Recap of our May book club pick: Praise by Sara Cate
Our May book club pick was Praise by Sara Cate, and… let’s just say it was an experience.
The book sparked plenty of discussion, though maybe not the kind we expected. Most of us either didn’t finish it or powered through with a healthy dose of side-eye.
I’ll take the blame for this one. I only added Praise to the list because I wanted to read Madam X (the last book in the series) and figured I should start from the beginning. I had no idea what I was walking us into. Sorry in advance, and probably also in hindsight.
If you haven’t read it, Praise is a steamy contemporary romance involving a praise kink, an ex-boyfriend’s dad, and a pretty intense age gap. That last bit was a no-go for most of us. Personally, I couldn’t get past it. As someone in my 40s with kids in their 20s, it felt more creepy than romantic. Hard pass.
To be fair, the main character does have a moment of clarity where she questions how quickly she fell into the dynamic and stands up for herself, which added some dimension. One of us appreciated that enough to say the book had “some redeeming qualities,” but I think that was as generous as it got. “Not horrendous” might have been the highest praise. Pun not intended.
So... what are we reading next?
With Praise firmly in the "nope" pile, we won’t be continuing the series. Instead, we threw around a few new options, and here’s what made the list:
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
Rider’s Blood, Moonlit Black by Myka Silber
Iron Window by Xiran Jay Zhao
There was also a strong case made for exploring the ever-expanding world of monster and cryptid romance. (Yes, really.) Between minotaurs, mothmen, and whatever else is hiding in the Kindle Unlimited abyss, let’s just say our TBRs are now haunted in more ways than one.
The book poll is up now in the Fable group, so head over and vote!
Also, life.
As always, the book discussion was only half the fun. We also talked about a bunch of non-book related life stuff — dental work (including wisdom teeth removal) and the very sci-fi idea that scientists can now grow new adult teeth, just not necessarily in the right spot yet; crafting updates; and video games.
Before we wrapped up, I shared a quick update about some digital products I’m working on, including a new Book Club Dashboard template for Notion, which is coming soon. Stay tuned!
Until next time, happy reading!
Erin ♡
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