11.3.2017 - Silent Lies

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kathryn Croft for the opportunity to read and review her latest book. I was a big fan of her previous book, The Girl You Lost, and this one did not disappoint. A wonderful psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!

The story is told by Mia and Josie over 2 different time periods, until the present meets the past. Mia is a young widow, raising her daughter, trying to move on from the tragic death by suicide of her husband, Zach. Josie is a young college student with a troubled path, whose life intersects with Zach's at school, where he is a professor. On the day that Zach is found dead, Josie is missing and feared dead. Five years later, Josie's old roommate comes into Mia's life and says that Zach didn't kill himself. Mia becomes obsessed with trying to find the truth.

I didn't want to put this one down - highly recommended!

11.1.2017 - The First Day

Thanks to NetGalley, Fleet Publishing, and Phil Harrison for the opportunity to read his debut novel.

This story is told in two parts - the first takes place in Belfast, Ireland, and centers around a preacher, Sam Orr, and Anna, a young Beckett scholar. Despite the fact that they are more different than alike and that Sam is married with 3 boys, they begin an affair. This, of course, reaps long-reaching consequences on his family, escalating when Anna gets pregnant. The second half of the book centers around their son, also named Sam. Sam is living in NYC, working at the Met, when his past comes crashing into his life.

I wanted to get into this story more than I did. The writing was great and holds much promise for the author. This was one of those books where I felt I just didn't get it - was I missing things I was supposed to read into the story? Lots of scripture quoting and flowery prose but I just couldn't get into the characters and their stories too much.

10.30.2017 - Little Secrets

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mira Books, and Anna Snoekstra for the opportunity to read and review her latest book. I was a fan of her debut novel, Only Daughter, and really enjoyed her sophomore book.

Rose is a young woman who is desperate to escape the small town of Colmstock, Australia, for a career as a journalist. But her dreams keep fading as newspaper closures and rejections come her way. Add to that a stepfather who is demanding that she leave home. Rose is barely making ends meet waitressing at the local pup while still trying to escape to the city.

Meanwhile, the town is in turmoil. First, there is a huge fire at the courthouse made worse by the fact that a small boy was inside. Then, porcelain dolls start appearing on the doorsteps of houses - dolls that look just like the small girl living there. The community becomes paranoid and scared, which leads to desperate acts by too many people, including the police.

There are lots of twists and turns in this book and I enjoyed them all.

10.28.2017 - Seven Days of Us

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Francesca Hornak for the opportunity to read her debut novel - loved it!

This is the story of the Birch family - a stereotypical British family, not great at communication, each family member with lots of secrets and inner feelings that aren't shared. But Hornak writes each section of this book from the viewpoint of a different family member, so that we get to learn all those innermost feelings.

There is Andrew, the patriarch, a food critic for the newspaper, silently mourning his days as a war correspondent. Emma, the mom, fills her days worrying about her two daughters, slipping away from her husband. Eldest daughter, Olivia, a physician, is home from Africa after treating the Haag epidemic. Phoebe, the baby of the family, is doted on by her father and spends her time preparing for her wedding.

Olivia comes home at Christmas, forced into a 7-day quarantine period that includes her family. Being in close quarters for that time, this family must learn to deal with each other and some of those long-kept secrets.

At its heart, this is just a great family character study. How much of ourselves do we hold back from those we love? And why? Even the characters you may not like will grow on you. I was sad to see my time with the Birch family come to an end along with the quarantine!

10.26.2017 - The Rules of Magic

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Alice Hoffman for the opportunity to read and review this magical book!

This is a prequel to Practical Magic but you don't need to have read that book (I haven't but it's now on my to-read list!) to enjoy this one. Besides, anything that Alice Hoffman writes is so wonderful you must read it!

This is the story of 3 siblings, raised in NYC, who grew up knowing they were different but not understanding fully what that involved. Their mother tried to shield them from their heritage, although she gave them lots of rules about what to avoid.  When the eldest child, Franny, comes of age she is summoned to a small town in Massachusetts to learn about the Owens family heritage. The siblings spend the summer coming to an understanding of their abilities in much different ways before returning home to NYC. The one lesson they all learn is that they must not love. A family curse says that harm will come to those they love. But, as we all know, the heart cannot be denied!

This is just a book to curl up with and delve into a world full of love, family and magic! Highly recommended!

10.23.2017 - The Ghostwriter

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and Alessandra Torre for the opportunity to read this amazing book - a great suspense/psychological read. This is the first book I've read by this author so I had no preconceived notions on what to expect. I don't want to give much away because this book deserves to be read and discovered the way the author intended!

Helena Ross is a best-selling romance novelist with a reputation for a nasty tongue and her lists of rules. But when she discovers she has only months to live, she knows she has to write one last book. With her illness, she knows she'll need help so she contracts with her rival - Marka Vance. Marka is known for her best-selling erotica books, ones that Helena lambastes at every opportunity. The two go on a journey that the reader follows to reveal the secrets Helena did not want to take to her grave.

You must read this book - highly recommended!

10.20.2017 - Never Coming Back

First - thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Alison McGhee for the privilege of being able to read and review this book - I loved it!

This is a book about words - those we say, those we don't say, those we tell ourselves and others. It is a beautifully written book about mothers and daughters and all those words between them.

Clara is a professional writer who is summoned home when it is discovered that her mom has early-onset Alzheimer's. Clara finds a small cabin in the Adirondack Mountains where she grew up and where her best friends, Sunshine and Brown, now also live. While trying to come to grips with this new version of her mother, Clara finds herself with so many questions about their past. Is it too late to ask those questions?

I really loved this book - I realize I'm gushing. It touched my heart, made me laugh, made me cry, made me think about all those words.

Highly recommended - and extra points for being set in the Adirondack Mountains where I live!