11.18.2024 - Shell Games

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Bonnie Kistler.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

You need to go into this one as blind as possible for full enjoyment, so to break the storyline down into its vaguest form, Kate, an elderly real estate developer powerhouse, has reconnected with her childhood sweetheart, Charlie, and they are getting married.  On their wedding night, Charlie makes a confession to Kate and everything changes.

This was such a fabulous, roller coaster thriller!  I questioned everyone because it seemed that everyone had ulterior motives, was gaslighting everyone else, and you didn't know who you could believe or trust, if anyone.  Because when money and power are involved, even with family, everything gets muddy.  This one kept me engrossed with all its twists and turns until the final one on the last page - perfection!  Definitely a must read, so don't miss it!

11.13.2024 - Life's Short, Talk Fast

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and WW Norton & Company for gifting me a digital ARC of this collection of essays revolving around The Gilmore Girls, edited by Ann Hood.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

This is a collection of essays by a diverse group of authors all revolving around this iconic TV show.  I have to admit that when the show first aired in 2000, I had two boys - one just off to college and the other in high school, and my family's TV viewing revolved around Star Trek in all its many forms.  Yet, I still jumped at the opportunity to read this book because first, Ann Hood!  But I found myself so involved in these essays which range from humorous to heartbreaking and everything in between.  Plus the viewpoints were from die-hard fans to those who had never seen it.  The stories show just how uniting and relatable TV can be.  Highly recommended if you are a fan, but the stories are wonderful even if you aren't!

11.12.2024 - What the Nanny Saw

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Kaira Rouda.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Celicia should be on the top of the world - she has a gorgeous house on the beach, money galore, and a beautiful new baby girl, Peyton.  But she's struggling - Alex, her partner and Peyton's dad, has not been supportive and she fears he's cheating.  Plus she's struggling with being a new mom.  So when she meets Lizzie at a coffee shop, she hires her to be her new nanny.  But Lizzie has some ulterior motives as well.

I'm a sucker for anything that Kaira Rouda writes, especially this series featuring Celicia Strom.  For full effect, start with Best Day Ever, still one of my top favorite books, then read The Second Mrs. Strom.  But even if you just jump right in on this book, you won't be disappointed, because there is enough info to catch up.  Paul, Cecilia's ex, is still in prison, but is still somehow communicating with her, leaving her scared and paranoid.  Both Lizzie and Cecilia will do anything they can to get what they want.  This is another fun, twisted ride and I loved it - please say there will be another chapter in Cecilia's life for us to explore!

11.11.2024 - Her Housekeeper

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest psychological thriller by Samantha Hayes.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Gina and Matt's house was destroyed in a fire, but thankfully their friend, Annie, was out of the area for work and allowed them and their children to stay at her home.  Mary, Annie's housekeeper, shows up and is soon moving into the attic room with her teenage son because of an abusive situation at their home.  Gina isn't completely comfortable with Mary and feels she is acting too close to Matt.  But Annie assures her that all is well.  But is it?

This was such a fast paced thriller with many twists and turns.  You might be like me and think you have it all figured out, but there were so many shocking reveals.  Told from multiple POV and in different timelines, the suspense keeps building and I couldn't put it down.  The characters were relatable - you could feel Gina's angst and concern for her family, as well as her frustration with Matt and Mary.  Another fabulous read by Samantha Hayes!

11.10 - How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut book by Anna Montague.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars rounded up!

Magda Eklund is turning 70 and still working as a therapist in a group practice with friends from school.  She's always been on her own except for the close friendship she shares with Sara.  When Sara dies, she becomes adrift.  Sara's husband gives Magda all Sara's kept letters and journals, and Magda finds out that Sara's plans for her big birthday were for the two of them to go on a road trip to meaningful places in their lives.  Magda decides to take that trip with Sara beside her in her urn.

This was an alternately humorous and thoughtful look at grief and coming to terms with our own wants and desires.  We learn about how Magda's childhood growing up with Swedish immigrant parents and younger sister, Hedda, shaped her.   It's wishing for second chances when the possibility is long past, but still being able to forge on a new path.  I was sometimes a bit confused with the characters for some reason, and kept looking up names to see just where they fit in.  But it was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

11.7.2024 - Grave Talk

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest book by Nick Spalding, narrated perfectly by Imogene Church and Steve West.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Alice is devastated by the loss of her husband, Joe.  So the last thing she expects to see when she's visiting his grave on his birthday is a man dressed up like Kermit the Frog.  It turns out that Ben (AKA Kermit) lost his brother, Harry, who is buried next to Joe.  Harry, always a practical joker, left specific instructions to Ben to visit his grave every year on this date, and left specific costumes he was required to dress up in, as well as a song to sing while there.   Alice and Ben meet in this same way every year and form a friendship forged in grief.  They eventually start making challenges for the other to try and help.

Nick Spalding has done it again - taken the difficult subjects of death and grieving and created a book that is funny, poignant, and hopeful.  The narration only made this book better, and you won't be able to stop seeing Ben in these various costumes in your mind.  Alice and Ben form such a unique bond, and I really appreciated how the story didn't go where I predicted.  Don't miss this one!

11.6.2024 - Deadly Animals

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this debut novel by Marie Tierney, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Olivia Dowd.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Ava is not a normal teenager.  She has an obsessive interest in dead animals and how they compose.  She collects roadkill in the middle of the night and pulls them into her den, recording her findings in notebooks.  But one night, she comes across the body of her classmate, Mickey.  Worried that she might be in trouble for her nighttime activities, she makes an anonymous phone call to the police.  Detective Delahaye begins investigating, and Ava does her best to help, because more teenagers are going missing.

This is a wonderful debut and I would love to see it become a series, because the combination of Ava and the detective were wonderful!  Ava's character is amazing - having a tough home life, she is strong, intelligent, interested in everything, helpful, very respective.  While the subject matter is definitely dark, it's not overly graphic or gratuitous, though still sad and disturbing.  This story takes place in the 1980s; there was an interview between narrator and author at the end of the audiobook which explained that the author wanted the mystery to not be easily solved with modern advances in DNA.  So it's nostalgic, with a small town feel, and the alternating POV between Ava and the detective in short chapters were perfect to engage the reader with this story.  Anxious to read more from this author!