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Category: Book Reviews

Published on Leave a comment on The Husbands
The Husbands Book Cover The Husbands
Chandler Baker
Fiction
Flatiron Books
August 3, 2021
Purchased
352
Purchased

Nora Spangler is a successful attorney but when it comes to domestic life, she packs the lunches, schedules the doctor appointments, knows where the extra paper towel rolls are, and designs and orders the holiday cards. Her husband works hard, too... but why does it seem like she is always working so much harder?

When the Spanglers go house hunting in Dynasty Ranch, an exclusive suburban neighborhood, Nora meets a group of high-powered women--a tech CEO, a neurosurgeon, an award-winning therapist, a bestselling author--with enviably supportive husbands. When she agrees to help with a resident's wrongful death case, she is pulled into the lives of the women there. She finds the air is different in Dynasty Ranch. The women aren't hanging on by a thread.

But as the case unravels, Nora uncovers a plot that may explain the secret to having-it-all. One that's worth killing for. Calling to mind a Stepford Wives gender-swap, The Husbands imagines a world where the burden of the "second shift" is equally shared--and what it may take to get there.

I'm not exactly sure how to classify this book. It's got a lot of moving parts. First, there is the generic story of a family looking to purchase a house and finding one in a desirable neighborhood, with a somewhat interesting HOA pre-approval policy. Second, it's a social commentary on the extra work of moms with careers outside the home, and the husbands who could volunteer to do more (but don't). Third, it's a mystery about what happened at the house in Dynasty Ranch that burns down one night killing one of the residents. Was there something nefarious going on, or an accident? His wife wants to know, and hires our main protagonist to be the lawyer on the case. All of these facets are written in a cohesive way to propel the story along. I loved the articles included as chapter breaks that explore the women's issues in the home, especially the comments included. They formed a nice segue into the next segment of the plot. It does get a little messy toward the end, in fact I had to go back and reread the ending as I was listening to the audiobook and thought I missed something. The weird ending threw me at first, but upon further reflection I've decided that I liked the ambiguity of leaving some things to the readers imagination. It also fit with the uncomfortable feeling that permeates the entire novel.

This was an impressive undertaking into the inequalities of parenthood, with a creepy vibe thrown in. It should appeal to most readers who are looking for something a bit different that incorporates several genres in one package.

Published on Leave a comment on Float Plan
Float Plan Book Cover Float Plan
Trish Doller
Fiction
St. Martin's Griffin
March 2, 2021
Paperback
272
Purchased

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

In Trish Doller’s unforgettable Float Plan, starting over doesn't mean letting go of your past, it means making room for your future.

This cover screams summer read, doesn't it? I knew going in that this was a romance book, but several reviews said it was much more than that, which convinced me to give it a try. It was definitely much more than a romance, so I was very happy that the reviewers were right! My favorite part was that this is a slow burn romance, in that it takes three fourths of the book before the characters decide to get together as a couple. That's my kind of romance, insta love is an insta turnoff for me! I loved the two main characters, who both have some heavy baggage brought on board the boat (and not the kind of baggage that adds weight to the lower deck). I was also so impressed that Keane had a prosthetic leg, I'm all about disability inclusivity when it comes to novels! I sailed a tiny bit when I was in my early twenties, and I certainly learned a lot more about sailing and sailboats while reading. However, it was not boring sailing manual facts, but details incorporated in a seamless way into the day to day life of the characters as they sailed. Also, some great descriptions of several ports of call including Bimini, Puerto Rico, and several Caribbean islands. For a debut novel, I thought the writing and pacing were indicative of someone who has been a multi book published author.

A great summer read with some substance other than just romance. Sailors delight! Trigger warning for suicide.

Published on Leave a comment on The Reading List
The Reading List Book Cover The Reading List
Sara Nisha Adams
Fiction
William Morrow
August 3, 2021
Advance reader copy
384
Free from publisher

Widower Mukesh lives a quiet life in the London Borough of Ealing after losing his beloved wife. He shops every Wednesday, goes to Temple, and worries about his granddaughter, Priya, who hides in her room reading while he spends his evenings watching nature documentaries.

Aleisha is a bright but anxious teenager working at the local library for the summer when she discovers a crumpled-up piece of paper in the back of To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a list of novels that she’s never heard of before. Intrigued, and a little bored with her slow job at the checkout desk, she impulsively decides to read every book on the list, one after the other. As each story gives up its magic, the books transport Aleisha from the painful realities she’s facing at home.

When Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to forge a connection with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha passes along the reading list…hoping that it will be a lifeline for him too. Slowly, the shared books create a connection between two lonely souls, as fiction helps them escape their grief and everyday troubles and find joy again.

First off, can I get a wallpaper or lithograph in the pattern of this book cover? As a bibliophile, if you weren't interested by seeing the cover, you surely would be after reading the premise. A book about books will capture my interest every time. Some of these type of reads are better than others, but this one was a great fit for me. The character of Mukesh was yet another example of my love for old men in books! I loved him, and the dynamic with his daughters calling him everyday to remind him of mundane things like trash day was just heartwarming. I loved the way the characters interacted with the books on the mysterious list, and their discussions of them. The fact that the books were well known helped in my understanding around the discussions, but you don't need to have read them (I haven't read the last two) to get the takeaway from each. The timeline does bounce around a bit in the beginning, which made it a bit harder to get into, but once the main characters are established, it got easier. Not only was this a great story centered on how reading can bring people together with a shared experience, it was also a nod to libraries. I loved that the character of Aleisha thinks her summer library job is just something to power through, until she discovers the books and people that change her life for the better. The campaign to save their small library was one that I'm sure will resonate with many, as library funding is always an issue no matter where you live. The somewhat improbable coincidence toward the end was one that I saw coming from a mile away, but that and the timeline issue were my only negative takeaways.

What a lovely tribute to the power of reading, the connections we make through reading (both physically with people, and mentally within ourselves). Add in an ode to libraries and you have the perfect book about books!

Published on Leave a comment on One Two Three
One Two Three Book Cover One Two Three
Laurie Frankel
Fiction
Henry Holt and Company
June 8, 2021
Hardcover/Audio
416
Purchased/Free ALC via Libro-fm

Everyone knows everyone in the tiny town of Bourne, but the Mitchell triplets are especially beloved. Mirabel is the smartest person anyone knows, and no one doubts it just because she can’t speak. Monday is the town’s purveyor of books now that the library’s closed―tell her the book you think you want, and she’ll pull the one you actually do from the microwave or her sock drawer. Mab’s job is hardest of all: get good grades, get into college, get out of Bourne.

For a few weeks seventeen years ago, Bourne was national news when its water turned green. The girls have come of age watching their mother’s endless fight for justice. But just when it seems life might go on the same forever, the first moving truck anyone’s seen in years pulls up and unloads new residents and old secrets. Soon, the Mitchell sisters are taking on a system stacked against them and uncovering mysteries buried longer than they’ve been alive. Because it's hard to let go of the past when the past won't let go of you.

Three unforgettable narrators join together here to tell a spellbinding story with wit, wonder, and deep affection. As she did in This Is How It Always Is, Laurie Frankel has written a laugh-out-loud-on-one-page-grab-a-tissue-the-next novel, as only she can, about how expanding our notions of normal makes the world a better place for everyone and how when days are darkest, it’s our daughters who will save us all.

A story about triplets, given names of one (Mabs), two (Monday), and three (Mirabel) syllables. The story is told in alternating chapters from each of their perspective (as one two or three). Each of the siblings has a unique personality and two of the three have special needs. The oldest bears the guilt of being the "normal" one, and they all feel responsible for taking up the cause their mother has been fighting since shortly before their birth. A chemical plant in their small town sent pollution into the water supply, and the residents have a much higher incidence of anomalies and diseases as a result. Once the chemical plant decides to return to production, things escalate for the triplets' mom and her devotion to keep the plant closed. Lots of things come into play though, including the fact that the plant will create much needed jobs and growth for the area, so not all residents can afford to fight this. Add to it that the plant creator's grandson is befriended by the Mitchell triplets, and he may be more on their side than his grandad, and things get interesting. The girls were really well characterized, particularly Mirabel, who is confined to a wheelchair and needs the use of a robotic speech synthesizer to communicate. They each are sympathetic to their mother's efforts, but at the same time questioning how/if they can ever leave her and their small town behind them. My only complaint would be the actions at the very end, which seemed to veer into a bit unbelievable spy kids territory, but I'm going to let that slide since it was a tiny portion of the plot.

I listened to this book on audio, and can highly recommend this format. The three sisters are all voiced by different narrators to give them distinct voices as well as personalities, and the AAC parts sound like an automated speech device.

An excellent story of the fight against chemical pollution, told from three of the best narrators you will ever meet. It covers the ideas of family, community, young love, and what is "normal".

Published on Leave a comment on Count the Ways
Count the Ways Book Cover Count the Ways
Joyce Maynard
Fiction
William Morrow
July 13, 2021
Hardcover
464
Free from publisher

After falling in love in the last years of the 1970s, Eleanor and Cam follow their dream of raising three children on a New Hampshire farm. Theirs is a seemingly idyllic life of summer softball games and Labor Day cookouts, snow days and skating on the pond. But when a tragic accident permanently injures the family’s youngest child, Eleanor blames Cam. Her inability to forgive him leads to a devastating betrayal: an affair with the family babysitter that brings about the end of their marriage.

Over the decades that follow, the five members of this fractured family—and the many others who make up their world—make surprising discoveries and decisions that occasionally bring them together, and often tear them apart. As we follow the family from the days of illegal abortion and the draft through the early computer age, the Challenger explosion, the AIDS epidemic, the early awakenings of the #MeToo era, and beyond,through the gender transition of one of the children and another’s choice to cease communication with her mother,we witness a family forced to confront essential, painful truths of its past, and find redemption in the face of unanticipated disaster.

With endearingly flawed characters and a keen eye for detail, Joyce Maynard transforms the territory she knows best—home, family, parenthood, love, and loss—into the stuff of a page-turning thriller. In this achingly beautiful novel, she reminds us how great sorrow and great joy may coexist—and frequently do.

Firstly, stunning cover! I listened to an interview with the author who said she wanted to put the cork people on the cover (you'll get this reference if you read the book). While I get the symbolism, and it probably would relate the cover more with the content, I'm glad she was overruled. This is a favorite book trope of mine, family sagas with dysfunctional aspects aplenty, and goodness that is definitely present here. I absolutely thought the author did an amazing job of depicting the setting for this book, and the characters were really well drawn. I sometimes feel like plot points get thrown into books just to tick off boxes, such as the token gay, the person of color, the (as I like to call it) obligatory romance. I was worried that this might be the case with the oldest daughter's plot line, but I didn't feel that at all, it was one of the best storylines in the book! This story takes you on a ride with your emotions. While ultimately it ends on a hopeful note, you have to go through a lot of sadness and turmoil to get there. The only thing keeping this from a higher rating was my nagging issue with Eleanor. It's hard to put into words without giving away a lot of the plot, but she makes a decision that no matter how many times she tries to justify it to herself, I think her whole life (and that of her family) could have taken a different trajectory if she told the truth. She was a bit of a doormat, which I understand from a character point of view, but one that there is no way I could get on board with. Other than my own feelings being projected onto a fictional character, this book had everything I could hope for in a family saga.

A well written story about hope and forgiveness, loneliness and life choices, this is Maynard at her finest. If you like decade long family sagas, I highly recommend you pick this one up.

Published on Leave a comment on The Other Passenger
The Other Passenger Book Cover The Other Passenger
Louise Candlish
Fiction
Atria
July 20, 2021
Advance reader copy
400
Free from publisher

It all happens so quickly. One day you’re living the dream, commuting to work by ferry with your charismatic neighbor Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn’t turned up for the boat and his wife, Melia, has reported him missing.

When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends—ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? What do they know about your lives?

No, whatever danger followed you home last night, you are innocent, totally innocent.

Aren’t you?

3.5 stars

Whoever wrote the synopsis for this one did a great job, the hype for me to pick this one up was real! For the most part I wasn't disappointed. I really liked the way the characters were written. While some are definitely unlikable, we are left wobbling back and forth with whether we like any of them. The story is told from Jamie's point of view, and takes place both in present time and in the year leading up to Kit's disappearance. Jamie's long time love interest Claire was given a posh place to live from her parents. Jamie strikes up a friendship with Kit as they ride the ferry to and from their jobs each day. The two couples become friends despite their disparate ages and lifestyles. Kit and his wife Melia are living paycheck to paycheck (mostly from their own doing). This creates a bit of tension between the haves and have nots, and comes into play more and more as the story progresses. There are lots of secrets and twists in this book, with a major one I never saw coming! While I enjoyed the writing, I did think that the book dragged a bit in the middle. However, the last third is a wild ride and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

Despite the slow down in the middle, I really liked this book that asks the question, how well do you know your neighbors? You won't be sorry you read it when you reach the fantastic conclusion. This book does contain infidelity, so if that bothers you, probably give it a pass.

Published on Leave a comment on All the Lonely People
All the Lonely People Book Cover All the Lonely People
Mike Gayle
Fiction
Grand Central Publishing
July 13, 2021
Hardcover/Audio
384
Free from publisher and libro.fm

In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship, and fulfillment. But it's a lie. In reality, Hubert's days are all the same, dragging on without him seeing a single soul.

Until he receives some good news -- good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on. The news that his daughter is coming for a visit.

Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out.
Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship, and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all . . .

Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows, will he ever get to live the life he's pretended to have for so long?

Awww, this was such a sweet story. I'm a sucker for books about little old men, if you've followed my blog for awhile, I have a slew of them! This one had a unique take. Hubert has to invent a life for himself that he's been telling his daughter he's living (in their weekly phone calls) before she comes to visit. The story goes back and forth in time as we learn about Hubert's life as he moves to London from Jamaica in 1958. In the present day, he leads a very lonely existence until the push to develop a social life. How he goes about doing that shapes him as a man, and has an effect on all those around him. I loved the way the character of Hubert was portrayed, in both the present day and in his past. The supporting characters were also very well crafted, as well as the settings, and descriptions of his everyday life. My only qualm was with something that happens toward the end of the book that felt like it was ripped from Eleanore Oliphant. I didn't think it was necessary for the story to reach the same conclusion. I did think the epilogue gave great closure and appreciated it being added, even if it did make me sniffle a bit.

I listened to this book on audio, and thought the narrator Ben Onwukwe was fantastic in his presentation of Hubert. I would suggest this as an alternative if you enjoy audiobook format.

A beautiful story about loneliness, aging, family, and friendships, with vivid characters and one of the sweetest old men you'll ever meet in a story, I highly recommend this feel good read!

Published on Leave a comment on Local Woman Missing
Local Woman Missing Book Cover Local Woman Missing
Mary Kubica
Mystery/Thriller
Park Row Books
May 18, 2021
Hardcover
352
Purchased

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.

Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find…

This author is a bit hit or miss for me. While all of her novels are engaging and suspenseful, some just grab me more than others. My all time favorite is The Good Girl (her debut), but this one was definitely a hit. The book is laid out in two timelines. There is the present day timeline where we get perspective from Leo, the son and brother of the missing mother/daughter. Then we have the timeline from 11 years before, and follow the mother Meredith in the days leading up to her going missing, as well as Kate, a neighbor who is helping with the endless search for the missing women. The story is very fast paced with the expected twists and turns, some more twisty than others! I did put parts of it together before the big reveal, but in no way did I have all of the pieces worked out. I was left at the end with a hanging question that is asked but never answered, so that was the only thing I can nitpick on 🙂 As in all of this author's work, the writing was excellent and the characters made very real. I particularly liked that Meredith was a doula, so we got a glimpse into that profession. I'm not a big fan of police procedural types of books, so I liked that the police presence in this was kept to a minimum and it was more focused on the characters themselves.

If you are looking for a fast paced mystery/thriller from an established author in this genre, this is one I would recommend.

Published on Leave a comment on The Therapist
The Therapist Book Cover The Therapist
B. A. Paris
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
July 13, 2021
Advance reader e-book
304
Publisher via NetGalley

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…

Unlike many readers, I really loved this author's previous novel (The Dilemma), which was a bit of a departure from her typical thriller style. With this book she is back in thriller mode, and I did enjoy this one as well. I still stand by my opinion that I don't think thriller writers always have to stay within that genre to write a good book, but it does seem that some get pigeon holed with what readers expect. This one has all your normal thriller must haves, lots of secrets, lies, twists and turns. I liked the fact that we are given these throughout the novel as opposed to just a big dump at the end. I'm not sure if I really liked the main protagonist Alice (not even sure if I was supposed to), she had her moments when she pulled me in, but she also did some really stupid things that annoyed me. In the end my opinion of her didn't matter because the pacing kept me turning pages to find out what really happened in Alice's new neighborhood. There were most definitely tense moments, and the pages written from the therapist's viewpoint were interesting as the reader tried to figure out which therapist (there were a few mentioned) was writing them. The end was a humdinger, although by that point I would not have been surprised by anyone being guilty! I will say that the sections with Alice's neighbors did get a bit repetitive, but with the plot moving quite fast I almost felt like it was giving me a breather before the next twist.

This would be a perfect read if you want a bit of escapism and a plot that isn't so complicated that you have to think too hard. This one should get a lot of traction from those who like thrillers as opposed to romance summer reads.

Published on Leave a comment on The Forest of Vanishing Stars
The Forest of Vanishing Stars Book Cover The Forest of Vanishing Stars
Kristin Harmel
Fiction
Gallery Books
July 6, 2021
Advance reader copy
416
Free from publisher

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel.

My review:

The first few pages of this book made me nervous about my ability to connect with the story. It's very spiritual/mystical, which is not something I ever seek out in picking up a book. I'm happy to say that for the most part, once the main character Yona is left on her own, and begins to help the Jewish families learn to live in the forest (as a way to escape death by the Nazis), my interest was piqued. I absolutely loved the descriptions of how they survived in the forest. The people who end up following Yona know very few survival skills before taking this last resort to avoid death. I was completely captivated by how she taught them to make shelters, procure food, for not only immediate use, but to survive the dreadfully cold winters. There was an element of suspense created when the camp had to keep moving so that they would not be found by the Germans, who roamed the forest on the lookout for them. This book definitely brought up a gamut of emotions. I was sad, angry, frightened, hopeful, and dejected throughout various scenes. I wasn't a big fan of the spirituality, as I am not really a believer, but I do understand that for the time period in the book, faith played a big part in people's lives. Of course there was, as I like to call it, the obligatory romance, which was not my favorite part, but it was well done and tolerable to me. It is well worth it to read the author's notes at the end of the book, where she delves into the actual history the book is based on.

It's unfathomable to me how anyone could live for years in the forest, but this book sheds a light on a portion of survivors of the Holocaust. Well written and moving, I would highly suggest as a different take on yet another WWII novel.