56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

It's the year 2020 and Cia lives in Ireland. Covid-19 is making its rounds and they are about to go into lockdown. 

Cia meets Oliver and they start a romance. Oliver suggests Cia moves in with him during the lockdown and she agrees. Living together slowly reveals truths and Oliver isn't who he claims to be. 

A decomposing body is found inside Oliver's apartments. Detectives are left with a mystery on their hands and the lockdown might have just made it possible for someone to get away with the perfect crime.

There are several timelines taking place and multiple point of views luckily Howard does an excellent job and making them all flow. I didn't see some things coming which made the read exciting and fun. 

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 The Riva family is not your average family. They have had more than their fair share of tragedy but they have also had love and one another. 

Their story is told in two portions. The first half is the story of Mick Riva, before he was famous and his wife June. It's a story of love, happiness and then heartbreak and pain brought on by fame. 

The second portion is about the Riva children. The love they have for one another and the unbreakable bond these siblings have even when they are tested. 

The characters are unique and each with an interesting story to tell. 

I wouldn't classify this is a favorite book or one I would reread but it's good enough to pass the time. 

The Damage by Caitlin Wahrer

 

Nick has been sexually assaulted. It was violet and left him battered. Tony is Nick's bigger and older bother. He is filled with rage and the urge to protect his brother and seek revenge.

Tony and his wife support Nick and when Nick's attacker is arrested they think justice will be served but will it be? 

The story is told in multiple perspectives and timelines. It can get dark as it deals with a lot more than sexual violence. It is well written and full of twists and turns. 

Surviving Dirty John: My True Story of Love, Lies, and Murder by Debra Newell

I listened to the podcast, I saw the series and now I've read the book. If it wasn't for my addiction to True Crime podcasts I would have missed out on Debra's story of love, survival and heartbreak.

The book is much grittier and scarier than the portrayal in the TV series. Debra opens up her life story while others would have hid it potentially saving many other women from a similar or worse fate. 

John Meehan was a predator and he found his perfect prey. He did, what is typical of abusers. He isolated his prey, manipulated them and lied over and over again. John Meehan waved red flag after red flag but his master manipulation made it invisible. 

Debra's account will leave you frustrated until you realize that you can't and shouldn't victim blame. It's easier to look in from the outside and make judgments. She has a history of abuse making her the perfect target. 

The writing can be repetitive but it is a simple read especially if your a fan of the TV series. 

The Wife Between Us Greer Hendricks

Are you in need of a twist? An unreliable narrator? A book you can devour in hours? If so, this is the book for you!

This psychological thriller will have you turning the pages and making all the wrong assumptions. 

Vanessa is a divorced woman who is using alcohol in an attempt to heal herself. She's barely keeping it together and on the edge of being sacked from her job. 

Everyday is a struggle and when she finds out her ex-husband is getting married to the younger women he dumped her for she makes it her mission to make sure the marriage doesn't happen. 

The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

 Sophie and her husband Graham have left Chicago and returned to the small city in Texas that Shopie grew up in.  They have plans to relax, slow down and raise their son in a different lifestyle. 

Sophie quickly learns that the city she grew up in  has changed and is quite different from that of her childhood. She finds herself wanting to form a friendship with the "Queen" of the city Margot but once she enters the friendship circle she finds out that this friendship group hides under the facade of perfection. 

The friendship with Margot and the rest of the group comes at a cost and Sophie is on the road to losing everything unless she can uncover the truth. 

This is a witty read. It's like Mean Girls for adult women with some Heathers mixed in! This is a page turner with unlikable and unreliable characters! I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but I ended up loving it and I think you might too! 

How Lucky by Will Leitch

Daniel has a degenerative disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA that has him confined to a wheelchair. He is slowly losing more and more of his abilities. He can't walk, has minimal speech and his ultimate death is just around the corner. He lives alone and has a job working online for a regional airline. 

Daniel is lucky in that he lives alone, has a support system and people who help make it possible for him to live independently. His life isn't exciting or thrilling but that changes when he sees a women get into a car who is reported missing the next day. 

Daniel reaches out to others but no one seems to believe him, so he reaches out to Reddit, thus setting things in motion making that can endanger his life.

The book started off strong and I was intrigued but then .... it feel flat. I can't exactly pinpoint what happened but I found myself skimming pages to get to the resolution. Skimming pages isn't something I do often but I am thankful that I read this book as I knew nothing about SMA and was able to further educate myself on it. 

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

 The Handmaid's Tale takes place in Gilead, a city in a future dystopian world.  A world in which women are mearley objects. They are essentially put into three categories, Marthas, Handmaids and Wives. The Wives are infertile and the Handmaids have the potential to be fertile. Handmaids are used to produce children for the Wives. There are strict rules to follow and broken rules can result in death. 

Offred is our main character and a handmaiden. Her only purpose it to produce a child for the Commander and his wife. She will be used as a baby factory going from Commander to Commander until she can no longer fulfill her purpose. If she is unable to produce a child her fate will be ugly and uncomfortable. 

Offred's life is told in the past and present giving hints of how the past was and what lead to the formation of Gilead. 

The Handmaid's Tale touches upon many important issues of the past, present and perhaps the future.  The reading can often be slow moving but push through it to get to the message of this cautionary tale.

Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering

Too Good To Be True is told in alternating points of views and timelines by unreliable characters. There are many twists and turns and the ending is pretty obvious (or at least to me it was). 

Skye is in her early 20s, wealthy and has OCD, which has results
d in her losing man after man. Her friends are getting married, having children and she is alone and lonely. 

Burke is married with three children and has been just let go of the company he has been working at for twenty years. He finds himself at the same hotel as Skye and is drawn to her. He seduces Skye, lies to his wife and starts an intense relationship with Skye.  

Heather is Burke's wife and her story will hook you, she is perhaps the most interesting character in the book.

Be prepared for an entertaining read. 

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Dark Vanessa is a tough read! This book deals with sexual abuse and could be triggering. 

Dark Vanessa, explores the dynamics between a teenage girl and her teacher, Jacob Strane. Vanessa is only 15 years old when Jacob (44) starts to groom her. She quickly falls victim to his prey. She begins a forbidden romance with Jacob, which is incredibly uncomfortable to read and shows how easily a young person can fall for their abuser and be easily manipulated. 

The story takes place and alternates between 2000 and 2017. Vanessa is damaged and is still in a relationship of sorts with Jacob but when a case of misconduct comes out against him, Vanessa is forced to realize that she wasn't special and question if their relationship was real. 

This is the most disturbing book I have read this year. You might want to consider having a light, fluffy read on hand to read about this book. 

Spilled Milk by K.L. Randis

 I have been listening to a lot of True Crime Podcasts since Covid hit and this novel was mentioned on one of them.  It's a mix of fiction and truth, so I would categorize it as fictional realism. 

The events that take place in the book are true but things have been alte
red. It delves deeply into sexual and domestic abuse. If these are triggers for you read with caution or skip this book all together. There are some editing issues that some readers might find distracting. 

Brooke Nolan is the child of abuse and it's increasing in brutality. She protects her siblings but the price she pays for doing so is high but a glass of spilled milk causes her to spill her family secrets. Expect to cry and be angry. This is an eye opening and captivating novel on abuse.

If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse please use/share the links below.

NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE
VICTIM CONNECT
CHILDHELP
CRISIS HOTLINES