Review: One Little Secret by Cate Holahan Release Date 7/19/2019

One Little Secret by Cate Holahan gets 4 stars from me! If you're looking for a thriller wrapped up in a few love triangles, this is your book! 
  
A few neighbors drop their kids off at camp and rent an expensive beach house to unwind. The book is called One Little Secret but holy cow, there are more secrets than you can count by the time you get to the middle of this book. Such and such is sleeping with whatsername and marriages that look, "normal," on the outside crumble at the beach on the FIRST NIGHT! 

I would have given this book 5 stars but I struggled with remembering who was married to whom and which kids were from which couples. Additionally, the book dragged just a bit for me in the middle. A few of the parts were predictable. However, like only a seasoned writer could do, the ending was NOT predictable. 

This is the first book I've read by Cate Holahan. It looks like she has a few more interesting-looking thrillers. After reading this one I'd definitely pick up one of her other books. She knows how to appeal to strong female readers, and her characters in One Little Secret are believable, easy to relate to, and you'll feel this story could easily happen in your neighborhood. 


I was provided One Little Secret in exchange for providing honest feedback. Thank you @Netgalley and @meryl_moss. I enjoyed this one, and can still feel the spray of the ocean on that jetty where Rachel died. Well-written, hard to put down, and page after page I caught myself reading with wide eyes! #thrillerreview #bookreview #netgalley #onelittlesecret @cateholahan #sendmemorebooks #booklover #4stars #loveareviewer #justfinishedreading 

Review: Good-Time Girl by Leslie M. Rollins

Well, I haven't had one of these in a long time. And, I don't take reviewing books
lightly. I mean, I'm trusted to provide honest feedback and at the same time, I am aware that my review goes into the overall pot of reviews for an average. Which may affect the number of readers a book has. So, when I say 1 star, understand that I really could not get attached enough to suggest it to anyone. Reviewer guilt is a real thing. I know someone poured their energy for an unknown amount of time into the book, teams of people believed in this book. And, maybe, MAYBE it has an amazing ending. But, after reading 30% (thank you, Kindle), I could not carry on.

The story starts out with an attempt to hook you using a bitter, headstrong, main character. She is unhappy about a lot of things. She uses odd names for people in her life, instead of their real names and that was difficult for me. She goes to a gunshow and buys a gun, that she then also names and tucks away in her closet. She becomes infatuated with it, the thoughts of it, and speaks almost to the power that she feels it gives her. She then starts to obsess over a young college boy that moves in across the street. The writing is so all over the place at the beginning and so much of it is bouncing around from her work, then the gunshow, then her time with her therapist... I couldn't do it, y'all.

Good-Time Girl gets 1 star from me.

I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review on @Netgalley. #dud #nextbookplease #bookreview #1star #goodtimegirl #honestreview #notmycupoftea

Review: Here to Stay by Mark Edwards Release date 9/1/2019

I started off the summer with book after book from @amazonpublishing because I had free kindle unlimited for 3 months. That meant, free books but most all of them were published by amazon. Can I tell you a secret? Well, what I thought was a secret? They've all been REALLY good books. Here to Stay by Mark Edwards was no exception.

5 stars for Here to Stay. And, since the last book I read was The Testaments, also 5 stars, you'd think I'd be maxing out at 3 stars for awhile. It's a good thing I flew through this one because I have chewed all of my nails off now. (I wonder the percentage of book reviewers and bloggers that have acrylic nails vs not?)

I really fell in love with Elliot, the main character in Here to Stay. He was such a likable guy, doing all the right things in life, teaching at risk kids about science, refinished his house, GARDENING, for goodness sake! Well, I was skeptical of Gemma from the beginning. It all seemed too good to be true. And, when the in-laws move in and won't leave, the author does a great job of showing how slowly even a nice man like Elliot can lose it. Well, let's just say they are the in-laws of all in-laws. And, just when I had the bad guys pegged, Mark Edwards flips the script at the end and wow, I knew something was coming but didn't expect THAT!

I recommend this one. It was long but I made my husband drive everywhere tonight so I could fit in the time to finish it by the time we got home tonight.

I was provided the book for free in exchange for an honest book review. Thank you @netgalley and @amazonpublishing #heretostay was a nailbiting #thriller #intense #bookblog #mustlovebooks #bookreview #5stars @markedwardsauthor

Review: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

It's so bittersweet to finally be writing a review for The Testaments. I read The Handmaid's Tale earlier this year at the urging of a few members of my mom-tribe. I don't typically read dystopian novels. It takes a lot for me to really dive into them and see what the writer sees. Not the Handmaid's Tale.

Like readers who first read The Handmaid's Tale over 30 years ago, I was stuck with the image of June getting into that car, not knowing if she was going to live or die. Not knowing what was going to happen to her two girls, to Luke. After growing to love her, feeling caught in all of the wrongdoings of Gilead with her, I had to wait. I'm glad I didn't have to wait 30 years, like others.

I pre-ordered The Testaments from Amazon on April 29th.  The wait until September seemed brutal.

5 stars. This 5 stars is an easy 5 for me. Everything else should be 4s. My new explanation of 5 stars should be "The Testaments." Why? Well, I was concerned when I realized the narrator was not June. I worried that I wasn't going to find out the answers to my questions. I still have a few about Luke, Moira, and Nick. Did I miss something with those?

On the other hand, Atwood's writing was superb. Her ability to transcend the 30 years and take us right back to the Marthas, Commanders, Aunt Lydia, and the Aunts without skipping a beat or changing tone is truly unreal. I read a LOT of books. I am always willing to try new writers. But, after reading the way Atwood writes, it is not an exaggeration to say that very few people can write like Atwood. The vocabulary used in her novels is so descriptive, so unusual and fresh, it feels like you're reading something both ancient and futuristic.

This book was suspenseful and packed with details. In the afterward, Margaret writes about how she wrote The Testaments in many different places. I just don't know how she did it. Did she work from the ending she wanted, backwards? Did she write all of Aunt Lydia's chapters first and then go back to the other narrators? I mean, it was seamless. It was genius. And, in my opinion it's one that you should have a 3D copy of that you can own and possess. It's a book of a different kind. It's rich with quotes that you'll want to highlight and reflect on, and one to pick up again in a few years.

5 stars to Margaret Atwood! Thank you @MargaretAtwood, for doing justice for the women of Gilead. by writing through their voices and their eyes. Remarkable! And, can we talk about the power of the book jacket? I didn't notice the back until I was about halfway through it. Beautiful, cover to cover.

Review: The Tenant by Katrine Engberg Release Date 1/14/2020

I just finished The Tenant and gave it 4 stars. I feel like the last half of the book was a cold-blooded game of endless cat and mouse. It was awesome! I haven't read a book like this in awhile with so many characters that were suspects, and they all looked guilty! This book had many characters, which I felt made it very complex. I feel like if it was a movie, it would be one that you learn something new each time you watch it. Do you know those kinds? All of a sudden, you have a Eureka moment and realize something that you missed in watching it the first time? This book was so well engineered. I mean, you have to pay attention or you'll miss a key piece of the puzzle. And, everyone seems to be connected to each other which makes it fascinating and bizarre.

This one was a nail-biter that will keep your heart pounding and your eyes flying through the words so you can figure out who's guilty. Literally, this one keeps you thinking when you put it down and have to return to life. I found myself having to back up a few pages each time I had to step away so that I could remember where I left off because it was so action-packed and eventful.

This book will be out in January. I have a long list of "to be reads," right now but was excited when I was approved for this one. This one will be good to snuggle up with in January!

Thanks to @Netgalley @Pocketbooks @Scoutpress for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to @KatrineEngberg for thinking up such a believable and thrilling read. #literaryfiction #mystery #thriller #thetenant #netgalley

Review: Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Fish In A Tree gets 5 stars from me. This book caught me off guard. I reached out to my son's 4th grade teacher to tell her I was excited to read books with him this year. She said they were reading Fish In A Tree in class and sent me some discussion questions for he and I to discuss at home. I don't know what I was expecting, exactly.

I read this book in 2 sittings. It was 290 pages, and they surprised me how fast they flew by. Lynda Mullaly Hunt really built some great characters and the narrator, Ally is a gem. I think the conflict and cornerstones in the book that Lynda weaves in are evergreen. We've all been there, we all wish from one time to another that we could be seen for our intent and our hearts, our drive and our perseverance. So many times, we aren't. So many times we are seen and see ourselves as failures. As an adult, I would argue that many of those things don't change, we just learn to focus on the positives that we have and surround ourselves with those who see them as well. We find our own team of misfits that suit us just fine, and strengthen us.

I was overwhelmed and fell in love with the metaphors and similes in this book. It was packed full of humor and emotion, written through the eyes of a child struggling with dyslexia. Written with the heart of someone who is able to see others for their strengths and understands the significance that our greatest teachers, leaders, employers, and friends are able to do the same. How much better this world would be if we all were gifted with teachers like Mr. Daniels.

I also felt connected to Ally in the way she missed her father and grandfather and also feel like it's great that she carried so much of his wisdom with her. And, I cherished the relationship she had with her brother and their limitless belief in each other's ability to overcome challenges and encourage each other.

This book is a must-read. For teachers. For children. For moms and dads. It's refreshing to read a book for a change that is not based on magic, myth, or fantasy for children. It's well-crafted and special and I'd love to know your thoughts.

A special thanks goes out to my son's teacher. To all the teachers. Who give so much of the praise-worthy things we cannot touch or measure.

#fishinatree #lyndamullalyhunt @lyndamullalyhunt #mustread #loveabook #readdifferently #differentways #quickread #cantputdown #teacherlove #grow

Review: The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan Release Date 9/10

The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan got 4 stars from me. I've been a busy bee with end of summer, back to school obligations and for some reason, my reading time has been chipped away little by little and I have really struggled to make reading the priority it usually is for me.

I've read 3 books this summer (ok, this is the last book that we can call summer) that all included a Nanny as one of the main characters.  This one had me guessing all the way until the end. As far as a review goes, I felt this book grabbed me at the beginning and it crawled a little more than I typically like in the middle. However, I found the ending (last 75-80 pages) to be extremely suspenseful and as the pages decreased I just couldn't figure out how it was going to end.

I had so many questions about the skull in the lake and the identity of the Nanny that abruptly disappeared and then  showed up just as she never left. I fell in love with the home and grounds of Lord and Lady Holt as I read descriptions of their historic home. I felt it was lavish and Gatsby-ish but full of secrets only Lady Holt knew. 

I could relate the most to Jo, the character who left the fortune and prominence of her family behind when she was old enough to, to make a life for herself that she didn't need her parent's money to support. I felt like the author did an amazing job making Jo into a "normal," struggling mom and widow and I found myself counting on a good ending for her and her daughter, Ruby.

This book and the ending did not disappoint. As expected, buried secrets about the past present themselves and threaten to tarnish the reputation and wealth the Holts are known for. Gilly does a superb job weaving the characters together in a seamless way so that by the last sentence, you understand the twists and turns, the details, and motives of the villain(s).

This was an awesome read, I highly recommend it. You'll be in the mansion, living the estate life right beside Jo and her mom. And, trying to put all of the pieces together.

I was provided this book by @Netgalley and @harpercollinspublisher in exchange for an honest review of this book. I appreciate the opportunity to get my hands on this page-turner before the rest of the world and appreciate @gillymacmillan for carving the characters out just right, detail by detail, fracture by fracture. This one was a great escape.

@netgalley
@gillymacmillan
#newrelease
#harpercollins
@harpercollinspublisher
#thriller #thenanny #trustnoone #yikes #quickread #lovebooks #bookreview #bookblog #blogabook