Book Review - When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

 

Sydney Green was  born and raised in Brooklyn but, her beloved neighborhood seems to keep changing everyday. Neighbors who she knew her entire life are disappearing, for sale signs are popping up, and new condos are sprouting up everywhere. Sydney feels that her community is losing it's past and present. She decided to create a walking tour to encourage others to learn about the community's history. She finds an unlikely assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block and her neighbor, Theo. As Sydney and Theo begin to research the community's history, they realize something darker is lurking beneath the surface.

I thought this was going to be an interesting book but, it turned out to be a flop. The book took forever to get to the plot. I read more than sixty percent of the book and I decided that the book was no longer worth the effort. The author slowly builds up the story and starts to hint where the story goes but, it just took to long to get there. I didn't care for any of the characters and didn't like that Sydney was mean to Theo when he was trying to be nice to her.  Theo did do some silly things but, I don't think some of it warranted Sydney's venom at times. I thought the author's writing style was off-putting during some parts of the novel.  However, I did like learning the interesting facts about Brooklyn and I actually ended up researching it some more and taking my own walking tour.

Book Review - A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

Photo Credit - Amazon

Almost newlyweds Karen and Tom Krupp are happily living the American dream. They have a lovely home and a comfortable life together. All that changes when Tom comes home and finds out Karen has disappeared. Her car is gone but, she left her purse and phone at home.

Tom begins to panic and calls their friends and then the police to report Karen's disappearance. The police arrive to take Tom to the hospital because Karen was in a car accident. Karen was speeding through a rough part of town and lost control of her car. Karen suffered a concussion and a few scrapes. When the cops come to ask her about details surrounding her car accident, Karen claims that she lost her memory and has trouble remembering the night before. The police believe her memory loss is very convenient and that she is hiding something.

When Karen returns home, she wants to heal and move on. However, she starts to notice her stuff being moved around in her house. It feels that someone has been in her house. Karen is unsure who she can trust because she has a few dark secrets she wants to keep hidden.

I was excited to read this book because I enjoyed Lapena's debut novel "The Couple Next Door". There were a few twists and unexpected discoveries in the novel but, because I didn't care for any of the characters, I didn't care about anything they were experiencing. However, I am still looking forward to reading more books by the author.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - What Makes Us by Rafi Mittlefehldt + Giveaway

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The only thing Eran Sharon knows of his father is that he left when he was a baby. Eran is a senior in high school who is living with his overly protective mother who refuses to talk about his father. Eran is deeply passionate about social justice and equality. When he learns that the Houston police have launched a new program to increase traffic stops, he organizes a peaceful protest with this classmates.

When a heated moment between two protestors goes viral, a reporter connects the Sharon family to a tragedy fifteen years earlier. The reporter asked if Eran is anything like his father who is a supposed terrorist. After finding out about his father, Eran wonders how much alike he is with his father.  He worries, even more, when people he knew for years start treating him differently.

The novel isn't usually my choice genre but, I found the book to be an emotional read. I sometimes wonder if the "sins of the father" should be passed on to the children and to which degree do we inherit our personality. I thought the novel was an interesting read on how forgiveness and perception.

  **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (October 15, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763697508
ISBN-13: 978-0763697501

Praise for WHAT MAKES US

What Makes Us is a heart-stopping, heartbreaking read — a book full of heart. Mittlefehldt’s thoughtful, nuanced exploration of identity pulled me in from the very first page, and I could barely put it down. Eran’s story takes a universal coming-of-age theme — finding out your parents aren’t who you thought they were — to a tightly wound and thrilling extreme. Most important, this book provides satisfying, much-needed representation of a contemporary, complex Jewish teen and his family. ―Lisa Rosinsky, author of Inevitable and Only

Provocative. ―Kirkus Reviews

A viral video reveals a teen’s dark family history, leaving him to reckon with his heritage, legacy, and identity in this fiery, conversation-starting novel.

Eran Sharon knows nothing of his father except that he left when Eran was a baby. Now a senior in high school and living with his protective but tight-lipped mother, Eran is a passionate young man deeply interested in social justice and equality. When he learns that the Houston police have launched a program to increase traffic stops, Eran organizes a peaceful protest.

But a heated moment at the protest goes viral, and a reporter connects the Sharon family to a tragedy fifteen years earlier — and asks if Eran is anything like his father, a supposed terrorist. Soon enough, Eran is wondering the same thing, especially when the people he’s gone to school and temple with for years start to look at him differently.

Timely, powerful, and full of nuance, Rafi Mittlefehldt’s sophomore novel confronts the prejudices, fears, and strengths of family and community, striking right to the heart of what makes us who we are.

You can purchase What Makes Us at the following Retailers:

        

Photo Credit: Damien Mittlefehldt

Rafi Mittlefehldt is a writer who has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance theater critic, and children’s author. His debut novel was It Looks Like This. Rafi Mittlefehldt lives with his husband in New York City.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Shortly after the horrific Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, I read an article that mentioned one of the bombers having left behind a wife and three-year-old daughter. It was a throwaway line, but it stuck with me — I couldn’t stop thinking about that girl, who was too young to understand what had happened. When would she find out who her father was, and how would she process that? How would others react to learning about her family history? Would she keep it a secret? Would her mother?

What Makes Us began very simply as a story exploring those questions. But as I fleshed out the two main characters, Eran and Jade, their personalities took the story deeper, toward matters that are personal to me but relatable to so many. Eran’s volatility and tendency to react instinctively force him to confront issues of impulse control and anger management. And both characters’ uncertainty regarding their own pasts compels them to wrestle with self-determination and to ask, What makes a person? As the novel switches between Eran’s and Jade’s perspectives, we see them reluctantly frame and then try to answer this question, all against the backdrop of a community on the brink of chaos.

        

WEEK ONE

OCTOBER 14th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW

OCTOBER 15th TUESDAY Book Queen Reviews REVIEW

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Book Review - Good Neighbors by Ryan David Jahn

Photo Credit - Amazon

In the early morning of March 13, 1964, a young woman is assaulted in the courtyard of her Queens apartment building. She cries for help and while her neighbors hear her pleas; no one calls the police. The story unfolds over the course of two hours, showing the woman's night along with the stories of her neighbors. Each of the stories intersects with each other weaving a larger story.

When I first picked up this novel, I thought it was going to be a revenge novel. However, I was pleasantly surprised when  I realized it wasn't. I found the story to be engaging and kept me on the edge of the seat. The novel was a bit grim but, overall a worthwhile read. I can't wait to read more by the author.

**Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Trust My Heart by Carol J. Post + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Grant McAllister never had good memories of Murphy, North Carolina. His estranged grandparents left him an aging mansion along with a sizable inheritance. Grant has no interest in staying in Murphy, until a spunky report and next door neighbor Jami Carlisle catches his interest.  After being being hurt by others, he is unable to trust and love as easily as before. Jami also reeling from breaking off an "engagement" with her on and off boyfriend, she is no rush to get into another relationship. Will Jami and Grant be able to get over their past? What secrets are hidden by in the mansion?

When reading the blurb for this book, I thought the Grant's family secrets would play a bigger role in the book. However, maybe a few sentences were about his family secrets and the rest of the story was about the growing attraction between the two. The story was an easy read but middle of the book, it got repetitive and annoying. Something would happen, then they would break up, then something would happen, then they break would break up, then something would happen and they would FINALLY decide their relationship are worth fighting for. This entire book felt like fluff. A decent read if you are a fan of the writer, but I expected more from this book.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**