4.30.2019 - The East End

Many thanks to NetGalley, Park Row Books, and Jason Allen for the opportunity to read and review his debut novel - 5 stars for a book I couldn't put down.

The difference between the have's and the have not's are very clear in the Hamptons, where million dollar estates sit empty most of the year until their rich owners come to vacation.  The have not's are the ones who live in the shadows of those estates and work for the rich families.  Corey is the son of single mom, Gina, who works for the Sheffield's, one of the extremely rich families.  Corey is ready to graduate high school and worried about how he will ever escape for fear of leaving his mom and brother.  For kicks, he breaks into the rich homes and pulls pranks, such as putting salt in their milk, preferably when the residents are home for the added thrill.  With Memorial Day approaching and Corey due to work alongside his mom to make sure all is well when the Sheffield family returns for the holiday festivities, he decides to break into the Sheffield house.  However, the daughter and her friend are there, as well as the father, Leo, who shows up with his lover, Henry.  A fatal poolside accident, witnessed by Corey and the family friend, cause major implications for everyone.  Told in various viewpoints, we feel the characters' dilemmas and decision-making.

I couldn't put this one down - bravo for a great debut novel.  Can't wait to read more from this author!

4.29.2019 - Little Darlings

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Melanie Golding for the opportunity to read this creepy debut - i loved it!  4.5 stars rounded up because I couldn't put it down - can't wait to read more from this author.

Lauren just had identical twin boys.  She waits for that sudden burst of maternal love that she's heard about but it doesn't quite come.  While still in the hospital, she sees an old, creepy woman come into her room who tries to take her babies and replace them with her own.  She calls 911, screams, but no one else saw a thing and no one believes her.  Once home, she is afraid to let the twins out of her sight for fear the woman will come back to take them.  Beyond exhausted, with a husband who doesn't help, she falls deeper and deeper into her own world with the babies.  The first day she ventures out to the park with friends, she falls asleep on a park bench and wakes up to her twins gone.  They are soon found but they aren't the same.  And still no one believes her.

With each chapter beginning with a folklore or fable to add to the creepiness, this book will have you racing to the finish.  It's also a look into the early days of motherhood, when you are too tired to breathe.  Is it depression or psychosis?  My heart went out to Lauren - she was incredibly strong, especially through the ending.  Great read!

4.28.2019 - Cape May

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Chip Cheek for the opportunity to read this debut novel.  I'll admit I was drawn to this book because of its location - Cape May, New Jersey.  My family and I spent a week's vacation there once and I have such fond memories of all the painted lady houses and quaint shops.

Set in the 1950s, Henry and Effie are very young newlyweds, both virgins, when they decide to head to Cape May for their honeymoon.  Effie had a relative with a house there and remembers fondly the bustling town.  However, when they arrive, it's September and it's more like a ghost town.  Henry and Effie are shy with each other, Effie is sorely disappointed with the town, and they are ready to head back to Georgia when they notice a party going on in a house down the street.  They find out it's someone that Effie remembers from her youth there - Clara was older and somewhat mean to Effie then.  Clara is there with her lover, Max, and his sister, Alma.  Soon the group is inseparable and they spend their days drinking, sailing and partying.  Henry and Effie are enthralled with what they feel is the sophistication of the group, so different from their country lifestyle.  Then Henry becomes enchanted with Alma, things happen at a party, and life is never the same.

Filled with plenty of sex scenes, most of these characters were hard to like, especially Henry.  It does harken back to a time of double standards for behavior between the exes (or is it still happening?).

4.26.2019 - Swimming for Sunlight

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Allie Larkin for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book - I was just in the mood for a sweet, charming read.  And any book with positive messages about the older generation definitely gets 5 stars!

Katie is recently divorced and moves from her home in New York to live with her grandmother in Florida.  The only thing that Katie got from the divorce was their dog, Bark.  When Katie moves in with Nan, she discovers a different side of Nan than the one she grew up with.  Katie learns that Nan was once a mermaid in a traveling exhibition and is in a mermaid exercise class.  Nan's friends envelop Katie with love and support, but Katie has crippling anxiety (as does Bark) and can't bring herself to love or be loved for fear of loss, which extends to Luca, an old boyfriend, who comes back into the picture.

I just adored these characters - especially Nan and her friends - but Luca and Mo are so supportive and loving.  This is just a sweet book about love, friendship, fears and strength.  Highly recommended!

4.24.2019 - The Family Lie

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Jake Cross for the opportunity to read his latest thriller.

Anna wakes in the middle of the night from noises coming through the baby monitor in their 5-year-old's room.  She realizes it's rain coming in from an open window but Josie is not in her room.  As she goes to investigate, she realizes her husband, Nick, is not in the house either.  She runs outside and sees blood on the steps before calling the police.  When the police arrive, they seem to think Nick is the one who took Josie, even though Anna believes in Nick.  The search for Josie is on.

While there were lots of twists and turns in this book, somehow it didn't capture my complete attention and I never felt drawn in to the characters or story.  Some things bugged me - Anna always referring to Josie as "little lady."  There were lots of characters in this book but instead of adding suspicion, just seemed to cause some confusion.

A good read but just not a great one to me.

4.21.2019 - The Mother-in-Law

So many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Sally Hepworth for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel.  I'm a huge fan of Hepworth's but this may be her best yet.  5 glowing stars to this read!

Lucy's mother died when she was a teenager.  So when she falls in love with Ollie and meets his mother, she has dreams of having that close mothering relationship she has yearned for in her life.  But Diana is not the warm and fuzzy type.  She keeps her emotional distance and tries to instill values in her children.  Very well to do, Diana believes money should go to help those truly in need, not to bail out those who have been born into every advantage.  The story starts with Diana's murder and then takes the reader into the past, where we learn Diana's back story as well as the events leading up to the murder.  Everyone in the family has secrets.

The best part of this book to me is the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship.  Such a slippery slope between good intentions and how things are perceived.  The chicken story in this book is priceless to me and shows how little we communicate those feelings that would make these relationships so much better for all sides.  A great read - highly recommended!

4.19.2019 - The Better Sister

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Alafair Burke for the opportunity to read and review her latest domestic thriller - I loved it!

Chloe is a powerhouse, editor-in-chief at the last feminist newspaper, and author of the latest movement, #ThemToo taking over the country.  She is married to successful attorney, Adam, who just happens to be the ex-husband of her sister, Nicky.  They are raising Ethan, Nicky and Adam's child from their marriage, because Nicky was the wild sister, even though she was the oldest, and had issues caring for Ethan.  Then Adam is brutally murdered at their East Hampton summer home and suddenly everyone is a suspect, including Ethan.  Nicky leaves their childhood home in Cleveland to stay with Chloe, where the sisters must confront their estranged relationship for Ethan's sake.

This was a quick read and I was pretty much glued to the pages.  Can I say how much I enjoyed the Cleveland references, especially a Browns win mention?

4.17.2019 - Normal People

Thanks to NetGalley, Faber & Faber, and Sally Rooney for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel.  I'm a bit conflicted in my review here but I'm going to give it a 3.5, rounded up.  It is a character study of two young people whose lives continue to intertwine yet never really get to the connection they should; ends up being a bit sad.

Marianne and Connell met in school when both are teenagers.  They come from very different background - Connell's singer mother is Marianne's family's housekeeper.  They are drawn to each other and start a secret relationship but since Marianne is considered odd and school with no friends, Connell can't bring himself to bring the relationship to light and behaves badly.  They still can't leave each other alone and meet again at university.  This time, Marianne is the popular one where Connell feels adrift.  This back-and-forth relationship continues throughout the book.

It's a commentary on bullying and how it changes both the bully and the one who bullies; peer pressure; self-esteem and social class - all so very relevant topics in this social media world.  It was a bit of a slow read for me.

4.15.2019 - The Eighth Sister

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Robert Dugoni for the opportunity to read his latest book.  While Russian spy novels might not typically be my go-to choice, it's Robert Dugoni!  I will read anything by him.  If you haven't read his books - you are totally missing out.  Plus, this is the start of a new series - more to look forward to!

Charles Jenkins is happy running a security firm, living on a farm in Seattle with his wife, Alex, who is pregnant, and son CJ.  Life would be good except for the fact that his client is over late paying bills amounting to over $50,000, meaning Charles can't meet his payroll.  Alex's pregnancy is complicated as well, leading to more worries.  Charles was in the CIA decades ago but when his old handler came to see him to ask him to do an undercover mission in Russia to save the lives of women working as US spies.  Charles can speak Russian and was skilled in his old CIA life, so he was the perfect person.  The fact that he would get much needed payment for the job made it impossible to resist.  An exciting thrill ride ensues as Charles tries to stay one step ahead of the FSB (the modern day KGB).  The second part of the book is courtroom drama - none the less exciting.

Enough said - great read and an exciting start to a new series!

4.12.2019 - Miracle Creek

Many thanks to NetGalley, Sarah Crichton Books, and Angie Kim for the opportunity to read this amazing debut novel - nothing less than 5 stars for this fabulous read!

Young and Pak Yoo run the Miracle Submarine - a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for "dives."  This treatment is said to help autistic children, infertility, and a host of other issues.  However, an explosion occurs and kills 2 people inside the chamber as well as injures Pak and their daughter, Mary.

The book takes the reader through the trial - one of the mothers of an autistic boy is charged with setting the fire that killed her son as well as another mother.  Told in various viewpoints, we see that all of the characters are telling lies - to others and to themselves - as the story unfolds.  Figuring out the mystery of who is guilty is just part of this book.  These characters will stay in your heart - they are all so very human.  Parenting is a big theme, as is cultural differences, integrity and disability.  This would be an incredible book club pick because there is so very much to discuss.  But the mystery part kept me changing my mind until the end!

Bravo to all involved for this incredible debut - everyone must read this book!  And I can only hope for more from this talented author.

4.9.2019 - Lost Roses

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Martha Hall Kelly for the opportunity to read and review her latest book - a prequal to her first novel, The Lilac Girls.  While this book didn't hold quite the same emotional punch for me that  Lilac Girls did, it's still a wonderfully researched and written book.  4.5 stars!

The author again tells this story from 3 different voices:  Eliza - who is the mother of Caroline Ferriday, who figures prominently in Lilac Girls and is a true character; Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Russian royal family the Romanov's; and Varinka, the daughter of the local fortune teller.  Eliza and Sofya are good friends but with Eliza living in New York and Sofya in Russia, the intersection of these 3 women's stories is amazing and heartbreaking.

This book can certainly be read as a stand-alone and is highly recommended.  The author is busy writing yet another prequel, going back to the Civil War to explore descendants of the Ferriday's.  You can bet that it will be another well-researched trip to the past.

4.6.2019 - Run Away

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Harlan Coben for the opportunity to read his latest thriller - this is definitely a Do Not Miss It read - 5 stars for a wild ride!

Simon Greene and his wife, Dr Ingrid Greene, seemingly have the perfect life - great jobs, living in NYC, 3 great kids.  Until their oldest, Paige, goes to college and things take a bad turn.  Paige eventually becomes addicted to drugs and leaves the family.  Simon is in Central Park at lunch one day and sees a street performer panhandling - he realizes it's Paige.  He goes after her, is confronted by her druggie boyfriend, Aaron, and Paige takes off running.  Simon and Ingrid do what any of us would do - try to find her.  That decision leads them down a dark rabbit hole and involves an intertwined plot of murders that somehow must circle back to Paige.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down.  You will feel for these characters and become emotionally involved.  Highly recommended - another winner by Coben!

4.4.2019 - Saving Meghan

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and D.J. Palmer for the opportunity to read this medical thriller!  I loved it and couldn't put it down - I kept changing my mind on who exactly was doing what to whom!

After a difficult childhood, Becky is a good mother to Meghan.  However, when Meghan becomes very ill, Becky becomes obsessed with trying to find out what's wrong with her daughter.  She takes her from doctor to doctor where they perform test after test and nothing can ever be diagnosed.  When Meghan exhibits even worse symptoms, doctors at the hospital step in and accuse Becky of having Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and either causing Meghan's symptoms or causing Meghan to have psychological issues presenting in physical illness.  Becky's husband, Carl, is tired of Becky's obsession as well and isn't sure the doctors aren't correct.

A great thrill ride of a book - highly recommended!

4.3.2019 - The Stillwater Girls

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Minka Kent for the opportunity to read and review her latest book.  Thoroughly engrossing book - I loved it!

Two girls are left alone in a remote cabin in Upstate New York when their mother leaves to take their youngest sister for medical help - and they never return.  The girls do their best to survive but they are living totally off-the-grid and supplies have run out.  Their worst fears come to life when a strange man bursts into their cabin looking for their mother.

Told in alternate chapters between the girls and a married woman having doubts about her husband.  She fears that he is seeing someone else and it threatens to bring back depression she has fought hard to conquer.

There was something about this book - easily readable, short chapters, that had me glued to the pages to see how it was going to turn out.  Even when I may have guessed some paths, it was still such an intriguing read for me.

4.1.2019 - The Ash Family

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Molly Dektar for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel.  3.5 stars for a good read and a new author to watch for!

Berie is headed off to college; her mother sold family jewelry in order to help pay her way.  But she can't make herself get on the plane.  At a bus stop, she meets Bay, a mysterious, seductive man who convinces her to come to the Ash Family Farm with him.  Cut off from her boyfriend, her mother, and her life, her name is changed to Harmony and she settles into the commune, run by a man called Dice.  But all is definitely not peace and love.  There are many rules and danger to those who break them or leave.

I'm always fascinated with stories of cults - history is ripe with stories of seemingly smart individuals who get sucked into following a charismatic individual and end up losing their lives in one way or another.  This story was a peek into communal living and how people change in that environment.  But I was never quite as connected to the story as I wanted to be - still a good read.