Tag: friendship

Book Review: The Forget-Me-Not Library, by Heather Webber    

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: The Forget-Me-Not Library
Author: Heather Webber  
Genre: Fantasy  
Rating: 5 out of 5

Juliet Nightingale is lucky to be alive. Months after a freak accident involving lightning, she’s fully recovered but is left feeling that something is missing from her life. Something big. Impulsively, she decides to take a solo summer road trip, hoping that the journey will lead her down a path that will help her discover exactly what it is that she’s searching for.

Newly-single mom Tallulah Byrd Mayfield is hanging by a thread after her neat, tidy world was completely undone when her husband decided that their marriage was over. In the aftermath of the breakup, she and her two daughters move in with her eighty-year-old grandfather. Tallulah starts a new job at the Forget-Me-Not Library, where old, treasured memories can be found within the books—and where Lu must learn to adapt to the many changes thrown her way.

When a road detour leads Juliet to Forget-Me-Not, Alabama, and straight into Tallulah’s life, the two women soon discover there’s magic in between the pages of where you’ve been and where you still need to go. And that happiness, even when lost, can always be found again.

This was such a good read! I truly enjoyed it from the opening scene: looking for a lost little girl and finding her asleep in a tree she calls Bill. I wanted to hang out with every character in the story, and the town of Forget-Me-Not just felt so magical. The exploration of grief and guilt was handled so well, as Juliet ‘s mind lets her finally remember things, and Tallulah’s coming to terms with the truth of her past and letting go of her fears to embrace the future was done with such believable emotion. I highly recommend this!

Heather Webber is a bestselling author. The Forget-Me-Not Library is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance, by Kate Robb

Image belongs to Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback.

Title: Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance   
Author: Kate Robb         
Genre: Romance    
Rating: 4.2 out of 5 

When Jules finds out that Kitty St. Clair, a resident at the retirement home where she works, has passed away and bequeathed her a dilapidated dance hall in their quaint and picturesque lakeside community, Jules is surprised. Kitty St. Clair was as eccentric as she was glamorous, but Jules cannot figure out why Kitty left her an abandoned building.

That is until Reeve, a charming, successful developer, returns to town, looking for the new owner of the dance hall, intent on turning it into luxury vacation condos. Suddenly Jules has a way to make her lifelong dream of going to med school a reality. But selling the dance hall will only add to the steadily rising real estate prices and make it harder for residents of her tiny vacation town to live there, not to mention, Reeve also happens to be the man who Jules shared a magical night with two summers ago– and never heard from again.

Reeve wants a second chance with Jules and is determined to earn back her trust. But can she let herself fall for him again? Does he want her, or a guaranteed sale?

Jules wishes she could talk to Kitty, who always seemed to have the best advice, so she turns to the diary she left her. But as Jules falls asleep reading, she wakes up in the world of the diary, fifty years ago, accompanying a young Kitty to the dance hall in all its glory. Her dream visits to Kitty’s past begin to parallel the questions plaguing her in her own world. Will Kitty’s past hold the keys to unlocking Jules’s future?

This was a fun read! I loved Jules and found her so relatable (mostly), and just a fun character to spend time with. Her friendships with her best friend and the residents at the retirement home were so realistic and believable, and it just sounded so fun (and undoubtedly a lot of work). I liked seeing how she grew and trusted and finally found the courage to chase her dreams.

Kate Robb lives in Canada. Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Lauryn Harper Falls Apart, by Shauna Robinson

Title: Lauryn Harper Falls Apart   
Author: Shauna Robinson       
Genre: Fiction   
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Lauryn Harper had a plan. A high achieving, perfectly constructed, five-year plan. But after a (totally blown out of proportion) mishap at work that plan is put to the test.

As punishment for her mistake she is transferred to the Ryser Charity Department, a branch of her corporation that just so happens to be located in the hometown she abandoned long ago – the same hometown that her powerful corporation is responsible for running into the ground. Horrified at the thought of returning and facing those she left behind (one in particular keeps coming to mind), Lauryn quickly comes up with a new impress her boss enough that she’s briskly whisked back to her big city life. 

However, it soon becomes clear that sticking to plans isn’t that simple, especially when her ex-best friend enters the charity department demanding they help revitalize the town by throwing the famous Greenstead Fall Festival. Confronted by her past wrongs, Lauryn immediately agrees to host the festival on Ryser’s dime, but soon enough Lauryn is swept away in town hijinks, chaotic planning committees, and a second chance at a childhood friend that shows her why home isn’t necessarily a place she has to run from.

Lauryn kind of got on my nerves for 2/3rds of the book. Very selfish and self-centered, and she flatly refused any hints of self-awareness that tried to sneak in. Greenstead itself was like all my small-town nightmares come to life, so I can see why Lauryn originally wanted to get out of Dodge. I found the reasons all the misfits got shuttled off to the back of beyond to verge on the ridiculous, and the idea of the mustard accident seemed a farce, too. That being said, it was nice to read a novel strictly about second-chance friendship, with no hint of romance in sight, and the writing was soliod.

Shauna Robinson lives in Virginia. Lauryn Harper Falls Apart is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Secret Book Society, by Madeline Martin

Image belongs to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press.

Title: The Secret Book Society
Author: Madeline Martin     
Genre: Historical fiction    
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society…

London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club—a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories.

Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands’ untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder.

As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.

This was such a good read! I loved the stories of all these women and found them so inspiring! The growing friendship between the three women was well-done and made me feel like I was part of their book club. Their excitement over the books made me want to read (or re-read) some of their selections!

Madeline Martin is a bestselling author. The Secret Book Society is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Girls of Dark Divine, by E. V. Woods

Title: Girls of Dark Divine   
Author: E. V. Woods         
Genre: Fantasy, YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5 

In the legendary ballet theatre of New Kora, the girls on stage enchant the audience each night with their grace and divine beauty. Before Emberlyn became the show’s star, it was her dream to become one of the ballerinas… until she learned the price of their living nightmare.

A curse has bound the girls to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm, so they must obey his every command. They are controlled by the magic’s invisible strings that has the power to wield their limbs like marionette dolls. Only the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down, and the girls live a life of fear from Malcolm’s wickedness and the twisted truth that each dancer is destined to turn to dust when the curse finally consumes her.

When the troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, Emberlyn knows this could be her best chance to save them all. She meets an elusive boy made of shadows with a magical connection to the girls. Together, they work to unravel the haunting truth about their creation and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high, and as she dances closer to the edge of darkness she realizes she might break the curse… or break her own heart forever.

I do love ballet, so when you combine it with fantasy, I definitely wanted to read this! Ember was a great character, and from the very first of the book, it was easy to be fascinated by her POV and her world. I liked all the Marionettes, and their friendship was what drew me into the story—and kept me reading, eager to find out if they were going to escape their dark curse.

E. V. Woods is from the U.K. Girls of Dark Divine is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Children/Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Party of Liars, by Kelsey Cox   

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: Party of Liars
Author: Kelsey Cox     
Genre: Thriller   
Rating: 4 out of 5 

Today is Sophie Matthews’s sixteenth birthday party, an exclusive black-tie bash in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, where secrets are as deep-rooted as the sprawling live oaks. Sophie’s dad has spared no expense, and his renovated cliffside mansion—once thought haunted—is now hosting the event of the season. Then, just before the candles on the three-tiered red velvet cake are blown out, a body falls from the balcony onto the starlit dance floor below.

It’s a killer guest list . . .

DANI: Sophie’s new stepmother who’s been plagued by self-doubt ever since the birth of her own baby girl

ÓRLAITH: the superstitious Irish nanny who senses a looming danger in this cavernous house

MIKAYLA: the birthday girl’s best friend who is not nearly as meek as the popular kids assume

KIM: the cunning ex-wife who has a grudge she can’t let go of . . .

Everyone is invited in. Not everyone will get out alive.

I really never figured out exactly what was going on or who was guilty—of what until the end! Kim was pretty horrible for most of the novel, so much hatred and vitriol and alcohol. I couldn’t figure out if Dani was crazy, or as almost-perfect as she seemed. Sophie and Mikayla seemed like typical teenage girls on the surface, but were they really? Ethan and his friend Curtis were just a little too high-handed, weren’t they? There was a lot going on here, and I was engrossed from the beginning. And what about the dollhouse/mansion? Creepy!

Kelsey Cox lives in the Texas Hill Country. Party of Liars is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club, by Gloria Chao  

Image belongs to Harlequin/MIRA.

Title: The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club   
Author: Gloria Chao          
Genre: Mystery    
Rating: 4 out of 5

The body in the closet was going to be a problem. Kathryn Hu knew it. Yes, Tucker Jones was a cheating scumbag, and yes, she’d agreed to meet Olivia and Elle—Tucker’s other girlfriends—to exact revenge for all he’d put them through… But then they found him. Dead. 

Do they look guilty? Yes.

Do they feel guilty for having wished him dead just hours before? Maybe a little.

But—solid motive and a crime scene covered in their DNA aside—they’re innocent. They swear.

To clear their names, Kat, Olivia and Elle team up to find the real killer. But as they go undercover and lie to everyone, including the hot detective working the case, they realize that every person in their ex’s life had a reason to want him dead. Will they uncover the truth before they go down for a murder they didn’t commit?

Talk about a comedy of errors! This made me laugh several times, and the podcast transcript irritated me. Tucker was the worst—especially how he made Kat, Olivia, and Elle question their worth, even before they found out just what a jerk he really was. Kat’s opening bad days was a lot and made me really emphasize with her. I liked her and would be happy to read more about her.

Gloria Chao graduated from MIT, became a dentist, and is now a writer. The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/MIRA in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Book Review: The Other Side of Now, by Paige Harbison  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: The Other Side of Now
Author: Paige Harbison         
Genre: Fiction   
Rating: 4 out of 5 

With a leading role on a hit TV show and a relationship with Hollywood’s latest heartthrob, Meg Bryan appears to have everything she ever wanted. But underneath the layers of makeup and hairspray, her happiness is as fake as her stage name, Lana Lord. Following a small breakdown at her thirtieth birthday party, she books an impromptu trip where she knows the grass is greener: Ireland. Specifically, the quaint little village where she and her best friend Aimee always dreamt of moving—a dream that fell apart when an accident claimed Aimee’s life a decade ago.

When Meg arrives, the people in town are so nice, treating her not as a stranger, but a friend. Except for the (extremely hot) bartender giving her the cold shoulder. Meg writes it all off as jetlag until she looks in the mirror. Her hair is no longer bleached within an inch of its life, her skin has a few natural fine lines, and her nose looks like… well, her old nose. Her real nose.

Her phone reveals hundreds of pictures of her life in this little town: with an adorable dog she doesn’t know; with the bartender who might be her (ex?) boyfriend; and at a retail job unrelated to acting. Eventually, she comes to accept that she somehow made a quantum slide into an alternate version of her life. But the most shocking realization of all? In this life, her best friend Aimee is alive and well…but wants nothing to do with Meg.

Despite her bewilderment, Meg is clear-eyed about one thing: this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reconnect with her friend and repair what she broke. She finagles an opportunity to act in the play Aimee is writing and directing and as the project unfolds, Meg realizes that events as she remembers them may not be the only truth, and that an impossible choice looms before her.

I can’t even imagine how confusing it would be to wake up in this situation! Meg’s rich and famous life sounds pretty horrible to me, so I can believe her wanting out. Her life in Ireland sounded amazing to me, so I can’t imagine wanting out of that. This was a story that kept me intrigued all along. I liked the characters, and I loved the quirky small town she ended up in—and I’m almost never a fan of small towns! I loved the character growth in this and Meg came to terms with her past and everything that happened.

Paige Harbison lives in L.A. The Other Side of Now is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of t. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: My Friends, by Fredrik Backman

Image belongs to Atria Books.

Title: My Friends  
Author: Fredrik Backman   
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 

Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There’s Joar, who never backs down from a fight; quiet and bookish Ted who is mourning his father; Ali, the daughter of a man who never stays in one place for long; and finally, there’s the artist, a boy who hoards sleeping pills and shuns attention, but who possesses an extraordinary gift that might be his ticket to a better life. These four lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art.

This was a heck of a read!  I expect great characters and an intriguing story from Fredrik Backman, but this was just so, so good. On the surface, it doesn’t seem super appealing, but the characters were just so appealing and their friendship was fantastic. Hanging out with the four friends in the past just sounded fun, and Louisa and Ted in the future made me laugh a lot. Great read, with some excellent twists.

Fredrik Backman is a bestselling author. My Friends is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Keeper, by Charles Martin

Image belongs to Thomas Nelson.

Title:  The Keeper  
Author: Charles Martin
Genre:  Fiction    
Rating: 5 out of 5

Bones–Murphy Shepherd’s teacher, mentor, priest, and friend–is gone. Devastated by the loss and unsure how to continue the rescue work they started, Murph has no choice but to jump back in when the worst happens. His longtime friend and current United States vice president, Aaron Ashley, has been a silent partner in the fight against trafficking. But in spite of having the best security available, his three daughters have been taken bound and blindfolded from their home by an extraction team that left no clues and no trace–just an empty house, a bereft mother, and nine dead Secret Service agents. Only Murph and his team have a hope of finding them.

Bones may have made the ultimate sacrifice taking down his own brother and the dark network he led, but there are still others in this network where evil is the currency and power is the prize. Soon Ashley drops out of the presidential race and a new candidate emerges–someone who is ready, too ready, to step into the race and the Oval Office.

Bones taught Murph that the needs of the one, the lost one, outweigh those of the ninety-nine. In his first rescue without Bones beside him, Murph’s fight against human trafficking takes him across the globe and through the halls of government to destroy the network and save the lives and souls of those taken.

This book. Charles Martin is my favorite author, and I love the Murphy Shepherd books, so I was desperate to read this. And it did not disappoint me. The ending of The Record Keeper destroyed me in all the best possible ways—how was this going to live up to that? It did.

There was a lot of action, of course, as befits this series, but we got to spend a lot of time in Murphy’s head, too, watching as he struggled with what he’d been taught—the value of the one—and what he felt. His anguish and confusion and doubt spilled onto the page and the reader wrestled with them just as he did. Layer that with the action of the race to find the three girls and to figure out just who was behind the darkness that took them and this book was absolutely riveting, Charles Martin at his best.

Charles Martin is a bestselling author. The Keeper is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)