8.29.2018 - The Waiting Room

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Bleeker for the opportunity to read her latest novel - another great one!  4.5 stars!

Just a short synopsis because this is one of those books that even though you may think you know what will happen, you really don't.  And you want to go into it knowing as little as possible to get the full enjoyment out of it!

Veronica is struggling with postpartum depression after a crash left her baby alive but not her husband.  Her mom moves in to help her take care of her baby because grief and depression have left her unable to even touch Sophie.  Veronica feels like she is slowly returning to normal life when her mom convinces her to talk to a new therapist and she meets a few potential friends in the waiting room.  And then someone kidnaps her baby.

Clear your calendar because you'll definitely want to finish this book once you start it!  This would be a good book club read because of all the potential talking points - grief, mental illness, postpartum depression.

8.28.2018 - Tear Me Apart

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, MIRA Books, and JT Ellison for the opportunity to read her latest book - 5 glowing stars amazing!

Mindy is a skiing phenom on the verge of the Olympics when a fall and a broken leg land her in the hospital.  The doctors soon discover that what Mindy and her family brushed off as symptoms of training were really leukemia.  When blood tests are done to find a familial match for a transplant that could save her life, her parents and aunt all  come up as not related to her.  This opens up a very twisty can of worms - who is lying?  What would parents do for their child?

I don't want to give anything away but this is definitely a must read.  Don't fail to read the author's note at the end too - a heartfelt note.  As someone who has lost someone and could have a semicolon tattoo, strong words and feelings to end this book.  Bravo!

8.25.2018 - The Other Woman

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Sandie Jones for the opportunity to read this deliciously creepy debut novel - 5 stars!  I can't wait to read more from this author.

Emily meets Adam they fall happily in love.  Everything seems perfect - until she meets Pammie, his mother.  Pammie seems hellbent on destroying any chance of happiness the two have, exploits Adam's neediness for his mother, and never misses an opportunity for a snarky comment.  Adam seems oblivious to his mother's treatment of Emily which only threatens their bond further.

Enough said - you need to just read this book.  The ending will leave you speechless!  Highly recommended - I couldn't put it down and loved this book!

8.22.2018 - Not Her Daughter

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martins Griffins, and Rea Frey for the opportunity to read this gripping novel - loved it and 5 glowing stars!

Sarah is a successful owner of a start-up company that makes educational play kits for children around the world.  She's recently broken up with her boyfriend and is struggling.  She has a chance meeting with a family at the airport and witnesses the mom being verbally and physically abusive to a little girl, Emma.

Amy is Emma's mom who has never quite connected with Emma the way she did with her youngest child.  Amy is full of anger, in a bad marriage, and struggling with all her decisions.

When Sarah has another chance sighting of Emma and witnesses a dramatic event, she takes steps to make sure Emma is in a safe environment.

I couldn't put this book down and loved the way it was written - divided into alternating chapters between Sarah and Amy in before and during sections.  What does it mean to be a mom?  Is home always your safe place?

8.19.2018 - The Weight of Silence

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Gregg Olsen for the opportunity to read this book - loved it!  This is the sequel to The Sound of Rain and while it would still be an enjoyable read, it was much more enjoyable reading them together.

In this sequel, Nicole Foster is making a new life in her hometown, raising her niece, looking after her father, and again working as a police officer.  On a sweltering day, a father discovers he has left his baby in a locked car all day.  As Nicole and her partner investigate, they must determine if it was accidental or something unforgivable. 

Nicole's past comes back to haunt her new fragile life.  What lengths will she go to to protect all that she holds dear?

These were a great pair of books - highly recommended.

8.13.2018 - Feared

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Lisa Scottoline for the opportunity to read the latest installment of her Rosato & DiNunzio series - another winner!  I may be biased because, as I've said before, I would read Scottoline's shopping lists - I'm sure they would be entertaining because she's such a great writer.

This latest book finds lawyer partners Bennie Rosato and Mary DiNunzio (who is now 7 months pregnant) being sued on a reverse discrimination charge because they didn't hire male attorneys who applied for a job.  Their single male attorney gives the lawsuit more teeth when he is found to have said that he sometimes feels out of place and may not have the same opportunity for advancement.  When he resigns, the press have a field day.  To make matters worse, the lawyer filing the lawsuit is Mary's bitter adversary, Nick Machiavelli, who appears to want to shutter their firm.  However, the case soon becomes deadly and Rosato and DiNunzio are on the fight to find a killer while saving their firm.

It's wonderful to lose hours with these characters again.  This could definitely be a stand-alone novel but all of the characters become so much fuller with the background gathered by reading the previous books.  Highly recommended!

8.10.2018 - Good Luck With That

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Books, and Kristan Higgins for the opportunity to read and review her latest book - emotional, thought-provoking, wonderful!

This is a story torn from today's world of fat shaming and body image issues.  But it's also a story about friendship and family and how we take care of ourselves.

Emerson, Marley and Georgia meet as teenagers at a weight-loss camp where they finally find like souls in each other.  They make a list of things they will do when they are skinny.  Fast forward to when they are all in their mid-30s.  Marley and Georgia have remained best friends and while they try to stay in touch with Emerson, who lives out of state, they don't see her as much as they would like.  Until they get a call that Emerson is dying.  She leaves her friends an envelope to be opened after she dies which sets them on a path to become better versions of themselves.  Each of the characters has a back story that led them to their struggles with food, of course, and dealing with those issues is even harder. 

Highly recommended - these characters feel authentic and their struggles real.  We all have struggles to deal with - not all related to food - but these characters find a way to move forward by holding on to what really counts.  I loved the stories of the preschoolers in Georgia's class too!

8.7.2018 - Our House

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing, and Louise Candlish for the opportunity to read this intriguing book - I loved it!

This book was written in such a creative fashion that, for me, really added to the enjoyment and mystery.  The story is told from the viewpoints of a married couple, Fiona (Fi) and Abraham (Bram).  Fi's version of events is told through the form of a podcast, while Bram's story is told through a Word document.

The story begins with Fi coming home from a weekend away to find strangers moving into the family home and Bram and their two boys nowhere to be found.  Fi and Bram were trying to be good parents and when they had marital issues, decided on a birds-nest separation, meaning the children stayed in the family home and the parents took turns staying with them.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this one and I just loved the cat-and-mouse tale - highly recommended!

8.7.2018 - Megabat

Thanks to NetGalley, Tundra Books, and Anna Humphrey for the opportunity to read and review this adorable book.  Geared toward middle grade students, boys especially will love this one.

Daniel is a somewhat sad and lonely boy, having just moved away from all his friends and his school in Toronto.  His first night in his new house, he discovers a fruit bat - a talking fruit bat nonetheless - that accidentally got transported from his home in Borneo in a papaya crate.  They can both relate to each other because they are missing their home and friends.

Cute story of helping others, helping yourself and making new friends - adorable illustrations!

8.4.2018 - Rust & Stardust

So many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and T. Greenwood for the opportunity to read this amazing book.  I am still reeling.

Based on the true story of a kidnapping in Camden, NJ, that was the inspiration for the novel Lolita, this is a novel centering around Sally Horton.  Sally never quite fit in with the girls from school - she was being raised by a single mother after her father left and her stepfather died by suicide.  When a group of popular girls invites her into their group if she will complete an initiation, she goes for it.  They tell her she must steal something from the local Woolworth's store.  When she walks out with a composition notebook tucked under her shirt, she is grabbed by a man who tells her he is from the FBI and she needs to come with him.

From that point on, it's just such a sad tale.  Sally will pull at your heartstrings and not let go.  Plus, all the angels along the way who saw what was happening and tried to help but never quite did - a lesson for all of us in today's world.  This also shows the effect this crime had on Sally's family - her mother who was crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, her sister and her family.

This story is told from multiple points of view and is beautifully written.  This one will stay with me.  Highly, highly recommended!

8.3.2018 - After Nightfall

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and AJ Banner for the opportunity to read her latest thriller.  Definitely a good one!  4.5 stars from me!

Marissa is newly engaged to the man of her dreams, Nathan, and they are announcing their engagement at a dinner party.  Nathan's young daughter, Anna, is there, along with neighbors and Nathan's brother and his wife.  Lauren, Marissa's old friend, betrayed her in college but Marissa is trying to reconcile with Lauren, who now lives near Nathan with her family.  The dinner party doesn't go well - Lauren flirts with Nathan, Anna seems upset, and Nathan's brother and his wife seem to be having issues.  But that nigh, Marissa finds Lauren's body at the bottom of a cliff near their home.

What happened?  There are many suspects in this book and it will keep you reading until you finish it.  This is a great mystery to tuck in your beach bag.    AJ Banner has done it again!

8.1.2018 - Sister of Mine

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Laurie Petrou for the opportunity to read this book - I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This is the story of Hattie and Penny - two sisters in a small town where they were born and raised and still live in their parents' home.  The sisters have an intense love and rivalry and have so very many secrets between them.  Secrets that can't be shared with anyone and serve to draw the sisters even closer in their strange bond.  They each hold the other in a twisted blackmail and you owe me mentality.  When a new man comes into their lives, he adds even more secrets to the mix.

I was so intrigued by these sisters and the emotions they evoked while reading this book.  This would be an interesting book club selection.