2.27.2023 - Mothered

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Zoje Stage - 5 stars!

In the time of the pandemic, Grace is adrift.  She had just bought a new home before lockdown hit and now she has lost her job as a hair stylist.  Then her mother moves in.  The two have a complicated relationship because Grace's twin, Hope, was born with cerebral palsy and died when they were kids.  Grace always had to be the responsible one and help take care of Hope.  Those old wounds between mother and daughter haven't healed and their new living arrangement is making things worse.

While I feel like this will be one of those books that people either love or hate, put me squarely in the love department!  I really liked this author's debut, Baby Teeth, and this one has the same creepy vibes.  The pandemic adds another layer of horror in the plot - we all know the feelings we went through of feeling trapped, alone, and in a never-ending nightmare where even good relationships were put to the test.  Parts of this book are Grace's dreams and while it takes a minute to process the difference between reality and her dreams, this is an effective way of getting into Grace's thoughts.  That end was spot on perfect!

2.25.2023 - What Have We Don

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and MacMillan Audio for gifting me a digital and audio ARC of the new thriller by Alex Finlay and narrated by Brittany Pressley; James Patrick Cronin; Jon Lindstrom; Maggie Thompson - 4 stars!

A group of teens meet at Savior House, a group home for those who have lost their parents.  But it definitely isn't a savior for them - there is rampant bullying and abuse along with several girls who go missing.  One night in the woods changes everything for the group.  Decades later, the group reunites because someone is trying to kill them.  

I'm a big fan of Alex Finlay and loved his first two novels.  This one gets 4 stars instead of 5 for those because it seemed a bit over the top and I couldn't quite get into the characters as much.  But it's non-stop action with plenty of twists to keep you turning the pages.  I was lucky enough to be able to switch between the digital and audio versions and the narration of the different characters was great.  The book is told from the POVs of three of the now-grown teens.  Definitely escapism reading and I'll be anxiously awaiting the next book from Finlay!

2.25.2023 - You Can't Hide

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Emily Shiner - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Two female characters alternate their stories in this book, and both find themselves in dangerous territory.  Beth and her husband, Ian, are headed to far Upstate NY to clear out his deceased parents' cabin.  They are hoping to get enough money to pay for IVF treatments.  But when they get there, there are signs that someone else is close by too and this person seems to know Beth's secrets.  Meanwhile, Lizzie is at home with her very successful physician husband, Zachary.  But behind closed doors, all is not as it appears.

Wow - this one had me racing through it to figure out if and how these story lines would intersect.  Each chapter stopped at a crucial tense moment, leaving you desperate to get back to it.  The atmosphere of the remote cabin in the woods in a snowstorm only added to the tension.  Go into this one as blind as possible and enjoy the ride - especially that ending!

2.23.2023 - The Writing Retreat

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review of the debut novel, The Writing Retreat, by Julia Bartz - 4 stars!

Famous novelist Roza Vallo has invited five women to join her at Blackbriar Estate in the remote Adirondack Mountains.  They are to be there a month, finish a complete novel, and the winner gets a million dollar publishing deal.  Alex had just about given up on her writing, after a major blowout with her best friend, Wren.  When she finds out that Wren is also coming to the retreat, she is completely nervous but determined.  From the beginning, there are strange events happening at the estate, and Roza has pitted the women against each other.  But when one goes missing during a snowstorm, everything changes.

I was very excited to read this book by the sister of Andrea Bartz, a favorite.  Obviously writing must be genetic!  There is a book in a book here and I have to say that I wasn't enthralled with those portions.  I'm always one for a locked room mystery, and the creepy estate and snowstorm only added to the tension.  Some of it was a bit over the top, but still a worthy debut.  Anxious to read more from this author!

2.23.2023 - The Mother Next Door

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review of The Mother Next Door by Leah Mercer and narrated by Jasmine Blackborow - 4 stars!

Lou is the perfect mother and neighbor - she's always willing to help out the mother moms by picking up their kids from school,  So when Fiona arrives home and Lou hadn't dropped off her kids, she doesn't immediately worry because she trusts Lou implicitly.  But as time goes by and more mothers are coming home to empty houses when Lou's kids are home with their dad, panic sets in as well as a huge impending storm.  Then Lou's car is found abandoned on the road outside the woods, no one in sight.  The moms start receiving texts that Lou will release their kids when they tell the truth.

The fear of not knowing where are children are is universal and relatable.  The raging storm only added to the tension of that scenario.  How well do we really know our neighbors or those people we entrust with our children?  How well do we even know our spouses?  There are a lot of secrets going on in this neighborhood.  The story is told from multiple POV as we learn everyone's secrets, both present day and in the past.  This was a well-crafted mystery that kept me intrigued from the beginning and was wonderfully narrated.

2.21.2023 - On the Savage Side

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review of On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel - 5 stars!

Inspired by the still unsolved mystery of the Chillicothe Six, Arc (short for Arcade) and Daffy (short for Daffodil) are twins born one minute apart into a family full of addiction, abuse, neglect, poverty, and mental illness.  Their grandmother helps keep them on track and stable,  but when she is killed, things fall apart farther and the girls escape into their fantasy worlds.  As young adults, Arc does her best to keep her sister on the right track, but they soon follow their parents' tracks.  The river always calls and one by one her friends disappear.

This book left me gutted.  It is full of pain and horror but the writing is so beautiful that you can't put it down.  I loved Chillicothe's issues mirror so many small towns, the jobs dry up, poverty is generational, and prostitution and drugs are there for escape.  It's a commentary on how disposable society feels the underprivileged and addicted are, not worthy of police time or investigation when they disappear.  The girls' grandma tried so hard to keep the girls safe, to show how to make the savage side beautiful - a good lesson to all of us how we can be a force in others' lives.  This is a must read book.

2.19.2023 - Bright and Deadly Things

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital copy in exchange for my honest review of Bright and Deadly Things by Lexie Elliott - 4.5 stars!

A group of Oxford professors, postgrad and undergrad students assemble at the Chalet des Anglais in the Alps for a week of study, collaboration, and relaxation.  The chalet has neither electricity nor running water, and no reliable cellphone coverage, Emily was especially looking forward for a chance to unwind.  A recent widow, she is still rattled by a break in at both her home and office in the past days.  There is tension amongst the group because some of them are vying for the same deputy position.  But then Emily thinks that someone has broken into her room and tried to access her deceased husband's computer.  That's only the first of bad events, and Emily doesn't know who she can trust.

I am a huge fan of locked room mysteries.  Take a group of educated people, all with varying motives for the various incidents, add a secluded atmosphere, and one very creepy clock with a strange history and you have yourself a great read!  I really liked Emily's character and how she remained true to her values, even when dealing with so much.  This is the first book I've read of Lexie Elliott and I'm now anxious to read more of her work.

2.16.2023 - Stone Cold Fox

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review of this wonderful debut novel by Rachel Koller Croft - 4.5 stars rounded up for such delicious fun!

Bea is a smart, successful career woman who knows what she wants - Collin Case, the only son of a very wealthy couple.  She's not in love, but she is determined to have the life she deserves.  His family is not thrilled with the match, but Collin's best friend, Gale, is downright terrible towards Bea and threatens to expose Bea's many secrets.

This was such a fun read and I raced through it.  While Bea is definitely not a likable character, you can't help but root for her after reading the interspersed chapters of her childhood.  Bea is desperate not to become her mother, or let anything ruin her plans, so the cat fight is on between Bea and Gale.  Lots of manipulation, twists, and turns in this one and I enjoyed it all!  Fabulous debut - can't wait to read more from this author!

2.13.2023 - Big Swiss

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Scribner Books for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review of Big Swiss by Jen Beagin - 3 stars.

Greta is in her 40s, single, living with a friend in an old farmhouse in Hudson, NY, full of bees, and working as a transcriber for a sex coach named Om.  She becomes obsessed with one of his clients that she names Big Swiss because she's tall and originally from Switzerland.  Like Greta, Big Swiss has been through a big trauma but she appears to handle it better than Greta is handling her past trauma.  The two meet at a dog park when Greta recognizes her voice.  Greta lies about her real name and the fact that she transcribed Big Swiss' therapy notes, but they soon begin an intense relationship.

This book is getting rave reviews so please read them!  I obviously was not the target audience for this one, and while i liked parts - the epistolary way we read Greta's transcriptions, the descriptions of the farmhouse (complete with stink bugs that we get here in Upstate NY!) - I just didn't like any of the characters and struggled through the story.

2.12.2023 - How to Keep a Husband for Ten Days

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review of his romance novel by Jessica Hatch - 4 stars!

Lina met her core group of friends when they all lived in an apartment building in Jacksonville, FL.  But eventually they all went their mostly separate ways.  Unbeknownst to their friends, Lina and Brown, the married couple in the group, have filed for divorce.  When the group gets back together to try and save their old apartment building from destruction, Lina asks Brown to pretend to still be married.  How hard could it be?

This was a sweet story of friends, community, and second chances.  I loved the friends' relationship and the progressive dinner parties they held at the apartment building.  It's also a good reminder of what it takes to maintain a good relationship - communication - and to not be so quick to judge.  However, some friends change over time and we have to accept that as well.  Each chapter started off with a little humorous blurb of what was to come, which I liked too.

2.11.2023 - Off the Map

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC in exchange for my honest review of the latest chapter in the Beck Sister series by Trish Doller, beautifully narrated once again by Sarah Naughton - 4.5 stars!

Carla Black works as a bartender in Florida in the winter, saving up enough money to travel the world in the summer.  Her dad, Biggie, raised Carla by himself after her mother left when she was very young.  They spent every summer exploring the national parks.  When Biggie was diagnosed with early onset dementia, he encouraged her to continue her travels.  She flies to Ireland to be the maid of honor at her best friend Anna's wedding, and meets the best man, Eamon, who is to transport her to the wedding site.  They have an instant connection and make a few detours along the way.

I loved the first two books in this series - Anna, the bride, was the subject of Float Plan.  You definitely don't need to have read those two books but they are great reads!  This one gets a slightly lower rating from me mostly because of the more vivid sex scenes between Carla and Keane starting from their first meeting - seemed a bit rushed and explicit.  But the majority of the book was pure fun - it was going along on a road trip, having adventures, letting yourself be vulnerable, and falling in love.  Both Carla and Keane needed to figure out what was important and be true to their hearts.

2.10.2023 - The Mistress Next Door

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review of this domestic thriller by Lesley Sanderson, wonderfully narrated by Eilidh Beaton - 4 stars!

Harriet and Oliver are settled in wealthy Prospect Close, with their new baby and twin girls.  Then Harriet discovers clues that Oliver is possibly straying from their marriage again.  But Oliver isn't the only one keeping secrets, and Harriet has started receiving threatening notes.  Then one of the twins goes missing when they are at a local park.  

I enjoyed listening to this book and was intrigued to see how it would all end up.  There aren't a lot of real likable characters here and at some point I was questioning many of their motives.  The reader gets glimpses of the past in alternating chapters and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way.

2.10.2023 - Lying Beside You

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Scribner Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Michael Robotham, in exchange for my honest review - 5 stars!

Almost 20 years after Cyrus' brother, Elias, murdered their parents and twin sisters, he is applying for release from the psychiatric facility where he has been living.  Elias is not only expected to forgive his brother, but allow him to move in his home.  Cyrus also shares his home with Evie, a damaged young woman whom Cyrus helped rescue from a horrible situation.  Evie is gifted in that she can tell when someone is lying.  Amidst all this, Cyrus is called to help the police find a missing woman whose father was also murdered.  

I have been a fan of Robotham for ages and particularly love this series featuring Cyrus and Evie, and this book made me an even bigger fan.  The interactions between Cyrus, Elias, and Evie were so intriguing - each of them flawed but doing their best for each other.  Add a smart murder case into the mix and you have a fabulous read.  This could easily be a stand alone, but these characters are too good not to explore from the beginning.,  Fingers crossed that there are more books to come!

2.9.2023 - My Last Innocent Year

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt and MacMillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review of the debut novel, My Last Innocent Year, by Daisy Alpert Florin and wonderfully narrated by Sarah Bierstock - 4 stars!

It's 1998 and Isabel is a senior at the prestigious Wilder College in New Hampshire.  Isabel has never felt like she fit in with her peers - she doesn't come from wealth, she's Jewish, and her mother died shortly before Isabel started school.  When a nonconsensual sexual encounter with one of the few Jewish boys in school creates fallout, Isabel is more confused than ever.  When her charming and married English professor starts paying attention to her, they begin an affair.

This was a very well-written coming-of-age story, set in the time of the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal, bringing up the discussion of consensual/nonconsensual sexual encounters.  The end of college and being forced to make adult decisions about the rest of your life is such a fragile time.  Isabel was vulnerable to the attentions and promises from her professor, as well as not feeling she had a strong enough voice to override her own thoughts above those of her friends/lovers.  I liked how we got to see Isabel's growth after school.  A fine debut - looking forward to more from this author.

2.7.2023 - The Suspect

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review of the latest thriller by a favorite, Kathryn Croft, the audiotape wonderfully narrated by Tamsin Kennard - 4 stars!

When Jess was small, her mother was murdered in front of her while they were at a neighborhood park.  Now, a man who was a suspect in her murder approaches Jess out of the blue, saying he didn't kill her and knows who did.  Jess' family tells her to stay away from him, but Jess wants to know the truth.  Then he is found murdered as well.  

The book is told in two timelines - Jess in the present and her mom in the past.  This is a well-crafted thriller with intriguing characters - I felt so bad for Jess' mom.  All of the characters are keeping secrets and at some point I suspected everyone of the crime.  I do love a book that will keep me guessing until the end.  

2.7.2023 - Promise Boys

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of The Promise Boys in exchange for my honest review.  This book is written by Nick Brooks and narrated by Alfred Vines; Anthony Lopez; Brad Sanders; Christopher Hampton; Eliana Marianes; Hannah Church; Henriette Zoutomou; Jaime Lincoln Smith; Maria Liatis; Renier Cortes; Suehyla El-Attar; Xenia Willacey.  4.5 stars!

The Urban Promise Prep School in Washington DC is the school that promises to turn boys into men, keeping them out of trouble.  But when Principal Moore is shot and killed at the school, three young Black men are suspects.  All three say they are innocent and decide to band together to investigate.

I loved listening to this audiotape, complete with background sounds to totally immerse you into the experience.  I really felt for these characters - they were trying their best and couldn't catch a break, either from their home life or the extreme discipline and rules of the school.  In addition, it was just a good mystery that kept you guessing.

2.7.2023 - VenCo

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Book Club Girl, and William Morrow for gifting me a digital ARC of VenCo written by Cherie Dimaline in exchange for my honest review - 5 stars!

Lucky St James is trying her best to take care of her elderly grandmother in their tiny Toronto apartment when she learns that they are about to be evicted.  Then Lucky finds a strange spoon hidden in a wall, marked with a witch and the word Salem.  Lucky is then invited to come for a job interview with VenCo, where she learns that a group of witches has been waiting for her.  Now Lucky must find the seventh witch to complete the circle and restore women to their rightful power.

This was such a fun book - I loved Lucky and especially her grandmother, Stella.  I want to be Stella when I grow up!  I felt like I was going along the road trip, while Lucky hunts for the next spoon and witch.  It's also a story of women being there for each other and in community, gathering on each of their strengths.  The relationship between Lucky and Stella was just the best.  Highly recommended for a fun, empowering read!

2.5.2023 - This Other Eden

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, WW Norton Company, and Recorded Books for gifting me a digital ARC of This Other Eden, written by Paul Harding and narrated by  Edoardo Ballerini, in exchange for my honest review - 4.5 stars!

In 1792, former slave Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife, Patience, discover an island off the coast of Maine where they could start their life.  More than 100 years later, their descendants still inhabit the island along with varying groups of neighbors.  But their lives are all changed when a missionary and then state officials enter their lives, forcing them off the island, some into asylums, and some just cast out.  

Based on a true story at the height of the eugenics movement, people in charge who think they know better come in and ruin lives.  This is a difficult subject to read about, especially because as a society we still are intolerant of anyone who is different.  The writing is beautiful and lyrical, and the narrator's voice was perfect.  Definitely gives you pause and makes you think, which is what reading is all about.  

2.3.2023 - Maureen

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Dial Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the final in the Harold Fry series - 4.5 stars!

In The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, we learned of his walk across England; in the Love Song of Miss Queenie, we learn her backstory.  Now it's time for Maureen, Harold's wife, to tell us her story.  Maureen is angry and hurt over the loss of her son 20 years ago.  She decides she needs to visit the memorial to David that Queenie made but she'll do it by car, instead of walking like Harold did.  

Maureen has never dealt with her grief and anger over losing David, and has never let anyone get close to her.  This is the story of her coming to terms with how to live with her grief so that she can live.  An important lesson for all.  While this book is of course better read as the series end, it's a good story nonetheless on its own.

2.3.2023 - The Sanctuary

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the Korner and Werner series finale by Katrine Engberg - 4.5 stars!

A body cut in half is found in a suitcase in Copenhagen.  Anette Werner is the lead investigator and she is missing her partner, Jeppe Korner, who is on leave, nursing a broken heart, and is working as a logger for the winter on the island of Bornholm.  Also on the island is Jeppe's friend, Esther, who is working on a biography of one of the island's former inhabitants.  Anette's investigation starts pointing towards happenings on Bornholm and she asks Jeppe to do some investigating.  

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series - while The Sanctuary can be read as a stand alone, it's much better going into it with all the characters' backgrounds and relationships in mind.  This was a gruesome crime, as seems to be par for the course with Scandinavian crime novels, but is offset by the mystery and relationships, especially Jeppe's with his neighbor.  A fine police procedural series and this was a wonderful sendoff to these characters!