6.29.2017 - Everything We Left Behind

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Kerry Lonsdale for the opportunity to read and review this book - I loved it!

This is the sequel to a favorite of mine from last year, Everything We Keep. It's a somewhat complicated story - James is engaged to marry Aimee. Two months before the wedding, he discovers his brother Phil is laundering money and endangering the family business. He takes off to Mexico where he is lost at sea and presumed dead.

Six years later, James wakes up from a fugue state where he learned he had been living in Mexico as Carlos, a widower with two sons, and is involved with his sister-in-law. This book is told from both James' point of view in the present and Carlos' starting in the past and moving forward. It's fascinating to see both characters and the story develop.

These are great books and there is another coming next year - I already can't wait for it! Pick up the first one, then grab this sequel!

6.27.2017 - Hello Sunshine

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Simon Schuster and Laura Dave for the opportunity to read and review her latest book - I really liked it!

Sunshine Mackenzie is living the life - she is a cooking video sensation who is on the cusp of a huge deal with the Food Network and to write a cookbook. Then she gets hacked. She is revealed to be a fake - her background, her skills, her story, her - it's all fake. The fall from grace is swift - she quickly loses her job, her husband, her home. She's forced to go back to her childhood home in the Hamptons and to her estranged sister, Rain. (Yes, the characters are named Sunshine and Rain!) While there, she is forced to take a hard look at her life and herself.

I was a huge fan of Eight Hundred Grapes and her latest will not disappoint. It was an easy read, great characters and had much to ponder - another story about the pitfalls of living our life on social media. Highly recommended!

6.25.2017 - Fitness Junkie

Thanks to NetGalley, Doubleday, and the authors for the opportunity to read this fun book!

In a nutshell, this is a book that pokes serious fun at the weight-loss industry and our society for being so focused on being skinny. The letter in the front of my ARC says that the authors found that when they were coming up with ludicrous weight-loss diets and workouts that they were all out there in the world - and there are some crazy ones!

Janey is the CEO of B - a bridal design group that sells uber-expensive gowns only to a size 4. When the designer, Beau, who is Janey's best friend since grade school, shows a picture to Janey of her eating a bruffin at a fashion show, he tells her that she must lose 30 pounds before she can come back to work. While Janey might have put on a few pounds since going through a divorce, she appears to have a healthy attitude about weight. Until the ultimatum. Suddenly she finds herself in the crazy world of rich people trying to lose weight however they can. Janey's good friend, CJ, who is always trying the latest crazy diet trend, jumps in to help out.

While this book is hilarious, it does point fingers at society and its body-shaming attitude that skinny is the ultimate price, even if it's not healthy. On a good note, it may make you want to eat healthier and go for a walk!

Lots of fun - highly recommended!

6.23.2017 - Anatomy of a Scandal

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Atria Books and Sarah Vaughan for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful novel.

This is a very well-written character-driven novel. It goes to the heart of what we each define as the truth and how well we know those closest to us.

James is a ranked member of the House of Commons and the Prime Minister is his best friend from school. He is also attractive, has the perfect wife and 2 children. All is well until James is accused of rape. How much do those factors influence juries?

Sophia, his wife, can't believe that her husband would ever be capable of rape. However, she is devastated by the news of his affair with the coworker who is now accusing him. Kate is the prosecutor bent on making sure that James pays for his crime.

Told in alternate points of view between Sophia and Kate, as well as different timelines, a gripping story comes out that leads us to question the line between consensual sex and rape, the definition of truth, how much our backgrounds influence our behavior.

This would be a great book club book with lots to dissect!

6.20.2017 - Who is Rich?

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

I thought that the writing in this book was great, very descriptive, loved the addition of graphic drawings since the subject was a cartoonist. But I just didn't like Rich so it was hard to get into this book too much.

Rich is a cartoonist who had a lot of success early on but is now struggling just to make ends meet in a world that is increasingly going away from print media. Every year, he goes to a summer arts conference in a scenic New England town where he teaches cartooning. The same cast of characters teaches at this conference - it is portrayed as a grown-up version of spring break, where everyone can escape from their normal (read horrible) lives.

Rich leaves at home a wife, also struggling to get back to her career, a young daughter and an infant son. At home, he's on the night duty, struggling to attend to a son who never sleeps. Both parents are obviously sleep-deprived and at their wits end so attending to their marriage is not on the top of their list. When Rich reconnects with Amy, the wife of a billionaire who pays no attention to her, the affair they started last summer and continued through a series of affirming texts all year, heats up.

While we all can understand the draw of someone paying attention to us while we slip away from the mind-numbing details of our real life, everyone in this book came across entitled, selfish, whiney, and incapable of making good decisions.

The writing was top-notch but hopefully the author's next book will contain characters we can get behind a bit more!

6.18.2017 - I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool

Thanks so much to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

What can I say? I always love these books! This mother-daughter writing duo never fail to make me laugh, cry, relate, and basically want to be their best friends - because they already seem like best friends! I kept reading these short chapters in between other things, basically prolonging finishing the book.

If you haven't read any of these books - start at the beginning so you know and love all the backstories, and just enjoy! Highly recommended as always!

6.18.2017 - When I Wake Up

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Aria Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Anna is a well-loved teacher, married to Erik who is a house painter/bandmate, and mother of two twin boys. The book opens with a vicious attack on Anna that leaves her in a coma. Erik tries to investigate who could have attacked Anna and uncovers many secrets.

This was a well-written psychological thriller with lots of suspects to keep you guessing to the end. Be aware that it is sexually explicit if that's an issue with you. I enjoyed all the different points of view and timelines that let us explore each of the characters' backgrounds and motives. Most of the characters aren't real likeable but that doesn't take away from the suspense of this book.

Well worth the read - I couldn't put it down!

6.16.2017 - Trophy Son

Thanks so much to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Douglas Brunt for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed delving into this book and into the world of professional tennis. Anton is the younger son in a Greek family where both parents were Olympic athletes who never medaled. That unfulfilled quest had a huge impact on both of them - the dad became the obsessive, driven parent that forced Anton into being the best. Mom, however, could not stand up to her husband, even while she was sad that Anton didn't ever have the luxury of being bored as she was in childhood.

There was no doubt that Anton was gifted in tennis but was certainly helped by the fact that his family was extremely wealthy and willing to devote everything to Anton's success. They had a tennis court in the backyard, hired coaches and trainers, unlimited ability to travel. Anton's father was harsh, belittling, emotionally abusive and Anton grew to hate tennis while he still strove to win. He quit school after 8th grade and had no life besides tennis.

This was a glimpse into the world of pro-tennis, the loneliness of the sport, the demands mentally and physically. It was also a look at the cost of pushing our children into being what we desire them to be. Anton's personal struggles caused him to lose himself and eventually try to fight for his life.

A great read!

6.13.2017 - Persons Unknown

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review her latest book - which I loved!

I was a huge fan of Missing, Presumed and was excited that it was the beginning of a series centering around Manon - a police investigator. This book begins with Manon moving back to Cambridgeshire from London, with her adopted son Fly, her sister Ellie and her son. Fly is not happy with their move - he's the only black student in school, he misses his friends and Manon is pregnant. Meanwhile, Manon has to take a job in cold cases instead of being a lead investigator as she was previously. She's now ambivalent about the upcoming baby too. Then Ellie's ex-husband is found murdered and Fly becomes a suspect.

The story is told in different voices which leads to lots of background but still lots of questions. How well do we know our families? I loved getting reacquainted with Davy, now lead investigator on Fly's case. Susie Steiner is a wonderful author and this is a highly-recommended series! I can't wait for the next one...

6.10.2017 - A Perfect Obsession

Thanks to NetGalley, Mira Books and Heather Graham for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This is the second in a series of books involving criminal psychologist Kieran Finnegan and FBI Agent Craig Frasier. Although I've read other books by this author, I unfortunately hadn't read her first in this series. While this read fine as a stand-alone book, I think I would have enjoyed it more knowing more of the background and interaction between the characters.

There is a serial killer loose in NYC - someone is killing and then hiding/displaying them in underground crypts and mausoleums. There was a long list of suspects, including Kieran's brother, and it was a good read to figure out who did it. I loved Finnegan's Irish pub as well as the wonderful close Kinnegan family. While I thought all the history of cemeteries and underground crypts and tunnels in NYC was very interesting, Kieran seemed to come across bodies a bit too conveniently!

An enjoyable read!

6.8.2017 - The Weaver Fish

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

Whew - this was a tough one. I wanted to stop reading so many times but pressed on. This is definitely a book that I just wasn't smart enough to get - it reads more like a textbook, with multitudes of footnotes, equations, scientific jargon that I just didn't get or even care about. There were some interesting plot lines where I stopped and read more slowly but most of the time I just wanted to be done reading it!

This book got generally good reviews so the fault of not getting it obviously was mine!

6.4.2017 - The Weight of Lies

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Carpenter for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a good mystery with lots going on in the plot and characters. Meg Ashley is the mostly-estranged daughter of Frances Ashley who wrote a best-selling cult horror novel decades ago. Meg gets drawn into writing a revenge novel about her neglectful mother as well as digging deeper into the true events that supposedly sparked the story behind the successful novel.

Meg goes to a creepy island off Georgia where the story happened. Doro, who was Kitten in her mom's novel, welcomes her into the old hotel that no longer accepts guests. Doro pledges to help Meg in her quest to find answers as to the murder that happened so many years ago. However, as Meg delves deeper into the story, she finds that there are many suspects, including her own mother, and now Meg's own life appears in jeopardy.

There is a lot of action going on and there are alternating chapters from the old novel to add to the creepiness factor of the book. But this was a good ride and I couldn't wait to find out what happened!

6.2.2017 - The German Girl

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Atria Books and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm always surprised when I read a book with yet another atrocity I hadn't heard of that occurred during World War II. This is a novel based on actual events when Jews were being rounded up and forced out of their homes in Germany. Hannah and her parents were well-to-do, lived a life of high society and were well-respected in their community. None of that mattered when the round ups started. Hannah's parents were lucky enough to obtain visas and book a passage on the ship St. Louis to Cuba, who was opening their doors for the refugees. Hannah's best friend, Leo, and his father also came on the boat with them, thanks to Hannah's parents. The ship was just an extension of their wealthy and glamorous lifestyle and Hannah and Leo had the run of the ship.

Then reports started coming in that Cuba was closing their borders. Eventually, only Hannah and her mother were allowed entry into Cuba along with a small number of others. The rest were turned away. They were also denied entry into the United States and Canada and were forced to return to Germany, where their fates were sealed.

This book is told in two different voices - Hannah's starting in 1939 and going to 2014. Anna's story begins in 2014 - Anna has lost her father and her mother is a shell of the person she was. Anna receives a letter from Hannah on her birthday - explaining that she raised Anna's father and wanted to meet. Anna and her mother travel to Cuba to meet with Hannah.

The contrasting yet similar stories of Hannah and Anna are at turns heartbreaking and hopeful. Such a horrible period in our history - stories like this make us think and hope that we will never repeat them. However, reading current stories of refugees barred from asylum in countries, including the US, make you wonder how much we've really learned.

The author's note and chilling list of real passengers on this fated voyage add to the horror of this story's background.

5.31.2017 - Every Last Lie

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Park Row Books and Mary Kubica for the opportunity to read and review her latest book - which I loved! I'm a big fan of Mary Kubica and was excited to read her latest - not a disappointment!

Clara is barely home from the hospital with her new baby boy when her husband is killed in a car accident bringing their 4-year-old home from her ballet classes. Stunned by grief, Clara refuses to tell her daughter Maisie that her daddy is dead and becomes paralyzed - stops sleeping, eating, barely getting by taking care of the kids.

When Maisie starts having nightmares about a "bad man," Clara starts questioning the police's version of the accident. Then Clara starts learning things about her husband, Nick, that make her question everything about their life together.

Told in two different voices - Clara in the present and Nick in the months preceding the accident - this is a great thriller that I couldn't put down - highly recommended!