One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite **Book Review** @harlequinbooks

Happy Tuesday all!

Excited to share with you today my review for this exceptional book! I learned so much while reading the story and I was also thoroughly engaged. A stellar story with a great message!

 

My Thoughts

“But we are more than the good ones. We are the bad ones. We are the okay ones. We are the amazing ones. We are the nothing-to-write-home-about ones. We are the beautiful ones. We are just…ones.”

What a great book! Kezi is a popular YouTuber, a straight a student, a social activist, and the apple of her parents eye – she is “one of the good ones“. On Kezi‘s 18th birthday she goes against the wishes of her parents and attends a protest for a man who was recently killed by the police. Never expecting that after that day people would be marching for justice for her. Three months after Kezi‘s death her sisters jenny and Happi embark on a road trip that Kezi had previously planned out. The road trip is a journey down the famous route 66 using the Negro Motorist Green book. A Book 1st published in 1936 that gave the traveler information as to places that black people were welcome to Lodge, get gas, and eat. I fell down a little bit of a Google rabbit hole when I was doing some research on this book and it was so informative, I truly am quite uneducated when it comes to some of these things that were going on. For example there were towns that were called “sundown towns” where the black people in the town we’re not allowed out after dark or the unthinkable.

The story is told by both Kezi and her sister Happi. We get Kezi’s story leading up two her death. We also get Happi’s story starting three months after her perfect sister is killed. Both these characters had such big bold vibrant personalities that jumped off the pages. Kezi really wanted to leave her mark on the world, but she had her own flaws and secrets. Happi was struggling with the fact that she didn’t get to know her big sister Kezi when she had an opportunity to. The theme of “one of the good ones“ was touched on throughout the story. What makes somebody good or not? There upbringing? Their education? Their past? Their wealth? and if everyone knew all of Kezi’s secrets would they still think she was good? I really loved the road trip in the story and the places they stopped along the way – especially the big car circle ( I don’t know what it’s really called) and the black rodeo. There is also a thriller element to the story and a bit of a twist. I’m going to be honest I still am not 100% certain how I feel about that? for that reason I’m going to give this book 4.5 and round it up, so close to perfect. and the audio was exceptional!

This book in emojis 📱 📸 🚗 🎭 🐎 🌵 🏕

*** Big thank you to Ink Yard Press for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

About the Book

ONE OF THE GOOD ONES

By Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

On Sale: January 5, 2021

INKYARD PRESS

Teen & Young Adult; Prejudice & Racism; Siblings; Self-esteem & Reliance 

978-1335145802; 133514580X

$18.99 USD

352 pages

About the Book

A shockingly powerful exploration of the lasting impact of prejudice and the indomitable spirit of sisterhood that will have readers questioning what it truly means to be an ally, from sister-writer duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, authors of Dear Haiti, Love Alaine.

ISN’T BEING HUMAN ENOUGH?

When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.

About the Authors

MAIKA MOULITE is a Miami native and the daughter of Haitian immigrants. She earned a bachelor’s in marketing from Florida State University and an MBA from the University of Miami. When she’s not using her digital prowess to help nonprofits and major organizations tell their stories online, she’s sharpening her skills as a PhD student at Howard University’s Communication, Culture and Media Studies program. Her research focuses on representation in media and its impact on marginalized groups. She’s the eldest of four sisters and loves young adult novels, fierce female leads, and laughing.

MARITZA MOULITE graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s in women’s studies and the University of Southern California with a master’s in journalism. She’s worked in various capacities for NBC News, CNN, and USA TODAY. Maritza is a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania exploring ways to improve literacy in under-resourced communities after being inspired to study education from her time as a literacy tutor and pre-k teacher assistant. Her favorite song is “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire.

Social Links:

Author website: https://www.maikaandmaritza.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maikamoulite

https://twitter.com/MaritzaMoulite 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maikamoulite/ 

https://www.instagram.com/maritzamoulite/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maikaandmaritza 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/46189861-one-of-the-good-ones 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17790105.Maika_Moulite

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17790106.Maritza_Moulite 

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/One-Good-Ones-Maika-Moulite/dp/133514580X 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-of-the-good-ones-maika-moulite/1137186269 

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335145802 

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/One-Good-Ones/Maika-Moulite/Q889553084?id=7863851088953 

AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/one-of-the-good-ones/id1518801789 

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/One_of_the_Good_Ones?id=AQAAAEDsWWUZmM&hl=en_US

 

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood @robthor @HQstories **Book Review** #BlogTour #TheMarlowMurderClub

Good morning book friends!

Well, I’ve been away for a long time lol, we are currently in our 3rd lockdown here in the UK, and after being made redundant I decided that my focus should be on my new house that I moved into in March, so that’s what I’ve been doing.

I’ve managed to decorate my whole house, every room! Which I am very proud of considering I’ve never done a scrap of DIY in my life LOL, but now I think I can turn my hand to anything :o)

After finishing the decorating I realised it was time for me to come back to what I had missed the most, and that is telling you about all of the wonderful books I had been reading.

And we begin with this delightful read.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

Vicci

My Review

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

This is a book that will appeal to people who love a good cosy mystery, it really reminded me of watching a Murder She Wrote episode.

Judith Potts is 77 years old and lives in a huge house on the river bank in Marlow. she still works but does it more as a hobby creating crosswords for the local newspaper, and she’s a bit of a local celebrity for that.

She’s a very active 77 year old, and loves nothing better than to go for an evening swim in the river Thames that backs onto her house.

It is while she is swimming one evening that she hears the gunshot, after speaking to the police and then finding nothing amiss, Judith knows that she will have to do some investigating herself.

After rummaging around and finding that there was indeed a murder, her and two friends that she meets along the way, do a very good job of not minding their own business, and trying to solve the murder.

But after a second body is found, Judith, and the rest of the Marlow Murder Club, realise that the quaint village of Marlow, could actually harbour a serial killer, and they are just the people to figure out who it is!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was quick and easy to read, and a lot different to the usual gore filled thrillers that I am used to reading.

If you like books such as Agatha Christie or Miss Marple then I think you will thoroughly enjoy this book, I hope the author turns it into a series, I’d love to see Judith and the girls again.

**Thank you to HQ stories for sending me a digital copy of this book**

The Synopsis

To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives on her own in a faded mansion just outside Marlow, there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink, and to keep herself busy she sets crosswords for The Times newspaper.

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. The local police don’t believe her story, so she decides to investigate for herself, and is soon joined in her quest by Suzie, a salt-of-the-earth dog-walker, and Becks, the prim and proper wife of the local Vicar.

Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

When another body turns up, they realise they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. And the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…