My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper is a compelling read.  Jodi beautifully captures what each parties feeling, making you empathetic to each person.

My Sister's Keeper centers around 13 year old Anna. Anna was born for the sole purpose of providing help for her older sister, Kate who has leukemia. Seconds after her birth her umbilical cord was whisked away to use for Kate. Over the next 13 year, Anna undergoes countless procedures to keep her sister alive. Kate's body is failing and she needs a kidney from Anna, Anna files for medical emancipation, causing turmoil in her family home.

As the stories unfold, you find that Anna and Kate's older brother is troubled and the family has mixed emotions regarding Anna's lawsuit. Her lawyer and his life story plays in as a secondary story, which I found very intriguing and was left wanting more.

The first time I read this book, I was satisfied with the ending but this time I found the ending to be a bit melodramatic and trite despite this I recommend the read.

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

As many of you know, I am rereading Jodi Picoult's novels in the order they were published. I actually never read Second Glance so this is my first introduction to this book.

I had a really difficult time reading this book and it took me weeks (I read more than one book at a time). I had a very difficult time getting into it. There were aspects of the stories I found very interesting (such as the boy with the XP disorder) but overall the story lacked interest.

Picoult uses a different writing style and that may be what makes the story difficult to follow since it doesn't flow the way her other novels do, maybe it is the story line or a combination of both.

This novel has a lot of characters and stories in it.  Land in Comtosook, Vermont  is put up for sale and sold. The local Abenaki Indian tribe protest the land being built on as they insist is is a burial ground. A stream of supernatural events take place and a ghost hunter enters the picture to investigate the property.

He has a host of his own issues but he ends up finding more than he bargained for. There are a bunch of other characters and they all have their own stories to tell -- so much more interesting than others.

This book is basically about, murder, love and ghosts? This is not a page turner or a book I would revisit or recommend.

Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen

Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen

To be released  April 18,  2017

 

 

Unbelievably fantastic. I never saw it coming. Torjuseen does for books what M. Night Shyamalan did for the "Sixth Sense."  "Gone Without a Trace" is a phenomenal psychological thriller. Be prepared to be astonished. I normally see endings coming a mile away but this one had me on the edge of precipice until the big reveal and then I was hanging over the edge, heart beating waiting for it all to wrap up.

 

Hannah is successful and has just been told she will be up for promotion. She is hyped up on positive energy and excitement but it is all about to turn into a black sea of turmoil. She arrives home ready to celebrate, a bottle of wine in her hand when she notices that EVERY SINGLE THING that her boyfriend, Matt owns is gone. There is no trace of Matt or his belongs, furthermore all evidence of him is gone. There are no photos, his social media is wiped out and  her home looks exactly the way it did before Matt moved in but where is Matt? There is no "Dear John" letter, he has vanished.

 

Hannah falls into despair and makes is her mission to locate, Matt.  She becomes obsessive and creates her own circle of madness. Her work life begins to suffer and her relationship with others becomes further constricted Hannah's own personal health begins to suffer and her compulsiveness to locate Matt and get answers becomes unnerving. Her anguish and despair runs of the pages and it becomes evident that Hannah will do whatever it takes to find, Matt --- no matter the cost.

 

Hannah is an unreliable narrator, who keeps you guessing and pulls you into her world, making you empathetic and confused.

 

Expect a long day/night of reading because I couldn't put this book down until it concluded.

 

 

Girl 99 by Andy Jones

Girl 99 to be released February 14, 2017

Girl 99 is way better than I anticipated. I simply loved it!

This little book is a mixture of romance and humor. 

 

This book is written from the point of view of our main character, Tom.

Tom is 31 years old  and has just been dumped by his girlfriend. 

She is number 86 and Tom makes a bet with a friend that he will get an even 100 by 

a certain date. Tom has some fun along the way, burns some bridges but this book isn't just about sex.

It's about Tom and who he is. He is friends with his much older downstairs neighbor and has a 

really great relationship with his father and sister. Tom has a nice group friends and an interesting job. He is rather interesting and someone I could see myself being friend with.

When I first picked up this book, I thought it was going to be about a man who didn't respect women, who was always looking to fill that next need but it's about so much more!

I love British mannerisms and colloquialisms and this book is full of them! I am looking forward to reading more books by Andy Jones.  Expect an easy, fast, addictive read.

 

The Sixth Event by Kristen Morie-Osisek

Eighteen year old Raquel witnesses the end of the world. The last thing she sees is her imminent death and then she wakes up.

 It is two years, she's back in High School and the only other person who remembers the end -- is her old classmate Chris Lyley. Chris Lyley the guy she always thought was a "loser". Together they find out "powers" they have such as teleportation.

They come across a few others like them. They group together and try to determine what caused the end and figure out a way to prevent the sixth extinction event from happening.

They teleport from one extinction event to another to figure out if it matches they one the witnessed so they can figure out how to save mankind.


The characters are well developed and the story line keeps you turning the pages. I also found myself doing research on previous extinction events. The author has clearly done her research, giving this book a "real" spin on things.

I am looking forward to more reads from this author. This is an excellent debut novel. It is riveting and engaging.

Thanks to NetGally for proving this copy for review.