Final Rating: ★★★
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Welcome to 2024! There is still so much to be excited for this year. With my hobbies, I’m most excited to write more and read great books. I had originally set a goal of 30 books, but I think the goal is there to get me into the reading habit rather than boost stats (I seem to hit 28 every year anyways). By attempting to read 30 books, I might come across a masterpiece, and that would make it a great reading year. 30 books, and of those at least 1 masterpiece would be nice.
My first book of 2024 is Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson. I found this book while scrolling on TikTok; Haley Pham’s silent review of the book was intriguing enough for me to try it out. (Honestly though, I mistook it for her review of None Of This Is True, so that’s on me). If you want to own a physical copy, you can order it on Amazon at this link.
Jackson’s debut novel introduces us to the fabulous and “dark” lives of an elite New York family, the Stocktons, through the perspectives of leading women Sasha, Darley, and Georgiana.
I thought this was a fun, easy read. This definitely isn’t going to change your worldview or send you into an emotional tailspin. Nevertheless, it’s a fluffy escape into what I think high society might actually be like. I was engaged the whole time but wasn’t “gagged” at the end like I thought I might be.
I feel like the book was intended to be more “dark and mysterious” than it actually was. There wasn’t enough drama for me to really feel satisfied, and that’s part of why I rated this book 3.5/5. I felt like I had signed up for some Bravo-level brawls and divine comeuppances, but I just got some pastel characters living pastel lives. No one was particularly likeable (except maybe Poppy and Hatcher); the characters’ thoughts and emotions didn’t really seemed fleshed out.
That being said, it was an interesting peek into the lives of the New York rich and fabulous. I didn’t know that Pineapple Street is a real place until after finishing the book. It is, in fact, next to Orange and Cranberry Street, and the houses are, in fact, crazy expensive. I’ll admit, I don’t know much about buying buildings in New York, but my understanding is that the Stocktons owned all of the units in their building. If so, that’s wild. I’ll need to make some 1%er friends in New York, learn more, and report back.
