The Many Lives of Mama Love | Book by Lara Love Hardin

 Lara Love Hardin went from soccer mom who had it all to an opioid addict who lost it all.  Her memoir accounts her life before, during and after her time in prison. Her life before and during prison  is much more interesting then her life after prison. 

She did her time and made a difference in the lives of others prisoners and helped them. Which is absolutely amazing. I could have done without the celebrity meeting however the book is engaging and if you enjoy reading memoirs of learning about the judical system this book is for you. 

Five Years From Now by Paige Toon

Nell and Van's parents are in love. Nell's mom is dead and Van's father isn't in his life. When their parents make a life together Nell and Van are young children. They quickly form a close bond but tragedy separates them. Five years later as teens the reunite briefly and their bond is stronger than ever mixed in with romantic feelings however this is to be short lived as they have to go their separate ways once again. 

Over the next decades Nell and Van reunite and depart each time more difficult than the last. Their reunions are short lived but beautiful. Their lifetime friendship helps them tackle difficulties in life They fall in and out of relationships but their heart always belongs to one another. 

Toon's writing pulls you into this this beautiful and heartbreaking story about different types of love, friendship and the decisions we make in life and how they set out our path.

This was a rather fast read and had my emotions all over the place. Five Years From Now is a memorable story. 

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

                                              Expected Publication Date: January 30, 2023

Phoebe Dean died nearly ten years ago. She was pretty and popular. She was in a car accident with her brother and two others. The small town of West Wilmer has always wondered why it took Grant Dean, Phoebe's brother 27 minutes to call for help. 

The upcoming memorial for Phoebe has the town talking and asking questions. The truth of what happened that night lays amongst the survivors. They each have their own secret about that night.

The story is told from the point of view of four different characters. We learn how the tragedy affected each of them and the burden they carry. The reader gets to learn about who the characters were before and after the accident allowing you to see the personality shift and the impact of keeping dark secrets. 

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a fast paced read that is character driven. There is quite a bit of suspense and the reveal is quite shocking. The characters feel real and only one of my theories was correct. Making this a debut novel that just from past to present an excellent read. I look forward to what Ashely Tate will put out in the future. 

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

Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom by Gypsy-Rose Blanchard , Melissa Moore , Michele Matrisciani

Gypsy-Rose Blanchard is well known in the true crime community and likely outside of it. She along with her boyfriend murdered her mother. Gypsy suffered for decades under the care of her mother as she claimed Gypsy had one illness after another.  Dee Dee, Gypsy's mother is believed to have had Munchausen syndrome by proxy. 

This book has interviews with Gypsy that took place during her incarnation along with some personal drawings and her reflections on her past, present and future. 

This book is basically transcripts from phone conversations with Gypsy. There isn't really anything new in it. She blames Nick (the boyfriend) for everything and takes little to no responsibility for her actions. She makes prison life sound like a social outing and brags about her romantic relationships. 

I think this is a money grab book and I'd skip it and wait until the memoir comes out. Hopefully it will be much better than this disappointment. 

Ski Weekend by Rektok Ross

Six teens (and a dog) embark on a ski weekend. They will be driving to their destination. Sam our narrator is dreading the trip but feels obligated to go and keep watch on her injury prone brother and his best friend. They along with 3 other students pile into an SUV and head out on their way but the weather has other plans.

A crash into a snowbank changes their lives. They are stranded. There is no cell phone coverage and the snow is coming down harder. They have limited food and water supplies. Temps dip further down and it doesn't appear that they will be rescued any time soon.  The groups decide they need to rescue themselves but while out on their mission Sam ends up getting injured and returns to the SUV. As supplies dwindle and Sam gets sicker, the situation becomes more dire and they group needs to make one life changing decision after another. 

Ross has written a novel that pulls you into the story. You can almost feel the bitter cold and the anxiety the surrounds the group. Each character is written in a unique manner. Ski Weekend is full of suspense making this survivalist thriller a must read. 

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

The Matzah Ball is a cute rom-com. Rachel Rubenstein Goldblatt has two secrets. One is that she suffers from a illness that makes it impossible for her to live a "normal" life and the second is she writes Christmas romance novels. Her writing is a secret because she is the daughter of a famous Rabbi. 

Writing Christmas romance novels is what makes it possible for Rachel to work around her illness and live a comfortable life but this could all change when her publisher tells her she needs to write a Hanukah Romance novel rather than a Christmas one in order to keep her on as an author. 

Rachel is less than thrilled with this prospect. She loves the romance of Christmas and doesn't find anything romantic about Hanukah but things are about to change. Rachel discovers there is going to be a Matzah Ball and she wants a ticket to the event to help her write her novel. This proves to be a bit more difficult especially when she finds out Jacob Greenberg her archenemy is the host. She strikes a deal with Jacob and hilarity ensues. Along the way Jacob and Rachel get to know one another as adults and discover that their past is riddled with misunderstandings. 

The Matzah Ball is an excellent read. It make me laugh, sigh and cheer for the characters. 

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns

I have a confession. I judge books by their cover. I do NOT like the cover of this book however I took a chance on reading this book (mainly because I was given a copy of it) and I am glad I did. 

Marly West is only 17 years old when she moves to Mercury, Pennsylvania. Being the new girl in a small town quickly draws the attention of others. She finds herself sitting at the Joseph's family dinner table after meeting Baylor Joseph but she soon finds herself in the arms of his brother Waylon. 

Marly ends up pregnant and marrying Waylon. She interests herself into the Joseph family roofing business and into the family.  Family secrets and family drama quickly becomes a main character in this story as does the body found in the church attic. 

The character relationships are complex and deep and sometimes your left wondering if Marly is with the right Jospeh brother. This dysfunctional family and murder make for an interesting read that will keep you turning the pages in order to discover what becomes of this family. 

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

Sever (The Chemical Garden, #3) by Lauren DeStefano

Sever is the final installment of the Chemical Garden Trilogy. I last read it in March of 2013. It is  bit frightening how much of it I had forgotten. I had to run to my blog to see if I had indeed read it as I was starting to question if I had since so much of it seemed foreign to me. 

Sever is a perfect ending to this series. Characters grow substantially. Backstories are explored giving readers a deeper understanding of characters. New characters and old characters make an appearance.  Your opinion on characters might change (it did for me). The virus is explained and the ending while rushed is fitting and left me wanting more. Maybe a novella will happen? 

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

 It's 1978 and a serial killer is on the lose in the pacific northwest. A group of young women at University of Florida in Tallahassee are about to become victims of brutality as a killer enters into a sorority with the intention to take lives. The sorority president Pamela catches a glimpse of the killer and finds the bodies of her friends. 

On the other side of the county in Seattle,  Tina befriends Ruth. The
y quickly form a tight friendship and then Ruth goes missing. Tina makes it her mission to find out what happened to her beloved friend and when she finds out about the violence that took place in Florida she heads out there convinced it's the same murdered.

This book is over 400 hundred pages long and let me tell you - you feel every single page of it. It really drags. It's difficult to relate to the characters and often the voices are so similar it's hard to determine who is "talking". 

I usually enjoy books of the true crime nature or thrillers but this one was a struggle for me complete. I found myself skimming pages and just hoping to get to the conclusion. This was NOT a book for me. Usually I DNF books such as these but I pushed myself and it took over month to read. 

Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle

 Shur is in her high school class when she notices an abnormally large butterfly. Her classmates also take notice and soon their phones are buzzing with emergency alerts. They've been told to take cover. Shur her two brothers and their two friends
make their way to Shur's home to shelter in place. 

They have seen the creatures attack and know that being outside could mean death. Shur organizes food, candlelights and necessities to make sure they have supplies to last as long as possible. The butterflies start to multiple making them all that more dangerous but it's not the only danger the group has to look out for. 

Shur has anxiety and as someone who suffers from anxiety, Lyle nailed what it's like to be a person with anxiety. The concept is unique and  but I wish it had been explored in more depth. Swarm is a little on the young side and would be perfect for middle school readers who enjoy sci-fi.