book reviews

I’m back with another book review post and this time every single book has a rating of 8 or more!! I was on a great run and every book I read I ended up loving!! Don’t forget to scroll through all my past book reviews if you want other suggestions of things to read.

1. Searching for Sylvie Lee – I didn’t know what to expect from this book but ended up loving it! Sylvie Lee is the eldest daughter of a Chinese immigrant family living in NYC. When she leaves for the Netherlands to attend the funeral of her grandmother, her family doesn’t hear from her again. They are unsure what has happened and why she suddenly disappeared. Amy, the younger sister, goes to the Netherlands to try and get some answers. The details of Sylvie’s last few days were complicated and somewhat vague, but family secrets are revealed that will shock everyone and could explain Sylvie’s whereabouts. Rating: 8.5

2. The Guest List – This was an easy to read mystery/thriller. A couple is getting married at a remote estate in Ireland and invites their entire family/friends to the ceremony. As more of the guests begin to arrive, old tensions and secrets are brought back up and soon someone ends up dead. While my description of the book makes it sound like a cheesy thriller LOL, it’s actually a really good book! Rating: 8.5

3. The Giver of Stars – I’m a huge fan of Jojo Moyes books, so I was so excited to read this. It’s set in the Depression era and tells the story of Alice Wright and her marriage to Bennet Van Clave, whom she married as a way to escape her boring life in England. She thinks her new life with Bennett in Kentucky will be exciting and new but soon she discovers she is an unhappy here as she was back in England. An opportunity arises for Alice to be part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s traveling library initiative, and though her husband is against it, she finds purpose and freedom in this new venture. It’s based on a true story and shows the heroic nature of these librarians and what they had to endure to bring books to people in remote areas. Rating: 8.5

4. Into the Darkest Corner – This book toggles back between the present and past, and tt took me a bit to get used to the back and forth of the time periods but eventually it became easier and I really enjoyed this thriller. Catherine meets Lee Brightman, a charming and handsome police officer and falls instantly in love. As time goes on however, Lee becomes more and more controlling and ultimately tries to kill Catherine. Lee goes to prison but only for a few years. Catherine has begun a new life but fears the day that Lee is released from prison and if he will try and find her again. Definitely an exciting beach read! Rating: 8.5

5. Darling Rose Gold – I enjoyed most of this book but the ending kinda ruined it. I hate when the endings leave you hanging with no real conclusion. Rose Gold spent most of her life believing she was critically ill with no hope of ever living a normal life. It wasn’t until she was a teenager did she finally begin to realize that her mother was intentionally poisoning her and making her sick. Rose Gold’s mother goes to prison for a few years but once she is released, Rose Gold welcomes her back into her life…but not without a possible ulterior motive. There are a bunch of twists and turns in the book that kept me entertained, though I wish the ending was a bit better. Rating: 8

6. The Most Fun We Ever Had – This book took me a bit to get into but I became really invested in the characters and family dynamics surrounding Marilyn and David Sorenson and their four daughters. The relationships are complicated and each daughter has her own struggles. While the family looks picture perfect on the outside, things are more difficult under the surface. It’s a really rich read and I love how it highlights the challenges of families and how complex the relationships can be. Rating: 8

I have two shows that I recently binge-watched and loved! Normal People on Hulu is one I’ve mentioned before but it’s soooo good! I read the book but the show is 100x better. The newest show I just watched is Outcry on Hulu and thought it was fantastic. The story is heartbreaking but ends on a positive note and the guy in the documentary is so remarkable.

I’m back with all the books I “read” (I actually listen to audiobooks because it’s more convenient) in the month of June. I got through a ton of books though a handful were great while the others were not worth a read.

1. The Lies We Told – A good ol’ mystery thriller. Nothing too exciting but a fun easy read. Clara’s boyfriend Luke disappears one day and leaves no indication as to why he would leave. As Clara begins to look into his seemingly perfect family’s past, she uncovers secrets and answers to his mysterious disappearance. Rating: 8

2. When You See Me – Flora and Keith are part of a special FBI civilian task force and are called by Sergeant Quincy and Warren to investigate a possible connection to a deceased serial killer. They head to a small town in Georgia to learn more and are soon swept into a tangled web of the serial killer’s past and they find out it’s more depraved then they imagined. Rating: 8

3. You are Not Alone – Lots of buzz around this book, but it was only ok for me. When Shay Miller befriends sisters Cassandra and Jane under rather odd circumstances, she feels like she’s met her new best friends. She becomes obsessed with pleasing them and doing anything to keep their friendship, even if it means ruining her own life. Rating: 6

4. The Good Daughter – Now this was a thriller I enjoyed!! Charlotte and Samantha Quinn are sisters that had to endure a horrific event in their youth that left them scarred for life. When tragedy strikes again as adults, Samantha comes home to help Charlotte deal with the aftermath of a brutal school shooting. But what is uncovered is much more sinister and awful. Rating: 8.5

5. The Mother-in-Law – Lucy desperately wants to be accepted by her new husband’s family and is for the most part – except for her mother-in-law. Diana is very hard to get close to and Lucy doesn’t understand why. After Diana is found dead in her home from an apparent suicide, Lucy tries to figure out the reason behind her sudden death. Rating: 8.5

6. Once More We Saw Stars – A devastating memoir of Jayson Greene’s loss of his daughter. I believe I remember hearing about this when I lived in NYC because it happened on the Upper West Side. Jayson’s two year old daughter, Greta, was visiting her grandmother and they were sitting on a bench near her apartment. Suddenly a brick fell from the building above and struck Greta in the head and the injury was fatal. This story is about their time through that grief and how they navigated bringing another child into the world after Greta’s death. It’s an emotional but beautiful read. Rating: 8.5

7. Gone Too Long – This one dragged on too much and was not a favorite. Imogene’s father was a KKK clan member and she has spent her life trying to avoid him and his reputation. After his death, Imogene returns home and is cleaning out her father’s home when she discovers a child locked in a basement on the property. She rescues the child and fears that her father has kept this boy imprisoned for years. But after she begins to uncover more about her father, she realizes that she may be wrong about the person that has committed this heinous crime. Rating: 5

8. The Paris Wife – Though this story is fiction, it’s written about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley. Though they divorced early into their marriage, Hemingway always said that he would “have died rather than fallen in love with anyone but Hadley”. Though they were deeply in love at the beginning, Hemingway’s need to succeed and his fondness for women drove them apart. While I thought I would enjoy this book, it fell flat for me. Rating: 4

9. The Other Mrs. – What a book!!! So entertaining and I loved every minute of it. There were tons of twists and turns and the ending was a big surprise. Sadie and Will recently moved their family from Chicago to a small town in Maine to become legal guardian’s for Will’s niece. Will’s sister committed suicide leaving behind 16 year old Imogene who is a very difficult child to deal with. Sadie and Will are trying to acclimate to their new life in Maine when a neighbor is brutally murdered in the middle of the night. The murder really terrifies Sadie and she begins to question her new life here. Rating: 9