Here is where I post the reviews of books I read. Most will be books that I really liked.
Saturday, July 31, 2021
Read in July!
Thursday, July 29, 2021
LIE BESIDE ME by Gytha Lodge
He’s lying next to you. He’s not breathing. . . . And the killer might have been you.
Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens is on the trail in this explosive crime novel from the acclaimed author of She Lies in Wait and Watching from the Dark.
“Secrets and self-sabotage abound in this gripping psychological thriller.”—The Guardian
Louise wakes up. Her head aches, her mouth is dry, her memory is fuzzy—but she suspects she’s done something bad.
She rolls over toward her husband, Niall. The man who, until recently, made her feel loved.
But it’s not Niall lying beside her. In fact, she’s never seen this man before.
And he’s not breathing. . . .
As Louise desperately struggles to piece her memories back together, it’s clear to Jonah Sheens and his team that she is their prime suspect—though they soon find she’s not the only one with something to hide.
Did she do it? And, if not, can they catch the real killer before they strike again?
In this gripping novel, a young woman finds that trying to make sense of her life’s bad choices might prove the most dangerous reckoning there is.
MY THOUGHTS:
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
THE GIRL IN THE STRIPED DRESS by Ellie Midwood
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered, pressing a note into her hand. Her entire body trembled when she read it: I am in love with you.
Helena steps off the cattle train onto the frozen grounds of Auschwitz. She has twenty-four hours to live. Scheduled to be killed tomorrow, she is not even tattooed with a prison number. As the snow falls around her, she shivers, knowing that she has been sentenced to death for a crime she didn’t commit.
When a gray-clad officer marches towards Helena and pulls her away, she fears the worst. Instead, he tells her that it’s one of the guard’s birthdays and orders her to serenade him.
Inside the SS barracks the air is warm, thick with cigarette smoke and boisterous conversation. After she sings to the guard, Franz, he presses a piece of cake into her hands––the first thing she has eaten in days. On the spot, he orders her life to be saved, forever changing the course of her fate.
What follows is a love story that was forbidden, that should have been impossible, and yet saved both of their lives––and hundreds of others––in more ways than one.
Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice, and The Orphan Train will be utterly entranced by this unputdownable page-turner. This completely heartbreaking yet beautifully hopeful novel shows that love can survive anything and grow anywhere.
This book was previously published as Auschwitz Syndrome.
MY THOUGHTS:
HAPPY RELEASE DAY!
Monday, July 26, 2021
Mailbox Monday!
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf
I hope you had a good mailbox.
It's Monday! What are you reading!
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Week in Reading!
Thursday, July 22, 2021
THE STRANGER IN THE MIRROR by Liv Constantine
A diabolically twisty, psychologically unsettling novel about a woman with no recollection of her past from the authors of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Last Mrs. Parrish and The Wife Stalker.
"Jaw-dropping twists with an unsettling edge that you’ll need a few days at the beach to recover." —Reese's Book Club
Addison’s about to get married, but she’s not looking forward to the big day. It’s not her fiancé; he’s a wonderful man. It’s because Addison doesn't know who she really is. A few years ago, a kind driver found her bleeding next to a New Jersey highway and rescued her. While her physical wounds healed, Addison’s memory never returned. She doesn’t know her real name. Or how she ended up injured on the side of a road. Or why she can’t shake the notion that she may have done something very, very bad . . .
In a posh home in the Boston suburbs, Julian tries to figure out what happened to his loving, caring wife, Cassandra, who disappeared without a trace two years ago. She would never have left him and their seven-year-old daughter Valentina of her own free will—or would she?
As these two lives intersect, The Stranger in the Mirror hooks readers with riveting drama, told with Liv Constantine’s hallmark blend of glamour, tense psychological thrills, and jaw-dropping twists.
MY THOUGHTS:
This is another great book by an author that I really enjoy. I think she/they really outdid themselves this time. This book was a page turner.
This is a very complex story that will keep you turning pages. It will have you wondering what is going on. You will like most of the characters, even one that you will most likely end up despising. At first I liked that one but quickly learned I was being fooled. Taken for a ride. Being lied too if you will. What happened to Cassandra? Where could she have possibly gone? Is she dead or did something awful happen to her? This book answers all of that and much more. Even though you know right from the start almost that Addie and Cassandra are one and the same it will come as a shock what happened that caused all of the turmoil in their life. Caused her to run.
This book is so very good. It makes you feel like you are in the town with the characters. In their homes. Sitting at their table and laughing along with them. I really liked Gabriel. I really liked his family. I was a bit aggravated at his mother at first but begin to see her point too. Who wouldn't in this case. I loved Ed and Gigi. They were the best. They took Addie in and helped her. They stood by her.
What could possibly have happened in Cassandra's life to cause her so much pain. The nightmares. The almost memories. Did she do something so horrific that she lost her whole life. Her memories of everything. As bits and pieces start to emerge she wants to remember. She's also very afraid to remember. She has no idea where she came from or what she may have done. But she's about to find out everything.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #LivConstantine, #Harper for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book. I loved it!
5/5 big stars. I recommend you read this one. It will give you all the feels too. All of them.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
THE LIGHT OF LUNA PARK by Addison Armstrong
In the spirit of The Orphan Train and Before We Were Yours, a historical debut about a nurse who chooses to save a baby's life, and risks her own in the process, exploring the ties of motherhood and the little-known history of Coney Island and America's first incubators.
A nurse's choice. A daughter's search for answers.
New York City, 1926. Nurse Althea Anderson's heart is near breaking when she witnesses another premature baby die at Bellevue Hospital. So when she reads an article detailing the amazing survival rates of babies treated in incubators in an exhibit at Luna Park, Coney Island, it feels like the miracle she has been searching for. But the doctors at Bellevue dismiss Althea and this unconventional medicine, forcing her to make a choice between a baby's life and the doctors' wishes that will change everything.
Twenty-five years later, Stella Wright is falling apart. Her mother has just passed, she quit a job she loves, and her marriage is struggling. Then she discovers a letter that brings into question everything she knew about her mother, and everything she knows about herself.
The Light of Luna Park is a tale of courage and an ode to the sacrificial love of mothers.
Monday, July 19, 2021
Mailbox Monday!
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf
I hope you had a good mailbox.
James by Percival Everett
My thoughts First, the narrator was wonderful. I was sucked into this story. It was a bit slow at first but it was worth it. What this wor...
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Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead ...
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This book absolutely blew my socks off. It is my first by this author and believe me I do look forward to reading more. This one held me c...
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“An extraordinary profile of immense courage and daring.” — Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Left Cuba “I...