Books

Below you will find reviews of the books I’ve read! I enjoy reading psychological thrillers and suspense novels, although I enjoy the beach books during summer months! I have also made it my goal to expand the genres I enjoy to include the occasional historical fiction novel. I rate my books on a five star scale and use suspense (for thrillers, of course), plot twists, level of engagement and story lines as guides for basing my ratings on. Be sure to check out my blog post highlighting other thrillers not listed below!

The Breakdown by B. A. Paris: This is the second book that I have read by B. A. Paris, and she has done it again! After she sees a car pulled over on an isolated road, Case is having trouble moving on. What’s troubling her so much is that the woman she saw in the car turned out to be dead. The guilt takes over Cass’ life, she starts forgetting everything and becomes paranoid. The silent phone calls she continually gets does not help put her mind at ease. The book’s ending was shocking in the best way – I did not expect it to end the way that it did! I give this book five out of five stars and cannot recommend it enough!

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty: This is the second book that I have read by Liane Moriarty. I do have to say, I enjoyed the first book a little more than this one, but I still liked reading this one! Cecilia Fitzpatrick finds a letter that she is instructed to open only in the event of her husband’s death. This letter, it turns out, holds the deepest, darkest secret; the secret to end all secretes. Once Cecilia reads the letter, her world is turned upside down. Who really is the man she married? How can Cecilia move forward knowing this secret? The note slowly brings together the everyday people of Cecilia’s life, and she feels she can no longer face them in the same way. Full of unexpected connections and surprises, this book will totally keep you on the edge of your seat! I give it a four out of five star rating.

Girl Last Seen by Nina Laurin: If you are looking for an easy-to-follow quick read, this is the book for you! Olivia Shaw has been missing since last Tuesday, making her the most recent girl to be reported missing in thirteen years. What’s more striking is how much Olivia looks like Lainey, which seems impossible, or is Lainey tucking away hard to admit truths about her past? The person who took Lainey – then Ella – was never caught, and no one has been reported missing, until Olivia Shaw. The ending of this book was so shocking, you will be so tempted to read it in one sitting just as I was! Although not quite as suspenseful as the other books I’ve read in this genre, I would still recommend this one and give it three out of five stars!

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen: I could not put this book down! Readers are advised to assume nothing when reading, and each twist makes you second-guess your assumptions (because honestly, it is so difficult to not assume you know what is going on). The Wife Between Us is written in a way that makes you believe you are reading the story of a jealous ex-wife wanting her husband back, desperately trying to stop his marriage to another woman. But as the details of the woman’s past marriage are revealed, the story is entirely the opposite of what the reader assumes. Definitely a four out of five star book!

My Husband’s Wife by Jane Corry: This book took a little white to get into. Split up into ‘then’ and ‘now’ sections, this book is told in alternating perspectives of Lily and Carla. As a child Carla begins spending time with Lily and Ed, newlyweds who are trying to make their marriage work. Lily is a lawyer and has been spending a lot of time with her client Joe, some might say too much time. Ed is a trying artists, constantly living in the shadow of Lily’s success. As the book carries on, Ed becomes famous for a painting of Carla, and she returns to England as a grown woman looking for compensation. Now a lawyer – just like Lily – Carla intends to do more than simply mirror her profession. Carla seeks the couple out for money for the painting of her, but this quest becomes much more. The plot twists are shocking and leave readers with so many questions that can only be answered at the book’s end. Definitely worth adding to your ‘to-read’ lists! I give this book three out of five stars.

The Girl Before by JP Delaney: This is definitely the most suspenseful book that I have read since I finished Behind Closed Doors. The ending was not what I expected at all! The book opens with a seemingly storybook beginning – a couple moving into a new house together after a break-in. Things seem to be going according to how you think they are: Emma Matthews telling her story of pursuing the individual who violated her in her previous home, falling for the architect who built the home she currently lives in and her new love with him; all of which is done in the past tense because Emma Matthews is dead. Paralleled in the present is Jane’s story and her attraction with the home’s architect while trying to unravel the truth behind Emma’s death. The mystery behind the house and the architect seem to be the culprit behind the similarities in patterns Jane finds, but nothing is as it seems. Highly recommend this book! Five out of five stars!

Lie to Me by J. T. Ellison: W-O-W. This was an absolutely incredible book. I flew through this one, frantically turning the pages as my heart pounded in my chest throughout the book. The story opens up with Sutton and Ethan, a married couple that the reader assumes has a bad marriage. But that could not be further from the truth. When Sutton decides to disappear without any trace, the case quickly turns into a homicide with Ethan as the sole suspect. But what if Ethan isn’t the bad person Sutton thinks he is? All it takes is a little manipulation to turn the lives of Ethan and Sutton Montclair upside down, for better or for worse. The first page of the novel begins by saying, “you aren’t going to like me very much…truly, deep down, you are going to despise me.” From trying to figure out who this person is to the twists and turns the novel takes the reader through, this book has everything that a good thriller has. Do yourself a favor and read it, you won’t be sorry! Five out of five stars.

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn: I have to say, this book begins rather slowly but quickly picks up speed towards the end. Suffering from agoraphobia, Dr. Anna Fox has shut herself inside her house and away from the world. She uses her camera as her window to the world outside, but as her neighbors realize what she’s doing, she is thought to be “the crazy lady who drinks too much and never leaves the house.” One night Anna meets a woman she knows as Jane, but the woman isn’t who Anna thinks she is. When she sees something happen in “Jane’s” house across the street, Anna is convinced that Jane is in trouble – but she cannot prove that this woman exists nor can she convince the police that she saw what she did in her neighbor’s house. The growing anger that Jane’s husband shows to Anna only raises her suspicions, and their son Ethan helps Anna confirm her suspicions. But the twist that surprises readers halfway through the book changes everything in the story and keeps readers guessing until the end! I give this book four out of five stars.

The Cellar by Natasha Preston: This book was an easy read! I like how the book jumps right into the action and plot. While trying to find her friend in her seemingly boring town where nothing exciting happens, Summer walks through an empty field when a strange man addresses her as Lily and kidnaps her. Suddenly Summer’s town isn’t quite so boring. Trapped in the man’s basement, Summer – called Lily – endures seven long months of a living hell in which she sees and experiences things that no one should ever have to go through. The search carried out by Summer’s loved ones is the only thing that keeps her motivated to survive her ordeal. In terms of suspense, this book fell short of what I expected. I really enjoyed the fast pace that this novel has, but wished there was more suspense to it, so I give it three out of five stars.

Blood Sisters by Jane Corry: Although I enjoyed My Husband’s Wife a little more than this book, I still found it to be an easy read! This book was not all that suspenseful but it delivers an excellent story about two sisters who are living their lives after a terrible accident. Alison wants to start over and put the accident as far behind her as she can, while her half sister Kitty is having a much more difficult time doing so. Living in a special care facility, Kitty cannot speak or walk by herself. What’s more, she cannot remember the accident, but she just knows there is something she needs to say, but she can’t recall what. Alison takes up a job as an art teacher in a prison, which is not the job she thought it would be when a person from her past surfaces unwanted. I give this book two out of five stars, simply because it was not suspenseful in the way I thought it would be. I would still recommend giving this one a read!

The Last Place You Look by by Kristen Lepionka: This was a great book! It was a little slow in the beginning, but jumps right into the action from the start. Private investigator Roxane has been hired by Danielle Stockton to try and find a missing girl so that her brother will get off of death row for a crime he did not commit. As Roxane begins looking for the missing girl, Sarah, she gets in deeper and deeper with connections to other girls who have gone missing in the small town of Belmont. Already suspicious of the circumstances and similarities of the missing girls, Roxane begins getting even more wary as she notices the Belmont police are quick to make sure she is not in the town or able to work on the case. Roxane must battle her own personal demons, the Belmont police, and her self-doubt in her abilities as a PI in order to put the connections together and crack the case. The suspense is just enough to keep you reading and the climax of the book is not as suspenseful as I thought – it was an abruptly short rescue – but I definitely recommend this one! Three out of five stars!

The Apartment by S. L. Grey: This book started out very strong and although it held my attention to the very end, it got a little boring once readers find out the truth about the apartment that main characters Mark and Steph are renting. One dreadful evening, a stranger breaks into Mark and Steph’s home and robs Steph of her peace of mind. In an effort to put the event behind them, the couple finds a charming apartment on a house sharing website in Paris and packs their bags to head off on what was supposed to be a relaxing getaway. Upon their arrival, Steph and Mark are disappointed to find that the apartment was not as advertised, and strange things begin happening on their vacation, some of which follows the couple back to their lives in Cape Town. The ending of this book is not what I expected it to be, and I wish that the reason for the “haunting” in the dingy, falsely advertised apartment was something more intriguing than what it really was. Overall, I enjoyed the character development in this book and the close examination of marriage in a desperate time; it was wonderful to see the characters hold their own position through this hellish “vacation” while still sticking together. Four out of five stars for sure!

Some Women by Emily Liebert: To being with, I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I thought I would have. It was a warm, humorous story about three women who are all going through their own turmoils in their lives, and how such sad times can bring together three strangers. Throughout the book I kept thinking that the repetitive use of big words that didn’t seem to quite fit in the sentences just right distracted from the point and meaning of some paragraphs. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and I especially liked how the three different troubles of the women’s lives blended together to form a heartwarming story of friendship in the place you least expect it. Four out of five stars, totally worth reading!

Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank: I cannot express how much I loved this book! The story is centered around two couples – Adam and Eliza, and Carl and Eve –  who met some twenty years ago  by chance and have since reconvened at that same beach each year.  Throughout the book the two couples’ friendship is challenged when Adam and Eve are found asleep in Eve’s condo. Questions arise and Eliza realizes that this year, the two couples are fighting feelings of jealousy and heartbreak. Not only did the vacation start off rocky, as Eliza realizes Eve is the woman she wishes she could be, now Eliza is facing the devastating reality that her husband might prefer Eve over her; one of her best friends. Lighthearted and humorous, this book shows how friendships evolve over the years and how true friends can stick together no matter what. Five out of five stars, this is a summer must-read for sure!

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan: Words simply cannot describe how much I love this book! This is the wonderful story of a woman named Polly who moves to a charming, sleepy beachside town to start a new life after she left her husband and their shared business together. After finding an abandoned lighthouse, Polly does the impossible and turns it into a cozy home for her and throws herself into her hobby – baking bread. Polly soon meets a local beekeeper and is delighted to have someone to share her bread with, and her feelings as well. This heartwarming book is the story of starting over in a place one would least expect it. Easily a five out of five star story, I absolutely loved this book and everything about it!

P.S. from Paris by Marc Levy: This was a beautiful story about friendship and romance, which I really enjoyed! Looking to start a new life, Mia moves from London to Paris to escape her husband and life as a movie star. She joins a dating site and goes on an interesting date with American author Paul, who thinks said date is a business meeting set up by a friend. As one would guess, the date went poorly and both agreed to remain friends. However, they see quite a bit of each other and slowly, the friendship turns into something more, but not before Mia gets cold feet after learning about Paul’s involvement with his Korean translator – who is not who he thinks he is! Four out of five stars, as I wish there was a bit more romance to the story.

That Month in Tuscany by Inglath Cooper: I really enjoyed this book! After being stood up by her husband on their twentieth wedding anniversary trip to Italy, Lizzy decides to go alone. After falling onto the lap of one of her fellow passengers on her flight, Lizzy cannot get him out of her head, and is overjoyed to have run into him at the hotel she is staying at. One thing leads to another and suddenly Lizzy finds herself driving through the Italian countryside with rock star Ren Sawyer, at one point outrunning Lizzy’s husband who came to Italy to set things straight with his wife. There is an unexpected turn in this book that I was not expecting, and I thought it was going to take out the romantic element of the story. However, this twist in the plot contributed to the romance factor after all, making this story all the more enjoyable. Five out of five stars!