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All the books I read – September 2023

1. Not a Happy Family

I enjoy many of Shari Lapena’s books but this one was just ok. Fred and Sheila Merton decide to host their adult children and spouses for Easter dinner. The Mertons are incredibly wealthy but Fred doesn’t feel that his children have done enough in their life to warrant a generous inheritance. He is a difficult man to deal with and tensions rise during dinner that results in an argument and the Merton’s children all leave in anger. Later that night, Fred and Sheila are murdered by an unknown intruder and the kids are left with so many unanswered questions. Did one of them kill the parents? Was it a robbery gone wrong? A few twists and turns but the whole story was lukewarm at best. Rating: 7

2. The Vanishing Hour

This has a slow start and took me nearly halfway to get into, but the second half moved much faster! And at the end I was really invested on where the story was going. Grace runs a quiet and remote Inn in a small town in Maine. She has chosen this life as a way to hide away from society after a traumatic experience in her past. But when investigators begin looking into the disappearance of young girls in the area, Grace thinks these disappearances are tied to her own kidnapping many years ago. Grace doesn’t want to get involved but feels compelled to once she realizes that she is only one that could help solve this case. Rating: 8

3. Remarkably Bright Creatures

ALL THE WARM FUZZIES! I loved this book and it made me feel all the feelings. Tova is a retired widower who works at the local aquarium helping maintain the exhibits and surrounding areas. One of the exhibits that is especially appealing to her is the octopus who she realizes is sneaking out every night trying to escape. Tova forms an unusual bond with Marcellus, the Octopus, and their “friendship” brings so much unexpected joy and love into Tova’s life.

From the unexplained disappearance of her son many years ago to the loss of her husband, Tova has been through unimaginable trauma. But when a new employee begins at the aquarium, Tova is tasked with training him and showing him the ropes. Tova and the new young man bond over so many things, one of them being their fascination with Marcellus. So many lives are woven together in this book and it’s beautiful to watch them come together. And I fell in love with Marcellus and his beautiful soul. Rating: 9

4. What Lies in the Woods

This book really sucked me in at the beginning and it seemed to be really gaining momentum. But to be honest, it got really confusing at the end and I had a hard time following the storyline once the twist was revealed.

Three friends escaped a serial killer nearly 20 years ago, though one of them almost died trying to escape. Naomi was stabbed multiple times but managed to get herself out of the woods and rescued from the man. Now nearly two decades later, Naomi is notified that the man died in prison while serving his life sentence. But Naomi has a nagging feeling that she may not be remembering the events of that awful night correctly and worries she may have sent the wrong man to prison. When she turns to her two other friends for support, Naomi believes that they are hiding something from her. The story was super suspenseful until the end and it sort of fell apart for me. Rating: 7

5. None of This is True

Tons of twists and turns in this book and I kept thinking I knew where it was going but it definitely kept me guessing. Josie is turning 45 and feels like her life hasn’t turned out the way she hoped. While out to dinner for her birthday, she notices another woman celebrating her 45th birthday at restaurant too. Josie goes up to the woman and wishes her a happy birthday and tells her they are “birthday twins”.

Josie can’t stop thinking about their interaction and happens to run into the woman again while out walking her dog. The other woman, Alix Summer, is a successful podcast host and someone that Josie thinks has a much better life than she does. Josie tells Alix that she wants to change her life and document it on the podcast. Alix likes the idea of this story and agrees to share Josie’s story. But the story is one that isn’t happy and seems to hold a lot of dark and disturbing secrets. Alix worries that Josie may not be as stable as she seems and soon realizes that she may be in danger. Rating: 8.5

6. The Measure

I don’t know how I feel about this book. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. It’s very heavy and thought provoking but I’m not sure I enjoyed the concept.

No one knows who sent the boxes, but everyone all over the world begins receiving these wooden boxes with a string inside. The string is supposed to tell you exactly how many years you have left to live. Some people choose to open them, while others prefer not to know their fate. Those with very short strings must make a decision as to how they will live their remaining years. The group of characters in the book end up all being intertwined together which was interesting to watch unfold. But the story line was so anxiety inducing for me that I felt uneasy throughout the whole book. It has received rave reviews which I can understand but it was a bit too much for me. Rating: 6

Related: All the books I read in August 2023

All the books I read – August 2023

1. The Only One Left

A good mystery with a slightly touching ending. Kit is a home health aide and has been hired by a reclusive elderly woman named Lenora Hope. But Kit isn’t sure she wants the job because there is a long standing rumor that Lenora was responsible for the murder her entire family. Yet Kit needs the money so she takes the job and hopes to just keep her distance from any of the past scandal. However once she arrives, Lenora is not the kind of terrifying woman she expected and begins to share her story with Kit by typing on a typewriter. The rest of the house staff does not know that Lenora can communicate and Kit much try and keep what she finds out a secret. Until the details become too much and she has to tell someone. Rating: 8

2. Don’t Let Her Stay

Joanne and Richard are happily married with a new baby daughter and a seemingly perfect life. Until Richard’s grown daughter, Chloe, from a previous marriage decides to move back in with them. Richard is thrilled but Joanne is wary of Chloe’s motive because Chloe and her father have been estranged for many years. But Joanne makes an effort to build a relationship with Chloe and get to know her. That plan quickly goes downhill when Chloe’s behavior towards Joanne is cold, rude and slightly sabotaging. Richard takes Chloe’s side so Joanne is left feeling uneasy about having a girl she doesn’t trust living with them and around the new baby.

Things escalate and it seems like Joanne’s suspicions are in fact correct and she feels unsafe with Chloe in the home. The ending does leave things a bit unanswered which was frustrating but I still overall loved the book. Rating: 8

3. Zero Days

This book centers around cyber crime and while I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about half the time concerning the crime details, I was hooked on the suspense of the story. Jack and her husband Gabe are penetration specialists that try to break into secure facilities to assess their possible risks and weaknesses. They are the best in the business. But after one of their jobs runs into some trouble, Jack is delayed arriving home and walks in to find her beloved husband murdered. The authorities suspect Jack of the murder and though she is innocent, she decides to go on the run and find who killed her husband. It’s a suspenseful thriller with a somewhat predictable ending but nonetheless really enjoyable! Rating: 8

4. It’s Always the Husband

The title says it all so be prepared for that spoiler but I still found all the twists and turns in the book entertaining. And to be honest, I really thought I was wrong in my assumption of who the killer is in the book because the author really makes you wonder. Kate, Aubrey and Jenny are college roommates that become best friends during their freshman year. But after a tragedy occurs one night, their friendship is never the same. Now they are adults and have reconnected after nearly 20 years. It seems as if they have left the past in the past and decided to never speak of it again. Until Kate is found dead and the authorities are not convinced it is a suicide. Could her death have something to do with what happened so many years ago? Rating: 7.5

5. The Angel Maker

Meh. I could not get into this book and found it to be really hard to follow along. Katie was always close to her brother Chris growing up and was fiercely protective of him. Until he was attacked violently by a stranger and changed their entire family’s life in a second. Now Chris is an adult and the siblings are no longer very close. Katie receives a phone call saying that her brother has gone missing. And immediately Katie jumps into action to try and find the brother whom she once was so close to. To be brutally honest, I couldn’t quite follow all the details of the actual crime and what was the reason because the story oscillates between past and present and there are too many characters to keep track of. I would recommend skipping this one. Rating: 4

6. Everyone Here is Lying

Ooooooh this was so good!!! Even though most of the mystery is revealed halfway through the book, it still plays out in the most entertaining way.

William is having an affair on his wife but his mistress wants to end the affair. William is devastated and goes home before everyone gets back from school and work only to find his 9 year old daughter there. She said that she left school early and defiantly tries to argue with her father about being home alone. William loses his temper and storms out of the house. When he returns a few hours later, his daughter has gone missing and no one can find her. William is distraught and doesn’t know if she should confess to having seen her earlier which could lead to the discovery of his affair. Against his better judgement he says nothing and lets the police handle the investigation. So many lies and deceit between everyone involved in this story and it kept me invested until the very end! Rating: 9

Related: All the Books I read July 2023