Don't read this book because it was a book club pick or someone on TikTok told you that you HAD to read it. Put it on your list. Let it sit there. Read it Someday. Read it when you want to Feel.
(7/7)

It makes me grateful for every moment when I lost a piece of myself, because I got to feel the joy of getting it back. It makes me feel connected to my own Human-ness.
(6/7)

No clue that it would work its way into my conscious the way that it has. It makes me want to hug every single one of my friends and tell them I love them - not because I am afraid of the day I'll lose them, but simply because they are here.
(5/7)

Stories that work their way into your soul, slot themselves into place, and become a core piece of what makes you You. I think I will remember how it felt to read this book for the rest of my life. And in chapter 1, I had no idea.
(4/7)

...and some simply give me something light and fantastical and absurd. And if the book has done that - any of those things it was trying to do - I love it... for exactly what it is.

And then there are books like this one.
(3/7)

Some books make me laugh, some give me an escape into an adventure I'd never take, some give me a completely safe and secure world where nothing earth shattering ever happens to its main characters, some educate me and challenge my beliefs, some open my eyes to other perspectives...
(2/7)

Don't read this book because it was a book club pick or someone on TikTok told you that you HAD to read it. Put it on your list. Let it sit there. Read it Someday. Read it when you want to Feel. (7/7)

It makes me grateful for every moment when I lost a piece of myself, because I got to feel the joy of getting it back. It makes me feel connected to my own Human-ness. (6/7)

No clue that it would work its way into my conscious the way that it has. It makes me want to hug every single one of my friends and tell them I love them - not because I am afraid of the day I'll lose them, but simply because they are here. (5/6)

Stories that work their way into your soul, slot themselves into place, and become a core piece of what makes you You. I think I will remember how it felt to read this book for the rest of my life. And in chapter 1, I had no idea. (4/6)

and some simply give me something light and fantastical and absurd. And if the book has done that - any of those things it was trying to do - I love it... for exactly what it is.

And then there are books like this one. (3/6)

Some books make me laugh, some give me an escape into an adventure I'd never take, some give me a completely safe and secure world where nothing earth shattering ever happens to its main characters, some educate me and challenge my beliefs, some open my eyes to other perspectives... (2/6)

I actually don't think it's necessary to read one before the other. There's a relationship between the main character in each series, but it's not explored a ton. Bloodlines is not the first Shee McQueen book though - definitely start with book 1 there.

Rue's about 10 years older but of a nearby generation, and I think a lot of the conditions and environment were pretty similar. So in a way, it was like reading the memoir of a loved one. Thanks, Rue.

I'll add that reading this helped me gain new empathy and insight into my Aunt's experience (she's no longer with us.) I've always known she was married 10 times and had 9 husbands - like stats on a baseball card. But I never really understood how that could all come about.