I cannot believe June is around the corner! What happened to May? And April? Why is time flying by so quickly? I have been reading so much, I am almost at my Goodreads challenge goal of reading 95 books this year, I have read 88!
How do I read so much? I have been staying up very, very late to read at least 2-3 hours a day. Most books take about 4 hours to read, except something enormous like The Goldfinch which I’m pretty sure was a million pages long. Miracle Creek was also long, that took me a few days to get through.
This week I read two novels, which I will be talking about soon but for now, check out these upcoming books, due out in June.
I read this book a few months ago and have been eagerly waiting until closer to publishing to tell you about it. From the very beginning, I loved this story. I was captivated by the plot and the writing and I honestly couldn’t put this down. I usually read at night and of course, I read past my bedtime and then sat on the couch the next day and didn’t put this down until the last page. WOW.
As I have mentioned, it takes a lot to surprise me in a book, I can usually anticipate how things are going to roll out but in this case, I was surprised. Hat tip to the author for an incredible job!
Beth Murphy is on the run…
For nearly a year, Beth has been planning for this day. A day some people might call any other Wednesday, but Beth prefers to see it as her new beginning–one with a new look, new name and new city. Beth has given her plan significant thought, because one small slip and her violent husband will find her.
Sabine Hardison is missing…
A couple hundred miles away, Jeffrey returns home from a work trip to find his wife, Sabine, is missing. Wherever she is, she’s taken almost nothing with her. Her abandoned car is the only evidence the police have, and all signs point to foul play.
As the police search for leads, the case becomes more and more convoluted. Sabine’s carefully laid plans for her future indicate trouble at home, and a husband who would be better off with her gone. The detective on the case will stop at nothing to find out what happened and bring this missing woman home. Where is Sabine? And who is Beth? The only thing that’s certain is that someone is lying and the truth won’t stay buried for long.
Dear Wife needs to be on your MUST READ list, especially if you enjoy suspense and thrillers. Pre-Order here.
I liked The Good Sister by Gillian McAllister. An interesting idea for a story that really pulls you in and the reader is invested in what is happening to the characters. I thought the author did an excellent job keeping the momentum going.
The scary thing is..this could happen in real life!
Martha and Becky Blackwater are more than sisters–they’re each other’s lifelines. When Martha finds herself struggling to balance early motherhood and her growing business, Becky steps in to babysit her niece, Layla, without a second thought, bringing the two women closer than ever. But when Layla is found dead one morning, at only eight weeks old, Becky is charged with the unthinkable: the murder of her sister’s child.
Nine months later, Becky is on trial and maintains her innocence–and so does Martha. Unable to shake the feeling that her sister couldn’t possibly be guilty, Martha sets out to uncover exactly what happened that night, and how things could have gone so wrong. As the trial progresses, fault lines between the sisters begin to show–revealing cracks deep in their relationship and threatening the family each has worked so hard to build. With incredible empathy and resounding emotional heft, The Good Sister is a powerhouse of a novel that will lead readers to question everything they know about motherhood, family, and the price of forgiveness
The story is emotional and well written, as everything unfolds, you cannot help but think about what you would do in the situation. Order the book here!
I Know You’re there by Sarah Simpson is next on my list to read! This one promises to be a thrilling page-turner. What happens if the home you have isn’t the safe haven you think it is? I love this premise. I also love books that take place in England! I’m not sure why but lately I am really drawn to British authors. Maybe I need to head over to London or the Cotswolds for some inspiration?
Here’s what you need to know about this book:
Is your house as safe as you think? Natalie spent most of her childhood feeling afraid. So when she moved into her cosy little flat in St Ives and met her three friendly neighbours, she knew at once it was somewhere she’d feel safe.
Before long, Natalie’s neighbors have become the family she never had. Kind, motherly Morwenna, serious, reliable Nigel, and sweet, anxious Daniel. They collect each other’s mail, water each other’s plants, and share each other’s lives.
But as Natalie knows all too well, the people who are closest to you can also be the most dangerous. And this house is not as safe as she thinks…
This book is due out on June 6th and you can pre-order the Kindle version for only $4.23! Have you ever pre-ordered from Amazon? The book magically appears on your Kindle first thing in the morning!
If you like murders and trials- and let’s face it, don’t we all? Then this is a book for you! A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardson is a complicated and dramatic story, one that will have you asking lots of questions. Just think about this- how well do you REALLY know the people in your family?
Here’s the synopsis:
Eighteen-year-old Stella stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone to kill him?
Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter, while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?
This story takes place in Sweden so immediately I conjured up a chilling atmosphere of darkness and snow. Told from multiple points of view, it seems everyone is an unreliable narrator. Who to trust?
You are going to love this compelling novel. Pre-Order here.
I have been reading Jane Green‘s books for years! She’s a great author and I enjoy her stories. In The Friends We Keep, she focuses on the theme of friendship, how we change and the secrets we keep. If you haven’t read Jane’s books, you will probably love them as she is a wonderful author.
Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known each other since university. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and none of them ever found the lives they wanted – the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible.
Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man. Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with at university, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause. Topher became a successful actor but the shame of a childhood secret shut him off from real intimacy.
By their thirtieth reunion, these old friends have lost touch with each other and with the people they dreamed of becoming. Together again, they have a second chance at happiness… until a dark secret is revealed that changes everything.
This is warm, funny, and just a lovely novel. PreOrder here.
This book had my attention from the first page. I loved The Missing Wife by Sam Carrington. There are twists and turns and I found that I was really questioning what was happening, I mean that in the best way. I like a book where I can’t figure out what direction the author will take us in.
Here’s the plot:
Louisa is an exhausted, sleep-deprived new mother and, approaching her fortieth birthday, the very last thing she wants to do is celebrate.
But when her best friend Tiff organises a surprise party, inviting the entire list of Lou’s Facebook friends, she’s faced with a new source of anxiety altogether: a room full of old college classmates who she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years. And one person in particular she never expected to see again is there – her ex-boyfriend from college, the handsome and charismatic Oliver Dunmore.
When Oliver’s wife Melissa goes missing after the party, everyone remembers what happened that night differently. It could be the alcohol, but it seems more than one person has something to hide. Louisa is determined to find the truth about what happened to Melissa. But just how far does she need to look…?
I liked the character of Lousia, a tired mom who gets caught up with an ex. This kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended! Only $2.99 on Kindle, delivered on June 27.
I read this in one day, its a good book with an interesting premise. A Face in The Crowd By Kerry Wilkinson was another suspense/thriller. Well written and a quick read.
I enjoy books where you find yourself asking, “What on earth is going on?” which this one did! Trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, I did not figure it out until the very end.
She hopes to get a seat to herself, tries to avoid eye contact, and, if she’s really lucky, reads a chapter of her book. But it’s a Friday – and the bus is always crammed at the end of the week. Personal space doesn’t exist. She keeps her elbows close and clings to a pole at every juddering stop.
When she gets off, something feels different. An envelope stuffed with thousands of pounds is in her bag. Is it the answer to her prayers, or the beginning of a nightmare?
Because, in the end, everything has a price.
I was definitely hooked on the story, wondering what was going to happen next. Enjoyable!
Pre-order here, what a bargain- its only $2.99!
The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall was a good book and when I began it, I thought it was going to go off in one direction but it went in another which I didn’t expect. If I were writing a book like this, I’d make it very sinister and dark. I was anticipating something different than what it was but still, a good book that kept me reading late into the night.
There was all kind of red flags going off when Chloe and Dan get married especially when he switches their honeymoon destination without telling Chloe. Dan’s behavior is also weird and if I were Chloe, I think I would have turned around and come home.
The plot:
Chloe had a dream wedding. Dan is her perfect man. They haven’t known each other for long, but as she walked down the aisle and saw him standing by the altar, tears glistening in his eyes, she knew this was forever.
Later, as they relax on a beautiful island, settling into their new married life together, they congratulate themselves on their lovely wedding day, and Dan jokes that he’d like them to stay there forever. But as the honeymoon goes on, he becomes increasingly adamant. They shouldn’t leave. In fact, he won’t let her…
I like the twists in this book, parts of it definitely kept me guessing!
It was a few months ago when I learned about the true story of the evil woman named Georgia Tann, a notorious child trafficker who ran the Tennesse Children’s home from 1924 to 1950. Someone should write a book about this woman, I thought to myself.
And like magic, The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma appeared.
The author does a great job bringing this horrible woman to life and gives us a fictionalized look at what could and probably did happen to poor mothers who crossed paths with Georgia. This woman would steal children then sell them to wealthy people. She did this by any means necessary even if it meant lying to the police, the court system, politicians.
There is a fantastic podcast on Criminal here about Georgia Tann.
The plot:
Widowed in Memphis during 1932, Cecile Dowd is struggling to provide for her three-year-old daughter. Unwittingly trusting a neighbor puts little Millie Mae into the clutches of Georgia Tann, corrupt Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society director suspected of the disappearance of hundreds of children. With the help of a sympathetic lawyer, the search for Millie uncovers a deep level of corruption that threatens their very lives.
How far will a mother go to find out what happened to her child?
I like this book, it made Georgia Tann come alive. Once you read this book, listen to the podcast I linked to above. This is true crime like you’ve never heard before!
I love the title, Fake Like Me. It made me wonder immediately what the book could be about? I read Barbara Bourland’s novel, I’ll Eat When I’m Dead and liked it so I was looking forward to reading her next book.
Described as “dark, glamorous, addictive” its a must read!
What really happened to Carey Logan?
After a fire decimates her studio, including the seven billboard-size paintings for her next show, a young, no-name painter is left with an impossible task: recreate her art in three months-or ruin her fledgling career.
Homeless and desperate, she flees to an exclusive retreat in upstate New York famous for its outrageous revelries and glamorous artists. And notorious as the place where brilliant young artist Carey Logan-one of her idols-drowned in the lake.
But when she arrives, the retreat is a ghost of its former self. No one shares their work. No parties light up the deck. No one speaks of Carey, though her death haunts the cabins and the black lake, lurking beneath the surface like a shipwreck. As the young painter works obsessively in Carey’s former studio, uncovers strange secrets and starts to fall–hard and fast–for Carey’s mysterious boyfriend, it’s as if she’s taking her place.
But one thought shadows her every move: What really happened to Carey Logan?
I love the setting of the art scene, I love the east coast. The author’s dry wit comes through in the writing which I LOVE. This is an absolute must read!
Order now and enjoy on June 18.
I stayed up until 1 a.m. last night reading The Guest by Jess Ryder. This book was so good and I couldn’t go to sleep without knowing the ending!
What would you do if a bruised and battered woman showed up at your home and begged you for help? That’s what happened to Stella and her boyfriend Jack. They have recently moved into a former woman’s shelter and are in the midst of redoing the place. Its a work in progress and a construction zone, basically. Though the house is in disarray, Stella feels she cannot turn this woman away though Jack is immediately distrustful.
Jack keeps warning Stella that this woman, Lori, is probably not who she says she is but Stella wants to believe her and give her the help she needs. As tensions escalate, we start to learn more about Lori and about Stella’s past.
When Stella and Jack move to Westhill House, a remote hilltop house on the Kent coast with stunning views of the sea, Stella feels their new home could be their new start.
But when Lori comes to her, desperate to escape her violent husband, everything changes. Stella, vulnerable after losing her parents in a terrible accident, is determined to help and takes Lori in.
Stella doesn’t mind when the night becomes a week, then a month. It’s no bother if Lori needs to borrow her clothes. But Jack wants to know why Lori is so comfortable at Westhill House, why she won’t go to the police about her husband, and he’s adamant she’s been going through their things.
Stella wonders why Jack is so suspicious, so edgy. An old gap seems to be opening between them, just when she’s beginning to agree that something doesn’t add up about Lori’s story.
Stella knows Lori isn’t the only one with secrets, but as she feels compelled to watch her boyfriend and her guest more closely, she finds herself asking: is she safe in her own home?
The writing was good, the story was addicting and the end was satisfying. I liked the premise and the setting which was England once again and everyone drinks tea all the time! You will want to make yourself a “cuppa” as you settle in with The Guest!
Order here– its under a different title and I’m assuming the US version is The Guest and the UK version is The Dream House. It’s $3.99 for the Kindle version.
I love a good true crime story or a dark and twisty thriller but I also love books like The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry. My favorite is when I am reading a good book and can’t wait to get back into it. I look forward to reading all day so when I finally sit with a good book, it’s one of the best feelings.
Ten years ago, Lena Donohue experienced a wedding-day betrayal so painful that she fled the small town of Watersend, South Carolina, and reinvented herself in New York City. Though now a freelance travel writer, the one place she rarely goes is home–until she learns of her dad’s failing health.
Returning to Watersend means seeing the sister she has avoided for a decade and the brother who runs the family’s Irish pub and has borne the burden of his sisters’ rift. While Alzheimer’s slowly steals their father’s memories, the siblings rush to preserve his life in stories and in photographs. As his secret past brings Lena’s own childhood into focus, it sends her on a journey to discover the true meaning of home.
This kept me turning the pages, not because it was a thrilling mystery but because I cared about the characters and what was going to happen. Great writing, story, loved it.
READ THESE NOW…
I am reading Maybe You Should Talk to Someone now and dipping into it every so often so I can savor the wise nuggets the author drops.
Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who ended up needed a therapist after a heartbreaking breakup (is there any other kind?). She finds a very wise therapist named Wendell and in between writing about her sessions with him, she discusses her clients and their own stories and struggles.
The things she says are insightful, I am actually learning about human nature as I read and I find it so interesting.
One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients’ lives — a self-absorbed Hollywood producer, a young newlywed diagnosed with a terminal illness, a senior citizen threatening to end her life on her birthday if nothing gets better, and a twenty-something who can’t stop hooking up with the wrong guys — she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell.
With startling wisdom and humor, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both clinician and patient, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between love and desire, meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, terror and courage, hope and change.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is revolutionary in its candor, offering a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human, and a disarmingly funny and illuminating account of our own mysterious lives and our power to transform them.
This is a long book, my kindle tells me it’s going to take me another four hours to get through and the audible version is over 14 hours! I’m taking it slow and enjoying it as I keep reading.
![Miracle Creek: A Novel by [Kim, Angie]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51vIvZ3nnYL.jpg)
I don’t know how the author came up with the idea for the story but it was very interesting. You can imagine the town where the story unfolds, you feel the struggles and emotions of the characters. I knew the author had to be a lawyer because the courtroom scenes were so good!
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim was a four-star read for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was slightly confused by the first chapter but then everything fell into place.
Here’s the scoop:
In rural Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine—a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic “dives” with the hopes of curing issues like autism or infertility. But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos’ small community.
Who or what caused the explosion? Was it the mother of one of the patients, who claimed to be sick that day but was smoking down by the creek? Or was it Young and Pak themselves, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? The ensuing trial uncovers unimaginable secrets from that night—trysts in the woods, mysterious notes, child-abuse charges—as well as tense rivalries and alliances among a group of people driven to extraordinary degrees of desperation and sacrifice.
The day of the accident was just the perfect storm of people with something to hide, careless mistakes, rumors. Everyone had something they were struggling with and things they were willing to lie about. I liked how the author gave every person a secret, a struggle.
I can see Miracle Creek being made into a movie, like many good books these days are!
