Review: The Shadows

The Shadows by Alex North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was hooked on this story very quickly!
I was reading the physical copy of this and enjoying it but today received the audiobook and it really added to the whole atmosphere and creepiness of the story. The narrators, #JohnHefferman and #HannahArterton did a wonderful job capturing the sense of fear and foreboding in this book. Once again Alex North has brought a terrific story through his writing.
The story is compelling in the plot and dual timeline, being told from the perspective of the characters and story of a horrific murder that occurred 25 years before in this small town and the current day timeline of one the main characters being summoned back to town for his mother's failing health. Paul had moved away for university and tried to not think about the events he lived through as a teen. This strategy was somewhat effective until he returned back home to handle his mother's final days. He is quickly drawn back into the previous events and then current events that seem to follow the same course. I enjoyed some of the locales and the references to North's prior book, The Whisper Man.
My only critique of the story is a pet peeve of mine, and may have to occur when marketing the same book in the UK and USA. There are many phrases and terms used throughout the audiobook that were believable as read by narrators with UK accents and the story is clearly set in England. There is also the reverse where terms are artificially changed for the US crowd and it sounds awkward with an English narrator. I found several instances where the physical book had one version and the audiobook had the other. I don't believe there is anything lost in a novel that is kept in its original form, be that UK or USA. Most of people reading these books have enough experience with the differences in terms that we get it.
5/5
#Netgalley #NetgalleyAudiobooks #TheShadows #CeledonBooks #MacmillanAudio

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Review: Mexican Gothic

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Beach Read

Beach Read by Emily Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Dilemma

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book! Aaagghhh! The story is told hour by hour on Livia’s 40th birthday, as she is anticipating her party that she has dreamed about for years. The party is over the top because she had a shotgun wedding that her parents did not approve of and one of her biggest wishes for the party is that her estranged parents come and they reconcile with her and her family. In the meantime, as each chapter alternates from a different character’s perspective, time is ticking away and Adam, Livia’s husband, realizes some possible awful news that he knows, if true, will break his wife’s heart.
The questions become what do you know, when did you know it and when do you share it? These are a few of the heart wrenching questions that this family must face in the days and months. This makes for a page turning premise for a book.
I really loved most of this book, the story for sure and the writing were good. The only thing that I disliked, and this may have been only me, was the constant repetition of pieces of the story or the characters’ inner thoughts and imaginings. At first, this was a tolerable method for the story to go but eventually it became tedious. I don’t think it distracted so much that I disliked it, I just wanted to get on with it.
Definitely recommend. 4/5
Thanks for the early copy for review. #TheDilemma #Netgalley #StMartinsPress

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Review: The Second Home

The Second Home by Christina Clancy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a beautifully written book about siblings who return home together after many years. They discover the challenges and changes that occur when people return to their roots. What a great story of the messiness of life and family drama. This is the type of book that draws you in and embraces the difficult relationships people have as they grow up and apart, told in a lovely way.
Thank you #Netgalley #StMartinsPress and #TheSecondHome for the early copy to review.
Definitely recommend.

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Review: Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Sagar’s previous book, Lock Every Door, so I had high expectations for this one. I was definitely not disappointed! I thought I had figured out “the twist” about 2/3 of the way through the book but the twists kept coming to make this a roller-coaster of a story.
This is a story within a story with dual timelines and one of those timelines told from the perspective of the Book, a nonfiction account written by the father of the protagonist’s time living in this expansive house when she was five. The family knows that the house has a creepy history and when Maggie inherits the house as an adult, she is determined to uncover the truth about the past and what is written in the Book, which she has always questioned as truth.
The pacing of this was his best yet. It really kept the pages turning. I also loved the Gothic haunted house setting and not knowing who was a reliable character. This really left the story wide open and a great read.
Highly, highly recommend this!
#botm #HomeBeforeDark #Dutton #RileySagar

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Review: Trump Revealed: The Definitive Biography of the 45th President

Trump Revealed: The Definitive Biography of the 45th President by Michael Kranish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border

The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to #Netgalley #HarperCollinsPublishers #HarperOne for the early review copy of this book.
I have read American Dirt and given all the controversy surrounding that book's release, I felt as though reading an #ownvoices story of immigration from Mexico or in this case, Central America, would be a good counter-balance. A sort of check to my response to AD and the issues raised.
Personally, although there are some similarities in the topics, this is a more personal story in my opinion than AD. I appreciated the chapters told from Rosayra"s perspective. These detailed the reasons for needing to flee Guatemala and the experiences she and her children faced in this process. She emphasizes the fact that no one chooses to flee their home country lightly. This is a difficult and courageous choice for those in need of protection for themselves and their children. Then to be met at the border, first by compassionate men and women doing the job of Border Patrol and then the second time, by the opposite response. Her faith is inspiring and I hope continues to grow.
Julie's contribution of telling the story from an activist side of the picture and how she and others were able to quickly put this community of helpers in place is also an interesting and inspiring part of this book. The vast network that Julie was able to put together is impressive. There are also websites and other information at the end of the book that tells readers how they can help if they are interested.
Thank you to both of these women for the powerful voices and this truly incredible story.

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Review: The House Guest

The House Guest by Mark Edwards
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story! A real page-turner, that just builds steam as it races to the conclusion.
First off, the pacing of this thriller was terrific. The author’s ability to bring in characters and ideas, while continually building towards the conclusion was spot on. Well done.
The story itself begins with two couples who meet during a cruise. One couple is living in NYC and the other is from the UK. The English couple, Adam and Ruth are young, dating and each trying to improve their career standing. Ruth is an actress who is set to star in her first Broadway show and Adam is a struggling writer/playwright. The NYC couple, Jack and Mona, are married and planning a summer visit to a retreat that requires them to need house sitters. They offer their home to their new friends. All is going well until a young woman claiming to be friends with Jack and Mona comes to the door claiming that she was planning to stay with them. As Adam and Ruth befriend Eden, they offer to let her stay with them. Everything seems great but imagine how you would handle this sort of situation. It’s rather easy to think you would never allow a stranger into your home to stay. But most of us are fairly naive in this kind of social situation and may very well make similar decisions. This is a key ingredient for a great story.
There are twists and turns throughout. Who do you really know? Who can be trusted?
This is an entertaining and highly readable book. I highly recommend it.
Thank you for the early copy for review.
#TheHouseGuest #Netgalley #AmazonPublishingUK #MarkEdwards

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Review: Catherine House

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a gothic, atmospheric, suspenseful debut about a group of students at an elite university. I adore books about universities or boarding schools, so this was right up my alley. The protagonist is a troubled, isolated and poor girl who is encouraged by a teacher at her high school who was a graduate of “Catherine House”, an intense and challenging school that isolates the students to the school for a three-year degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. Depending on their gifts, they are separated into fields of study. The most secretive and intense, that Catherine House is most known for, is the study of “plasm”. This is a unique concept that some students are extremely competitive about studying.
The protagonist is not the sort of student who wants to be absorbed by her studies and she struggles at times. But she perceptive and attentive to those around her. She is also skeptical of this selective program and the work being done in it.
This book was somewhat slow at the beginning but about halfway through it I was captivated by the story and zipping through the pages.
Well done story in the end that I really enjoyed.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsPublishers and #CustomHouse for the eARC.
4/5

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Review: Sister Dear

Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was really about the relationship between sisters when life doesn’t hand them gifts equally. I found this to have some thriller components but as a whole did not read like a typical thriller. I liked the ending more than the rest of the book. This pacing or plot setup wasn’t my favorite. I would say that it was an okay read. I would try other books by this author.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing and #MIRA for the eARC for review.
3/5

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Review: This Is How I Lied

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was able to listen to the audiobook of this as I read and it kept me up way past my bedtime. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and plot.
The story is based around a cold case murder that has occurred 25 years previously. It is now being investigated in the light of new evidence by a detective who was the best friend to the murdered girl. The nuances of this story really kept me reading. I also thought the plot twists were terrific and unexpected.
My only critique is that I felt that a major plot point was never fully resolved to my preference, it would be a spoiler to say what it was, so I will leave it at that. It detracted from the story slightly.
Overall, I recommend this for any thriller lovers.
Thanks for the early release copy to review.
#Netgalley #ThisIsHowILied #HarlequinTradePublishing #ParkRow

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Review: The Burning

The Burning by Laura Bates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I appreciated this story of a mother who moves her children to a new country, Scotland, to try to protect her daughter from the bullying directly and through social media techniques previously. As a teen who is facing the ongoing bullying over a single event that labeled her as a "slut" and other negative terms, she is trying to rebuild her life in her new town. One of the assignments she is given is to research a town person whose history might be unique or interesting. She chooses a woman accused of witchcraft and this leads her down fascinating roads. Unfortunately, she is unable to keep the separation between her prior life and her current life. This leads to an interesting story and conclusion.
Overall, this was a good book and I listened to part of it on audiobook which enhanced the story.
I recommend this, especially for YA readers who want a unique story that takes on the issues of bullying and harassment that teens often face.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy.
#TheBurning #Netgalley #SourceBooksFire

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Review: The "I Love My Air Fryer" Keto Diet 5-Ingredient Recipe Book: From Bacon and Cheese Quiche to Chicken Cordon Bleu, 175 Quick and Easy Keto Recipes

The "I Love My Air Fryer" Keto Diet 5-Ingredient Recipe Book: From Bacon and Cheese Quiche to Chicken Cordon Bleu, 175 Quick and Easy Keto Recipes by Sam Dillard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wonderful collection of recipes that are simple to prepare and specific to using your Air Fryer. I bought an Air Fryer about a year ago and have loved it so far but have not liked that my old cookbooks are not made for its use. So I was relying on some online sources and a lot of trial and error. This book offers a lot of straight forward recipe ideas that can all be used in the Air Fryer. The added benefit is that they are also specific to a keto diet. The recipes choose ingredients that are generally easy to obtain in all the meal categories and are tasty as well. The added bonus is the recipes that are specifically "kid friendly". I appreciate this as many cookbooks are great for an adult palate but not necessarily approved by children.
Highly recommended. Thank you for the early copy.
#Netgalley #TheILoveMyAirFryerKetoDiet5IngredientRecipeBook #AdamsMedia
4.5/5

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Review: The Herd

The Herd by Andrea Bartz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a tough one. The premise of this book sounding promising to me. It is about a group of women, elite in their positions in the workplace, who follow their leader, Eleanor, the founder of The Herd. The idea is for this to be highly respected women to work together as members of The Herd and be supportive of each other. Then one night Eleanor goes missing. The mystery evolves around her disappearance and many who work with her are suspects.
I think my reluctance on this review is that I didn't really enjoy these characters or feel invested in their stories. And then the ending was not the great conclusion that I expected it to be. Overall, it is a good story but could have been even better.
#Netgalley #TheHerd #RandomHousePublishingBallantine #BallantineBooks

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Review: What Lies Between Us

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am officially hooked on John Marrs books! I first read The Passengers about a year or so ago and then What Lies Between Us came up and I grabbed it.
This was another page-turner that did not disappoint. Interestingly though, it is a very different thriller than his previous books. There is nothing futuristic or Science Fiction feeling in this one. It is a pure domestic thriller, but different from others in this group, because the tension is between mother and daughter.
For reference, I did not read (and have not read) the blurb about this book so I went into it without a frame of reference. This added to the suspense, in my opinion. This begins as a mother/daughter pair who live in the family home together in England. The daughter works at the library and appears to be caring for an ailing mother at their home. The story quickly becomes twisted as you realize that Mummy Dearest is not just a recluse (I was initially thinking The Woman In the Window), but actually something more sinister. As you turn the pages, the story is told in both dual POV and dual timelines. This backstory alters your impression of these characters as well as your understanding of events.
The chapters are short and page-turning. The story moves with twists and turns and is well worth the ride.Another terrific story from this author.
Highly recommend.
#Netgalley #WhatLiesBetweenUs #AmazonPublishingUK

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