Release date: March 6, 2018

Publisher: Knopf

Genre: Crime Fiction

Blurb:

The #1 internationally best-selling thriller from the author of The Hypnotist tells the chilling story of a manipulative serial killer and the two brilliant police agents who must try to beat him at his own game.

Late one night, outside Stockholm, Mikael Kohler-Frost is found wandering. Thirteen years earlier, he went missing along with his younger sister. They were long thought to have been victims of Sweden’s most notorious serial killer, Jurek Walter, now serving a life sentence in a maximum security psychiatric hospital. Now Mikael tells the police that his sister is still alive and being held by someone he knows only as the Sandman. Years ago, Detective Inspector Joona Linna made an excruciating personal sacrifice to ensure Jurek’s capture. He is keenly aware of what this killer is capable of, and now he is certain that Jurek has an accomplice. He knows that any chance of rescuing Mikael’s sister depends on getting Jurek to talk, and that the only agent capable of this is Inspector Saga Bauer, a twenty-seven-year-old prodigy. She will have to go under deep cover in the psychiatric ward where Jurek is imprisoned, and she will have to find a way to get to the psychopath before it’s too late–and before he gets inside her head.

Goodreads|Amazon

Ahh I’m SO excited to share my thoughts on The Sandman today!! There’s a blog tour going on featuring some of my favorites bloggers and Instagram accounts so be sure and check them out for all sorts of fun content. You may want to check out my Instagram later today too….😜

Review:

Allow me to introduce you to my first MUST read book of 2018. If you’re a crime fiction fan you absolutely cannot miss this book, it’s extremely fast paced and exciting, the twists and turns are executed flawlessly and the serial killer is one of the most terrifying I’ve ever read about. If you’re at all hesitant please share your concerns with me because I promise you, if you start this one I don’t think you’ll regret it for one second.

This is the fourth book in a series following Joona Linnea but you can definitely read it as a standalone as I did as each book in the series seems to follow new cases with reoccurring characters. Speaking of characters, this book had some of the most complex, interesting characters I’ve ever encountered. They’re all multilayered and have fascinating histories, I fell a little bit in love with Joona and Saga. Jurek scared the daylights out of me, I probably shouldn’t have finished this at one am when my entire family was asleep but no way was I about to put this one down before I finished!

Much of the story takes place inside a high security psychiatric institution, talk about a creepy atmosphere! There were so many intense, heart pounding scenes that took place inside those walls and they were so well written that I was scared myself. Between the extraordinarily crafted setting and the crisp, precise writing style, I just could not get enough of this one. I’ll close by urging you once again not to miss this one, it’s outstanding!

The Sandman in three words: Gripping, Transfixing and Petrifying.

Overall rating: 5/5 (ALL THE STARS)

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

About the Author:

Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of critically acclaimed husband and wife team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril (b. 1966) and Alexander Ahndoril (b. 1967), authors of the internationally bestselling Joona Linna and Saga Bauer series. With six installments to date, the series has sold ten million copies in 40 languages.

The Ahndorils were both established writers before they adopted the pen name Lars Kepler, and have each published several acclaimed novels.

Alexander and Alexandra married in 1994 and have three daughters together. They live in central Stockholm.

ALEXANDRA COELHO AHNDORIL

Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril was born in 1966, and grew up on the south coast of Sweden. In the early 90s, Alexandra moved to Stockholm to pursue a career in acting though she eventually became an author.

In 2003, she published her critically acclaimed debut novel Stjärneborg (Stjerneborg) about the life of astronomer Tycho Brahe which received the Katapult Prize, Birgitta och Katarina (Birgitta and Katarina, 2006) about the life of Saint Birgitta of Sweden, and Mäster (2009), about the radical socialist August Palm.

In addition to her work as an author, Alexandra has also been a literary critic for two of Sweden’s largest newspapers, Göteborgs-Posten and Dagens Nyheter.

ALEXANDER AHNDORIL

Alexander was born in 1967 and grew up twelve miles north of Stockholm. Alexander studied philosophy, religion, and film at university. His first novel was picked up when he was nineteen.

Before he began writing as Lars Kepler, he had already penned twenty theatre plays, one opera libretto, nine novels including Regissören (The Director, 2006) a novel about Ingmar Bergman. Regissören was nominated for several awards, including the prestigious Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and has been translated into 11 languages.

Goodreads

Release date: March 22, 2018

Publisher: Wildfire

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She’s even become a flight attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him.

They are meant to be.

The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend. And she’ll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants.

True love hurts, but Juliette knows it’s worth all the pain…

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for The Perfect Girlfriend today!

Review:

That blurb above is the stuff my dreams are made of, it’s disturbing enough to pique my interest, it alludes to obsession and hints at stalker like behavior AND it’s exactly enough to reel me in and make me want to read more. I’m not sure what that says about me as a person, but I have been dying to read this since the first time I read the cover and let me tell you, it was SO worth the wait.

The entire story is told from Juliette’s point of view and Hamilton uses this opportunity to dive deep into her character, she is one complex, unstable woman that I couldn’t get enough of. I never had any idea of what she would do next, she’ll go to extremes to get what she wants and what she wants is Nate and a side of revenge. She’s one of those characters that will cause you to constantly change your mind, she’s like watching a car crash you can’t tear your eyes away from her. As you learn about her past there were moments I felt bad for her then within a few pages her erratic behavior caused me to want to shake some sense into her. She takes delusional to a whole new level, her brand of crazy and unhinged is both fascinating and enough to thank the lord that you’ve never crossed paths with someone like her in real life.

This stands out from other psychological thrillers not only because the characterization is so strong but also because the entire thing doesn’t hinge on a series of crazy plot twists, instead it captivates in a more subtle manner. A sly twist will be inserted at an unexpected moment which took me even more by surprise and lent an air of polish and sophistication that was just so well executed. And the ending was just perfect, I can’t say more but my god was it chilling and totally fitting.

The Perfect Girlfriend in three words: Consuming, Disturbing and Polished.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher and Anne Cater for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 2, 2018

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

He’ll make sure she never wants to leave…

Holly never thought she’d move back to her home town, but then something terrible happened. She doesn’t know if she can recover. But she knows she can never tell another soul.

People say her neighbour, David, is “different”. He doesn’t go out much, and never after dark. But in David Holly finds just what she needs: a friend. Someone who’s always there.

No one knows Holly’s secret, or where she lives. She has left the past behind. She is sure of it. So why does she feel as though she’s in terrible danger?

An absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller, from the bestselling author of Blink and The Mistake. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and The Couple Next Door.

I couldn’t be more excited to be one of the stops on the blog tour for The Visitor today!

Review:

You know those books that hook you from page one, that instant interest, the feeling that you won’t be able to stop reading until you have all of the answers? Slater writes those type of books, you are well and truly engaged immediately despite having NO idea what will happen next. It’s always unexpected and always entreating! The Visitor is no exception and Slater is definitely on my auto buy authors list, she writes one hell of a psychological thriller.

Holly is the visitor the title alludes to, she moves in with Cora, an older widow who is lonely and likes the idea of a friendly companion. Holly’s past is shrouded in mystery, you know there is something dark and dangerous about her life before but Slater reveals things painstakingly slowly throughout the book. You also hear from David, Cora and Holly’s neighbor and he too is hiding something from Holly. Everybody has secrets in this one and trust me, they are juicy!

This was another page turner, a gripping read as I raced through the pages eager to find out what everyone was hiding. By the time I got to the end I was holding my breath and my jaw dropped to the floor. There were several stunning revelations that left me reeling, it was so well plotted, I’m impressed.

The Visitor in three words: Compulsive, Addictive and Deft.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

About the Author:

Kim is the bestselling author of psychological crime thrillers ‘Safe With Me,’ ‘Blink,’ ‘Liar’, ‘The Mistake’ and ‘The Visitor.’

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents and collected a stack of rejection slips. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating in 2012, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents and a book deal which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.

She also writes award-winning YA fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books, writing as Kim Slater.

Author website: www.KLSlaterAuthor.com

Twitter: @KimLSlater

Facebook: KL Slater Author

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Release date: March 22, 2018

Publisher: Red Door

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

Sally Lachlan has a secret that has haunted her for a decade, although perhaps it is time to let it go. A chance meeting with the charismatic geneticist, Anthony Blake, reawakens her desire for love and, at the same time, her daughter Charlie shows signs of wishing to know more about her father. Both the past and the future are places Sally prefers not to think about, but if she wants to find happiness, she will first have to come to terms with her long-ago marriage. Only then will she be able to be honest with Charlie. And herself.

A story of love and loss, of enduring friendship and unreliable memory, A Perfect Marriage is an enthralling new book from the bestselling author of Stillwater Creek. The novel is also a tale of redemption, of new hopes and fresh beginnings.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Perfect Marriage.

Review:

Anytime I get the opportunity to read a book about a couples marriage, I’m immediately in. There’s something so intriguing to me about what goes on behind closed doors and the fact that the description alludes to secrets made me eager to read this one. Shortly after I started it I felt pretty confident that I could see where things were headed but Booth had a couple of tricks up her sleeve that surprised and delighted me.

This is told in dual timelines, Then and Now and the Now section is told in chronological order while the Then chapters are told in reverse chronological order. This was clever and definitely kept me on my toes as I was slightly confused at first until I figured out what was going on. Sally was a lovely woman who was trying to do right by her daughter, Charlie and you know right away that she hasn’t had an easy life. As you learn about her past you begin to understand her dark history and my heart broke for her, she had to endure some hard things. This read like a family drama with some mysterious elements and was a quick read that I sped through in one afternoon.

A Perfect Marriage in three words: Secretive, Smooth and Interesting.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

About the Author:

Alison Booth’s fourth novel, A Perfect Marriage, will be published in March 2018 by RedDoor Publishing. Alison’s debut novel, the critically acclaimed Stillwater Creek – a story of love and loss, betrayal and hope – was published by Penguin Random House (PRH) in 2010, and was Highly Commended in the 2011 ACT Book of the Year Award.

For more information:

Website – www.alisonbooth.net

Twitter – twitter.com/booth_alison

Facebook – www.facebook.com/AlisonBoothAuthor/

About Sunburn

Hardcover:304 pages
Publisher:William Morrow (February 20, 2018)

A Bustle, Entertainment Weekly and PopSugar Most Anticipated Book of 2018.

“Every time Laura Lippman comes out with a new book, I get chills because I know I am back in the hands of the master. She is simply a brilliant novelist, an unflinching chronicler of life in America right now, and Sunburn is her dark, gleaming noir gem. Read it.” -Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl

New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with a superb novel of psychological suspense about a pair of lovers with the best intentions and the worst luck: two people locked in a passionate yet uncompromising game of cat and mouse. But instead of rules, this game has dark secrets, forbidden desires, inevitable betrayals and cold-blooded murder.

One is playing a long game. But which one?

They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other dangerous, even lethal, secrets.

Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each others lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?

Something or someone has to give.

Which one will it be?

Inspired by James M. Cain’s masterpieces The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce, Sunburn is a tantalizing modern noir from the incomparable Laura Lippman.

Purchase Links

HarperCollinsAmazon�| Barnes & Noble

Review:

Review:

Most of you know I’m an avid crime fiction reader, it’s my go to genre so I’m slightly ashamed to say this was my first Laura Lippman book! Looking through her back catalogue I can see she writes exactly the kind of books I love so I have NO idea how she’s been off my radar thus far. I’ve seen many others say that Sunburn is not typical for her, but I loved it and her writing is so nuanced, so dang good that I won’t be missing out on her books in the future.

Polly is a mysterious woman with a plethora of secrets in her past, you know little about her for a long time, Lippman methodically peels back the layers of her character until you get to the core. Adam also has a mysterious past and the same goes for him, you slowly but surely gain information about his history and you’re just never totally comfortable trusting either of them. Unreliability at it’s best! There are quite a few points of view, but not too many in my opinion, each served a particular purpose and were there for a specific reason, not just as filler. The characters were complex, interesting and so shady, right up my alley.

Many will say this is a slow burn and I totally agree, but it’s also a slow unraveling of a tangled tale that I was never quite sure of. Not sure of who to trust, not sure what their true motivations were and definitely not sure of what would happen next. I never did figure things out ahead of time, the ending totally surprised me, completely unexpected and wholly satisfying.

Sunburn in three words: Subtle, Hypnotic and Unpredictable.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

About Laura Lippman

Since LAURA LIPPMAN’s debut, she has won multiple awards and critical acclaim for provocative, timely crime novels set in her beloved hometown of Baltimore. Laura has been nominated for more than fifty awards for crime fiction and won almost twenty, including the Edgar. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Now a perennial New York Times bestselling author, she lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her family.

Connect with Laura on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

Goodreads|Amazon US|Amazon UK

Release date: March 8, 2018

Publisher: Mantle

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

We went to school that Tuesday like normal.

Not all of us came home . . .

Huddled in a cloakroom with his classmates and teacher, six-year-old Zach can hear shots ringing through the corridors of his school. A gunman has entered the building and, in a matter of minutes, will have taken nineteen lives.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the close knit community and its families are devastated. Everyone deals with the tragedy differently. Zach’s father absents himself; his mother pursues a quest for justice — while Zach retreats into his super-secret hideout and loses himself in a world of books and drawing.

Ultimately though, it is Zach who will show the adults in his life the way forward — as, sometimes, only a child can.

I’m honored to be the stop on the blog tour for Only Child today!

Review:

The whole story is told through the eyes of Zach, a seven year old little guy and it begins on the day a gunman opens fire at his elementary school. I have three small kids, 9, 6 and 3 and my two oldest have participated in multiple lockdown drills. I remember when my oldest daughter came home from kindergarten talking about what to do if “a bad guy comes to my school mommy, we have to hide in the bathroom and stay super quiet.” That chilled me to my core but unfortunately that’s the world we live in. The world I’m raising my gorgeous kids in. It’s terrifying. I was a senior in high school back in 1999 when Columbine happened and I remember how scared and confused I was, how I couldn’t comprehend such a tragic event. All of that to say, I knew this would be a difficult book to read, I knew I would be emotional but I also knew it would be important and I’m extremely glad that I did read this because the author handled everything with grace and compassion.

Zach, what a special little boy he is, he has a piece of my heart. Seeing the entire story through a child’s eyes really brought a simplicity to things, kids are so pure and innocent. Children can often be pushed to the side when adults are dealing with grown up problems and that is what broke my heart the most. I wanted to scoop this little man up and take all of his worries away, that’s how realistic he seemed and his voice? Unbelievably accurate, I felt like I was listening to my daughter talk to me.

I could honestly discuss this book for hours, but I’ll finish up and say that I really feel like this is a vital read for everyone. It’s ripped from the current headlines, and it’s every single parents worst fear. Navin did an amazing job at handling the issues in a sensitive and realistic way, this is truly a special book.

Only Child in three words: Compelling, Moving and Timely.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: February 13, 2018

Publisher: MIRA

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

They called themselves “the lucky ones”

They were seven children either orphaned or abandoned by their parents and chosen by legendary philanthropist and brain surgeon Dr. Vincent Capello to live in The Dragon, his almost magical beach house on the Oregon Coast. Allison was the youngest of the lucky ones living an idyllic life with her newfound family…until the night she almost died, and was then whisked away from the house and her adopted family forever.

Now, thirteen years later, Allison receives a letter from Roland, Dr. Capello’s oldest son, warning her that their father is ill and in his final days. Allison determines she must go home again and confront the ghosts of her past. She’s determined to find out what really happened that fateful night — was it an accident or, as she’s always suspected, did one of her beloved family members try to kill her?

But digging into the past can reveal horrific truths, and when Allison pieces together the story of her life, she’ll learns the terrible secret at the heart of the family she once loved but never really knew.

Review:

I want to start by mentioning that this isn’t a traditional mystery/thriller, yes there’s definitely a mystery to be solved but if you’re looking for a book that is intense with lots of heart pounding moments it’s not this one. However, it’s extremely well written and makes for a compelling read but I think future readers should be aware that it fits better under a romantic suspense genre.

There was something dark about this, a gothic feeling both in the mystery of Allison’s past, the romantic elements and the setting. The bulk of it takes place at her childhood foster home in a house on the edge of the sea in Oregon called The Dragon. There was a sinister vibe that the author created with her creepy imagery that I really liked. The romance also had a dangerous edge, it’s borderline taboo one of those that you almost feel naughty just reading about. And of course the mystery itself was intriguing and dark, there was definitely a hint of menace once all was revealed.

There was quite a bit of moral ambiguity surrounding all the pieces of this one, should you make the choices that you know are right or should you go after what feels right? It deals with the gray area, there is no black or white here and gave me much to ponder which is always the sign of a well written book. Recommended for mystery fans that don’t mind romance and borderline creepy relationships.

The Lucky Ones in three words: Wicked, Dark and Gloomy.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

About the Author:

Tiffany Reisz lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband, author Andrew Shaffer.

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Connect with Tiffany

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: January 30, 2018

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: YA

Blurb:

Doesn’t matter who did it. Not anymore. I did the time. It’s over.”

When Drix was convicted of a crime—one he didn’t commit—he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.

Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.

When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life.

But sometimes love can breach all barriers.

Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves—Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence—and each other to finally get what they deserve.

I’m so excited to be one of the stops on the blog tour for Say You’ll Remember Me today! Check out TLC Book Tours for the full schedule.

Review:

Can we talk about that cover?! It’s gorgeous, I may have spent an inordinate amount of time staring at it, there’s something about those shades of purple 😍 Now that I got that fawning out of the way…

I don’t read all that much YA anymore, I have absolutely nothing against it, there was a time when I almost strictly stuck to the genre, but I’m at a point in my life where I can’t always relate to the trials and tribulations of teenagers. But sometimes I hear good things about an author or a particular book so I make an exception and I am SO glad that I did because not only did McGarry make me relate to her beautifully crafted characters, she made me fall a little in love with them.

This is told via alternate perspectives that flip back and forth each chapter, one is from Ellison, the daughter of a politician who lives a privileged life and then Drix, a kid who had the odds stacked against him from day one. They couldn’t be more different from each but I adored both and was impressed by how the author gave them both separate voices that rang true to that of a teenaged kid from their particular background.

This was a topical book that dealt with many issues that are relevant to youth today that managed to convey some fantastic messages in a nonjudgmental way. Parts of this broke my heart a little and then there were some surprises in the end with some intensity that I wasn’t expecting, I loved the highs and lows!

Say You’ll Remember Me in three words: Sweet, romantic and emotional.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

About the Author:

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

She is the author of the Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road series. Say You’ll Remember Me will be released in 2018.

Katie loves to hear from her readers.

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Connect with Katie

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

About Girl Unknown

Hardcover:304 pages
Publisher:Henry Holt and Co. (February 6, 2018)

Explores emotional danger with relentless, surgical accuracy.
Tana French,New York Timesbestselling author of The TrespasserandInto the Woods.

David and Caroline Connolly are swimming successfully through their marriages middle years raising two children; overseeing care for David’s ailing mother; leaning into their careers, both at David’s university teaching job, where he’s up for an important promotion, and at the ad agency where Caroline has recently returned to work after years away while the children were little. The recent stresses of home renovation and of a brief romantic betrayal (Caroline’s) are behind them. The Connollys know and care for each other deeply.Then one early fall afternoon, a student of sublime, waiflike beauty appears in David’s university office and says, I think you might be my father. And the fact of a youthful passion that David had tried to forget comes rushing back. In the person of this intriguing young woman, the Connollys may have a chance to expand who they are and how much they can love, or they may be making themselves vulnerable to menace. They face either an opportunity or a threat but which is which? What happens when their hard-won family happiness meets a hard-luck beautiful girl?

Praise

Full of intrigue and incident keeps us guessing until the very last tragic page. Liz Nugent, bestselling author ofUnraveling Oliverand ofLying in Wait.

Compulsively readable, with surprises until the very last page. . . . A chilling tale about a family under threat from one of its own. Jessica Treadway, author ofLacy and I Will I Know You?

“[Girl Unknown] is must-read literary suspense, with dueling character perspectives and sly twists forming a gut-wrenching exploration of trust, manipulation, and obsession. Booklist (starred review)

Purchase Links

Amazon |Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Review:

Imagine you’re already going through a difficult time in your marriage, a trying time that is putting your relationship to the test and then a teenaged girl shows up and announces that she’s your husbands daughter. That’s exactly what happens to Caroline and Zoe’s arrival is just the beginning of a series of events that no one saw coming, I sure didn’t!

While this was most definitely a mystery, it had a strong literary feel to it, the prose used by the authors had a sophisticated subtlety to it that gave it strong edge. I’m always fascinated by writing duos, I wonder how they actually wrote the book. This is told from dual perspectives, that of David and Caroline and I pondered whether each author wrote each distinct voice, but whatever method they used it worked excellently. You would never know it’s co authored, there is nothing disjointed, it’s actually incredibly smooth and the writing style is top notch.

The plot takes several unexpected turns but the twists weren’t the big, shocking gasp worthy type but rather the kind that unnerve you and get under your skin. They are still surprising, but there’s an air of refinement to how they’re executed that worked really well for me. I’m definitely a fan of the style and will be reading more from the author(s) in the future.

Girl Unknown in three words: Unsettling, Polished and Penetrating.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

Photo by Edmund Ross Photography

About Karen Perry

Karen Perryis the pen name of Dublin-based authors Paul Perry and Karen Gillece. Together they wrote Girl Unkown.

Paul Perryis the author of a number of critically acclaimed books. A recipient of the Hennessy Award for New Irish Writing, he teaches creative writing at University College, Dublin.

Karen Gilleceis the author of several critically acclaimed novels. In 2009 she won the European Union Prize for Literature (Ireland).

Connect with them on Facebook.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: February 6, 2018

Publisher: Graydon House

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

They think nothing can tear their bond apart, until a long-buried secret threatens to destroy everything.

Every year they have met up for a vacation, but their time away is much more than just a bit of fun. Over time, it has become a lifesaver, as each of them struggles with life’s triumphs and tragedies.

Sophie, Emily, Amy and Melissa have been best friends since they were girls. They have seen each other through everything—from Sophie’s private fear that she doesn’t actually want to be a mother despite having two kids, to Amy’s perfect-on-the-outside marriage that starts to reveal troubling warning signs, to Melissa’s spiraling alcoholism, to questions that are suddenly bubbling up around the paternity of Emily’s son. But could a lie that spans just as long as their friendship be the thing that tears them apart?

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Story of Our Lives! If you want to follow the tour check out TLC Book Tours for the full schedule.

Review:

I’m sure many of us have read stories about a group of female friends before, but the way this was structured was unique and set it apart from other books based on friendship. Four friends, Sophie, Melissa, Amy and Emily meet up every year for a girls weekend and these trips mean the world to them. This is divided into sections by year and follows the ladies on their weekends away. At the beginning of each part there is a political or pop culture reference relevant to whatever year it is and I loved this mini revisit to the past that stirred up my own memories of memorable events.

The characterization is fantastic and with four main characters there is someone for everyone to like or relate to. I enjoyed all of them, they all had interesting and sometimes sad stories, but they were very realistic, full of ups and downs, highs and lows and very true to real life. Nothing seemed contrived or convenient, there were painful moments and also happy ones, it truly was the story of these women’s lives, the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Story of Our Lives in three words: Emotional, Heartfelt and Stirring.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

About the Author:

Helen Warner is head of daytime for Channel 4, where she is responsible for shows such as Come Dine With Me and Deal Or No Deal. Previously she worked for ITV where she launched the daytime talk show Loose Women and was editor of This Morning. She lives in East Anglia with her husband and their two children.

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Connect with Helen

Website | Goodreads