Book Review - The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher

 

 

 

 

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher is about Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy’s time in London. In 1938, Kick and her family moved to London when her father was named ambassador. She enjoys spending time in high society social circles and attending balls and parties with highly influential people. Kick loves being on her own and free from her family’s expectations of her.

Kick’s mother, Rose, is strict and overbearing. She expects Kick to follow all of her rules and to always be mindful of her image. Her older brothers, Jack and Joe, are always up to something and are still their father’s confidantes. Kick has always felt left out that her older brothers could do whatever they wanted and yet still be in their father’s good graces. Her older sister, Rosemary, displayed erratic behavior that many people in polite society frowned upon. As her behaviors are considered strange, Rosemary tends to be excluded from events by her family to avoid people passing judgment on her.  As Kick begins exploring all that London has to offer, she finally feels free to pursue things that matter to her, including a certain future Duke.

Kick and Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire run in the same social circles and spend a lot of time together. The pair find themselves drawn to each other and they fall for each other. However, their love is prohibited as Kick’s family is Catholic and Billy’s family is Protestant. As they navigate their budding relationship, war breaks out and the entire world is thrown into chaos. The Kennedys are forced to return to the States, causing Kick to try and find her way back into Billy’s arms. When she finds work that allows her to return to London, she must decide if she will choose Billy or her family.

I thought the book was an okay read. I started losing interest though towards the halfway point. It felt very boring to me because the book only talked about parties that Kick or someone else from her social circle was attending. I was struggling to find a plot during portions of the book. 

The novel included a lot of famous people and characters that weren’t fleshed out much. A few of them I had to look up to learn their backstory but after a while that became tedious. It would have been nice to have a glossary that gave a snippet or footnote of each person’s background, or some story building by the author.  The ending was a bit abrupt and the author did include more details about Kick’s life that happened a few years after the book concluded. I felt like that part of Kick’s life was more exciting than the parts we got to read about in the novel.

 

Book Review - Mercury by Amy Jo Burns

 

 

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is about seventeen year old Marley West, who is trying to find a place to belong. In 1990, Marley and her mother arrived in the small river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. Marley and her mother are constantly moving city to city looking for work. Marley felt like a loner and is looking for a community and a place to belong.

When Marley arrives at Mercury, she sees three men on top of a roof. She isn’t able to make out who the men were as only their silhouettes were visible from the sun. Later, when Marley decides to watch a local baseball game, she runs into one of the Joseph brothers and is later introduced to the rest of the family.

Marley receives an invitation to join the Joseph family for dinner and eventually leads to a standing invite. It started as a simple dinner but it led Marley to be intertwined with the entire Joseph family and eventually she married into the family. Marley finds the connection and family that she has been searching for but, she realizes that it comes at a steep cost.

I thought the book was a dull read. I thought there was going to be a mystery around the dead body but it wasn’t until almost halfway into the book that it was even mentioned. I felt like there wasn’t much going on in the book and a lot of the drama was just drummed up or exaggerated to make it seem like more was going on. I didn’t understand what the point of the book was. Was it to show how consuming a small business is? Or should we be careful about what we wish for? 

While the plot was moving as slow as molasses, I didn’t find any of the characters to be enjoyable. I found it weird that Marley wants a family of her own, when she is barely an adult and has a very supportive mother. Instead, she jumps headfirst into building connections with a highly dysfunctional family and continues to stay with them even though she has her reservations about them.  No one from the Joseph family seemed remotely interesting. Elise Joseph, the mother, seemed to be welcoming, but then cold at times. I wish we were given more information on her behaviors along with the other members of the family. The entire family just seemed selfish and unbalanced. Readers who enjoy reading about people’s everyday lives and family drama, might find this more entertaining than I did.

 

Book Review - The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning

 

 

The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning is about a young woman, Alexandra, who is trying to find out the truth about her family’s past. In 1939, a young Jewish European refugee named Romy escaped to Shanghai with her family to escape from the growing Nazi influence. While Romy and her family try to acclimate to their new surroundings, Romy befriends her neighbor’s daughter, Li. The pair and their families become close friends and inseparable. However, Shanghai isn’t invisible to the terrors of World War II and its destruction comes to their little corner of the world.  After a devastating act of violence, Li and Romy find their friendship violently torn apart.

In 2016, Alexandra decided to leave her home in London to Australia after experiencing a bad breakup. She decides that spending time with her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm, would be good for her soul and to help mend her broken heart. Alexandra wants to spend time with her grandparents as her grandfather wasn’t doing too well over the past week. Her grandmother fears that his death might be imminent.

While going in and out of consciousness, Wilhelm lets a secret drop from his past. Alexandra is desperate to learn how it fits into her own past and history. She knows that her mother had struggled in life because she didn’t know her own history of her adoption. Alexandra is determined to find out the truth about her family’s past, so she decides to fly to Shanghai and try to trace her grandparents' past.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the novel. The book was a long read but I enjoyed most parts of the book. I did wish at times that the story would pick up pacing wise. The book did go into a lot of details that I thought could have been cut down a bit.  It was told from alternating timelines and narrators. I loved reading about Romy and her time in Shanghai. I felt that those were the best part of the book. I was disappointed that it took Romy so long before she told Alex the truth. I felt that this could have been done earlier instead of drawing it out. I would be open to reading more books by this author.

 

Book Review - Unknown Threat by Lynn Blackburn

 

 

Unknown Threat by Lynn Blackburn is about two U.S. Secret Service agents who are racing against the clock to find out who is murdering their fellow agents.  US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell was on a run with a colleague when they were attacked. Luke barely made it out alive and his partner is in critical care.  Luke’s attack has been one in a series of attacks against his colleagues. In the past ten weeks, three of his fellow agents had died in unusual circumstances. 

Luke is shattered by the death and loss of his friends. He feels that it’s his personal mission to find the killer and find justice for his colleagues.  Luke feels helpless that he can’t protect the people he loves, especially since they are good people who have spent their lives protecting others.

FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven and ambitious. She is confident that she will solve every case that she is assigned. However, when she is put in charge of the investigation of the attacks on Secret Service agents, she is worried that as she and Luke get to know each other on professional and personal levels, it raises stakes higher than any of her previous cases.

Faith and Luke have worked together before but he doesn’t feel that Faith is the right person for the job. He feels that his department should be handling the investigation since the attacks seem to be targeting his team. Faith feels that Luke is hiding secrets that could jeopardize the investigation and cause more people to get hurt. As more people they love are targeted, will Faith and Luke be able to put their disagreements aside and work together?

The book was a quick read. It was interesting to try and guess who the killer was and their motives behind the attacks. There weren't many clues and the story did feel slow at times. However, the ending seemed a bit weird to me and I thought the motive was a bit far-fetched. The romance element between the two characters felt a bit flat. There wasn’t much chemistry or cute moments between the two characters. I might read a few more books by this author but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get them.

 

Book Review - Dominicana by Angie Cruz

 

Dominicana by Angie Cruz is about a teenager named Ana Cancion who moves to America with her husband from the Dominican Republic. Fifteen year old Ana never imagined that she would be going to America. She thought she would spend her entire life in the Dominican countryside. However, when Juan Ruiz proposes to her, her entire life changes. He is twice her age and she doesn’t love him but she is excited about the opportunity to go to America. She knows that it is an opportunity for her family to eventually immigrate over and it’s an opportunity that many people wish they had but might never get.

In 1965, on New Year’s Day, Ana packs up her belongings and leaves everything she knows behind. In New York City, she becomes Ana Ruiz. She spends most of her time in their apartment and the rest of the time is spent taking care of Juan and his younger brother, Cesar. Ana is miserable and isolated with her new life as her new husband turns out to be abusive towards her. She decides to run away and hatches a plan to escape. However, while at the bus terminal, she crosses paths with Cesar and he convinces her to stay.

Juan has to return back to the Dominican Republic as the country is in political turmoil. He needs to secure their family assets and ensure that their restaurant business is coming along okay. Juan leaves Ana behind and asks Cesar to watch over her. 

Ana is overwhelmed and excited by her new freedom.  She can finally do whatever she wants without having to worry about Juan. She can take English lessons, spend time exploring the city, go dancing with Cesar, watch movies and have her own food and clothing repair business. Ana finds that she is finally enjoying her life in America. However, when Juan returns unexpectedly, Ana is torn. Will she  give up her newly found freedom or stay with Juan so her family can have a better life?

The book is an entertaining read. The writing style was easy to read and flowed smoothly. The book was slow during some parts and nothing was happening for quite a bit. The story reminds me of many stories I heard of immigrant families sacrificing to have the opportunity to come to America.

I was saddened to see how trapped Ana must have felt because she had to deal with an abusive husband and then a family who was expecting her to lift them out of poverty. Many times she had to put other people’s happiness before her own. I enjoyed the parts of the story where she was able to find bits of happiness for herself; even if the way she went about it wasn’t the best idea.

The novel is narrated by both Ana and Juan. I thought both perspectives were engaging but I didn’t think it was important or necessary to include Juan’s story. It was interesting to read about his perspective but his story didn’t add much to the main story line as he mostly muses about his love for another married woman. It could have been left out and I wouldn’t have missed it. Perhaps, if his chapters talked about Ana and how he felt towards her, it would have added more to the story. The majority of the novel is narrated by Ana, and Juan’s chapters were a small part of the book. If you like reading stories about women finding their voices, then you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - One Blood by Denene Millner

 

One Blood by Denene Millner is about three generations of African American women who are trying to find their place in society. Grace is a teenager who is raised by her beloved grandmother, Maw Maw, in post-segregation Virginia. Grace watches and helps her grandmother deliver babies. She loves her life and living with her grandmother. However, that all changes when, in a span of a few days, Grace’s mother, Bassey, dies and also her grandmother is accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Grace is heartbroken to have her grandmother taken away from her and thrown into jail.  With no other relatives in the area, she is snuck across state lines to live with her Aunt Hattie in the North so she isn’t at risk of being found by persons intending harm.

Aunt Hattie is a formidable and ambitious woman. She wants nothing to do with her Southern roots and wants only to focus on upward mobility. She started a school to teach young girls about manners and hospitality to show that she belongs with the rest of the society. Grace is grateful for having a roof over her head but she quickly learns that her aunt has a different purpose for her. Grace is put to work to take care of the needs of her aunt and her students. She barely has time for herself and she feels trapped because her aunt won’t let her practice any of her Southern rituals that Grace finds comforting. 

Instead, Grace finds comfort with Dale, the son of a prominent family in her aunt’s social circle. Dale believes that the Black community shouldn’t be focused on manners, fancy teas, and pageants. Instead, they should be working towards getting equal rights. He wants them to realize that racism still exists in the North, even though the community likes to pretend otherwise. While attending a protest he gets caught up with the police when the protest turns violent. His mother decides to send him away to avoid Dale getting into more trouble with the police. Dale wanted to spend one last day with Grace before he leaves. The one magical night they spent together leaves Grace pregnant. Grace is scared because she doesn’t know who to trust and she doesn’t have anyone else she can confide in once Dale leaves. When Grace gives birth to her daughter, Hattie takes the baby and gives it up for adoption without telling Grace.

Delores, or Lolo, as she is known to her friends and family is known for her witty and protective nature. She had a hard life growing up and it was filled with heartache and pain. Lolo had a dream of becoming a model but had to put her dreams on hold. She had to find a way to survive with little money and as a Black woman. She decides that having a family and a husband is the best option for her, and she is willing to do anything to obtain and keep her family. 

Lolo finally gets her dream of having a family. She has a doting husband and two kids with a beautiful home. However, when secrets from the past emerge, it threatens to tear apart the family Lolo has worked hard to create. Lolo will do whatever it takes to keep her family and dreams intact.

Rae, Lolo’s willful daughter, finds out she is adopted and learns that is just one of the few secrets that her family has been keeping from her. When Rae finds out that she is about to become a mother herself, she decides to address her past and her family. Will Rae be able to reconcile the truth over her family’s secrets?

I am on the fence for this book. The book was a hefty read and it took some time getting into the writing style. When we were first introduced to Grace, it took some time to understand the Southern dialect. As we get introduced to the later characters (Lolo and Rae), it was easier to read and get into the flow of things.  It was interesting to see how the different characters were connected but at times I was trying to understand the point of the book. Was it to show the demands of motherhood? Is it to show the lengths we go to for the ones we love? Or is it how hard it is and how long it takes before we come into our own? Or perhaps, the decades and generation long struggles of being a woman or a Black woman in society? Or is it the effects of generational trauma and how it affects the future? 

Each of the three main characters were unique and interesting. I didn’t like, though, that after Grace’s chapters were over that we never saw her again. I was interested in learning what happened to her and some of the characters in her story.  I felt attached to some of the characters and wanted to read more about them. I felt like their stories weren’t complete and were left unresolved. The three main characters didn’t really feel connected and their stories felt disjointed. The timelines were also confusing as characters would get older or we would be taken back in time but it wasn’t very clear.

The ending was a bit confusing to me as I didn’t quite comprehend what was going on. Did Grace and Rae finally connect with her blood family? I also didn’t quite understand the magical elements in the book. I felt like it took backstage in the middle until the very end. What was the purpose and role of the magical elements? The book is a powerful and emotional read but also has a lot of sad and depressing moments of how people and children were treated.

Book Review - More than Words by Mia Sheridan

 

More than Words by Mia Sheridan is about two young kids who fall in love and then meet years later. Eleven year old Jessica Creswell likes to believe in fairy tales and loves pretending that her life is a fairytale instead of the mess that it is currently. Her home life is fraught with her parents constantly fighting and bickering.  Her philandering father makes no effort to hide his affairs and her mother is in constant heartache. Jessica’s mother is so desperate for her husband to love her that she even tries to bring the kids into the mix. She would bring the kids to the hotels that her husband is staying in so the kids can see their father cheat on their mom.

Jessica wanders around her city to avoid spending time at home. She crosses paths with Callen Hayes when exploring the railroad tracks. She feels that he is her broken prince as he is also running away from something. Together, the pair find refuge with each other. Their hideout becomes their safe space from their troubled lives. They could be with each other and be themselves without any judgment. Things were going great until one day, Callen kissed her. It was Jessica’s first kiss and then he just disappeared from her world.

Years later, Callen Hayes went from the troubled boy from the wrong side of the tracks to a “somebody”. He is a famous composer and an infamous ladies man. The press loves to follow him and to witness his drunken antics.  Callen is troubled by his inner demons and he is usually able to quiet them with his music. However, lately he has been having issues with writing music which causes him to spiral out of control.

Callen’s agent decides that he needs some time off to recuperate and get his groove back. So, Callen and his friend decide to go to France to revel in the city. He wants to drink and sleep his way through the city. As Callen falls deeper into the darkness within himself, he crosses paths with Jessica. Jessica was the one who introduced Callen to music and inspired him. Callen feels drawn to her and hopes that she can inspire him to write again. However, the pair couldn’t be more different from each other. Will they be able to put their past hurt behind them?

I thought the book was an okay read but I didn’t care for it. It didn’t really have any unexpected twists or turns or plot points that weren't easy to guess. I did find it annoying in the book when Jessica was portrayed as innocent and Callen was the bad boy. That she had to save herself for him — couldn’t she also have been in a previous relationship and still be innocent? I also didn’t like that she kept calling him “my prince”, and then saying she would save him. To me, it made her character seem weak and more often than not. They both needed professional help, not “saving” by each other. I can’t say that I liked any of the characters in the book. The book also had a side plot of an ancient love story that Jessica was translating for work. I found myself more interested in that story than Jessica’s and Callen’s story line. 

The book also has things that don't seem plausible or made little sense to me. One of the main characters isn’t able to read. I find that hard to believe as someone who went to school and was born in the States couldn’t recognize any letters or words. How do they continue passing grades in school? Then during the end of one love scene, they just flushed a condom down the toilet. Almost everyone knows especially, a sex addict like Callen, that it doesn't make sense to do. Then Callen is a famous musical composer who is on the front page of every tabloid and international sensation. I have watched award shows and read the tabloids  but I can’t tell you a single time I have seen any musical composer who isn’t a singer featured. Personally, the book just seems like a fluff nonsensical read.

Book Review - Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer

 

Ashton Hall by Lauren Belfer is about an American woman named Hannah Larson and her son, Nicky, finding buried secrets in an old English manor. Hannah and Nicky travel to Ashton Hall, a historic manor house outside Cambridge, England to stay with an ailing relative, who lives there. 

Hannah has given up her academic career to raise her son, who is neurodivergent and experiences the world differently. She is glad for the respite as she left her husband back in New York City. She is afraid what her next steps would be in her marriage after witnessing her husband commit a devastating act of adultery with someone else.

When the pair arrive at the manor, Hannah allows Nicky the freedom to explore the manor unsupervised. Nicky is good at noticing patterns and he was able to find a secret door hidden in the wallpaper. The door leads to a closed off wing and there Nicky finds the skeletal remains of a woman.

Hannah finds herself drawn to this mysterious woman’s story. She and another fellow researcher from the manor dig through personal papers and centuries old ledgers to piece together what happened to the corpse they discovered. As Hannah works to find out the truth, she finds her own life slowly unraveling.

I thought this was going to be a thriller or murder mystery novel as it was classified as a gothic mystery. Instead it was a boring and pointless book. The author goes into such mundane details about everything, that I found myself lulled to sleep while reading. The author would go into detail about what the person read or packed for lunch. However, even though we are given so many pointless details about everything else, we still don’t know what really happened to the dead woman. I think the book is more a research piece on how people lived back in that time period than anything else. 

I also didn’t care for any of the characters. Hannah spent so much time complaining about her husband’s affair and then dealing with his reaction to her confronting him.  Her son was also an unlikeable character. He gets violent to the point where Hannah fears for her safety and locks him in his room at night. She worries if she should tell others but never gives them any warning about his violent tendencies. If this book was billed as women’s contemporary fiction, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed.

Book Review - Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz

 

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz is about a group of high school students who take a trip together to celebrate their graduation.  Izzy Morales attends an elite private school, where her fellow students are kids of prominent and rich families. She always felt like an outsider because her family is impoverished and her mother works as a teacher in the school.

The only person that Izzy feels has her back is Kassidy, another student at the school. So when Kassidy invites Izzy to an all expenses paid trip to a glamorous manor, she has a hard time saying no. Izzy usually avoids accepting Kassidy’s offers to go on trips together as she doesn’t want to take advantage of Kassidy’s generosity.

This time Kassidy sweetened the offer by inviting Izzy’s crush, Marlow, along with a few of their other friends.  When they arrive Kassidy surprises the group by letting them know that they will be dressing up in vintage clothing and no modern conveniences like cellphones will be allowed. The group gets into some minor squabbles with each other but for the most part, everyone is having a great time, until Kassidy’s boyfriend ends up dead.

His death was ruled a murder and investigators were called to the scene of the crime. Every guest is a suspect. Kassidy is in despair and shocked by his death. Everyone is suspicious of everyone else and is wary that they might be next. However, things look especially bad for Izzy, as she was the one who bought the murder weapon with her on vacation.

The book started off interesting but it ebbed and flowed between interesting to dull. The chapters were told from each character’s points of view. While this was interesting, I felt like this could have been used more to progress the story. Instead, when the police were investigating the murders, Izzy found a secret hideout and found out a lot of secrets other characters were keeping after listening into their interviews. I believe the author was using this method to give the readers new information but I would have preferred to read it from each character’s perspective instead. 

I felt that there were a lot of coincidences and things that came out of nowhere. I still don’t understand why Izzy thought it was a good idea to bring a knife on vacation. The author mentioned the reason but Izzy’s entire plan didn’t really make sense, as a reader. It just seemed like another cheap ploy to make you wonder if she is the murderer or was she being set up. Then one of the investigators who was involved in the case only became involved because they are connected to someone at the manor. I did find one of the investigators interesting and wished they had their own series, but the other one seemed too bumbling to even be a detective.

The ending came out of nowhere and was a bit too unrealistic. The author seemed to portray the character one way and the ending seemed so out of character for them. The book was a bit predictable to who the murderer was but their ending also seemed weird and also too dramatic. Overall, the book was an okay read if one suspended some beliefs on certain elements of the story.

 

Book Review - Somebody's Daughter by David Bell

 

Somebody's Daughter by David Bell is about a man who is roped in to save a child that may be his. Michael Frazier was having an enjoyable dinner with his wife, Angela, and the last thing he expected was his ex-wife, Erica, showing up. He hasn’t seen or talked to her in the last ten years  since they divorced.

Erica is desperate for Michael’s help. Her ten-year-old daughter, Felicity, is missing and Erica claims Michael is the father. Michael is unsure because Erica never mentioned anything about a child and he feels that she is lying to him so he feels obligated to help her.

Michael is hesitant to follow Erica into the dark of the night but he is unwilling to turn his back to a child who might be in danger.  As Michael follows Erica into the darkness of the night, he realizes that there are secrets and lies from the past decade unraveling that might put his new family in danger. He doesn’t know who he can trust and who else is hiding secrets from him.

The book was narrated from multiple perspectives: Michael; Angela; and one of the detectives on the case, Detective Griffin. The book was fast paced and had a lot of twists and turns. However, I felt the book left a lot to be desired and seemed a bit clunky, in that the book introduces a lot of twists and side stories about secrets from the last decade but none of them are really fleshed out. One of the side stories questions the paternity of the missing girl but even in the end, they never really tell us who the father is. There is another subplot where Erica stole the baby but nothing comes from that and the two characters just faded out. I felt like that the author just threw a bunch of random possibilities to keep the reader guessing but failed to say this is what really happened.

I questioned a lot of the characters’ intelligence because they did things that I wonder why they thought they were good ideas. When Michael left Angela at home, she was going crazy thinking of the different things that could go wrong. Her mother in law, Gail, offers to come over and keep her company. Angela had seen a strange man stalking their house and they both ended up inviting that stranger into their house. The stranger was aggressive and then started searching their house and taking their phones hostage. Eventually, Angela leaves with this person willingly even though she is terrified and her husband doesn’t know where she is. I don’t know if any rational person would let a stranger into my house when their spouse’s supposed child went missing and then that person takes my phone.

I felt like the book was a slow build with the short chapters that were alternating narratives between the characters. It did make the story seem like it was fast paced but sometimes I wanted to read more about what was going on in the current arc for a particular chapter. I felt the ending came out of nowhere and it wasn’t something I expected. I felt like the author could have edited the book and made it a bit more focused and I’d have enjoyed the book a lot more. If you like suspenseful thrillers with twists and turns, you might enjoy this book.

Book Review - The Woman Inside by M.T. Edvardsson

 The Woman Inside by M.T. Edvardsson is about an affluent couple who is found murdered in their house.  Bill Olsson recently lost his wife to cancer. He has tons of medical bills and is struggling to provide for his daughter, Sally. He is unable to find a job and is not able to pay rent by himself. He decides to rent out Sally’s room to help cover expenses. Bill rents out the room to Karla.

Karla is a law student and aspiring judge. In her spare time, she is a housekeeper to the Rytters. The Rytters are an incredibly wealthy couple. The wife is ill and she hasn’t been able to leave the house for months. The husband is a well respected doctor. He has tendencies to be controlling and obsessive when it comes to his wife. Is he a worried husband that is concerned about his wife’s well being, or does he have malicious intent?

As Bill’s financial situation becomes more dire, Karla is empathetic to his plight. She understands what it’s like to have a rough childhood, and doesn’t want Bill’s financial strains to affect Sally’s outlook. She feels that she is forced to make a difficult choice between helping someone or doing something bad. 

When the Rytters end up dead, Karla is questioned due to her employment in the household. They bring up parts of her past that she would rather keep a secret.  Every character in the novel seems to be hiding something or isn’t what they seem, but is one of them desperate enough to kill to keep their secret?

I thought the book was an okay read. I felt like the story was drawn out with no unexpected twists or turns. The book is narrated by three different people: the cash strapped Bill, the housekeeper Karla, and a young woman named Jennica. Bill and Jennica are connected by his late wife. We got each of their views but they were biased and didn’t give the entire story. I wish the author went into more details about Bill’s wife. 

The story is littered with police notes from interviews with and news snippets regarding everyone related to the case.  The novel is a slow burn as it slowly hints at who might be the culprit. I felt that the ending was predictable and boring. I didn’t care for any of the characters. They were all selfish and acted entitled. I didn’t like Bill the most and felt like he was completely responsible for his situation but doesn’t have any accountability for his actions.

Book Review - The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

 

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White is about a young woman who is trying to survive the fallout from her divorce. Merilee Talbot Dunlap’s marriage ended after finding out her husband had an affair with one of their kids’  teachers. She moves with her two children to the Atlanta suburb of Sweet Apple, Georgia and tries to start over. 

Merilee isn’t a stranger to starting over. For this fresh start, she wants to keep a low profile but her efforts to remain anonymous might be dashed when a secret local blogger starts posting about the scandalous events that caused her marriage to dissolve. Merilee tries to settle down and find peace in the cottage she is renting out from the town matriarch, Sugar Prescott. 

 

Sugar Prescott is a feisty elderly woman who is stubborn and temperamental. However, Sugar sees something of herself in Merilee and finds herself opening up to her. Sugar has kept her own tragic past a secret from others and she refused to open herself up to others her entire life. 

 

Merilee enjoys hearing about Sugar’s past and the two women feel like kindred spirits. They bond with each other over their respective trauma. It helps Merilee find a place to belong as Merilee struggles to fit in with the other school moms, who are better off financially than she is. Their lifestyles are also different from Merilee, who has to work to support her family.

 

Sugar is suspicious when Merilee befriends the Queen Bee of the group, Heather Blackford. Merilee finds herself drawn to Heather and enjoys spending time with her even though Sugar is against the friendship. As Merilee spends more time with her neighbors and community members, she realizes that everyone isn’t as nice as they seem and everyone is hiding something.

 

I thought the book was an interesting read. The story has a dual timeline: the present narrated mostly by Merilee and the past narrated by Sugar. Other parts of the story are peppered with the anonymous blog posts.  It was interesting seeing the story told from different points of view. I liked reading the blog posts because they shared little tidbits that we wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise. It made me feel like I was a part of the Sweet Apple community reading about the local gossip and how the townspeople were reacting to it. Out of the two storylines, I did find myself enjoying Sugar’s past and waiting to learn more about the grumpy elder.

 

The book started off strong but towards the middle, it became boring and repetitive before picking up again. I did get annoyed at how some characters’ behavior throughout the book. Sugar felt like she was entitled to act a certain way because she was an older woman. It was also infuriating how stubborn Merilee was. For example, she was advised that someone she was close to shouldn’t be trusted and even when the facts were laid bare in front of her, she still didn’t believe it. When she was in hot water and she needed a friend and help, she refused to listen to what other people said even though it was for her benefit. She continuously avoids practicing common sense to safeguard herself. 

 

I also didn’t like that Sugar nor her parents refused to acknowledge when a neighbor was deviant or seek help from cops. I felt like that person knew that he could get away with bad acts which is why he targeted her family. I also didn’t like how Merilee was treated by her family. They treated her so abhorrently but yet she continued to try and seek help from them, but ignored those who have her best interest at heart. I feel like this book was littered with mean characters who were only motivated by their own interests and needs.  

In my opinion, the author didn’t provide adequate closure to the story line and regarding some of the characters. It felt like the author just wanted to focus on the happy parts for Merilee and provide closure for Sugar. Be advised that there is a mystery arc to the novel, if that's something you are interested in.

Book Review - He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan

 

He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan is about a woman who suspects her beloved husband is cheating on her. Liz Bennett knows that she is lucky to snag her husband, Arno. When they first met, Arno was wealthy, charismatic and attractive. He is a supportive husband to her and a devoted father to their daughter, Emma. He is an all-star employee and everyone loves him at the top banking firm he works at in Boston. He has a promising career and he is in line for a promotion.

In Liz’s mind, Arno is the perfect example of a great husband and he’s one of the reasons why she feels that she has the perfect life. Liz’s life comes crashing down when she sees a text on Arno’s phone with a kissy face emoji. Liz becomes anxious and her wildest imagination takes over. She is worried that her best days of her marriage are over and that her husband is cheating on her.

Liz’s anxiety and worries consume her thoughts and are affecting her sleep. She spends every waking moment thinking about the text and trying to decipher Arno’s behavior. Liz is trying to see if she can catch Arno in a lie. 

Liz tries to track down the mysterious woman that sent the text. Liz’s obsession with the text message has started taking over Liz’s life and infected all aspects of her sanity and mental wellbeing. She believes in her intuition and that she must find out the truth even if it means ending her “perfect” marriage.

 

The book was a thrilling roller coaster ride of answering the question of: is he cheating or not? As the story progresses, we see Liz unravel from a relatively sane person to someone who is consumed by anxiety, distress, and suspicion over her relationship with her husband. The reader is taken on a journey as we try to decide if Liz's instincts are incorrect or is there more to the text message that Arno received.

 

Liz was an interesting character. She was a flawed and relatable person. It was suspenseful reading about her inner turmoil. However, I wish there was more background information to her character and whether or not this is the life she really wanted. Liz went from a woman who was happy with her current life and then she became unbalanced and nothing brought her joy. At times, the story did get repetitive and didn’t progress much. I didn’t like that it ended abruptly and the reader was left to draw their own conclusion. I wish we could have known about the aftermath of what happened after Liz makes her discovery.

Book Review - The Wrong Kind of Weird by James Ramos

 

 

 

The Wrong Kind of Weird by James Ramos is about a high school “nerd” who falls for the popular girl at his school. Cameron Carson is a proud member of the Geeks and Nerds United (GANU) club. He proudly lets his geek flag fly until he catches the attention of Karla Ortega. Karla is the revered student council president, cheerleader, theater kid, and the most popular girl at their school.

The unlikely duo meet one summer while working together at a local coffee shop. They kept a respectable distance from each other at first, until they realized that they had a lot more in common with each other than they initially thought. Cameron finds himself falling head over heels for Karla.  Their summer romance starts to bloom and grow. However, Karla isn’t interested in taking their relationship public and acknowledging his presence at school.

The reader is then introduced to Mackenzie Briggs, the fourth and newest member of the GANU club. She wears her heart on her sleeve. She doesn’t care what other people say about her, nor is she afraid to express herself.  When Mackenzie first joined the club, she and Cameron had always bickered back and forth. Cameron realizes that Mackenzie has a lot in common with him and he feels that he is able to be his true self when he is around her. After Cameron repeatedly gets ignored at school by Karla, he finds himself drawn to Mackenzie. How will this love triangle end?

The book is an easy and quick read. The novel is littered with Japanese anime and manga along with other pop culture references. I was familiar with the majority of the references but they could be overwhelming at times and hard to follow especially if you are not familiar with them. I felt that at times the dialogue and writing didn’t flow as smoothly. At times, the dialogue felt forced.  Then at times the book included a lot of unnecessary details and it felt choppy.  

The story was predictable and had no unexpected twists. I felt that there weren't any antagonists nor any protagonist I was rooting for.  Instead the story just seemed to be about young adults who are trying to find their place in the world while exploring intimate and romantic relationships with other people. The only unique aspect of this novel was perhaps the anime and manga references.While I thought the book was an okay read, I felt like it had already been done before, and there was nothing in this book that hasn’t already been explored in other teenage love triangle novels.  I felt that the book was missing something to make it memorable.

 

Book Review - The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

 

Gabe and Pippa has bought their dream home in a small coastal town. Their house is right near a cliff. The cliff is infamous for people who go there to kill themselves. Gabe is famous for talking people off the ledge until one day, he fails and someone falls to their death. When it is discovered that Gabe knew the victim, Pippa questions how much she really knows Gabe.

The book started off interesting and it kept me hook until the half way point. The constant point of view switching became boring and dull because there was barely any movement to the story. I felt like the story dragged and dragged with nothing keeping the readers hooked. I can't say that I really liked any of the characters and I found Pippa annoying. She kept sticking up for Gabe when it was hard to see what he bought to the table other than him being good looking and charismatic. While this book was a bit disappointing, I will still continue reading other books by the author.

Book Review - The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

 

A group of new moms whose babies were born in the same month decide to form a group called the May Mothers. They meet twice a week in Prospect Park to connect. One day, they decide to meet for drinks at a neighborhood bar for a break. It starts off as a fun night until, one of the babies is taken from his crib while his mother is at the bar.

Winnie is a single mom and she was reluctant to leave her six week old son, Midas, with a babysitter.  But, the other May Mothers were insistent that Winnie join them for a fun night out. They hired a babysitter for Winnie to enjoy herself and told her that everything will be okay. Except now, Midas is missing and there are no leads.

The book started off strong then slowly trudged along at a more confusing and slower pace. I felt that the author moved back and forth between the May Mothers' point of views too many times that it got confusing. I had hard time keep tracking of each person and their own backstory and secrets. I felt like the ending was a jumbled mess. It unraveled so quickly that it didn't seem realistic. The person behind the kidnapping was shown one way and then when they were confronted, madness just took over. I am on the fence on whether or not that was completely believable.  The author did sprinkle some evidence pointing to this person but, it was minor details that was easy to gloss over.

Book Review - The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

 

Saskia Kreis is a former piano prodigy that left home to pursue another career path. She returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's unexpected death. She expected to inherit  the family estate, the Elf House. However, she is dismayed to learn that her mother bequeathed the Elf House to man that Saskia had a complicated relationship with. As Saskia tries to come to terms with her mother's wishes, she is forced to reexamine her past and come to terms with the relationship that changed her life's trajectory.

I was expecting so much more when I was reading this book. At first, I thought it was going to be a gothic thriller or maybe like Henry James "The Portrait of a Lady". Instead, it was more like the #MeToo movement and the realization of a toxic relationship. I guess I had a hard time enjoying this book because it was very boring and Saskia wasn't a very likeable character. I feel like if the the author spent more time on the story line than with random details, perhaps I would have enjoyed the story more. I also felt like the ending came out of nowhere after being rather subdued for the entire book.

 

Book Review - The Secrets We Share by Edwin Hill

 

Natalie Cavanaugh and Glenn Abbott do not look like sisters. Natalie is a Boston cop and acts like a cop off duty too. She prefers to shy away from the spotlight and wear unassuming clothing. Her younger sister, Glenn, lives for the attention. She likes to be dressed to the nines and camera ready. Glenn has spent many years cultivating her baking blog and the publication of her new book. She feels that her hard work is finally going to  pay off.

Twenty years ago, their father's body was found in the words behind their house. They believed their mother might be guilty of the crime but, someone else takes blame for it. Glenn prefers to move forward and ignore her darker past. However, someone who is reading her blog seems to know something and have been leaving anonymous ominous messages. A few unsettling coincidences occur that involve Glenn and her family and it that throws them in the cross hairs of the police and someone from their past.

As Natalie digs into the murders, she wonders about the people close to Glenn and how much she knows. Natalie believes that her father was murdered by their neighbor, with who he was having an affair with.  However, if the current events are connected with the past, there might be things that Natalie needs to uncover before it's too late.

This is my second book by the author and I enjoyed this book more than the other one. The book was suspenseful and had a few twists that I wasn't able to guess. The characters were well developed and each had secrets that were waiting to be discovered. At times, the novel was a bit overwhelming when I was trying to keep track of all the different characters and how they overlap. I also liked that Hester made a guest appearance in this book. I would be interested in reading other books by the author.

Book Review - Mine by Courtney Cole

 

Tessa Taylor has the perfect life. She has three beautiful children, a successful business, and a loving husband. However, her life comes crashing down when she unlocks her husband, Ethan's iPad and finds a nude photos from another woman. Lindsey is a younger woman and a bombshell.

Tessa is stuck in her home while Ethan is stuck on a business trip. While a horrific hurricane is ripping through the area, Tessa is trapped in her own home. She is torn between confronting her husband or should she reach out to Lindsey.

As the storm ravishes Florida, Tessa grows restless and finds herself desperate for revenge. She decides to lure Lindsey over by pretending to be Ethan. When the two women come face to face it becomes a battle of wills.

This book was a good trashy read but, it didn't have much substance to it. I didn't really care for many of the characters as I found it hard to relate. The ending came about abruptly without really tying into the story together in the end. I had a hard time not rolling my eyes because of how silly the characters were acting. If you like trashy unrealistic revenge reads, then this book might be a good book for you.

Book Review - More Than You'll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez

 

In 1985, Lore Rivera marries Andres in Mexico City, while she is currently married to Fabian Rivera in Laredo, Texas. In Texas, she shares twin sons with Fabian. Lore splits her time between two countries and two families as she travels as an international banker. The truth is revealed with one husband is arrested for murdering the other.

In 2017, true crime writer Cassie Bowman is looking for articles to write for work when she comes across an article talking about the murder and Lore's double life. Cassie is consumed by the case because what would cause a mother to risk everything for a secret double marriage? Cassie is desperate to learn more so, she tracks down Lore and tries to convince Lore to tell her side of the story. As Cassie and Lore spend more time with each other, Cassie starts to question the facts around the murder. She is determined to find out the truth behind that faithful night even if it means exposing truths both women are trying to keep secret.

I thought the book was an okay read. I didn't care for the times when the author mixed in some Spanish phrases because I had to look up what they meant and that ruined the flow of the book. The twist at the end was a predictable and I was able to figure it out fairly early on. I felt that the book was unnecessarily long as there are several pages where nothing happens. I didn't really care for any of the characters as the story slowly progressed. I would have liked this story more if the author included some translations for the Spanish phrases and edited down the book to a quicker pace.