You know Sophie Kinsella from her Shopaholic novels and many more hilarious books that we have loved for years. I really enjoyed I Owe You One, it’s just what you’d expect from Sophie. Its funny, sweet, heartwarming and the main character has a heart of gold though she’s a bit dysfunctional. Sitting down with a book by Sophie Kinsella is like hanging out with an old friend.
SYNOPSIS:
Fixie Farr has always lived by her father’s motto: “Family first.” And since her dad passed away, leaving his charming housewares store in the hands of his wife and children, Fixie spends all her time picking up the slack from her siblings instead of striking out on her own. The way Fixie sees it, if she doesn’t take care of her father’s legacy, who will?
It’s simply not in Fixie’s nature to say no to people. So when a handsome stranger in a coffee shop asks her to watch his laptop for a moment, she not only agrees—she ends up saving it from certain disaster. To thank Fixie for her quick thinking, the computer’s owner, Sebastian, an investment manager, scribbles an IOU on a coffee sleeve and attaches his business card. Fixie laughs it off—she’d never actually claim an IOU from a stranger. Would she?
But then Fixie’s childhood crush, Ryan, comes back into her life, and his lack of a profession pushes all of Fixie’s buttons. As always, she wants nothing for herself—but she’d love Seb to give Ryan a job. No sooner has Seb agreed than the tables are turned once more and a new series of IOUs between Seb and Fixie—from small favors to life-changing moments—ensues. Soon Fixie, Ms. Fixit for everyone else, is torn between her family and the life she really wants. Does she have the courage to take a stand? Will she finally grab the life, and love, she really wants?
Its a quick read and lots of fun. It was a great break from all of the thrillers I have been reading!
Due out: February 2019
You know author Susan Meissner from her amazing historical novels As Bright As Heaven and Secrets of a Charmed Life. And from page 1 I knew I’d enjoy The Last Year of the War. I am in awe of authors like Susan who write so beautifully and can weave a compelling story, especially one that delves into history. I began this yesterday and already cannot wait to pick it up and read more today.
SYNOPSIS:
Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943–aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.
The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences.
But when the Sontag family is exchanged for American prisoners behind enemy lines in Germany, Elise will face head-on the person the war desires to make of her. In that devastating crucible she must discover if she has the will to rise above prejudice and hatred and re-claim her own destiny, or disappear into the image others have cast upon her.
SO SO GOOD!
Due out March 2019
I love Juliette Fay’s novels, including The Tumbling Turner Sisters, Shelter Me, The Shortest Way Home. The City of Flickering Light promises to be another fantastic novel, and from only reading the synopsis, I knew I’d love it. Hollywood in the 1920s? YES PLEASE. I am a such a big fan of books that take place in the 20s, 30s, 40s.
SYNOPSIS:
It’s July 1921, “flickers” are all the rage, and Irene Van Beck has just declared her own independence by jumping off a moving train to escape her fate in a traveling burlesque show. When her friends, fellow dancer Millie Martin and comedian Henry Weiss, leap after her, the trio finds their way to the bright lights of Hollywood with hopes of making it big in the burgeoning silent film industry.
At first glance, Hollywood in the 1920s is like no other place on earth—iridescent, scandalous, and utterly exhilarating—and the three friends yearn for a life they could only have dreamed of before. But despite the glamour and seduction of Tinseltown, success doesn’t come easy, and nothing can prepare Irene, Millie, and Henry for the poverty, temptation, and heartbreak that lie ahead. With their ambitions challenged by both the men above them and the prejudice surrounding them, their friendship is the only constant through desperate times, as each struggles to find their true calling in an uncertain world. What begins as a quest for fame and fortune soon becomes a collective search for love, acceptance, and fulfillment as they navigate the backlots and stage sets where the illusions of the silver screen are brought to life.
You don’t want to miss this one!
Due out April 2019
Fiona Barton’s books have been getting better and better! The Widow and The Child were awesome, now she’s back with The Suspect. I rarely give five stars on Goodreads and save the five-star reviews for books that really blow me away and this one did.
Fiona Barton weaves a great story here that kept me guessing and turning the pages. I absolutely loved this novel! It’s her best one yet. The way she constructed the story, the different angles and points of view were genius. I like the setting of Thailand, the characters…everything about this book hit every note.
SYNOPSIS:
When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared?
Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth—and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, whom she hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling.
As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think…
Pre-order this now so you don’t miss it!
January 2019
You are probably very familiar with Lisa Gardner’s books including The Neighbors, Right Behind You, and many, many others. She is a tremendously gifted author who can tell a great story that will suck you in and won’t let you go! It’s the kind of suspenseful story that will make you forget about everything else you have to do, you will want to sit and read!
SYNOPSIS:
A man is dead, shot three times in his home office. But his computer has been shot twelve times, and when the cops arrive, his pregnant wife is holding the gun.
D. D. Warren arrives on the scene and recognizes the woman–Evie Carter–from a case many years back. Evie’s father was killed in a shooting that was ruled an accident. But for D.D., two coincidental murders is too many.
Flora Dane sees the murder of Conrad Carter on the TV news and immediately knows his face. She remembers a night when she was still a victim–a hostage–and her captor knew this man. Overcome with guilt that she never tracked him down, Flora is now determined to learn the truth of Conrad’s murder.
But D.D. and Flora are about to discover that in this case the truth is a devilishly elusive thing. As layer by layer they peel away the half-truths and outright lies, they wonder: How many secrets can one family have?
If you are seeking a book that is thrilling and suspenseful, this is for you!
February 2019
Wendy Walker wrote Emma in the Night and All Is Not Forgotten, both were fantastic! The Night Before is her new book, coming this spring. This story will have you turning pages quickly, especially as the plot heats up during the last half of the book. I did NOT expect the twist!
While I liked the story in the beginning, towards the end, I couldn’t stand the suspense and almost had to read the end before it was even over! I held off though, I did keep reading faster and faster and stayed up past my bedtime a few nights in a row.
I liked how the author alternated points of view and I always enjoy a character who is a little unreliable with some secrets.
SYNOPSIS:
Rosie and Laura are as different as two sisters can be. One is stable and has a perfect family. The other struggles to break free from her troubled past. When Laura disappears after going on a blind date, Rosie takes matters into her own hands.
But as Rosie begins to search for her sister, her greatest fears come to the surface. Could Laura be more of a danger than the stranger she meets or is the night before her last night alive?
Told in dual timelines—the night before and the day after—The Night Before is a riveting thriller about family loyalty, obsession, and what happens when the desire for love spins out of control.
Due out in May 2019
