Ohio by Stephen Markley

 Holy Shit! This book is incredible, memorable and full of well developed characters who's stories are interconnected. This book will have a permanent spot in my collection, one I will reread and recommend to others. 

Four former high school friends via a variety of reasons all find themselves back home in New Canaan, Ohio. What transpires all takes place in one night with flashbacks  to the past.  Markley, tells the story of small town Ohio in four different parts in which each character's life unfolds.  

The story is at times bleak, depressing and gritty but it's what makes it good because life is messy and chaotic. Markley's debut novel of this fictional small town deals with the themes of war, drugs, poverty, suicide, unemployment and rape. 

Ohio is a through provoking novel that shows the plight of current day America with an ending you won't see coming. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

 A girl with seven freckles. a boy, and a deal with the devil.  

Addie LaRue has lived for over 300 years. She has lived on several continents, experienced many adventures but is lonely. She has no companion, no friends, everyone she meets forgets who she is but she continues to live and leave her mark in art and history. 

Addie is a strong, interesting character and her life on repeat keeps the reader interested and yearning for more.  Addie meets a boy named, Henry who changes her life. 

While this book is intriguing and has well constructed characters it takes a while for the story to build up. It is a bit a slow but once you get into it it's worth the struggle. 

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 Daisy Jones & The Six isn't my cup of tea.  It's essentially a transcript of a band in which band members, friends and managers are interviewed.  There is only so much you can get out of dialogue, people need descriptions or at least I do.  This was all tell and no show and I need to experience the story and not be told about it.  I couldn't even really tell you what this book is about. 

I suggest skipping this book and reading Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. My review on it can be found HERE.

People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd

 

                                                        PEOPLE LIKE HER                              

                            EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: JANUARY 12 2021

 Emmeline Jackson is an Instagram social influencer with over a million followers. She is known as 'mamabare'. She is part of a group of mama influncers, who tag, follow one another and get together for Instagram worthy events.

Emmy's life is out there for anyone to see. Her children are her brand. Her husband, Dan is not a fan of their children's (Coco and Bear) photos being online but he has no choice. Emmy's social media pays the bills, while Dan struggles to finish another book. 

Being a social media influencer comes with a cost and while Emmy tries to protect her family by not revealing locations one minor slip, one she isn't even aware of gives an obsessive follower all they need to find out details she's worked so hard to hide. 

This follower is out to get 'mamabare" and her narrative is weaved into Emmy's. It's chilling and builds up the tension making this read addictive.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

In a Holidaze is a fun book to read. It's romance, comedy and a nice way to get away from the pandemic stress. 

Maelyn is struggling, hates her job, is depressed and has moved back home with her parents. She joins her family along with family friends for their yearly tradition of spending the holiday's in a cabin in Utah. The night before they leave she makes an error in judgment and as her and her family leave the next day she sends a thought out into the universe that changes time!

Maelyn Jones finds herself stuck in a time loop, repeating the same day(s) over and over. She needs to figure out how to get out of the loop because one false move and she's back to repeating the same day. 

This is a modern day, "Groundhog Day" that's fun and cute. An easy breezy read for the holiday season. 

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Jules lost her job, caught her boyfriend cheating on her and is forced to sleep on her best friends couch. 

When a job opportunity presents itself, she jumps at the chance and finds herself as an apartment sitter in a posh, exclusive apartment complex. The opportunity seems too good to be true but Jules is desperate and quickly finds herself a a "resident" of  the Bartholomew. She has a list of what she can and cannot done. The list is peculiar but she needs the money and is determined to get back on her feet.

Jules quickly finds out that the Bartholomew has sinister history behind it and the residents are not exactly "normal" despite this she makes a friend but when that friend goes missing she makes it her mission to figure out exactly what is going on but it's riskier than she ever imagined.

This book is creepy and addictive. Expect to stay up all night finishing this read. You won't be disappointed.

If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood · by Gregg OlsenIf You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood · by Gregg Olsen

I am a Crime Junkie. I had read many books over the years regarding True Crime and am addicted to True Crime shows and podcasts and this book --- is dark and disturbing.  The fact that people can do such horrendous acts is something that I can not  and will never understand.

Shelly is a wife, friend, mother and monster. She is responsible for thousands if not tens of thousands of vile acts against humans. Humans who trusted her. Her daughters are her target but what she does to three others makes the abuse her daughters endure seem like a walk in the park. 

This true story written by Gregg Olsen will hold your attention but you will be left with a lot of questions and anger, so much anger. 

This is a difficult read due to the subject matter and not everyone will be able to handle it. It's brutal and not for the faint of heart. 

To Selena, With Love by Chris Pérez

This is my second time reading, To Selena, With Love.  This time around I was much more emotionally invested. Not sure if it's because I am older or because I have more life experiences. I am assuming it's a mix of both. 

We all know how their story ends but we didn't really know how it started until now, until this book. 

Chris Perez without a doubt loved Selena and his love for her pours off the pages as does the heartache. This private glimpse into his life with his beloved wife shows the world a glimpse of who she and who they were behind closed doors. 

Chris also divulges details of their public life including the day she was murdered. The last two chapters deal with it and you find yourself holding your breath waiting for a different outcome but alas nothing changes and Chris whoes lose is deeper than anyone's plays over and over again. 

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

November 9th is a modern day age, Bernard Slade's 1975 play, "Same Time, Next Year."  If you loved the play or the movie (Same time, Next year) this book is for you. 

The day before Fallon is set to move across the country she meets, Ben. Their meeting takes place under peculiar circumstances, yet they decide to spend Fallon's last night together. They quickly realize that they have a bond and rather then jump into a relationship they make a pack to meet at the same restaurant every November 9th (Same Time Next  Year). They don't exchange numbers and block one another on social media so that they won't have contact with one another until November 9th of the following year(s).

The relationship is sweet and romantic and then Hoover punches you in the gut with a big reveal. You can more or less guess what it is but only a fraction of it. It's so much deeper and complex. 

The book flows really well, which is surprising as it spans over many years and does flash backs. Not many authors call pull it off successfully but Hoover has! There are no lulls in this book. Expect to finish it in a day or two if your a fast reader or find yourself with time on your hands. 

There is passion, love, sadness, grief and anger. Emotions flow off the pages and sometimes you ache with the characters. 

The Brothers of Auschwitz Malka Adler

    

 The Brother's of Auschwitz is a fictional story based upon the real life stories of two brothers, named Dov and Yitzhak. It follows them from their tiny Hungarian Village, to Auschwitz and life after Auschwitz.

   This is a brutal read. The subject matter as we all know is what nightmares are made and they lived it. The were torn away from their families, watched loved ones and friends die often in barbaric manner.  Expect graphic and descriptive details.

It took me over a month to read this book, nearly two months (I read a few others along side it) but it wasn't because of the material but because of the way it was written/translated. I feel like I was missing something, something stronger, move moving, more complete. The reading often feels disjointed and as though you are reading an interviewers notes that aren't quite ready.

 There is a bit of jumping around, which results in having to reread passages. Don't let this derail you or stop you from reading this book though because we must remember, we must read these stories, learn from them, respect them, respect the people who died and prevent if from happening again. 

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

Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

 

PRETTY LITTLE WIFE  

EXPECTED PUBLICATION DATE: DECEMBER 29 2020

 Pretty Little Wife is Darby Kane's debut novel. It's twisty, dark and perfectly delicious!

Lila Ridgefield husband is dead. She killed him. She placed his body in his SUV, parked it in the parking lot of the school he is employed at and left it to be discovered along with evidence of his sexual misconduct with minor students.

 Aaron ,her husband is a predator and it's time for everyone to know but things do not go according to plan.  Before Aaron and his SUV can be discovered, they go missing! Lila quickly becomes the prime suspect and is being cast as the guilty party. The community see's her as peculiar and her husband as perfect.  Lila is living in fear. Did she not succeed in killing him? Will he come after her?  Then the notes appear ...

Lead Detective, Ginny knows, Lila is guilty and it's her mission to prove it and she will do whatever she needs to in order to close this case but Lila is clever and giving Ginny a run for her money.

This is a delightful, wicked story, with an unreliable narrator who will keep you guessing and turning the pages.