7.30.2016 - The Couple Next Door

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book - amazing!!

It's incredibly hard to believe that this is a debut writer - this is one of those books that grabs you and will not let you put the book down until you are finished. Because you just have to know what happens and you can't rest until you do! But be prepared - there are lots and lots of twists and turns that just keep you guessing and reading!

Anne and Marco have a 6-month-old baby girl. Anne is struggling with post-partum depression and is dealing with feeling fat and unhappy even while she loves her baby girl. They live in a row house and had plans to go to a dinner party at their next-door neighbor's house when the babysitter canceled. Marco convinces Anne that they will be right next door (they have a shared wall with the neighbor) - they take the baby monitor with them and have a plan to take turns checking on Cora every half hour. All goes well until they return home and Cora is missing.

Because it's a scenario that you can somewhat imagine doing yourself (you're right next door, you have a baby monitor, you keep checking - what could happen?), you totally feel for these parents as they are interrogated by the police and start having doubts about each other.

I can say no more because I don't want to ruin the ride for everyone - and everyone should read this book! Clear your calendar - and then join the wait for this author's next book!

7.28.2016 - We Are Unprepared

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The premise of this book is very timely and touches all of our fears about global warming and self-preservation.

Ash and Pia are a young couple who moved from Manhattan to start a new, simple life in Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. Soon after their move, word of an unprecedented super storm comes down and threatens much of the country's survival.

Ash and Pia become divided in how they approach preparing for this disaster - Ash becomes involved in town politics and tries to help however he can to prepare the town. Pia gets involved with Preppers - more radical, off-the-grid type, people. This divide only serves to highlight the divide that is taking place in their marriage as their hopes and dreams start taking different paths.

I really enjoyed this book - a scary foretelling of what might happen in the future.

7.25.2016 - All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

First - so many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

This book won't be for everyone - the title is very apt. There is a lot of ugly and a lot of wonderful to be had in this book. But what a ride - you don't just read this book, you feel it. You hurt, you cry, you are repulsed, you feel passion, excitement, love. Be prepared to shelve normal feelings about this subject matter.

Wavy is a young girl who has been poisoned by words her mom said in her angry, alcoholic way of parenting. Wavy learned early that there were different kinds of moms depending on her state. But Wavy also absorbed the words her mom said into her being - she became almost mute and wouldn't eat or let anyone touch her. Enter Kellen - a gruff, tattooed, mostly loser big bear of a man. These two characters find in each other what each needs - love, family, acceptance.

The story is told by so many, many different characters which really lets you live this story. I don't want to say anymore about it because you need to experience it yourself. I won't forget this book or characters and as much as I couldn't put it down, I was so sad that it was over at the end.

Do not miss this one!

7.21.2016 - Among the Wicked

I'm a sucker for these books about Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police in a small Amish community outside Millersburg, OH. They never fail to disappoint!

This one was even more intriguing to me - I lived about an hour north of Millersburg and moved to upstate NY a few years ago. This story line has Kate being asked to work undercover in an Amish community in upstate NY. A teenage girl has recently been found dead and the police are unable to make any progress in the investigation because the Amish community is so cloistered. Enter Kate whose Amish past makes her the perfect undercover person. But is she in over her head?

A very fast-moving read as are all of these books. My only disappointment is that the author, Linda Castillo, was in my upstate NY town for a reading tonight and my plans to attend fell through!

Don't miss one of these books - I'm already anxious for the next one!    

7.17.2016 - Damaged

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I'm a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline - I've read all of her stand-alone novels as well as her collections of columns and loved them all. But this is the first Rosato & DiNunzio book I've read - now I want to go back and read all the others! However, this is definitely a great stand-alone book.

Mary is a partner in a law firm and she takes on a special education/bullying case of a 10-year-old with dyslexia. Patrick has had a tough life - parents deceased, living with his adored grandfather who is in ill health. As Mary investigates the case, she finds it is much more complicated that it first appeared and she starts being obsessed with helping Patrick. However, details come out that seem to point toward Patrick having much more complicated issues.

This is a fast-moving thriller and has enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the pages while Mary fights for justice. Don't miss this one!

7.14.2016

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I liked this thriller - and it's the second book I've read in a row that involves a cult. Besides being a thriller, it really explores friendship and how much we can trust those we think we know so well.

Jane is a young woman with a job she likes, a new boyfriend, and is content with her life. Until her past interferes with a letter sent to her saying that the anonymous writer knows who she really is - and she isn't Jane Hughes.

That sets up a Past and Present storyline. 5 years ago, four university friends set out on a trip of a lifetime to a retreat in the mountains of Nepal. However, the vacation certainly doesn't turn out as planned and the retreat is a cult in disguise.

There were a few moments that I thought the main character should have been more aware - in both the present and the past - but it didn't spoil the adventure for me.

7.11.2016 - Cover Me in Darkness

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book is quite a way from publication date so only a couple reviews on Goodreads at this point - but I would give it a high 4 star rating and am surprised at the few low ratings!

This was a good mystery that pretty much left me guessing. It had a great premise - Amanda was raised by a mentally-ill mom who got involved in a cult. It unfortunately led to tragic consequences for their entire family.

Years later, Amanda is successfully working in a cosmetic company startup as a lab tech and has been able to hide her past. Until events from the past start coming into the future. Is Amanda at fault? Is someone trying to silence her?

I carried this book around with me hoping for a few minutes to read it. Great read!

7.8.2016 - Strange Things Done

Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

There was a lot I really liked about this book - it takes place in the Yukon where there is a yearly "freeze up." At that point, residents of the small Dawson City are basically trapped - all the roads and airports to/from the area are shut down. What an intriguing setting for a mystery involving deaths of prominent town members.

But the story moved a little slowly for me and I never felt quite as invested as I should to get really involved. There were so many characters and you couldn't trust any of them - good in some ways but just left a lot of unsettled story lines for me.

Still a good read - especially in the winter months instead of the 90 degree days I read it!

7.4.2016 - The Most Dangerous Place on Earth

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read this book!

I really liked this debut book - I would hesitate to call it Young Adult, even though it is about a group of teenagers in an affluent suburb of San Francisco.

The book is divided into sections - Eighth Grade, Junior Year, Senior Year - and follows these characters from a tragedy that united them/divided them in Eighth Grade through their Senior year of high school. Each of the chapters within these sections are written in a voice of one of the students involved as well as a new, young teacher to their school.

All of the elements that make high school a very dangerous place appear here - cliques, bullying, partying, sexual experimentation, just to name a few. There was a lot to not like about a lot of these characters, yet they felt real, and spoke to the feeling of entitlement that these rich young people seem to carry. However, many characters were so multi-dimensional that you could feel their struggles just to get through their day.

With the social media explosion, this book certainly makes me glad that my kids are grown although I do fear for future generations. A very thought-provoking read - should be a must read for middle and high school teachers!

7.2.2016 - Multiple Listings

Thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Tracy McMillan for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Although this could easily be classified as somewhat predictable chick-lit, I really enjoyed this story. Lots of things in it to make you think about life and relationships just a bit different.

Nicki is a single mom to Cody, a 17-year-old who is addicted to the card game Magic. Nicki seems to have one bad boyfriend experience after another and is reeling from her latest. Enter into the picture Ronnie, her dad who has been in prison for most of her life.

The story is broken into chapters by the perspective of both Nicki and Ronnie, which allows us to see the same situation from both of their viewpoints.

A great summer read with a little more thought-provoking potential!