The Push by Ashley Audrain

 If you are a fan of Baby Teeth , We need to talk about Kevin or The Bad Seed this book is right up your alley. 

Ashley Audrain, psychological thriller is rather sinister.  Her debut novel is multilayered, complex and will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

Blythe and her husband are expecting a child. He is over the moon but she is going into it with trepidation and fear. Women in her family have a history of not adapting well to motherhood (which is explored further in the novel). Blythe was abused as a child but she tries to put it all behind her when her daughter Violet is born. She goes into thinking she will be a good mother but it's hard to mother a child like Violet. 

Violet is difficult to love and there is something fundamentally wrong with her. Blythe is trying to push through it bu than an incident occurs that breaks the foundations of her marriage and her relationship with Violet to the core. 

Expect an emotional, raw read with flawed characters. 

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

I am not usually a fan of Rom-Com but this book was cute and had adorable characters which made for a easy, fast yet predictable read.

Daisy runs into her High School crush, Liam at a work conference. They enter into a beneficial agreement, in which the fool both families into thinking they are dating but things do not go as planned. 

Chaos ensues, plans fail and secrets are revealed, making you like one character a lot more and another less. 

Daisy while adorable can be unlikable but eventually redeems himself. Liam oozes confidence and sex. These two characters combined have chemistry which makes the read worth it, if you are a fast reader. 

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Frankly in Love is about Frank Li. He is a high school student who is a first generation Korean American,  who is caught between two worlds. The world of his parents and their culture and the world of being a "typical" American teen. 

Frank Li's parents only have one rule about dating and that is to date Korean and when he falls for Brit Means, his life becomes complicated. Frank and Joy (a girl who is the daughter of his parents friends) make a pact to fake date so that they can date their prospective partners in secret. Thi
s results in an unexpected (or in my case expected) turn of events.

This is an okay read and the only moment I was truly intrigued was when Frank Li's father becomes a central part to the story, which lead to me wanting to know more about the Li's and less about Frank. This is a great book to read after having read something heavy. 

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.