If You Like This Then….. #21

I’m back with another book recommendation post! It’s been a while since the last one because I’ve had so many reviews to catch up on. But i’ve burnt myself out on writing reviews…. and I really missed this post!

Today I have two books that I haven’t really seen talked about on BookTube or on Blogs all that often! These are two books that I really enjoyed and I feel are quite unique. It’s also a different recommendation for me because they’re both adult! Let’s get into the recommendation:

GOOD MORNING MIDNIGHT by Lily Brooks-Dalton is a book I read quite a while ago. Not going to lie – the cover made me read it lol. But, I don’t regret the cover buy! This follows a brilliant astronomer as he’s in the arctic on a mission. Something catastrophic happens that forces everyone to leave, but Augustine chooses to stay behind. After everyone has left, he realizes that they left a child behind. Now he’s worried about her life, while also wondering if anyone will ever come back to save them.

There’s also another perspective. A woman named Sully is on a space ship on her way back from a deep space mission to Jupiter. Being in space lets her mind wander to all of the things that she’s done right or wrong in her life. Then suddenly, communication with earth is lost, and she wonders if they’ll make it back to earth…. or worse, if they’ll make it back to an earth they once knew. Find it on Goodreads here.

The next book I have to talk about is THE WANDERERS by Meg Howrey. Another book that follows multiple perspectives and an aspect of space. A group of astronauts are about to embark on a simulation for a future trip to Mars. All of these astronauts are highly intelligent and looking to prove something. Even though it means leaving their family, it’s a place that makes them feel alive, and something they need to prove. But when the simulation extends longer than planned, each person begins to question if it was really worth it. Allowed time to reflect on their lives, the mission puts a toll on their mental health, and the lines between reality blur. Find it on Goodreads here.

HERE’S WHAT THE TWO BOOKS HAVE IN COMMON:

• Multiple perspectives –  Both of these books are told from the perspective of multiple characters. Sometimes this can be difficult but, in this case, it was done REALLY well! They were easy to keep separate and differentiate, and I was really interested to connect the dots and see how all of this connected.
• VERY Character driven – As much as the plot and setting carry on the story, it’s the characters that make these books what they are. Being that in both situations they’re isolated, there’s A LOT of time to think. Each person has done things in their lives that they regret. They also wonder if their paths in life were worth it. Literally every single person is intelligent as hell. Each of them had a drive for knowledge, exploration, and adventure. But all of those things came with a cost. Having the time to think about everything, they all wondered if exploration was really more important than those they love.
• Set on Earth AND space – I find that this is a rare and specific thing to recommend! Both of these books took place on earth and in space as well…… but it’s a little more complicated than that. I won’t say much more because “spoilers”, but because of the nature of these books and the way their written, nothing is really as it seems.
• Questioning Reality – Speaking of nothing being as it seems, both of these books had my mind spinning! I thought I knew what was going on! lol But by the time I reached the end, I found myself asking “What the hell did I just read?”…. but in a good way! How things ended with both of these books made me replay the entire book from page one and question how I read everything. These books turned my expectations upside down!

These two books are REALLY interesting! I didn’t think they were perfect BUT, many months after finishing them, I’m still thinking about them. Any book that leaves a lasting impression like that has done something right!

Until next time, happy reading!