12.30.2017 - The Chalk Man

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and CJ Tudor for the opportunity to read this debut book - wonderful!

This story is told from the viewpoint of Eddie in two different timeframes - 1986 and 2016.  In 1986, Eddie was in a group of friends in a small town with all that comes of growing up - bullying, family issues, school, religion.  They develop a method of communicating with each other by drawing chalk men - but one day, the chalk men lead them to a gruesome discovery.  In 2016, Ed is still living in his family home, teaching school in town, still friends with some of the group.  But the past has a way of never staying in the past.

There are so many twists in this book that I'm keeping my review short and sweet as to not spoil anything.  This book does contain some gruesome scenes but I never saw the twists coming - especially the ending.  Can't wait to read more from this author!

Check out the teaser trailer below...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYWqiVjB9EU&feature=youtu.be

12.26.2017 - Just Between Us

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Rebecca Drake for the opportunity to read and review her latest work - a great read!

This is the story of 4 friends, who meet at their children's school in an idyllic suburb of Pittsburgh.  Julie, a real estate agent, has been friends the longest with Sarah, a lawyer who is now a stay at home mom.  Allison, who works at home in IT, is a bit unsure of herself and tries hard to fit in the group.  Heather, the ex-model who is married to a plastic surgeon, appears to have it all. 

These friends bond over coffee and their children until one day Allison notices bruises on Heather and shares her fear that Heather is being abused with the other 2 friends.  When things escalate, they finally confront Heather with their suspicions.  She refuses to leave her marriage.

The phone call they all dread comes late one night and all the friends rush to Heather's aid.  But just how far will these friends go to help each other?  And what secrets are they keeping from each other?

A great, twisty tale that had me glued to the pages.  My only issue was that I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of which character's point of view I was reading.  The husbands and kids were minor players in this book and I kept having to flip back to the chapter heading to see which friend's voice was featured.  But that doesn't take away from the story - highly recommended!

12.24.2017 - Zero Day

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Atria Books and Ezekiel Boone for the opportunity to read this entire series, culminating in Zero Day.

This was such a fun, creepy series about flesh-eating spiders that overrun the world.  This book has everything coming to an end - but will it be with nuclear bombs that would destroy the rest of the US?  That's what one faction of the government wants and it's a race to see if the scientists can figure out the newest spiders to hatch and kill them before everything is wiped out.  Loved these characters - a great ending to the series!  Highly recommended!

12.24.2017 - Sweet Revenge - Passive-Agressive Desserts

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Capstone, and Heather Kim for the opportunity to read and review this fun cookbook.

Perfect for millennials - I can imagine one girlfriend gifting this to another to get over a guy.  The premise is that you can kill your enemies (exes) with kindness - or food.  While the names of the recipes and the graphics are killer, the dessert recipes are really fun and this book includes lots of helpful cooking info.  Nothing is healthy here - would you expect it to be if you are in the kitchen getting over an ex?  With cookies made from Cap'n Crunch, Cannoli Waffles, to Elvis Cupcakes with Butterscotch Candied Bacon, you'll have fun reading this book and baking from it!

12.23.2017 - Skitter

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Ezekiel Boone for the opportunity to read Skitter - the second in the series about a spider apocalypse!

Now that the world knows about the flesh-eating spiders, mankind is at stake.  China has nuked half the country and LA is quarantined and a wasteland - but people being people they found a way to break through zones and start moving across the country.  While Melanie, the spider scientist, continues to work on an understanding, the president is faced with a nightmare decision.

I am so hooked on this creepy, crawly series and so glad I'm reading them in a row to get full enjoyment from the books.  There are so many different characters that this is definitely the way to go.  I can't wait to read #3 - Zero Day!

12.21.2017 - The Hatching

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Atria Books and Ezekiel Boone for the opportunity to read this book!

This book languished on my "to read" shelf for a long time, but I'm so glad I finally read it!  Warning - if spiders totally creep you out, get ready to be really scared! 

Strange things start happening all over the world - weird seismic activity, a businessman is killed in the jungle, a rich American dies as his plane crashes, China drops a nuclear bomb "accidentally" on its own country, and a scientist in DC receives an ancient spider egg sack that appears to be hatching.  Told in short chapters from lots of different perspectives, these stories come together in scary fashion to show how quickly the problem of these man-eating spiders is spreading.

I really got into some of these characters and the story and couldn't wait to see what happened.  Of course, there are 2 more books in this series so I'm on to #2!

12.17.2017 - The Immortalists

Many thanks to NetGalley, GP Putnam's Sons, and Chloe Benjamin for the opportunity to read and review this debut novel - outstanding!

The premise of this novel is so intriguing.  The 4 Gold siblings, Daniel, Varya, Karla and Simon, are growing up in NYC in the late 1960s.  Rumor spreads about a psychic who can tell you the date that you will die.  Intrigued, Daniel convinces his siblings to visit her.  One by one, they go into the room where the psychic tells them this information.  Shocked afterwards, most of the siblings keep the information to themselves.  But how does this information affect you?  Even if it's not true, how does it change the way you live your life?  The book follows the siblings over the next 5 decades. 

At the heart of this novel is the bond between these siblings, which is sometimes overshadowed by anger and regret, as well as the responsibility to their parents. 

A warning to those who would be offended by descriptions of gay sex, but otherwise this book drew me in and wouldn't let me go until the last page was turned.  It's a step back in time too, watching the siblings interact in the past.

Highly recommended!

12.14.2017 - The Music Shop

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House and Rachel Joyce for the opportunity to read and review this endearing book.

Set in London in the 1980s, this is a true ode to music.  There is a dead-end street in a declining neighborhood where Frank sets up The Music Shop and lives above the shop.  He was raised by a very unconventional mother who taught him to really listen to music.  Frank now has the ability to know just what song a person needs to get them through a crisis in their lives.  However, time is marching on and Frank is adamant about selling only vinyl - no new cassette tapes or CDs.  Joined on his street are a cast of quirky characters - Kit, a worker in Frank's shop; Maud, a tattoo artist; Fr Anthony, a retired priest; brothers who own a funeral home; and neighbors.  They are fighting to stay relevant while being pressured by developers to sell.

Arriving in the midst of this is Ilse, a German woman who faints in front of Frank's store.  She eventually asks Frank to teacher her about music and causes Frank to have to confront his feelings about getting close to people.  They both have baggage and secrets but form a special bond.

The journey Frank and Ilse take together and musically is a joy to be a part of.  There's even a playlist created from all the titles in the book - you'll learn a lot about all different genres of music!

12.10.2017 - The Ice House

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Grove Press and Laura Lee Smith for the opportunity to read and review this book - I loved it!

This is the story of the MacKinnon family - Johnny hails from Ireland and immigrated to Florida, leaving behind his young son and wife.  They parted on good terms and their son, Corran, frequently came to Florida.  Johnny married Pauline, whose family owned an ice house, and they both headed up the company.  Corran got mixed up in the heroin scene and Johnny & Pauline took an extra mortgage on their house to pay for rehabs.  Their relationship blew up when Corran was accused of stealing Pauline's wedding ring for drug money.  The two hadn't spoken since.

Back in Ireland, Corran now has Lucy, a baby whose mother is in jail for heroin.  Corran is clean but has escaped to a remote island accessible only by ferry to avoid temptation.  He's having a tough time dealing with Lucy by himself.

Then Johnny discovers he has a brain cyst, right when the ice factory is being investigated by OSHA for an accident that threatens to shut down the factory and their livelihood.  Pauline is coping with her life choices now that she's getting older.

I loved all of these characters - especially Chemal, Johnny's next door neighbor.  Every character and situation is relatable - you will laugh and cry.  Highly recommended!

12.7.2017 - The Only Girl in the World

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Little, Brown & Company, and Maude Julien for the opportunity to read and review this book.

It's always tough to review a memoir filled with such horrid child abuse.  And this story defies belief in what parents can do to their children.

The horror begins when Maude's father contracts with a poor family to basically raise one of their daughters in exchange for them never contacting the daughter again.   Her father, Louis, was 34 at the time and her mother, Jeannine, was 6.  He gave her the best boarding school education and then brought her back to give birth to their daughter, who they would raise to be a super human.

The tortures that Maude was subjected to in order to make her the perfect human were unbelievable - hard labor, locked in a dark cellar, never going out of the house, insane studying and musical practice lessons - it just goes on and on.  Her mother was just as controlled by her father but she never displayed any caring for her child.  That she couldn't stop any of the abuse of Maude is a sin in itself.  Somehow, Maude built enough walls in her head that she was able to come out on the other side of this evil world she was raised in.

I would have loved a bit more explanation about her life once she escaped - it went very suddenly to life afterwards without much in between.  Although I'm sure she is very protective of her privacy.
Hard to read but an amazing memoir.

12.4.2017 - The Vanishing Season

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Joanna Schaffhausen for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - it's a good one.  Well, if a book about a creepy serial killer can be good!

Ellie is the sole survivor of a serial killer's rampage when she was just 14 years old.  She was saved by an FBI agent who saw something no one else did.  Ellie bears the scars, both physically and mentally, of the torture she endured at the hands of his killer. 

Ten years later finds Ellie working as a police officer in a small town.  She's changed her name and has strict rules about who she lets into her life.  Which is really no one expect her rescue dog, Speed Bump (arguably the star of this book!).  However, there has been a string of missing people in her small town - one every year for the last 3 years, always in the beginning of July, which happens to coincide with Ellie's birthday.  Ellie is convinced these incidents are related, though no one else believes her.  She finally calls upon Reed, the FBI agent who rescued her who is dealing with his own demons, to help her investigate.

While I may have seen the ending coming, it in no way took away from my enjoyment of this book.  A great read!