New Reads:
1. Beach Read by Emily Henry - I devoured this book within a day of receiving it in my April Book of the Month box. This was a completely enjoyable and emotional romantic story. I loved January and Gus and their love story. Even more than the love story itself, I loved the slow burn of really getting to know the characters as people and fall in love with them.
2. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare - This is a powerful story with a very strong main character. I disliked many of the characters for their treatment of Adunni, who was a great person who just wanted to get an education. It made me think a lot about how students in the US often don't value education and take it for granted. It was an eye-opening read to culture in Nigeria and especially opened my eyes to the underage labor and child marriage that occurs. There were so many parts of this book that I hoped were not based in any truth, though I'm sure they were.
3. The Widow by Fiona Barton - I can't say I enjoyed a story as disturbing as this one, but it was an interesting and compellingly readable one. I had to keep reading to know what had happened. This book contains one of the most despicable characters that I have encountered in a story. I wanted justice to be served to him. This story was one part police procedural, one part reporter chasing a story, and another part delving into the mind of a widow whose former husband may have done something terrible. My favorite part of the story was probably the police procedural for how interesting the case was but I really liked all of it.
4. The Child by Fiona Barton - I read this book directly after The Widow, so it was interesting to read two of an author's books back-to-back. I would say that I definitely liked this one better than The Widow, which was also a book that I liked a lot. I found the characters in this one to be overall more likely. Kate the reporter has a much larger role in this story than in the first book. Emma's story was heart-wrenching and I cared about her character.
5. The Whisper Man by Alex North - For some reason, I had started this book a couple of times without finishing it due to getting busy while reading it. Luckily, this time I actually finished it and it was a very good story. There was one plot twist about the relationship between certain characters that caught me completely off guard. This was a story about a really frightening villain as well as some very human characters.
6. When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald - I wasn't sure about this book from the first chapter, but it ended up being a good, quirky read. There were a lot of awful characters in this book who did not good things, but Zelda was a good character. This was a solid read, which I would say I didn't fully love, but I definitely liked it.
7. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - Somehow I read the first book by this writing duo last. This story drew me in and even once I thought I knew all the twists, the book threw some more at me. There was even one in the last 2 pages. I appreciated that this book kept me guessing the whole time. As is often the case in domestic thrillers, the characters were hard to like and manipulative, though I did really feel for the narrator, Vanessa.
8. Next Girl to Die by Dea Poirier - I bought this book last year and accidentally managed to leave it unread on my shelf for nearly a year. Now that I've read it, I don't know why I did that, because this book was amazing. This was an engaging mystery with a detective main character that I cared about. Claire was a great main character with a personal connection to these cases that made it more emotional. I definitely want to read more books with her in the starring role, so I will be getting the second book in this series soon. The mystery was complex and well-done. I enjoyed the side romance between Claire and another character as well.
Rereads:
1. Meet Cute by Helena Hunting - This book was just as cute and full of heart the second time around.
2. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager - This reread has cemented that this is my favorite Riley Sager book so far, with The Last Time I Lied in a close second. I'm super excited to read Home Before Dark once it comes out this summer.
3. Well Met by Jen DeLuca - This book is a fun read. I'm excited to read the next two in the series. I hope Stacey's book, Well Played, is a Book of the Month pick this fall.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
March Wrap-Up and Mini Reviews
New Reads:
1. Hour of the Assassin by Matthew Quirk - I got this book on a whim from Book of the Month. I wasn't sure if I would like a political thriller, but I really liked this one a lot. I was invested in this one pretty quickly. The action picks up right away and doesn't let up for the whole book. This book had a healthy dose of politics and secret conspiracies.
2. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver - This was my second book by Josie Silver. I liked both of her books, though maybe I slightly preferred One Day in December. This was an emotional read. I preferred the Awake sections over the Asleep sections.
3. A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler - This was a sad book that really puts you through an emotional wringer. Brad is probably one of my least favorite characters that I have read. I was mad at him throughout many of his actions in this book. I would have liked a different ending than the one in the book. It was a very good and powerful book, though sad.
4. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James - I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading my copy of this book, because wow, it was so good. I'm not sure which Simone St. James book I prefer of the two I've read, this one or The Sun Down Motel. I may have to reread The Sun Down Motel to figure that out. I loved all the main girl characters in both timelines.
Rereads:
1. The Winter Sister by Megan Collins
2. The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
1. Hour of the Assassin by Matthew Quirk - I got this book on a whim from Book of the Month. I wasn't sure if I would like a political thriller, but I really liked this one a lot. I was invested in this one pretty quickly. The action picks up right away and doesn't let up for the whole book. This book had a healthy dose of politics and secret conspiracies.
2. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver - This was my second book by Josie Silver. I liked both of her books, though maybe I slightly preferred One Day in December. This was an emotional read. I preferred the Awake sections over the Asleep sections.
3. A Good Neighborhood by Therese Ann Fowler - This was a sad book that really puts you through an emotional wringer. Brad is probably one of my least favorite characters that I have read. I was mad at him throughout many of his actions in this book. I would have liked a different ending than the one in the book. It was a very good and powerful book, though sad.
4. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James - I'm not sure why it took me so long to get around to reading my copy of this book, because wow, it was so good. I'm not sure which Simone St. James book I prefer of the two I've read, this one or The Sun Down Motel. I may have to reread The Sun Down Motel to figure that out. I loved all the main girl characters in both timelines.
Rereads:
1. The Winter Sister by Megan Collins
2. The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka
Saturday, March 14, 2020
February Wrap-Up and Mini Reviews
1. The Other People by CJ Tudor - I can't really talk about most of this book due to not wanting to give away anything. I will say that it is full of twists and turns that I never saw coming, and even once I thought everything had unraveled, there was still more to come.
2. The Holdout by Graham Moore - This is the best book of the year so far, which may not be saying much since it's only the 7th that I've read this year, but it is also the best book in general that I have read in a while. I got it from Book of the Month, and as soon as I saw it on there, I knew I had to buy it. As soon as the box arrived, I devoured this book in a 24-hour time span. I had to know how both mysteries would play out and I fell in love with the story and the characters in these pages. I don't want to say too much about the story itself because so much of it is delightfully revealed within the pages, and I would not want to give too much away. But all I can say is, do not hesitate to pick up this book.
3. Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison - This was such an interesting mystery in a boarding school setting. It had many twists and turns throughout. I was definitely not expecting the main twist.
4. Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West - This was a really quick and engaging read that showed the lives of a teacher and a helicopter parent. Julia was a bit over-the-top, but I enjoyed reading about her. I could somewhat agree with some complaints about Isobel, but at the same time, the people complaining went about a lot of things in the wrong way. And I loved that her students cared about her and were supporting and defending her.
5. You Are Not Alone by Greek Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - This was a twisty read full of people that I wasn't ever sure I could trust. There was obviously some shady stuff going on, but it took time for the specifics of that to all be revealed.
2. The Holdout by Graham Moore - This is the best book of the year so far, which may not be saying much since it's only the 7th that I've read this year, but it is also the best book in general that I have read in a while. I got it from Book of the Month, and as soon as I saw it on there, I knew I had to buy it. As soon as the box arrived, I devoured this book in a 24-hour time span. I had to know how both mysteries would play out and I fell in love with the story and the characters in these pages. I don't want to say too much about the story itself because so much of it is delightfully revealed within the pages, and I would not want to give too much away. But all I can say is, do not hesitate to pick up this book.
3. Good Girls Lie by JT Ellison - This was such an interesting mystery in a boarding school setting. It had many twists and turns throughout. I was definitely not expecting the main twist.
4. Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West - This was a really quick and engaging read that showed the lives of a teacher and a helicopter parent. Julia was a bit over-the-top, but I enjoyed reading about her. I could somewhat agree with some complaints about Isobel, but at the same time, the people complaining went about a lot of things in the wrong way. And I loved that her students cared about her and were supporting and defending her.
5. You Are Not Alone by Greek Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen - This was a twisty read full of people that I wasn't ever sure I could trust. There was obviously some shady stuff going on, but it took time for the specifics of that to all be revealed.
Saturday, February 1, 2020
January Wrap-Up and Mini Reviews
I read five books during January. 4 out of the 5 were picks from my Book of the Month subscription.
1. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger - I got this book from Book of the Month a few months ago, and finally got around to reading it after it was one of the 5 finalists for Book of the Year. It definitely is deserving of that. It is an adventure tale with wonderful characters and a lot of heart. It is reminiscent of classic "journey" books such as Huckleberry Finn. The book tackles some serious issues, especially the poor treatment of Native Americans in the 1930s, and it does this with sensitivity.
2. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James - This was one of my Book of the Month picks for January, and once I was invested in it, I had trouble putting it down. It was interesting to see the way the mystery unfolded in the two different timelines. I loved both of the main characters, Carly and Viv.
3. The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood - This was an interesting story told from many different perspectives. Gentry was a lovable hero, a man with autism who thought he was a knight. He cared about Zee so much, and his relationship with her was well developed. The characters in this book went through a lot of tough trials, and this book didn't shy away from some more difficult topics.
4. The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord - It was great to be reunited with the whole gang from the first book in this one. A lot of problems in the book could have been solved with better communication but it is understandable that it wasn't that simple for them. They were still the lovable characters from the first book, but dealing with the stress of their senior year of high school.
5. Recursion by Blake Crouch - The science behind this book is complex quantum physics, and I don't think I fully understood all of it, but this was still a fascinating and interesting read. I had no idea how everything was going to resolve since it got very crazy.
1. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger - I got this book from Book of the Month a few months ago, and finally got around to reading it after it was one of the 5 finalists for Book of the Year. It definitely is deserving of that. It is an adventure tale with wonderful characters and a lot of heart. It is reminiscent of classic "journey" books such as Huckleberry Finn. The book tackles some serious issues, especially the poor treatment of Native Americans in the 1930s, and it does this with sensitivity.
2. The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James - This was one of my Book of the Month picks for January, and once I was invested in it, I had trouble putting it down. It was interesting to see the way the mystery unfolded in the two different timelines. I loved both of the main characters, Carly and Viv.
3. The Reckless Oath We Made by Bryn Greenwood - This was an interesting story told from many different perspectives. Gentry was a lovable hero, a man with autism who thought he was a knight. He cared about Zee so much, and his relationship with her was well developed. The characters in this book went through a lot of tough trials, and this book didn't shy away from some more difficult topics.
4. The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord - It was great to be reunited with the whole gang from the first book in this one. A lot of problems in the book could have been solved with better communication but it is understandable that it wasn't that simple for them. They were still the lovable characters from the first book, but dealing with the stress of their senior year of high school.
5. Recursion by Blake Crouch - The science behind this book is complex quantum physics, and I don't think I fully understood all of it, but this was still a fascinating and interesting read. I had no idea how everything was going to resolve since it got very crazy.
Monday, July 1, 2019
June Wrap Up and Mini Reviews
I read 15 books in June. The books I read were:
1. The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
2. After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott
3. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
4. The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley
5. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
6. The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
7. There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
8. Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
9. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
10. Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
11. The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine
12. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
13. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
14. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
15. Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy - I was quickly engaged in this book within the first chapter. I enjoyed reading about all of the different characters. They all were likable and good characters with various secrets that they were hiding. I liked how we alternated perspectives and got insight into these various characters as they began motherhood for the first time.
After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott - This was an amazing book that also hurt to read at times. While officially a mystery/thriller, it was also an emotional contemporary read. Every character was well-drawn and it delved deeply into their feelings. I cared greatly for so many of them, especially the main character Cassie. Throughout much of the book, the emotional pain that she felt was palpable, and she was a character that I really wanted to give a hug to. This was an emotionally poignant read that I highly recommend and can see myself rereading in the future.
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand - This is my third Elin Hilderbrand book that I've read. She does a good job weaving the stories of many different characters together. I never would have guessed how many secrets the family members and members of this wedding party could possibly be hiding. I liked getting to know all of the various characters involved in this wedding.
The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley - This was an interesting book. I would have liked more closure at the end of the book since some ends were left loose. I didn't really like most of the characters in this book or feel any strong attachment to them. I would have liked to have cared about them more. But overall, it was still a fast-paced and interesting read.
Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand - This is my 4th Elin Hilderbrand book and possibly my favorite of hers that I've read so far. This was a lovely story set in the summer of 1969 as you can guess from the title. I loved most of the characters and enjoyed following their various plotlines and uncovering any secrets that they were keeping.
The Better Sister by Alafair Burke - This was a stellar mystery with interesting character relationships that kept me guessing. I especially liked reading about the sister relationship. The premise of a sister who married her sister's ex-husband was a unique one definitely.
There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon - After enjoying both When Dimple Met Rishi and From Twinkle, With Love, I was excited to read Menon's next book. And this was just as cute as the first two, and possibly my favorite of her books so far, though I would have to revisit the others to be sure. Ashish and Sweetie were a really cute couple and I loved the development of their relationship and how supportive they were of each other.
Meet Cute by Helena Hunting - I loved this book a whole lot and sped through it in less than a day. This book had a lot of emotion and heart and was perhaps a bit more sad than I expected. I think my favorite part of the story, despite it also being an adorable romance, may have been the relationship that Dax had with his sister Emme and the relationship that Kailyn built with her too.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - This had a fun setup and was a cute read. I loved the idea of the maid of honor and best man who didn't like each other having to go on a fake honeymoon. It is the type of setup when you know the two characters will end up together, but the journey to getting there is fun. That being said, there was some stuff near the end that I didn't like, especially with some things Ethan's character said. But I still liked the book overall.
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan - This book was cute and fun with some serious stuff sprinkled in. I felt a bit bad for Seeley who was always getting dragged into Elouise's schemes. Elouise made several questionable decisions but she is young and was learning how to be better at the end of the book so her decisions weren't enough to detract from the story.
The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine - This was an engaging mystery/thriller. From the beginning, I was invested in both Kate and Blaire, and in finding out what happened to Kate's mom. There were several characters throughout that I didn't want to trust and it was interesting seeing how the entire mystery ended up unfolding.
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney - If you are looking for a book with surprising twists and turns, this one is chock full of them, so don't hesitate to pick it up. I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters in this, but the storyline was good enough to keep me invested and turning the pages.
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth - I loved this story and the characters. I really appreciated that the relationship between Lucy and Diana was nuanced and not stereotypical. Diana may have been made out to be a villain in the synopsis of the book, but in reality, she was a complicated person trying to make the best decisions for her family. Everyone in this family was hiding something and it was interesting to see all of the various secrets come to light throughout the story.
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center - This was my second book by Katherine Center that I've read (the first being How to Walk Away) and while I didn't love it quite as much as that one, I still did love it a lot. I was rooting for Helen and Jake from the beginning and I also appreciated Helen's development throughout. I'm excited to read my next Katherine Center book which is one of my BOTM picks next month. And I need to read more of her backlist as well.
Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova - This was a unique story, with the premise of someone meeting their egg donor who then goes missing. There were a lot of twisty plot threads to this story. It kept me engaged and reading. I enjoyed how it was told between a few different perspectives, mainly Katya and Lana and how it went between the present and the past.
1. The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
2. After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott
3. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
4. The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley
5. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
6. The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
7. There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon
8. Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
9. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
10. Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
11. The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine
12. Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
13. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
14. Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
15. Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy - I was quickly engaged in this book within the first chapter. I enjoyed reading about all of the different characters. They all were likable and good characters with various secrets that they were hiding. I liked how we alternated perspectives and got insight into these various characters as they began motherhood for the first time.
After the Eclipse by Fran Dorricott - This was an amazing book that also hurt to read at times. While officially a mystery/thriller, it was also an emotional contemporary read. Every character was well-drawn and it delved deeply into their feelings. I cared greatly for so many of them, especially the main character Cassie. Throughout much of the book, the emotional pain that she felt was palpable, and she was a character that I really wanted to give a hug to. This was an emotionally poignant read that I highly recommend and can see myself rereading in the future.
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand - This is my third Elin Hilderbrand book that I've read. She does a good job weaving the stories of many different characters together. I never would have guessed how many secrets the family members and members of this wedding party could possibly be hiding. I liked getting to know all of the various characters involved in this wedding.
The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley - This was an interesting book. I would have liked more closure at the end of the book since some ends were left loose. I didn't really like most of the characters in this book or feel any strong attachment to them. I would have liked to have cared about them more. But overall, it was still a fast-paced and interesting read.
Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand - This is my 4th Elin Hilderbrand book and possibly my favorite of hers that I've read so far. This was a lovely story set in the summer of 1969 as you can guess from the title. I loved most of the characters and enjoyed following their various plotlines and uncovering any secrets that they were keeping.
The Better Sister by Alafair Burke - This was a stellar mystery with interesting character relationships that kept me guessing. I especially liked reading about the sister relationship. The premise of a sister who married her sister's ex-husband was a unique one definitely.
There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon - After enjoying both When Dimple Met Rishi and From Twinkle, With Love, I was excited to read Menon's next book. And this was just as cute as the first two, and possibly my favorite of her books so far, though I would have to revisit the others to be sure. Ashish and Sweetie were a really cute couple and I loved the development of their relationship and how supportive they were of each other.
Meet Cute by Helena Hunting - I loved this book a whole lot and sped through it in less than a day. This book had a lot of emotion and heart and was perhaps a bit more sad than I expected. I think my favorite part of the story, despite it also being an adorable romance, may have been the relationship that Dax had with his sister Emme and the relationship that Kailyn built with her too.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - This had a fun setup and was a cute read. I loved the idea of the maid of honor and best man who didn't like each other having to go on a fake honeymoon. It is the type of setup when you know the two characters will end up together, but the journey to getting there is fun. That being said, there was some stuff near the end that I didn't like, especially with some things Ethan's character said. But I still liked the book overall.
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan - This book was cute and fun with some serious stuff sprinkled in. I felt a bit bad for Seeley who was always getting dragged into Elouise's schemes. Elouise made several questionable decisions but she is young and was learning how to be better at the end of the book so her decisions weren't enough to detract from the story.
The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine - This was an engaging mystery/thriller. From the beginning, I was invested in both Kate and Blaire, and in finding out what happened to Kate's mom. There were several characters throughout that I didn't want to trust and it was interesting seeing how the entire mystery ended up unfolding.
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney - If you are looking for a book with surprising twists and turns, this one is chock full of them, so don't hesitate to pick it up. I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters in this, but the storyline was good enough to keep me invested and turning the pages.
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth - I loved this story and the characters. I really appreciated that the relationship between Lucy and Diana was nuanced and not stereotypical. Diana may have been made out to be a villain in the synopsis of the book, but in reality, she was a complicated person trying to make the best decisions for her family. Everyone in this family was hiding something and it was interesting to see all of the various secrets come to light throughout the story.
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center - This was my second book by Katherine Center that I've read (the first being How to Walk Away) and while I didn't love it quite as much as that one, I still did love it a lot. I was rooting for Helen and Jake from the beginning and I also appreciated Helen's development throughout. I'm excited to read my next Katherine Center book which is one of my BOTM picks next month. And I need to read more of her backlist as well.
Her Daughter's Mother by Daniela Petrova - This was a unique story, with the premise of someone meeting their egg donor who then goes missing. There were a lot of twisty plot threads to this story. It kept me engaged and reading. I enjoyed how it was told between a few different perspectives, mainly Katya and Lana and how it went between the present and the past.
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