6.15.2023 - Speak of the Devil

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Press, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this intriguing novel by Rose Wilding and wonderfully narrated by Colleen Prendergast - 4 stars!

Seven women sit in a hotel room around the severed head of Jamie Spellman.  All of the women had reason to want him dead, but who did it and why?  The police are investigating and lives are at stake.

This book starts off with a gruesome premise of a severed head, and in the beginning there are so many characters and timeframes to keep track of.  But it's worth it to stick it out - it's a good mystery with seven obvious suspects and one nasty dead man.  As the book progresses, we learn why each woman has a particular reason to hate Jamie.  It's also a statement of how society treats and values women and how some men can exploit that.  This one may not be for everyone but it was a good read and I didn't guess the ending!

6.15.2023 - The Long Way Back

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me the latest thriller by a favorite, Nicole Baart - 4.5 stars rounded up!

When a photo that Charlie took of her daughter, Eva, goes viral and Eva is having trouble at school, they make a decision to hit the road in a renovated Airstream and document it all on Instagram.  They are soon trending as they make their way across the country.  As Eva gets older and college looms, they decide to settle back home and Eva starts public high school for the first time.  When the two take a boat onto Lake Superior one afternoon, Charlie wakes up and discovers that Eva is gone.  Soon the authorities think she knows more than she is saying.

This is a wonderful mother-daughter relationship story at heart, with Eva anxious to spread her wings and Charlie holding on even tighter.  When Eva is missing and the investigation begins, Charlie learns that she might not have known Eva as well as she thought.  Told in various POV from both Charlie and Eva as well as through Instagram posts and Eva's college essays, which give you a glimpse behind the social media spotlight.  I never expected the turn of events and was glued to the pages to find out what happened.  Be sure to stick around and read the very important author's note.  Highly recommended!

6.14.2023 - The Woman Inside

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the new thriller by M. T. Edvardsson and wonderfully narrated by Josh Dylan; Nathalie Buscombe; and Sofia Engstrand - 4 stars!

Bill, recently widowed and single parent to Sally, is desperate for money so takes in a boarder, Karla, to help with expenses.  Karla is an aspiring law student and works as a housekeeper for a wealthy couple. the Rytters.  The husband, who appears very controlling, has given Karla strict orders about not disturbing his ill wife, who seems intent on engaging Karla, leaving Karla to question if she is really ill.  Jennica lives along with her cat, Dog, and works on a phone advice line.  She meets a new man on Tinder but is he what he professes to be?  When the Rytters are both found dead, all these characters are questioned about their activities.

I loved the way this story spooled out - interwoven with the events leading up to the crime from their different POV are police interrogation tapes with all the suspects, so you get lots of different sources of information.  It's a bit of a slow burn as we learn how interwoven these characters are and learn all the secrets they are keeping.  And that ending - you won't see it coming!

6.12.2023 - The Little Italian Hotel

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing Park Row for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Phaedra Patrick - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Ginny Splinter is a radio host and advice expert, so she knows that a surprise trip to Italy is the perfect 25th wedding anniversary gift to her husband, Adrian.  She found the perfect hotel where they can renew their vows.  However, Adrian has a surprise for her - he wants a divorce!  A rash proclamation on air about her heartbreak ends up with a contest for four strangers to join her on the trip to help heal them all.  

Phaedra Patrick has again created a wonderful world of quirky, charming characters as well as a love letter to Italy.  You'll feel like you are along on the journey with this eclectic group, as Ginny realizes it's much easier to talk about fixing other people's problems than it is to recognize and fix your own.  A heartwarming read that shows you the power of other people in our lives.  Pack along on your own vacation!

6.11.2023 - The Paris Daughter

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new historical fiction novel by Kristin Harmel - 5 stars!

Two mothers, two daughters.  Elise and Juliette meet when they are both pregnant and become fast friends.  Though their lives are very different - Elise and her husband and artists and Juliette and her husband own a small bookstore - Elise finds peace in the bookstore and their young daughters also become the best of friends.  When Elise becomes a target of the German occupation, she does the only thing possible to save her daughter - she entrusts her to Juliette's care.  When she is finally able to return a year later, she's devastated to learn that the bookstore was bombed and both their worlds were destroyed.

This book explored the horrible choices so many had to make in wartime and the consequences of those choices.  It also explores friendship, loss, grief and the many different ways people process those feelings.  This certainly takes place in wartime but it's less a war novel than it is an exploration of motherhood, sacrifice, mother/daughter relationships.  I also loved how books and art played such an important part of this story and showed how both have healing powers.  It's also a cautionary tale about how grief can ruin lives, yet it's such a hopeful book as well.  This book was again wonderfully researched by Harmel and felt so real - be sure to read the author's note at the end.  Fabulous read - highly recommended!

6.10.2023 - Same Time Next Summer

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Annabel Monaghan - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Sam has spent every summer at her family house on Long Island Beach.  It was there that she met Wyatt, who lived next door.  They grew up together and moved from friends to first loves.  But then Wyatt left and broke Sam's heart.  Now she's back at the beach with fiancé Jack in tow, looking at wedding venues.  Jack is a doctor and perfect in all those ways that a fiancé should be - but is he perfect for her?  Then Sam learns that Wyatt is back on the island from California.  

This story is told in the past and present timelines, as we tag along as Sam and Wyatt's relationship grows and then explodes.  This book will transport you to summer, the beach and will have you remembering your first love.  It's full of great secondary characters as well, plus I love how her parents' personalities and house expanded while at the beach.  I fell into this book and didn't want to look up - perfect to pack along on your summer vacation!

6.8.2023 - The Second Ending

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Michelle Hoffman - 5 stars!

Prudence and her husband just dropped their youngest child off at college and Prudence is having a crisis.  She was a child piano prodigy, pushed abusively by her grandmother to be the best.  After a failed first marriage, she began writing commercial jingles and found much success.  She gets an offer to be on a piano duel reality show, but the attention it brings to her also brings her ex-husband to her door, demanding money over a discovered secret.  Her show rival, Alexei, is classically perfect but his upbringing has left him without friends or any kind of life away from the piano.  The show is the chance for each to prove something.

This was such a light, fun book yet one filled with an important message - it's never too late for dreams.  While Prudence comes across a bit snarky because she has no filter, I found myself rooting for both of these characters equally.  I loved how each chapter was a different song title and the love of music resonated throughout.  But mostly music for the love of music - something that can't be taught.  The ending was perfection!  Can't wait to read more from this author!