Review: One Perfect Summer

One Perfect Summer by Brenda Novak
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The premise for this book is creative and current. One of the protagonists, Serenity, takes a commercial DNA test as part of a new book she is writing and discovers 2 sisters that she didn't know anything about before this. They exchange emails prior to meeting as a group for a week stay at one of the sister's vacation house. Immediately there is drama. From the weather conspiring against them to each having issues that seem to conflict with one of the other sisters, and it is ongoing from there.
I really enjoyed the idea behind this book and some of the aspects of the characters, I honestly didn't really care about them as much as I wanted to. Each is flawed in her own way and that added to the mystery of who they are as individuals and how they came to be without knowing each other. None of their parents who raised each has ever let on the background to explain the story of their birth.
This is a fun read with some newer ideas.
Thank you for the early copy to review.
#OnePerfectSummer #Netgalley #HarlequinMira

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Review: Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story by Debbie Tung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Girls Weekend

The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book and read part and used the audiobook for part. The story was good but somewhat predictable.
The story is based on a group of college friends who were very tight in school and have drifted apart over the following years. The protagonist, June Moody, initially hesitates to attend due to her difficult relationship with the friend who is hosting the event. The host is Sadie, who has always been June's nemesis. They both were in love with the same guy during college with June initially having a relationship with him but rejects him and he marries Sadie. June decides to attend and things are awkward from the beginning.
During the weekend, a murder occurs and the remaining women were left to try to figure out who to trust and who may have done it. Meanwhile, they don't know if they can trust each other.
There are lots of things to like about this book. The interaction between characters, backstories and then the murder are all interesting aspects of the story. The audiobook was well done with a terrific narrator who added a lot to the story and pacing. My criticism was the fact that there wasn't much about this that was new to this sort of story.
Quick and decent story. Worth a read if you like who-done-it type stories with unreliable characters.
#TheGirlsWeekend #Netgalley #CrookedLaneBooks

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Review: With or Without You

With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a story that evolves around a relationship between 3 main characters. There is Stella, the trustworthy RN who is in a live-in relationship with her partner, Simon, who is a musician. Early in their relationship, everything revolved around Simon's career and touring with his band. As they have matured together, he is itching to go back out on tour and Stella is longing to have a baby. They are having a massive discussion around these topics when they decide to drink and party. The following morning, after having decided nothing, Simon finds Stella unresponsive. He rushes her to the hospital and her best friend is the doctor that takes care of her. As the story evolves, we get to hear the POV of each of these main characters and their interactions with each other and the world around them.
I enjoyed the POV from Stella the best because it seemed the most creative and insightful, as well as challenging to write. Her entire story arc is engaging. All three are unique and captivating in their own way.
I think my hesitation in giving this a full 5 stars was the essential problem that seemed to hold all the characters back in their lives, a lack of understanding and communication with their own families. Although it was interesting to see the backstory and how misunderstandings were a huge part of what shaped these characters, it was frustrating for them to make so many decisions through avoidance rather than engagement, but then the story is wrapped up a little too neatly anyway. It felt to me like the character traits that lead someone to make poor decisions throughout their lives are not the sort of thing that magically disappear as a behavior pattern once there are more facts out in the open. This did not feel completely realistic to me.

I do recommend this as a completely enjoyable and relationship based novel.

#WithOrWithoutYou #Netgalley #AlgonquinBooks

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Review: The Mall

The Mall by Megan McCafferty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Night Swim

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Early review...pub date August 2020...more to come.

This was a good one!

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