Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Life Without Summer

Life Without Summer
by Lynne Griffin

Genre: Women's Fiction

Synopsis:  Tessa Gray's life changes forever when she loses her four-year-old daughter, Abby, in a hit-and-run accident outside her preschool.  Once a vivacious, joyful mother and wife, Tessa now spends her days holed up in Abby's room, sleeping in her bed, clutching Abby's Tootsie Rabbit stuffed animal-anything to keep her memories close.  As Tessa grapples with a terrible grief, made worse by the police's insistence that the case is unsolvable, she finds solace in Celia Reed, the therapist her husband pushed her to see, and in the journal she's keeping, where she compulsively counts the "days without Abby" and maps out her plan for catching the driver who tore her family apart.

As Celia struggles to keep Tessa from getting caught up in a bleak crusade for answers, she finds that their sessions open the door to emotions that she's spent years ignoring, forcing her to face the rising tensions in her life-her troubled teenage son, her alcoholic ex-husband, and her fragile new marriage.  Celia begins to realize that she must come to terms with the tragic mistakes of her past and the choices that have led her family to their own brink of destruction.
from the book jacket

Review:  The first third of this book was uninteresting.  The characters were one-dimensional, flat, and mainly unlikable, Celia's new husband being the worst of them and sadly, he does not improve at all in the book.  I have some words that I would like to use to describe him but they aren't nice words so I will refrain.  He causes so many problems in Celia's relationship with her ex-husband and son.   Honestly, I think he could have been left out of the book.

I kept reading because I really wanted to know how Celia and Tessa were connected, in a way beyond therapist-client, who ran Abby down, and what the title had to do with the book (that was not self explanatory).  Once Tessa started doing more than just grieving, the book picked up.  The story is supposedly journal entries written by Tessa and Celia but they don't seem to be journal entries-the sections lack emotions and are much more like prose than something that a character would have written.  The ending is predictable.

Rating:  2.5 stars

Monday, June 20, 2016

Finding Jake

Finding Jake
by Bryan Reardon

Genre: Fiction

Synopsis:  For sixteen years, Simon Connelly's successful wife has gone to her law office each day, while he has stayed home to raise their children.  Though Simon has loved taking care of Jake and Laney, it has cost him a part of himself, and has made him an anomaly in his pretty, suburban neighborhood-the only stay-at-home dad among a tight circle of mothers.

Shepherding them through childhood, the angst-ridden father has tried to do the best for the kids, even if he often second-guesses his choices.  For sunny outgoing Lacey, it's been easy.  But quiet Jake has always preferred the company of his books or his sister to playdates and organized sports.  Now that they are in high school, Simon should feel more relaxed, but he doesn't.  He's seen the statistics, read the headlines.

Then, on a warm November day, he receives a text: There has been a shooting at the high school.

Racing to the rendezvous point, Simon is forced to wait with scores of other anxious fathers and tearful mothers, overwhelmed by the disturbing questions running through his head.  How many victims were there?  Why did this happen?  One by one, parents are reunited with their children.  Their numbers dwindle, until Simon is alone.  Lacey has gone home with her mom.  Jake is the only child missing.

As his worst nightmare unfolds, Simon begins to obsess over the past, searching for answers, for hope, for the memory of the boy he raised, for the mistakes he must have made for the reasons everything came to this.  Where is Jake?  What happened in those final moments?  Is it possible he doesn't really know his son?  Or he knows him better than he thought?  Jake couldn't have done this-or could he?

As rumors being to ricochet, amplified by an invasive media, Simon must find answers.  But there is only one way to understand what has happened...he must find Jake.
from the book jacket

Review: This book was addicting, I read it in about a day and a half.  I could not put it down until I knew what happened with Jake although it was a hard book to read.  It is difficult to read about violence in schools and violence against our children and the end made me really cry.  Not just tear up but really emotionally cry (I'm just about in tears even writing this).  While I've cried at other books, this one really got to me probably because it seemed so realistic and something that could hit close to home.  With that said, this book is not for everyone as it might be too upsetting for some.

The chapters in this book alternate between the present time right after the school shooting and a look back at Jake's life from his father's eyes.  As the book goes on, the chapters about Jake's childhood start reflecting on Simon's insecurities about how he raised Jake and doubt starts to creep into Simon's mind as to Jake's innocence and we as readers start to doubt as well.  Before I got to the end, I started to think that there were too many stereotypes about the profiles of school shooters but once I finished the book, I realized why the author did what he did.  There was a preachy, PSA section of the book which I don't think added to the book but overall this was such a compelling, albeit emotional, read.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Sunday, June 19, 2016

All of Us and Everything

All of Us and Everything
by Bridget Asher

Genre: Women's fiction

Synopsis:  The Rockwell women are nothing if not . . . Well, it’s complicated. When the sisters—Esme, Liv, and Ru—were young, their eccentric mother, Augusta, silenced all talk of their absent father with the wild story that he was an international spy, always away on top-secret missions. But the consequences of such an unconventional upbringing are neither small nor subtle: Esme is navigating a failing marriage while trying to keep her precocious fifteen-year-old daughter from live-tweeting every detail. Liv finds herself in between relationships and rehabs, and Ru has run away from enough people and problems to earn her frequent flier miles. So when a hurricane hits the family home on the Jersey Shore, the Rockwells reunite to assess the damage—only to discover that the storm has unearthed a long-buried box. In a candid moment, Augusta reveals a startling secret that will blow the sisters’ concept of family to smithereens—and send them on an adventure to reconnect with a lost past . . . and one another.
from GoodReads

Review:  I was intrigued by the synopsis but the characters were just too quirky and blase for me.  I just didn't care about any of the characters and I couldn't keep reading about them because they were annoying.

Rating: abandonded

Blackberry Winter

Blackberry Winter
by Sarah Jio

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis:  Seattle 1933.  Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, good night and reluctantly leaves for work.  She hates the night shift, but it's the only way she can earn enough to keep destitution at bay.  In the morning-even though it's the second of May-a heavy snow is falling.  Vera rushes to wake Daniel, but his bed is empty.  His teddy bear lies outside in the snow.

Seattle, present day.  On the second of May, Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge awakens to another late-season snowstorm.  Assigned to cover this "blackberry winter" and its predecessor decades earlier, Claire learns of Daniel's unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth-only to discover that she and Vera are linked in unexpected ways.
from the back of the book

Review:  This was a quick easy read that kept me engaged in the story.  Both Vera's and Claire's stories were so intertwined that both kept me reading to find out what the connection to each other was.  I felt like some of the events were a little too coincidental and didn't seem realistic.  People seemed to fall into Claire's lap as she investigated the disappearance of Daniel and of course those people had critical information.  The author has an ease about her writing style and it isn't too meaty.  A good book for when you want something a little lighter.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The Greatest Star on Earth

The Greatest Star on Earth
Kate Klise

The Greatest Star on Earth (Three-Ring Rascals, # 2)

Genre: Chapter Book

Summary (from Goodreads): The rascals from the world s friendliest family circus are back in the second installment of this smafunderful * fully illustrated series.

Everyone knows Sir Sidney's Circus is the best in the world. But who's the "star" of the show? "The Circus Times" is having a contest to find out. Just thinking about it gives Sir Sidney a worrywart, and it's quickly clear why. Soon after he goes off to rest, the performers start thinking too much about winning the trophy and not enough about putting on a good show.

Meanwhile, it looks as if ringmaster-in-training Barnabas Brambles might need some help managing the crew, so Bert and Gert, the sly brother-and-sister mice who travel with the show, set out to write a book to teach him how it's done.


Does Bert and Gert s plan work? And who" is" the star of the circus? All will be revealed in "The Greatest Star on Earth." 

Review: I like this book because Sir Sidney, the owner of the circus, is very kind, and I like how all the animals in the circus are kind and funny.  It is especially funny when Leo the lion thinks he should sing high because he might win the trophy, and Tiger the cat thinks she should sing low so she could win the trophy, and it's very funny because if I could actually hear them singing they would sound really really hilarious.  This book has a lot of pictures, at least one on every page, and the pictures make the book extra fun so that kids have a good image of what is happening.  There are other books in the series, called The Show Must Go On, The Circus Goes to Sea, and Pop Goes the Circus.  I like all those books, too.

Rating: 5 stars

Tuesdays at the Castle

Tuesdays at the Castle
Jessica Day George

Tuesdays at the Castle (Castle Glower, #1)

Genre: Chapter Book

Summary (from Goodreads): Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. This delightful book from a fan- and bookseller-favorite kicks off a brand-new series sure to become a modern classic.

Review: I like this book because Celie has so many adventures and always seems to be having so much fun.  The castle that she lives in, Castle Glower, seems very interesting because it adds a new room or switches things around every Tuesday.  One time it added a room with a bouncy floor; it would be really fun to have a bouncy room in your own house!  While having her adventures, Celie figures out that one of the princes visiting the castle is a bad guy and she has to stop him.  I like Celie because she is adventurous and usually cheerful, and because she is brave and smart.  I would recommend this book to girls who like adventure.  But it has dragons and griffins in it, so I think Noah would like it, too.  There are two more books in the series that are really good, too: Wednesdays at the Tower and Thursdays with the Crown.

Rating: 5 stars

Mystic Summer

Mystic Summer
by Hannah McKinnon

Genre: Chick Lit

Synopsis:  Maggie Griffin is a hardworking elementary school teacher in a tony Boston suburb, a devoted sister, and a loving aunt.  With her childhood best friend's wedding on the horizon and her own relationship moving even deeper into commitment, this is the summer she has been waiting for.  She's eared it.

But when Maggie's career is suddenly thrown into jeopardy, it sparks an unraveling of all that matters most to her.  Stricken, Maggie returns to her childhood home in seaside Mystic, Connecticut, where she expects to find comfort in family and familiarity.  Instead, she finds Cameron Wilder, a young man from her past who has also returned home and whose life has altered in ways that put her own struggles in harsh perspective.  When tragedy strikes for Cameron, Maggie must ask herself: If you go back home, can  you truly return to what you left behind?
from the back of the book

Review:  This book was just what I needed to end my hiatus of reading.  This was a light romance beach read but it kept me entertained and engaged.  This book was a bit meatier than some other romance novels.  The romance was a bit predictable.  There were some moments of the book that I questioned why it was added to the book such as a discussion about Post Partum Depression.  It just didn't add anything to the book and it seemed to be forced into the dialogue.  If you're looking for a beach read this is a good one to pick up.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Be Frank with Me

Be Frank with Me
Julia Claiborne Johnson

Be Frank With Me

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): Reclusive literary legend M. M. “Mimi” Banning has been holed up in her Bel Air mansion for years, but now she’s writing her first book in decades and to ensure timely completion her publisher sends an assistant to monitor her progress. Mimi reluctantly complies—with a few stipulations: No Ivy Leaguers or English majors. Must drive, cook, tidy. Computer whiz. Good with kids. Quiet, discreet, sane.

When Alice Whitley arrives at the Banning mansion, she’s put to work right away—as a full-time companion to Frank, the writer’s eccentric nine-year-old, a boy with the wit of Noël Coward, the wardrobe of a 1930s movie star, and very little in common with his fellow fourth graders.

As she gets to know Frank, Alice becomes consumed with finding out who his father is, how his gorgeous “piano teacher and itinerant male role model” Xander fits into the Banning family equation—and whether Mimi will ever finish that book.

Full of heart and countless only-in-Hollywood moments, Be Frank With Me is a captivating and heartwarming story of an unusual mother and son, and the intrepid young woman who finds herself irresistibly pulled into their unforgettable world.


Review: Oh, I loved this book so much because I loved nine-year old Frank.  A very very smart child with a penchant for dressing like Fred Astaire, his adult-sized intellect combined with his little-boy emotions made him so sympathetic and lovable.  The rest of the story was good, too, although Alice the kind-hearted nanny kind of disappears into the cast of larger quirky personalities.

Rating: 5 stars

The Wishing Hill

The Wishing Hill
Holly Robinson

The Wishing Hill

Genre: Women's Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): What if everything you knew about your life was wrong?

Years ago, Juliet Clark gave up her life in California to follow the man she loved to Mexico and pursue her dream of being an artist. Now her marriage is over, and she’s alone, selling watercolors to tourists on the Puerto Vallarta boardwalk.

When her brother asks her to come home to wintery New England and care for their ailing mother, a flamboyant actress with a storied past, Juliet goes reluctantly. She and her self-absorbed mother have always clashed. Plus, nobody back home knows about her divorce—or the fact that she’s pregnant and her ex-husband is not the father.

Juliet intends to get her mother back on her feet and return to Mexico fast, but nothing goes as planned. Instead she meets a man who makes her question every choice and reawakens her spirit, even as she is being drawn into a long-running feud between her mother and a reclusive neighbor. Little does she know that these relationships hold the key to shocking secrets about her family and herself that have been hiding in plain sight.…


Review: I'm not sure why, but this book just didn't capture my attention like I expected it would. And now I've delayed so long in writing the review that I barely remember the book at all.  I think that Robinson is a good writer, but my main problem with this book was that I just didn't like any of the main characters that much.  What I did like, however, was the mix of elderly and middle-aged characters.  Although I can't comment on how accurately her book reflects aging, her lively, quirky and opinionated elderly characters added an interesting contrast to the typical middle-aged women I'm used to reading about. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
Amy Reichert

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

Genre: Chick Lit

Summary (from Goodreads): YOU'VE GOT MAIL meets HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE in this delightful novel about a talented chef and the food critic who brings down her restaurant—whose chance meeting turns into a delectable romance of mistaken identities.

In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luella’s, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancé…until the morning she discovers him in the buff—with an intern.

Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luella’s, little does he know he’s arrived on the worst day of the chef’s life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted service—he unleashes his worst.

The day that Al’s mean-spirited review of Luella’s runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and she’s game—but only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the city’s local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lou’s restaurant faces closure, while Al’s column gains popularity. It’s only a matter of time before the two fall in love…but when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future?

Set in the lovely, quirky heart of Wisconsin, THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE is a charming love story of misunderstandings, mistaken identity, and the power of food to bring two people together.


Review: It was fun to read a book set in Wisconsin, especially one that highlights the awesome things about Wisconsin, instead of making fun of small town people living in fly-over country.  From the first page, it was easy to see where this book was going, but the author got there with well-developed characters, delicious descriptions of food, and a great deal of charm and whimsy.  A fun and light-hearted read that will make you wish that you, too, lived in Wisconsin!

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe
Mary Simses

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe

Genre: Chick Lit

Summary (from Goodreads): A high-powered Manhattan attorney finds love, purpose, and the promise of a simpler life in her grandmother's hometown. 

Ellen Branford is going to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish--to find the hometown boy she once loved, and give him her last letter. Ellen leaves Manhattan and her Kennedy-esque fiance for Beacon, Maine. What should be a one-day trip is quickly complicated when she almost drowns in the chilly bay and is saved by a local carpenter. The rescue turns Ellen into something of a local celebrity, which may or may not help her unravel the past her grandmother labored to keep hidden. As she learns about her grandmother and herself, it becomes clear that a 24-hour visit to Beacon may never be enough. THE IRRESISTIBLE BLUEBERRY BAKESHOP & CAFE is a warm and delicious debut about the power of a simpler life.


Review: The title of this book is deceptive; it is NOT about a bakeshop and cafe.  Instead, it's a story of an accident prone young woman who keeps getting herself into unlikely situations and developing more and more ridiculous lies about her life.  I could just see her digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole, and I tend to really dislike that type of character and plot.  But that is just something quirky about me.

This book had an interesting premise, a lovable cast of small-town characters, and a satisfying sense of the main character discovering her true self.  It just happened a little too quickly and a little too predictably for my taste.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

Stars over Sunset Boulevard
Susan Meissner

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): In this new novel from the acclaimed author of Secrets of a Charmed Life, two women working in Hollywood during its Golden Age discover the joy and heartbreak of true friendship.

Los Angeles, Present Day. When an iconic hat worn by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind  ends up in Christine McAllister’s vintage clothing boutique by mistake, her efforts to return it to its owner take her on a journey more enchanting than any classic movie…

Los Angeles, 1938.  Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Hollywood after her  dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, and lands a job on the film-set of Gone With the Wind. There, she meets enigmatic Audrey Duvall, a once-rising film star who is now a fellow secretary. Audrey’s zest for life and their adventures together among Hollywood’s glitterati enthrall Violet…until each woman’s deepest desires collide.  What Audrey and Violet are willing to risk, for themselves and for each other, to ensure their own happy endings will shape their friendship, and their lives, far into the future. 


Review: I enjoyed learning more about how people lived in 1938 and getting a glimpse of life on the set of Gone With the Wind.  I wish more of the story had focused on life at that time.  The narrative set in the present day seemed like an afterthought, and didn't add much to the novel except to let the reader know how everything turned out in the end.  A well-developed epilogue might have served the same purpose and not distracted from the historical fiction aspect, but that is just my opinion.  The settings were vividly described and the characters were well-drawn and human.  Overall an interesting glimpse into the golden age of Hollywood.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank You for All Things

Thank You for All Things
Sandra Kring

Thank You for All Things

Genre: Women's Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): At twelve, Lucy Marie McGowan already knows she’ll be a psychologist when she grows up. And her quirky and conflicted family provides plenty of opportunity for her to practice her calling. Now Lucy, her “profoundly gifted” twin brother, Milo, her commitment-phobic mother, and her New Age grandmother are leaving Chicago for Timber Falls, Wisconsin, to care for her dying grandfather—a complex and difficult man whose failure as a husband and father still painfully echoes down through the years.

Lucy believes her time in the rural town where the McGowan story began will provide a key piece to the puzzle of her family’s broken past, and perhaps even reveal the truth about her own missing father. But what she discovers is so much more—a lesson about the paradoxes of love and the grace of forgiveness that the adults around her will need help in remembering if their family is ever to find peace and embrace the future.

By turns heart-wrenching and heart-mending, Thank You for All Things is a powerful and poignant novel by a brilliant storyteller who illustrates that when it comes to matters of family and love, often it is the innocent who force others to confront their darkest secrets.


Review: Narrated by a precocious yet naive twelve year old girl, this novel was unexpectedly thought provoking.  It delves into complicated family dynamics as Lucy builds a relationship with her dying grandfather, while simultaneously trying to discover who her father is.  The novel focuses on the day to day interactions between a new age grandmother, an emotionally damaged mother, and a daughter trying to uncover her family's secrets.  Managing to strike a balance between sweetly funny and sorrowful, this was a very good read.

Rating: 4 stars

Too Many Cooks

Too Many Cooks
Dana Bate

Too Many Cooks

Genre: Chick Lit

Summary (from Goodreads): In this hilarious, insightful new novel from the author of A Second Bite at the Apple, a cookbook ghostwriter finds that she’s bitten off more than she can chew…

When Kelly Madigan is offered a job abroad right after reading a letter from her late mother urging her to take more risks, she sees it as a sign. Kelly’s new ghostwriting assignment means moving to London to work for Natasha Spencer--movie star, lifestyle guru, and wife of a promising English politician. As it turns out, Natasha is also selfish, mercurial, and unwilling to let any actual food past her perfect lips.

Still, in between testing dozens of kale burgers and developing the perfect chocolate mousse, Kelly is having adventures. Some are glamorous; others, like her attraction to her boss’s neglected husband, are veering out of control. Kelly knows there’s no foolproof recipe for a happy life. But how will she know if she’s gone too far in reaching for what she wants?


Review: This was a quick, fun read about a cookbook writer working for a celebrity.  Kelly Madigan is a thoroughly likable character, even when she is making choices that the reader knows are completely wrong for her.  She manages to maintain her composure while working for a truly terrible boss -- think Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.  The descriptions of her recipes were mouthwatering, and it was delightful to discover some recipes in the back of the book.  A fun and quick summer read!

Rating: 3.5 stars

Orphan X

Orphan X
Gregg Hurwitz

Orphan X (Evan Smoak, #1)

Genre: Thriller

Summary (from Goodreads): The Nowhere Man is a legendary figure spoken about only in whispers. It's said that when he's reached by the truly desperate and deserving, the Nowhere Man can and will do anything to protect and save them.

But he's no legend.

Evan Smoak is a man with skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. He's also a man with a dangerous past. Chosen as a child, he was raised and trained as part of the off-the-books black box Orphan program, designed to create the perfect deniable intelligence assets—i.e. assassins. He was Orphan X. Evan broke with the program, using everything he learned to disappear.

Now, however, someone is on his tail. Someone with similar skills and training. Someone who knows Orphan X. Someone who is getting closer and closer. And will exploit Evan's weakness—his work as The Nowhere Man—to find him and eliminate him. Grabbing the reader from the very first page, Orphan X is a masterful thriller, the first in Gregg Hurwitz's electrifying new series featuring Evan Smoak.


Review: Wow!  This was a fast pace thriller full of non-stop action, with a dangerously skilled, highly trained rogue secret operative hero who has turned his considerable powers towards helping those in desperate trouble.  Full of twists and turns, lies and conspiracies, this book will keep you guessing until the very end.  I enjoyed absolutely everything about this novel, and I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book in the Evan Smoak series!

Rating: 5 stars

Somebody I Used to Know

Somebody I Used to Know
David Bell

Somebody I Used to Know

Genre: Thriller

Summary (from Goodreads): When Nick Hansen sees the young woman at the grocery store, his heart stops. She is the spitting image of his college girlfriend, Marissa Minor, who died in a campus house fire twenty years earlier. But when Nick tries to speak to her, she acts skittish and rushes off.

The next morning the police arrive at Nick’s house and show him a photo of the woman from the store. She’s been found dead, murdered in a local motel, with Nick’s name and address on a piece of paper in her pocket.

Convinced there's a connection between the two women, Nick enlists the help of his college friend Laurel Davidson to investigate the events leading up to the night of Marissa’s death. But the young woman’s murder is only the beginning...and the truths Nick uncovers may make him wish he never doubted the lies.


Review: This book didn't hold my attention like I hoped it would.  While I was initially intrigued by the mystery surrounding the young woman, I found the main character a bit boring, and the plot twists too contrived to be realistic.  Perhaps the main character dwelt too much in the past, making it difficult to get a sense of him as a 40 year old man.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Then and Always

Then and Always
Dani Atkins


Genre: Chick Lit

Summary (from Amazon): For fans of One Day, What Alice Forgot, and the hit film Sliding Doors, comes an absorbing and surprising debut novel about a young woman who, after an accident, gets a second chance at life . . . just not in one she remembers.

Rachel Wiltshire has everything she’s ever wanted: a close group of friends, a handsome boyfriend, and acceptance to the journalism program at her top-choice college. But one fateful evening, tragedy tears her world apart.

Five years later, Rachel returns home for the first time to celebrate her best friend’s wedding. Still coping with her grief, she can’t stop thinking about the bright future she almost had, if only that one night had gone differently. But when a sudden fall lands her in the hospital, Rachel wakes to find that her life has completely changed. Now the people she loves most are not the way she remembers them. Unable to trust her own recollections, Rachel tries to piece together what really happened, and not even she can predict the astonishing truth.

Review: I was looking for a light, quick read, and this book fit the bill.  As I was reading it, I kept thinking that it reminded me of the movie Sliding Doors, which I very much enjoyed.  And lo and behold, the publisher even referenced Sliding Doors in the book summary above!  Although at times it was a little slow and predictable, overall I enjoyed the story, and especially loved the thought-provoking ending.


Rating: 3 stars

Friday, June 10, 2016

Red Queen

Red Queen
by Victoria Aveyard

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy

Synopsis:  Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood-those with red and those with silver. Mare and her family are lowly Reds, destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods.  Mare steals what she can to help her family survive, but when her best friend is conscripted into the army she gambles everything to win his freedom.  A twist of fate leads her to the royal palace itself, where, in front of the king and all his nobles, she discovers a power of her own-an ability she didn't know she had.  Except her blood is Red.

To hide the impossibility, the king forces her into the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons.  As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks her new position to aid the Scarlet Guard-the leaders of a Red rebellion.  Her actions put into motion a deadly and violent dance, pitting prince against prince-and Mare against her own heart.
from the book jacket

Review:  This book's concept was intriguing-to have two types of people-ones with superpowers and ones without but then Mare appears and seems to be both types of people.   Mare is fairly standoff-ish and cold but through the book we grow to like her because she is standing up for what she believes in and she is not afraid of the more powerful people around her.  There is a romance story here, a love triangle between Mare and two men.  I figured there was no way for Mare to end up with the one character but that was who I was rooting for!  There was plenty of action and drama.  The twist at the end caught be by surprise.  I imagine I will eventually read the next two books in the series but I'm not rushing out to grab them like I did with other series.

Rating:4 stars