Tag: women’s fiction

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib

The Girls at 17 Swann Street

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 5th, 2019

Genre: Women’s fiction

Where you can find The Girls at 17 Swann Street: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting, intimate journey of a young woman’s struggle to reclaim her life. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

My review

Anna is wasting away. Her husband has ignored that she is starving herself to death until he finds her passed out in the bathroom. When she goes to the Dr at his urging, Anna weighs only 88 lbs. At the Dr’s urging, Anna is sent to an inpatient rehabilitation center. Her time at 17 Swann Street is eye-opening. Can Anna let the staff and therapists, along with the other girls, help her reclaim her life? Or will Anna be destined to be a regular?

Anorexia has always been one of those disorders that people dislike talking about. It isn’t talked about enough. Anorexia and bulimia (as well as compulsive overeating and other food/exercise related disorders) need to be talked about. They shouldn’t be swept under the rug.  This disorder needs to be front and center. It needs to be talked about. 

I sat and read this book within 2 hours. I didn’t plan on sitting and reading it in one sitting. It just happened. The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a fast read. It is an emotional read too. At one point, I was mad at myself because I didn’t have a box of tissues on hand to wipe my eyes. What got me was how raw Anna’s emotions were. 

I will point out that the book is written in a way that might annoy some people. It would have annoyed me if I wasn’t so taken with how the book began. The book goes between past and present with little warning. I would normally moan and groan about that but not this time. It actually worked with this book. The author was able to flawlessly go between present and past. The only issue I had was reading the clinical observations. I want to say that they were supposed to be the beginning of chapters. But because the formatting of the book was off, they ended up being in the middle of the book.

I liked how Anna’s time in the program was realistic. She had her good days and her bad days. She made progress and she regressed. There were times in the book, mainly when the stuff happened with Valerie, that I thought she wasn’t going to make it. That she was going to be a regular.

The girls in the program touched my heart also. The background that was given on some of them was heartbreaking. I also felt for the staff. They had to counsel the girls. They had to force them to eat. They had to insert feeding tubes for the ones that refused. It must have been so draining for them. But they came back day after day to help those girls.

I liked the statistics that were sprinkled in throughout the book.  There were some that I didn’t know. There were some that made my heart hurt.

I also liked how the author showed how Anna’s progression into anorexia was. From the impossibly high standards that the ballerina world holds to the ex-boyfriend who was cruel about how much Anna ate to the anxiety and guilt over her brother’s death, it was all there. It also showed that Anna’s husband chose to ignore how skinny she was getting. Chose to overlook her only eating apples and lettuce. Chose to overlook her excessive exercising. Chose to overlook those things until it was almost too late. 

The ending was what kept this book from being a 5-star review. It seemed too perfect. I am not going to get into why it seemed too perfect. All I have to say is that I was kinda “meh” about it. It was not real life.

I gave The Girls at 17 Swann Street a 4-star rating. This was a fast, emotional read. While I didn’t mind the way the book was written, I do think that some people would have an issue. I would suggest reading with a box of tissues nearby. The only thing I didn’t like about the book was the ending. It was too perfect.

I would give The Girls at 17 Swann Street an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic but there). There is language. There is no violence. There are trigger warnings. They would be mental illness, eating disorders, talk of rape, the death of a sibling.

I would reread The Girls at 17 Swann Street. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Girls at 17 Swann Street.

All opinions stated in this review of The Girls at 17 Swann Street are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read The Girls at 17 Swann Street?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

Forget You Know Me

3.5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 5th, 2019

Genre: Women’s Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Forget You Know Me: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

In her engrossing new novel, Forget You Know Me, Jessica Strawser takes readers deep into an intimate friendship between two women. When one witnesses a shocking incident that should never have been caught on camera, the secrets and lies it exposes threaten to change their lives forever.

Molly and Liza have always been close in a way that people envy. Even after Molly married Daniel, both considered Liza an honorary member of their family. But after Liza moved away, things grew more strained than anyone wanted to admit—in the friendship and the marriage. 

When Daniel goes away on business, Molly and Liza plan to reconnect with a nice long video chat over wine after the kids are in bed. But when Molly leaves the room to check on a crying child, a man in a mask enters, throwing Liza into a panic—then her screen goes black. 

When Liza finally reaches Molly, her reply is icy and terse, insisting everything is fine. Liza is still convinced something is wrong, that her friend is in danger. But after an all-night drive to help her ends in a brutal confrontation, Liza is sure their friendship is over—completely unaware that she’s about to have a near miss of her own. And Molly, refusing to deal with what’s happened, won’t turn to Daniel, either. 

But none of them can go on pretending. Not after this.

Forget You Know Me exposes the wounds of people who’ve grown apart, against their will. Best friends, separated by miles. Spouses, hardened by neglect. A mother, isolated by pain. The man in the mask will change things for them all.

But who was he?

And will he be back?

My review:

Molly and Liza were besties from way back and nothing could break their friendship. After Molly got married, Liza was considered part of their family. But Liza and Molly start to grow apart. One night, during a video chat, Liza witnesses a man, dressed all in black, breaking into her friend’s house. Then the screen goes black. Panicked, Liza drives all night to find a standoffish Molly. A confrontation follows and Liza goes home. But Liza finds out, that there is no home to go to.  Forced to move in with her brother, Liza realizes that her friendship with Molly might be over. Liza also realizes that there is more going on in Molly’s life than she is letting on. Everything is tied to the man who broke into the house. Who was he? What did he want? Will he be back?

I wasn’t expecting to like Forget You Know Me as much as I did. I enjoyed reading about people who had the same issues that I do. I also enjoyed reading about how the different relationships worked in this book. What I liked, even more, was that I “got” Molly. I “got” Molly and Daniel’s relationship. As a mother to 3 and in a relationship with their father for almost 15 years, I  got that they grew apart. Heck, it happened in my relationship. Even Molly’s pains I got.  It was nice to read a book where I  connected with at least one of the main characters.

I wasn’t too sure if I liked Liza in the book. She rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. It started when she got skeeved out when Max told her that he was bi. Then it was how she acted during the dinner that Daniel and Molly throw and followed by how she treated Henry. She did come back in my eyes at the end of the book. She was able to bridge the gap between Molly and Daniel. But it was almost too late.

I didn’t like that Molly was keeping such a huge secret from Daniel. I mean, she had people tracking her down and threatening her at her job. I would have thought that she would have mentioned something to him before that. I was kind of shaking my head during that. She put herself and her family in danger.

I thought the plotline with Daniel and Toby didn’t bring anything to the story. It did explain why Daniel was so preoccupied during 90% of the book. But still, I could have done without reading it.

Same goes for the storyline with Rick, Molly, and the girls. I, for one, was in the “there is something going on between them” boat. I also had the same suspicions that Liza and Molly did about Rick. So, I was surprised when that storyline turned out the way it did.

I was surprised at who the man in the mask (from the blurb) was. I was also surprised at why he did what he did. In hindsight, I understood why. In his own screwed up way, he wanted Molly to realize that she was the same person she was before kids.

The end of Forget You Know Me was emotional. I wasn’t expecting the tears to come. But they did. So, yes, the ending will need tissues. The author did a fantastic job at bringing all the storylines together. She also did a fantastic job at wrapping the book up. 

I gave Forget You Know Me a 3.5-star review. This book was a good read. I was able to connect to at least one of the characters in the book. I liked how the author gave a no holds bar look at motherhood and relationships. She gave the good, the bad, and the ugly. I didn’t like who the man in the mask ended up being or the reason why he broke into the house. I also thought that there was extra weight with some of the plotlines. I could have done without reading about Toby and Rick.

I would give Forget You Know Me an Adult rating. There is no sex (but there are mentions of it). There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be a home invasion, survivor’s guilt, threatened miscarriage, homophobia and emotional affair. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Forget You Know Me. I would also reccomend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Forget You Know Me.

All opinions stated in this review of Forget You Know Me are mine

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Forget You Know Me?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Foam On The Crest Of Waves by Silke Stein

Foam On The Crest Of Waves

4 Stars

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: November 25th, 2018

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Where you can find Foam On The Crest Of Waves: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

Can facing the past transform the present?

In a small fishing town on the Mendocino coast, the tides of time have washed over rumors and suspicions, yet the members of a maimed family still struggle to cope with their memories.

A broken woman, refusing to let go of her vanished husband.
Her widowed brother, clinging to the shatters of the life he loved.
His delusional daughter, planning to turn mermaid on her fifteenth birthday.

But when a young man realizes he made a mistake, secrets start emerging from the deep. Will they bring further grief, or possibly redemption?

My review:

Abalone has never recovered from the death of her mother. Becoming selectively mute, Abby communicates with gestures and through her jewelry/artwork. Because she won’t talk, Abby hasn’t let on that she plans on turning into a mermaid on her 15th birthday. She believes that her mother is alive, living with the mermaids and wants Abby to join her. Jeremy is Abby’s father. For the past 7 years, he has been in a fog of grief, only coming out to somewhat deal with Abby’s issues. He is jolted out of his fog by a series of events. He is forced to face that his wife wasn’t who he thought she was. Devastated by the disappearance of her husband, Gina has thrown herself into helping Jeremy and Abby. But, Gina knows a secret. A secret that could devastate Jeremy and Abby if they found out. Lief somehow has gotten himself into abalone smuggling without knowing how. His secret passion singing and he has a voice that rivals professionals. Lief has developed a stalker like interest in Abby after she assaults him. What will happen on Abby’s 15th birthday? Can this family survive the secrets? Or will Abby be lost to the mermaids?

Foam on the Crest of Waves is a very loose retelling of The Little Mermaid. The more accurate description would be a reverse telling of The Little Mermaid. What I liked about this book was that the author ran with the retelling. She took that fable and put her own twist on it. I also liked that she followed the original Hans Christian Andersen tale. She did mention the Disney retelling several times during the book. The mural was a huge homage to it. But the bones of the story was the original story.

There was one point in the book where I had several “WTH” moments. I didn’t understand how Lief’s parents didn’t know what he was up to. Didn’t they want to know where he was getting the extra money from? How did they not know about his amazing voice? He had to of sang when he was younger. Abby was 15, why was she allowed to wander all over the place? At one point in the book, she took a train out-of-town and she spent the night in the woods. Jeremy and Gina didn’t notice that she was gone. That drove me nuts.

The only thing that I didn’t like about the book was how it went back and forth in time. One moment I would be reading about Gina and her struggles post-accident, then I would be reading about her life pre-accident. No warning about the change in time periods. It happened. It drove me absolutely nuts.

The plotline involving Abby was broke my heart. She believed that she would turn into a mermaid on her 15th birthday. I liked how the author chose to have Abby doubt if that was going to happen. I liked how what happened the night that Fern died was leaked. It kept me guessing. But the truth of what happened was a shocked the heck out of me. I wasn’t expecting that.

Lief’s storyline was very well written also. He was so conflicted about what he should do with his life. Abby assaulting him made him think about what he was doing with his life. The scene in the woods was the turning point for him. I was afraid for him, considering what Abby was thinking when they were in the water towards the end of the book.

Jeremy was broken. Fern’s death destroyed him. Abby was the only thing that kept him going. But, as the book went on, it seemed like Fern played fast and loose with him. The news he got about Abby the night Fern died was heartbreaking. I did want to know what the DNA test results were, though. It was never mentioned again.

I did like Gina and felt awful for her. I couldn’t imagine not knowing what happened to my husband for 7 years. And the secret that she carried was soul eating. Do I think that she should have told Jeremy sooner? Yes but then the book wouldn’t have played out the way it did.

The end of the book was amazing. I loved how the author brought all the storylines together. It was perfect. The epilogue was great also. But I did worry about Abby. Her final scene bothered me. It made me think that nothing changed with her.

I gave Foam On The Crest Of Waves a 4-star rating. This book was a wonderful retelling of The Little Mermaid. I connected with each character. The plotlines were all very well written. The only thing I didn’t like was how it went back and forth in time. Other than that, a wonderful book.

I would give Foam On The Crest Of Waves an Adult rating. There is sex but it is not graphic. There is language. There is violence. There are triggers. They would be the death of a parent, death of a spouse, cheating, traumatic accident, and talk of suicide. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Foam On The Crest Of Waves. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Foam On The Crest Of Waves.

All opinions stated in this review of Foam On The Crest Of Waves are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read Foam On The Crest Of Waves?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

A Nanny for Harry by Sylvia Mulholland

A Nanny for Harry by [Mulholland, Sylvia]

2.5 Stars

Publisher: Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Member’s Titles

Date of publication: April 1st, 2018

Genre: Parenting, Families, Women’s Fiction, General Fiction

Where you can find A Nanny for Harry: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

JUGGLING ON EMPTY? WHO’S YOUR NANNY?
Kali Miller hasn’t even given birth to baby Harry when doctor-husband Matt ‘helpfully’ hires a live-in nanny. Britta is svelte, blonde and beguiling, and Swedish enough to make any new mother insecure, especially one who looks and feels as ginormous post-delivery as she did the day before. But a nanny means Kali can go back to work at her law firm where she is desperate to make partner. The Millers’ seaside house will be nice and clean; their meals healthy and fresh, and Harry well looked after. It’s the only option, really, for career women like Kali.

But Britta’s idea of cooking is fiskpinnar (fish sticks) in the microwave. She leaves blonde hairballs between the sofa cushions and has cute, broken-English convos with Matt, leaving the dirty diapers and other chores for Kali. The only thing Britta has in common with those super-nannies that all Kali’s friends seem to have is that she’ll probably never quit. And of course, Harry adores her!

As Kali’s life becomes increasingly frenetic —not helped by a disgruntled client out to get her for a deal gone bad—she starts losing her grip on reality. The top brass at her firm now views her more as a potential liability, than partnership material. And Matt seems to have some mysterious ‘history’ with Harry’s nanny. Just who is this Britta Edvardsson? And what does she want with Matt… and little Harry?

My review:

Kali is a lawyer who is about to have her first baby. Her husband is a doctor who works crazy hours. After giving birth to Harry, Kali starts doing walk-throughs at the local daycares. What she sees doesn’t work for her and she mentions to Matt that it would be nice to have a live-in nanny. A few days later, he surprises her with Britta. Britta is slim, blonde and beautiful. That alone makes Kali insecure. But, she needs the help and allows her to stay. Kali thinks that with Britta there, the house would be clean, chores would be done and meals would be cooked along with the baby being looked after. Well, that was a dream. The only thing that Britta does is look after Harry. Everything else is left for Kali when she gets off work. Things come to a head when Kali suspects that there is more to Matt and Britta’s relationship than what he says. Will Kali get the truth from Matt? Or will their relationship implode?

I got the impression, from the blurb, that this book was going to be some sort of mystery/thriller. Instead, what I got was a book about how communication is good in a relationship and how assuming things always bites you in the butt. The blurb is not a great reflection on what this book is about.

At the beginning of the book, I felt bad for Kali. I remember those last weeks before I delivered my youngest child. I was miserable and swollen. I was snappy and emotional. I got it and sympathized with her. But, as the book went on, my sympathy started to turn to annoyance. Instead of taking charge, she wallowed in pity. She wanted a different nanny. Other than complaining about it, she did nothing. She complained about Britta not cleaning or cooking. She could have made it clear that it was part of her job. She didn’t talk to Matt when she had suspicions. Instead, she stewed on them. In turn, she made life miserable for everyone in that house. It carried over to her work and she made some serious mistakes. Instead of taking the blame for that, she kept blaming her home life for her mistakes. By the end of the book, I was frustrated and wanted to smack her.

My sympathy lay with Britta. That poor girl. Kali put her through the wringer. Of course, since Kali couldn’t speak Swedish, Britta was calling her a few choice names to her face. Which made me laugh. I didn’t blame Britta. She was living with a woman who didn’t like or trust her. If I were her, I wouldn’t have gone back. I would have given Kali the two-finger salute.

I couldn’t believe the lack of communication between Matt and Kali. I didn’t like seeing their relationship go downhill because they didn’t talk. But, to be fair, the times that Kali did try to talk to Matt about what was going on, he shut her down. I thought Matt was a bit of a jerk. His comment in the delivery room along with what happened at the end of the book sealed the deal for me.

The storyline about Kali and her job added nothing to the story except how stressed she was. I started getting stressed out when reading what was going on with work.

The end of A Nanny for Harry was your typical ending. But it didn’t ring true to me. I didn’t get that Kali could be so accepting about Britta. I mean, she didn’t like her the entire book. The sudden acceptance of her didn’t sit well with me. I couldn’t understand how Matt never mentioned certain things from his past and his relationship with Britta.

The author did a great job at wrapping up all the storylines. There was nothing left hanging. There were also there were no dropped storylines. I thought that the Kali and Britta storyline had good bones to it. If the author went the way I thought she was going to, this book would have gotten a higher rating from me. I also felt that the characters weren’t as fleshed out as they could have been.

I gave A Nanny for Harry a 2.5-star rating. The book was wonderfully written but I couldn’t get into it. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. The one thing that I liked about this book was that it did show that life after having a child isn’t always perfect.

I would give A Nanny for Harry an Adult rating. There is no sex (imagine that!!). There is mild violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would not reread A Nanny for Harry. I also would not recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Sylvia Mulholland, Independent Book Publisher’s, and Member’s Titles for allowing me to read and review A Nanny for Harry.

All opinions are stated in this review of A Nanny for Harry are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Have you read A Nanny for Harry?

Love it? 

Hate it?

Meh about it?

Let me know!!!

Mr. Nice Guy by Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer

Mr. Nice Guy

2 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: October 16th, 2018

Genre: Romance

Where you can find Mr. Nice Guy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lucas Callahan gave up his law degree, fiancée and small-town future for a shot at making it in the Big Apple. He snags an entry-level job at Empire magazine, believing it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a famous writer. And then late one night in a downtown bar he meets a gorgeous brunette who takes him home…

Carmen Kelly wanted to be a hard-hitting journalist, only to find herself cast in the role of Empire’s sex columnist thanks to the boys’ club mentality of Manhattan magazines. Her latest piece is about an unfortunate—and unsatisfying—encounter with an awkward and nerdy guy, who was nice enough to look at but horribly inexperienced in bed.

Lucas only discovers that he’s slept with the infamous Carmen Kelly—that is, his own magazine’s sex columnist!—when he reads her printed take-down. Humiliated and furious, he pens a rebuttal and signs it, “Nice Guy.” Empire publishes it, and the pair of columns go viral. Readers demand more. So the magazine makes an arrangement: Each week, Carmen and Lucas will sleep together… and write dueling accounts of their sexual exploits.

It’s the most provocative sexual relationship any couple has had, but the columnist-lovers are soon engaging in more than a war of words: They become seduced by the city’s rich and powerful, tempted by fame, and more attracted to each other than they’re willing to admit. In the end, they will have to choose between ambition, love, and the consequences of total honesty.

My Review:

So, the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the title of this book was the Alice Cooper song. I had this song running through my head the entire time I was reading the book. Too bad I didn’t like the book as much as I liked the song. Which was sad because I wanted to like this book.

I wanted to like Mr. Nice Guy. I thought the blurb was fantastic and described the book well. I was excited to read it. My excitement waned after the first chapter and was gone by the middle of the book. By the time I finished the book, I gave myself a mental high-five for getting through a book that was boring, unrelatable and unrealistic.

Mr. Nice Guy had a good plotline. Lucas is trying to make it big in NYC. Working as a fact checker in a popular magazine, he aspires to be a famous journalist one day. He needs his big break. One night, he picks up a gorgeous woman in a bar. Thinking it was an unremarkable one night stand, Lucas soon sees an article written by a sex columnist that describes their one night stand. Boring and inexperienced were the nicest thing that she wrote. That columnist is Carmen Kelly and she works at the same magazine as him. Lucas writes up a rebuttal signed Mr. Nice Guy and watches as it goes viral. Soon, Carmen and Lucas (who is still known as Mr. Nice Guy) are writing a dueling column. Once a week, they get together, have sex and then write about it. Nothing could go wrong, right?

When the book started off, I felt bad for Lucas. He was working his butt off checking facts but was getting nowhere. While enchanted with the City, he feels that he is getting nowhere. Then he meets and sleeps with Carmen. The article and his rebuttal launches his career into the stratosphere. Then I started seeing a side of Lucas that I didn’t like. He was selfish and self-centered. He gave little thought to his actions and how they would affect people. All he wanted to fame. And when he got it, he wasn’t sure what to do with it. Carmen tried to warn him but he didn’t listen to her. Towards the end of the book, my dislike turned to apathy. All his “good deeds” were done to ease his conscience. To be frank: Lucas was a huge jerk and I couldn’t stand him.

Not that Carmen was any better. She was bitter and it came across in her writing. She wanted to be so much more than a sex columnist and was frustrated that she wasn’t taken seriously. I thought her article slamming Lucas was awful. I did start to like her the more I read about her. She did care about Lucas, as much as she denied it the first few weeks they were doing the article. It was her interactions with Mira, her grandmother, that I saw a different side of her. A side that I liked. Towards the end of the book, I felt bad for her. She got the short end of the stick with what Lucas did. It cost her everything but she found her true calling.

I wouldn’t classify this book as a romance. To have a romance, you need chemistry. I saw none of that in this book. They had zero chemistry together. Zero. The lack of chemistry figured hugely in my review.

Going with the lack of chemistry, I thought the sex was bland and unoriginal. I also thought that them having sex for a magazine article was a mood killer for me. I like it when my characters spontaneous, unexpected sex. Not scheduled sex that was dissected in a magazine article. What also made me go “Eh” was that Lucas slept with two other women while sleeping with Carmen. One being a call girl and there was no mention of condoms being used. As soon as I realized this was happening while he was having sex with Carmen, all I could think of was “I hope he’s getting tested for STD’s” and “I hope Carmen is getting tested“. That wasn’t sexy or a turn on. It skeeved me out.

The secondary plotline with Lucas’s friend Nicolas was weird. I felt that it had no bearing on the story at all until the end. Nicholas was a rich friend who came in and out of Lucas’s life. Then, he started to figure more into it. Also, the same thing went for the storyline with Jays. Which tied into the storyline with Nicholas. It didn’t belong in the book and felt out-of-place.

The end of Mr. Nice Guy was meh. While I understood what happened, I was hoping, praying that there would be more. Instead, it was a lukewarm ending that halfheartedly wrapped up all the secondary storylines. While I understand not every book can have a happy ending, I was hoping for more of a resolution with Lucas and Carmen’s storyline.

What I liked about Mr. Nice Guy:

  1. The storyline. It has potential
  2. Carmen towards the end of the book
  3. That’s it

What I disliked about Mr. Nice Guy:

  1. Lucas. I didn’t like him
  2. Carmen the beginning of the book
  3. Lack of chemistry and sexual tension

I gave Mr. Nice Guy a 2-star rating. While I thought the storyline was interesting, I couldn’t get into the story. I didn’t like the main characters and couldn’t connect with them. I felt that there were zero chemistry and sexual attraction in the book. Also, Lucas having multiple sex partners at the same time didn’t do it for me. I was left feeling unfulfilled by the ending.

I would give Mr. Nice Guy an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is some mild violence. I would suggest that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I will not reread Mr. Nice Guy. I also will not recommend it to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Mr. Nice Guy.

All opinions stated in this review of Mr. Nice Guy are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

A Spark of Light

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2018

Genre: General Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Where you can find A Spark of Light: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Goodreads synopsis:

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

Jodi Picoult—one of the most fearless writers of our time—tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation . . . and, hopefully, understanding.

My review:

I went into reading A Spark of Light with an open mind. I am not a person who likes to read things that can start debates and cause strife in real life. Which is why I stick to romance/fantasy/horror..etc. So reading A Spark of Light for review is not something I would do. But I liked the blurb. I wanted to see what the author had to say about the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate. I wanted to see where this book would go. I will tell you all this. I was not expecting such a well-written book that explored both sides of the debate.

What I liked about this book was how it was written. It started at the end and ended at the beginning. This is a different written style then what I am used to and it could have failed. But, for me, it didn’t. I felt that it revealed everything at the right time. It wasn’t without its faults. There were times, at the beginning of the chapters, where I was confused by what was going on. But that cleared up after the first paragraph. Other than that, this writing style worked for me.

I also liked how the characters were portrayed. Instead of having a clear line between good and bad, the author blurred it. Which I thought was fantastic. Because of the topic she chose to write about, those lines should be blurred. The only one whose line wasn’t blurred was the shooter, George. But even then, I couldn’t help but have some pity for him.

I did like how the author handled the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate. She explored both sides and why the people felt the way they did. Take, for instance, the Dr. His decision to do abortions came from his mother dying of one in a backroom one when he was younger. He was deeply faithful but he also understood that women needed the correct medical help if they wanted to end a pregnancy. Or the undercover pro-choicer. She was trying to ease the guilt for an abortion she had when she was a teenager. She felt by being a fanatic about it, she would be absolved of sin. The author made me think about what each of those people was going through. What brought them to that clinic at that exact point in time.

The end of the book was good but I wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to know how the other storylines ended. The only one that was mentioned was Wren and we knew what happened to the other people who were within the clinic. Also, I wanted to know what happened to Beth. My frustration level with the ending was through the roof.

What I liked about A Spark of Light:

  1. Well written book
  2. The writing style
  3. How the author handled the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate.

What I disliked about A Spark of Light:

  1. The shooter
  2. How Beth was treated in the hospital
  3. The ending

I gave A Spark of Light a 4-star review. This is a well-written book that will make you think about the Pro-Choice/Pro-Life debate. I did have an issue with storylines not being ended and that did figure into my review. Other than that, I enjoyed reading this book.

I would give A Spark of Light an Adult rating. There is sex, but it is not graphic. There is language. There is violence. There are also scenes where abortions are done (both at home and at the clinic). I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread A Spark of Light. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. But I would throw in a warning about the abortion scenes.

I would like to thank Ballantine Books, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review A Spark of Light.

All opinions stated in this review of A Spark of Light are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain

The Dream Daughter

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: October 2nd, 2018

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Where you can find The Dream Daughter: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel. 

When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before—and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background shrouded in secrets, Hunter embraced the Sears family and never looked back. 

Now, Hunter is telling her that something can be done about her baby’s heart. Something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Caroline has. Something that will need a kind of strength and courage that Caroline never knew existed. Something that will mean a mind-bending leap of faith on Caroline’s part.

And all for the love of her unborn child.

A rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother’s quest to save her child, unite her family and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.

My review:

This is another book that took my breath away while reading it. I went into reading The Dream Daughter with little expectations. From what I read in the blurb, I thought it was going to be your typical time travel book. While it was that, it was also so much more. That is what made me love this book. I would also warn, please read with tissues. You are going to need them.

The Dream Daughter starts off in Nag’s Head Island, North Carolina in 1970. Caroline is widowed and pregnant. She found out that her unborn daughter has a fatal heart defect (for that era). This is a devastating blow since her husband was killed in Vietnam 7 months earlier. Then her brother-in-law drops a bombshell. He tells her that he can save her baby. But to do it, he needs to send her forward in time. To the year 2001, where there is a new surgery that could save her baby. Desperate, Carly agrees. But things go sideways when the baby is born and needs to be in NICU longer than expected. A series of events forces Carly to jump back to 1970. Desperate to get her baby, she jumps back to the future. Except it is the year 2013, her daughter is a preteen and has been adopted by a well to do family. While there, Carly discovers something that shakes her to the core. Something that makes her chose between staying with her daughter or going back to 1970.

I liked Carly. First, she was determined to save her child. As any mother would be. I can’t imagine being told that my child had an incurable heart defect. Her disbelief when Hunter told her about the surgery and what she would have to do to get there came off the pages. I would have said the same thing if my brother-in-law told me that he was a time traveler from the future. I liked how she chose to believe Hunter. All because she wanted her baby to have a chance at life.

The scenes in the NICU broke my heart. My youngest daughter was sent to NICU shortly after she was born and spent a week there. A short visit compared to some of the babies but still, a stressful time in my life. Every emotion that I had been mirrored by Carly. My heart broke for her. The baby was the last tie to her husband, who was killed in Vietnam.

I liked how the author explained how time traveling was discovered and used. I thought it was interesting that the travelers had to step off of things to get to where they were going. Carly had to step off a pier, a stone bridge in Central Park and a tree house to reach the portals. I also loved the 5 times rule. The traveler could only travel 5 times. If they travel a 5th time, they disappear. No one knows where the traveler goes or if they are alive.

I should mention Hunter since he was a major part of getting Carly to the future. I thought he was great. What he did was out of love for Carly and her unborn baby. He didn’t take into consideration that so many things would go wrong with Joanna. His worry about when Carly would come back was palpable. He couldn’t go fetch Carly because that would be his 5th trip. So he was stuck and the worrying was taking a toll on him. I loved teenage him. I was giggling to myself as I read those scenes because I could picture it in my head. I have 2 sisters that would be his age and I remember how they were.

The last half of the book broke my heart. When Carly jumped to 2013 to find Joanna, I didn’t know what to expect. I was ready to find out that Joanna was in an awful home with parents who didn’t care about her. It would have made taking Joanna back to 1970 a lot easier. But, instead, she had parents that loved her. They gave her the world and then some. Of course, they were a little suspicious of Carly when she came into the scene but they soon warmed up to her. I did think, for a while, that Carly was going to stay in 2013. But that didn’t happen.

The end of the book was surprising. There was a twist to the plot line that I didn’t see coming. While it didn’t come out of left field, it still left me shocked. I also understood why Carly made the decision she did. The epilogue was the most surprising. Not going to say what but I will say that I love it when things come in full circle!!!

What I liked about The Dream Daughter:

A) Carly. She had an inner strength that I loved

B) Hunter. He did what he thought was best for Carly.

C) Joanna. OMG, I loved her. She was hilarious and reminded me of my daughter.

What I disliked about The Dream Daughter:

A) The NICU scenes. They brought back some unpleasant memories for me

B) Carly’s decision at the end of the book

C) Hunter’s mother. She was cold.

I would give The Dream Daughter an Older Teen rating. There is no sex. There is some mild violence. There is some mild language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

There are no triggers for The Dream Daughter.

I would reread The Dream Daughter. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Dream Daughter.

All opinions stated in this review of The Dream Daughter are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Eight Goodbyes by Christine Brae

4 Stars

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

Date of publication: August 28th, 2018

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Where you can find Eight Goodbyes: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

“One universe, nine planets, 204 countries, 809 islands, and 7 seas. And I had the privilege of meeting you.” – Unknown

When Tessa Talman meets Simon Fremont for the first time, not only is she attracted to him, she’s intrigued by how different their lives are. He’s a dedicated scientist, practical, pragmatic, and grounded—while she’s a head-in-the-clouds romance author. As their relationship grows, they agree to meet in places around the world, while continuing to live on opposite sides of the globe.

Though their feelings for each other deepen, their priorities remain the same. Simon is in a hurry to be financially sound and settle down, but Tessa is enjoying her freedom and newfound success. Neither is willing to give in, but as each goodbye gets harder, Tessa begins to wonder whether fame is the path to happiness, or if she has everything she needs in Simon.

Just as Tessa finds the courage to go after her own happily ever after, the unthinkable happens, separating them in ways they never imagined. 

To move forward, she must let go of the past, and determine once and for all if love is truly more powerful than the pain of goodbye.

My review:

I was iffy for a while with Eight Goodbyes. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. The way it was written definitely added to my first feelings about it. Let me explain. The book is broken up into two halves. In each half, the book is further broken up into sections. Those sections are labeled “First Goodbye, Second Goodbye, and so on“. Within the section, the storyline goes between Tessa and Simon. Like I said, it was a bit confusing for me to read at first because (for example), Tessa’s part of the book would end and Simon’s would pick up. No letting me, the reader, know that there was going to be a switch. It just happened. To be honest, that is a huge pet peeve of mine in books.  But, as the book went on, I started liking how the POV’s changed without notice. Which is the first and only time you will read me putting this down.

Eight Goodbyes is Tessa and Simon’s love story. Meeting on an airplane, Tessa and Simon enter a very unconventional relationship. For most of the first half of the book, Tessa is uncertain if she wants to be with Simon. Simon, however, is head over heels in love with Tessa and would do anything to be with her. Tessa soon realizes that Simon is hers and she is willing to have her happily ever after. But a tragedy separates them for 3 years. A chance phone call from Simon makes Tessa realize that some things are worth fighting for. Will she fight for her love? Or will she let it slip through her fingers?

I am going to be blunt here. I didn’t like Tessa for 90% of the book. Did I pity her? Yes, she had an awful backstory. But I didn’t like her. I thought the way that she treated Simon was horrible. Example: She invites him to Las Vegas. He shows and she blows him off to sleep with her male model. Then tries to rationalize it to Simon when he confronts her. This same pattern went on until Greece (minus the sleeping with her male model). I wanted to throttle her. Here Simon is, offering her his heart, and she is stomping all over it. But, the author did something that I didn’t expect. She made Tessa grow up in the 2nd half of the book. She was damaged but she was mature. There was a point where Tessa is looking at old pictures and realizes how immature she was. She also realizes how badly she treated Simon. By the end of the book, my dislike for her turned into respect. Not a lot of woman would stick around when Simon revealed certain things.

While I liked Simon, I thought he was a pushover in the first half of the book. There were points where I wanted to shake him and say “Dude, you had a nice girl in Maxine. Go back to her“. Instead, I had to read while he is being left out of important things that are going on in Tessa’s life. When Tessa agreed to marry him, I did wait for the other shoe to drop. Sadly, it did with horrible consequences. When he was reintroduced in the 2nd half of the book, I was shocked by what happened to him. I also felt bad for him when Tessa broke her “surprise” to him. I was expecting him to tell her to go take a hike after that. I know I would have.

The chemistry between Simon and Tessa was there. Even though Tessa was a jerk, it didn’t mean that they had sparks. They did. The chemistry was red hot. Sparks flew when they got together.

The sex scenes were perfect. They weren’t too explicit but were explicit enough to know what was going on. I wouldn’t describe them as red-hot but they were close.

The secondary characters were the backbone of this book. They added a depth to the storyline that wouldn’t have been there otherwise.

The second half of the book was a heart-tugger for sure. I have to hand it to the author, she knew how to turn a character around.

The end of the book made me cry. Not going to say why but it struck a nerve with me. I loved how all the secondary storylines were resolved and tied into the main storyline. I liked the little twist that she threw in at the beginning of the second half of the book. I wasn’t expecting it!!

What I liked about Eight Goodbyes:

A) Tessa at the end of the book

B) The chemistry between Simon and Tessa

C) Simon.

What I disliked about Eight Goodbyes:

A) The book was confusing to read at first

B) Tessa at the beginning of the book

C) Simon’s reaction to Tessa’s news.

I gave Eight Goodbyes a 4-star review. This was a good romance. The characters might not have been likable but the author showed that people could change. I did find the book confusing to read in the beginning. Also, Tessa was not a favorite of mine. But the book evened out and I ended up enjoying the book.

I gave Eight Goodbyes an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Eight Goodbyes. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Vesuvian Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Eight Goodbyes.

All opinions stated in this review of Eight Goodbyes are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey

Not Her Daughter

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: August 21st, 2018

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse, Kidnapping

Where you can find Not Her Daughter: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.

Emma Townsend is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.

Sarah Walker. Successful Entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.

Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal—and when a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her, far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?

Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure she wants her daughter back.

Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now she’s gone without a trace.

As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return—and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.

Emotionally powerful and wire-taut, Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.

My review:

Not Her Daughter is one of those books that you need to read with tissues. It is also a thought-provoking book. It makes you think how far would you go to help an abused child. And how far is too far? What this book also showed is how people turn a blind eye to problems that aren’t their own. At any point, the school/neighbors/babysitter could have stepped up for Emma. But they didn’t. No one wanted to rock the boat. No one wanted to take that extra step to help Emma until Sarah arrived.

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I know this is going sound weird, but I kind of felt for Amy right after Sarah took Emma. My sympathy was taken away as the story went on. She became unlikable. She only thought about herself. Not about Emma. Not about her husband or son. Just about herself. I came to the conclusion at the end of the book that she was some sort of sociopath. She deserved everything that happened to her after Emma was taken.

On the same note, I couldn’t believe how clueless Emma’s father was. How could you not notice your wife mistreating your child? How could you not see the bruises or even the fact that your child was malnourished? I know most people would feel bad for him, but I didn’t. He lived with his head in the sand. He did end up doing the right thing in the end by leaving Amy but still. Too little, too late.

Sarah was such a great character to read. She was conflicted and man, did she have her demons. I thought seeing Sarah so torn on taking Emma was great. She wasn’t a bad person but she did something that was horrible. Even if it was to protect a child. Her demons did show up during the book. Between the ex that she shouldn’t have let get away to her very childhood, she was forced to face them. I like how it was done during the book. I also liked how Sarah learned and grew from facing them.

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Emma was the only one that I felt completely bad for. Her mother hated her. Why? Because she was prettier than Amy. Yes, you read that right. So, she ended up getting the short end of the stick. She was neglected, beaten and not fed right. Then Sarah comes along and takes her. Don’t get me wrong, it was for the better. Emma thrived with Sarah. But still. Even at the end of the book, Emma was treated like some sort of hot commodity. Emma did get a chance to make her choice and I was pretty happy with what she chose.

The child abuse angle was very well written. The author did a great job of giving enough detail so you knew what was going on. But she didn’t give too much. I have read books that give too much detail. Which is fine. But in this case, it wasn’t needed.

The kidnapping angle held enough oomph to keep my attention. Sarah’s run from the law while trying to heal a wounded child and deal with her own issues. The author did a great job at not dropping the ball with that. The urgency was there and it did not let up. I did think that Sarah going to her ex’s cabin was a bit of a fail but I could see why she did it.

I do not like more than 2 POV’s. I get thrown off the storyline. But in this book, it works. I got to see what was going on in all 3 people’s minds as this drama unfolded. It fascinated me and kept me reading.

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The end of the book was anticlimactic for me. I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t that. I felt let down. After everything that happened in the book, I expected more out of the ending. I loved the epilogue. Thought it was one of the best ones I have read to date.

What I liked about Not Her Daughter:

A) Thought provoking

B) Sarah.

C) The epilogue

What I disliked about Not Her Daughter:

A) Amy. She was an unlikable character

B) The abuse Emma endured

C) The people in the book that turned a blind eye to what was going on with Emma.

I would give Not Her Daughter an Adult rating. There is language. There is violence. There are sexual situations (but no real sex). I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings in Not Her Daughter. They would be child abuse and kidnapping. If any of those trigger you, I suggest not to read this book.

I would recommend Not Her Daughter to family and friends. I would also reread this book.

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I would like to thank St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Not Her Daughter.

All opinions stated in this review of Not Her Daughter are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick

The Phantom Tree

4 Stars

Publisher: Harlequin-Graydon House Books (U.S. & Canada), Graydon House

Date of publication: August 21st, 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Mystery

Where you can find The Phantom Tree: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

“My name is Mary Seymour and I am the daughter of one queen and the niece of another.”

Browsing antiques shops in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across a delicate old portrait – supposedly of Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better… The woman is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 as an unwanted orphan and presumed dead after going missing as a child.

The painting is more than just a beautiful object from Alison’s past – it holds the key to her future, unlocking the mystery surrounding Mary’s disappearance, and the enigma of Alison’s son.

But Alison’s quest soon takes a dark and foreboding turn, as a meeting place called the Phantom Tree harbors secrets in its shadows…

Trigger Warning: Infanticide

Continue reading “The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick” →