Category: books

Book Review: The Lost Manuscript, by Cathy Bonidan

Title: The Lost Manuscript
Author: Cathy Bonidan
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

When Anne-Lise Briard books a room at the Beau Rivage Hotel for her vacation on the Brittany coast, she has no idea this trip will start her on the path to unearthing a mystery. In search of something to read, she opens up her bedside table drawer in her hotel room, and inside she finds an abandoned manuscript. Halfway through the pages, an address is written. She sends pages to the address, in hopes of potentially hearing a response from the unknown author. But not before she reads the story and falls in love with it. The response, which she receives a few days later, astonishes her…

Not only does the author write back, but he confesses that he lost the manuscript 30 years prior on a flight to Montreal. And then he reveals something even more shocking—that he was not the author of the second half of the book.

Anne-Lise can’t rest until she discovers who this second mystery author is, and in doing so tracks down every person who has held this manuscript in their hands. Through the letters exchanged by the people whose lives the manuscript has touched, she discovers long-lost love stories and intimate secrets. Romances blossom and new friends are made. Everyone’s lives are made better by this book—and isn’t that the point of reading? And finally, with a plot twist you don’t see coming, she uncovers the astonishing identity of the author who finished the story.

I really enjoyed this read! It’s told in a series of letters between the various characters, and at first, I had a little trouble keeping everyone straight, but that soon resolved. There are a lot of storylines woven together, past and present, but they make a seamless and engrossing tapestry, with vivid characters full of quirks and little adventures that draw the reader fully into the story. Definitely a recommended read.

Cathy Bonidan is a teacher. The Lost Manuscript is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Everything I Thought I Knew, by Shannon Takaoka

Title: Everything I Thought I Knew
Author: Shannon Takaoka
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Seventeen-year-old Chloe had a plan: work hard, get good grades, and attend a top-tier college. But after she collapses during cross-country practice and is told that she needs a new heart, all her careful preparations are laid to waste.

Eight months after her transplant, everything is different. Stuck in summer school with the underachievers, all she wants to do now is grab her surfboard and hit the waves—which is strange, because she wasn’t interested in surfing before her transplant. (It doesn’t hurt that her instructor, Kai, is seriously good-looking.)

And that’s not all that’s strange. There’s also the vivid recurring nightmare about crashing a motorcycle in a tunnel and memories of people and places she doesn’t recognize.

Is there something wrong with her head now, too, or is there another explanation for what she’s experiencing?

As she searches for answers, and as her attraction to Kai intensifies, what she learns will lead her to question everything she thought she knew—about life, death, love, identity, and the true nature of reality.

Solid writing here. I was drawn into the story from the very first page and I cared about Chloe and what she was going through. I loved how she went from an uptight, Type-A person obsessed with grades, achievements, and getting into college to just…not so much. I loved seeing how things with Kai developed. But, the twist towards the end of the book ruined the whole thing for me. Twists are generally a good thing, but I really wasn’t a fan of this one.

Shannon Takaoka is from Pennsylvania but now lives in California. Everything I Thought I Knew is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Minus Me, by Mameve Medwed

Title: Minus Me
Author: Mameve Medwed
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Annie and her devoted but comically incompetent childhood sweetheart Sam are the owners and operators of Annie’s, a gourmet sandwich shop, home to the legendary Paul Bunyan Special Sandwich–their “nutritionally challenged continual source of income and marital harmony and local fame.”

But into their mostly charmed marriage comes the scary medical diagnosis for Annie–and the overwhelming challenge of finding a way to help Sam go on without her. Annie decides to leave Sam step-by-step instructions for a future without her, and considers her own replacement in his heart and their bed. Her best-laid plans grind to a halt with the unexpected appearance of Ursula, Annie’s Manhattan diva of a mother, who brings her own brand of chaos and disruption into their lives.

I didn’t really care for these characters, and that made it hard to enjoy this book. Solid writing, so this is clearly just a “me” issue, but the characters just didn’t work for me. Sam was so incompetent as to be almost a farce and Annie was over-the-top take charge and let him be incompetent, which was frustrating to read. Their complete lack of communication was also irritating. So much pain could have been avoided if either of them had had the tiniest bit of bravery.

Mameve Medwed is from Bangor, Maine. Minus Me is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Other Mother, by Matthew Dicks

Title: The Other Mother
Author: Matthew Dicks
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

The one he loves most, is the one he knows least.

Thirteen-year-old Michael Parsons is dealing with a lot. His father’s sudden death; his mother’s new husband, Glen, who he loathes; his two younger siblings, who he looks after more and more now that his mother works extra shifts.

And then one day, Michael wakes up and his mother is gone. In her place is an exact, duplicate mother. The ‘other mother’. No one else seems to notice the real version is missing. His brother, his sister, and even Glen act as if everything’s normal. But Michael knows in his heart that this mother is not his. And he begins to panic.

What follows is a big-hearted coming-of-age story of a boy struggling with an unusual disorder that poses unparalleled challenges—but also, as he discovers, offers him unique opportunities.

This wasn’t at all what I expected. I felt so much sympathy for Michael. I cannot even imagine how disorienting and frightening it would be to go through this. Despite his fear and the short time span of the novel—two days—Michael shows a lot of character growth and change. This is a very moving, evocative book about a boy experiencing something truly horrible in the midst of his already-challenging life.

Matthew Dicks is a bestselling author. The Other Mother is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Roman and Jewel, by Dana L. Davis

Title: Roman and Jewel
Author: Dana L. Davis
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Jerzie Jhames will do anything to land the lead role in Broadway’s hottest new show, Roman and Jewel, a Romeo and Juliet inspired hip-hopera featuring a diverse cast and modern twists on the play. But her hopes are crushed when she learns mega-star Cinny won the lead…and Jerzie is her understudy.

Falling for male lead Zeppelin Reid is a terrible idea–especially once Jerzie learns Cinny wants him for herself. Star-crossed love always ends badly. But when a video of Jerzie and Zepp practicing goes viral and the entire world weighs in on who should play Jewel, Jerzie learns that while the price of fame is high, friendship, family, and love are priceless.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read! Great characters, strong yet flawed, who make mistakes I can sympathize with. Jerzie was a lot of fun to read, even when she was making bad decisions, and I liked how her relationship with Zepp grew. I also liked that Cinny wasn’t a complete cliché. Solid writing and strong, diverse characters made this an excellent read.

Dana L. Davis lives in L.A. Roman and Jewell is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: One of the Good Ones, by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

Title: One of the Good Ones
Author: Maika Moulite; Maritza Moulite
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.

The writing here is stellar, and the authors tackle an important and emotional subject with grace and emotion. I was drawn into the story from the beginning. However, when the twist was revealed about ¾ of the way in, that changed the whole book for me, and almost completely erased the impact that reading it had had.

As an author, you don’t want your readers to find your story boring or predictable, but you also don’t want them to lose faith in you as a writer, either, and that is exactly how I felt: I can’t trust these authors to not flip the script over halfway through the book, so I probably won’t read more of them.

Maika and Maritza Moulite are sisters and authors. One of the Good Ones is their newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: You Have a Match, by Emma Lord

Title: You Have a Match
Author: Emma Lord
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

I enjoyed this read quite a bit! It was kind of a riff on The Parent Trap, but only loosely. Abby was a lot of fun to read and the contrast between her and Savannah was sometimes glaring and sometimes funny. I enjoyed Abby’s growth and the friendships in this book were wonderful!

Emma Lord lives in New York City. You Have a Match is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #102

I hope everyone is having a Happy New Year so far!

This was a good writing week for me. I did three fiction-writing sessions, and I wrote 9 book reviews! I know that’s a lot of book reviews, but I finished reading all the books I plan to review in January last weekend and I wanted to get the reviews all written and scheduled before the end of December. This will definitely free up some writing time in January, as well as letting me read strictly for pleasure for a while (I’m binging the Lady Darby Mystery series first, then I think I’ll do the same with the Odd Thomas books. I’ve only read the first four of those and I know there’s several more.)

Happy writing!

What I Read in 2020

What I Read in December (2020)

Books Read in December: 36 This was the most books I read any month this year!

Books Read for the Year: 332/200

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

When Crickets Cry, by Charles Martin (TBR). Apparently I’d read this before, although I didn’t remember it. Loved this!

Little Men, by Louisa May Alcott (classic re-read). I love this almost as much as Little Women

Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers (TBR). This is such a powerful story

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Caught, by Neta Jackson (TBR). Still loving this series

Dangerous Prayers, by Craig Groeschel (spiritual). Powerful.

Praying with Jane, by Rachel Dodge (TBR/spiritual). This was lovely!

For Review:

The Princess and the Rogue, by Kate Bateman. I enjoyed this romance with a princess in disguise and a man who thinks he’ll never fall in love.

Boone, by Emily March. Boone was a little bit too good to be true to be believable.

Fairy Godmothers, Inc., by Saranna DeWylde. This was almost a farce to me, frankly. The whole premise wasn’t believable, the horrible incident from the past was ridiculous, and when the characters would randomly cuss, it just felt wrong, like it was out-of-character. Nope.

Wrong Alibi, by Christina Dodd. I was solidly invested in this tale of a woman wrongly convicted of murder 10 years before who is trying to find the man who framed her…until 75% of the way through when she met the guy whose family she supposedly killed and with basically no transition he decided she wasn’t the killer, they hopped into bed, and were infatuated with each other. What? I didn’t realize this was a romance. Add that to a conspiracy that had never been hinted at before, and I lost all faith in this author.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder, by T.A. Willberg. This was a decent read, but it felt very slow.

You Have a Match, by Emma Lord (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this updated riff on The Parent Trap. It was a fun read with a lot of character growth.

One of the Good Ones, by Maika Moulite (review forthcoming). This is another case of me thinking I was reading a certain genre of book and finding out 75% of the way through that the author had different ideas. An incredibly powerful story and writing, but when that twist came, it negated that for me.

Roman and Jewell, by Dana L. Davis (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this quick read. It was diverse and didn’t go for the easy cliche.

The Other Mother, by Matthew Dicks (review forthcoming). Though this novel takes place over the course of two days, it felt like a lot happened! A solid read about a boy dealing with a scary syndrome.

Minus Me, by Mameve Medwed (review forthcoming). Eh, I really didn’t care for either of the MCs, so that made this only a so-so read for me.

The Lost Manuscript, by Cathy Bonidan (review forthcoming). I ended up enjoying this novel told in letters very much! Love the characters!

Aftershock, by Judy Melinke and T.J. Mitchell (review forthcoming). The second solid book in this series. Although the MC makes some…questionable…decisions, I enjoyed the read.

What’s Worth Keeping, by Kaya McLaren (review forthcoming). Loved this!

Shipped by Angie Hockman (review forthcoming). This was a fun read and would be excellent as a beach or vacation read.

At the Edge of the Haight, by Katherine Seligman (review forthcoming). The blurb made this sound like it was about a homeless teenager helping to find the person who killed a boy…but it wasn’t. Not at all.

Everything I Thought I Knew, by Shannon Takaoka (review forthcoming). I really liked this, until the twist came at about 80% through. And that ruined the entire book for me.

Deep Into the Dark, by P. J. Tracy (review forthcoming). This was an excellent thriller. I’m not usually a fan of unreliable narrators, but it totally worked for this story.

A Pairing to Die For, by Kate Lansing (review forthcoming). This was a quick, fun read, but it wasn’t totally believable because the police made an arrest within a few hours of the murder…on minimal evidence.

The Knockout, by Sajni Patel (review forthcoming). I LOVED this read! It deals with cultural issues and sexism as a girl struggles to embrace her identity in the midst of expectations.

The Girl from the Channel Islands, by Jenny Lecoat (review forthcoming). This was a good read. I don’t think I’d read anything before set in the Channel Islands during WWII or with a German soldier who wasn’t a Nazi.

Undercover Kitty, by Sofie Ryan (review forthcoming). I hadn’t read any of this series, but I enjoyed this. Elvis the cat is perfect!

Crime of the Ancient Marinara, by Stephanie Cole (review forthcoming).. This wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really work for me.

Capturing the Earl, by A.S. Fenichel (review forthcoming). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this entire series, and this was another good read. My favorite MC so far!

Happy Singles Day, by Ann Marie Walker (review forthcoming). I thought this was a pretty standard romance. Nothing bad, but no unexpected surprises, either.

Just Because:

Tipping Point, by Jimmy Evans. Yes, this is the second time in the last six months I’ve read this.

Who is Jesus?, by Paul Kent.

Mortal Arts, A Grave Matter, A Study in Death, and A Pressing Engagement, by Anna Lee Huber. I read the first book in this series some time ago. Now I’m binging the rest of it because I love them so much!

Yearly Reads:

I read the Bible and Live in Grace, Walk in Love, by Bob Goff over the course of the entire year as well.

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