AUDIOBOOK REVIEW - Anger Is Only a Shadow

  

Anger Is Only a Shadow

by Elizabeth Acevedo 

 PublisherQuill Tree Books

GenreYA Contemporary Fiction

FormatALC and Kindle ARC

NarratorElizabeth Acevedo

Length5 hrs 51 mins

Pages336

Pub. DateSeptember 15, 2026

Rating🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

DESCRIPTION

From National Book Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author and renowned poet Elizabeth Acevedo comes a white-knuckle journey to self-understanding and doing the right thing, no matter the cost.

Lil is anything but small. She’s rebellious, she's loyal; she's figuring out what kind of good person she wants to be, or if she wants to be a good person at all. But more than anything? Lil wants to be free.

When her instinct for freedom leads to another stay in D.C. juvenile detention, Lil knows she’s lucky to just be on probation. But judgment, guilt, and an ankle monitor weigh heavily on her, and she can’t shake that pinned-down feeling.

The only person who might understand is her big brother, Aldwin. Except he’s more distant now than just the hundred miles from his college. Something’s been off with him for several months, but only Lil seems to realize how important it is to get to him.

As her court hearing ticks closer, a question looms over Lil as the missed phone calls and strange texts from her brother pile will she stay put, or put her future freedom on the line?

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS

Anger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo is an exceptionally touching and thought-provoking read.

Liliana Pantalion-Ortiz - Lil - is at a crossroads. She has gotten into trouble and has been released to the custody of her parents. She is waiting for the results of her court hearing. With her eighteenth birthday approaching, she knows that if she continues down the path she is on, the consequences could become much more serious. She is also required to wear an ankle monitor, severely limiting where she can go.

Meanwhile, Lil is deeply worried about her brother, Aldwin, who is away at college. He is experiencing significant changes, and his mental health begins to deteriorate dramatically. When Lil stops hearing from him, she makes a difficult decision. Despite the restrictions placed on her, she leaves Washington, D.C., and heads to Virginia to find her brother and make sure he is okay.

Lil was faced with an impossible choice: Should she follow the rules and risk leaving her brother without the help he desperately needs, or should she put her own future at risk to show her loyalty to him?

This was such a compelling and emotional read. I actually took a more than one break from the book so I could absorb the message coming through its pages. There is so much here to think about, particularly regarding family, loyalty, consequences, and mental health.

I especially appreciated the author’s note at the end, where Elizabeth Acevedo discusses how she created this story and the ways mental health influenced what was happening within Lil’s family. That added another layer of meaning to an already powerful novel.

Anger Is Only a Shadow was well worth my time. Some books entertain you. Others make you think. And then there are those rare books that quietly work their way into your thoughts long after you have turned the final page. Anger Is Only a Shadow is one of those books for me. It is a powerful, emotional story that I know will stay with me for a long time to come.

Many thanks to Quill Tree Books, NetGalley and Libro.fm for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is a New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X, With the Fire on High, and Clap When You Land. Her critically-acclaimed debut novel, The Poet X, won the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. She is also the recipient of the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Fiction, the CILIP Carnegie Medal, and the Boston Globe-Hornbook Award. Additionally, she was honored with the 2019 Pure Belpré Author Award for celebrating, affirming, and portraying Latinx culture and experience.

Her books include, Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths (YesYes 2016), The Poet X (HarperCollins, 2018), & With The Fire On High (HarperCollins, 2019), and Clap When You Land (HarperCollins, 2020).

She holds a BA in Performing Arts from The George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo has been a fellow of Cave Canem, Cantomundo, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, and resides in Washington, DC with her love. 

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Robin Loves Reading

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW - All My Sisters and Me

    

All My Sisters and Me

by Sheryl Lister

PublisherHarper Muse

GenreRomance

FormatALC and Kindle AR

NarratorsCarmen Jewel Jones, Ciarra Coburn Hodges, Trei Taylor, Emma Rachelle

Length11 hrs 4 mins

Pages336

Pub. DateSeptember 8, 2026

Rating🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

DESCRIPTION

Instead of growing closer over the years, sisters-in-law Giselle, Kamryn, Chanel, and Taylor are more distant than ever.

After almost a decade of marriage, Giselle is still childless, with the pangs of jealousy and feelings of inadequacy mounting each day. Kamryn loves her husband’s family, but she and Giselle have never gotten along, and she’s tired of always trying to keep the peace. Newly married Chanel is ecstatic to finally have the family she’s craved all her life, but the ongoing feud between her two sisters-in-law threatens that harmony. Meanwhile, Taylor is still trying to find her place in the family after a tragic and unexpected turn in her relationship.

As everything comes to a head during a weeklong anniversary celebration, the truth could tear them apart forever…or bring them together as the sisters they were meant to be.

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed this compelling family drama by Sheryl Lister. The story introduces us to four sisters-in-law - Giselle, Kamryn, Chanel, and Taylor - who have all become part of the Bradley family through marriage. The book opens with the family coming together to celebrate Mr. and Mrs. Bradley’s 40th anniversary, and right away, you can see that this is a close-knit family. The Bradleys have welcomed their daughters-in-law as daughters, and there is clearly a lot of love within this family. But, of course, where there is family, there can also be drama!

And there is definitely some friction, particularly surrounding Giselle. She often feels like an outsider - not only within the Bradley family but, at times, even in her own marriage. There is a lot going on beneath the surface with her, and I found myself particularly drawn to her story.

The anniversary celebration lasts for an entire week, but as the story progresses, the couples eventually return to their everyday lives. This is very much a character-driven story, and I enjoyed getting to know each of the couples through the multiple POVs. We see how their individual relationships work, what challenges they face, and how their personal struggles can affect the entire family.

Of the four women, Giselle definitely stood out to me. She has a husband who loves her, yet something inside her is broken, and she is clearly unhappy. Her attitude sometimes creates friction within the family, but I really liked the way Mrs. Bradley handled Giselle and some of the other difficult situations that arose. There is something special about a woman who knows when to step in - and when to simply give someone the space they need.

Kamryn reminded me a lot of myself because she is the peacekeeper. And with four sisters of my own, I could definitely relate to that! Then there is Chanel, who has just married into the family. Being part of the Bradleys gives her the opportunity to experience something she hasn’t really known before: what it feels like to be part of a loving, supportive family. Taylor, meanwhile, is dealing with a personal tragedy that leaves her uncertain about what her future should look like.

What I especially enjoyed about this book is how relatable the family dynamics felt. These women have very different personalities and experiences, but their stories all come together to create a bigger picture of marriage, family, hurt, healing, and love.

I very much enjoyed All My Sisters and Me. It was an engaging and relatable read, and I loved watching these women - and this family - navigate their complicated relationships. And the narration was wonderfully done, bringing the different characters and their stories to life.

Many thanks to Harper Muse and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sheryl Lister has enjoyed reading and writing for as long as she can remember. She writes contemporary and inspirational romance and romantic suspense. She been nominated for an Emma Award and RT Reviewer’s Choice Award and named BRAB’s 2015 Best New Author. When she’s not reading, writing or playing chauffeur, Sheryl can be found on a date with her husband or in the kitchen creating appetizers and bite-sized desserts.

Web

Robin Loves Reading

Review - Taipei Story

Taipei Story

by R. F. Kuang

PublisherWilliam Morrow

GenreMulticultural Interest 

FormatKindle ARC

Pages288

Pub. DateSeptember 8, 2026

Rating⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DESCRIPTION

From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasisand Yellowface, comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.

College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.

Then shocking news Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.

Taipei Story What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS

Lily Chen is one of many Chinese American students who will be studying at a notable university in Taipei. Hoping to reconnect with a part of her heritage that has always felt missing, she spends the summer in an intensive language program, determined to become “more Chinese.” But Lily is not prepared for the language difficulties, culture shock, and friction that arise among some of the students.

The program is incredibly difficult and stressful, and Lily’s living situation only adds to her challenges. She has been assigned a roommate, Ana, and a place to live that can only generously be described as a shoebox. From the beginning, Lily and Ana struggle to get along, and their problems never quite resolve. What Lily envisioned as an exciting summer in Taipei ultimately proves to be far more unsettling than she anticipated.

When Lily receives devastating news of her grandfather’s death, her journey takes a different direction. Acknowledging the missing pieces in her understanding of her culture, she begins searching for answers. Her attempts to find them are often awkward and stumbling, and this is where R. F. Kuang does a wonderful job of weaving humor into what might otherwise have been a very serious story.

Under the watchful eye of the strictest of teachers, Lily struggles to forge genuine personal connections while confronting perplexing questions that often seem beyond her comprehension. What unfolds is ultimately a journey of self-discovery, independence, and an exploration of the profound meaning of home - a concept that proves to be far more complicated than Lily initially imagined.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this novel was the occasional inclusion of images. I don’t know that I had ever really seen Taipei 101, so I appreciated having a visual connection to this famous landmark. One of the characters describes the building as looking like takeout boxes stacked on top of one another, which made me smile. Of course, Taipei 101 is so much more than that. Being largely unfamiliar with Chinese culture, I also felt as though this book gave me a window into a world I knew very little about, allowing me to experience it alongside Lily.

I used the Read Aloud feature on the NetGalley app, and I was thrilled to hear actual Chinese words spoken as Lily struggled to make sense of the language. This happens throughout the book and added another layer to my reading experience.

Although I had never read R. F. Kuang before this novel, her name has been on my radar ever since I added Yellowface to my TBR. I’m glad Taipei Story finally gave me the opportunity to experience her writing. I also appreciated that, before the story even begins, Kuang provides helpful disclosures about transliteration and her perspective on the place and culture explored in the novel.

It looks like I have another author to add to my must-read list - and I’m definitely planning to explore her backlist!

Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, translator, and award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy and Babel: An Arcane History, among others. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.

http://www.twitter.com/kuangrf

http://www.rfkuang.com/

Robin Loves Reading

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW - With Her Baby on Her Back

 

Title:   With Her Baby on Her Back

Author:  Suzette D. Harrison

Publisher:  Bookouture

Genre:   Historical Fiction

Format:  ALC

Narrators:  Megan Gage, Jeanette Robinson

Length:  12 hrs 29 mins  

No. of Pages:   380

Date of Publication:   July 13, 2026

My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Will she ever see freedom for her babies?

Mississippi, 1848. It’s a bright spring morning when enslaved midwife Zinnieis forced to begin an unimaginable two thousand miles on foot. Her newborn baby is strapped to her back, her two little girls holding her hands, as she walks behind the slavers’ wagons.

Every mile brings blistered feet, aching limbs and the constant terror of what might happen to her children. But Zinnie carries an unbreakable determination to protect them. When they cross state lines, could it be her chance to fight for their freedom?

California, present day. Elementary school teacher and single mom Lynetteis exhausted, balancing work, motherhood and life-changing decisions about her future. Then, while sorting through her grandmother’s attic, she discovers a sapphire brooch hidden among long-forgotten treasures.

The brooch unlocks an extraordinary family story of courage, sacrifice and a woman who refused to give up. As Lynette uncovers the truth about her ancestors, will it have the power to change her life forever?

This utterly heart-wrenching and unforgettable novel is inspired by the true story of Biddy Mason, an African American woman and midwife who fought for her family’s freedom and saved countless lives. Perfect for fans of emotional historical fiction by Amy Harmon, Olivia Hawker and Marie Benedict.

MY THOUGHTS:

Suzette D. Harrison’s dual timeline story draws inspiration from the true life of Biddy Mason, a remarkable woman who fought for and won her freedom despite being born into slavery. Biddy’s diverse talents included nursing, midwifery, and real estate entrepreneurship. Notably, she became the first African-American woman to own land in Los Angeles.

Set in 1848 Mississippi, With Her Baby on Her Back introduces readers to Zinnie, an enslaved midwife whose life is forever changed when she is forced to endure a grueling 2,000-mile journey. Traveling in a long caravan with her three young daughters, Zinnie faces unimaginable hardships. Through it all, her greatest concern is keeping her children safe. This is a task that is often both heartbreaking and harrowingly dangerous.

In the present day, readers meet Lynette, a dedicated schoolteacher and loving mother to her neurodivergent son. Like many working mothers, she struggles to find a healthy work-life balance while ensuring her son has everything he needs. When she discovers an old brooch while cleaning out her grandmother’s attic, it sparks a deep curiosity about her family’s past and sets her on a journey to uncover her ancestors’ story.

Suzette D. Harrison has written another wonderful novel that seamlessly blends the past and the present. I thoroughly enjoyed both timelines, especially knowing that Zinnie’s character was inspired by a real woman. Her story is one of extraordinary resilience, courage, and a mother’s unwavering determination to protect her children against impossible odds.

Lynette’s storyline resonated with me just as deeply. She felt like a genuine, relatable Black woman whose love for her son and longing to understand her family’s history made her an engaging and authentic character. Watching her piece together her family’s legacy added an emotional richness that beautifully complemented Zinnie’s journey.

I have read several of Ms. Harrison’s books, and I continue to find them thoughtful, compelling, and deeply moving. I especially appreciate the way she brings real people and historical events to life through fiction, making history feel both personal and unforgettable.

The book’s narration, featuring two narrators, each voicing either Zinnie or Lynette, truly brought the story to life. With Her Baby on Her Back is another remarkable novel, and I eagerly anticipate her next work.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suzette D. Harrison, is an award-winning author of 10 books celebrating African American life and culture. A native Californian and the middle of three daughters, Suzette grew up in a home where reading was required, not requested. Thanks to a culinary degree in Pastry & Baking, when not busy on her next novel, you might find Suzette whipping up a batch of cupcakes. 

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Review - Young King

Title:  Young King

Author:  Lerone Martin

Publisher:  Amistad

Genre:   Memoir

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   432

Date of Publication:   May 5, 2026

My Rating:   4 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

From a preeminent King scholar, the origin story of the man, minister, and civil rights hero who would lead the nation and change the world.

We know who Martin Luther King, Jr. became, but who was he at the beginning of his life? How did his youth inform his outlook and his approach to activism and service?

Before Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights leader, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and a global hero, he was an emotional boy, and a middling high school student devoted to fashion, dancing, and dating. As he headed to college, he left the Jim Crow South for a summer job that would test his oratory skills preaching in the tobacco fields of Connecticut and ultimately give him a sense of hope for a life of racial peace and harmony.

Lerone A. Martin, Centennial Professor at Stanford University and the Faculty Director of the Martin Luther King Institute, traces the youthful roots of this legendary American to reveal the makings of a mighty force. Filled with revelations and written with compassion, Young King offers a new understanding of the influential preacher and activist’s emotional life, his youthful confusion about his future and career direction, his inspiration to fight for justice, his teenage missteps, and his first revelations of courage. As American undergoes another era of turmoil and change, this powerful biography offers encouragement for readers at a similar moment of life and provides an understanding of how greatness comes to light.

Martin illuminates both King’s weaknesses and the social failures that shaped him, including the brutal racism he endured growing up. This vital and essential work is a testament to how history shapes a leader.

Young King includes rarely seen black-and-white photographs of an adolescent MLK from his high school days and college years.

Link to purchase the book

MY THOUGHTS:

As someone who deeply enjoys American historical biographies, I found that Lerone A. Martin’s extensive research beautifully illuminates the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Backed by an impressive array of documentation and footnotes, the biography recounts King’s life from his youth onward, detailing the pivotal life experiences that ultimately led to his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. Crucially, the book also explores the lives of King’s parents, showcasing the profound social and religious upbringing that shaped him into the leader he became.

Having previously held only a limited knowledge of King's early life, I found the deep dive into his family background, as well as the immense influence of his parents, church, and community, to be incredibly enlightening. Furthermore, the author doesn't water down the harsh realities and difficulties King faced growing up in the segregated South.

Because it is so dense with research, direct quotes, and deep historical context, it isn't always a breezy, smooth read. However, Young King is a thoroughly worthwhile one. The impact King made on American history should never be forgotten, making this biography a truly essential read.

Many thanks to Amistad and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.