Book Review - My Name Is Iris by Brando Skyhorse

 

My Name Is Iris by Brando Skyhorse is about a woman, Iris Prince, who is starting over after a divorce.  Iris feels that she needs a change. She feels that she and her husband, Alex, want different things in life. She decides that a divorce will help her find her path again. She and her nine year old daughter, Melanie, move to a new town to start over.

Iris feels that she will have more time to pursue her passions and things she wants to do. She even feels that she will be able to connect and bond with her new neighbors. After spending a few days in her new place, she wakes up one morning and looks out her kitchen window. She noticed a wall appeared in her front yard overnight. The wall wasn’t there last night and it seems to be growing and looks more menacing as time goes by. 

A new law was proposed and passed that requires everyone to wear “the Band”. It is supposedly a convenient way to help people pay bills, get access to utilities, and serves as an ID. The catch is, only people who can prove that their parents are US citizens can have access to the band.

Iris was proud to be a second generation Mexican American woman. Growing up her parents has always told her that no one can take away her citizenship because Iris was born in the US. However, that all changes when Iris is no longer able to qualify for “the Band” since her parents are undocumented.  How far will Iris go to protect what matters to her the most while everything around seems to be closing in on her?

The novel started off okay but then I lost interest towards the middle. The book was boring and didn’t really have much going on. I also didn’t like that some of the characters spoke in Spanish and there was no translation to help readers understand what was going on. After a while, it became too cumbersome to look up every other sentence to figure out what the characters were saying. The ending was especially disappointing as it was mostly in Spanish also. Therefore, I had no idea how it ended and from what I was able to understand it didn’t really seem like it gave the readers any closure.

The book is from people of Mexican descent’s point of view in dealing with the changes due to the “bands”. I would have been interested in reading to see how other minorities dealt with these changes as well. I didn’t find any of the characters interesting or relatable. While they were trying to do the best they could do with the new mandates, I found some of the characters selfish and not loyal to their family members and culture. The book has tons of symbolism  and cultural references that were interesting but, it wasn’t enough to make the story more captivating. The book might be enjoyable if you understand Spanish to better grasp these parts of the story containing Spanish phrases. Otherwise I would say just skip it.

Book Review - Flight by Lynn Steger Strong

 

Flight by Lynn Steger Strong is about three siblings, Henry, Kate, and Martin, dealing with the aftermath of their elderly mother’s recent death. The three siblings and their young families decide to spend the Christmas break together at Henry’s house in upstate New York. This is the siblings' first Christmas without their beloved matriarch. They decide to use the time to bond with each other and to decide on what to do with their late mother’s house.

Over the three day gathering, the siblings find themselves squabbling with each other and past resentments bubble to the surface. Each of the siblings want a different outcome for their mother’s house. Kate wants to keep the house, Tess (Martin’s wife) wants to sell the house and split the profits, and Henry wants to donate the land for conservation purposes. They try to perform the same traditions they used to when their mother was alive but the dilemma of the house is hanging above them like a dark cloud.

As tensions rise and tempers flare between the siblings, a local mother, Quinn, reaches out to the group for help. Quinn is a single mother and she is struggling to provide for her young daughter, Maddie. When Maddie goes missing during a brutally cold night, Quinn is desperate to find someone to help her find her daughter. The siblings will need to put their differences aside and help the young woman find a missing child.

The story is told from multiple points of view and the points of view change often enough that it was hard to keep track of who was narrating. The book also had a lot of characters and it was hard trying to remember the family structure, as some of the siblings had multiple kids.

It was interesting seeing how each of the siblings was trying to adapt to the new family dynamics while trying to keep the memories of their mother and her traditions alive. I enjoyed reading how the characters were struggling to find their own identity especially since they were so close to their mother and so different from each other. During the novel, we saw the  siblings’ struggle to connect with each other and move forward after their loss.

The book was mostly narrated by the women including Henry and Martin’s wives. I thought it was interesting how the wives had complicated feelings over their deceased mother in law. However, I felt like the book felt one sided or incomplete as we never got to see the point of views from the male characters.  Also, I felt the book was sparse on character development.

I felt the subplot of Maddie being missing and her relationship with her mother detracted from the main story line. I feel like the book should have focused on the siblings healing and resolving some of their conflicts. The book ended with some conflicts being left to interpretation and I felt like I would have enjoyed the book more if the ending was spelled out and the characters were developed more. If you like character driven family stories that slowly unfold, then you might enjoy this book.   

 

Book Review - The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn

Photo Credit - Amazon

Aggie Morton lives in a small town on the coast of England. She is shy but, has an adventurous and imaginative streak. After her beloved father passed away, Aggie hasn't been able to do much. Until she crosses path with a young twelve-year-old Belgian immigrant named Hector Perot. When a dead body was discovered in her dance studio, Aggie and Hector join forces to help solve the crime. The pool of suspects is growing larger and the murder is threatening to tear the town apart. The duo will need to use their deductive skills and their curiosity to help solve the crime before Aggie's beloved dance instructor is charged with a crime Aggie believes she didn't commit.

The book was a cute read for children who love mystery and suspenseful novels. The plot twists and secrets were all very predictable and I was able to guess all of them before they happened. However, I am a grown adult and children would probably enjoy putting clues together to solve the mystery on their own. This novel is perfect for young readers who enjoy mystery novels.

**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 - Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen McManus + Giveaway

 

Photo Credit - Amazon

Ellery's mother is from a small town called Echo Ridge. Ellery has never been there but, she heard about it. Her aunt went missing when she was seventeen. Five years later, a homecoming queen was murdered at a local amusement park. Now Ellery and her brother, Ezra has to move to Echo Ridge to live with their maternal grandmother they barely know.

Even the small picture-perfect town is hiding secrets. In a memorial service before school begins, there was an ominous message about homecoming becoming deadly as it was five years ago. Shortly after the message appears, a girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about people keeping secrets. Her mother and grandmother are keeping secrets too. The longer she spends in Echo Ridge, the more she realizes that everyone is hiding something.  She realizes that someone is willing to kill to keep their secret quiet. Will Ellery be able to find out what happened to her aunt years ago?

I usually like reading novels like these because they usually have unexpected twists and delicious secrets. I was saddened when the story was predictable except for a portion of the ending. On a side note, while I did enjoy the novel, I found that there was a lot of characters and the ages were a bit confusing to me. For example, Ellery's mother and the other students are the same age but, the other students have younger siblings who are the same age as Ellery and Ezra. This was hard for me to grasp and conceptualize.  I wish there was a timeline of ages and past events as this would have made some of the story easier to follow along. Overall, a fun read for people who love novels with "small towns with deadly secrets".

 **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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  

About the Book:

Title: TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET 

Author: Karen McManus

Pub. Date: January 8, 2019

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 336

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible,  B&N, iBooks, TBD

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone's declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

About Karen: 

As a kid I used to write books when I was supposed to be playing outside, and not much has changed. I'm a marketing and communications professional who also writes Young Adult contemporary and fantasy fiction in Cambridge, MA.

When not writing or working I love to travel, and along with my nine-year old son I've ridden horses in Colombia and bicycles through Paris. A member of SCBWI, I hold a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. Which I have never, ever used professionally.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET, US Only.

Rafflecopter link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2873/?

Tour Schedule:

Week Five:

1/28/2019- The Clever Reader- Review

1/29/2019- All the Ups and Downs- Review

1/30/2019- Two Points of Interest- Review

1/31/2019- EatingbetweenthelinesINC- Review