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Release date: March 12, 2019

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Fiction

Blurb:

Divorce lawyer Leigh Huyett knows all too well that most second marriages are doomed to fail. But five years in, she and Pete Conley have a perfectly blended family of her children and his. To celebrate their anniversary, they grab some precious moments of alone time and leave Pete’s son Kip, a high school senior, in charge of Leigh’s fourteen-year-old daughter Chrissy at their home.

Driving back on a rainy Friday night, their cell phones start ringing. After a raucous party celebrating his college acceptance to Duke and his upcoming birthday, Kip was arrested for drunk driving after his truck crashed into a tree. And he wasn’t alone—Chrissy was with him.

Twelve hours later, Chrissy is dead and Kip is charged with manslaughter.

Kip has always been a notorious troublemaker, but he’s also a star student with a dazzling future ahead of him. At first, Leigh does her best to rally behind Pete and help Kip through his ordeal. Until he changes his story, and claims that he wasn’t driving after all—Chrissy was, and he swears there is a witness.

Leigh is stunned that he would lie about such a thing, while Pete clutches onto the story as the last, best hope to save his son, throwing his energy and money into finding this elusive witness. As they hurtle toward Kip’s trial date, husband and wife are torn between loyalty to their children and to each other, while the mystery of what really happened that night intensifies.

This richly conceived and tightly plotted psychological exploration of family and tragedy will have you racing toward its shocking and thought-provoking conclusion. 

Review:

Full disclosure here, this is labeled as a mystery/thriller on Goodreads and I wholeheartedly disagree with that, enough so that I would say it’s fiction and leave if at that. I feel like expectations are super important to me as a reader and this is really not a thriller whatsoever. I’m actually not even sure what it is to be totally honest, so there’s that too. Is there a mystery? Sure I suppose so but I mean that in the loosest sense of the word. Is it a thriller by any means? Nope, not at all. Is it really an examination of a family on the brink? Yes, that’s the most accurate explanation that I can come up with.

I enjoyed the dynamics of this family that were explored and couldn’t even imagine being in the same situation myself, losing a child is unfathomable but having your other child be at fault? Horrific, and seeing Pete and Leigh deal with the aftermath was fascinating and heartbreaking. How do you chose between your child and your wife? You don’t, it’s an impossible dilemma.

The author did a great job bringing the main storyline to life, but there were several side plots as well that made it sorta messy for me. I just don’t think it any added value to the story, in fact it was distracting for me. Just unnecessary and made the book longer than it needed to be. Overall an interesting book that mostly worked for me in the end, well drawn characters and solid writing, definitely enough to make me pick up her next book but it needed to be scaled back a little for me.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 21, 2019

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Blurb:

What is it about the coast that attracts people running from their past?

When Olivia moves to Port Townsend, her marriage is floundering, and her life is in pieces. She doesn’t know if things with her husband Mark are truly over, or quite why the phone call she longs for on her daughter’s birthday will never come.

Joining a letter-writing club seems like a harmless decision. But when she meets Ned, an ex-soldier badly wounded in Afghanistan, this unlooked-for friendship revives unexpected emotions and memories she’d rather forget.

Can Olivia find the courage to confront what she’s hiding from and finally begin to heal the wounds that have torn her life apart? From the bestselling author of After You Left comes a story about finding hope in second chances. 

Review:

Whenever I read a book from a new to me author I’m always excited of course, but also oddly nervous as I’m never quite sure what to expect. The description of this one appealed to me, I got a Catherine Ryan Hyde sort of vibe from it and while that’s somewhat fitting, Mason has a unique style that is all her own. This was so much more than I expected, in a good way, this had depth and heart and was written in such a pretty style, I’m a new fan of the author now!

It’s clear from the start that Olivia is troubled and running from something, it’s not just her strained marriage to her husband, Mark or even just her issues with her daughter, you get the sense that it’s something deeper and despite this not being a mystery, that aspect kept me guessing throughout. I wanted to know what had happened to Olivia in her past, what had caused her pain, enough pain that she fled her home to live someone brand new. She was a complex character for sure, I found her fascinating and by the time I finished the book and everything came together, it was a lightbulb moment for me, everything made sense suddenly.

Besides Olivia and Mark there are a handful of secondary characters that added another dimension to the story. Beth is the woman who owns the local coffee shop/bookstore and Ned is an ex soldier with his own demons. Olivia’s developing relationships with both characters were telling, both because they were all harboring guilt and murky histories, but also because of how all three of them helped each other deal with their issues. I learned a lot about each character based on their interactions with each other and to see relationships being newly formed that weren’t romantic was a surprising treat.

This had some heavy themes that I won’t get into because I don’t want to spoil things, this is not a light read, it’s a thought provoking one. It’s fast paced and I read it quickly (even for me) because I was so desperate to find out the secrets Olivia was carrying and it paid off in the end, big time!

The Shadow Between Us in three words: Lyrical, Emotional and Moving

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 26, 2019

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder. 

Review:

Oohh this was a wickedly twisted read, one of those thrillers that is just really fun to read in a dark and disturbing way. The blurb says it best, an average married couple with a penchant for murder, does a domestic thriller get any darker than that?! Spoiler alert, it doesn’t.

This is told entirely from the point of view of the husband and something that was interesting in a quirky sort of way was that you never know his name. Yep, that’s right not once is her referred to by his real name though he does have an alias….intrigued yet?! I sure was and this was one fast paced, page turner of a read. The story progressed in a way that I didn’t predict (for the most part) so I won’t ramble on about the storyline itself, but if you like domestic thrillers and don’t mind macabre, then this one is for you! It takes a look at a marriage that has crossed way over to the dark side and does it in the most entertaining way possible.

This is an impressive debut from an author to watch, she has the whole engaging, simple, pacey writing style down and came up with a really fresh and exciting story. Recommended for a weekend binge read, it’s one you won’t want to put down once you start.

My Lovely Wife in three words: Disturbing, Wicked and Fiendish.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 19, 2019

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Historical Fiction

Blurb:

Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943–aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.

The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences. 

Review:

Last year I fell in love with Meissner’s gorgeous writing style after reading As Bright As Heaven and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest book. I’m beginning to realize she has a knack for writing about specific historical topics that are not common and anytime I can learn something new while I’m reading I’m excited!

This follows Elise, an American girl whose parents are German immigrants and is told solely from her point of view and spans over the course of almost her entire life. I knew next to nothing about German Americans being sent to internment camps during WW2 and the way Meissner uncovered this piece of history for me was simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful. The majority of the story takes place during the war but there are a few key chapters set in 2010 that added a certain gravitas to an already profound story.

This had the feel of an epic saga that explores so many themes and issues, from the unbreakable bonds of family to deep, true friendship and even some romance. I was wholeheartedly invested in Elise’s life and experienced such a wide variety of emotions throughout, the ending even made me teary eyed and I’m NOT a crier, definitely one that gave me all the feels. Highly recommended for HF fans!

The Last Year of the War in three words: Hopeful, Poignant and Affecting

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 19, 2019

Publisher: Grand Central

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

You’ve lost your daughter.

She’s addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be found.

Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park. But she’s not the girl you remember. This woman is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble.

You don’t stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home.

She runs. 

And you do the only thing a parent can do: you follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed. Before you know it, both your family and your life are on the line. And in order to protect your daughter from the evils of that world, you must face them head on. 

Review:

It’s no secret that I’m HC’s biggest fan, I swear to God I would read his grocery list and would be mesmerized by it, so to say that this was easily my most anticipated read of 2019 is an understatement. I seriously can’t explain how over the moon excited I get right as I’m about to begin one of his books and this one grabbed me by the shirt within one chapter and kept me in a chokehold until the end.

I’m not even going to touch the plot details here because it’s beyond twisty and went in SO many unexpected directions. The blurb is intriguing enough and just barely scratches the surface for what’s to come. I will say that this is so addictive that it should come with a warning label stating that you shouldn’t start late at night thinking you’ll just read “one chapter” to “get a feel for the story” because next thing you know it’s 2 in the morning and your Kindle smacks you in the face because you’re so tired but this book is just too damn good. Ask me how I know 🤪

As if I wasn’t already super into this one Coben throws in a couple of cameos from characters from his previous books that make me squeal like a kid, it’s such an unforeseen treat! This one has it all, memorable characters that are larger than life, a harrowing plot, twists so intense they need to invent a new word for a HC twist and an emotional component that will especially shatter you if you’re a parent. It’s a must read!!

Run Away in three words: Remarkable, Absorbing and Jaw-dropping

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 12, 2019

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

For a woman, being killed by someone who claims to love her is the most ordinary murder of all.

With its antebellum houses and ancient oak trees draped in a veil of Spanish moss, Savannah’s graceful downtown is famous around the world. When a woman is killed in the heart of that affluent district, the shock is felt throughout the city. But for crime reporter Harper McClain, this story is personal. The corpse has a familiar face.

Only twenty-four years old, Naomi Scott was just getting started. A law student, tending bar to make ends meet, she wanted to change the world. Instead, her life ended in the dead of night at the hands of an unseen gunman. There are no witnesses to the crime. The police have three suspects: Scott’s boyfriend, who has a criminal past he claims he’s put behind him, her boss, who stalked another young bartender two years ago, and the district attorney’s son, who Naomi dated until their relationship ended in acrimony. All three men claim to love her. Could one of them be her killer?

With the whole city demanding answers, Harper unravels a tangled story of obsession and jealousy. But the pressures on her go beyond the murder. The newspaper is facing more layoffs. Her boss fears both their jobs are on the line. And Harper begins to realize that someone is watching her every move. Someone familiar and very dangerous.

Someone who told her to run before it’s too late… 

Review:

This is the second book in a series that follows Harper McClain, a crime reporter living in Savannah. I recommend reading the first book in the series before this one because there’s quite a bit of background information about Harper’s life in the first book and there’s a secondary storyline about her mother’s death that has threads in both books. Side note, I listened to the first book and the audio was great so I’m sure this would be awesome on audio as well.

I know there are some series with a crime reporter as the lead character but I’ve never encountered one with such an engaging protagonist like Harper. She’s bold, fearless and just downright fun to read about, she has personality plus, a real firecracker and her personal history is also intriguing. There’s a nice balance between her job and her personal life, plenty enough to where you feel like you understand her and her motivations in life. I love the unique angle her job provides, she has more access than a civilian does but she’s not actually a cop so she has to be creative and tenacious to find answers and she’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to finding the truth.

As much as the main storyline hooked me what really piques my interest is the side plot where someone is watching Harper. The author cleverly answers a few questions from the first book but leaves things very open in the end leaving the door wide open for excitement in the next book, and I for one cannot wait to see what happens next!

A Beautiful Corpse in three words: Sharp, Smart and Steady

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 12, 2019

Publisher: Dutton

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Struggling stage actor Tommy Jump knows he has to stop chasing applause and start chasing greenbacks. But then he’s offered the role of a lifetime: $150,000 for a six-month acting gig. With a newly pregnant fiancee depending on him, it’s an opportunity he can’t refuse, even though the offer comes from the strangest employer imaginable: the FBI.

The feds won a small victory when they arrested Mitchell Dupree, a banker who has spent the past four years laundering money for New Colima, one of the deadliest cartels in Mexico and a major supplier of crystal meth in the US. But Dupree has documents that could lead to arrests of high-ranking members of New Colima, including their fearsome leader, El Vio . . . if only he’d tell the FBI where they are.

Using a false name and backstory, Tommy will enter Dupree’s low-security prison as a felon and get close to the banker in the hopes that he’ll reveal the documents’ whereabouts. But when Tommy arrives, he quickly realizes that he’s underestimated the enormity of his task and the terrifying reach of the cartel. Because the FBI isn’t the only one looking for the documents, and if Tommy doesn’t play his role to perfection, it just may be his last act.

Review:

Over the past few years I’ve become a huge fan of Brad Parks because he always delivers, each book seems to top his previous ones and they are all already of a very high caliber. He never fails to come up with these questions and scenarios that make you think about what you would do and this time was no exception.

Tommy is offered a once in a lifetime acting job working for the FBI and making some serious money doing so, but he has to go undercover in a prison. I know I would never in a million years entertain such an offer but you can easily see why someone like Tommy would jump at this opportunity. Much like the characters in Parks previous books Tommy is such a relatable, every day sort of guy. To me, that’s what makes his novels to great, there’s an authenticity to his characters that makes you think, this crazy shit could happen to anyone, maybe even me!

Parks is the master of the well executed and perfectly timed twists, this one shocked me several times AND at unexpected moments which is always so much fun. It’s incredibly fast paced and one of those truly unputdownable books, I can see this appealing to anyone who likes thrillers in general but also for fans of authors like Harlan Coben and David Bell. If you haven’t read Parks before his last three books come highly recommended by me!

The Last Act in three words: Riveting, Gripping and Relentless

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 12, 2019

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

If there’s a healthy way to grieve, Erin Gaines hasn’t found it. After her husband’s sudden death, the runaway success of the tech company they built with their best friends has become overwhelming. Her nerves are frayed, she’s disengaged, and her frustrated daughter, Shorie, is pulling away from her. Maybe Erin’s friends and family are right. Maybe a few weeks at a spa resort in the Caribbean islands is just what she needs to hit the reset button…

Shorie is not only worried about her mother’s mental state but also for the future of her parents’ company. Especially when she begins to suspect that not all of Erin’s colleagues can be trusted. It seems someone is spinning an intricate web of deception—the foundation for a conspiracy that is putting everything, and everyone she loves, at risk. And she may be the only one who can stop it.

Now, thousands of miles away in a remote, and oftentimes menacing, tropical jungle, Erin is beginning to have similar fears. Things at the resort aren’t exactly how the brochure described, and unless she’s losing her mind, Erin’s pretty sure she wasn’t sent there to recover—she was sent to disappear.

Review:

I’ve read three of Carpenter’s books now and I’m so impressed by how vastly different each of her books are. There’s nothing formulaic about her books, she doesn’t regurgitate the same old tired storylines, instead she comes up with these unusual premises that end up being wildly entertaining.

This flips back and forth between Erin and her daughter Shorie and I adore multiple perspectives. While I liked and felt for Erin I was really enamored with Shorie and I think it’s because Carpenter captured the voice of a young woman so well. She felt genuine and believable and I kept thinking this one would even appeal to the YA crowd. This starts off on the slower side but then at the halfway point things get kicked into high gear and it was a nonstop race to the finish for me. Despite some slightly implausible moments I really enjoyed this one.

I’ve talked a lot before about how having the right expectations for certain books can really help and this is one where I feel like I should say this is exactly that sort of book. Is it a thriller? Yes, but it’s a slower burn with increasing tension as it progresses. Is it a mystery? Yes again, but parts are predictable for seasoned thriller readers so keep that in mind. Is it dark and menacing? Yes, but not in the usual way, there’s definitely danger but the menace is done in an over the top and dramatic fashion that certainly won’t be for everyone. Is it entertaining? Absolutely but the same kind of entertainment that I get when I watch a Lifetime movie, there’s definitely some moments where you have to suspend disbelief, some things are pretty far fetched. All of that to say that I enjoyed this one immensely and I hope by telling you what sort of book this truly is I’ll ensure you pick this one up with the right mindset.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: March 5, 2019

Publisher: Putnam

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

For the past two weeks, seventeen-year-old Kate Bennet has lived against her will in an isolated cabin in a remote beach town–brought there by a mysterious man named Bill. Part captor, part benefactor, Bill calls her Evie and tells her he’s hiding her to protect her. That she did something terrible one night back home in Melbourne–something so unspeakable that he had no choice but to take her away. The trouble is, Kate can’t remember the night in question. 

The fragments of Kate’s shattered memories of her old life seem happy: good friends, a big house in the suburbs, a devoted boyfriend. Bill says he’ll help her fill in the blanks–but his story isn’t adding up. And as she tries to reconcile the girl she thought she’d been with the devastating consequences Bill claims she’s responsible for, Kate will unearth secrets about herself and those closest to her that could change everything. 

A riveting debut novel that fearlessly plumbs the darkest recesses of the mind, Call Me Evie explores the fragility of memory and the potential in all of us to hide the truth, even from ourselves.

Review:

Hmm this was a weird read for me, not sure how I feel so I’ll just sort of think out loud with my review and try to process my thoughts and feelings about this with you guys!

This is told in two timelines, before and after and nothing is very clear throughout, especially at the beginning. Evie narrates and all you know is that she’s being held captive, but her captor isn’t hurting her, he says he’s protecting her. You have no idea from who or what exactly they’re hiding from and neither does Evie. It’s all very vague and there are so many questions and while I usually like unknown factors I was annoyed by how little is revealed and how painfully slowly things do end up coming out. When things do finally come to a head I just felt like it was all sort of stupid and weird. It didn’t make a ton of sense for me and there were also several secondary characters that seemed to serve no purpose in the story in the end. I was left thinking, but why about most things about this one. It was all just messy and clunky for me and left me going, what??? and not in a good way.

To end on a positive note, one aspect I did like was the idea of memory and how that can be manipulated or changed throughout time and for various reasons. I’m gonna say no more on that but just that it was an angle I hadn’t exactly seen before and I always appreciate a fresh approach. I seem to be in the minority on this one, there are several glowing reviews on Goodreads that show this may be a me problem because plenty of people loved this so keep that in mind!

Overall rating: 2.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.