First of all, many thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5
First of all, many thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Wow, I was seriously blown away by this book, especially the ending. Ah, the lifestyles of the rich and famous (pardon the pun). She Regrets Nothing gives you an interesting look into how the esteemed and wealthy in New York live, at least how I imagine many of them live anyway.
This book is mostly based on poor Laila, the "lowly" girl from Grosse Point, Michigan. Daughter of a man cut off from his wealthy family due to a secret no one wants to talk about, but what made him the black sheep of the family. Laila ends up moving to New York and living with her twin cousins Nora and Leo. We also have the beautiful, driven, older cousin of hers, Liberty, who shows Laila great kindness the entire time even though frankly she doesn't even deserve it.
Laila's choices throughout the book are incredibly naive and ridiculous for the most part, but what kind of book would it be if they weren't? She is truly enamored with the life of the rich family she didn't even know existed. I love reading books set in New York because I feel like it makes them seem larger than life. NY just feels larger than life to me in general, and fun books like this set among wealthy (albeit fictional) characters there just ups the ante.
She Regrets Nothing is definitely a bit of a lighter read, while at the same time dealing with a couple heavy topics. There is also plenty of dirt and secrets mixed in to keep it spicy. It was a bit like watching a reality show honestly, and I loved every second of it. It took me awhile to get through this one because I wasn't reading it too often, but I know that if I had focused on it I would have flown through it. It also had multiple viewpoints, hurray!
3 words to describe this book: Juicy, Glamorous, Sexy.
Final Thought: If you like The Real Housewives or juicy reality shows, this is probably going to be the perfect book for you! At the end of this book my mouth actually dropped open more than once because THAT my friends, is the kind of book this is. I seriously cannot wait to see what Dunlop comes up with next!
Utterly heartbreaking. I don't usually read a ton of historical fiction, but I heard so many good things about Before We Were Yours that I had to pickUtterly heartbreaking. I don't usually read a ton of historical fiction, but I heard so many good things about Before We Were Yours that I had to pick it up from my local library when I saw it on our Lucky Day shelf. I'm so very glad I did because this intricately woven story had me clinging to my book for hours at a time. It was an incredibly fast read which was definitely due to the fact that Lisa Wingate really sucks you into the story and makes you feel like you are right there experiencing it all with Rill and Avery. I had a very strong urge not to put this book down until I was done with it.
I appreciated how the prose changes as we jump from past to present, and how Wingate adjusts her writing to match with the times. We switch from present day South Carolina to Memphis in 1939. Rich to poor and back again. Luckily Avery was not some rich snob, and I loved all the strong female characters.
Wingate even throws in a little romance for us, which was a nice change of pace. I loved both stories that were told, Avery's - in the present time - really being the lighter of the two. It just made my heart break for all these families that were taken advantage of under that evil witch Georgia Tann's tyranny. And for what? Money. In our society money is king. People are so dang greedy and in this case that greed caused WAY too much heartbreak (and I'm sure it still does to this day). It's disgusting, and I can't believe so many people turned the other way to let terrible things happen to so many families.
I didn't know anything about this topic before I read the book, so I'm very happy I read it. I also have to note that this cover is beautiful. Looking at it now after reading the book makes me appreciate it even more than before I read the book.
Final Thought: You NEED to read this book, even if you don't read a whole lot of historical fiction. It is just so dang good and such a tragic story. It's definitely a very eye opening book as well. Especially if you are like me and aren't familiar with Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society. I will most definitely be reading everything else that Wingate comes out with going forward.
*This title was published on 06 June 2017* (I know, I'm very late to the party!)...more
I don't have a single bad thing to say about The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. This was a fascinating book about a topic I know very little about - femI don't have a single bad thing to say about The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. This was a fascinating book about a topic I know very little about - female secret agents during World War I and II. I have read a decent amount of historical fiction lately but nothing about this topic and it was a very refreshing, if not heartbreaking, read for me.
There are two storylines in The Alice Network, Eve in 1915 and Charlie in 1947. Eve's story is about her double life as a secret agent in World War I, and Charlie's story is her search to find her cousin Rose who disappeared during World War II. I really loved the dual storylines and I liked both Eve and Charlie a lot. I especially enjoyed how both stories came together thanks to Eve. I think Quinn did a great job of integrating the two and jumping between past and present kept things interesting for me.
I was also a huge fan of the author's note at the end of the book. It turns out that a lot of what is in The Alice Network is true, and there was some other special content in the paperback that was both interesting and informative. If you are an audiobook lover, I also highly recommend that as well. The narrator Saskia Maarleveld was fantastic at both Charlie and Eve, and I will definitely be looking for more novels she has narrated. If you do the physical or the audiobook I would count it as a win! There are funny parts, disturbing parts, and other things that will leave you in awe of the amazing women who were a part of the real Alice Network. I also found it to be a bit of a tear-jerker, and the only thing I have left to say is how sad I am that I didn't read it sooner!...more
This book is confusing as heck, there are so many moving pieces and different people that I am actually amazed the author was even able to make sense of it. But it was also completely brilliant and unlike anything I have ever read in my life. I had initially started the book back when it first came out, but I couldn't get into it, so I eventually set it aside thinking I'd pick it up later. Well now I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to get back to it! I decided to do the audio this time and I think that is something that really helped me. I really enjoyed the narrator, James Cameron Stewart, and the way he read the book really got me in the mood for it, so to speak.
If you are not into books that might confuse you, you may not like The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but I highly encourage anyone who thinks this sounds interesting to pick it up. It was witty, clever, and completely surprising. There are a few revels that I didn't see coming, and I loved the experience this book offered me. The fact that this is a debut novel also blew me away, and if you read it you will see why. I'm very excited to see Turton has a new book coming out in 2020 and I will certainly not wait as long to read it this time!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own....more
Even though I have only read 2 books from Riley Sager (since that's all he has), he is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite author⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Even though I have only read 2 books from Riley Sager (since that's all he has), he is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite authors. His books always have shocking conclusions and The Last Time I Lied was no exception.
The Last Time I Lied focuses on Emma Davis who is 13 at the time when her 3 cabinmates Vivian, Natalie, and Allison go missing from their cabin at Camp Nightingale. Fast forward 15 years later and Emma has become an accomplished painter in the New York City art scene; painting these missing girls and covering them up in all her pictures. The camp's owner Franny ends up buying one of Emma's pieces and also invites her back to Camp Nightingale one last time as a painting instructor. Emma sees this as the perfect time to try and figure out what happened to the 3 girls all those years before.
Just a slight rundown of the plot, but you get the idea. Mystery and suspicion abound while Emma is back at camp and she is also quite the unreliable narrator. I really had no idea what was going on and I wasn't expecting the ending even a little bit. There are many twists and turns to the plot, and even though I thought the book started out a little slow, it definitely picked up as it went on. I also enjoyed the camp setting for the novel, and it made me want to go to camp myself!
The Last Time I Lied switches between present and 15 years ago when Emma is at camp the first time, which was something I really enjoyed. I thought it gave the book a nice pace and made it more interesting. Plus it was nice to get background to what happened that first time with Emma and the other girls in her cabin.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually liked the ending of Final Girls better than the ending of this book.... The revelations were just more shocking to me for some reason. Don't get me wrong, the ending of this book is fantastic and cray cray and everything you would expect from Sager, but it just didn't hit me the same way. It actually made me move up my review from 4 to 5 for Final Girls too. But what do I know!
Final Thought: If you think the book starts out slow, just hold on because you are in for a crazy ride as it gets going. The pace definitely picks up, and I think a lot of people will enjoy the camp setting. Even if you didn't enjoy Final Girls you should still check out this book. It is pretty different in not just the setting, but everything else as well. Plus Sager's writing is so good, how can you not? Highly recommend and can't wait to see what the next book brings. ...more
I will start by saying this book completely blew me away as I was expecting something completely different from what I got. The blurb itself doesn't really tell you much that there is to know about this book, and I actually love that.
I will also say this book is not going to be for everyone. It's a thinker for sure, and it also includes a couple gay sex scenes which I was not expecting. The descriptions were actually a little disturbing for me, not having read anything like that before. I wanted to point this out so other readers are aware.
Anyway, moving on, The Immortalists is my very first read from Chloe Benjamin and it will definitely not be my last. It is a pretty heavy read so make sure you go in knowing that. It was fairly depressing, but also hopeful at the same time if that makes sense. My heart really broke for this family and everything they experienced, and it really does take a deeper look into destiny vs choice like the blurb mentions.
This book was beautifully written and I was completely engrossed in it; I definitely had a hard time putting it down. I think this will be a very fast read for most people as well. My favorite Gold child was Klara, and I really loved reading her section. I think that is because of the magical aspect to her story. This book is also descriptive enough for me without going overboard like a lot of books do in my opinion.
Also, in small world randomness, this book mentions the college of St. Olaf which happens to be very near the place I grew up! I love when I can pick things like that out of the books I read.
I don't want to say anything else because I think this is the kind of book that is better when you just read it for yourself.... so read it when it comes out, I know you want to. :)
Overall this was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it.
*This book is set to be published on 01/09/2018*
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Griffith Moon Publishing for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book. My review is completely honest and unbiased...more
The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter is one masterly woven tale, let me tell you! Besides the fact that I am totally in love with this cover, I loved the story as well.
I was really immersed in this read although it did take me a bit to get into it. It started off a little slow for me, but became a real page turner by the time I hit page 70 or so. I say that because I was on page 60 something and got to the end of 369 pages in one day. It ended up being quite the fast read and I didn't want to put it down once I got into it (so I really didn't!).
At first the vibe I got from Meg was spoiled rich kid with a "poor me I have a celebrity mom" complex. BUT that is not how this story goes. I loved the depth you end up seeing out of her character and learning about what she has been through with her mom, Frances.
There were a few moments in the book that I actually said "oh shit!" out loud, it was that good. There was also some good sexusal tension in this book that I just loved (and I'm not talking about Frances and her new beau). It didn't detract from the main plot at all, it was just a little bit of romance -- if you would even call it that -- splashed in.
I LOVED the excerpts from "Kitten" throughout the book. Nothing beats a book within a book, especially when they are both entertaining to read (and creepy at that)! The Weight of Lies also had my heart racing a couple of times. Not just because of spooky/creepy/romance either. Even when Meg is fighting with Frances over the phone was enough to get my heartrate up. I love when an author can do that through prose.
The last chapter was pretty much an epilogue and I loved the style in which it was written. It reminded me of what you'd see scrolling at the end of a movie based on a true story. It had such a great feel to it and it really was the perfect ending to this book.
Final Thought: If you haven't read this yet you need to! I will definitely be going back and reading Burying the Honeysuckle Girls now, I am actually kind of sad I haven't read that yet knowing how good this one is now. Loved this book and highly recommend it for the lover of a good mystery. In this book the mystery kind of sneaks up on you though, so keep your eyes open! ;)...more
Every Single Secret is another wonderfully atmospheric and gothic novel from the great Emily Carpenter! I thoroughly enjoyed The Weight of Lies and while I didn't like this one {quite} as much, I still really liked it.
Every Single Secret is about a young woman named Daphne and her fiance Heath. Heath ends up talking Daphne into a couple's retreat in the mountains of Georgia when he starts having terrible nightmares. Neither of them have been honest with each other about their backgrounds and all will be revealed in this secluded home in the mountains. The creep factor is very high, and the home is exceptionally gothic.
I did find the blurb to be a bit misleading so I recommend going into this book blind like I did. Most of it is accurate, but not all in my opinion. Maybe it's just me, but I still recommend going into this one blind. If you like this author's other books I think you will like this one.
Final Thought: I read this book in a little over a night so it was definitely an addictive read for me. I know this book won't be for everyone, and some people may find it a little slow. However, for me the pace was on point and I loved that the book jumps around between past and present so we got to know Daphne's story that way. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that likes atmospheric, gothic novels with twists! And as always, I can't wait to read the next book by Carpenter.
Every Single Secret in 3-ish words: Creepy, Atmospheric, & Suspenseful...more
This was my very first novel by Baart, and once again, I have very mixed feelings (go figure).
I should mention that I basically read this in 2 sittings, and I stayed up until 2 AM to finish it because I couldn't put it down. That's part of the reason why I couldn't give it less than a 3.5 star rating. At first it wasn't really holding my attention, but after I hit around page 100 I got sucked in and couldn't stop.
Family drama, secrets, lies, and a whooooole lot more is what you will find in Little Broken Things. The story basically takes place over a series of 4 days and at the end there is an "After" which is essentially the epilogue. There is so much going on in that 4 days that it felt like it should have taken place over at least 30 days.
I loved that this book is set in a (albeit fictional) town in Minnesota named Key Lake. I am from MN and just recently moved away, so it added a little something for me to have this book set in my home sate. Even though most of the places talked about are fictitious, which I was a little bummed out about, it was still fun seeing New Ulm and Rochester mentioned. I'm always the one that is like "I've been there!!" when I see some place I am familiar with in a book. It is always an enjoyable feeling.
Told in alternating viewpoints, the story mainly focuses on sisters Quinn and Nora, and their mom Liz. I am a huge fan of alternating viewpoints so it was nice to have that in this book.
As far as characters go, I kind of struggled with liking many of them. Everlee of course was adorable, and I felt so bad for that little girl. At first I really didn't find Liz to be particularly likable, but then she actually ended up being my favorite character in the book. Her development was definitely the best of any character in the book in my opinion.
My biggest caveat with this book was the fact that the characters were SO shocked by the ending. I feel like you have to be pretty dumb to not understand what was going on. They all acted so confused and surprised, and that just felt really unbelievable to me. I even figured out what was going on, and that is rare.
Random Observation: The phrase "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" was repeated quite a bit in this book and seeing it repeated so many times started to irritate me. I'm probably being irrational, but I just noticed that and it started to bug me for whatever reason.
Final Thought: A lot of people really loved this book, and I totally appreciate the time and effort it must have taken Baart to write this. It wasn't my favorite, but I'm sure a ton of people will like it. If you like family drama with some hidden secrets you should give it a shot. It was suspenseful and the story moved at a decent pace, but I wouldn't say it was super twisty or anything. I definitely want to read more from Nicole Baart though. Besides the fact that she seems like an amazing, generous person, there was nothing wrong with the writing of this book, it just wasn't completely for me. Hopefully I can have some better luck with other novels from her!
Also, trigger warning for rape and child molestation. It was mostly eluded to and wasn't described in depth, but wanted to throw that out there.
*The paperback was first published on 21 Nov 2017*...more
3/5 ⭐️ and that is probably being generous. I really struggled between 2 and 3 stars for this book, although I didn't skim a single part of it.
This b3/5 ⭐️ and that is probably being generous. I really struggled between 2 and 3 stars for this book, although I didn't skim a single part of it.
This book fell super flat for me. It was my first book by Christina McKenna, and will unfortunately probably be the only book I read from her.
First off, I thought there were way too many scenes of abuse in this book. There are some authors (like Karin Slaughter) that can write a book with abuse, or any other nasty topic, and not overpower you with it throughout the entire book. I thought this author went too far with those scenes and could have made them either a little more vague, or just not have had so many in the book. I felt incredibly uncomfortable, which would normally be fine, but I just felt too overcome with them in this book.
There were a few parts that did make me chuckle, so the whole book wasn't completely depressing, but for the most part it was a very sad state of affairs. This book was set in Ireland, and while this is not my first book set there, it seemed very different from the others I have read. The conversations held in this book were sometimes difficult to understand, but the rest of the writing and the speech of the main characters were completely unlike those of the conversations held throughout the book.
Also, I really hated the ending. I can't really say why without giving anything away, but it just didn't feel like it was doing the characters or the book justice. There had to have been a better outcome... In more ways than one. The only reason I gave this book a 3 instead of a 2, is because I was never bored with it, and it did keep me guessing until the end. Overall though, this was just not my type of book and I doubt I would recommend it.
*As always, my reviews can be seen at readingbetweenwinessite.wordpress.com
*This book was published on 10/12/2017*
*Special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sending me an electronic ARC of this book. My review is completely honest and unbiased
This book took me FOREVER to read. Not gonna lie, I was so positive that I was going to rate this 3/5 but after I really got into it I had⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
This book took me FOREVER to read. Not gonna lie, I was so positive that I was going to rate this 3/5 but after I really got into it I had to give it a 4. I know this book is not going to be for everyone. I really didn't find this book fast-paced until I got to around the 300 page mark which is a long time to wait for some excitement. There was plenty going on in the book, but for some reason it just took me personally quite a while to get into it and be committed to finishing it.
This book has magic, mystery, and murder all rolled into one long, crazy book. The multimedia aspect of this book was so amazing, I've never read anything like it. And even though the app that was first available when it came out doesn't exist anymore, it was very nice of Marisha Pessl to include it on her website.
The ending of this book was left a little to the imagination, but I actually didn't mind that very much. Usually that would drive me insane, but for some reason it just seemed to WORK for this book.
One problem I had with this book -- and really my only major complaint besides how slow I thought it was in the beginning -- was all of the italicized words and half the time I didn't even understand why the author thought it necessary to do that. It was rather annoying at the end because there was just SO MUCH of it. Other than those 2 things, this book really turned around for me. Plus, that multimedia aspect is just so amazing.
I wouldn't read it again, but I think it is worth the time for most people. ...more
Depth of Lies by E.C. Diskin was a solid 4 star book for me. I didn't want to put it down pretty much the entire time, and once I got over halfway, I Depth of Lies by E.C. Diskin was a solid 4 star book for me. I didn't want to put it down pretty much the entire time, and once I got over halfway, I really couldn't stop reading.
This book focuses on the death of Shea. Was it an accident? Did she kill herself? Was she murdered? How well do you really know people that you're friends with?
The strange thing about this one for me, was that it felt like pieces of books I have read before all put together in a new book. What I'm trying to say, is that it felt like I have read a similar tale before. This book was crafted incredibly well though and while I got a bit of Déjà vu, it wasn't anything that took away from the plot for me and I was still very interested in the "tangled web" I was reading.
The author has a few red herrings throughout the book, and I was incredibly confused for quite some time. Once I got towards the end I pretty much had it figured out. Although, there was one pretty big surprise that I wasn't really expecting.
I really enjoyed the dual timelines (I really love when authors do that), and that it switched between Kat and Shea. This is a super solid read, and anyone that enjoys a good mystery is probably going to like this one. I definitely want to read more by this author!
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for sending me an ARC of this book. My review is completely honest and unbiased....more
First of all, many thanks to William Morrow and Company for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via Edelwe⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5 rounded up.
First of all, many thanks to William Morrow and Company for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.
This book has been on my list for AGES, and I had actually just preordered it from Amazon when I found out that I had been lucky enough to get approved for an ARC on Edelweiss. So glad I was! This book lived up to the hype for me, which I am very thankful for in a time where books don't always do that.
If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin is set in a small fictional town named Havenkill in the Hudson Valley, and focuses on what happens after a high school senior is put in the hospital after being run over during a car theft. Or was it a car theft?
The viewpoints hop around a bit, but the majority of the book is told from the perspectives of Pearl a local police officer with a complicated past, and Jackie the mother of 2 boys - Connor and Wade - Wade being a high school senior along with Liam the boy who gets run over and put into intensive care.
If I Die Tonight was a bit of a police procedural at times, but I would say only about 25% of the total novel was like this (if not less, math isn't my strong suit!). The book also played with some different formats, like chapters that are comments and posts taken from Facebook and Instagram. It added something extra to the story and I really enjoyed the deviation from the norm. I've actually been seeing this more in recent books and I love it!
I did think it could be a little slow at times, especially in the beginning - middle, but not to the point where I was ready to abandon it. There is a lot going on in this book and definitely some heavy subject matters. It touches on cyber bullying, bullying in general, and how in a small town where everyone knows everyone rumors and speculations can have a huge effect on how people treat you. The use of social media is also a very prominent theme in this novel. Luckily, Gaylin added some humor into the book which ended up being a nice respite from some of the heavier parts.
Now the characters; I wouldn't say that I really connected to any of them, but I definitely felt for Connor, Wade and Jackie. And also Pearl as we get to know her story. All of the characters in this book felt very real and human to me.
Final Thought: The ending gave me chills, and I had no idea what was going to happen overall. There were a few revelations that I definitely wasn't expecting, and one thing I kinda saw coming. I cannot BELIEVE this was my first novel by Gaylin, and now I want to read her backlog ASAP to see what else I have been missing. She definitely has an instant fan in me!
If I Die Tonight in 3 words: Engrossing, Touching, and Surprising
*This title is expected to be published on 06 Mar 2018*...more
"This was one of those life moments. The ones that you knew just before they happened would change everything."
I will start off by saying this book wa"This was one of those life moments. The ones that you knew just before they happened would change everything."
I will start off by saying this book was quite hard for me to rate. One part of me wanted to give it 4 stars, the other wanted to give it 2, so I decided to rate it in the middle at 3/5.
This book makes you wonder what you would do in the same situation. You as the reader know everything that happens, but not all the characters find out what exactly happened. This really frustrated me because I am largely in fan of "the truth coming out in the end for all to hear". Also, Ellie's hidden secret at the end just made me angry. I was calling her an idiot the last 5 pages of this ebook. We don't want to give up the opinions we have of others, especially if they are good ones, but come ON Ellie.
I did love that this book had dual timelines and switched back and forth between Ellie and Amelia. I always love that component in a book, and it made this book more interesting for me.
Overall I still think this book will be worth the read for most people, and the mystery element was very appealing as I was reading. I wanted to get to the end to figure out what happened. I would definitely read more by this author.
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. My review is completely honest and unbiased....more
First off, I love the cover of this book, that (besides the great reviews) is what initially drew me to this b⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded down to 3 for Goodreads.
First off, I love the cover of this book, that (besides the great reviews) is what initially drew me to this book. It's beautiful, and I loved taking photos of this one for my Bookstagram.
A few things I liked (besides the cover): The concept of this book was great for me. A serial killer of young children for a mom, what is the daughter going to be like, good or bad? This is a very fast read, when I had time to read I flew through the pages. Ali Land gave away pieces of what was going on a little at a time which made the book more interesting.
A few things I didn't like: Did anyone else notice that Annie talked like Yoda? That was very weird, and it actually kind of bugged me at the end. The ending was predictable and I kept waiting for more to happen but nothing did. Something made me feel disappointed after reading this.
Overall though a lot of people are going to like this book, and it definitely had my interest. I would still read Good Me, Bad Me and form your own opinion....more
Fractured was my very first Catherine McKenzie book and it was SO good. So I was extremely excited to read The Good Liar, and I have to say this one did not disappoint me.
The Good Liar is a highly character-driven, slow burn of a novel. I was thoroughly addicted to this book even though I wouldn't say it is necessarily fast-paced. The story and the characters were just so interesting to me though, and this book did a great job of keeping me engaged considering I basically read this in two sittings.
I love that the blurb for this book is very concise, and honestly I don't think you need to know more than what it says. Plus it didn't give me any false expectations for the book which I always appreciate. Without repeating the blurb, the basis of the plot is this: there is an explosion in a downtown Chicago building that kills 513 people and injures thousands. This is the story of what happens to 3 women (Franny, Kate and Cecily) afterwards.
The viewpoints switch between Kate and Cecily, but the book is also interspersed with interview transcripts. This, combined with the short chapters, made it a very fast read.
The ending of The Good Liar gave me chills, and actually, a couple of the big reveals did. This probably won't happen to everyone, but I'm glad it happened to me!
Final Thought: I'm sure there will be people that will probably figure out some of the big reveals, but I didn't see too much coming. I try to just enjoy the story and not harness the detective in me so I don't spoil anything for myself. This will be a great book for someone who loves psychological thrillers that have a slow-burn, character driven feel to them.
The Good Liar in 3-ish words: Captivating, Complex & Memorable
Sidebar: I just have to give a shout out to Catherine McKenzie for mentioning The Wire in her interview at the back of the book. One of my old roommates agrees with you that the show has great writers! I actually sent him a screenshot because he's obsessed with that show and has seen it many times. So thank you for that. ;)...more
This was one crazy ride folks. Lie to Me was a completely engrossing thriller that had me guessing until all was revealed.
Sutton and Ethan have a tumultuous relationship as it is, but especially after the death of their baby boy. I thought this was going to be another Gone Girl, but boy was I wrong. Still, there are some elements that will feel similar to you, as I know they definitely did for me. In a good way in my opinion!
I didn't really connect to any of the characters in this book, but that really didn't bother me. Sutton, Ethan, Holly, Sutton's mom Siobhan (what a piece of work THAT lady is), and Sutton's friends were all interesting characters, but we don't really learn too much about some of them. Especially the friends and the mom; plus we only find out a little about Holly. Not enough that I could really relate to any of them specifically. We end up finding out quite a bit about Ethan and Sutton, but for some reason I still didn't have a connection to them. Maybe that is what the author meant to happen though....
The writing of this book was stupendous and I loved the way this book was written. Short chapters with quirky titles, multiple POV's, "then" and "now" chapters.... I just loved it all! The ending was VERY surprising, at least to me, and there were a ton of twists in this book that I wasn't expecting.
I really enjoyed that "the killer" had a few chapters. I didn't guess who this person was, although I know some people did. It was great to read some of what was happening in their mind at pivotal points in the story.
Final Thought: This was a real page turner for me right from the beginning, and I highly recommend reading it. It seems to be pretty popular overall and I loved it, so worth at least giving it a try! I can't wait to read more books from J.T. Ellison...more
You can tell I liked this one since I read it basically in 1 day. I should also note that this was the first book I have read by Hollie Overton.
I had read the blurb for The Walls awhile back and put it on my TBR list, but when I started it I hadn't read the blurb again and pretty much went into it blind (which I actually really like to do). Low and behold, it was yet another domestic abuse book, mixed with a prison plotline.
This was a fast paced book for me, but I was ready to tear it into tiny pieces when Kristy started getting abused. Because really? She works at a prison, sees death row inmates executed, and can't stand up for herself or tell anyone??? I guess anyone can be pulled into that situation and not be strong enough to try to prevail past the threats, abuse, and small town mentality this book emphasises. BUT, I was still very pissed off that Kristy went from a smart, strong woman to someone completely under Lance's thumb. However, it did not stay that way. Kristy gets some sense in her head and decides she is no longer going to be abused and living in fear.
I did like how this book ended, even though it felt like maybe something was missing. Overall though, the suspense was there, the frustration was there (this book is meant to cause you frustration right?), and I really loved Kristy and her family.
This was my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last. I also plan to read her first book Baby Doll. I definitely recommend this book so you can form your own thoughts on this story....more
I definitely didn't have an issue getting into or finishing this book, but it wasn't amazing either. It was a solid 3 ⭐️, probably a 3.5 if we were alI definitely didn't have an issue getting into or finishing this book, but it wasn't amazing either. It was a solid 3 ⭐️, probably a 3.5 if we were allowed half stars. I didn't expect the ending either although it sounds like a lot of other people were able to see it coming (shocker). I did think the book was a bit too wordy and rambling at times, and probably could have been more like a 250 page book as opposed to 353. Overall a good book though.
Random thought: I have never seen "clapboard house" used so many times in a book before....more
This book totally blew me away. It was the first book I have read from Rebecca Drake and I was not disappointed. The suspense mounted consistently throughout this book, and while I guessed what was going on towards the end, it still was quite shocking.
All these ladies had their own secrets, and it was shocking to find out what each of them were, a couple being more surprising than the others. I thought there was great character development and I didn't dislike any of the main characters. I also think the author did a great job with the abuse in this book. Some books overwhelm you with it, but this one wasn't like that.
This book didn’t have the super short chapters that I enjoy, but that didn’t make the book hard to read. I sped through this one. It was hard to put this book down, and it was a super-fast read
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a good mystery with an edge. The friend aspect was very interesting and begs the question "how well do you really know someone?"
*HUGE thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. My review is completely honest and unbiased*...more
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