lifestyle

Everything I Read in April 2025 – Part 2

1. Weyward

I tried with this one and did finish it but it was a struggle. I also couldn’t really see the connection between all the characters so the story didn’t make much sense to me. The story follows three different women from three different time periods. Altha is living during 1619 and is awaiting trial for murder because people think she is a witch who influenced a herd of cows to stampede a local farmer. Violet is living during WWII and struggling with the societal expectations she is forced to adhere to and wants to receive all the same opportunities as her brother. The third character in the story is living in 2019 and has just escaped her abusive boyfriend and fled to a cottage she inherited from her great-aunt.

The three stories showcase the resiliency of women and how they must fight to endure various hardships but I couldn’t really understand the connection between them. I think they are family or related in some way, but honestly the story was not engaging enough for me to really lock in. Rating: 5

2. One True Loves

This is the book that really brought me back after reading Weyward and instantly had me hooked from the first chapter. I knew from the first few encounters that this book would carry me through a range of emotions – and it did! Emma is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Jesse, and they are planning their lives together. During a solo trip to Alaska, Jesse is involved in a tragic helicopter crash where there are no survivors reported. Emma is devastated and feels like her life is over. Slowly she tries to find her place again without Jesse and moves back to her hometown in Massachusetts.

On a random afternoon, Emma runs into an old high school friend named Sam who she worked with as teenagers. Sam has always had a crush on Emma but never acted on it because she met Jesse shortly after they became friends.  Now that Emma is single again, Sam decides to make a move. He and Emma fall deeply in love and are engaged nearly a year later. All seems like a happy ending for Emma after such tragedy until she gets a phone call one day during lunch with her family and Sam. It’s Jesse. He is alive and coming home. The emotions in this kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and many tears were shed! Rating: 8.5

3. Slammed

I’m a Colleen Hoover fan but this was just ok. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t my favorite out of this group. Layken has recently lost her father so her mother moves her and her brother to a new city for a fresh start. On the first day of their arrival, Layken meets her new neighbor Will, who is a few years older than her and incredibly welcoming. Layken and Will go out together and instantly have a connection. Layken is so happy that her mother moved them to this new place. But when Layken starts at her new school, she is faced with an issue that will threaten her entire relationship with Will. This is an easy read and will keep you entertained but isn’t a top pick for me. Rating: 7.5

4. More Than You’ll Ever Know

Another book that was entertaining but not a favorite for me. Cassie is a true-crime writer and looking for her next story. During an internet trawl, she comes across an article about a murder case that left many confused and with no real answers. So Cassie decides to reach out to the woman at the center of this scandal, Lore, and see if she wants to tell her story. At first, Lore is hesitant to talk about this tragedy with a stranger. But decides to share as much as she feels comfortable and hopefully have some closure for her own well being. But Cassie feels like Lore is not telling her everything and leaving out vital details that explain the murder of her lover by her husband. It’s not a gripping thriller/mystery but it did keep me guessing for most of the book. Rating: 7

5. Famous Last Words

This was definitely the month of books that were only a like not a love. I do love many of Gillian McAllister’s books, but this was not my favorite.

Camilla is a new mother and about to drop her daughter off a daycare for the first time now that her maternity leave has ended. But when she wakes that morning, her husband Luke is not home and has left her a cryptic note that makes Camilla worried. Hours later there are reports of a hostage situation in their area and the police contact Camilla to tell her that Luke is the person holding the prisoners hostage. Camilla is shocked and unable to believe that her loving husband could do such a horrific thing. The police are finally able to gain access to the building but Luke is long gone and Camilla is left with no answers. It’s years later that Camilla will finally understand what truly happened and if the man she married was truly a monster. Rating: 7.5

6. The Boyfriend

Frieda McFadden’s books are hit or miss with me – I like some and others are not a hit. This was definitely entertaining and I loved the twist at the end. Sydney is having an awful time dating in NYC and meeting one horrible guy after another. During a particularly bad date where the man tried to physically assault her, a stranger steps in to help her. This heroic stranger is incredibly handsome but simply walks away after their encounter and Sydney wonders if she will ever see him again.

Fast forward a few months and she runs into him again while she is on another date. The date doesn’t end up working out and she reconnects with this handsome stranger and they begin dating. All seems to be going great until reports of women being murdered around the city has Sydney scared and nervous. And her new boyfriend has begun acting strange and Sydney doesn’t know why. Is he hiding something or is Sydney just paranoid? Lots of loose ends in this book that all tie up in the end which will leave you shocked over and over. Rating: 8.5

See Part 1 of Everything I Read – April 2025.

Everything I Read – April 2025 (part 1)

1. The Liar’s Wife

This wasn’t groundbreaking but a good ol’ mystery/thriller read. Palmer is married with a new baby and hoping to feel like herself again now that she is back to work. Her husband is staying home with the baby which helps to keep Palmer’s mind at ease. That is until her husband begins acting strange – taking phone calls outside, deleting his call log, etc and Palmer feels like he is hiding something. After seeing him out chatting with a strange woman while he said he was at home was the final straw for Palmer and she decides to see what he is up to. This whole time she is worried her husband is hiding something but what if he is hiding HER from something? Rating: 8

2. A Very Bad Thing

Another great mystery/thriller that kept me guessing throughout the entire book. Columbia Jones is a beloved author that has dedicated her life to writing books people love and engaging with her fans all over the world. After a recent book reading, Columbia collapses on stage in front of an entire crowd of people. She is rushed to the hospital for observation but Columbia’s daughter and publicist are worried that someone at the event may have frightened her and caused her to faint. Who was the man that Columbia seemed to see in the crowd and pause in reaction to?

After she is brought back to her hotel to recover, suspicions are raised again when Columbia is found dead in room later that night. And her daughter Darian finds the publicist standing over Columbia’s body when she enters the room to check on her mother. The story has tons of twists and turns and keep me guessing until the end. Rating: 8.5

3. The Three Lives of Cate Kay

I wanted to love this book but the more I read it, the more I just could not get into the story. It was entertaining enough to finish but still dragged on for many parts. Cate Kay is a bestselling author and about to watch her book become a film in the coming months. Though Cate is known around the world, hardly anyone has ever seen her in person. She has tried to keep her anonymity despite her growing fame. Only a select group of people even know who she is and she fights hard to keep herself out of the media.

When Cate selects an actor to play the lead in the movie based off her bestselling novel, she decides that she must meet her in person. They develop a special connection and Cate is faced with having to share parts of her past that she has never wanted to acknowledge. Traumatic events that shaped and forever changed the course of her life. I loved parts of this story but it fell flat at times. Rating: 7

4. The Woman Who Lied

Meh. This was a slow read for me and I had a hard time staying focused on the story. Emilia Ward is an author of the best selling Miranda Moody detective novels. Emilia has decided to end the series but is having a hard time finishing the final book. Then things begin happening to her that she can’t explain. It’s almost as if the plot of her book is being played out in real time. But that is impossible because Emilia hasn’t even finished it and no one has ready  the final draft. How could they know what she is writing or will write? The premise of the book is promising but the actual story fell flat for me. Rating: 7

5. Things We Never Got Over

An easy to read romantic novel that is somewhat predictable but still enjoyable. The story does get racy at times so if that isn’t your thing, you will want to skip this one. Naomi is a runaway bride and escapes to the small town where her twin sister resides in hopes of finding solace after leaving her wedding unexpectedly. The only problem is her sister isn’t anywhere to be found and Naomi is stuck without a plan or place to live. She stumbles into a coffee shop hoping to gather her thoughts and plan her next steps and meets Knox. Knox is a lifelong resident of this small town and a hulking figure not known for friendly small talk.

Knox knows Naomi’s sister and overhears her talking about how she is looking for her and needs to track her down. He reluctantly steps in to help and offers her assistance in finding a place to stay and intel on where her sister could be. You can probably guess it but Knox and Naomi develop a relationship, though it’s a rocky one that goes through a ton of drama and turmoil. It’s an easy story to get through and even though I knew how it would end, I love to see it all come to fruition. Rating: 8.5

6. The Patient’s Secret

This was another mystery/thriller that keep me entertained but wasn’t on the edge of my seat amazing. And at times it got a bit confusing keeping all the characters straight but I was able to follow things after awhile. Lily is a psychotherapist living a quiet life with her professor husband and their two children. Things in their small town are idyllic and seemingly unaffected from the perils of the outside world. That is until Arwen Harper moves to town with her teenage son. Arwen seems to arrive out of nowhere and soon begins to stir up problems around town. It isn’t until Arwen is found dead that people fear that they could be living amongst a murderer.

Lily is especially worried because she has a past that she doesn’t want anyone to ever know about and this level of media scrutiny could threaten that. This is actually loosely based on the Jeremy Steinke and Jasmine Richardson case that devastated the small town of Medicine Hat, Canada. I am familiar with that true crime case but honestly couldn’t figure out how it related to this book until the end. It definitely kept me guessing. Rating: 8

Find more book reviews on the blog.