Review of "Dollface" by Renee Rosen

 

My Review:

Dollface is written by Renee Rosen, who does an excellent job of mixing historical facts, events, and people with fictional characters and their stories. She tends to focus on Chicago history, and this book is about one of Chicago's more insteresting time periods, the Roaring 20s. 

This book follows Vera Abramowitz, a very young and naive woman, trying to make it on her own in Chicago during Prohibition. Vera struggles to survive on the meager income given to typists, but refuses to go back to the Stockyards, where her mother runs a kosher butchering business. While out socializing at different clubs, Vera meets two men that will change her life. Tony Liolli oozes charm, excitement, and passion, while Shep Green is handsome and just wants to protect and take care of Vera. She's torn between the two men and the exciting lives they lead. As Vera gets to know the two men even more, she discovers that her two lovers are actually members of opposing mob gangs in Chicago. When a new circumstance leads to a choice made for Vera, she ends up more involved in the mob life than she ever thought possible. Soon is she not only a witness to the gritty side of the mob wars, but she also becomes an active participant. Vera finds herself more and more entangled in this dangerous lifesytle as the mob wars intensify leading to the infamous St. Valentine Day's Massacre.

Just like Vera, the reader is exposed to the glamorous side of the mob and Prohibition, before descending into the gritty, maddening, and terrifying reality. It was interesting to see Vera change throughout the course of the novel and not necessarily for the better. The reader watches her transform from this innocent and fresh-faced woman, who just wants to do better than how she was raised into this strong and determined woman, who will do whatever it takes (even if it's illegal) to survive. Vera tries her best to keep up and protect her family as the mob wars begin to spin out of control.

I really enjoyed the factual aspects of the book that Rosen includes. Besides, the obvious Al Capone, Rosen includes many other real mobsters along with actual events from the Prohibition Era in Chicago. As a reader, not only did I enjoy the story, but I also found myself looking up information on the names, events, and places listed in the book. Rosen includes a note at the end of the book that explains some of the changes she made in the book. I also feel like this era is usually glamorized in books and movies, and while Rosen includes some of this, she really gets into the dangerous reality of the mob in Chicago.

How Much Coffee Was Needed:

I took my time reading this book, but not because I found it tough or boring. I really enjoyed it and found myself stopping to look up names or details in the book. I did have a night or two of late reading, so it definitely was worth a few extra cups of coffee. 

What's Next?

I'm going nonfiction and healthy this time with The Pegan Diet by Mark Hyman, MD.

 

Review of "The Dating Experiment" by Emma Hart

*I read this book in April but have had the review sitting in my "Drafts" since then. Still stuck in the slump.

My Review:

I decided to try this book as I was reading The Bookworm's Guide series and noticed that Emma Hart had written a bunch of books. This book looked promising, so I gave it a try. I did not realize that this book was the third book in another series of hers. I was still able to read it and understand it just fine, but obviously I was missing some of the backstories. 

Chloe has been in love with her best friend's older brother for as long as she can remember. As adults, they are now working together and running an online dating site called "Studpid Cupid." Chloe has finally decided that her and Dom will never happen, and it's time for her to move on. She thinks she has the perfect plan to help her do this, she'll have Dom set her up on a date. What she doesn't realize is that Dom has feelings for her too and has for years. He will set Chloe up if she will find a date for him. So they both go on dates set up by each other when really they just want to date each other😣. 

The story is predictable and very reminiscent of Kinsley and Josh from the first Bookworm's book (Actually, I think this book came out first, so it's the other way around). It just felt like I had read the story before many times. The other issue I had with the book is that Chloe and Dom argue a lot, like ALL the time. I get that at the beginning it might be sexual frustration, but they continue throughout the whole book. The constant bickering gets tiring, and I got frustrated with Chloe. I just wanted her to cool down and give him a chance. I feel like with all the arguing, communication is going to be BIG issue for this couple. Just like the other books I've read by Emma Hart, it had funny moments, and it was an easy read. I just didn't enjoy it as much as the Bookworm's Guide series (No ornery grandparents or ducks😞). It also gave me a weird sense of deja vu as I felt like I just read this same story in the first Bookworm's Guide book.

How Much Coffee Was Needed?

None. This was an easy read, and I didn't feel compelled to stay up late reading it.

What's Next?

I didn't fill out this part when I originally wrote the review. I've read several ebooks since this one, so I'm not quite sure what I read next. I'm guessing it was Seven Up by Janet Evanovich.