Book Review- Noelle Crooks' Under the Influence

Thank you to Gallery Books for a copy of Noelle Crook’s debut novel, Under the Influence.

Harper is a recent graduate who is struggling to make ends meet in New York City. She is approached with an almost too-good-to-be-true job offer working for social media superstar, Charlotte Green. The job involves moving to Nashville, a huge change that will take Harper away from her best-friend, Poppy, with whom she has been sharing an apartment. However, in Nashville, Harper will be housed in a company apartment and for the first time, she can see herself able to save money and plan for the future. Poppy is supportive.

Harper is not given much time to decide if she’d like to take the job, as things move fast in Charlotte’s world. Upon accepting the offer, Harper is thrust into the intensity of Charlotte’s company and office space, which is called the Greenhouse. Employees are expected to give everything to help Charlotte succeed and to constantly stroke her fragile ego. She pits coworkers against each other and constantly has them fighting for her favor.

Although Harper recognizes the toxicity of the work culture, she can’t help but be charmed by Charlotte and is soon, drinking the proverbial company kool-aid. What will it take for Harper to realize that both her career and mental health are on a collision course?

I really enjoyed Under the Influence. I think it speaks to much of the current work culture, where employees are expected to give so much with gaining little in return. Such as the way perks are used in place of more important things, such as salary. Company Swag is not salary! Mandatory company retreats or parties are not salary!

The story plays with the perception of power and what power influencers really yield. Charlotte has built a company on branding herself and as it has grown quite large, she is now in a cycle of needing to keep up appearances. Everything in her life is curated and even her young children play along with their mom’s demands. Her husband is tired of the charade and also tired of his wife being in the spotlight, which is doing irreparable damage to their relationship. However, Charlotte cannot stop to try to fix her marriage as she is constantly on a treadmill to keep her company and herself relevant. She has to work overtime to keep her employees convinced of her relevance. If there is a problem within her organization, she always spins it to make herself look good. She cannot have genuine relationships with people or honest conversations. She cannot see how this behavior is harming her image.

Through Harper, we can see how easy it is to be swept away by a popular influencer. I think many readers will find this relatable, as many of us, whether or not we want to admit it, are interested in what celebrities think or the products they pitch. There is a reason why influencers are so popular. Harper has a journey that’s relatable. even if many of us have not been in her exact position.

Harper is a plucky, likable protagonist. You will root for her to make the right choices. The pacing is quick and Crooks’ infuses her story with both humor and heart. In particular, I liked Harper’s relationship with her aging parents who are also at a crossroads in their life.

Under the Influence is a fantastic debut and I can’t to read Crooks’ next book.

Book Review- Beth Nguyen's Owner of a Lonely Heart

Thank you to NetGalley and Scriber for a copy of Beth Nguyen’s memoir, Owner of a Lonely Heart.

At less than a year old, Beth Nguyen left Vietnam with her father’s family to begin a new life in Michigan. In the tumult of fleeing at the end of the Vietnam War, Nguyen’s mother was left behind. Nguyen was raised in a new country with a completely different culture, not meeting her mom until she turned nineteen. Her mother also immigrated to America, but was living in a different state with a new family.

When Nguyen and her sister finally met their mother, the reunion was not as they had anticipated. Their mother was distant and seemed flighty, often abruptly cutting their meetings short or canceling all together.

Nguyen estimates that in her adult life, she has spent less than twenty-four hours with her mom, time spent during those shortened visits. Now, a mother herself, Nguyen reflects on this fraught relationship with her mother and the pain that her mother must have felt at being separated from her daughters.

Owner of a Lonely Heart is a force of a memoir. It’s an emotional, difficult read, but also so very beautiful. The beauty comes from the ultimate kindness and understanding that Nguyen affords her mom. Initially, Nguyen is hurt and struggles to understand why her mom keeps her distance. I don’t think the hurt disappears, however, when Nguyen has her son, she can understand that it’s not because her mom doesn’t love her, it is because the hurt is too great. Her mom is protecting herself from further pain and they might be able to have a deeper relationship, but it will take time.

Nguyen also acknowledges the relationship with her stepmother, who has been part of her life from a young age. This is the woman who mothered her and there is so much love in their family. However, Nguyen has curiosity about her birth mother and their life in Vietnam.

Owner of a Lonely Heart is about exploring unanswered parts of your family and past. I connected with this theme. My father died when I was four and due to the sensitive circumstances, it was not discussed. I’ve always felt there were things unanswered that I want to know. I can fit the things I know about my dad on two hands, so I can understand Nguyen’s jumping at the opportunity to meet with her mom and try to understand her, even though her mom is reluctant.

A truly gut wrenching memoir, Owner of a Lonely Heart is a must-read. One of the best non-fiction books I’ve read in 2023.

Book Review- Natasha Leggero's The World Deserves My Children

Thank you to Libro FM for providing me with an audio arc of Natasha Leggero’s The World Deserves My Children.

Full disclosure, I accepted this audio arc without knowing anything about the author. I had not heard of her previously and just thought the premise of her memoir was appealing. Leggero is a comedian and her memoir is read by her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even more so listening to it told by Leggero. She’s funny, very funny and listening to her voice was probably better than if I had read the physical version of the book. She has a keen sense of timing and perfect delivery, plus her voice is very animated, adding to the comedic effect.

Leggero writes about her decision to have children when she was in her forties. She froze her eggs when she was younger “just in case” she changed her mind about having children. Although she makes it clear that while this was a wise decision, it wasn’t foolproof. It was still very touch and go as to whether or not she could get pregnant. Leggero discusses the pros and cons of waiting, mostly the pros in that she was happily married and in a place of financial security when she finally decided to have kids. However, she also talks about general ideas of having kids when the world is such a messy place and the environmental problems are only growing worse. There is conflict in this decision.

I grew to really like Leggero. Not only is she hilarious, but she has a interesting perspective on many topics. I felt that she was relatable and engaging. I will definitely seek out some of her stand up specials to see if her comedy acts are as good as The World Deserves My Children.