Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

Cover Photo from GoodReads

I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I don't generally read memoirs. They really aren't my thing, and I tend to prefer the world of fiction to real life. When I saw the title of this book though, I couldn't help myself. It sounded like an episode of Jerry Springer, and I was curious. It took me a while to get to it, and the book has already been published, but here we go. While reading this I was reminded of "The Glass Castle" in a way because both are memoirs about awful parents. 

First of all, Malabar is TOXIC as hell. She decides to cheat on her ailing husband with his best friend and uses her 14 year old daughter as an accomplice and an alibi. Adrienne, or Rennie as people call her, mentions that she grew up without a moral compass, because what was right was whatever pleased her mom at the time. That's an important thing to remember, because it's something that follows Rennie throughout her mom's twenty year affair. Even as an adult, Adrienne's life is all about her mother. She marries the son of her mom's lover (ICK) and is put in a compromising position when he finds out that not only have their parents been sleeping together for years, but she knew about it and never said anything to anyone. Her mom essentially gaslights her throughout her life in order to get her to do whatever she wants, and it isn't until years of therapy later that Rennie starts to see their relationship for what it was. 

At the end of the book, Rennie faces her fears of being like her mother when she has her first daughter. Having a toxic parent myself, I could almost put myself in her shoes, which made it bittersweet for me to read about. I remember having that same feeling while holding my daughter, wondering how anyone could do the things that were done to me and call themselves a parent, knowing that as scared as I was to make the same mistakes, somehow, it was all going to be okay. 

I would definitely recommend this for anyone who wants to read a wildly complicated mother daughter memoir. 

Child's Play by Danielle Steel

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* I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.* 

As I've previously stated, I've read a ton of stuff by Ms. Steel, mainly because it's "fluff" for me. Her books are always things that don't necessarily make me think too hard, feel good type formulaic books that make me think of my grandma. Child's Play  wasn't that different. 

I will admit, I absolutely couldn't stand the main character in this book at first. I thought it was ridiculous that Kate would be so angry with her daughter because she didn't want to get married just because she was pregnant. This isn't the 1950s and personally I feel like you shouldn't try to force your child into a legally binding contract with someone that may not be good for them just because they accidentally got pregnant. People co-parent like adults all the time. 

When one of the children came out as gay, I immediately thought "oh man, if her reaction is anything like before, I'm going to have to cuss someone out", but Kate gains a shred of common decency and isn't homophobic and disgusting along with being misogynistic, so she's got that going for her. I didn't really understand the point of bringing her ex husband and the loss of her baby up, mainly because it was never really mentioned again. I did, however, enjoy the relationship between her and Scott, and getting to watch that unfold. Personally, I think the grandmother, Margaret, was my favorite character, because she seemed to be the one with the most sense. 

As far as DS books go, this one was a pretty typical one. HEA was included, storyline was similar to most of her other ones, and it was a fast easy read. I know it's already been published because I'm behind, but I already know patrons are going to lap it up like they do all of her other books. 

Love, Heather by Laurie Petrou

Cover Image from NetGalley

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. *

When I first read the premise of this book I was excited. "Heathers" was one of my favorite movies, and I thought that the plot had promise. Now that I have finished it, I can say that it fell a little flat to me. I couldn't sympathize with the main character, Stevie, even though she was definitely the victim in this scenario. The fact that not a single person in her life bothered to listen to her, including her mom, sort of made me hate everyone in the book. None of the characters was particularly likeable, which doesn't make for a good book for me. I was sightly amused by the "pranks" that were going on around the school, but the premise of the book made it sound like they got awful and violent-- when it wasn't really THAT bad until the end. I saw the "twist" coming from a mile away, and sort of had to force myself to finish the book. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it isn't something I would read again or even recommend. 

One Night Gone by Tara Lakowski

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*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.* 

Back story: Maureen is a young girl who moves to a beach town and tries to fit in. Inevitably she vanishes. Years later, Allison moves to the same town to put the pieces of her own life together, and gets sucked into the mystery of what happened to Maureen. 

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It had all the elements I usually like: mystery, dbag exes, multiple points of view, but I just didn't. For one thing I figured out what went down long before I got to the end of the book, which could have just been because I've read a ton of thrillers lately and my mind is just already down that dark path, not necessarily because it was too easy to figure out. 

I really liked Maureen as a character, even though knowing she didn't survive throughout the book made that bittersweet. I was thoroughly amused that the roller derby nickname for the librarian was the "spine cracker". I even felt like I connected fairly well with Allison, although I felt closer to Maureen. I was glad that the victims got the ending they deserved, so it wasn't a total hatred of a book, it just wasn't my favorite. 

I can totally see this being a book for people who like thrillers. I already know a few patrons I'd recommend it to. "One Night Gone" was published in October, so check it out on the shelves if you're looking for a book to take your mind off things! 

No Judgments by Meg Cabot

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*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.* 

I want to preface this by saying that Meg Cabot is one of my favorite authors. I've read (& loved) almost all of her books. I wasn't overly fond of the Heather Wells mysteries, but I read those as well. No Judgments  did not disappoint. The premise of the novel is that our main character, Bree, has moved to a small town in Florida to start her life over. This town is in the path of a hurricane, and Bree has chosen to stay with her cat! instead of leaving him to fend for himself. After the storm passes, Bree, and her "friend" Drew <3 form their own team to check on the animals of the people left behind-- without passing judgment on them for why they left their animals in the first place. 

Bree was a character that I identified with very well. She struggled with not knowing one of her biological parents and how that played a part in her life, losing a parent, and a sexual assault that no one really treated like a sexual assault. That last one isn't explained until further on in the book, and it made me want to cry for her to see how her family members treated it. 

Drew might be my newest "book boyfriend". He was cute, had a house on the beach, loved animals, and had this playful back and forth relationship with Bree that I appreciate in a partner. I loved the relationship between the two of them, and I am glad that they got their HEA. I look forward to reading more in this series. 

The Liars of Mariposa Island by Jennifer Mathieu

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*I was given an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.* 

I just want to start off by saying that originally I thought this was going to be somewhat like We Were Liars. It was not. It actually took a while for me to even get in to the book. Normally I like the different POVs, but I didn't like the way it was done here. I didn't mind hearing snippets of Caridad's POV so that we could understand what happened to her, but I didn't like how half the book was told in Elena's POV and then the other half was in Joaquin's. I felt like I was just starting to get to like Elena and all of a sudden her story was abandoned for her brother's. 

I'm honestly not sure if the author was trying to make Caridad a sympathetic character by telling us about her background and what she went through, but frankly I couldn't be bothered to like her character at all. Yeah, you had a rough life, but that doesn't give you the right to look down on the people who are only trying to help you. She seemed nonredeemable to me, and I wanted more from the ending as well. It seemed very abrupt and we didn't really get much closure for the characters, or at least that's how it felt to me. 

I have read a few of the author's other books, and they were much better. This one just fell flat. 

The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*

I read some of the other reviews before I started mine, and I was sort of surprised to see that it had mixed reviews, considering I really liked it. But then again, I'm an oddball and the idea that a serial killer could be made based on psychological traumas that a person has endured is both terrifying and interesting to me.

Our main character, Rain, is one of those people who survived a trauma but never managed to forgive herself for being the one who survived. She was a child in a desperate situation and her body did the only thing it knew how to: it shut down. Because of that, one of her friends was killed and the other was tortured, leading him to become the dark and fascinating character I thought he was.

Rain has trouble letting go of her past and feels as though she needs to "tell her story", and the rest of the book is about how her story connects to other murders that are happening in their area. Rain also struggles with wanting to be a stay at home mom and needing to work to feel like she doesn't lose a part of herself (can 110% relate). All in all, I thought the characters were interesting, I enjoyed the way the story wrapped itself up in a pretty neat little bow, and even though I saw the twist coming, I liked it. Would definitely recommend to some of our psychological drama enjoying patrons.

What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron

Cover Image from NetGalley

*I received an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

-This book was published on 9/17/2019. At this point it is available to the public to read. 

When I first picked up this novel, I sort of assumed I knew what happened already. Clara, our main character admits that her sister killed the boy Clara had been in love with for years, because of something that went down between herself and Griffin. Little sister gets raped so big sister kills rapist in her defense; story is all wrapped up in a pretty bow. Been there & done that. 

That's not what happened. There was a whole lot more to this story, and it was twisty and dark and I thoroughly enjoyed it. (Work the next morning after staying up all night reading was a different story though). I won't say too much because I don't want to give away the ending for anyone who wants to check it out. Honestly, I wanted to know what else happened to these characters. I would have been interested in this story from Emily's (the sister's) POV as well.

TW: There is talk of rape and abuse, both done to males and females. If you are sensitive to these topics, this book might not be the one for you.  

                                                  

A Girl Named Anna by Lizzy Barber

Cover Image From Google

Cover Image from GoodReads

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. 

So, I believe that this book was originally published in 2018 under the title My Name is Anna but was recently released in September 2019 as the title I am reviewing it under, A Girl Named Anna. I couldn't find out why (Google let me down), but I think the first title was probably the better fit, especially since the line was actually used in the book.

Here's the story: Anna is an 18 year old girl who lives with her mom. Mom is uber religious and seems to have some OCD tendencies. Anna and her boyfriend go to Astroworld for her birthday (even though she is forbidden from going there for some reason) and she has a flashback or a memory of having been there before. The book alternates between Anna's story and Rosie's story. Rosie is a teenage girl who's family was torn apart after her sister was taken from, you guessed it, Astroworld. 

The book itself took me some getting into, because it started off really slow. Then it started to get good, and by the time the two characters were putting the pieces together the book was 88% done, so the ending felt a bit rushed. I would have liked to see how things were handled after they figured out that Anna was the missing girl. I feel like so much could have been done with this book, and it fell flat in the end. I also read the synopsis that painted it as a thriller, but it wasn't very thriller-y. The suspense just wasn't there for me. It was NOT a bad book, just more of a family drama than a thriller, and I wish the ending would have gone a little longer. 

Third Party by Brandi Reeds

Cover Image from GoodReads

I was given an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. 

Me after reading this book...

Okay, so there's really no way to review this book without going into some spoilers, so if you're going to read it (and you should) you might not wanna go much further. The story starts with the suicide of a young college student. It is told in alternating chapters between the dead girl (Margaux), the firefighter who cut her down (Jessica), and Kirstie, the wife of a man with an interesting connection to the other two women. I am actually a really big fan of the alternating POVs and I think this added a bit more to the story than had we been told just through one of their perspectives. 

I HATED Ian/Arlon/Jack whatever his name was supposed to be. I know we were supposed to, but between his need to gaslight everyone around him, his cheating ways, and his smug attitude I didn't feel a bit sorry for him at the end of the book. He might not have committed a murder, but he was a rapist, and let's be real-- as a white man in America if they had decided to ban together and report him for rape and abuse, he would have gotten off anyway, because #patriarchy. I knew that he was going to get his comeuppance, but when he decided to throw his own child into his hole of lies I couldn't deal.

TW: This book deals with a lot of BDSM/auto erotic asphyxiation, rape, and abuse. It was by no means an EASY read, but if you can stomach it, it was a very good one. I finished this book in one day because I had to know how it ended. I couldn't put it down. I did notice a few typos within the text, and some word spacing that was a little bit off, but now that the book has been published I'm sure that those issues have been fixed by now. I can see why it didn't get a ton of hype, given the topics covered; it's not one that you can read and forget about, but for me, it was a compelling read that I will recommend to some of my friends and other patrons that I know can handle it. 

As always, 

She's The Worst by Lauren Spieller

Cover Image from GoodReads

I was given an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. 

So after reading this book, I can absolutely say that all of the people in it are the worst. The parents, who fought constantly and put their own happiness before their childrens'? The worst. The fact that they would rather see their kids forgo college to keep THEIR dream store afloat? The worst. The sister that wanted her older sister to stay close to home so that she didn't have to work in the store? The worst. The older sister who wanted to escape for her own good, not caring that she was leaving everyone else to clean up the mess? The worst. With that being said though, I didn't hate the book. 

This was a fairly quick read. It annoyed me most of the way through because the characters were just so unreasonable, but likable at the same time. I rooted for them, but also wanted to slap them. The bond between the sisters was cute, and I loved the relationship that developed in the end of the book. I really wish we would have found out a bit more about the parents and whether or not their relationship actually got better, but I liked the fact that the book focused mostly on one day. This is a good book for anyone looking to read a sister bonding story. 

Our New Normal by Colleen Faulkner

Cover Image From GoodReads

I was given an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are mine. 

Not going to lie, I picked this book up originally because I liked the aesthetics of the cover, and I'm a sucker for a teen pregnancy story. 20 percent in to the book I wanted to throw it. I HATED the way the main character's family treated her like she was crazy or like she was wrong for suggesting her daughter give her baby up for adoption. Everyone around her essentially gas lit her and made her feel awful, when she was RIGHT ALL ALONG. Her husband was made to be this perfect man, but frankly I thought he was a jerk who undermined her at every turn, and the best part of the book was when she left him. And the daughter? Don't even get me started. I was frustrated the whole time because the whole family was just horrible.

The grandfather was probably my favorite character, even though it was hard for me to read, having lost my own grandfather to dementia less than two months ago. It thoroughly bothered me that they all just assumed there was nothing wrong with him, and that he was "quirky" rather than him being a real adult with a terrifying and devastating disease. 

I finished this book because I felt like I had to. It was not my cup of tea, and I personally wouldn't recommend it, even though I know our library has purchased a copy or two. 

Hold on to Me by Jules BennettCove

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I was given an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

This book, Hold on to Me is the third book in a series. Luckily for me it wasn't too hard to follow along with even though I had not read the other two. Jade and Cash are two people who seem wholly unsuited for each other. As a matter of fact, they annoy one another. But he does her a favor by attending a wedding with her, and one things leads to another... they hook up. Suddenly their "no strings" relationship is turning into something more. 

I'm not always a fan of the "will they/won't they" story line because I think if it isn't done right it's a bit played out, but I really enjoyed this story. The chemistry between the characters was believable, even though they jumped rather swiftly into it--they'd been acquaintances for a while after all. This was a fast, cute read, with a few steamy scenes in it, but nothing I'd be afraid to see my grandma reading. 

All in all, I would definitely be interested in reading the first two books in the series, and any other series' Jules Bennett has written. This book was published in August of 2019, so if you're in the mood for a feel good spicy romance, check it out! 

Temptation by Inara Scott

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I was given an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

I am SO far behind in reviewing books it isn't even funny. This particular book was published in August of this year, and honestly I would suggest that anyone who is a fan of cute romance novels check it out. It was right up my alley, and exactly what I needed to get my mind off of all of the stress I am going through at the moment. I generally am not a fan of the "will they won't they" sort of romance, but it was obvious from the beginning that Zoe and Connor were going to get their HEA, which is a plus for me! 

I also liked the focus on women in STEM and the lack of women in tech jobs, and how Zoe was trying to work to change that. Zoe herself was a smart, beautiful, clumsy girl who was definitely worthy of her man's love--even if she didn't know it in the beginning. Connor was a nerdy whiskey aficionado who likes to cook... Is there even a more perfect man on Earth? #bookboyfriend. The two had been friends forever and didn't want their "relationship" to ruin what they currently had. Both had serious hang ups about relationships that they were able to work through in order to make their relationship a real thing. 

This wasn't a hard read. It isn't groundbreaking or anything. But it was funny, cute, and gave me an escape. I would definitely read more by Scott, including the first book in the Bad Angels series, and any more she chooses to add.  

The Last Widow by Karin Slaughter

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Published 8/2019.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved everything I've read by Karin Slaughter, so I didn't hesitate to pick this one up. Had I known it was part of a series, I probably would have just gone ahead and read the rest of them first. (side note- I have the first one in my TBR pile now).  I wasn't super sure about this when I took a look at the description because biological warfare and science isn't necessarily my thing-- think Dan Brown type books-- YUCK. I stuck with it though, hoping Ms. Slaughter wouldn't disappoint, and she did not. This book was disturbing and twisty and even though I figured out some of the twists I didn't see the whole thing coming, which is what I like about her books. If you like thrillers, science, or you've read one of her other books and enjoyed it, this one will be a good read. It took me longer than I intended it to only because I didn't have the time to sit there and read it. I will definitely be reading the rest of the Will Trent series. 

That's What Frenemies Are For by Sophie Littlefield

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I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

That's What Frenemies Are For  is a bit of a difficult book for me to review, because my opinion on it is somewhat mixed. It took me FOREVER to get into it. When I got about 35% of the way, I considered not finishing it because I was bored. I stuck it out though, and while it wasn't the best book I've ever read, it wasn't absolutely horrible either. 

Julia, our main character, befriends a spin teacher named Tatum and decides to help her get with the "IN" crowd, not realizing that sometimes stuff like that can come back to bite you in the butt. And bite you it does. I am not generally fond of cringe-y type humor,and this book had a lot of it in there. It also reminded me of why I don't have a ton of female friends--girls are just too much. The story dragged quite a bit and took a while to finally peak my interest, but I managed to get through it and actually liked the ending. It won't be a life changer of a book but if you're looking for some sort of chick drama, take a shot on this one. 

To Be Your Girl by Rae Kennedy

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I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book yesterday on the way back from a girl's trip. Honestly it took me that long to gather up my thoughts and decide why exactly this book bugged me so much. First of all, the insta love thing was annoying. Secondly, the author so badly wanted us to like Cade, but I just couldn't. He's magically cured of being a misogynistic manwh*re just because he laid eyes on "the love of his life" ? Nah. That's not how real life works. And as for Adam. We were supposed to like him in the beginning as well, but he creeped me out too. Then there was Haley's brother, who thought he had any right to tell her who she could and couldn't date-- all while going out and doing whatever/whoever HE wanted. #patriarchy. 

Honestly, the main character was a bit too whiny for my taste as well. This was a quick and easy read, but I don't think I'll read the next book in the series. If you are interested however, and you like insta romance with the bad boy sort of thing, it was published on 8/22, so check it out either at your local library #shamelessplug or at a bookstore near you!

The Girl Before You by Nicola Rayner

* I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I really wanted to like this book. A college girl goes missing and years later a woman with a minimal connection to her thinks she sees her on a train? Sounds like it's up my alley. However, it fell a bit flat for me. For one thing, jumping perspectives can be interesting sometimes. But when you switch so many times the reader just gets confused, you lose the whole purpose behind multiple narrators. And the blurb plays on the "relationship" between George and the missing girl, when in reality they were "friends with benefits" for a short amount of time, and she wasn't the only person that George had ever been with. Frankly I feel like she should have been glad her husband didn't have a dead girl in his wake, just a missing one, considering the amount of girls he and his friend "slept with". And the mystery? I called it halfway into the book. All in all, it wasn't a bad book, just not one that I would pick up again. 

Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

This will probably be a shorter post, because I don't really have a whole lot to say about this book. I will say that I enjoyed it more than Girl Wash Your Face because it seemed a whole lot less preachy to me. The author, Emily Ley, runs her own planner company and has three kids, and just seems a whole lot more personable and down to Earth than the vibe I got from Hollis. She seems to actually be like every other mom out there, not like she pretends to be so that she can be #relatable. 

This book wasn't a very long one, but it took me a while to read because of the other things I had going in my life. It was a cute, well organized read, but there wasn't any new or groundbreaking information in it. It was like almost every other Christian based self help book I had read before, with pretty pictures included. I will say that I checked out the print copy at one of our local libraries, because the format of the layout looked atrocious on my phone, and it was a whole lot better in print. 

Grace Not Perfection was published in October of 2016. If you're looking for something similar to "Wash Your Face" then this would be a good choice! 

On the Corner of Love and Hate by Nina Bocci

* I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.*

This book was published on 8/20/19 so if you're looking for a sweet romance with an HEA, pick it up! 

It has been way too long since I've reviewed a book! I've been in a reading slump lately, and hadn't been able to find something to keep my interest since the last book I tried to read and had to DNF (which I HATE). On the Corner of Love and Hate is a book I will never forget, because it not only got me out of my slump, but it kept my mind off of the seriously sad stuff going on in my life at the moment. 

Our main character Emmanuelle has a love/hate relationship with her former friend and current coworker, Cooper. They grew up together and were able to understand each other, both having come from parents with political backgrounds. Now Emma is trying to help Cooper win his own campaign, while trying to guard her heart from falling for him. This was a sweet read. There wasn't a TON of sex, and it wasn't so graphic that I couldn't read the book at work, even though I didn't. The romance itself was built up in a way that made it believable, and even though it wasn't a plot twist type of book, it was a HEA, which I definitely needed in my life. I truly enjoyed ALL of the characters in the story and the small town itself. Having grown up in a small town, I could appreciate the characters' love for their homes and how that affected their relationship. I would definitely recommend that my library purchase this series, and I look forward to reading the next one coming. 

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do... But You Could've Done Better by Hilary Campbell

This is an older book that I happened to find a copy of on NetGalley. All opinions are mine.

So. I've been listening to and reading some pretty heavy stuff lately. Just comes with the mood I've been in, I guess. This book was a super quick read but it entertained me in a way that I didn't know I needed. Essentially the author drew a picture to tell the story of a bad breakup of hers, and it cheered her up, so she decided to take people's worst breakup stories and illustrate them, just to make the world a bit of a happier place. I sped through this like it was a Facebook meme page, but it was cute and it made me laugh. If you're in a bad mood or going through a crappy breakup, this is definitely a pick me up and a reminder that it could always be worse.

The Dark Side by Danielle Steel

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I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my thoughts. All opinions are mine. 

As I've mentioned before, Danielle Steel's books are one of my guilty pleasures. Those are usually the fluff books that I read when I don't want to have to think too hard about what I'm reading; like background noise- but with books. So, despite the name and the ominous looking cover, I expected more of the same out of this novel. Hoooo boy was I ever wrong. This one made me stop and check a few times to make sure I was actually reading one of DS's books. 

The story starts out with two sisters, one of which is diagnosed with a severe form of cancer. She dies young. The remaining sister, our main character, Zoe, essentially learns to take care of herself because her parents are too busy recovering from losing their child to worry about the one they have left. She grows up, and eventually has a child of her own, Jaime. 

Jaime is a problem child from the beginning. She won't nurse, she has acid reflux, colic, all normal things for a baby, but terrifying for someone who had a sister die at a young age. As she gets older, Jaime starts to have more and more "accidents" including broken bones, animal bites, and almost drowning. We begin to wonder if there is something more sinister than just a clumsy child going on. 

Honestly, I sort of called it after the broken arm, mainly because I just finished watching/reading/researching everything I could about the Gypsy Rose Blanchard (I refuse to put an E at the end of that because that's NOT how my maiden name is spelled or pronounced) case, and I knew where it was going, but it didn't make the book any less terrifying. As a mother who gave birth to a premature child, I prayed for weeks on end that my baby would learn to breathe on her own and be okay, I cannot imagine intentionally putting her in harm's way. I felt so bad for the dad, because as much as his baby loved her mom, he knew that getting her away was the best thing for her. 

All in all, this was not a typical HEA Danielle Steel sort of read, but I enjoyed it. It reminded me of why I fell in love with her books in the first place. It was an emotional read, for sure, but one that will stick with me for a while. 

Beneath the Attic by V C Andrews (or Andrew Neiderman)

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*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own*

I picked up my first book by V C Andrews when I was about 12. I believe it was one of the books in the "Landry" series. I was at my grandmother's house and I found it in her bedroom, and being from Louisiana, thought hey let's read this! Since then I've read just about all of the books that I could get my hands on. I will say that I stopped with probably the Orphans series, and haven't read too many since then. Looking back as an adult there's no way in hell I'd let my 12 year old read these, but hey... the early 2000s were a different time. 

Anyway, on to Beneath the Attic. This is another book in the Dollanganger series (Flowers in the Attic, Petals on the Wind...etc). This particular book tells the story of the first Corrine, great grandmother to the kids left in the attic in the original story. In Andrews' books we never actually find out what happens to the first Corrine, just that she leaves her husband and her son to be with her lover. This betrayal is what spurns her son (Malcom) into being the God fearing woman hating character that he becomes later on in the series. At first I thought it would be interesting to find out what happened to Corrine, but while reading the book it was just a big cluster. First of all, in the series Garland is painted as a happy go lucky, friendly man; the opposite of his son. In this story however, it's almost as though he has a dark side, never mentioned in the original books, not to mention a weird fascination with his mother. (Isn't that a running theme in all of these books though?) I wasn't overly fond of the ending either, because it doesn't really tell us anything, just left a stupid cliffhanger that you can tell was only done so that the author can bank on another book. NOW FOR THE WORST PART. THE PART THAT SET MY INSIDES ON FIRE. My favorite book was mentioned in this one. Normally, I'd love a Gone With the Wind reference. However, THIS BOOK IS SET IN THE 1890s. GWTW wasn't published until 1936. So unless Corrine was a mind reader or time traveler, there's no way she would have known to compare herself to Scarlette O'Hara. 

Side note, the publication date of GWTW was easily found in a Google search, which was clearly more research than the ghostwriter did before putting all of this together. Reading this honestly just made me want to not read any of them ever again, because it was disappointing.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

I'm a bit late on posting this, as this book came out a month ago, and we already have copies of it in our library, however, the copy I read was an ARC given to me by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. These opinions are my own. 

I'll admit I was a bit biased when I first picked up this book, and I knew I was most likely going to like it, because I've liked everything else I've ever read by Riley Sager, especially The Final Girls. So this could have easily met my expectations or it could have bombed spectacularly. Thankfully, it did not disappoint. 

Jules, the main character in our story, agrees to "apartment sit" for a few months in one of Manhattan's most prominent apartment buildings, the Bartholomew. There are all sorts of weird rules, and her friend tries to tell her that it doesn't sound like a good idea, but since she is desperate for money, Jules does it anyway. While there, she meets a girl named Ingrid who abruptly disappears in the middle of the night, and pretty soon while trying to find Ingrid, she ends up having to save herself. 

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I figured out about 2/3 of the way in what was going on and who was doing what, but that didn't take away from the story, nor did it terrify me any less. I don't want to go into too much detail because this is one of those stories you have to read for yourself, but let's just say that even in my WORST nightmares, I couldn't imagine having to go through this. As always, Sager's book was an absolute ride, and I will definitely read anything and everything else he puts out. 

How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. These opinions are my own. 

This book was published on July 30 so if you're interested in it, you should definitely check it out! 

When I first read the premise of this book, it spoke to my soul. Our main character, Mel, is a tech specialists where she fixes computers for "tech gods" who don't have near the amount of knowledge that she does. After one too many bad online dates, she creates a website where girls can log their experiences with jerks, along with their names, photos, and ages. As expected, the site blows up. While all of this is going on, Mel is also starting to fall for Alex, one of her coworkers. 

Before I met my husband, like Mel, I went on bad date after bad date myself. I unfortunately was also the UNWILLING recipient of many a picture of a random male's genitalia. So I absolutely understood her frustrations and where she was coming from when she created her website. I also felt her frustration being a girl in a predominately male filled technology field. I can imagine what it's like to bow down to a bunch of men who are "more important than you" just because they are men, even when you're smarter than they are. The number of times I read "girls can't code for shit" was frustrating. (Side note, I am a female, and while I CAN do basic coding, it's not my jam). Every girl has that moment where she feels less than, because society tells us that as women, we ARE less than. This book was a charming story of one girl's comeuppance against her male counterparts. She got to be smart and got the guy in the end. 

This was a seriously cute book. It was an easy and fun read, and I can totally see recommending it for the 20 Somethings crowd, especially those who love a HEA like I do. 

The Road Leads Back by Marci Bolden

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

This is one of those books that, based on my own personal life experiences, I probably should have avoided rather than chosen to review. The story starts out with our heroine Kara at an art show, where she runs into the man who took her virginity 27 years ago. He is also the same man who left her that night, and never came back for her or the son they created. The rest of the book is their story and how they managed to put the pieces back together after betrayal. 

Having been the daughter of an absentee dad, I felt like this was a bit unrealistic. You're going to show up in my life after 27 years and I'm just gonna hug you and call you dad like nothing ever happened? Nope. You abandon me on the night you took my virginity and never once tried to look back and not only do I forgive you but marry you in a matter of months? Nope. I'm all for a happily ever after, but this was a bit too sickly sweet, even for my tastes. 

It was a quick, easy read, and I can see it being popular with some of the older ladies in our library that don't like a whole lot of smut in their romance. I, however, won't be reading the rest of the series.  

The Betrayed Wife by Kevin O'Brien

This book was a whole damn mess. The husband literally slips his business into any female that looks his way, the wife knows about it and she just takes it. She is literally being stalked by someone, but instead of blaming any of the 456431234896323 women her husband is sleeping with, she immediately blames his daughter (from an affair that he conveniently never knew about, of course). So people are dying, the main character has a secret, and dude is just a complete tool. Honestly I hated all the characters in this book. Women were literally just holes to this guy, except for the woman he "loved" after seeing her for five minutes at the gym. And they're all STUPID. He's "hot" so they're all willing to ruin their lives (or end others') to be able to be with him, even though HIS WIFE WON'T LEAVE HIM. After all this, she still says she's going to stay with him, for the kids. I. Can't. Honestly I was just hoping someone was going to Lorena Bobbitt him so that the book would just end. Ugh. 

0/10 Would not recommend.

I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. These are my opinions. 

First off, I want to point out that even though the characters in this novel are in high school, some of the content (sex scenes in general) aren't exactly appropriate for the younger side of a YA audience. That being said, I did enjoy this book. 

Our main character, Mallory, has been home schooled her whole life. She has an online friend, and her only real hobby is staring at the cute boy next door. As she nears her 18th birthday she convinces her mom to let her go to a public high school, and comes face to face with the boy next door, Troy. 

After hearing the description of our bad boy, Troy, I couldn't help myself from swooning a little. Angsty, covered in tattoos, with a hidden sweet side? Sign me up! I thought that the couple progressed really fast, and I'm not a fan of instalove. One minute he's cold to her and hates her and the next he's sneaking into her room at night and she's not upset with it at all? That's just a little odd to me. But then when you learn more about their pasts it's a little more excusable. The mystery behind Mallory's past was fairly easy to figure out. I didn't guess the whole thing, but once the big pieces came out, I was able to put the rest of it together myself. That didn't take away from the book though. I liked how it ended, but I was sad to see my time with the characters end. This is definitely a book I could see being a hit with the YA crew, and I'm sure a lot of the teens at our library will read it. 

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader

I was given an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own. 

First off, the copy I received was a VERY rough copy. The text was super choppy and the title would randomly appear in the middle of the page, which was a bit annoying, but since I'm assuming that will be fixed before the final copy goes out (in three days!) that doesn't deter from my overall opinion of the book. 

The story starts with an older woman walking down the street holding a flare gun. She is stopped by a cop, and she tells him to call her daughter to come down and see her. Thus, the prodigal daughter, Lindy, returns. There is obviously some tension between Lindy and her younger sister Delia, but we don't find out until closer to the end of the book what caused them to separate and whether or not they will be able to fix things and be close like they used to, at least for their mother's sake. 

The character of Delia really resonated with me for a few different reasons. She is a mother to a teenager and a baby (I was a teen when my sister was born, so I vaguely remember what that was like) she suffered from post partum depression, and is trying to manage a family, a business, and care for her sickly mother all at the same time. Everyone keeps saying how she's changed, but all I can think is: the woman needs a nap! At the same time though, I felt sorry for Lindy because she was known as the "wild child" in a small town, and being from a small town myself, I know that no matter how far away and how long you go away for, you can't ever really escape the opinions people have of you when you're younger. 

All in all I enjoyed the story. I read it while waiting for the hurricane to hit (hasn't yet) and it kept me interested throughout. I needed to get to the end to find out what happened to those poor girls. Admittedly I had an idea of what it would be, but I wasn't 100% sure. 

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of writers like Nora Roberts. It has that same almost sweetness to it as far as the family goes, with just enough mystery and a little romance thrown in 

Crashing the A-List by Summer Heacock

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Normally I LOVE celebrity romance type chick lit, but this one just didn't do it for me. Maybe that's because the romantic lead was modeled after Benedict Cumberbatch (who I'm not opposed to, I just don't get all of the hype for him #sorrynotsorry) I liked the main character, Clara, for the most part, but I hated the back and forth between her and Caspian. Also, I could hardly take his name seriously through the whole book. I know that was the point because of the jokes about Benjamin Cucumber's name, but come on now. When it got to the end and he just wanted to explain to her what happened and she just walked away all I could think was for the love of God just listen to him so that this can all end! 

The best friend CiCi, however; can I get a book about her? She was my favorite throughout the whole book, and I loved the friendship with her and Clara because it reminded me a lot of my best friend and I. Not to mention a shirt that says "My goal weight is Chris Evans on top of me" because absolutely YES.

Also, there were a few weird breaks in the typing that made it hard to follow, but I won't hold that against the book because I'm sure it will be fixed before the final copy goes out. This wasn't a horrible book, despite how my review might sound, but I actually enjoyed it and would read more from the author. 

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

I've read and enjoyed a few of Hilderbrand's other novels, but her first take at a historical fiction was the book I didn't realize I needed at the time. I've been so caught up in thrillers and true crime that I needed a moment to flash back to a different time. Never mind the fact that that time period was before even my mom was born. I was big into the Kennedy history for a while so the fact that the Chappaquiddick incident was mentioned in this novel made me fangirl a little. This book is told in four different points of view of four different siblings. One of them is serving in the war, one is a teenager who is also half Jewish (half sibling to the other three), one is pregnant with twins (modeled after Hildebrand and her brother) and the other daughter is a political activist. Essentially the four siblings tell the story of their summer. This was the summer of the moon landing, and a very troubling summer for their family in particular. 

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. We were supposed to be watching a movie last night (Ant Man!) but I was reading rather than watching. I just couldn't help myself! The story kept me hooked, no matter who it was telling it. The characters blended seamlessly, and it was easy to tell who was "speaking" which I think can be an issue with some books that have too many POV's. Hildebrand pulls this off perfectly. There were definitely a few times that each of the characters made me want to slap them, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was a different time. 

This book was published at the beginning of the month of June. I know our library will be purchasing it, and I can definitely see it being a book club read or something similar. I know I will be recommending it to our patrons who like historical fiction. 

4 out of 5 stars

Lost and Found by Danielle Steel

* I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.*

I've always said that for me, reading a Danielle Steel novel is like coming home. Lost and Found was no different. I've been reading them probably since I was in the sixth grade, so these are the books I turn to when I just need a bit of comfort food. You're not going to find a book here that will change your life, but it's an easy feel good read, and sometimes I just need a little bit of Happily Ever After. As of today, this book was published over a week ago, and I fully expect our library to get about 5 copies and they'll all circulate as soon as they hit the shelf. 

So, our main character, Maddie (in her 50s--- not usual for a DS heroine!) lives in a firehouse. She falls and injures herself and spends her time reading old love letters from former boyfriends. This causes her to go on a journey to look up those exes, and see if her life would have been any different if she had stayed with them. 

This book for me was a bit different than her usual ones. Nothing bad really happened. She broke her ankle, but it wasn't life threatening. She had an argument with her daughter, but they got over it. Her ex dies, but even that wasn't as heartbreaking as one of her novels usually is. There wasn't even a breakup between the main couple, which is almost a staple in a DS novel. It's like she all of a sudden changed the formula. But fans of hers are still going to read it. It wasn't a terrible read. Reading this was the equivalent of eating cotton candy made from Splenda while petting kittens in unicorn hats. 

Beautiful Liars by Isabel Ashdown

* I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. * 

Originally the title of this book is what drew me to it. I've also been really into books about missing teenage girls as of late (which sounds really creepy now that I put it down on paper), so it was a no brainer that I would pick this one up. As of today, Beautiful Liars  was published eight days ago, so if my opinion isn't enough, be sure to check it out yourself. Also, this is the second book of Ashdown's that I have read. 

The back story to this novel involves three teenage girls who go out one night, but only two of them return. No one knows what happened to the third friend, or who her secret relationship was with, though it was assumed an older man had something to do with it, but he is gone as well. So technically we don't even know if the friend is dead. Years later, Martha, one of the original three friends is preparing to host a crime show, and their first case is going to be her missing friend Juliet. (This show reminded me of Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke's series with the same premise-- not a bad thing just a similarity.

I won't go into too much detail for fear of spoiling the story. I will say though that I figured out the secret relationship pretty early on, and while the twist at the end threw me for a minute, I can't necessarily say that Ashdown didn't sort of give it away-- and whether or not you catch it is up to the reader. I was a little unsure about how the same sex relationship in this book was handled. For the time period it was written in, I understood the premise, but I still don't necessarily feel like the whole "if you don't come out to your friends you'll die" message was the best one to send. I have however seen it handled way worse though. 

 All in all this was a pretty good book that I can see being a hit among the thrill lovers in our library. 

3 out of 5 stars!

The Life of Death by Lucy Booth

I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley. The opinions of this book are mine. 

I saw the ending to this one coming, but it didn't make it suck any less. (I mean the ending, not the book itself. It was rather good). 

Our main character, Lizzie, trades her soul to the Devil to keep from dying when she is burned at the stake for a witch. In exchange for his help, she works with Him to ease peoples' transitions into death. To do this, she essentially turns into the person they love most, and comforts them until they cross over. The problem is that Lizzie falls in love and wants to return to Earth to be with him. In order to do this she makes a deal with the Devil. 

Of course, being the Devil, there's a twist to his game. I won't go into any more detail than that because it would ruin the book, but it made me mad. I knew it was going to happen that way, but I didn't like it. I was also icked out by the kidnapping/near murder of a child. I have been listening to way too many true crime podcasts lately, and it bothered me a lot. I almost didn't finish the book because I just couldn't handle that. I understand why it was written, because each of the deaths that Lizzie has to accomplish get harder and more thought provoking than the last, but it was tough. 

While reading this I was reminded a bit of my English classes in college when we were reading literature from the first half of American history. Between the imagery of the Devil, and Death, along with the whole "be careful what you wish for" lesson that the book gives, it had a ton of old school English vibes, which I actually enjoyed. 

All in all this was a quick read that made me think about things I might not necessarily have wanted to. It begs the question, how far would you go to get what you wanted? 

The Other Me by Saskia Sarginson

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for a complicated father/daughter relationship, maybe it was the WW2 elements, I'm not sure. But I devoured it and wished that there was more! Either way I look forward to reading another book from this author. 

This story is told between three points of view: Klaudia, a high school student with a German father who may or may not have been part of Hitler's crew, Eliza, a dancer who has to face up to her past, and Ernst, a young man who eventually joins the war along with his brother, regardless of his stance on it. There is a lot to dissect here, but it's hard to do without giving away the story, so I'll try to keep this review vague for those who want to read it. 

One thing that stuck with me about this book is that it begs the question, how much of our family history do we take responsibility for? With the movie about Ted Bundy (played by Zac Efron) that recently came out on Netflix, we see the guilt that his girlfriend at the time bears. She felt as though she could have done more and possibly saved those girls lives. It would be easy to see why she'd feel as if their blood was on her hands-- even though she was not the one who killed them. The Other Me gives us the daughter of a Nazi soldier. Should she feel guilty about some of the unspeakable things that her father may or may not have done during the war? Is it better for him as a parent to keep her wondering her whole life, or should he face up to his past for the sake of his family? 

There of course is a connection between the three characters, one that is given away toward the middle of the book, and the other not until closer to the end. Even though I was able to figure it out pretty early on, it didn't take away from the story at all. There was also a romance, because isn't there always? And it was sweet but not overly pushy. It wasn't really the point of the story and the author used it as an additive not a focal point, which I liked. I would definitely recommend this book to patrons looking for a good read with some historical basis. 

I'm Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal

**I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. My opinions are my own. **

It took me longer than I would have liked to finish this book, mostly because it was a book that I felt I needed to devote my attention to, and with a sick baby I didn't have the time to read it like I would have wanted. With the amount of racial tension that is still occurring in America today, I thought this book did a great job of handling the topic in an interesting but educational way. 

The story is told in alternating points of view between Lena, a young black girl, and Campbell, a young white girl. While at a football game, the girls get caught in a shooting that incites a riot. Neither of them truly has a way to escape, so they decide to stick together and try to make it to Lena's boyfriend, so that he can take them home safely. Throughout the night they both learn things about themselves and about each other. They do not trust one another, barely know one another, but have to work together in order to survive. Each girl sees people of her own race, that she knows well, behave in ways she didn't think they were capable of. 

They both make it home safely, but the reader is left knowing that these two girls' lives are changed forever, and wondering if there is a friendship building between the two girls. I for one was impressed with the writing and the way the topic was handled. We all have our misconceptions of people and this book proves that sometimes it's the people you least expect that you need in your lives the most. I could see this book being turned into a movie, and would definitely recommend it to some of our YA readers. 

Save Me by Kristyn Kusek Lewis

This was the second book in a week that I read with a cheating husband, and at this point mine better sleep with one eye open. Just kidding! But really. This book was a mess. I wanted to slap the main character in much the same way I wanted to slap the last one. Stop letting these dog men treat you like dirt then walk right back like nothing happened! LOVE YOURSELF GIRL. 

At the beginning of this book, the main character, Daphne, is planning her husband's birthday. Daphne is a doctor just like her man. They were childhood sweethearts who moved apart and found each other again as adults. Her life is perfect, or so she thinks. When her husband comes home he tells her that he has been having an affair and that he has feelings for the other woman. He leaves her for the woman, and later on she gets a phone call from him saying that his mistress has been in an accident and that he needs her shoulder to cry on. 

At this point, I wouldn't have even answered his calls much less entertained the thought. But she does. And even though she starts seeing someone else (way too soon IMO) she does this back and forth thing with Owen for a while, which was more irritating than anything else. I get that they had a history and that she loved him, but come on. He didn't want kids and she did, he treated her job like a joke even though they BOTH went to medical school, and let's not forget HE CHOSE SOMEONE ELSE and only went back to his wife because his other woman DIED. (spoiler alert). Eventually she realizes what I did on page one: she needs to be alone and fix her own life before depending on a man to fix it for her. So she dumps both men and hopefully grows a spine and a brain (we don't know what happens to her after that because that's where it ends) 

This whole book was just nah for me. It went way too fast, the characters were ridiculous and it honestly just made me angry. There are enough doormats in the real world, do we have to expect them from our female book characters as well?