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Published on 1 Comment on None of This Is True
None of This Is True Book Cover None of This Is True
Lisa Jewell
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
August 8, 2023
Hardcover
384
Purchased

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

My review:

I've read many of this author's work. I always find them to be an entertaining and fast read, but some stand out more than others. This was one of those books. It had lots of things that I enjoy in a thriller. It was fast paced with short chapters, had an engaging plot, had characters that you were not sure if you should believe them or not, and lots of twists and turns that occur throughout the book (rather than just at the end). I was very intrigued at the way things played out with these characters, particularly Josie's daughters and husband. There is just enough, but not too much, backstory to propel the plot along without dragging it down with too many superfluous details. The jaw dropping ending was the perfect finish to tie this story up in a big way! As always with Ms. Jewell, the writing is concise and the story flows seamlessly from Josie to Alix.

A great summer thriller that is well worth the read. I would be remiss on a Jewell review post if I didn't do my shoutout for my favorite of her books (that is NOT a thriller), The House We Grew Up In. As far as her thrillers go, this is one of my favorites.

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Published on 2 Comments on The Dreamers
The Dreamers Book Cover The Dreamers
Karen Thompson Walker
Fiction
Random House
January 15, 2019
Advance reader copy
320
Publisher via BEA

In an isolated college town in the hills of Southern California, a freshman girl stumbles into her dorm room, falls asleep—and doesn’t wake up. She sleeps through the morning, into the evening. Her roommate, Mei, cannot rouse her. Neither can the paramedics who carry her away, nor the perplexed doctors at the hospital. Then a second girl falls asleep, and then another, and panic takes hold of the college and spreads to the town. As the number of cases multiplies, classes are canceled, and stores begin to run out of supplies. A quarantine is established. The National Guard is summoned.

Mei, an outsider in the cliquish hierarchy of dorm life, finds herself thrust together with an eccentric, idealistic classmate. Two visiting professors try to protect their newborn baby as the once-quiet streets descend into chaos. A father succumbs to the illness, leaving his daughters to fend for themselves. And at the hospital, a new life grows within a college girl, unbeknownst to her—even as she sleeps. A psychiatrist, summoned from Los Angeles, attempts to make sense of the illness as it spreads through the town. Those infected are displaying unusual levels of brain activity, more than has ever been recorded. They are dreaming heightened dreams—but of what?

My review:

This was a book that was languishing on my shelf since 2018 (eek!). I adored this author's book The Age of Miracles, so I have no idea why I didn't read this sooner. However, in a way I'm glad that I did not, because the fact that this so eerily reflected so many things that happened during the COVID pandemic made it even more fascinating (keep in mind it was written in 2018). The premise for the disease was not at all the same, it was a sort of sleeping sickness that started in a college dorm, but the rate of spread and panic that ensued was eerily familiar! While the scope of the disease grows larger, you mainly follow a few people and what ultimately happens in their lives. I'm not going to offer any spoilers as to what happens, but I did find the ending satisfying and not too neatly tied up. The way people reacted to the outbreak was so reminiscent of 2020, and the ongoing problem of treating all these patients was as well. It was well scripted and written, without any parts that lagged. I was engaged all the way from beginning to end. It was a bit frustrating that not all answers regarding the disease were given, but this is science fiction so none should have necessarily been expected.

A wild ride through a made up pandemic written almost like the author had a premonition of what was to come. I loved this one!

Published on Leave a comment on The Connellys of County Down
The Connellys of County Down Book Cover The Connellys of County Down
Tracey Lange
Fiction
Celadon
August 1, 2023
Advance reader copy
288
Free from publisher via Bookish First

When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won’t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister’s fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.

While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys’ secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.

The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.

My review:

This is a wonderful character study of a family in crisis, and one that you find yourself rooting for. Each of the three Connelly siblings have complex issues they are dealing with, but things start to really ramp up when the youngest is released from prison, where she has served time for drug trafficking. When she comes home, all three are living under the same roof, and we follow them as they try to navigate their own paths, but also navigate around each other. The author does a great job of fleshing out all of the characters in this novel, even the secondary ones. I found myself really rooting for each member of this family, even when they were not at their most likable. My favorite relationship would have to be that between Tara and her nephew Connor. When things got tough, she would ask him to tell her a joke, to which he always complied. breaking the tension of the moment. While I did have an idea as to the circumstances surrounding Tara's prison sentence, it was still an interesting dynamic of the story to explore once it came to the forefront.

While not huge on plot, this was a really well executed story of a family, who despite their faults and secrets, learn that love and family always come first.

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Published on 2 Comments on Strange Sally Diamond
Strange Sally Diamond Book Cover Strange Sally Diamond
Liz Nugent
Gallery/Scout Press
July 18, 2023
Hardcover (UK edition)
384
Purchased

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

My review:

Note that this picture is for the UK cover, which I ordered because I much prefer it.

I've read all of this author's previous work, and have been a big fan, but for me, this is her best yet! However this book will not be for everyone. I strongly encourage you to check out trigger warnings for abuse, rape, and psychological trauma, among other things. Having said that, this was a riveting read and will definitely be one of the "buzz books" of 2023 (as of now 51% of Goodreads reviewers rated it 5 stars........not an easy feat to accomplish). Told in two timelines, we have Sally, a neurodivergent middle aged woman who has been kept isolated from the world, and Peter, a boy with a horrible father, who has also lead a life secluded. It's pretty obvious right from the start how their lives intersect, but getting to that point while reading their respective stories is dark and harrowing. Lest you think this book is a big depressing mess, I can assure you that there are some lighter sections where we learn to love and care for Sally and root for her to succeed in life however she sees fit. I guarantee you will not forget the characters from this one, especially dear Sally!

A psychological thriller at its best, I cannot recommend this one enough (as long as you are comfortable with the dark topics). If you enjoy this one, be sure to check out her backlist of books, they are all great reads.

Published on Leave a comment on Drowning
Drowning Book Cover Drowning
T. J. Newman
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
May 30, 2023
Hardcover
304
Purchased

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time.

There’s even less air.

With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds.

My review:

If you thought last week's reviewed book was fast paced and pulse pounding, that one was just a palate cleanser for this! From the very first pages, you are in for a wild ride in this fast paced rescue. I loved this author's first work Falling, but I think this one was even better! Two things I should note. One, the author is a former flight attendant, so she has done her research and knows her stuff regarding emergency protocols and equipment on airplanes. Makes the story that much more believable. Two, my worst nightmare when it comes to dying is by drowning! I honestly wasn't even sure if I could read this without hyperventilating, but it was so riveting that I couldn't stop (like a train wreck you can't look away from). I will say that this story is almost completely based on plot. There is a bit of character backstory on three of the members of one family, but that's about all you get. I'm a pretty character based reader, but in this case it didn't bother me at all, and I still managed to get teary eyed over one of the lesser developed passengers.

I read this book in one sitting, which suggests why I'm calling it fast paced, addictive, and a page turner from start to finish. I can't recommend this enough to all the thrill seeker readers, but you probably shouldn't read it on a plane (especially one traveling over water)! I've heard this is already optioned for a movie, should be a good one.

Published on Leave a comment on Zero Days
Zero Days Book Cover Zero Days
Ruth Ware
Fiction
Simon and Schuster
June 20, 2023
Hardcover
368
Purchased

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her.

Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery.

My review:

Ruth Ware is an author that is hit or meh (I won't say miss because they are all a decent escapism read). Last year's novel was enjoyable but not a favorite. However this one was more on par with what I like about her books. It was very fast paced, with short chapters that keep you flying through the pages. It had a pulse pounding plot as we follow Jack getting herself out of dicey situations while she tries to find out who killed her husband. Sometimes I struggle with protagonists doing things that I feel are out of context with what they are capable of, but in this book it was believable because of Jack's strenuous training for her job. One complaint I've seen is in the amount of times Jack's injury is mentioned, and the pain she is experiencing. Having just gone through abdominal surgery, I could feel every bit of her suffering! I did figure out about halfway through who the killer was (before it was revealed), but still found it engaging to see the how and why, and how it ultimately plays out. There was one trope used at the end that felt a little too convenient to make that happy ending, but I'm willing to let it slide in this case.

I totally enjoyed this past paced cat and mouse chase with a protagonist that was believable and that I could root for. I'm not writing this author off just yet, since books like this one keep me coming back for more.

Published on Leave a comment on Lay Your Body Down
Lay Your Body Down Book Cover Lay Your Body Down
Amy Suiter Clarke
Fiction
William Morrow
June 27, 2023
Advance Reader Copy
352
Free from publisher

After Del Walker fled her small hometown and its cult-like church, she vowed to never return. The man she loved, Lars, left her to marry the local golden girl Eve, and their romance is now the focus of Eve’s viral blog espousing the pastor’s conservative philosophy about women and marriage. But six years later, Lars is suddenly killed, and she’s convinced it couldn’t have been an accident.

When Del returns to her hometown for the funeral, she discovers the now mega-church—and the insidious, patriarchal teachings of Pastor Rick Franklin—has grown not only in size but in influence. Eve was clearly discontent in her marriage, despite the carefully constructed “Noble Wife” positivity of her blog posts, and Del knows better than anyone just how far she will go to get what she wants. Del is determined to cut through the church’s lies and corruption to find out who killed Lars—even if it means confronting the religious trauma she’s spent years trying to bury.

My review:

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel about a church with a preacher who may be misusing his power of the pulpit, leading to suspicious consequences. There is a lot to unpack with this one. The first is the issue of the main character, driven from her small town after being humiliated by the pastor for something she feels was not totally her fault. She also has to deal with the rejection of her former love (who's funeral starts the ball rolling on her investigation of the church) who without much explanation marries another church woman. Then there is the death of Lars, which is ruled accidental without the police department following any kind of investigative protocol. There is the look at marriages and what can happen when things don't go according to plan. Of course there is the widespread reach of Pastor Rick and Messiah church, which very much controls the entire town (its businesses and its people). I was totally invested in this story. It was dark and gritty without being scary or graphically violent. The characters were very well portrayed so you never felt they were not believable in their actions or their beliefs. There were lots of little twists and turns, and you never really knew who to trust. Just when I thought I had something figured out, it would veer in another direction, keeping me guessing until the end. There is lots of evidence of misogyny and the women are definitely kept in their place through the church's teachings. Of course greed also plays a part, as it does with any mega church misusing its power.

Definitely not an anti- religious book, only anti- cult type religions, this was an immersive whodunnit that kept me engaged until the end.

Published on Leave a comment on The Spectacular
The Spectacular Book Cover The Spectacular
Fiona Davis
Fiction
Dutton
June 13, 2023
Hardcover
369
Purchased

New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis transports us back to 1950s Manhattan and the glamorous Radio City Music Hall. . . .

New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s glamorous precision-dancing troupe. It’s an honor to perform in the world’s most spectacular theater, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well as grueling rehearsals, not to mention exacting standards of perfection to live up to, Marion quickly realizes that the life of a Rockette has both extraordinary highs and devastating lows.

Then one night a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s only the latest in a string of explosions around the city orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the "Big Apple Bomber." They have been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police, at Marion’s urging, turn in desperation to a radical new technique: psychological profiling.

As Marion finds herself pulled deeper into the investigation, she realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. But she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.

My review:

I was very excited about this book. It's written by an author whose previous novels I have really enjoyed, I trust her to tell a well researched story about a New York City landmark, and who isn't fascinated by the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes? In dual timeline, we follow one of the dancers who was a Rockette in the 1950's, and also as she prepares to attend a commemorative gala dedicated to Radio City. Most of the book concentrates on the 1950's, and not only includes many anecdotes on life as a dancer, but also a mystery surrounding the city concerning a bomber who targets city landmarks and has yet to be caught. I loved the insider info about the Rockettes (who knew they aren't really attached during the iconic kick sequences?) and the look at what it meant to want a career, and not marriage and motherhood in that era. The investigation into the bomber was intriguing, particularly the use of psychological profiling (one of the first times this was ever used) to narrow down the suspects. I could have done without the obligatory romance, but that's a me thing (as anyone who reads my reviews knows!).

Well written and researched, I was transported back to life in 1950's NYC. This author has once again brought an iconic structure to life with wonderful characters and history of the place. I've been to Radio City Music Hall a few times in my life, so this book resonated with me even more having that experience. You will definitely learn things you probably never knew about both the theater, its dancers lives, and a little known crime event. I highly recommend if you enjoy historical fiction.

Published on Leave a comment on The Wishing Game
The Wishing Game Book Cover The Wishing Game
Meg Shaffer
Fiction
Ballantine Books
May 30, 2023
Hardcover
305
Purchased

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.

Make a wish. . . .

Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.

But be careful what you wish for. . . .

Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.

For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.

. . . You might just get it.

My review:

This is one of those books that could be described as a warm hug (in book form). This story is loosely based on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but with books instead of chocolate. Such an absorbing tale, starting with the reclusive author and his illustrator down to the little boy looking for a forever home. The story starts with a bit of background on author Jack and protagonist Lucy. Interwoven with their stories we also get those of Hugo and Christopher. Once the game started on Clock Island, I wasn't sure if my interest would wane a bit, but instead I was fascinated with how the author came up with the game tasks. As the game progresses we finally learn why the author stopped writing, and the ending was so worth the read. I could have done without the semi romance between two of the characters, but luckily it was not a huge focus so I could overlook it.

If you need a feel good book that will probably bring you back to all those book series you read as a child (here's looking at you Nancy Drew!), with some gamesmanship and lovable characters thrown into the mix, you need to get your hands on a copy of this. And with a book cover like this, how could you not want to pick it up?

Published on Leave a comment on Yellowface
Yellowface Book Cover Yellowface
R. F. Kuang
Fiction
William Morrow
May 16, 2023
Hardcover/Audio
336
Purchased/Library

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena's a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn't even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena's novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song--complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn't this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That's what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can't get away from Athena's shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June's (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface takes on questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation not only in the publishing industry but the persistent erasure of Asian-American voices and history by Western white society. R. F. Kuang's novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

My review:

This one reminded me a lot of another favorite from a few years ago, A Ladder to the Sky. The same idea of a writer using someone else's work, and passing it off as their own. There were definitely some differences between the two books, but both were 5 star reads for me! This book dealt much more with the actual publishing industry, and the ins and outs of who gets more pre-publication industry "help" to rack up sales. Fun to read about from someone on the receiving end of publicists and book hype! This also was much more of a look at race, and how that effects the writing/publishing process. There has certainly been lots of buzz lately about books needing to be written as own voices (remember the American Dirt controversy?.....google it). The author of this book goes as far as using a more Asian sounding name and an ambiguous author photo to not be called out. And when she is, the dark and tense part of the story takes hold.

This was a riveting read! Even though none of the characters were likable, they were still written in a way that made you not sure who you wanted to come out on top. Definitely worth a read as long as you don't have to like your characters.