Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: May 22, 2018

Publisher: Graydon House

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

Cady Davenport is living the American dream…

At least she’s supposed to be. She’s in a new city, with a new job and even a new fiancé . But when her husband-to-be hits the road for the upcoming presidential election, Cady realizes she’s on her own–and that her dream life might not be all she’d imagined.

Until she finds herself thrust straight into the heart of the most influential inner circle in Washington, DC: the campaign widows. As friends, they’re an unlikely group–a fabulous Georgetown doyenne, a speechwriter turned mommy blogger, an artsy website editor and a First Lady hopeful who’s not convinced she wants the job. But they share one undeniable bond: their spouses are all out on the trail during a hotly contested election season.

Cady is unsure of her place in their illustrious group, but with the pressures of the unprecedented election mounting, the widows’ worlds keep turning, faster than ever, as they hold down the fort while running companies, raising babies, racking up page views and even reinventing themselves. And their friendship might be just what Cady needs to find the strength to pursue her own happiness.

Review:

I’m not one to get too wrapped up with politics and I rarely read books based on the subject, but I knew just from reading the blurb of this one that it would be a fun read and I was right! While politicians and a crazy presidential race is the basis for the plot, this is also a super light and juicy look at the women behind the men in office.

This follows a group of women who are all campaign widows who bond over their relationship and parenting woes. While I enjoyed them all Reagan was my favorite, she’s a former speech writer turned advice columnist/blogger raising twins and I loved her brand of humor. There’s a little something for everyone here, between this eclectic cast of characters you would be hard pressed to not find one to love.

This was a fast and entertaining read with dishy gossip and diverse enough for readers from any political party. Fans of women’s fiction set in a different world from the norm will enjoy this one!

Campaign Widows in three words: Juicy, Light and Breezy.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 1, 2018

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

Meredith Price is the luckiest woman alive. Her husband, Andrew, is a charming and successful financial broker. She has two lovely stepchildren and is living in affluence in a mountain resort town. After three years of marriage, Meredith’s life has become predictable. Until the day she disappears.

Her car has been discovered in a grocery store parking lot—purse and phone undisturbed on the passenger seat, keys in the ignition, no sign of struggle, and no evidence of foul play. It’s as if she vanished into thin air.

It’s not like Meredith to simply abandon her loved ones. And no one in this town would have reason to harm her. When her desperate sister, Greer, arrives, she must face a disturbing question: What if no one really knows Meredith at all? For Greer, finding her sister isn’t going to be easy…because where she’s looking is going to get very, very dark.

Review:

Minka Kent is one of those authors who I think I’ll always follow closely based solely on the fact that she writes highly addictive and entertaining stories that I’m able to devour in a few hours. I’m always hooked within the first few pages and find her books to be incredibly hard for me to put down, what’s better than that?! While the bulk of this one was fantastic the ending was lackluster and left me wanting more making this my least favorite of hers to date.

The premise is nothing new, a woman vanishes without a trace leaving absolutely no clues behind, but what held my attention was the structure and the sheer number of possible outcomes that could have happened. It’s told from sisters Greer and Meredith’s point of view, Greer’s chapters begins the day her sister goes missing and Meredith’s thirty six months prior until the timelines collide. I’m a huge fan of Kent’s writing style, it’s fluid and fast paced, there’s something slick about the way she weaves a tale, there’s no denying she’s talented.

The whole time I was reading I kept imagining some crazy theories that may come to fruition but when everything was revealed I was disappointed. It wasn’t the actual reveal itself that was a let down but rather the resolution felt rushed and I felt like I still had SO many questions that were left unanswered. I did find a few aspects to be predictable as well which is never great, but really the lingering questions bothered me the most in the end. Again, Kent is an author I’m still firmly standing beside, this just wasn’t her best in my opinion but I’ll still be reading her next book no matter what!

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: June 19, 2018

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

Roseanna Chaldecott spent her life as a high-powered lawyer in Manhattan. But when her best friend and law partner dies suddenly, something snaps. Unsure of her future, Roseanna heads upstate on one tank of gas and with no plans to return.

In the foothills of the Adirondacks, Roseanna discovers the perfect hideout in a ramshackle farm. Its seventy-six acres are rich with possibilities and full of surprises, including a mother and daughter squatting on the property. Although company is the last thing Roseanna wants, she reluctantly lets them stay.

Roseanna and the young girl begin sculpting junk found around the farm into zoo animals, drawing more newcomers—including her estranged son, Lance. He pleads with Roseanna to return to the city, but she’s finally discovered where she belongs. It may not provide the solitude she originally sought, but her heart has found room for much more.

Review:

There is a little bit of magic in every CRH book I’ve read, not true magic but just a magical feeling I get whenever I’m reading one of her books. She doesn’t ever shy away from heavy issues but she manages to write about difficult subject matter and important issues with grace and humility. I always finish her novels having learned something, not only about myself but about humanity in general and I never feel like I’m being lectured but rather I’m lost in the pages of a page turning story.

Roseanna is the kind of character I’ve come to expect in a CRH book, she isn’t wholly likable or relatable right away but as she grows throughout the story you fall a little bit in love with her. She wakes up for work one day and decides she’s just had enough so she drives out to the middle of nowhere and buys a ramshackle farm with picturesque views. I’m sure we’ve all thought about running away before at some point in our adult lives and Roseanna just up and does it. While I adored her what made this book special was the eccentric cast of characters that enter her life after her move. Most of them also stole a piece of my heart but a few were awful, much like real life, but they were unforgettable in their own way.

I imagine book clubs devour CRH books and this one would be ideal as well, there is much to discuss and dissect and could provide endless hours of conversation. If you’ve never read one of her books before she’s a highly recommended author, I loved every single one that I’ve read and plan on continuing as long as she keeps writing.

Heaven Adjacent in three words: Perceptive, Heartfelt and Enlightening.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to Little Bird Publicity for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: June 12, 2018

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who’s been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong’s remains are discovered in the woods near Geo’s childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he’s something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo’s first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela’s death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it?

Review:

Do you ever read a book by a new to you author and then immediately run to see if they have any other books because you liked their style that much? That’s exactly what happened the minute I finished Jar of Hearts and I was excited to see Hillier has several older books for me to add to my never ending TBR. There was something about her writing style that drew me in within a few pages of starting this and my interest never waned for one minute.

This was absolutely perfectly paced, there were no dull moments or times where I wanted things to speed up a little, I was on the edge of my seat so many times waiting to see what would happen next. It alternates between Geo and Kaiser and is broken into five parts and the ending of each one was exciting and opened the door for another delicious twist. There were many shocking moments and I only figured one surprise out just before it revealed, but overall this was fantastically well plotted and extremely exciting.

The less you know the better for this one, but I will say I’m not sure if I’ve ever struggled with how I feel about a character more than I did with Geo. One minute I hated her and thought she was a horrible human being and then the next I would be jolted by the sympathy I was feeling towards her. To me, that’s always the sign of a gifted writer, bringing out unexpected emotions in me, (especially in a thriller!) is an appreciated bonus and not something I take note of lightly.

Jar of Hearts in three words: Intricate, Exciting and Gripping.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: June 12, 2018

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

A thrilling, sexy coming-of-age story exploring toxic love, ruthless ambition, and shocking betrayal, Tell Me Lies is about that one person who still haunts you—the other one. The wrong one. The one you couldn’t let go of. The one you’ll never forget.

Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.

Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.

Alternating between Lucy’s and Stephen’s voices, Tell Me Lies follows their connection through college and post-college life in New York City. Deep down, Lucy knows she has to acknowledge the truth about Stephen. But before she can free herself from this addicting entanglement, she must confront and heal her relationship with her mother—or risk losing herself in a delusion about what it truly means to love.

With the psychological insight and biting wit of Luckiest Girl Alive, and the yearning ambitions and desires of Sweetbitter, this keenly intelligent and staggeringly resonant novel chronicles the exhilaration and dilemmas of young adulthood, and the difficulty of letting go, even when you know you should.

Review:

Tell Me Lies is not your typical romance novel, not even close. It’s an intense exploration of a twisted relationship between two people who have no business being together. Reading it is like watching a car accident, it’s sickening, devastating and makes you feel gross even looking at it but you CANNOT help but stare.

This is told from both Lucy and Stephen’s viewpoints and starts in 2017 then switches back to 2010 and works it’s way forward until the timelines merge. This was a super compulsive read for me and it’s because it was so relatable it was almost uncomfortable. I feel like anyone who has dated the wrong person could relate to this one, especially if you’ve found yourself in a toxic relationship, it’s hits close to home especially as Lovering has created these characters whose anxieties, fears and issues are so easy to understand. Stephen is a total nightmare, a real prick and seeing his lack of emotion or care for others feelings was no less interesting for me than seeing inside the mind of a serial killer. Lucy, oh broken little Lucy frustrated me to no end because you just want her to stop obsessing, realize her self worth and never speak to Stephen again, but I couldn’t get mad at her because I’ve been her. For a book where not much happens besides these two having an on and off again relationship I was wholeheartedly invested and surprisingly hooked.

Read this if you want a realistic “romance” with manipulation, deception, betrayal and too many lies to count. Don’t pick this one up if you want a feel good romance, despite it’s pretty little cover the inside is dark as hell.

Tell Me Lies in three words: Twisted, Dark and Obsessive.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 3, 2018

Publisher: GP Putnam

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

On an early morning in November, a couple boards a private plane bound for Geneva, flying into a storm. Soon after, it simply drops off the radar, and its wreckage is later uncovered in the Alps. Among the disappeared is Matthew Lerner, a banking insider at Swiss United, a powerful offshore bank. His young widow, Annabel, is left grappling with the secrets he left behind, including an encrypted laptop and a shady client list. As she begins a desperate search for answers, she determines that Matthew’s death was no accident, and that she is now in the crosshairs of his powerful enemies.

Meanwhile, ambitious society journalist Marina Tourneau has finally landed at the top. Now that she’s engaged to Grant Ellis, she will stop writing about powerful families and finally be a part of one. Her entry into the upper echelons of New York’s social scene is more appealing than any article could ever be, but, after the death of her mentor, she agrees to dig into one more story. While looking into Swiss United, Marina uncovers information that implicates some of the most powerful men in the financial world, including some who are too close to home. The story could also be the answer to Annabel’s heartbreaking search—if Marina chooses to publish it.

Review:

The Banker’s Wife is a globe trotting thriller that grabbed my attention instantly and held it throughout. It switches back and forth between Marina, a journalist and Annabel a recently widowed young woman and I loved both of these clever, strong women. They were both incredibly well drawn and believable, and falling down the rabbit hole of offshore banking alongside them was quite the wild ride.

There was a slick sophistication to this one, the setting took me from Geneva and the world of high class Swiss banking to New York and the world of high powered politics and then to small town France just to name a few of the exotic locales Alger explored and they were all beautifully depicted. While the plot focused on banking, something I know next to nothing about, Alger did a fantastic job of explaining the finer details in layman’s terms. I was never confused or bored, rather I was riveted and desperate to find out the truth about what really went down.

I hate to even mention this because thrillers really shouldn’t appeal to one gender over the other, but I kept thinking while I was reading this that my husband would love the storyline, so I would definitely recommend to males as well as females, it had an edginess that I think men would be drawn to and I know my husband wouldn’t be interested in half of the thrillers I read but this one would be a surefire hit.

The Banker’s Wife in three words: Slick, Sophisticated and Twisty.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: June 5, 2018

Publisher: Harper

Genre: Mystery

Blurb:

She planned her own funeral–but did she arrange her murder?

A wealthy woman strangled six hours after she’s arranged her own funeral.

A very private detective uncovering secrets but hiding his own.

A reluctant author drawn into a story he can’t control.

What do they have in common?

Unexpected death, an unsolved mystery and a trail of bloody clues lie at the heart of Anthony Horowitz’s page-turning new thriller.

Review:

This was such a highly original and clever read, I honestly can’t recall a book that I’ve read that even comes close to it, it blurs the lines between fact and fiction in the coolest way. Horowitz is actually a character himself in the story and solely narrates things, it was a straightforward, good old fashioned murder mystery and it was executed flawlessly while also implementing a fresh, unusual tactic that I enjoyed immensely.

Horowitz teams up with an ex police officer named Hawthorne after he recruits him, you see he works now as a consultant to the police and is investigating the murder of a lady who was killed six hours after she planned her own funeral. Hawthorne thinks he would make a fabulous character in a book, he just wants Horowitz to do the writing, tag along as he investigates and keep his mouth shut. Their partnership is not one of those with amazing chemistry and two people who immediately work well together, they type who can finish each other sentences. These two are the unlikeliest of duos and have the sort of relationship where one tiptoes around the other, you’re never sure if they like each other or merely tolerate each other, one minute they seem to be having fun and the next you’re wondering if they’ll kill each other. This was highly refreshing and just so different, the entire investigation unraveled in a strange way, but one that was satisfying as hell. It was twisty without being over the top, it was subtle but really sharp too.

If you want a different kind of crime novel, a throwback to Agatha Christie, add this to your TBR. It’s smart and well written, I felt like I had a 400 page intimate chat with Horowitz and absolutely zoomed through it. I enjoyed it so much in fact that I’m hoping one of my new favorites duos teams up again in a future installment!

The Word is Murder in three words: Ingenious, Crafty and Creative.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: June 5, 2018

Publisher: Harper

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

The New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us creates a vivid portrait of marriage, family, and the haunting grief of World War II in this emotionally charged, beautifully rendered story that spans a generation, from the 1960s to the 1980s

In 1965 Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha’s to savor its brisket bourguignon and impeccable service and to admire its dashing owner and head chef Peter Rashkin. With his movie-star good looks and tragic past, Peter, a survivor of Auschwitz, is the most eligible bachelor in town. But Peter does not care for the parade of eligible women who come to the restaurant hoping to catch his eye. He has resigned himself to a solitary life. Running Masha’s consumes him, as does his terrible guilt over surviving the horrors of the Nazi death camp while his wife, Masha—the restaurant’s namesake—and two young daughters perished.

Then exquisitely beautiful June Bouquet, an up-and-coming young model, appears at the restaurant, piercing Peter’s guard. Though she is twenty years his junior, the two begin a passionate, whirlwind courtship. When June unexpectedly becomes pregnant, Peter proposes, believing that beginning a new family with the woman he loves will allow him to let go of the horror of the past. But over the next twenty years, the indelible sadness of those memories will overshadow Peter, June, and their daughter Elsbeth, transforming them in shocking, heartbreaking, and unexpected ways.

Jenna Blum artfully brings to the page a husband devastated by a grief he cannot name, a frustrated wife struggling to compete with a ghost she cannot banish, and a daughter sensitive to the pain of both her own family and another lost before she was born. Spanning three cinematic decades, The Lost Family is a charming, funny, and elegantly bittersweet study of the repercussions of loss and love.

Review:

The Lost Family is a heartbreakingly beautiful tale of a family that spans generations and is structured in an intriguing way. It begins with Peter in 1965 beginning when he meets his wife, June then it switches to her point of view in 1975 when she gets pregnant and then finally to their daughter Elsbeth’s perspective in 1985. I really enjoyed getting to know each character individually as well as through the eyes of each other, it provided a depth of character and made me feel like I got an intimate look at the family.

While I enjoyed each characters section I found myself most invested in Peter, his story was both terribly sad and wonderfully inspiring. He’s a chef and owner of Masha’s and the food descriptions were to die for, there’s always something about books that discuss food that makes me happy (and hungry!) His struggles as an emigrant were so vividly rendered and the brief glimpses of his life before he settle in NYC were haunting.

If you like smart historical fiction with emotional depth and intimate portrayal of one family’s struggles over the years then check this one out. My first read by Blum but most certainly not my last.

The Lost Family in three words: Evocative, Sweeping and Vulnerable.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and the Great Thoughts Great Readers ninja review team.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: June 19, 2018

Publisher: William Morrow

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

What happened on that long-ago summer? In this riveting novel from the author of The Dressmaker’s Dowry, an aspiring Hollywood actress makes a shocking choice in 1940, and seventy years later, a young mother sets out to discover what happened …

Summer, 1940: When Violet Harcourt is crowned Miss Bathing Beauty in her hometown of Santa Cruz, she’s determined to see herself on the silver screen. But Violet’s pageant victory comes with a price—cracks appear in her seemingly perfect marriage…and she quickly discovers Hollywood is not the glittering escape she dreamed of. So she makes a shocking choice, leaving her name in headlines and creating a mystery surrounding her fate.

Summer, 2007: Single mother Marisol Cruz lives in a charming seaside cottage that belonged to her grandfather, Ricardo, once a famed performer on the Beach Boardwalk. Drawn to the local history of her town, Mari discovers her grandfather’s connection to a beauty queen who died too young. She embarks on a journey that uncovers his lifelong secret—Ricardo’s connection to Violet…a story of tragedy and courage that will forever transform her.

Review:

Before I get into my thoughts on the book I’m so excited to share that my friend Jamie and I are starting a new collaboration and it starts today! Jamie is an avid reviewer on Goodreads and Instagram and we both read super fast and have very similar taste in books, though we don’t always agree 😜Boardwalk Summer is the first of our many planned buddy reads where I’ll be sharing my thoughts as usual but you’ll get the added bonus of hearing what Jamie thought as well. Hope you guys enjoy this and say hi to Jamie on Instagram if you don’t already know her!

Do you ever start a book and know pretty quickly that it’ll be one that you’ll love? Maybe it’s the authors writing style or maybe it’s the subject matter or you connect immediately with a character, or maybe it’s a little bit of everything. When this does happen it’s kind of magical and I had the good fortune to have that experience when I read just two chapters of this beauty!

This flips between Violet in 1940 and Mari in 2007 and goes back and forth every chapter. I was quickly invested in Violet’s story, not only because her personal plot line was fascinating but also because nothing draws me in faster from a historical perspective than old school Hollywood glamour, I swear I swoon. Mari was the type of character that I easily liked, she’s a strong single mother who’s proud of her family heritage with a side of spicy spitfire and a loving but tough mama bear as well. I did guess a few things very early on but then Jaeger totally caught me off guard with a surprising plot turn that I totally never saw coming but loved all the same.

This was very well written and well researched, Jaeger brought the city of Santa Cruz to life both in the past and the recent present, it sounds like such a charming town and one I’m longing to visit now. She also has a social conscience that is evident and I appreciated the issues she explored. The history, culture and idyllic sounding boardwalk itself all blended together to create the type of setting that truly transports the reader. There was way more of a mysterious aspect to the story than I had anticipated and there was also some sweet romance too. Both lead characters were strong, fearless women and were well developed, I really cared about both of them in the end and was sad to turn the final page.

Boardwalk Summer in three words: Mesmerizing, Fascinating and Gorgeous.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher and the Great Thoughts Ninja review team for my copy.

Jamie’s review:

4.5 Magical Flying Unicorn Stars!

I am so glad this is what my friend Amy and I chose for our first buddy read together as #ninjatwins! I’m also glad that Amy was a bit ahead of me the whole time so I could share my theories with her without spoiling anything – and I had a lot of theories on this one – some correct, some not so much!

I have always been a fan of dual narratives and dual timelines and love to see how the timelines come together. In Boardwalk Summer, the two timelines focus first on Violet Harcourt, a beautiful women stuck in an abusive marriage in 1940 and Mari Cruz, a single mother trying to fight for the right to preserve historical aspects of her Santa Cruz community in 2007. The way these stories coincide and connect will both surprise you and make you want to know more.

I very much enjoyed getting to know these women, learn more about this history and get acquainted with Jaeger’s writing!