9.10.2021 - Dark Things I Adore

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital copy of the debut thriller by Katie Lattari - 4.5 stars!

Told between two timeframes - 1988 and 2018 - the story centers around Lupine Valley in backwoods Maine, an artist camp.  In 1999. the Painters are a close group and spend many a night gathered by a campfire or in someone's cabin.  There are two locals among the Painters - Coral and Mantis - who serve as both muse and guide among their jobs at the camp.  In 2018, Audra is a promising art student at a prestigious institute in Boston, working under the instruction of renowned artist Max Durant.  Max follows Audra to her home where she is to show him her thesis work, but Audra has different plans for the weekend.

This is a complex, multi-faceted book that I loved getting lost in.  It's a revenge story, trying to balance the scales of past injustices.  It's also a look at how complicit we can be - do we look the other way when we know something just isn't right?  Do we do that for our own sakes or for someone else's?  The author was so skilled at twisting the past and present, so that even when you think you have it figured out, there are even more layers you didn't guess.  Fabulous debut - can't wait to read more from this author!

9.8.2021 - The Couple Upstairs

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital copy of Shalini Boland's latest thriller - 4 stars for another great read by this author!

Nina and Zac bought their dream home - the bottom flat in a shared home that included the perfect outbuildings for Nina's business.  But those upstairs neighbors - what's going on with them?  The fights at night, the scared looks in the wife's eyes.  Then things start happening to Nina's business - bad reviews, failed events.  Suddenly everything seems to be going wrong.

Interspersed with snippets of past events, we follow along Nina's experiences with Zac and her new neighbors as her dreams become more like nightmares.  This was a quick read that kept me turning the pages to see how it would all turn out.  Another winner from a must-read author for me!

9.7.2021 - Beautiful Country

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for gifting me this powerful memoir by Qian Julie Wang - 5 stars for a look into the immigrant life in the US.

In Chinese, the characters for the US are Mei Guo, which translate into Beautiful Country.  In the 1990s, Qian's parents fled to the US hoping for a better life.  Instead of being able to use their professional degrees, they were now illegal immigrants in NYC, living in fear that they would be deported.  They now could only find work in sweatshops for such meager wages that they were all left starving and living in deplorable conditions.  Qian found refuge in books at the library and taught herself English by watching PBS.  The family starts to fracture under the weight.

What a beautifully written story of the hardships faced by the marginalized in our society.  Qian's perseverance and drive made her a success story but it was a hard fought road with much to bear on her small shoulders.  It's an eye-opening look that children in America are starving and living in these deplorable conditions.  Definitely a must read.

9.5.2021 - The Necklace

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for gifting me a digital copy of this crime story by Matt Witten - 4 stars for an intriguing read!

Twenty years ago, Susan and Danny's young daughter was murdered.  A suspect confessed and was sentenced to death for the crime.  In the present time, Curt, or The Monster, as Susan refers to him, is set to be executed.  Susan is determined to be in North Dakota to see him die, so with the help of her Upstate New York community, she sets out to drive there.  However, along the way she uncovers what she believes to be evidence that Curt is possibly innocent.  

This was a good crime/mystery story that kept me interested until the end.  You will feel for Susan as she does everything possible to get to North Dakota.  There are additional strong characters in Kyra, a teenager who helps Susan, and Robert, the FBI agent who got Curt's confession.  Extra points were given because this story takes place in my area and I loved reading about all the local spots the author put in this book.  Be sure to read the author's note at the end - he's spent lots of time in this area as well, plus the book has a true crime story at its inception.

9.4.2021 - Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Alexa Martin - 4.5 stars for a great read!

Jude and Lauren have been best friends since grade school.  Jude is a popular Instagram influencer, stressing her Pilates workouts and looks.  Lauren is much more serious and is a single mom to 5-year-old Adelaide.  When both fall on hard times, they decide to move in together.  When Lauren's custody of Addy is threatened, Jude helps her begin a mommy podcast. 

This would be the absolute perfect book for a mom's book club because it's just filled with all the things you need to hear when you are in the throes of parenting.  But it also delves into parent/adult child relationships, friendships, racism and women supporting each other.  Throw in some humorous situations, a touch of romance and flawed but adorable characters (Addy!) and you have a winner!

9.2.2021 - Rock Paper Scissors

Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Alice Feeney - 5 mind-blowing, creepy stars!

Amelia and Adam have been married ten years but have hit a rough patch.  Amelia won a weekend getaway to an old house in Scotland and thought it was just what they needed to save their marriage.  Adam is a screenwriter who has face blindness, a condition where he doesn't recognize people, even his own wife.  Every year of their marriage, they exchange traditional gifts and Amelia writes a letter to Adam that she never gives him, wrapping up the past year.  But both are keeping secrets and someone may not survive the weekend.

This has to be the creepiest setting - the house, the storm, every part of their getaway weekend is frightening and written in such a fabulous way to make you feel that you are right there.  You really need to go into this book with as little information as possible - this book literally left me gasping through the twists and turns.  Whatever you think you know as you are reading, you are wrong.  

Highly recommended - fabulous thriller - do not miss this one!

9.1.2021 - The Trapped Wife

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me a digital copy of the latest psychological thriller by Samantha Hayes - 4.5 stars for a twisty, creepy thriller!

Dr Jen Miller is a GP, practicing in a small town. Jen’s husband was killed in a skiing accident and Jen is trying to get life back to normal for her and Kieran, their teenage son. But when she realizes that she’s pregnant after attending a medical conference and someone she vaguely remembers meeting there turns up as a patient, life becomes anything but normal. 

Told from the points of view of Jen and her best friend, Rhonda, there are also intermittent chapters from the past, hinting at evil deeds. This author is skilled at plot twists and these had me shocked at the ending. This is a quick read, mainly because it’s hard to put down!