The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin

A heartwarming debut novel for readers of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, following three lonely strangers in a rural Oregon town, each working through grief and life's curveballs, who are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing--and maybe even a second chance--just when they least expect it.

Forty-four-year-old Alice Holtzman is stuck in a dead-end job, bereft of family, and now reeling from the unexpected death of her husband. Alice has begun having panic attacks whenever she thinks about how her life hasn't turned out the way she dreamed. Even the beloved honeybees she raises in her spare time aren't helping her feel better these days.

In the grip of a panic attack, she nearly collides with Jake--a troubled, paraplegic teenager with the tallest mohawk in Hood River County--while carrying 120,000 honeybees in the back of her pickup truck. Charmed by Jake's sincere interest in her bees and seeking to rescue him from his toxic home life, Alice surprises herself by inviting Jake to her farm.

And then there's Harry, a twenty-four-year-old with debilitating social anxiety who is desperate for work. When he applies to Alice's ad for part-time farm help, he's shocked to find himself hired. As an unexpected friendship blossoms among Alice, Jake, and Harry, a nefarious pesticide company moves to town, threatening the local honeybee population and illuminating deep-seated corruption in the community. The unlikely trio must unite for the sake of the bees--and in the process, they just might forge a new future for themselves.

Beautifully moving, warm, and uplifting, The Music of Bees is about the power of friendship, compassion in the face of loss, and finding the courage to start over (at any age) when things don't turn out the way you expect.

Hardcover, 322 pages

Published April 27, 2021

by Dutton

4.5/5 stars

This was my 2021 SweetReadsBox book and one that comes with rave reviews.

Told from 3 different POVs it has unique characters from different walks of life.  As the title references, bees do play a pivotal role, there was a nice balance of education and entertainment.

This book grabbed me as one by one the cast is introduced.  Enter first Alice, a 44 year old widow, still grieving and not sure or having any desire to move forward.  Then enters Jake in his wheelchair, without much family support in his day to day life he finds solace with the bees.  Finally in comes Harry, seeking a fresh start while struggling without support and the where with all to know where to begin.

The Music of Bees is a tender, beautifully written story that touches at the heart strings.  It smoothly shows the impact of friendship, showcasing its transforming power.  While grief has no boundaries with courage and support one can find the strength to move forward.  This unlikely trio ban together.  Definitely a book I recommend and an author I will be reading more of.

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

Paperback, 352 pages

Published April 30, 2020

 by Bloomsbury Publishing

3/5 stars

Part of my Dec 2019 SweetReadsBox, I am finally doing some serious reading off my shelf this year.  I have only read Ann Patchett once before with State of Wonder (I recommend it).

That being said, I did find this read and Tom Lake very conducive for an audio read.

Spanning many years in the life of Danny, it is through his voice that most of this story it told. Danny is a young boy when his mother leaves, it is this event that frames his life and then with the sudden passing of his father yet again, leaves it mark.

Danny and his sister Maeve have a very close relationship, there is a bond that ties them together that only siblings who are abandoned, truly understand.

I did a hybrid read with the majority of my time was through the audio with Tom Hanks being the narrator. One can’t go wrong listening to Tom Hanks. The Dutch House is a thought-provoking story of family. There were some twists that I didn’t anticipate. Very much a telling story of two siblings that might have been a tad too long.

Although this is not one of my favorite Ann Patchett books, it was still an entertaining read.  I did read her most recent release, Tom Lake which I hope to review next week.

This book was part of my 2023 reading off my shelf challenge.

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

Meet Chloe Sevre. She’s a freshman honor student, a leggings-wearing hot girl next door, who also happens to be a psychopath. Her hobbies include yogalates, frat parties, and plotting to kill Will Bachman, a childhood friend who grievously wronged her.

Chloe is one of seven students at her DC-based college who are part of an unusual clinical study for psychopaths—students like herself who lack empathy and can’t comprehend emotions like fear or guilt. The study, led by a renowned psychologist, requires them to wear smart watches that track their moods and movements.

When one of the students in the study is found murdered in the psychology building, a dangerous game of cat and mouse begins, and Chloe goes from hunter to prey. As she races to identify the killer and put her own plan into action, she’ll be forced to decide if she can trust any of her fellow psychopaths—and everybody knows you should never trust a psychopath.

Never Saw Me Coming is a compulsive, voice-driven thriller by an exciting new voice in fiction, that will keep you pinned to the page and rooting for a would-be killer.

Paperback, 389 pages

Published September 9, 2021

Park Row Books

3.5/5 stars

“You should never trust a psychopath”

This book confirms that to be a true statement.

First introduced to Chloe who is a freshman in a DC college she appears to be somewhat normal (whatever normal is) one would not suspect her to be a psychopath until she shares her plans to take out someone from her past who has wronged her.

"I know revenge is supposed to be a dish best served cold, but no one ever told me what it was like to wait those last few minutes when the dish is on the cart right next to the table, steaming"

This is a complex story with many characters, many characters like Chloe. The first half  was awesome, it was intense, it was dark and it kept me reading. But the last half of the book just slowed down and with many POV changes, even side stories that didn’t seem relevant, my attention started to drift.

While the mystery about Chloe's revenge doesn't stay hidden for long, what follows are threads that wrap around said mystery into the world of psychopaths.  The ended was satisfying but also left a taste of creepiness making me crave a rom/com for my next read.

I received this book as part of my Halloween 2021 SweetReadsBox.

This book was part of my 2022 Reading off my shelf challenge (#30 )

Beach Read by Emily Henry

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Paperback, 361 pages

PublishedMay 19, 2020 

by Berkley

3.5/5 stars

I received this book 2 years ago in a Beach Box by the fine folks at Sweet Reads Box, a recent trip to the beach was the perfect place to start this one. This is also my first book by Emily Henry, she has created quite the buzz on Instagram.

Beach Read got off to a great start. I definitely felt the vibe of writers block for both January and Gus. I was intrigued with January’s relationship with her father and how she came to his house. There were some funny laugh out loud moments with a plot that paved the way for some fun adventures. There was a nice mix of bookish and relationship issues to create layers to this story.

But, did you feel that but coming?  While these field trips they took together (in the name of research) worked until they didn’t. I couldn’t grasp the darkest of including a backwoods death cult in the mix. This is rom/com and I get the past hurts both January and Gus had and I would have liked to see that flushed out more - seeing more of Sonja and even January’s mom would have been nice.

Beach Read felt a little longer than necessary,  the writing was nice but I was left wanting a little more besides January and Gus’s relationship.

I have the author's People We Meet on Vacation on my shelf and have even preordered her new book Book Lovers (with a title like that how could I not).

This book was part of my 2022 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge #21

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Review:

I read this book last year and feel bad that it took so long to post this review. I received it in the spring YA box from the fine folks at SweetReadsBox.

Coming in at almost 500 pages it is a big commitment but honestly I was so captivated with this read that the time just flew by. Some chapters I listened to the audiobook, which was great because I got to hear the proper pronunciation for the Ojibwe words.

Eighteen year old Daunis tells her story of the past while dealing with secrets both past and present. This book is so well written and researched. 

There are many layers to this story, I actually reversed my usual blurb first then review just because the blurb gives so much of the story away with things that happen during the last half of the book. I went in blind, not knowing a thing and loved it.

The Firekeeper’s Daughter is more than a story about her life, it’s also about the injustices being biracial with a past that doesn’t let go. It’s about the Ojibwe way and learning their traditions and why. While marketed for a YA audience I highly recommend for all. This book offers so much, mystery, family drama, friendship, culture and a gorgeous cover.

This is Angeline Boulley’s debut, I can’t wait to see what comes next. But I have to say she has set the bar high. One of my favourite reads of 2021 and even after all this time this book has stayed with me.

Hardcover, 496 pages

Published March 16th 2021

 by Henry, Holt and Co. (BYR)

5/5 stars

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home.

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Debut author Angeline Boulley crafts a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little

A novel of survival, love, loss, triumph—and the sisters who changed fashion forever

Antoinette and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel know they’re destined for something better. Abandoned by their family years before, they’ve grown up under the guidance of pious nuns preparing them for simple lives as the wives of tradesmen or shopkeepers. At night, their secret stash of romantic novels and magazine cutouts beneath the floorboards are all they have to keep their dreams of the future alive.

The walls of the convent can’t shield them forever, and when they’re finally of age, the Chanel sisters set out together with a fierce determination to prove themselves worthy to a society that has never accepted them. Their journey propels them out of poverty and to the stylish cafés of Moulins, the dazzling performance halls of Vichy—and to a small hat shop on the rue Cambon in Paris, where a business takes hold and expands to the glamorous French resort towns. But when World War I breaks out, their lives are irrevocably changed, and the sisters must gather the courage to fashion their own places in the world, even if apart from each other. 

Paperback, 400 pages

Published December 29th 2020

 by Graydon House

3.5/5 stars

I knew nothing about the Chanel Sisters and to be perfectly honest I usually steer clear of books with Hollywoodish/ritzy type stories.  But The Chanel Sisters was included in a recent book box (Thank you SweetReadsBox) and they haven't disappointed me yet.

Beginning when this sisters are young and living in a convent they still managed to stay together.  They are determined to be more then what society views them as.  It was nice getting to know how the Chanel brand was established and all that they went through.  Told from the POV of only one sister, Antoinette I think it would have been nice to hear from Coco as well, especially since it's her name that resonates with many.

The locations spans many countries and I love it when one is close to my home, this unknown piece of their history surprised me.  Who knew?

All in all an entertaining read, knowledge gleamed and a new author discovered.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.

Not a Happy Family: A Novel by Shari Lapena

The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know who has sold more than 7 million copies of her books worldwide.

In this family, everyone is keeping secrets—even the dead.

Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there, and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich. But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught Easter dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.

Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did someone snap after that dreadful evening? Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions? That must be what happened. After all, if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this, you'd know. 

Paperback, 352 pages

Published July 27th 2021

 by Doubleday Canada

4.5/5 stars

I've read a number of Shari Lapena and this is by far the best.  It has everything that I love in mystery/thriller.

What do I love in this genre you wonder?  Well I love the unputdownableness (if it becomes a real word I lay claim to it). With shorter chapters it was easy to just squeeze in another chapter until I got to the point where I couldn't put it down and read the last third in one sitting.

The characters were a mixed bunch and honestly I didn't feel much empathy for any of them, and that's fine because it just made me look at everyone with suspicion.  They were each flawed and coming from the different POV's made it fascinating see things through their eyes.  Learning the family dynamics, motivation and relationships might sound daunting with this larger cast of characters but it wasn't hard to keep everyone straight.

The mystery was great, just when I'd think I solved it there would be another twist.  I was kept on my toes while trying to connect the dots.

Not a Happy Family is the story of relationships within a dysfunctional family, where money is high up on everyone's priority list.  It is so well written, suspenseful and full of  secrets making everyone a suspect.

Definitely a book I highly recommend.

This book is part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge, obtained from SweetReadsBox (the suspense box).

Review: A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson

New York Times bestselling author Mary Lawson, acclaimed for digging into the wilderness of the human heart, is back after almost a decade with a fresh and timely novel that is different in subject but just as emotional and atmospheric as her beloved earlier work.

A Town Called Solace--the brilliant and emotionally radiant new novel from Mary Lawson, her first in nearly a decade--opens on a family in crisis: rebellious teenager Rose been missing for weeks with no word, and Rose's younger sister, the feisty and fierce Clara, keeps a daily vigil at the living-room window, hoping for her sibling's return.

Enter thirtyish Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, where he promptly moves into the house next door--watched suspiciously by astonished and dismayed Clara, whose elderly friend, Mrs. Orchard, owns that home. Around the time of Rose's disappearance, Mrs. Orchard was sent for a short stay in hospital, and Clara promised to keep an eye on the house and its remaining occupant, Mrs. Orchard's cat, Moses. As the novel unfolds, so does the mystery of what has transpired between Mrs Orchard and the newly arrived stranger.

Told through three distinct, compelling points of view--Clara's, Mrs. Orchard's, and Liam Kane's--the novel cuts back and forth among these unforgettable characters to uncover the layers of grief, remorse, and love that connect families, both the ones we're born into and the ones we choose. A Town Called Solace is a masterful, suspenseful and deeply humane novel by one of our great storytellers. 

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published February 16th 2021

 by Knopf Canada

3.5/5 stars

My March SweedReads Box contained this book.  A new author for me along with another Canadian setting - bonus points!

A short and sweet review.  This book is told with 3 distinct voices which covers many generations.  I enjoyed the small town setting, a place where everyone knows everyone.  I liked getting to know each of the characters., Clara as she comes to terms with her missing sister and never gives up hope. The history of Liam and Mrs. Orchard was vivid and an emotional part of the book, but I still struggled for a takeaway. I wanted to love this book and maybe because my expectations were high this ended up being an ok read for me.    I know I am totally going against the flow with my thoughts, so I take that as a 'its me not the book'.

This book is part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.

Review: Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

In one of the year's most anticipated debut psychological thrillers, a family made infamous by a true crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days.

"They found the bodies on a Tuesday." So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family--his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister--have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain--and they won't tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn't the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt's older brother, Danny--currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte--was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he's never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he's faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he'd hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny's case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison--putting his own life in peril--and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay's Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it's also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

Paperback, 416 pages

Expected publication: November 30th 2021 

by Minotaur Books

4.5/5 stars

Every Last Fear by new-to-me author Alex Finlay was part of my Thriller Book Box by the fine folks at SweetReadsBookBox.  It's been on my radar for awhile and I dug in shortly after it arrived 

The blurb pretty much summaries what goes on here, I found it to be rather addicting. It is told with multiple points of view with a before/after story-line.  It might sound like a lot is going on (well there is) but the author did a great job of differentiating the chapters and letting the reader know who and when he is telling the story, it flowed nicely.  With the shorter chapters it was perfect for JustOneMoreChapter reading.

Dawning my sleuth cap I kept my eyes open for clues and tried to solve the mystery myself, but alas the author kept me on my toes the whole way through.  

Every Last Fear is a story that is heartbreaking at its core, it is a well written story with twists and turns, flawed characters and unique plot.  This is the author's debut which has me looking forward to whats next.  That being said the author is also writing under a pseudonym which just adds more to the mystery.

This was part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.

Review: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Everyone's invited. Everyone's a suspect.

All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.

During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.

Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?

Paperback, 352 pages

Published March 3rd 2020 

by William Morrow Paperbacks

3.5/5 stars

Sounds like a great time together with friends right? Hummm..when I first started reading I thought to list who was who to whom etc., but it actually wasn’t hard to keep the relationships straight. Aside from each chapter telling who the narrative was coming from I got to know the players.

What can I say, the guests were a superficial group of friends that left me wondering how they could be friends. A mixed bag of personalities which just added to the mystery.

For me this was a slow burn suspense mystery. The setting was cold as well as some personalities and I felt it. There were many red herrings that kept me stumped for the longest time and the ending wasn’t what I expected but it worked with everything clicking into place.

Lucy Foley is a new author for me, The Guest List promises to be another winner, which I already have in my TBR pile.

My copy was part of my '2020 reading off my shelf challenge' and obtained from my Spring Thriller Box by the fine folks at SweetReadsBox

Review: How a Woman Becomes a Lake by Marjorie Celona

From the Giller-nominated author of Y comes a suspenseful novel about the dark corners of a small town

It's New Year's Day and the residents of a small fishing town are ready to start their lives anew. Leo takes his two young sons out to the lake to write resolutions on paper boats. That same frigid morning, Vera sets out for a walk with her dog along the lake, leaving her husband in bed with a hangover.

But she never returns. She places a call to the police saying she's found a boy in the woods, but the call is cut short by a muffled cry. Did one of Leo's sons see Vera? What are they hiding from the police? And why are they so scared of their own father?

In the months ahead, Vera's absence sets off a chain of reverberating events in Whale Bay. Her apathetic husband succumbs to grief. Leo heads south and remarries. And the cop investigating the case falls for Leo's ex-wife but finds himself slipping further away from the truth.

Told from shifting perspectives, How a Woman Becomes a Lake is about childhood, familial bonds, new beginnings, and costly mistakes. A literary novel with the pull and pace of a thriller, told in taut illuminating prose, it asks, what do you do when the people who are supposed to love you the most fail? 

Paperback, 272 pages

Published March 3rd 2020

by Hamish Hamilton

4/5 stars

This book was part of my April SweetReadsBox. I was not familiar with this one and that’s what makes these book boxes so much fun, reading something I wouldn’t ordinary pick up.

Labeled as a thriller/mystery I was expecting a suspenseful story that would keep me on my toes and be hard to put down. That being said I read 50% on Sunday afternoon. The different story lines weaved a tale of dysfunction, secrets and longing. I was intrigued.

The different characters carried baggage that were authentic and emotional. But the pacing slowed down and maybe because I was expecting something thrillerish (is that a word?) it flattened out for me. Not that it didn’t keep my attention, I was genuinely interested in reading and finding out what happened.  While the ending was satisfying I wanted more in terms of what happened to a couple players here. This book left me feeling sad and with an aching heart actually. It could be what’s been going on in the world that exasperated that for me though.

But all in all, a good read. 5 stars for the first half of book and 3.5 for the last, rounding out at 4.

 

Review: The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

What if your roommate is your soul mate? A joyful, quirky romantic comedy, Beth O'Leary's The Flatshare is a feel-good novel about finding love in the most unexpected of ways.

Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.

After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.

Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He'll only ever be there when she's at the office. In fact, they'll never even have to meet.

Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes - first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.

But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea...especially if you've never met.

Paperback 366 pages

Published May 28th 2019

by Flatiron Books

5/5

I received this book through my Valentines SweetReadsBox and to be honest, it was an impulse purchase -I’m not into books labeled romance. Historical romance is good because I usually get a history lesson at the same time. Rom/Com is something new for me and being in the mood for something lite, but not too cute and fluffy, I grabbed this to take on a recent cruise and I loved it! Making my favorites list as well.

Told with alternating POV between Tiffy and Leon they communicated via post-it notes and texts. It was witty and made me smile, it felt natural and totally believable. Both of them have baggage they don’t share and were struggling to deal with.

What I really enjoyed were the many layers, it wasn’t just a romance story but dealt with other issues that included abuse and gaslighting. These serious subject matters were handled with the right balance and not minimized but brought upfront and center, it takes a talented author that can do that in the midst of a rom/com.

This is Beth O’Leary’s debut, she has set a high bar for herself. Her second book releases next month, The Switch and I can’t wait to read it.

This book is part of my 2020 reading of my shelf challenge.

Review: The Whisper Man by Alex North

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town. After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window...

Paperback, 368 pages

Published August 20th, 2019

by Celadon Books 

*** 

The Whisper Man is a rather creepy story with a subject matter not for the faint of heart. I’ll admit on one hand being curious about this one and on the other a little nervous about any story that involves kids, not just because I’m a mom but a human being. Also, I should have reviewed it when I finished the book last month just to stop thinking about it.

So my thoughts. There is a lot going on within the pages, it wasn’t just a story of missing boys but also of grief and loss, relationships, coping and of course police procedures. The author uses not just the main characters backgrounds and struggles but also some of the secondary characters and while it was interesting I did struggle to connect. The mystery itself was interesting enough with some twists and turns I didn't anticipate and I will say the it took me almost to the end until I figured things out, so hats off to the author for that one.

With so many glowing reviews it was a 3 star for me, meaning I liked it (and that’s a good thing, right?)

Review: The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan

The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew conjures a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another.

When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…

In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.

Paperback, 400 pages

 Published September 10th 2019

by William Morrow

****

This book has been on my radar before it was even released, not just because of its interesting cover but also an author that I have been hearing good things about and have never read before.

The Nanny is what I would call a slow burn, meaning it is not a fast-paced hang onto your seat type of thriller but rather the author slowly weaves the past to present day.  It is well written with characters that are flawed, each with ghosts haunting them and the secrets, oh the secrets!  The plot had a number of twists and turns, very much a whodunnit that kept me guessing with its unexpected twists and turns.

So another author that I get to explore more of their books.  The Nanny is a book I recommend to those that love a mystery that is hard to predict and one that kept me glued to the pages. 

This book was part of my ‘2019 reading off my shelf’ challenge and obtained by SweetReads in my October box.

Review: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

How much can a family forgive?

 A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the bond between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness.

 Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, two rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne—sets the stage for the explosive events to come.

 Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Francis and Lena’s daughter, Kate, and Brian and Anne’s son, Peter. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while tested by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace.

Paperback, 390 pages

 Published May 28th, 2019

by Scribner

****

This book was brought to my attention while watching Jimmy Fallon as he did his thing to pick the Tonight Show summer read - honestly I think all 5 nominees are now on my tbr pile. Mary Beth Keane is not a new author for me, her book Fever (about Typhoid Mary) I read back in 2013 and rather enjoyed.

While it took a little for me to become invested in this story I found myself absorbed more so as I got to know the Gleeson and Stanhope families. There are many layers that deal with mental illness, relationships, guilt, forgiveness and more. This book spans 4 decades, at times it speeds through time at a fast pace other times a little slow.

I loved the synopsis, it doesn’t give any details of the story away. Yes, we know something explosive is going to happen and we get to witness the aftermath, how it affects these 2 families. I love that it was up to the reader to discover what happens with no clue.

Definitely a book and author I recommend.

My copy from my TBR pile - via my SweetReadsBox (August).