9.28.2016 - The Wonder

A heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

This is the Emma Donoghue that wrote Room - that I loved, loved, loved and told everyone within earshot about. I feel the same about The Wonder. That both are centered in small rooms is not lost on me!

The Wonder takes place in rural Ireland, about 7 years after the potato famine that devastated the area. The author's writing about the location takes you physically and emotionally there - the mist, the bogs, the trees...you really feel you are there.

The story revolves around Anna - an 11-year-old girl who apparently hasn't had a bite of food since her last birthday 4 months ago. From a deeply religious family, everyone is convinced that this is a miracle from God because Anna appears to be thriving. A committee of townspeople (including the family priest and doctor) come up with a plan to prove doubters wrong. They hire a nun and a nurse to watch over Anna at all times for two weeks - she must never be out of their site.

Lib is the nurse that is hired - she trained under Florence Nightingale and served in the Crimea War. However, since the war's end, she is working at a hospital doing paltry aide duties. She approaches the job of watching Anna in a very serious vein but with a very skeptical attitude. She is not religious and doesn't believe that Anna is a miracle child; she is convinced that she will uncover the truth about where Anna is getting nourishment.

I don't want to give anything away because you need to read this book - a true wonder!!

9.24.2016 - I Will Send Rain

First, many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book - it was amazing.

Such a beautifully-written story that totally immerses you into the 1930s in the drought-stricken areas of Oklahoma. This is the story of the Bell's - a hard-working family that has seen their share of grief and sadness. They are sadly used to a tough existence, praying for rain to help salvage their crops, only to be greeted with unimaginable dust storms.

You feel the family's hardships - Samuel, the father, struggles with his visions of a flood and that God is telling him to build a boat. Annie, the mother, quietly tries to be a good wife and mother, struggling with a loss of faith because of so many other losses. Annie struggles with wanting something - or someone - to give her back the feelings she used to have when things were bright and the future promising. The children - Fred, a mute, curious, bright child; and Birdie, a teenager wanting to escape her mom's life yet falling in love with a farmer.

Each of these characters is so deep with need and want, love and duty - you could discuss them forever. But the best part is that you feel them as you read this book - you feel the pain, the grief, the yearning for more.

Don't miss this experience - highly, highly recommended!

9.20.2016 - Boy 9 Missing

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this great debut thriller!

I really enjoyed this book - it would be a great book club book with lots of different characters to delve into.

The story opens with the bathtub drowning death of 9-year-old Lucas at a dinner party at his own home. A child guest at the party is the one who discovers the body but refuses to say a word about what happened. Lucas' brother carries the grief and anxieties forward into his adult life. Which is where we find ourselves in the heart of the book - Frances, the brother, returns to his hometown. His father has been obsessed with Sam, the boy who found Lucas dead, convinced that he killed his son. Then Sam's 9-year-old son goes missing.

It's a great thrill ride with plenty of suspense and twists. Can't wait to read more from this author!

9.16.2016 - Beat the Rain

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

This was a great book - lots of intrigue, great character exploration. The story is written in two viewpoints - Louise and Adam. Louise is a young woman with a sad family history - abandoned by her mom and then her dad died. She meets and falls in love with Tom, who also passes away. Enter Adam, Tom's twin brother. They get together, both trying to fill a need left by so much loss and grief. But those are deep holes and therein lies the story. Are they enough for each other? Can they make it work?

What I really loved about this book was the writing - there were so many beautiful phrases that just made you stop and take notice. And possibly apply them to your own life - be present, listen, don't take things for granted.

An amazing debut - looking forward to more from this author!

9.14.2016 - Anything for Her

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

A great thrill ride - Louise and her 18-year-old daughter Brooke have a secret that they've kept from everything, including Louise's husband Michael. Something happened on "that night" that changed everything. Louise went from a loving wife and happy therapist to a depressed woman. Brooke was no longer the party girl but a recluse in her home. Michael starts an affair to escape his home life. Ten-year-old Dominic is left wondering what happened to his family.

We don't find out what happened "that night" until almost half the book is done. But the secret is threatening to come out when events start crashing - Louise finds out who the object of her husband's affections has been and runs away to their country home by herself. Brooke is left home but seeks out her mom because she's the only one who understands. Someone is following them and appears to know their secret.

A good thrill ride - very enjoyable!

9.12.2016 - The One Man

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

I had previously read Andrew Gross' 15 Seconds and really enjoyed the fast-paced thriller. But The One Man is on a whole different level. This book will grip you and not let you go, even after you turn the last page.

The premise takes the thriller genre in a new direction. It's 1944 when Jews are being routinely rounded up and taken to concentration camps in horrifying numbers. A physics professor is taken prisoner, his lifetime work on paper destroyed in front of his eyes, and his wife and daughter taken off for dead. But this is no ordinary professor - he is one of two people in the world with specific knowledge about nuclear fission.

On the other side of the world, Nathan Blum left Poland just before his family was also killed. He now works in Washington DC but his grief and guilt at being free while his family perished pushes him to want to do more with his life. He ends up being selected for a fool's mission - to break into Auschwitz and then break out with the professor.

From then on, this is nothing short of a horrifying glimpse into the horrors of that time period interspersed with an incredible, roller coaster of a thriller. So much to think about in this book - both the depravity and kindness of people, bravery, the importance of just one man in so many different ways.

Do not miss reading this book - it will stay with you long after you have finished. Bravo to the author!

9.5.2016 - Everything We Keep

                                    

4 Stars

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

It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel, and I'm going to be on the lookout for her future works. This was a suspenseful novel without feeling too suspenseful; in other words, there was a lot of focus on the characters.

Aimee is getting ready to marry her childhood best friend when he goes missing. Instead of getting married, she ends up going to his funeral on their wedding date. Aimee just can't let go of James - she never saw his body and she just doesn't feel any closure. Those feelings multiply when a mysterious woman tells her that she believes James is still alive.

While holding on to that hope and still not letting go, she manages to move on. She begins a new career and possibly an interest in a new man. Until she has to see for herself is James is alive or dead.

The author deftly gives you background information into the characters while moving on in the story, again letting you into the characters' feelings while exploring the mystery.

This book will leave you wanting more - possibly a sequel and definitely more books to come from this author!         

9.3.2016 - You Will Know Me

5 stars!

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

I really liked this one...it's a different kind of thriller as well as a great character study. The book and the world revolves around Devon - an extremely gifted gymnast. After a childhood accident, she went on to excel in the world of gymnastics and is on track to go to the Olympics. Of course, behind every child star is a family - parents who give up everything to make sure that their child has everything possible to achieve those dreams. Siblings who are always in the background. And whose dreams are they really? How well do we know our children? Add all of that drama to the fact that a crime happens to someone they all know - who did it? And who knows?

This book kept me hostage - it is subtle in the feelings it provokes. But that creepy feeling you get just waiting for something to happen is strong in this book and adds another layer to all the characters. Even if you think you figure it out along the way, it takes nothing away from the suspense. I even learned quite a lot about the gymnastics world.

This was just great writing - mark me as a fan.

9.1.2016 - The Girl Before

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

Another good psychological thriller - I waivered between 4 and 5 stars for this book. I love how the story was told in two voices: Before-Emma and Now-Jane.

Both of these narrators are chosen to be renters/caretakers for a very unusual house - one that comes with so many rules set forth by the architect who built it. The house is technologically intelligent - shower comes on when you step in at the exact temperature you like, you can't bring any clutter to disrupt the minimalism (not even books!), and on and on. Both narrators are trying to escape from their pasts - Emma from a burglary at her previous home and Jane from a stillbirth. They both begin relationships with the architect.

There the fun begins - this is a very quick read with short alternating chapters. I really enjoyed figuring out the all the truths amidst all the lies.