Book Reviews & Thoughts |
Goodreads Synopsis: Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago. Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock—news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer. After fleeing London thirty years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present. As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined. In this masterful standalone sequel to her haunting New York Times bestseller, The Family Upstairs, Lisa Jewell proves she is writing at the height of her powers with another jaw-dropping, intricate, and affecting novel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love and uncover the truth. The Family Remains (The Family Upstairs, #2) by Lisa Jewell | Goodreads Thank you to Lisa Jewell, Simon & Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy of The Family Remains for me to read and review. I found myself of two mind sets when I found out that Jewell was writing a sequel to The Family Upstairs. On one hand I was excited because there were one or two things I was left wondering about after finishing the first book, but also unsure because most things were wrapped up quite nicely, or so I had thought. There was much more to be explored in the lives of the characters, in particular the lives of the now-adult children of 16 Cheyne Walk and where they have gone since reconnecting with Libby. When the book starts out with the discovery of remains, I had to really wrack my brain to think of who it could possibly be that they were finding. It was a little over 2 years since I read the first book, so I really had to refresh my memory about all of the characters. This book is promoted as a 'standalone' sequel, but I find that to be not entirely true. Readers will definitely get much more out of this book if they have read the first. There are many reminders through the characters thinking back and talking about the past, but there is just so much more about each character and the entire backstory of the situation that I feel is truly important to fully understand this continuing story. Similarly to the first book, The Family Remains is told from many different perspectives, up to 5 or 6, and from multiple different timelines. I found this interesting to see, but frustrating when the switches of perspective weren't always specified. This felt like it disrupted the flow of the story for me, when some of the time the switch of perspective was accompanied by the name of the character and possibly the year the perspective is from, but many other times the switches didn't have any clarification. I found myself getting annoyed with trying to follow the jumps when the small addition of clarifying the new perspective at the start of a chapter would have made the story much easier to follow. I still found myself drawn into the stories from each of the different perspectives and curious about how they would all eventually come together. Each individual character was developed so uniquely and it was really fascinating to see how their stories and relationships continued. This was an interesting read, but I do recommend reading The Family Upstairs first rather than reading The Family Remains as a standalone. 3 Stars!
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Goodreads Synopsis: A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters. Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They're polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really. Beach Read by Emily Henry | Goodreads What a rollercoaster of emotions! This book took me through so many! Heartbreak, devastation, anger, frustration, panic, stress, fright, humor, hope, lust, romance, and love. I was immediately pulled into the story and did not want to put it down! I found the focus of the story being around 2 writers of seemingly totally different genres both struggling with writer's block to be truly intriguing and captivating to see inside the writing process at a time when all is not going according to plan and the stories aren't just pouring out of them. The characters were quite interesting and written with lots of depth to their personalities and pasts. The growth they both went through was shown very authentically. Definitely one I will be recommending. 5 Stars! Synopsis: Guinevere Thatcher plays it safe. After losing her family as a teenager, Gwen married her high-school sweetheart and focused on a steady career instead of her art. She’s learned to fake satisfaction over the years, especially with her husband. So she’s the last person who should be at a sex party, despite her husband insisting it will help him meet her needs. Nathaniel Bishop gets what he wants. Nate has long upheld the Bishop legacy, in business and in pleasuring women. His wife married him for his money, and their open marriage fits both their lifestyles. Too bad he’s bored with it all, especially the interchangeable women. Until he touches Guinevere. Her every response underlines how fake everyone else in his life has always been. It was only supposed to be for the weekend, but they both want more. But can phenomenal sex really lead to love? For Gwen, it would mean losing the stability she’s depended on. But Nate stands to lose everything once the secret his wife holds over him comes to light. Even Guinevere. With angsty pasts healed through love, and cheating leading to something deeper, this standalone story has all the steam and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. 18+ Thank you to Amber Warden and BookSirens for providing me with an ebook copy of No Longer Faking for me to read and review. The sexual chemistry was out of this world in this book! Warden truly delivered the steam with this one. I thought the story behind all the sexy moments was interesting and at some points I would have liked to read a bit more about the characters lives and their back stories. There were also a handful of spelling and wording errors also that disrupted my flow of reading. As much as I would have liked a bit more to the story, I was drawn into the concept from the start of the book and found myself devouring all the steam in less than 2 days. 3 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: Someone should’ve told me pretending to date your best friend only works if you aren’t in love with them. Kennedy Davis is not in love with her best friend. That’s what she tells every girl she dates anyway, but it always ends up the same. Sienna Stevens is in love with her best friend, but she’s too afraid to admit it. A hopeless romantic who hopes her best friend might one day see her as more. When Kennedy must return home for her brother’s wedding it only makes sense to bring her best friend along. But Kennedys fears of returning home give Sienna a chance for Kennedy to see her as more—by being her fake girlfriend. So when the line between friends and more gets blurred with Sienna, will Kennedy finally see what everyone’s been telling her all along and confess her true feelings? Or will she hide how she feels to keep their friendship? After all, a fake relationship only for the summer, can’t hurt right? (FF Fake Dating Romance set as part of the Summers in Seaside series. ALSO apart of Shannon O'Connor's 'Only in Seaside' Series book #1) Only For the Summer by Shannon O'Connor | Goodreads Thank you to Shannon O'Connor for providing me with a copy of Only for the Summer for me to read and review. This is the first full book in the Only in Seaside series, following the prequel Only the Beginning. This friends-to-lovers, fake dating romance is focused on a lesbian relationship, and the author did an excellent job portraying their relationship in a very authentic and respectful way. I was drawn in from the very first page with the main character having a truly relatable shitty day. I immediately felt an empathy for the character and wanted to see things get better for her. The character development was gradual and timed very well with the storyline as the character's relationship grew. In the previous prequel, there had been an unresolved storyline with an antagonist that had left me wondering, and I was happy to see more details about that character in this book. I suspect that there is still more to that situation, and it hasn't fully reached it's boiling point yet, but I was pleased with the new developments included in this story and they have piqued my curiosity even more! I can't wait to see where the story is going to go next! 5 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems. In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up. A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored. Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter | Goodreads Thank you to Jodie Slaughter, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook of Bet on It for me to listen to and review. What a unique story! I absolutely loved the reader of the story and how they added such personality to each character with the voice, attitude and tone used for each person. Slaughter did a wonderful, respectful job of showcasing main characters with anxiety and mental health struggles and their ability to manage and overcome these challenges. There were quite a few more f-bombs in the story than I was expecting, but it wouldn't have had the same emotion without them. There were many laugh-out-loud hilarious moments alongside plenty of family drama and sexual tension galore. Definitely a story that contemporary romance readers will love. 4 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: Chloe Carmichael’s life feels pretty sweet—she’s both maid of honor and florist for her best friend’s A-list wedding, things are getting serious with her boyfriend, and her flower shop is about to get a spread in a national magazine. But it all quickly turns sour whenever the best man, Bad Habit drummer A.J. Edwards, shows his face...his handsome, unforgettable face. A.J. is everything Chloe doesn’t want: tattooed, selfish, and all-around bad news. So why can’t she stop thinking about him? Goody two-shoes Chloe isn’t exactly A.J.’s type, either, but the chemistry between them is undeniable. A.J. will be the first to say he isn’t a saint, but there’s something he’s not saying—something that would devastate Chloe. The only way he can protect her is to push her away, but the drummer finds he needs her now more than ever. When a wedding-day confrontation reveals secrets they’re both hiding, will Chloe and A.J. ever find their rhythm again? Make Me Sin (Bad Habit, #2) by J.T. Geissinger | Goodreads Geissinger has done it again! Make Me Sin is the second book in the Bad Habit series and just like in the first, this story was full of romance, humor, spice, and suspense. The development of the romantic relationship and the enormous amount of sexual tension between the two main characters had me hooked from page one. The twists and turns this story takes readers on were exhilarating and terrifying while also being filled with heart break and romance with a heaping side of Geissinger's hilarious snarky humor. I found myself binge reading this book because the moment the story pulled me in I did not want to put it down. The characters were written with such depth that you could really find yourself feeling connected to their emotions. I can't wait to see where the series goes next and I definitely recommend this to all readers who love romance with plenty of spice. 5 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: Penn Westbrook thinks he’s the one for me. It’s not that I’m entirely opposed to the idea, but I’ve got a lot going on. Aside from school obligations and my own extracurricular interests, I’ve got a crazy family life. My four chaotic siblings are enough to deal with on their own, but out of nowhere, my biological father returns and wants me to be a part of the new family he found while he was away. Not to mention I’m stuck between my two best friends, Erica and Kara, who can’t seem to get along but won’t tell me why. But I’m just happy that Kara finally got permission to play on the boys’ hockey team this season—the very same one where Penn is the captain. As I come to terms with all this—and my own inner battles—I can’t help but wonder how I’m supposed to keep myself from falling for Penn when he promises to be there to catch me. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60853207-just-for-you?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=YNOU7enqbu&rank=2 Thank you to Jennifer Ann Shore for providing me with an ebook copy of Just for You to read and review. What a wonderful story of growing up; with all the highlights and challenges that come along with your senior year of highschool. I found my self reminiscing as I read since many of the experiences of the characters in the story reminded me of myself at that age. I know that so many readers will feel this same sense of connection to the characters as well, some even more than myself. There was so much happening with so many of the side characters that I do wish for a bit more information on the resolution of certain relationships/challenges, but Shore was able capture so many emotions through the highs and lows of the character's lives and overall was able to portray true growth in many of the characters as they overcame the challenges and dramatics of their final year in highschool. This was overall a feel-good story that I will recommend. 4 Stars! |
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