Book Review: The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White

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The Last Carolina Summer by Karen White is the story about Phoebe Manigault returning home to Mt. Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston, South Carolina, to help her sister with their ailing mother. When past memories resurface, Phoebe is thrown back into some childhood turmoil. I requested an Advanced Readers Copy ARC of The Last Carolina Summer from NetGalley, and I was ecstatic when the provided me with a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. So, a big thank you goes out to them! When I began reading this story, I just happened to be vacationing in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. I loved hearing about the different places, including streets and a bridge called the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which I had to cross to get into Mt. Pleasant as well as Isle of Palms. It's always nice to be able to visualize the places and author writes about. With that being said, I'm not a fan of traveling over bridges, and one of the scenes of The Last Carolina Summer mentions a car going off ...
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Book Review: The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

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The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a historical fiction novel taking place in Europe during World War II. Lena Papadopoulos is the disabled daughter of Illusionist Theo Papadopoulos, who performs with a traveling circus. Theo is extremely overprotective of Lena and because of that, she lives a very sheltered life. When Lena finds an orphaned boy named Alexandre passed out on the train, her life takes an unexpected turn.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Circus Train by Amita Parikh in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to review this book as soon as I saw it was being compared to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and I wasn't disappointed.

Starting off with a bang, The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a fantastic read. I found myself disappearing into the book and losing all track of time . . . that speaks volumes about how extraordinary the author is especially considering this is her debut novel.  The characters were well developed, with the majority of them being likable. I cared about what happened to them, even the ones that weren't so likable. Another great feature of the novel is that the author gave the reader a glimpse into the future for many of the characters, so you're not left wondering what happens to them.

I appreciated learning a bit about the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in the Czech Republic as most of my education focused only on the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.  Another great learning moment was about a polio treatment that the main character received that allowed her to walk.  I love learning about things through historical fiction books that I might not have known otherwise.

Five out five stars is what I gave The Circus Train.  Amita Parikh is a talented storyteller, and I look forward to seeing more novels from her.

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