The True Love Experiment | By Christina Lauren

 

Romance isn't really my first choice when it comes to books but for some reason I find myself reading them and not only enjoying them but also being entertained thus leaning that sometimes it's good to read outside your normal. 

Felicity "Fizzy" Chen is a romance novel. She's well known and popular. She's made the bestsellers list but now she has writers block. She's under a dry spell in her love life and can't pull from it to write her books.

Connor Prince is a documentary film writer who has been tasked with creating a reality tv show, which is way outside his normal subject. The reality show must be a success or his job and hence his life as it is will be over. 

Connor manages to convince Fizzy to participate in the reality tv series fun and chaos ensures. This is a very easy read however I did find myself glossing over sections that I found lacking entertainment value. This doesn't mean that the book isn't good - it just means that it has some slow sections. 

Prom Queen | By Laura Wolfe

    

            Expected Publication Date: October 9, 2023

True Crime podcaster Hannah Mead has arrived and is investigating the death of Bailey Maddox. The Prom Queen who died on the night she was crowned. Her body was found on the train tacks and many have been left to question if it was suicide or murder. Hannah Mead is questioning the classmates of Bailey including Bailey's best friend, Brooke.  Brooke who has always found the circumstances peculiar also seeks the truth and finds herself teaming up with Hannah despite her reservations. 

It's been twenty years since Bailey's died and as the secrets and lies unravel more twists and turns appear. Be prepared to find yourself as an outsider looking in on the days the characters roamed the halls and high school students and watching everything unfold in "real" time. 

Prom Queen is a fantastic read! The characters are well developed and entertaining. I'd love to see this book made into a streaming tv series and you will too! 

** A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Holly | By Stephen King

Holly is dark and creepy. Creepy in a different way from King's supernatural novels in that it deals with humanity or the lack of it. Holly is the perfect book for those of us who read, watch and listen to crime (fiction and non-fiction) novels, shows and podcasts. It is part of a series. I have read all the prior books but did not reread them before this one and I don't feel that it is necessary to have read those in order to fully enjoy and grasp this book and it's characters. 

Holly takes place during COVID  heightening the fear factor as Holly looks into solving a missing person case. As she goes down the rabbit hole more missing people cases pop up in the same area leaving Holly to think they all might just be connected. 

This might be one of King's more terrifying novels (that isn't supernatural) to date due  to who the responsible party is and why they do it. 

This is a fracking great story! Start reading it today and ignore all the idiots who are giving bad reviews due to Covid being in the book.

P.s. The book jacket glows in the dark! 

This is How We End Things | by R.J. Jacobs

 

       Published September 12, 2023

A graduate student has been found brutally murdered at Dorrance University. Her fellow graduate students with whom she has been working with become suspects as does a professor and a student subject. A winter storm blows in and another person is murdered making everyone all that more suspicious and afraid. 

Everyone has their secrets and some secrets make them much more suspicious than others. They are students of psychology which makes things all that much more sinister. You'll double guess yourself more than once on who the culprit is. This is a fast paced read with lots of characters who are easily distinguishable due to their unique traits. 

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

 

    

  

Counting the Cost Hardcover | by Jill Duggar

 

Did you ever watch 19 Kids and counting and the shows before it? Did the family ever give you an ick feeling yet you felt compelled to watch it? Do you know who Josh Duggar is? How about Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar? If so this book is for you. 

Jill Duggar is the second oldest daughter of the family and married to Derick Dillard. Counting the Cost is Jill's memoir. She reveals what it was like growing up in the Duggar family (good and bad) and the battles she had to fight in  order to find her peace and pull away from her controlling parents and the IBLP. 

Jill is full of courage and candor. She opens up and reveals her pain, frustrations and what it was like to grow up behind the cameras. Jill also  gives insights into her life as an adult and figuring out what is best for her and her family even if it goes against her parents whishes. 

Be prepared for a fast emotional read. You'll be left wanting to give Jill the comfort she deserves. 

Something Borrowed | By Emily Giffin

Rachel and Darcy have been bestfriends for as long as they can remember. Rachel is the "good girl" while Darcy is the more daring, beautiful, eye catching, attention seeking girl. Rachel is the wall flower behind the scenes until she isn't. On the night of her 30th birthday  Rachel she ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé. 

Betrayal, confusion and lies by both Rachel and Darcy builds up as the book unfolds revealing the  history between both of the friends and how it's shaped who they are and who they become. 

Giffin's writing keeps you entertained and flipping through pages to find out what is going to happen. Be prepared to laugh and reexamine some of the friendships you have had or have. 

There is nothing quite as comforting as rereading a book. It's like catching up with an old friend and reminiscing. This book also hits different after losing my "best friend" once I was able to figure out I had always been the friend and when I needed her she wasn't there. The movie while entertaining isn't as great as the book. I recommend them both! 

The Perfect Marriage | by Jeneva Rose

Sarah Morgan is a powerful defense attorney in Washington DC and at the early age of 33 made partner at her firm.  Her husband is a struggling writer and spends the majority of his time in their second home while she works late into the night. Sarah discovers her husband is having an affair when he is arrested for her murder. 

Adam claims to be innocent and  Sarah is the best person to defend him and essentially his only chance at getting off. Adam proves to make his incredibly difficult by making mistake after mistake. As Sarah builds his case and the evidence stacks up the intensity of the book builds up and you keep turning the pages as fast as you can so. 

The Perfect Marriage is told from the point of view of both Sarah and Adam. The insight to both of them and the separate lives they lead makes you like and dislike them both making them real and hooking you into this thrilling book. 

The Lonely Hearts Book Club | By Lucy Gilmore

 

Sloane Parker lives in a small town and works as a librarian. Arthur is an older cantankerous man who frequently patrons the library and many of the staff members run in fear when they see him. Sloane and Arthur barter back and forth - Arthur has quite a mouth full of insults.  Sloane has become accustomed to Arthur showing up and when he doesn't she becomes concerned. 

She finds out that he is recuperating from a medical emergency. He is all alone because he has run all of his help away. Sloane being the big hearted persons she is  steps up to help him despite him not wanting it.
A entire cast of characters enter the picture and friendships are forged as is a book club. 

Each characters story is told via their point of view. At times it can be confusing and you have to flip back to the start of the section to see who's story is being told. The characters with the exception of Arthur are a bit too similar. I could not fully invest is the story but that doesn't mean this isn't a good read. It just isn't a read for me. I struggled with Arthur because my grandfather (my grandparents raise me) was too similar to him and it made memories resurface. 

** I have been provided a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America's Child | By Kim Cross

Expected Publication Date: October 3, 2023

I was only a few years older than Polly Klass when she was abducted from her home and murdered. I remember her beautiful face flashing across new station after news station. I remember reading about her in People Magazine and I remember the fear of the same thing or something similar happening to me and/or my friends.  

Kim Cross has done her research. This is quite possibly the most well written True Crime novel I have read. Cross tackles sensitive subjects with finesse . She details the day of the kidnapping, the days that followed and the trial.  Cross focuses on Polly. A constant reminder that Polly was a real person with friends and family.  

There are a few passages that are difficult to read due to the details of the crime. The kidnapping and murder of Polly changed the way the FBI investigates crimes.  Cross was able to get investigators and others who have never spoken out before about Polly to contribute to her research making this book all that more personal. 

*** I have been provided a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

The premise is great but getting into the book was a bit of a challenge. I was about a fourth into it before I started to enjoy it which is a good thing because I was about to DNF it. 

Jack Masterson is the author of a famous children's book series. His Clock Island Series is well know and loved however Jack Masterson has not written and published a book in years. Then Jack holds a contest (reminiscent of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) and four adults whom visited him as children are invited to compete for the unpublished manuscript of the newest installment. The winner can do as they wish with the book. 

The four adults gather on the island and prepare to compete. They will have to solve riddles and score points in order to win. Lucy our main character is a kindergarten teaching aid who wants nothing more than to adopt a student named Christopher. Winning the contest will make it possible for this to come to fruition. 

Each character's background story is revealed giving information on why they want to win the contest. The book will tug at your heart but you have to really wait until the contestants are on the island for it to get interesting. 

*** I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.