Spring has sprung in the Midwest, along with allergies, a spring cold, but warmer temps and thin sunshine as my daffodils bloom. 🙂 Wes and I have a “reading weekend” planned this coming weekend (woot!), and it occurred to me I am waaaaay behind in posting my latest reviews, so let’s get to it!
–Marissa
We All Live Here by JoJo Moyes is another great “sandwich” novel, of a woman in her middle age, dealing with kids and aging parents – including her widowed stepfather, and her biological father, who makes a sudden appearance in Lila’s life shortly after her divorce from her husband. This novel is warm, and full of great characters, growth and mistakes, love and family dynamics. I loved it!
The Mother Next Door by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber is a nonfiction book with the subtitle “Medicine, Deception and Munchausen by Proxy”. The authors take the reader through several cases of MBP from the perspective of law enforcement, parents, and personal experience. I find this topic endlessly fascinating – and horrifying – and I flew through this.
Audition by Katie Kitamura was… odd and clearly I wasn’t the audience for it, since Kitamura is known for abstract, postmodern stories with metaphors and *themes*, which isn’t my jam. Two parts told in two “acts” about an actress rehearsing a play with weird *waves arms* things throughout, this just wasn’t for me, though the writing was sharp.
My Big Fat Fake Marriage by Charlotte Stein sets up the trope in the title.🙂 Connie doesn’t trust guys, Beck has never had a girlfriend and in a moment of frustration at his publishing house (where Connie is an author) tells everyone he’s married. Cue hijinks, shared quarters, and steamy sexy times. An easy enough read, but not one I’ll remember in a few weeks…
Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley was just madcap fun.🙂 Jane and Dan are at a suuuuuper fancy cliffside restaurant to celebrate their anniversary, and before the appetizers arrive, Jane announces she wants a divorce… and that’s when the terrorists burst in. We have a hostage situation, an echo of Jane’s novel in the plot, family dynamics, hijinks, and a possibility of a reconciliation… if they can survive the evening. I flew through this one – the premise is so goofy and fun – and found myself laughing at so many things. A fun diversion of a novel!
One Star Romance by Laura Hankin was an audiobook listen for me, and I really enjoyed it. Told in vignettes that take place years apart, Natalie is a writer and Rob an academic thrown together repeatedly by their respective best friends, who are getting married. Tension, milestones, a harsh anonymous review, a potential tragedy… this novel packs it all in, but it never feels overwrought or try-hard, just a well-written, well-paced, tension-filled romance novel. I liked it!
This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead was a fascinating fiction read as we go along with Jane – grieving the death of her beloved father – into an internet rabbit hole (think Reddit!) about solving true crime cases. She integrates with a small group, and their entire life revolves around solving cases – sometimes successfully. When they dive into the Delphine Massacres (think the Idaho college murders) things go sideways for sure. I found this fascinating, compelling, fast-paced, and twisty in the right ways. Recommended!
Count My Lies by Sophie Stava was bananapants, but in the best way. Sloane is a liar – about everything, big and small – and talks her way into becoming a nanny for a wealthy, dynamic couple and becoming a part of their family. But, maybe there are other dynamics at play that Sloane has no idea about, even as the lies start piling up. This was super fast-paced (read it in a day kind of read!), twisty, compelling and kept me flipping pages throughout. Recommended!
The Deep End by Ali Hazelwood is all over steamy booktok for sure! Scarlett is an elite diver at Stanford, and Lukas is one of the world’s best swimmers, but when Lukas and his girlfriend break up, he and Scarlett enter into… an arrangement. Of the sexy and kink-filled kind. But of course, things ebb and flow (sports pressure, school, falling for each other, vowing not to fall for each other, friendship dramas, you name it) throughout. I loved their chemistry throughout, I loved learning about elite college sports and competitions, but the conflict with the best friend felt… meh. But, Lukas and Scarlett were pretty swoony. This is not for everyone (graphic sex scenes, etc.) but I flew through it.
The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant was an audiobook listen, and I found myself transported to the backcountry of the West as wilderness guide Emlyn teams up with her ex to try and find their mutual best friend Janessa, who has seemingly gone missing from her #vanlife. I loved the friendship between Emlyn and Janessa (told in flashbacks) and the setting of this race to find Janessa, and I was engaged throughout the story, but it didn’t *stick* with me afterwards, if you know what I mean.
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister was a RIDE and I couldn’t put it down! Camilla is returning from maternity leave, taking her daughter to daycare when she spots a weird note from her husband… but she think nothing of it until a few hours later, when police arrive to tell her Luke has taken several people hostage at gunpoint. This story is told from the perspective of Camilla, the hostage negotiator, and a few shadowy figures, and I could NOT stop reading until I found out the “who, what, WHAT?!” of it all. Fast-paced and compelling, this was a good one!
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