Tag: book-review

You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen

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You Know What You Did will leave you breathless! From the first page until the thrilling unexpected ending, this psychological thriller will grab you in an unimaginable, yet completely satisfying way. The story, which is told in different pieces throughout the character’s life, will have the reader surprised by the twists and turns the narrative takes.

Annie (Anh Le) Shaw had a very difficult childhood, we will learn. The daughter of a single mother (Me) with mental illness who abused her in so many heartbreaking ways. But even after all that when Annie married and had her own daughter, she had her mother live with them in a house on their property where her mother continued the emotional abuse.

But, when her mother dies, it throws Annie into a tailspin. She knows her husband who adores her and understands her and whom she relies on loves her, but she feels her daughter who is fifteen now seems to hate her. Of course, Annie does not want to repeat the pattern of abuse she endured, but her daughter seems to be distancing herself from Annie and will not tell her why. And Annie is jealous of her husband’s relationship with their daughter which seems so special.

Annie’s career as an artist was one bone of contention with her mother. She felt Annie was doing nothing with her life, even though she had a good career. So, when Me dies, she takes on a large project first to take her mind off Me’s death, but also to prove to herself she is worthy of her career.

But she soon begins to notice differences in herself almost immediately. She reverts back to her old ways, with her anxiety and severe OCD. She also thinks she is hallucinating and begins to not remember events. She sees the bond with her daughter deteriorate further.

Then the benefactor whom she has been working for disappears and Annie thinks she may have done something wrong. But the worst happens when Annie wakes up one morning in a bed in a hotel next to an injured man who is not her husband. Her life begins to explode.

She then starts to relive experiences she had while living in Japan with her then boyfriend, now husband. Those odd memories make her realize, perhaps she did do these other things. And when the police get involved, and her husband is away on assignment, things go from bad to worse.

Why can’t she remember? All the while she begins to alienate her daughter as she starts to feel as if she is now beginning to act just like her mother. Did she do something back in Japan and now? How does she reconcile her life, with her daughter and without her mother? What did she do?

You Know What You Did is a sharp, twisty story about complicated relationships, love, fear and death. It will mesmerize and shock and you will love every horrifying minute!

Thank you #NetGalley #Dutton #YouKnowWhatYouDid #K.T.Nguyen for the advanced copy.

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

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The Kitchen Front is a heartwarming/heartbreaking story about a group of women during World War II in England who are from different classes in life. But one thing is for sure, no matter what your rank, pain, loss, abuse and trying to make ends meet will somehow unite most. Each of these women will try and make a change to their lives first by themselves but then with the help of each other.

This will happen when each of the women hear about a BBC cooking contest in which the winner will the assistant on a famous radio show called The Kitchen Front. The contest consists of participants to create dishes only using the rationing coupons given to them by the State. But to these women this could be their chance to get out of the horrible situation they each find themselves. The participants are:

Audrey, the mother of three young boys who lost the love of her life in the War. He is missing in action and presumed dead. She lives in a large decaying house she can’t afford and in order to make ends meet she sells vegetables from her garden and bakes and delivers pies to people and companies. She has a love/hate relationship with her sister, Lady Gwendoline, who loaned her money after her husband’s death but holds this over her head. Exhausted, scared and sad, she is talked into entering the contest.

Lady Gwendoline, married to Sir Strickland, a nasty man who treats her terribly, is bored. She decides to enter the contest on a whim, knowing she will win as her husband will make sure she does. She hates her sister Audrey because she is jealous of the relationship she had with their mother. Lady Gwendoline’s joy is making Audrey as miserable as possible.

Nell is the cook at Fenley Hall, the residence of Lady Gwendoline and Sir Strickland. Under the watchful eye of the head cook, the elderly Mrs. Quince who has taken her under her wing and treats her as if she was her daughter, Nell has flourished. But being an orphan at a very young age she has never been outgoing and is quite meek. But with Mrs. Quince’s help she decides to enter the contest.

And last but not least, there is Zelda. A feisty cook from London who was a rising chef but was banished to this small town. She works at Sir Strickland’s food company. Winning this contest could be her ticket back to London and make her famous as the first woman head chef. But Zelda has a secret.

So as these four women work against each other, they will be judged by a point system on a four-course meal, one course each month, with the person with the most points winning. Sounds simple right? But of course, these women not only have to prepare their courses, but live their lives. As we learn of their hardships and fall in love with each of them, how can the reader choose, let alone the judge?

But as we follow each of their stories you will discover their strengths and weaknesses and their loyalty to others but more importantly to each other. At a certain point the contest becomes the lesser problem as the women unite to encourage and help each other and form an unbreakable bond.

The Kitchen Front was an enjoyable and pleasant read with recipes at the end of each chapter from decades ago which will intrigue and delight the reader.

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

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If you want to read a hysterically, funny story I would highly recommend the book Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies by best known author Catherine McKenzie whose books are thrillers but is writing this series? one can only hope and pray, other the name Catherine Mack! Yes, it’s a mystery but more important it is a comedy of errors and sentence after sentence of laughter, most of which are in the funniest footnotes I have ever read!

Eleanor Dash is a famous mystery author (she tells the story and also give the reader the footnotes) who has decided to end her very beloved The Vacation Mystery series. But what nobody knows just yet, not even her publisher is she plans on killing off her main character Connor Smith who is a real-life person who she actually dated and solved a real crime with which included a real-life Mafia family and took place in Italy many years ago. Everyone knows the character is based on someone she knew, intimately, but what they don’t know is he has been blackmailing her for years. I will let Eleanor through her footnotes tell you how that came to be.

Now Eleanor finds herself back in Italy doing research for the last book with not only Connor, but her assistant who is her sister Harper, a group of other authors and a group of her rabid…I mean loyal fans to accompany her on this book tour, something her publisher for some reason put together.

So, when Connor tells them all he was almost killed and thinks someone is trying to kill him, Eleanor is quite taken aback. Yes, she plans to kill him but not THAT way! Then to her surprise she discovers that Oliver, her one true love? is here as well and oh yes, someone seems to want her dead too! Is this real? Sure, maybe someone would want to kill Connor, but her? No way!

And then of course, someone really does get killed, no one they expected to get killed and oh by the way one of the book tour fans is actually her stalker from back home. The Italian police become involved, and the head officer is the spitting image of Stanley Tucci. Please keep that memory in your head for when you read the book. He was the officer who assisted in the crime Eleanor and Connor solved years ago.

Now, Eleanor feels she must figure out what is going on before 1. she is killed, 2. she makes a mistake with Oliver or 3. Connor is killed (that certainly wouldn’t bode well for her book).

Every Time I Go on Vacation Somone Dies is the funniest book I have read in a very long time. It has such an imaginable plot and footnotes which will make you laugh out loud. I am serious! Please, please Catherine Mack, make this a series!

Thank you #NetGalley #MinotourBooks #CatherineMack #EveryTimeIGoonVacationSomeoneDies for the advanced copy.

Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

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We all know someone who is nosy. But sometimes the snooper can take it to a different level. Sometimes it’s just that they are bored. Other times it could perhaps be for another reason no one knows about. In Nosy Neighbor we discover the many different types of being nosy. The book is funny, mysterious, heartwarming and surprising as a group of residents from different backgrounds who live in a complex and who are not too cordial with each other, all with secrets, must somehow join together and not only try and solve a crime but also save their residence before it’s too late.

The apartment complex is called Shelley House. It is an aged building and some of the occupants have been there for decades. But when a young woman with multi-colored hair named Kat sublets with one of the older tenants named Joseph, the biggest busy body of them all, Dorothy is disgusted and angered.

Dorothy, who was married but has lived alone in her apartment for many years keeps a daily diary of all the goings on and activities that occur during the day. This includes what is happening at the other resident’s apartments as well as what is happening outside of the building. She sist at her table, drinks tea and takes copious notes and keeps logs. She rarely speaks to any neighbor and if she does it’s to inform them of something more than likely against breaking rules…hers!

So when Kat moves in to Joseph’s apartment, she takes an immediate dislike to the young girl. But in Kat’s defense, she doesn’t really want to be there either, but she has some secret unfinished business she needs to attend to so she can put this town behind her forever.

But, when the owner of the building decides to evict the residence so he can tear down the building, Dorothy cannot and will not accept this. She decides to ignore it. Another tenant Joseph decides they must fight to keep their home safe. But as Joseph begins his campaign to stop the evictions, he is hurt in his apartment. At first, they thought due to his age he perhaps tripped, but it is soon discovered someone attacked him. He is hospitalized and Kat decides she must try and figure out who tried to hurt Joseph.

Dorothy unfortunately does not want to help Kat, but over time agrees to assist with Joseph’s dog, a Jack Russell who is miserable without him and takes care of him while Kat is at work. As time goes by, Dorothy and Kat will discover that even with their age gap, they have a great deal in common. They both have had great heartbreak and loss in their lives and that has changed them forever.

And with this blooming friendship, Dorothy’s snooping and Kat’s investigating come together and they discover not only what happened to Joseph, but also much, much more. Will it stop the evictions? Who really knows, but what they do discover is that the residents of Shelley House need each other and surprisingly understand each other.

And what about Kat? Why did she come back? What has she experienced to make her so angry and untrusting?

Out of hurt and anger sometimes can come forms of peace and acceptance in this charming, witty, reflective story in which a group of neighbors not only try to save their home, but also, their lives.

Thank you #NetGalley #Berkley #FreyaSampson #NosyNeighbors for the advanced copy.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

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The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill, author of the thriller The Woman In The Library has once again outdone herself in this new exciting, unpredictable and imaginative story. With so many elements for a terrific read…mystery, conspiracy, murder and disappearances, no one could ask for more in this psychological nail-biter.

Theodore (Theo) Benton has decided to give up a budding career as a lawyer and while still in law school she decides to drop out become a writer and lands on her brother Gus’ doorstep armed with an almost completed manuscript. Gus, an attorney adores his sister and supports her decision.

So, Theo begins to write her novel in a diner, someplace away from Gus’ apartment. There, she meets another writer, a bit famous who himself is trying finish his novel. He becomes a mentor to her of sorts and they grow close. But then Theo’s life begins to unravel as he is found dead in his house, and she unfortunately is the person who found him. All she remembers is seeing a man run from the scene. She discovers the manuscript he was writing has disappeared.

Suddenly, she and her brother become unlikely suspects in this murder with Gus never even knowing the other writer. At the same time two unusual situations occur. First, a secret conspiracy group who believed the writer to somehow be the leader of their cult have decided Theo killed him and second, the publishing company which published the dead writer has informed Theo they would like to represent her and publish her novel.

But when more murders occur the police find evidence that Theo’s brother Gus was the killer. Gus injured and, in the hospital, awakens to find Theo has confessed to the murders and disappeared. He knows neither of them did any such thing. He begins to search for her, but years pass and although he doesn’t give up, he feels as if he will never find her.

Until suddenly someone gives Gus a book which is on the best seller list. As he reads it something seems familiar. The writing…could it be?

The Mystery Writer will keep you entertained and captivated as the story plays out and all the different worlds begin to collide into one unforeseen ending.

Thank you #NetGalley #PoisenedPenPress #SulariGentill #TheMysteryWriter for the advanced copy.

The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist by Sophie Gonzales

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Sophie Gonzales has upped her writing game in The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist, with an adorable story which will satisfy a multitude of literary genres, including young adult, LGBT, romance, fantasy/science-fiction and of course, her wicked sense of humor.

Ivy Winslow is looking forward to the upcoming week. Her parents will be away, and she will have the house all to herself. Of course, as a young girl in high school, she is being guarded by her former best friend Mack’s parents who live across the street. But for the most part she eagerly looks forward to eating junk food and watching her favorite show with her only friend, Henry.

Sure, she misses her best friend Mack, who she spent almost every day with basically her whole life, but because of stupidness, jealousy and stubbornness on both girl’s part, they have stopped speaking. Yes, perhaps if Ivy was truly honest, she did have a bit of a crush on Mack, but she is sure it certainly was not reciprocated.

So, when Ivy goes to sleep that first night, she never would have imagined awaking to find a guy in her bedroom staring at her who says his name is Weston, but he looks identical to the main character of her favorite show, H-Mad. He seems to think they are in love and will live happily ever after. He has plans for the two of them. She has no idea what this is about and how this could have possibly happened. But Weston begins causing problems from the get-go.

With no one else to turn to, she finally tells Henry and gulp, yes Mack. She needs help trying to figure out how to get rid of Weston! At least by the time her parents get home! But Weston does not want to leave and will do anything in his power and yes, he does have powers to prevent Ivy and her friends from getting rid of him.

In reality what actually starts to occur is the three anti-friends decide to work together to get rid of Weston, and as they begin to get close to each other, open up to each other and discover you can leave your past issues behind forgive what has happened and what has been said, start anew with new friendships and even find confidence and yes, love. Poor Weston!

Thank you #NetGalley #WednesdayBooks #SophieGonzales #ThePerfectGuyDoesn’tExist for the advanced copy.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering

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Bye, Baby is a thriller with secrets galore! You may even find yourself even rooting for the alleged villain and anxious that they will get caught. How many times does that ever happen? You see, everyone who does something terrible is not always someone terrible… even if they kidnap their best friend’s baby!

Billie and Cassie spent every day together since childhood. They know everything there is to know about each other as well as those buried secrets that are never talked about. Deep dark secrets. Billie grew up with a mother and stepfather, not the happiest of childhoods, and had little money. She hated her stepfather. Cassie grew up with a well-off grandmother and based all her decisions on who or what could move her up the social ladder. Now, Bille helps run an elite travel agency and Cassie has married a handsome wealthy man, has a newborn baby and a job as an influencer on social media and an upcoming clothes company which keeps her very busy.

So busy, that for the first time in their lives, Billie and Cassie are not as close as they used to be. At least that’s how Billie feels. Cassie seems to have moved on from their friendship with a brand-new set of upper-class friends, all married with children and enjoys the new lifestyle she has created. The relationship has shifted. Billie feels it, Cassie ignores it. Billie tries to fight for their friendship, but in the end is hurt by Cassie’s lack of attention.

Cassie feels that Billie, who has not been in a relationship in a very long time, should start to look for someone and settle down and start her own family, something Billie is not sure she ever wants to do. But why can’t they just continue to be best friends?

As Billie feels this horrible sense of the loss, she finds out Cassie is having a birthday bash in which she wasn’t even invited to. And then something in Billie snaps and she finds herself doing something totally out of character. She takes Cassie’s baby.

As the story opens, we find Billie looking down at a baby and Cassie screaming her name from somewhere. And this is where the ride of your life will begin. The good, the bad and the horrible.

Told in past and present chapters we slowly learn about Billie and Cassie. We also discover their dark secrets. Ones that could easily destroy both of them. But this means nothing compared to how Billie has just ruined her life.

How did Billie get to this point? Why has Cassie abandoned her? What on earth does she do now that she has committed this terrible crime?

Bye, Baby is an intense story about friendship, jealousy, loss and forgiveness, but more importantly, choices we make in life. Sometimes you must say bye to the past, in order to have a future.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #CarolaLovering #Bye,Baby for the advanced copy.

Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood

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Finding Sophie is an incredibly complex look at a relationship during a time of crisis. But it is a psychological thriller which will continually keep you guessing as to what on earth could happen next. As you fall in love with the couple, Harry and Zara, as they optimistically search for their daughter Sophie who has disappeared, you see the breakdown of their marriage and the difference in how they each deal with their grief.

Harry and Zara King’s 15-year-old daughter has gone missing. Their only child, Sophie is the light of their lives. But, as they notice her temperament changing, they chalk it up to teenage rebellion. But an incident prior to her disappearance haunts them both in different ways.

They can barely look at each other as they both separately try and discover what could have happened to their Sophie. They discover they really didn’t know their daughter at all. Some clues emerge, not good ones and there is suspicion that the man who lives in a house on the street, 210, who will not let the police in, nor will he talk to Harry and Zara makes the couple distrustful of him.

Their grief is palpable, but their guilt unbearable. They try not to blame each other. But, they also want to fight this fight separately rather than together.

Fast forward to some chapters in which a trial is occurring. We have no idea who the defendant is or what the crime could be. Our clues are sparse until we discover the truth.

What would you do if your child went missing? Is love enough? Would you do anything in your power to find the child? Not matter what that meant? Or would you keep all those feelings in, blaming the other, but never giving up the idea that she just has to be alive, even when all the clues go another way. Can a marriage be strong enough to endure the heartbreak of a missing child?

In Finding Sophie there will be sadness, but there will also be something deeper than love. Passion. To not only find out what happened to their child, but to make sure she will somehow always know they loved her enough to never stop looking.

Thank you #NetGalley #Bantam #Imram Mahmood #Finding Sophie for the advanced copy.

The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapeke-Dale

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The Fortune Seller is a well-crafted story about greed, jealousy and social pecking order in today’s society. It throws together a group of women who live together at Yale, some incredibly rich, while others, barely making ends meet. You definitely can tell these women’s differences not only in the way they dress, but the way they act, to each other. Not only does the story show the struggles of those attempting to move up in the world, but it also lets the reader envision the life of the wealthy and the comparison of what they both consider problems in their lives. But, more importantly it shows what some people, both the rich and the poor will do in order to climb the social and financial ladder, and what happens when they begin to fall off.

Rose Macalister has just gotten back to Yale after being away on a year abroad program. She is all smiles because although she has no money, she has been able to save during the past year. But as she enters the apartment she shares with her best friend Cressida Tate, daughter of the uber-wealthy Grayson Tate, and her other roommates, she realizes a year can change everything. She discovers there is a new person in their group, her name is Annelise Tattinger who is on the Equestrian team and seems to ooze money and Rose is now sharing a room with her. She feels replaced.

Her best friend Cressida, also on the team, seems armored with her new roommate. Rose is very upset with this because she really wants to get a job working in finance at her father’s company after graduation. Rose’s sole goal is to be able to make money so she can help her parents and she herself and, never have to worry about money again.

But as Annelise and Rose’s relationship begins to grow, she begins to see a different side of this roommate. First off, she knows how to read Tarot cards which Rose soon becomes obsessed with and she teaches Rose the ins and outs of being a good reader…ask the real questions, the ones in your heart and you will get the real answers.

But Cressida sees Annelise as competition. First because she’s a better rider, but also because she seems to have taken Rose away from her. As the women begin to bicker among themselves, and then an accident occurs and an issue with money and those two problems will change their lives forever.

Fast forward to after graduation and Rose is working in the office of Grayson Tate. Not as a financial wizard, but as his assistant. The money is good, but the work not so much. When you are so low on the totem pole you are barely acknowledged. Then Rose discovers something shocking. Unfortunately, those who have all the power can try to ruin the lives of those who have nothing.

And that is when Rose not only decides to change her life but acknowledge that her past was not who she really wanted to be. If she could have only foreseen her future. Would she have changed it? Would she have done things differently? More importantly is it too late to make on this road she has been following for so long.

What The Fortune Seller shows us is that even though the rich get richer, they too sometimes cannot afford what life throws at them, and for those who are just your ordinary average person trying to make ends meet, their lives can sometimes be so very rich. It doesn’t take cards to predict your future, just the life you lead.

Thank you #NetGalley # St.Martin’sPress #TheFortuneSeller #RachelKapeke-Dale for the advanced copy.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

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Twenty-Seven Minutes is an absolutely compelling story about a car accident which occurred a decade ago and the horrific trauma which the survivors have lived with through their lives and how because of the tragedy the directions of their lives were changed forever. As the full story of the incident which took place on a bridge is relayed, it comes out that there were twenty-seven minutes which were unaccounted for. The book slowly goes back and relays what happened that fateful night and how those who survived remember the accident.

So, what happened during those twenty-seven minutes?

A decade has passed since a high school student, Phoebe Dean died in a car accident which occurred on a dangerous bridge in the small town of West Milner. Phoebe was perfection. Beautiful, smart and excited about leaving this small town with her brother Grant and moving to the big city and becoming someone.

Although those who were in the car on the bridge that rainy night, have foggy memories of just what happened, the one thing they have in common is that the accident and death destroyed their own lives, and they were changed that night.

Especially Grant, who was in the truck with his sister. He was a football star going places. Now, years later he can barely keep a job and drinks too much. Then there is Becca who was also in the truck and can’t remember much, but Grant has told her what happened, and they have had a pact never to tell. Becca has had a massive crush on Grant all these years, and Grant to this day always keeps Becca at arm’s length because she had issues before the accident and now is even worse.

At the time of the accident, the Sherrif always felt something was off about what went wrong on the bridge and felt there were extra minutes, twenty-seven to be exact which were unaccounted for. But they stuck to their story, and nothing could be proven.

And then there is June who was also in high school with the group and although was not at the bridge that evening, is now alone. Her mother has just died and her brother Wiley, who had been a troublemaker at the time, ran away years ago and her mother was devastated, and the town basically disowned them when he left and when her mother passed no one even came to the cemetery.

Now, with the memorial days away, and a vote to tear down the bridge coming up, Grant and Becca are beside themselves. You see, they know what happened on the bridge…or so they think. Someone knows…

Twenty-Seven Minutes will have you on the edge of your seat, engrossed in the story trying to figure out just what happened that night. And when all is revealed, just know it will shock and surprise you to your core!

Thank you #NetGalley #PoisenedPenPress #AshelyTate #Twenty-SevenMinutes for the advanced copy.