4.20.2024 - The Last Guest House

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Caroline Mitchell.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

DI Alex McKenna, her partner, Matt, and her young son, George, head to the Isle of Skye for the weekend.  Matt's plans for a romantic weekend to see the aurora borealis soon turns into a nightmare when they discover that their hotel has double booked.  They check into the only hotel with rooms available nearby - The Loch House.  With a very sordid past and reputation, things feel wrong from the beginning when the proprietors take away their phones and present them with a list of rules.  Then the snow comes and they are trapped.

I really liked the way this story played out - we hear from multiple POV as well as transcripts from a true crime podcast.  As the plot proceeded, the podcast filled in the back stories in a way that felt very natural.  There were many creepy characters, as well as the creepy house itself, that left me chilled.  You won't know who you can trust.  Add a storm to a locked-room mystery and you have yourselves a great read!  Another winner by Caroline Mitchell!

4.17.2024 - You Know What You Did

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by KT Nguyen - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Annie has worked hard to keep her childhood trauma and resulting issues at bay.  But when her elderly mother dies suddenly, things seem to spiral out of control.  Annie finds herself in the middle of investigations into crimes where Annie doesn't remember details - or does she?  Is she having dreams or memories?

This is a wonderful book with a very unreliable narrator that will have you questioning everything as well.  It's a look into the refugee experience, childhood trauma, mental illness, and the bonds between mother and daughter.  Told mostly in the present, we go back in time to Annie's childhood experiences that have shaped her life and relationships.  I didn't see all those twists and turns coming - especially the very end!  Great read - kept me glued to the pages!

4.16.2024 - Between Two Trailers

  

Many thanks to NetGalley and Convergent Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this amazing memoir by J. Dana Trent.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Born to drug-addicted, mentally ill parents in rural Indiana, Dana was a preschooler when her father (the King) got her involved in dealing drugs.  Her mother, the Lady, expected Dana to be her keeper.  The only normalcy she got was with her extended family for brief respites.  Otherwise, it was a poor, chaotic, mentally abusive childhood.  Even in childhood, the emotional stranglehold her mother held on her kept her from living a more normal life.  Yet, despite all those odds, she became a college professor and minister.

I am always in awe of people who are able, through their own personal strength, to rise out of such horrible childhoods to become stable, healthy, productive adults.  So many people waste the many opportunities they are handed, while others have to fight and scrabble.  Dana's parents no doubt loved her, but between their own bad childhoods, poverty, and mental illness, they were definitely not equipped to raise a child.  Eye opening memoir for sure and many wishes to Dana and Fred for a very happy life!

4.14.2024 - Darling Girls

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by an absolute favorite, Sally Hepworth, with the audio perfectly narrated by Jessica Clarke.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Twenty-five years ago, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia, became as close as sisters when they shared a foster home called Wild Meadows, run by Miss Fairchild.  Now, they are both shocked to receive a call from detectives that human bones were discovered buried under Wild Meadows.  Who do the bones belong to?  And did the girls have anything to do with whatever happened?

Told in the POV from each of the women, in both past and present timeframes, as well as from an unknown person talking with a psychologist, Dr. Warren.  I was immediately drawn into each woman's story, and both timelines were intriguing.  Hepworth is a master at creating characters that are realistic, strong, intelligent, and funny.  While the subject matter of childhood abuse is never an easy one, you will still find yourself laughing out loud at many points along the way.   This book showcases how childhood trauma spreads so deeply into a person's character, yet also presents us with strong characters who are always there for each other.  Another must read by Hepworth!

4.13.2024 - While We Were Burning

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Sara Koffi.  All opinions expressed are my own - 4 stars!

Elizabeth's picture perfect life in an exclusive Memphis suburb starts to unravel when she finds her friend's dead body.  As she starts spiraling, her husband convinces her to hire a personal assistant.  Enter Brianna, who instead of keeping Elizabeth away from obsessing about the death, helps her investigate.  Because Brianna has motives of her own.

This was a well-written, gripping story of a toxic friendship with themes of classism, racism, mental illness.  Straight out of the headlines, this suburban thriller blurs the line between victim and hero.  While neither of the characters are likable, theirs is an emotional story, and the author lets you see both sides.  I can't wait to read more from this author!

4.11.2024 - Everything is a Little Broken

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this thought-provoking book by Rebecca Sugar, wonderfully narrated by Sarah Welborn - 4 stars!

One family dealing with life's realities - illness and aging - and all coping in different ways.  Patriarch Matt is recovering from surgery and has severe physical issues stemming from a long ago spinal cord injury.  His childhood nanny, Mae, has always been a huge part of their family and she is dying, though still happy and hopeful.  Matt's daughter, Mira, is the one who puts her life on hold to help her parents through this part of their lives, and dreads the inevitable phone calls, while her brother is very checked out of the situation.

This book will touch anyone who is going through similar issues and I totally related.  It's not easy to watch those you love suffer.  It's hard not to be resentful of siblings who don't help.  And faith?  Faith keeps you going.  I thought this book was honest, realistic, and hopeful.

4.10.2024 - The Limits

 

Many thanks to NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf Borzoi Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Nell Freudenberger - 4.5 stars!

Taking place in both Tathiti and NYC during the first year of Covid, we meet Nathalie, a French biologist obsessed with saving coral reefs; her ex-husband, Stephen, a cardiologist in NYC; and their precocious teenaged daughter, Pia.   Nathalie sends Pia to NYC to live with Stephen and his new wife, Kate, ostensibly to attend her old (better) school.  When Covid hits, Pia and Kate find themselves alone and resentful of each other, especially now that Kate is pregnant.  Kate is a NYC public schoolteacher, and we then meet one of her students, Athyna, caring for her nephew almost full time and trying to finish her senior year remotely and apply for college.  

One of the biggest challenges of Covid was the forced isolation.  This book really takes you back to that time and highlights society's innate need for social interactions, while also showing our shared connections and hope.  Conversely, Covid also highlighted our class differences - those who could afford to escape big cities, pay tutors in pods, who had insurance and those who didn't have childcare, safe jobs, or homes.  This story is told with those themes strongly running throughout, as well as all the family dramas.  I thought the writing in this book was wonderful, although I definitely had to use my Kindle translation feature a lot!