11.29.2024 - Desperate Deadly Widows

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital ARC of the second in the Widow series by the powerhouse writing team of Vanessa Lillie, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan and Kimberly Belle.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Following all the adventures that happened in the first book, Young Rich Widows, it's 1987 in Rhode Island, two years since the plane crash that killed four law-firm partners.  The four widows have had to regroup, facing the reality of their new lives.  Krystle fights to keep the law firm afloat, while Justine is in law school.  Meredith owns and runs the strip club where she once danced, and Camille orchestrates schemes for scorned women.  However, one of her arrangements goes wrong and the mayor is now dead in the club.  The widows must work together or else go down together. 

These are just such fun books, taking you back to all the excesses of the 80s.  There's enough here to be able to read this one as a stand alone, but do yourself a favor and start with the first.  The audiobook was fabulous (available now on Audible, just like the first!) and had me laughing along at the widows' antics.  But there's a mystery to be solved before one of the widows ends up in jail, and there are plenty of questionable suspects.  Loved how this shows strong women supporting each other no matter what.  

11.29.2024 - The Close-Up

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and MBC Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful twisty book by Pip Drysale.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Zoe Ann Weiss moved to LA to pursue her dream of a writer.  Her first book, Fractured, had great promise which sales didn’t support.  She met Zach, a bartender, and felt such chemistry, but he ghosted her.  Three years later, Zach is a famous movie star and Zoe is working at a flower shop.  Her deadline for her sophomore book has come and gone and Zoe Ann has writer’s block in all caps.  But when she meets Zach again on a flower delivery, things seem just as magical as they were before.  Zoe felt Zach inspired her first novel and things he can once again be her muse.  Until things fall apart in a very scary way. 

This was such a twisty book, basically a book within a book, which is always fun, especially when it’s so well done.  Plus, my mind was blown by the epilogue!  The characters felt real to me, and I could feel Zoe’s frustration as well as her fear.  The whole stalker theme is so scary and Zoe's fear felt palpable.  You weren't sure quite what to believe and my feelings came and went about who I could trust.  Another fabulous read by this author - I loved her previous book, The Sunday Girl, as well.  

11.26.2024 - Betty Crocker Found Recipes

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Harvest for gifting me a digital ARC of this nostalgic cookbook.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

When I got married in 1980, my sister-in-law gifted me a copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook and even though I know longer have that husband, I still have the cookbook!  This was such a trip to the past and I thoroughly enjoyed going through each page with my elderly mother, reminiscing about how things used to be.  The recipes themselves are nostalgic and will probably remind you of childhood, and I anxiously bookmarked many pages.  Even the page layout is perfect, looking like my old cookbook with its well-loved look and creased and stained pages.  There are 5 chapters:  Holiday Celebrations, Memorable Main Dishes, Warm from the Oven Breads, Irresistible Cookies & Bars, and Better than Ever Desserts.  But there's also lots of stories and pictures from the past that just add to the fun of this cookbook!

11.22.2024 - The Business Trip

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the fiction debut by Jessie Garcia, with the audio narrated by a fabulous cast.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Jasmine is fleeing an abusive partner and Stephanie is headed to a conference for work when they meet on the plane.  After a few days, both women text their friends and coworkers the same message about meeting the same man - Trent.  But the texts start sending red flags and then the two women disappear.  Who is Trent and what did he do to these women?

I love having both the audio and digital versions of books for a totally immersive experience, but once I started listening to the audiobook, I was hooked.  The cast is fabulous and I could picture all the characters from the voices, especially Trent.  The book is told from multiple POV and different timelines but it was never confusing.  You may have to put aside your realism radar a bit, but this was pure escapism on all levels, and isn't that why we read fiction?  While I thought I had a clue of how things would end up, I couldn't have been more wrong.  So many twists and turns perfectly played out.  Wonderful debut and looking forward to more from this author.

11.22.2024 - Not A Good Enough Mother

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of this psychological thriller by Nicole Trope.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Ava Green is struggling.  At work, she lost her last assistant and is working way too much to make up for it.  Plus, she's trying to get the top job in her company, competing with her rival.  Things are no better at home, where her husband, Finn, takes care of the kids and works on his painting, but nothing that brings in any money.  Then Grace walks into work for a job interview as Ava's assistant, and she seems like a dream come true.  But is she?

As you would expect from a Nicole Trope novel, this one is twisty, everyone is keeping secrets, and you'll enjoy every minute!  You can feel Ava's exasperation with her life and the relief when Grace swoops in to make every part easier.  I never saw that final twist coming though!  This is the first book about Grace - the next book, A Mother Always Knows, is set to be published in December and I'm anxious to read that one as well.

11.21.2024 - Trial by Ambush

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing Thomas & Mercer for gifting me a digital ARC of this true crime book by Marcia Clark.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Barbara Graham was cursed from birth, unwanted and neglected.  Left to fend for herself from a young age, she ended up with the wrong people.  Then in 1953, she was thrust into the headlines when a robbery spiraled out of control and ended with a brutal murder of an elderly woman.  Barbara found herself at the forefront of a media circus.

I am a huge Marcia Clark fan and have anxiously read all of her legal thrillers, so I couldn't wait to read this nonfiction book.  I really appreciated the fact that Marcia walked the reader along her journey into this story, interjecting her experience and knowledge.  She was able to accurately point out all the prosecutorial and police errors and downright illegal maneuvers, as well as tell the reader what has changed since this trial.  And what hasn't - how Barbara as a beautiful woman became a media target and every look, hairstyle, and clothing choice became gossip fodder.  Sound familiar?  This book was meticulously researched and the writing engrossing.  A must read for true crime and legal fans!

11.21.2024 - Then Things Went Dark

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital ARC of this novel by Bea Fitzgerald.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3 stars!

Six people from varying backgrounds arrive on a desert island for their reality show debut.  All are anxious to prove themselves and millions of viewers are watching.  But only three weeks later, Rhys Sutton dies on camera and the remaining contestants find themselves in a Portuguese police station, and no one is talking.

This has all the trademarks of a winner for me - desert island, locked room mystery, interspersing paragraphs of the police interrogations and social media commentary.  But somehow, I couldn't get into it.  I was never into the reality tv show genre and none of these characters was likable.  I just found myself not really caring.  It may appeal more to someone who is a big fan of reality shows.

11.18.2024 - Shell Games

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for gifting me a digital ARC of the new thriller by Bonnie Kistler.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

You need to go into this one as blind as possible for full enjoyment, so to break the storyline down into its vaguest form, Kate, an elderly real estate developer powerhouse, has reconnected with her childhood sweetheart, Charlie, and they are getting married.  On their wedding night, Charlie makes a confession to Kate and everything changes.

This was such a fabulous, roller coaster thriller!  I questioned everyone because it seemed that everyone had ulterior motives, was gaslighting everyone else, and you didn't know who you could believe or trust, if anyone.  Because when money and power are involved, even with family, everything gets muddy.  This one kept me engrossed with all its twists and turns until the final one on the last page - perfection!  Definitely a must read, so don't miss it!

11.13.2024 - Life's Short, Talk Fast

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and WW Norton & Company for gifting me a digital ARC of this collection of essays revolving around The Gilmore Girls, edited by Ann Hood.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

This is a collection of essays by a diverse group of authors all revolving around this iconic TV show.  I have to admit that when the show first aired in 2000, I had two boys - one just off to college and the other in high school, and my family's TV viewing revolved around Star Trek in all its many forms.  Yet, I still jumped at the opportunity to read this book because first, Ann Hood!  But I found myself so involved in these essays which range from humorous to heartbreaking and everything in between.  Plus the viewpoints were from die-hard fans to those who had never seen it.  The stories show just how uniting and relatable TV can be.  Highly recommended if you are a fan, but the stories are wonderful even if you aren't!

11.12.2024 - What the Nanny Saw

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Kaira Rouda.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Celicia should be on the top of the world - she has a gorgeous house on the beach, money galore, and a beautiful new baby girl, Peyton.  But she's struggling - Alex, her partner and Peyton's dad, has not been supportive and she fears he's cheating.  Plus she's struggling with being a new mom.  So when she meets Lizzie at a coffee shop, she hires her to be her new nanny.  But Lizzie has some ulterior motives as well.

I'm a sucker for anything that Kaira Rouda writes, especially this series featuring Celicia Strom.  For full effect, start with Best Day Ever, still one of my top favorite books, then read The Second Mrs. Strom.  But even if you just jump right in on this book, you won't be disappointed, because there is enough info to catch up.  Paul, Cecilia's ex, is still in prison, but is still somehow communicating with her, leaving her scared and paranoid.  Both Lizzie and Cecilia will do anything they can to get what they want.  This is another fun, twisted ride and I loved it - please say there will be another chapter in Cecilia's life for us to explore!

11.11.2024 - Her Housekeeper

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest psychological thriller by Samantha Hayes.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Gina and Matt's house was destroyed in a fire, but thankfully their friend, Annie, was out of the area for work and allowed them and their children to stay at her home.  Mary, Annie's housekeeper, shows up and is soon moving into the attic room with her teenage son because of an abusive situation at their home.  Gina isn't completely comfortable with Mary and feels she is acting too close to Matt.  But Annie assures her that all is well.  But is it?

This was such a fast paced thriller with many twists and turns.  You might be like me and think you have it all figured out, but there were so many shocking reveals.  Told from multiple POV and in different timelines, the suspense keeps building and I couldn't put it down.  The characters were relatable - you could feel Gina's angst and concern for her family, as well as her frustration with Matt and Mary.  Another fabulous read by Samantha Hayes!

11.10 - How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut book by Anna Montague.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars rounded up!

Magda Eklund is turning 70 and still working as a therapist in a group practice with friends from school.  She's always been on her own except for the close friendship she shares with Sara.  When Sara dies, she becomes adrift.  Sara's husband gives Magda all Sara's kept letters and journals, and Magda finds out that Sara's plans for her big birthday were for the two of them to go on a road trip to meaningful places in their lives.  Magda decides to take that trip with Sara beside her in her urn.

This was an alternately humorous and thoughtful look at grief and coming to terms with our own wants and desires.  We learn about how Magda's childhood growing up with Swedish immigrant parents and younger sister, Hedda, shaped her.   It's wishing for second chances when the possibility is long past, but still being able to forge on a new path.  I was sometimes a bit confused with the characters for some reason, and kept looking up names to see just where they fit in.  But it was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

11.7.2024 - Grave Talk

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest book by Nick Spalding, narrated perfectly by Imogene Church and Steve West.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Alice is devastated by the loss of her husband, Joe.  So the last thing she expects to see when she's visiting his grave on his birthday is a man dressed up like Kermit the Frog.  It turns out that Ben (AKA Kermit) lost his brother, Harry, who is buried next to Joe.  Harry, always a practical joker, left specific instructions to Ben to visit his grave every year on this date, and left specific costumes he was required to dress up in, as well as a song to sing while there.   Alice and Ben meet in this same way every year and form a friendship forged in grief.  They eventually start making challenges for the other to try and help.

Nick Spalding has done it again - taken the difficult subjects of death and grieving and created a book that is funny, poignant, and hopeful.  The narration only made this book better, and you won't be able to stop seeing Ben in these various costumes in your mind.  Alice and Ben form such a unique bond, and I really appreciated how the story didn't go where I predicted.  Don't miss this one!

11.6.2024 - Deadly Animals

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this debut novel by Marie Tierney, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Olivia Dowd.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Ava is not a normal teenager.  She has an obsessive interest in dead animals and how they compose.  She collects roadkill in the middle of the night and pulls them into her den, recording her findings in notebooks.  But one night, she comes across the body of her classmate, Mickey.  Worried that she might be in trouble for her nighttime activities, she makes an anonymous phone call to the police.  Detective Delahaye begins investigating, and Ava does her best to help, because more teenagers are going missing.

This is a wonderful debut and I would love to see it become a series, because the combination of Ava and the detective were wonderful!  Ava's character is amazing - having a tough home life, she is strong, intelligent, interested in everything, helpful, very respective.  While the subject matter is definitely dark, it's not overly graphic or gratuitous, though still sad and disturbing.  This story takes place in the 1980s; there was an interview between narrator and author at the end of the audiobook which explained that the author wanted the mystery to not be easily solved with modern advances in DNA.  So it's nostalgic, with a small town feel, and the alternating POV between Ava and the detective in short chapters were perfect to engage the reader with this story.  Anxious to read more from this author!

11.4.2024 - The Sunflower House

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful debut historical fiction novel by Adriana Allegri.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 5 stars!

Allina Strauss has a good life in her small German village.  She lives with her aunt and uncle, works at a bookshop, and spends time with friends and her fiancé, Albert.  But it’s 1939 and Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, when Allina’s family tells her that her birth mother was Jewish.  After a night she will never forget when she loses everything she held dear, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at Hochland Home.  This is a state-run baby factory and a feeder into Heinrich Himmler’s eugenics program.

 

This book once again shines light into such a dark part of human history,  I had never heard of the Lebensborn program, where women stayed in these homes for the sole purpose of having pure babies to perpetuate the Aryan population, babies that were then adopted to Nazi families.  It’s horrific to read and think about these poor babies and women, in addition to the horrors of the Holocaust itself.  But this meticulously-researched book is one that you won’t be able to put down; it’s the triumph of good people in the face of evil.  It’s also a love story, full of family secrets, but also hope for a better future.  It’s so beautifully written and hard to believe it’s a debut novel.  I was also fascinated to read the author’s notes that she started working on this book two decades ago.  Lucky for all readers that she persevered; this is a must read!

11.4.2024 - Flint Kill Creek

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this short story collection by Joyce Carol Oates, perfectly narrated by Kelli Tager.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

This is a collection of 12 short stories, each with a degree of suspense, fear, terror.  What I liked most of all was the fact that most of these were fairly ordinary situations, which to me was the biggest creep factor.  There were medical scares, abuses, relationship issues; real situations that you could see yourself in.  Life can be scary and disturbing for sure, and some of these will put you well out of your comfort zone.  A thoughtful collection of creepy stories!

11.2.2024 - Don't Say A Thing

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of this true crime memoir by Tamara Leitner.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Tamara Leitner is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who writes of her decades-long investigation and personal connection to a serial rapist.  In 1999, she woke to an active crime scene outside her Arizona apartment.  Her neighbors had been sexually assaulted by a man later identified as Claude Dean Hull.  Tamara suffered with guilt and fear after this near assault and became obsessed with investigating Hull and his crimes.  

The crimes in this story are appalling, as are the struggles of the justice system when is comes to sexual violence.  I'd like to hope that things have gotten better with the passing of time, but I'm not convinced this is true for the victims.  Certainly, some of the technological advances we have today would have helped in the investigation of these crimes.  I appreciated how Leitner focused so much on the victims of these crimes, letting us feel their pain and the resultant trauma.  Intermixed are chapters about the author's personal relationship, which presented a different kind of trauma.  The timeline wasn't straightforward throughout and I admit to not being able to keep everything straight in my mind while reading.

11.1.2024 - The Married Man

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by K.L. Slater.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4 stars!

Liv’s husband, Rich, disappeared 11 years ago, and she’s been raising their son Maddox by herself.  But there was a plan, and it looks like Rich didn’t follow it.  Maddox is now a teenager and finding out that his mom is keeping secrets, is leading him down a bad path.  Kait is married and pregnant with her first child with her husband, Daniel, but he is acting strange and she feels he’s having an affair.

 

Watching these storylines come together was fabulous, and KL Slater once again has given us a gripping thriller.  Told from these characters POV in the past and present timelines, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see how it would end up.  The plot was complex but so satisfying to see it all unfold, and the ending was perfection.