The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones

 Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

In the vein of The Other Woman, Sandie Jones’s explosive new novel The Guilt Trip will have readers gripped to the very last page.

Six friends.

Rachel and Noah have been friends since they met at university. While they once thought that they might be something more, now, twenty years later, they are each happily married to other people, Jack and Paige respectively. Jack’s brother Will is getting married, to the dazzling, impulsive Ali, and the group of six travel to Portugal for their destination weekend.

Three couples.

As they arrive at a gorgeous villa perched on a cliff-edge, overlooking towering waves that crash on the famous surfing beaches below at Nazaré, they try to settle into a weekend of fun. While Rachel is looking forward to getting to know her future sister-in-law Ali better, Ali can’t help but rub many of the group up the wrong way: Rachel’s best friend Paige thinks Ali is attention-seeking and childish, and while Jack is trying to support his brother Will’s choice of wife, he is also finding plenty to disagree with Noah about.

One fatal misunderstanding . . .

But when Rachel discovers something about Ali that she can hardly believe, everything changes. As the wedding weekend unfolds, the secrets each of them hold begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel. Soon, jumping to conclusions becomes the difference between life and death.

Genre? Thriller

Backlist? No. Published August 3, 2021

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

This book had me all over the place...but in a good way. It's hard to write a review without including spoilers on this one because honestly, almost every little detail, no matter how insignificant they may seem, eventually ties in to something else. 

I thought this book was unique in the fact that all the characters were essentially stuck with each other. Sandie Jones does an amazing job of describing the characters so you like some and can't stand others. Much like "The Other Woman", you think you have everyone all figured out. 

This novel is filled with drama, drinking, love, sex, and so much more. I really did NOT see the ending coming, though once it happened, it really did make sense. Kind of like a "Big Little Lies" type of novel, so I would recommend, but only for older audiences.

Love At First Hate by A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank

 Huge thank you to the authors for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

The first book in a new series by Denise Grover Swank and A.R. Casella, authors of the USA Today bestselling Asheville Brewing series.

She wants his story. He wants his secrecy. Too bad he can’t stay away from her.

Molly

Blogging about bad dates used to be fun, but a girl can only take so much foolishness. So I broke up with my job.

Okay, full disclosure, I was fired. It’s a long, sordid tale, involving my sourdough starter—RIP, Fred!—and my ex-boss’s serious lack of humor.

Newly funemployed and in need of a break, I go to Asheville to dogsit for my sister…and stumble onto a scoop big enough to put my fake-dating days behind me forever.

Augusta Glower, local success story, wrote a bestseller about the self-help group she started. People think her system works, and copycat Bad Luck Clubs have sprung up nationwide. Something feels off, though, and a little poking around by yours truly suggests she stole the idea.

There’s one problem. I have to prove it, and the guy she ripped off—super-hot house flipper Caleb Reynolds—seems to…well, hate me. Which is too bad since his secrets aren’t the only thing I’d like to peel away.

* * *

Cal

Molly O’Shea is my worst nightmare.

Is she sexy as sin? Well…yeah. Does she smell like honeysuckle and trouble? No doubt. Is she determined to dig up my secrets with a backhoe? I’m pretty sure she got a two-week rental. But I’ll never talk. If the reason I started the club gets out, my whole life will implode.

So why is she so damn irresistible?

Genre? Romance

Backlist? No. Publishes tomorrow - August 12, 2021

New to me Author? Nope. Absolute favorites.

What did I think?

You know that feeling you get when you see that your favorite movie franchise is adding yet another sequel or spin-off and you're like "Okay, I get it. I love this. But we can stop now."? Yeah, that's not what happened here AT ALL. Love At First Hate had the potential to be just a weird flop of a spin-off but, as always, A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank just full on hit it out of the park.

Cal (co-founder of the Bad Luck Club from the original series - Asheville Brewery) has had credit stolen from him for founding the club and he has no intention of setting the record straight in case anyone found out his secret. Molly is in town dog-sitting for her sister Maisie and out of boredom, starts investigating the Bad Luck Club to try to break into official investigative journaling. As you can probably guess, man-who-doesn't-want-his-secrets-spilled and investigative-journalist-set-on-finding-the-whole-truth don't really mesh. But *spoiler* (only not really, because look at the title and the fact that this is a romance book) this definitely fits the enemies-to-lovers trope in the best way.

Enemies-to-lovers isn't necessarily a trope I go looking for, so I don't have a ton of history with them, but I really did love reading about Cal and Molly. This book, like many of the others, is written through dual-perspective between our two main characters. It was so frustrating reading both of their thoughts when if they would just talk to each other, things would have been solved faster! And when I say frustrating, I mean I was like "Just tell her!" and kept reading to see if he did. I will absolutely read more of this series. I fell in love with all the quirky characters that were only just mentioned in the Asheville Brewery series. Definite 4.5 stars. These two are incredible co-authors.

The Peace Project by Kay Wills Wyma

Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Does life have you feeling unsettled, overlooked, anxious, exhausted? Good news! There's a better way.

Enter The Peace Project with its short, digestible chapters full of practical application. This thirty-day experiment invites you to experience lasting personal peace through the outward practices of thankfulness, kindness, and mercy. In these hopeful pages, Kay Wills Wyma takes us along on a journey to see others--as well as ourselves--not as objects or obstacles but as people of great worth. People who matter.

The result? Transformation--for you and those around you. Experiencing the endless depths of God's peace where you can actually, finally, somehow breathe. Welcome to the less-than-perfect, sometimes hilarious, consistently magical journey of practicing thankfulness, kindness, and mercy with Kay, her kids, and some brave friends.

Genre? Memoir

Backlist? No. Published May 18, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think?

The Peace Project is the memoir of author Kay Wills Wyma, who spent 30 days practicing thankfulness, kindness, and mercy. She goes through the process such as taking time to be quiet and mindful, keeping a gratitude journal, and finding the good in everyone. I really liked the idea behind the book and found myself wanting to try many of the things that are mentioned. I do believe that this could have been a shorter story or article, rather than a full book. I found that many of the concepts were repeated throughout. It was good to hear the stories of how peace showed itself, but there were just too many. It would have also been better as a book that you could work through yourself, with practical applications for our own lives. Overall, it just fell flat for me.

Dark Roads by Chevy Stevens

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

The acclaimed and beloved author of Still Missing is back with her most breathtaking thriller yet.

The Cold Creek Highway stretches close to five hundred miles through British Columbia’s rugged wilderness to the west coast. Isolated and vast, it has become a prime hunting ground for predators. For decades, young women traveling the road have gone missing. Motorists and hitchhikers, those passing through or living in one of the small towns scattered along the region, have fallen prey time and again. And no killer or abductor who has stalked the highway has ever been brought to justice.

Hailey McBride calls Cold Creek home. Her father taught her to respect nature, how to live and survive off the land, and to never travel the highway alone. Now he’s gone, leaving her a teenage orphan in the care of her aunt whose police officer husband uses his badge as a means to bully and control Hailey. Overwhelmed by grief and forbidden to work, socialize, or date, Hailey vanishes into the mountainous terrain, hoping everyone will believe she’s left town. Rumors spread that she was taken by the highway killer—who’s claimed another victim over the summer.

One year later, Beth Chevalier arrives in Cold Creek, where her sister Amber lived—and where she was murdered. Estranged from her parents and seeking closure, Beth takes a waitressing job at the local diner, just as Amber did, desperate to understand what happened to her and why. But Beth’s search for answers puts a target on her back—and threatens to reveal the truth behind Hailey’s disappearance… 

Genre? Mystery/Thriller

Backlist? No. Published August 3, 2021.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

A friend of mine introduced me to Chevy Stevens earlier this year with Never Let You Go. I immediately followed up with Still Missing. So when I saw that she was back with Dark Roads, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Dark Roads did NOT disappoint. Main character Hailey lives in Cold Creek with her aunt and uncle, after her parents have died. Her uncle is one of those police officers who REALLY doesn't like teenagers and uses his badge to control every little thing. Hailey tries running away from town, but instead of assuming a runaway, the town assumes that she became another victim of the highway killer. The way Chevy Stevens tied all of this together was great. I definitely thought I had things all figured out, until about 3/4 of the way through when BAM, everything was completely changed. It was such an unexpected change, yet still a realistic one, which is what I look for in my thrillers. Of the three Chevy Stevens books I've read, this would be my least favorite. However, it was still a solid 4 star read and I will still 100% pick up whatever she puts out next..

July Wrap-Up

July is over and it's almost back to school for some of us! Here's a look at books we loved, books we didn't love, and books we DNF'd during the month of July. 

 Jayme's Reads (14):

What I Rated Them:

The Arrangement ☕☕☕

In A Book Club Far Away ☕☕☕☕.5

With the Fire on High ☕☕☕☕.5

Honey Girl ☕☕☕☕.75

Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids ☕☕☕☕.25

Atheists Who Kneel and Pray ☕☕☕☕.5

Act Your Age, Eve Brown ☕☕☕☕

A Court of Silver Flames ☕☕☕.25

Us Against You ☕☕

Life's Too Short ☕☕☕☕☕

Dark Roads ☕☕☕☕

Red, White, and Royal Blue ☕☕☕☕.5

Where is God When I Need Him? ☕☕☕☕

The Peace Project ☕☕.5

Favorite Read: 

Life's Too Short!

Least Favorite Read:
Us Against You - I enjoyed Beartown, but was this sequel really necessary?

DNF?:
None. :)

Rolling over to next month: 

Forget Me Not (currently holding onto this to return to later)

All Girls (currently holding onto this to return to later)

The Bridesmaid (will be finishing in the next couple days)

Love at First Hate (will be finishing in the next couple days)

Unicorn Untamed (will be finishing soon)

Mud Vein

The Push

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

 Huge thank you to the publisher for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

From the author of the “full-throttle thriller” (A. J. Finn) No Exit—a riveting new psychological page-turner featuring a fierce and unforgettable heroine.

Three months ago, Lena Nguyen’s estranged twin sister, Cambry, drove to a remote bridge sixty miles outside of Missoula, Montana, and jumped two hundred feet to her death. At least, that is the official police version.

But Lena isn’t buying it.

Now she’s come to that very bridge, driving her dead twin’s car and armed with a cassette recorder, determined to find out what really happened by interviewing the highway patrolman who allegedly discovered her sister’s body.

Corporal Raymond Raycevic has agreed to meet Lena at the scene. He is sympathetic, forthright, and professional. But his story doesn’t seem to add up. For one thing, he stopped Cambry for speeding a full hour before she supposedly leapt to her death. Then there are the sixteen attempted 911 calls from her cell phone, made in what was unfortunately a dead zone.

But perhaps most troubling of all, the state trooper is referred to by name in Cambry’s final enigmatic text to her sister: Please Forgive Me. I couldn’t live with it. Hopefully you can, Officer Raycevic.

Lena will do anything to uncover the truth. But as her twin’s final hours come into focus, Lena’s search turns into a harrowing, tooth-and-nail fight for her own survival—one that will test everything she thought she knew about her sister and herself...

Genre? Thriller

Backlist? No. Published June 15, 2021.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

I'm not even sure I could put my thoughts about this book into words, but I will certainly try. Starting with "WOW!". I think Taylor Adams is becoming one of my favorite authors. I really need to dig into their backlist a little more. I fell in love with the high energy thriller No Exit and then Hairpin Bridge kept that same energy up. One thing I really enjoy about this author is that although he's a male, he writes a very convincing female perspective. A lot of times writing through the lens of the opposite gender doesn't seem to work out so well, but Taylor is great at it. In fact, I really thought Taylor Adams was a girl until I looked into their biography! 

In Hairpin Bridge, Lena takes a trip to meet with the officer who found her sister's body after her "suicide". Lena is unconvinced that her sister would ever kill herself, so she's there to find the truth. Officer Raycevic's story doesn't add up with what Lena knows about her sister. She's set out to confront him about it, even if she's a bit worried about her own life in the process.

The twists and turns in this novel were incredible. I never saw them coming, but they weren't completely ridiculous either! I will definitely be picking up any future Taylor Adams novels and will start looking into the backlist. 

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks by Julie Valerie

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

A wife, mother, and aspiring filmmaker clings to the pursuit of perfection only to have fate play with every plan she’s made in this quirky, contemplative, and empowering novel.

Holly Banks is on a desperate mission to have it all, but nothing in life goes according to plan. She’s quickly learning that keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time job, especially when the women of Primm, her new neighborhood, seem to have it together all the time.

With her husband’s job in flux, her daughter’s difficulty with learning to read, and her mother’s new zest for dating, Holly’s life is already anything but picture perfect. Then her dog digs up an old artifact in the village center, and the mishap draws the attention of local media. Because of course it would.

Holly finds herself at the center of a mystery between two rival towns that, if solved, could change the Village of Primm forever. Attention is the last thing she needs as she’s launching a new business, the village-wide “Parade of Homes” is approaching—though she’s hardly unpacked—and she needs to submit her entry for an upcoming film festival. Can Holly still create her perfect (looking) life? Or is fate about to go off script and give her a story she never could have imagined?

Genre? Contemporary Fiction

Backlist? Unfortunately, yes. I fell pretty far behind on my ARCs last year.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

I remember reading the first in this series, Holly Banks Full of Angst, and simply falling in love with Holly. She's quirky, she's fun, and she doesn't quite fit in when she moves to her new neighborhood. She kind of sticks out like a sore thumb and it's just fun to read about. 

This sequel did not disappoint. Holly is still dealing with some passive-aggressiveness from her neighbors. She's still trying to figure herself out. So when her dog is found in the middle of town after having dug up an old artifact, she has no idea what to do. Holly tries to stay out of the media attention surrounding this, but finds herself in an old mystery. 

This book definitely took a turn and had some elements that I didn't expect, but Julie Valerie was able to keep it fun and interesting. I can't wait to find out what happens in Primm next!

The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free audioARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer.
It’s what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:
They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.

When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.

Genre? Psychological Thriller

Backlist? No. This was published earlier in January, with the audiobook publishing July 1, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think?

The Arrangement is about Ainsley and Peter, a couple who have been together for quite a long time and are feeling the romance fizzle out. From the beginning, they sit down and discuss trying an open marriage. Once a week, they would get to go out with other people. No falling for someone. Purely just a hook up, which they will never discuss with their spouse. From here, I was expecting your typical story of one of them falling for the person they go out with, leading to divorce, etc. etc. NOPE!

Ainsley has promised herself she would never get divorced and she plans to stick to that no matter what. When she felt her marriage cooling off, she cooked up a plan to essentially force Peter to stay with her. I can't say much more without major spoilers, but just know that nothing is as it seems in their arrangement. 

June Wrap-Up

We are halfway through 2021! Here's a look at books we loved, books we didn't love, and books we DNF'd during the month of June. 

 Jayme's Reads (15):

What I Rated Them:

Into the Drowning Deep ☕☕.5

Ties That Tether ☕☕☕☕.5

Luck of the Draw ☕☕☕☕.5

Couple Found Slain ☕☕☕.25

28 Summers ☕☕☕☕.5

Th1rt3en ☕☕☕.5

The Book of Two Ways ☕☕☕.5

Beartown ☕☕☕☕.25

In Five Years ☕☕☕.75

The Lies She Told ☕☕☕☕.75

Hairpin Bridge ☕☕☕☕☕

Pretty Little Wife ☕☕☕☕

White Fragility ☕☕☕.5

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks ☕☕☕☕.25

Dear Sweet Pea ☕☕☕☕

Favorite Read: 

Hairpin Bridge

Least Favorite Read:
Into the Drowning Deep

DNF?:
None. :)

Rolling over to next month: 

Forget Me Not (currently holding onto this to return to later)

All Girls (just got my hold back - will read in July)

In a Book Club Far Away

The Peace Project

The Bridesmaid

Where is God When I Need Him?

Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids

The Lies She Told by Denise Grover Swank

  Huge thank you to the author for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

It's been a week since Carly Moore’s friend Jerry was run off the road and killed, and the sheriff’s department has already struck out on leads. She’s not about to sit back and let it go, but the last thing she wants is to endanger anyone else. Besides, as she learned long ago, problems come in threes.

A mysterious woman causes a ruckus in the tavern where Carly works and leaves behind a note: We’ve got some unfinished business, Carly Moore. I’ll be in touch. The stranger looks like trouble, and Carly knows it means nothing good. Then, on the heels of that encounter, she gets shocking news: the crime syndicate her father co-ran has been taken down by the authorities.

She’s not foolish enough to think her father has been neutralized, but she realizes she needs to act against him soon if she wants to stop hiding.

The deeper Carly digs into her family’s past, the more dirt she finds. But lies are told for a reason, and there are people around her who are willing to kill to keep the truth hidden.

Genre? It's got a little bit of Romance, little bit of Mystery.

Backlist? No. This was published June 8, 2021.

New to me Author? Not at all.

What did I think?

When Carly first showed up in Henryetta, I instantly loved her as a character in Rose Gardner's world. Now that she's found her way to Drum (and to Marco!) I can't help but love her even more. It seems like every time she starts to get comfortable, something crazy happens. The Lies She Told is no different. Carly receives a mysterious note from a woman she doesn't recognize, claiming that they have unfinished business. But speaking of unfinished business, Carly is still running from her father, even though the Hardshaw group has been caught. Can she keep her friendships in Drum, figure out what this crazy lady wants, take down Bart Drummond, and stay hidden?

Yet again, a phenomenal book by Denise Grover Swank. She never ceases to amaze me. This woman has written and co-written well over 50 books, in a variety of genres, and she does it so well! Even with putting out multiple books with publication dates less than a month apart, nothing feels half-assed. If something in a book doesn't turn out exactly how she wants it, Denise Grover Swank will literally push back the release day and re-write entire chunks. This just shows how dedicated she is to her craft. As a long time reader and reviewer of her books, Thank you Denise. I can't wait for your next installment.

Luck of the Draw by A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank

  Huge thank you to the authors for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Life’s not a fairytale for women like me, divorced and creeping up on middle age…until a hot younger man finds my lost shoes.

Crashing weddings is so not my thing. I’d much rather stay home and watch HGTV . . . and ignore the fact that my life is messier than those fixer-upper houses. Because my jerk ex left, and the only thing keeping a roof over my sons’ heads is my crappy telemarketing job.

But then I get a challenge from the Bad Luck Club, the group I joined to turn my luck around: Do something that breaks the rules. One ill-advised confession to my best friend later, I’m strapping on a pair of heels and crashing the wedding of two of the owners of Buchanan Brewery.

The last thing I expect is to meet someone, let alone the sexy younger bartender who calls me out and finds my lost shoes, something straight out of Cinderella. And the very last thing I expect is to fall for him.

It feels like I’m in a dream come true, a fairy tale, but the crap part about dreams is that they have to end.

Or do they?

Genre? Romance (Romantic comedy?)

Backlist? No. This will be published within the next couple weeks, June 2021.

New to me Author? Not at all.

What did I think?

Now that the Buchanan siblings have all shared their story, authors A.R. Casella and Denise Grover Swank could have easily called it the end of the Asheville Brewery series. Instead, we get Luck of the Draw, a continuation of the goings on in Asheville staring a secondary character from the previous novel.

In this one, we get to follow Deeandra (Dee) from the Bad Luck Club. In the middle of a divorce, crappy job, and two boys to raise, Dee answered the ad for Bad Luck Club and hasn't turned back. When her challenge was to "Do something that breaks the rules", she knew she couldn't skip it or she would be out of the club. So, she crashes a wedding. Of course, knowing how these books go, she ends up meeting someone and they really hit it off. But will the secrets tear them apart? Did Dee draw a lucky hand?

Couple Found Slain by Mikita Brottma

 Huge thank you to @netgalley for the free audioARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Critically acclaimed author and psychoanalyst Mikita Brottman offers literary true crime writing at its best, taking us into the life of a murderer after his conviction--when most stories end but the defendant's life goes on.

On February 21, 1992, 22-year-old Brian Bechtold walked into a police station in Port St. Joe, Florida and confessed that he'd shot and killed his parents in their family home in Silver Spring, Maryland. He said he'd been possessed by the devil. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and ruled "not criminally responsible" for the murders on grounds of insanity.

But after the trial, where do the criminally insane go? Brottman reveals Brian's inner life leading up to the murder, as well as his complicated afterlife in a maximum security psychiatric hospital, where he is neither imprisoned nor free. During his 27 years at the hospital, Brian has tried to escape and been shot by police, and has witnessed three patient-on-patient murders. He's experienced the drugging of patients beyond recognition, a sadistic system of rewards and punishments, and the short-lived reign of a crazed psychiatrist-turned-stalker.

In the tradition of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Couple Found Slain is an insider's account of life in the underworld of forensic psych wards in America and the forgotten lives of those held there, often indefinitely.

Genre? Non-Fiction

Backlist? No. This novel will be published on July 6, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think?

Couple Found Slain is a non-fiction book about 22-year-old Brian Bechtold. Seemingly a regular guy, he walks into the police department one day to admit to killing both of his parents. Author Mikita Brottman goes into the details of the murders, Brian's confession, the trial, the diagnosis, and the time spent in institutions and prison. She talks about the many appeals there have been to try to get Brian out of the institution, saying he is no longer struggling with mental illness.

I thought the subject matter was very interesting. I love true crime! The narrator did a great job as well. However, the book itself was a little dry at times. I'm not sure if that could have been avoided. There were also many times where the focus was on other people at the institution. However, the title specifies that it surrounds one case. 

Overall, it wasn't a bad read. 3.25 stars.

May Reading Wrap-Up

Wait, now May is over too? Here's a look at books we loved, books we didn't love, and books we DNF'd during the month of May. 

 Jayme's Reads (15):

What I Rated Them:

Inconceivable ☕☕☕.5

The Return ☕☕☕☕.5

The Wife Who Knew Too Much ☕☕☕☕.75

Beach Read ☕☕☕.25

Hamnet ☕☕.25

Broken ☕☕☕☕.25

The Mother-in-Law ☕☕☕☕

The Heist ☕☕☕

Wintering ☕☕☕.5

One Two Three ☕☕☕☕.5

Twice in a Blue Moon ☕☕☕☕

Sadie ☕☕☕☕.5

See Me ☕☕☕☕.75

When Breath Becomes Air ☕☕☕☕.5

Something She's Not Telling Us ☕☕☕

Favorite Read: 

The Wife Who Knew Too Much

Least Favorite Read:
Something She's Not Telling Us

DNF?:
None. :)

Rolling over to next month: 

Into the Drowning Deep (waiting on audiobook hold)

Forget Me Not (currently holding onto this to return to later)

All Girls (currently holding onto this to return to later)

In a Book Club Far Away

The Peace Project

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks

The Bridesmaid

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

Huge thank you to @netgalley for the free audioARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

From Laurie Frankel, the New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is, a Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick, comes One Two Three, a timely, topical novel about love and family that will make you laugh and cry...and laugh again.

In a town where nothing ever changes, suddenly everything does...

Everyone knows everyone in the tiny town of Bourne, but the Mitchell triplets are especially beloved. Mirabel is the smartest person anyone knows, and no one doubts it just because she can’t speak. Monday is the town’s purveyor of books now that the library’s closed―tell her the book you think you want, and she’ll pull the one you actually do from the microwave or her sock drawer. Mab’s job is hardest of all: get good grades, get into college, get out of Bourne.

For a few weeks seventeen years ago, Bourne was national news when its water turned green. The girls have come of age watching their mother’s endless fight for justice. But just when it seems life might go on the same forever, the first moving truck anyone’s seen in years pulls up and unloads new residents and old secrets. Soon, the Mitchell sisters are taking on a system stacked against them and uncovering mysteries buried longer than they’ve been alive. Because it's hard to let go of the past when the past won't let go of you.

Three unforgettable narrators join together here to tell a spellbinding story with wit, wonder, and deep affection. As she did in This Is How It Always Is, Laurie Frankel has written a laugh-out-loud-on-one-page-grab-a-tissue-the-next novel, as only she can, about how expanding our notions of normal makes the world a better place for everyone and how when days are darkest, it’s our daughters who will save us all.

Genre? Contemporary

Backlist? No. This novel will be published on June 8, 2021.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

This was my second Laurie Frankel book and one thing I noticed in both was how she was able to so beautifully weave serious, relevant subjects into novels that are fun and easy to read. One Two Three struck me as part family drama, part "Good Girls Guide to Murder". I listened to the audio and all of the narrators were extremely talented. They brought each of the sisters alive in their own ways. This book really made me think. So, if you're like me and think "environmental issues? meh, I'll pass on this," give it a try! I really enjoyed it! 

The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning

Huge thank you to @netgalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Your best friend. Your worst nightmare...

From the moment they met as children, Sasha knew that beautiful, wealthy, and confident Caitlin would always be her absolute best friend. Sasha would do anything to make Caitlin happy.

Even keep her darkest secrets…

The years have passed, but their friendship remains. And when Caitlin announces she’s getting married there is only one choice for the role of bridesmaid. Sasha will make sure Caitlin’s wedding is as beautiful and perfect as she is. Won’t she?

But as the big day approaches, cracks begin to appear. Because no matter what Sasha does, she never seems to make Caitlin happy.

And the secrets that once bound these two friends, now threaten to rip them apart for good...

Genre? Psychological thriller

Backlist? No. Pub day is today! May 27, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think? 

Woot Woot! Happy Publication Day to The Bridesmaid by @ninamanning_author!

Huge thanks to the author, @netgalley, & @bookandtonic for the eARC.

Think about your best friend. You've been friends for most of your life. Of course you'd want them in your wedding, right?

The Bridesmaid was a page-turning novel that kept me reading to see what came next. It is suspenseful and really gives us a look into what friendship sometimes looks like.

Y'all, I legitimately questioned my feelings about friendships after this one.

.5

Inconceivable by Alex Johnston

    Huge thank you to @netgalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Fifteen years ago, Alex Johnston and her husband decided it was time to start a family. As it turned out, that was the easy part. Like many women of her generation, she had left child-bearing until her thirties as she finished her education and established her career. She was stunned to learn that her fertility had already peaked and was in serious decline. What followed was a harrowing, sometimes heart-breaking journey, including infertility and IVF treatments, and multiple attempts at surrogacy. She refuses to quit even after losing her first child (carried by a surrogate), a tragedy that jeopardized her marriage and her mental health.

Genre? Non-fiction/Memoir

Backlist? No. Pub day is today! May 4, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think? 

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Inconceivable by Alex Johnston. This book stood out to me, as I'm currently going through secondary infertility after the loss of our second child to an ectopic pregnancy. Though I knew there was a possibility of triggers, I was willing to do my best, hoping there was also some "light at the end of the tunnel" moments.

Alex Johnston documents her struggles with getting pregnant, how much time and money she spent on IVF treatments, and her experiences through multiple tries at surrogacy (as in, someone else carrying for her). We have not tried IVF ourselves, but I do feel like I know a bit more about it after reading this memoir. 

I would recommend this book, honestly, to anyone. It really helps you look into the world of infertility, whether you live there or not.

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell

   Huge thank you to @netgalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It's Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.

Tabitha Girard had her heart broken years ago by Connor Ford. He was preppy and handsome. She was a pool girl at his country club. Their affair should have been a summer fling. But it meant everything to Tabitha.

Years later, Connor comes back into Tabitha's life—older, richer, and desperately unhappy. He married for money, a wealthy, neurotic, controlling woman whom he never loved. He has always loved Tabitha.

When Connor’s wife Nina takes her own life, he’s free. He can finally be with Tabitha. Nina’s home, Windswept, can be theirs. It seems to be a perfect ending to a fairy tale romance that began so many years ago. But then, Tabitha finds a diary. "I’m writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death," it begins. “If I die unexpectedly, it was foul play, and Connor was behind it. Connor—and her.”

Who is Connor Ford? Why did he marry Nina? Is Tabitha his true love, or a convenient affair? As the police investigate Nina’s death, is she a convenient suspect?

As Tabitha is drawn deeper into the dark glamour of a life she is ill-prepared for, it becomes clear to her that what a wife knows can kill her.

Genre? Thriller

Backlist? Yes. Published July 28, 2020.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think? 

I've read a previous book from this author, Michele Campbell, that I really enjoyed for the most part, but had some very specific issues with it. So when I saw The Wife Who Knew Too Much, I was intrigued but hesitant. I'm glad I gave her a second chance and picked this up because it was SO GOOD. Tabitha ends up re-connecting with a boyfriend from her teens and all of the love and emotion is still there between the two of them. Luckily, (or not), Conner's wife dies so they could be together. Good deal, right? Not at all. So many different things come to light that spells out T-R-O-U-B-L-E for Tabitha. This book really had me going. It's definitely a suspenseful thriller. It's also the type of thriller where you don't really see the twist coming, but it's not a twist that comes fully out of left field. The twist makes sense and really ties it all up. I was a big fan of this one. 4.75 stars.

Tiger Wars by Al Cimino

  Huge thank you to @netgalley for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

The global smash-hit Netflix documentary mini-series Tiger King introduced viewers to the weird, crazy and chaotic life of private zoo owner and big cat breeder Joe Exotic, and his war against Carole Baskin. Baskin, who runs the Big Cat Rescue in Florida, a sanctuary for abused and abandoned wild cats, waged a long legal battle to have Joe’s exotic animal park in Oklahoma shut down for the maltreatment of his animals. But Carole had her own dark past and Joe wasn’t going down without a fight; he responded by plotting to have her murdered. Tiger Wars delves deeper into this stranger-than-fiction tale and tells the shocking story of this big cat war, the cult-like characters involved and the spiral of obsession that landed Joe Exotic in jail and exposed the dark heart of America’s big cat obsession.

Genre? Non-Fiction

Backlist? Yes. Published September 1, 2020.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think? 

Like a large number of people, I spent the first part of quarantine 2020 binge-watching the Tiger King on Netflix. So I felt like I was well aware of Joe Exotic and his eccentric ways and Carole Baskin and her whole deal. I definitely did (and still do) have a strong opinion on whether Joe should be found guilty and spend time in jail or whether Carole killed her husband and fed him to the tigers. 

However, this book definitely added a huge new layer of depth to what I thought I knew. Where Tiger King, the series, skimmed the surface of what was going on behind the scenes at G.W. Park, Tiger Wars dug deep and told us even more of the scoop. The Netflix series focused a lot more on Joe being the good guy, where as Tiger Wars shows us what others in his own park thought of him. 

This book was super interesting. It dug into Joe's trial, which I knew nothing about. I would definitely recommend it if you watched the series during quarantine.