March's Book Competition

This month, Noah and Leslie submitted a book of the Romance genre for the March book. Romance is one of my favorite genres because you’re guaranteed a happy ending. I expected to receive two books I wouldn’t normally pick up, but this month stretched my interpretation of romance novels.

The Ground Rules

To help keep things mostly apples-to-apples, I selected a theme each month. Then, Leslie and Noah each submit a book to me for reading. Neither knows what the other shared with me. Then, over the course of a month, I read the books and choose a winner for the best book that month.

March 2022: Romance

Leslie submitted It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. Here's what she said about why she chose it:

I devoured this book in one sitting by accident. Is it corny? Maybe. Did it elicit all the emotions I have in my cold, dead heart? Yes.

Next, Noah submitted Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold. Here's what he said:

This amazing series begins not with the hero who dominates what is surely over 20 books, but the love story of his mother and father. I listened to this book on audible during a long hard hike, and was really confused because I thought I chose a sci-fi book but was very much a romance novel.

Last month, the self-help category, presented two wildly different books. Given that this month’s theme is Romance, the books are wildly different, but I’ll judge them on emotion and happy-ending-feelings. It Ends With Us is a tumultuous present-day story, while Shards of Honour is practically a space opera.

It Ends With Us has pros and cons. I instantly disliked the main character, Lily. She’s in her early twenties and it shows. Hoover writes her like she’s voicing over a sitcom and I found it extremely off-putting. I also felt there was too much exposition and backstory through the use of journal entries. When Ryle, Lily’s love interest was introduced, I hated him. I still do. But, the story was compelling and probably far more relatable than I wish to admit.

I loved the side-character-couple of Marshall and Alyssa. I wanted to read their love story, but that’s neither here nor there. I also think this novel, while possibly triggering for some, brings up some important topics around domestic violence and breaking generational patterns. The end was much better than the beginning, so I’m glad I pushed through despite my initial misgivings.

Shards of Honour had a lot of promise. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning. A mid-thirties science officer exploring an unknown planet survives an attack from a rival culture and is taken prisoner. She surprisingly falls in love with the honorable man who holds her prisoner after just a week. Then, I got lost. I struggled to follow the events, timing, and characters. I enjoyed the story, but I couldn’t determine how long our protagonists were separated or how long our main character, Cordelia, was imprisoned. Or where. Noah listened to this as an audiobook and I’m wondering if this is one of those times where an audiobook is a better format than book.

Two Will Enter, One Will Win

Comparing these books and deciding a winner between my two friends isn't easy. In January, it’s because the books were so different. In February, the topics were so different that it was hard. This month, there was a clear winner for me: Leslie!

Here’s a recap of point totals:

January: Noah

February: Tie

March: Leslie

Two points to each person. April (Memoir) should heat up the competition!