance between the dark and the light in this book. At the end of the day, therapy is about doing the work and healing in what ways we can. It’s about being heard by an impartial party. It’s about getting unstuck when we’re stuck. It’s about allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, even with ourselves.
I sincerely appreciate Lori Gottlieb’s willingness to be vulnerable with readers about her own process, the process of becoming a single mother by choice, her adventures with unknown illness, and her experiences as a therapist in therapy. There are so many gems in this book and I think it’s not only an entertaining read but an important read.
Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!
That’s it for now, book-lovers!
Patricia
Find me on Book Riot, the All the Books podcast, and Twitter.
Find more books by subscribing to Book Riot Newsletters.