My Weekly Read (No. 2) ~ The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding

It's week two of my little 'Weekly Read' Series!


'My Weekly Read' is a little series where I read a book between Monday and Saturday and then post a review for you all on the Sunday. I'm going to be reading books that I've never picked up before and are relatively unknown so I can introduce you all to some fabulous new books.


 Today I'm going to be reviewing The Reece Malcolm List by Amy Spalding.





Things I know about Reece Malcolm:

1. She graduated from New York University.
2. She lives in or near Los Angeles.
3. Since her first novel was released, she’s been on the New York Times bestseller list every week.
4. She likes strong coffee and bourbon.
5. She’s my mother.

Devan knows very little about Reece Malcolm, until the day her father dies and she’s shipped off to live with the mother she’s never met. All she has is a list of notebook entries that doesn’t add up to much.

L.A. offers a whole new world to Devan—a performing arts school allows her to pursue her passion for show choir and musicals, a new circle of friends helps to draw her out of her shell, and an intriguing boy opens up possibilities for her first love.

But then the Reece Malcolm list gets a surprising new entry. Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?




When I first stumbled across this book on Goodreads I didn't know what I was going to think. I found the idea of a YA book focusing on a mother-daughter relationship intriguing and it was that element of the story that compelled me to read it.

I have mixed views on the character of Devan. Although her views on friends, fights, jealousy and boys are so relatable, I found her perfection to be so annoying. I always hate it when the protagonist is written as a huge bundle of perfection, because it takes away from the realism of the story. But the loveable supporting characters definitely made up for this slip up. My favourite of these characters was definitely Sai. I think every girl wants a guy with a personality like Sai. As soon as his character appeared on the page I decided I wanted to marry him (a want I clearly shared with Devan). I just wish that the author had explored Sai's character in more detail, as he seemed to have such an interesting back story that I would have loved to hear more about.


The plot definitely didn't disappoint, as the author explored Devan's relationship with her mother in such depth, which made the book a fascinating read. And the little love stories that were interwoven in, made the book even better. 


I have to admit though, I would have wanted a bit more of a juicy twist than was provided. The last line of the synopsis "Now that Devan is so close to having it all, can she handle the possibility of losing everything?" was a tad on the dramatic side when you look at what actually happened (you'll have to read the book to find out won't you). That line really suggests a big dramatic event, something I think would have definitely added to the book.


I also wanted the story to continue and explore the aftermath of all the events that were featured in the final chapters of the book, in more detail, as I felt it ended quite suddenly. This was a big disappointment for me because it seemed like the author had gone into lots of detail about the things that didn't really matter, but then written really briefly about the events that did.


Overall though, I did enjoy this book and it was a really easy read. I found myself constantly intrigued about what was going to happen next, and it's one of those books I can definitely see myself reading again.


Lots of Love


Chloe xxx


P.S: Have you read any books you think I'd enjoy? Leave a comment and I'll have a look.