book reviews

I read some of the best books I’ve read all year and some of the worst books in this past month. Ha!

1. The Last Thing He Told Me – LOVED this from the very beginning!!! Hannah and Owen have only been married for a year when he mysteriously disappears. The only thing left is a note from him that says “Protect Her”. Hannah knows he is talking about his daughter Bailey and she is confused as to why Owen has left and when or if he will return. Hannah and Bailey don’t really get along but once their world is flipped upside down with this disappearance, they bond together to try and find Owen. The secrets behind his disappearance are shocking and force both of them to make a terrifying decision. I could not put this book down! So good! Rating: 9

2. The Gone Dead – After reading such an amazing book, I was so sad when my next one fell absolutely flat. Billie James’ inherits her father’s home in Mississippi and goes back to tie up all the details for this inheritance. While she is back, she decides to try and learn more about her father and what circumstances were surrounding his death. While the story sounds like it would be interesting, I could not get through it and quit close to the end. Rating: 3

3. Sadie – A radio host is contacted by a listener urging him to look into the disappearance of Sadie Hunter. She went missing after her sister’s death and her family is worried she is in trouble. The book is told from the perspective of the radio host and also from Sadie. Sadie did in fact run away but with the purpose of finding the man that murdered her sister. She uncovers some awful things along the way which dredges up some horrific memories of her own childhood. I really enjoyed this but there is not concrete ending which was super frustrating. Rating: 7

4. The Honey Don’t List – I enjoy Christina Lauren’s novels so I was really excited to read this. Carey Duncan works for the uber successful and famous Melissa and Rusty Tripp. They have their own show, best selling relationship book and thriving design store in their home town of Jackson Hole. From the outside the Tripps seem to have it all and live the perfect life. Behind the scenes, they are miserable and on the verge of divorce. Carey and newly hired James are assistants to the Tripps and have to try and hold everything together in the midst of the chaos and keep the Tripps’ secrets from getting out to the public. The story is fun, lighthearted and easy to read. I absolutely loved it! Rating: 8.5

5. My Sister the Serial Killer – I really wish I understood the hype surrounding this book but I could barely get through it. The story felt short, stunted and lacked so much character development (in my opinion). Korede’s sister Ayoola is a magnet for men and seems to go through boyfriends so quickly. However the relationships often end with the men dying, often at the hands of Ayoola. Korede is trying to understand if her sister is in fact a serial killer or the victim of constant abuse from the men she gets into involved with. The premise of the story sounded good but I did not enjoy it at all. Rating: 2

6. The Vanishing Half – Ugh, I really feel like a Debbie Downer with my list this month. The books were either a HUGE hit for me or a BIG NOPE! LOL This book was another big no and I debated quitting halfway through, but many of you told me the last half of the book gets better so I stuck with it. The second half was better but still not enjoyable to me. Twins Desiree and Stella were born in a small community in the Deep South. Though they were born black, their skin was very light and often they were able to pass as white. As teens they decided to run away together and begin a new life. Desiree kept her identity as a black woman but Stella did not. Stella married a white man and never told anyone in her life her true ethnicity. They are brought back together when their daughters manage to meet by accident at a party in California. One daughter knows their history while the other does not. Secrets are revealed that threaten to ruin relationships unless Stella and Desiree can come together and heal their broken past. Rating: 6.5

7. Little Secrets – I didn’t just read this book, I inhaled it in two days! LOL It was absolutely fantastic and captivating from the very beginning. Marin and Derek are a successful couple with a 4 year old son named Sebastian. During a day out together at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Sebastian wanders off with a stranger before Marin can even notice he is gone. The search is one to find Sebastian but leads are going nowhere and the case is getting cold. That is until Marin hires her own private investigator that digs up some information that Marin may not want to know. A true mystery that keeps you engaged until the very end!! Loved it!  Rating: 9

Here’s my reviews of all the books I’ve recently finished:

1. One by One – I love an easy mystery thriller and this one was so fun to read. A trendy London start-up takes its employees to an expensive chalet in the French Alps. Employees get to enjoy the amazing accommodations while also bonding with each other and working. But then something horrific happens and the group is left with one less member, and then another. It feels like the people at this company are dying tragically in a sequence and everyone wonders who will be next. Rating: 8.5

2. Negative Space – I enjoy a good memoir and while this one had great reviews, I was not a fan. Lily Dancyger shares what is was like growing up with two addicts as parents, one of whom was an integral part of the East Village art scene in the 1980’s. I kept waiting for the story to get better or to become more interested in it, but sadly it wasn’t a hit for me. Rating: 3

3. Pretty Things – Another mystery that is enjoyable and easy to read. Not a page turner but a great thing to read when you just want to be entertained. Nina had hoped for a different life for herself but is stuck in a cycle of conning rich people out of money and scamming them for goods that her and her boyfriend, Lachlan, can resell for a profit. When Nina’s mom is diagnosed with cancer and must undergo a very expensive treatment, Nina knows she needs to attempt her most lucrative and dangerous con on someone from her past. Tables are turned on Nina and she must figure out how to navigate through it without being caught. Rating: 8

4. The First Day of Spring – This one is a bit of a dark thriller and can be triggering because it involves the death of a child. However the story is really good and I couldn’t stop reading! Chrissie grows up in a neglected household with a mother that isn’t fit to parent and as a result she acts out in horrific and terrifying ways. She ends up killing a neighborhood toddler and gets away with it. The story then fast forwards decades later to Chrissie as an adult and how she struggles to move past her trauma and be a good parent to her own daughter. The book oscillates between time periods but does so effortlessly so I found it very easy to follow along. Rating: 8.5

5. Don’t Look for Me – If you are going on vacation soon, there are a few books in this list that are quick and enjoyable to read. This is another mystery that really kept me guessing as to who exactly is the kidnapper of Molly Clarke. Molly is a mother that is struggling with the death of her youngest daughter and feels lost ever since the accident. Her other two children and husband have seemed to move on in a way, but Molly is stuck in a pit of depression. When she suddenly disappears one day, her family wonders if she walked away from her life willingly or was in something more sinister. Rating: 8.5

6. 28 Summers – Get out your tissues because this book is a major tearjearker! Mallory and Jake meet during Mallory’s brother bachelor party over Labor Day weekend 28 years ago. They have a connection that is undeniable but Jake is in a relationship and Mallory does not want to leave Nantucket where she lives. So they decide to meet every year on Labor Day weekend and have a blissful romantic weekend together. It’s complicated and their lives take them in many different directions as the years go by, but that weekend is always theirs and they stay in love with each other from afar. Until Mallory learns that she is dying and Jake has to come and say goodbye. Ugh, I tear up even writing this review! Rating: 8.5