1.31.2019 - One Fatal Mistake

Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Books, and Tom Hunt for the opportunity to read and review this fast-paced thriller -  hard to put this one down!

18=year=old Joshua is driving one night when he has an accident, killing a man.  He's with someone and they decide not to report the accident.  Joshua does his best to clean up but realizes he must have left something at the scene and goes back to find it.  When his mom realizes he's left in the middle of the night, she tracks his phone to find him at the scene.  But two other people find them at the scene as well and that's where it gets really crazy.

You may have to disregard a bit of reality that all this could happen, but it's a wild ride and you truly won't be able to put this book down until the end.

1.30.2019 - The Silent Patient

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Alex Michaelides for the opportunity to read this amazing debut novel - this one deserves all the buzz it is getting!   It hits the stores on February 5th - order it now, clear your calendar, stay inside and read this book!  5 glowing stars for an incredible read.

Alicia is a painter and her husband, Gabriel, a photographer.  As the story opens, Alicia is standing with a gun near her husband who has just been shot in the face.  Alicia is brought to trial, deemed unstable, and sentenced to The Grove - a psychiatric institute for severely troubled people.  From the time she was discovered immediately after the shooting, Alicia hasn't said a word - for years.  Psychotherapist Theo has read and followed Alicia's case and is determined to get her to speak.  He transfers to The Grove to begin therapy.  But who is helping whom?

Enough said about this one because the twists and turns will make your head spin!  I couldn't put this down and will be telling everyone to read this book - loved it!

1.29.2019 - The Night Olivia Fell

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Christina McDonald for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - 5 stars for a book I couldn't put down!  A debut novel?  Can't wait to read more from this author!

Abi is a single mother to teenage Olivia.  She's always been overprotective due in part to issues she had growing up. When she gets a middle-of-the-night phone call saying that her daughter has fell off a bridge and is brain dead, Abi is devastated.  But when she finds out Olivia is also pregnant and she sees bruises around her wrist, she knows that it wasn't an accident as the police said.  She decides to investigate on her own to find out what happened.

Told in present day time in Abi's voice and in Olivia's in the months leading up to the fall, this is a book filled with secrets, suspense and, above all, emotion.  Both characters are easily relatable and I found myself glued to the pages to see how it would all turn out.

Highly recommended!

1.27.2019 - The Unwinding of the Miracle

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and the author's family for the opportunity to read and review this book.  4.5 stars.

In her late 30s, Julie Yip-Williams, was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer.  She was a successful attorney, happily married with two small children.  But this wasn't the first time Julie had faced death.  She was born in Vietnam to Chinese parents at a time of civil unrest.  She was born blind with severe cataracts and her grandmother forced her parents to take her to a herb doctor who would put her in an eternal sleep so she would not be a burden to her family.  Surviving that as well as an escape on a refugee boat would have seemed to use up her share of bad luck.

This book is Julie's diary of her diagnosis, treatment and acceptance of her death.  She railed at the cultural view of cancer of it being a war and if you fight hard enough you can win it, as well as the sometimes cheerful denial of those facing death.  Julie was angry and while she fought very hard to stay in this life for her family, she was also very much a realist.

This is definitely a book that urges everyone to live life while you have it and to live it fully.  But also to embrace the eventual unwinding of the miracle that is life.

1.25.2019 - The Promise

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Teresa Driscoll for the opportunity to read and review her latest psychological thriller - it won't disappoint!

Three girls become fast friends at a Catholic boarding school.  They also make a promise - to never reveal a secret about something they did to anyone, ever.  Fast forward and Beth and Sally are still best friends, but they've lost touch with Carol through the years.  An announcement that the school is being sold to developers who are planning on demolishing it send Beth and Sally into fear that their secret will be revealed.  They must find Carol.  Enter Matthew, a private investigator with his own secret.  But is the hunt for Carol endangering their lives?

This was a great read with lots of twists - some you'll guess and others you won't.  It's also a story of how what happens to us in the past changes our future and the power that secrets carry in our lives.

1.22.2019 - Forget You Know Me

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Jessica Strawser for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel - I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Liza and Molly are best friends from childhood.  However, when Liza moves to Chicago for a new job and Molly remains back in Cincinnati, married with 2 kids and chronic pain issues, they find it difficult to keep their relationship going.  Liza has a new best friend in Max, who is always there for her.  Meanwhile, Molly finds a purpose in helping their neighbor's child through a difficult issue.

Liza and Molly are video-chatting, trying to reconnect, when Molly leaves to put a child back into bed and Liza sees a masked stranger enter Molly's kitchen.  When she's finally able to reconnect, Molly's reaction is more than troubling to Liza.  Thus the rift widens.

While there is a slight mystery involved, the strength of this book lies in these characters.  It makes you think about those relationships you take for granted, assuming they will always be there, and how important our reactions are to the people we care about.  Plus any book that mentions Saratoga Chips deserves an extra shoutout!

1.20.2019 - The Hiding Place

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and C.J. Tudor for the opportunity to read her sophomore book, following the very successful Chalk Man.  I think I liked this one even more - definitely a creepy read!

Joe Thorne comes back to his hometown of Arnhill - a childhood that consisted of bullying, murder, suicide.  He gets a job teaching at his former high school, under dubious conditions, and is intent on making someone pay for the things that happened, especially what happened to his little sister.  Of course, he has other personal agendas on his mind.  Once back in Arnhill, he sees what happened in the past is happening again - can he stop it this time?

Enough said about all this - this is a creepy read complete with scary mine pits, bugs, and the requisite twists.  A great read - just keep the lights on!

1.19.2019 - Golden Child

Many thanks to NetGalley, the Sarah Jessica Parker imprint for Hogarth, and Claire Adam for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - gorgeous writing and a heartbreaker.

This story takes place in rural Trinidad, where Clyde and Joy are parents to twin teenage boys, Peter and Paul.  Peter is extremely bright and is placed in a good school that requires a long commute; Paul is allowed to attend the school as well, but from birth he's always been different and considered more damaged goods.  One night, Paul doesn't come home and Clyde begins searching for him.  We are then transported back to the past to learn more of the background of the family, before coming back to the present where Clyde is forced to make a devastating decision involving his sons.

Beautifully written, this would be a wonderful book club selection because there is so much to discuss.  How much of our own self-worth is changed by the labels put on us by others?  What happens when one child is favored over the other?  What would we do for our children to give them a better life than what we have?

1.17.2019 - The Temp

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Michelle Frances for the opportunity to read and review her new book - loved it!  I was a huge fan of her debut novel, The Girlfriend, and this one won't disappoint.  I was hard pressed to put this one down and loved the twisty ending.

Carrie is a successful TV producer, happily married to Adrian, a screenwriter in her company.  They have the perfect life - wealthy, two homes, in love.  Until Carrie becomes pregnant and Adrian is not thrilled by the news.  When Carrie has to go on maternity leave, the perfect replacement is found in Emma, a bright, young girl.  But is she too perfect?  At home, unprepared to deal with a newborn and with no help from Adrian, Carrie feels like she is losing everything.

Lots of twists and turns in this one and I was glued to the pages - a great read!

1.14.2019 - No Mercy

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Joanna Schaffhausen for the opportunity to read the second book in this great series revolving around Ellery Hathaway.  I was so happy to get back to these characters and this book is even better than the first one.

Following up on Vanishing Season, Ellery is a police officer who finds herself off active duty because of the events  in the last book (no spoilers here!).  She's attending group therapy sessions for victims of violent crime as part of her required steps to get reinstated.  There she meets a rape victim whose story pulls at Ellery's heart and her investigative brain.  Another victim she meets is a burn victim who lost her small son in a fire.  Needing help and support, Ellery calls back on Reed Markham, the FBI profiler who saved her life.  Together they try to solve these crimes.

Put me down as one who is already anxiously awaiting the next book in this series - highly recommended!

1.10.2019 - As Long as We Both Shall Live

Many thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books and JoAnn Chaney for the opportunity to read this book - 5 stars for a wickedly fun, twisty read!

The quote from War of the Roses in the beginning of the book sums it up perfectly:  There are two dilemmas...that rattle the human soul.  How do you hold on to someone who won't stay?  And how do you get rid of someone who won't go?

Just like in the War of the Roses, this is a tale of love, marriage and all that goes along with it, especially when things go badly.  Matt and his wife, Marie, are hiking in the Colorado mountains when Marie falls off the edge.  Matt runs for the rangers and a search is started.  But the questions for Matt are just beginning.  When Detectives Loren and Spengler start investigating, they discovered that Matt's first wife also died in a suspicious manner.  Is he just unlucky in love or is it more?

I couldn't put this book down and loved all the twists and turns.  Highly recommended!

1.8.2019 - The Perfect Liar

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Thomas Christopher Greene for the opportunity to read his latest thriller - a very entertaining ride!

Max and his wife Susannah have settled into a small Vermont town with Susannah's teenage son from her first marriage.  They are so happy together.  Max has become very successful with his form of art and is also teaching at a college in Vermont.  Then the first note appears on their door - I Know Who You Are.  Both Max and Susannah are keeping secrets from each other that threaten their happy life together.

Enough said - you really want to go into this book not knowing too much ahead of time.  So sit back and enjoy the twisty ride.  4.5 stars!

1.5.2019 - The Dreamers

 thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Karen Thompson Walker for the opportunity to read her new book - 4.5 stars for a beautifully-written story!

In a small college town in California, a girl comes back to her dorm and falls asleep.  Her roommate, Mei, thinks she's just sleeping in and tiptoes around her in the morning.  But she doesn't wake up.  Not even the doctors can wake her up.  Soon another girl falls asleep.  Before long, the dorm is on lockdown while doctors scramble to figure out what's causing the illness and what to do about it.  Mei, who has never fit in at school, soon gravitates to another different student, Matthew.

Those affected by the illness are many - a single dad leaving his two girls alone, two professors and their new baby, the list goes on.  As does the mystery.  All of the sleeping appear to have more active brain movement than has ever seen before but what are they dreaming?  Is it of the past or the future or nothing at all?

The way this book is written is stunning.  I loved the parts about the new life growing intermixed with the chaos of the illness.

Highly recommended!

1.3.2019 - Her One Mistake

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Heidi Perks for the opportunity to read this thriller - it kept me glued until the end - a 5 star read!

A parent's worse nightmare - Charlotte is at a crowded school fair with her 3 children and a friend's daughter.  She turns away for a moment while the older kids go on a ride and just that quick, the friend's daughter is gone.  Panic sets in, of course, but no one can find Alice anywhere.  Charlotte has to tell her friend, Harriet, that her daughter is missing.  Harriet was exceptionally close to Alice and this was the first time she had left Alice with someone else - Charlotte was her only friend in town.  Soon both Harriet and the town turn against Charlotte.

Enough said because all the dynamics of these relationships need to play out as you read it for full effect.  There were moments when I gasped out loud at the plot twists.  The story is told in the voices of both Charlotte and Harriet in both Now and Before.

Highly recommended!

1.1.2019 - The Red Address Book

 thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Sofia Lundberg for the opportunity to read and review this book - I loved it!

Doris is 96 years old and living alone in an apartment in Sweden.  She lives for her weekly Skype calls with her grandniece, Jenny, who lives in America.  When Doris was young, her father gave her a red address book and she has kept track of all the people who have made an impact in her life, for better or worse.  She also crosses off the name and puts "dead" beside those who have died, which at her age is many.  She realizes that all these people and her stories are important so she starts writing down her history with these people to give Jenny.

This is one of those heartbreaking yet uplifting stories that should make everyone sit up and pay attention to the older folks in their lives - those who made an impact on us and whose stories should not fade away.  I loved Doris and her stories!