The story here is about the Larkin family. We start in in the Summer of 1951. Eldest daughter Myra is dabbling with her first taste of freedom as a young teen and is allowed to go to the diner after Sunday mass for a couple of hours before coming home to assist with family chores. On this given Sunday, Myra meets a young man who says his name is Mickey Mantle and that he is a rookie with the New York Yankees who has been sent back down to the minors for the time being. He offers Myra a ride home since it is raining outside and even gives her one of his baseball cards to remember him by . . . . and then that night neighbors down the street are victims of a grisly murder in their own home with the main suspect being a young, male, blonde stranger.
The story is then a SWEEPING narrative spanning sixty years and told by multiple members of the Larkin clan. Hot button headlines of the day are mentioned (such as the assassination attempt on Ronald Regan and Rock Hudson’s AIDS diagnosis), but also there are a couple of near-misses by notorious serial killers. And then. WHOA BOY OH BOY AND THEN! The Larkin mother begins receiving bizarre postcards from the only surviving son of the family, Alec, consisting of simple “hello and goodbye” messages – accompanied by the name and age of a child.
This was perfection. Family saga plus serial killers? Talk about my bucket list dream novel. Every Star.
Endless thanks to Little Brown for a copy in exchange for my honest review. ...more
Despite the trolling I received from the masturbatory mental midgets who could not wrap their pea-size brains around the fact that I didn’t like Lawn Despite the trolling I received from the masturbatory mental midgets who could not wrap their pea-size brains around the fact that I didn’t like Lawn Boy - NOT because I’m a Karen who would ever ban a book, but because I am of the 50% who find Holden Caulfield to be insufferable and therefore found Mike Muñoz quite the same, I still immediately put my name on the library waiting list for Evison’s newest release.
And while I could complain that I wished Angel was more fully developed as a character rather than only exploring the “baby daddy” parts of him and even though I wasn’t real invested in the parts about the Moors, I still never wanted to put this book about a centenarian in an old-age home who claims to have lived “again and again” down at any point. The more I learned about Eugene (ancient Spanish history excluded), the more I became intrigued and invested.
I’m going to steal from Rotten Tomatoes and certify this one as fresh.
When Hannah’s most recent soulmate ghosts her and her BFF gets engage
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I’m going to steal from Rotten Tomatoes and certify this one as fresh.
When Hannah’s most recent soulmate ghosts her and her BFF gets engaged, Hannah takes her obsession with true crime to a whole different level and starts looking for love in all the wrong places. Specifically, as a pen pal with a suspected serial killer who has been charged with murdering four women and dumping their bodies in a ravine. What’s the harm, right? I mean all signs point to a conviction so it’s not like she’s actually at risk of being victim #5. That is until an actual fifth body is found while William is on trial which obviously makes him not guilty, he gets released and is ready for his happily ever after with his new girlfriend. Then it becomes a question of did he or didn’t he . . . or maybe more appropriate, will he or won’t he?
Simply put, this was a lot of fun. From the “Burn Book” style of cover art to the new take on “romance” in your 30s, I had a ball. The whodunit won’t be much of a shocker, but this made for a most enjoyable day out on the deck soaking up some unseasonably warm weather here in flyover country.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
To all my gals (and guys, if you are in to Chick Lit) who live in the land of third winter and have experienced the brief hint of what is t
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To all my gals (and guys, if you are in to Chick Lit) who live in the land of third winter and have experienced the brief hint of what is to come as far as weather goes and now anxiously await summertime – boy do I have a book recommendation for you.
The story here is told from Julia’s perspective right after she has succumbed to a brief battle with cancer. Her husband has fled the expected seven day Shiva to hide out at their beach house on Fire Island. It is there Julia gets the opportunity to spend one final Summer as an observer before officially passing to the other side. Not only will she watch over Ben and their neighbor Shep as they navigate their way through the grieving process as recent widowers, but she’ll witness her best pal Renee heal her own broken heart after being cheated on by her husband and have a little summertime fling, see Matty and Dyl attempt (and fail) to procure a condom in order to officially come of age before Dylan heads off to college, and see if Bay Harbor can finally beat Oceanview in the end of season baseball game now that Renee’s ex isn’t eligible to play and be the strikeout king.
This one is perfect for fans of Kristin Higgans. A beachy read with tons of feels that most definitely won’t leave many a dry-eye in the house upon wrapping up the final pages. It felt like a warm hug and made me eager for those first days of sitting out on the deck with the sun kissing your shoulders. Every Star.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review....more
This was pretty much a you had me at hello for a couple of reasons . . . .
First, the cover. As much as I despise face covers, I don’t mind this creepy peeper whatsoever. Also, I’m a HUGE fan of authors who stick with the same font/format for their books. I have soooooo many problems recalling names and titles, but I can remember cover art nearly every time.
These bishes were everything I wanted them to be. Like grown up Mean Girls – or even better since they were not only wealthy, but Londoners, a gaggle of Caroline Stanburys . . .
But what is it about you might be asking. Lemme tell you. Tash is trying to navigate her way through balancing motherhood while simultaneously trying to gain a name for herself as a freelance journalist. Her latest story involves looking into a supposed accidental drowning – as requested by the dead girl’s mother. In order to get some free time to work, she enrolls her son in a playgroup containing a group of cliquey, well-to-do mothers. When they take Tash under their wing, she leans right in to keeping up with the Joneses only to discover they knew the deceased as well.
If you like a quality Lifetime Stabby Stab/Desperate Housewives sort of whodunit I’m telling you this is a winner. So satisfying to my little garbage addicted persona! The only complaint????
Come on, authors! You think we’re amateurs? We know all about this stuff – and don’t even get us started on petechiae. Or maybe I should make a note to myself if this is how police investigations/forensic pathology works across the pond and if I ever decide to murder someone, make sure to do it over there ; )...more
Let’s just be real honest, you have me at hello at the mere mention of a wrong turn taken on a deserted highway and an 18-wheeler barreling down on a Let’s just be real honest, you have me at hello at the mere mention of a wrong turn taken on a deserted highway and an 18-wheeler barreling down on a couple in a book blurb . . . .
Okay so I freaking LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED The Sun Down Motel by this author – everything from the cover art to the last page. But then I found The Broken Girls to be just okay and didn’t much care for The Book of Cold Cases at all. I fully take the blame, because I wasn’t aware that the supernatural was St. James’ niche and that all of her stories included it. I assumed that I would not be picking up more of stuff, but then I saw this blurb and thought yep – a ghostly thing could absolutely work here. And it did!
Recommended : )
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!...more
If so, this may be one to keep on your radar for release day. But PLEASE don’t let the tags fool you. This is not a “thriller” by any stretch of the imagination and the mysteries revealed can all be seen coming from a mile away. No, this is a nighttime soap opera from my childhood featuring a rich family and a lot of murder confessions. So tasty. Rachel Hawkins has definitely become a go-to author for me. I’ve enjoyed all of her stuff that wasn’t in the YA genre.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley! ...more
Let’s be transparent here - I 100% requested this book from the library simply because I love that bird flip on the front (you’re lucky I loved this sLet’s be transparent here - I 100% requested this book from the library simply because I love that bird flip on the front (you’re lucky I loved this so much, cover artists, because shouldn't it have been a “V” since this took place in London????).
Even though Grace was a Read With Jenna pick I have not seen it making the rounds much on either The ‘Gram or Goodreads so I was able to go in completely blind.
Pretty much right from the start I thought this was the female equivalent of . . . .
(With maybe a little Where’d Ya Go, Bernadette? thrown in for good measure.)
And upon finishing I discovered that film was this book’s inspiration. I’ll be honest and say the all over the place timeline was a hindrance for me at the start and the not knowing what had happened between Grace and her daughter was aggravating until I settled in. That being said, it was miserable and rainy here so I read this in one day. Had I stopped and restarted my rating may have suffered while I tried to reboot my brain and get back in the rhythm of things.
Buuuuuuut that didn’t happen and as a woman of a certain age who always feels like she might be on the cusp of a quality Menty B I found a new best friend in Grace.
In a sea (*hyuck hyuck*) of modernizations and reimaginings and dime a dozen stories, Whalefall is one that is completely unique. Part Jonah and the WIn a sea (*hyuck hyuck*) of modernizations and reimaginings and dime a dozen stories, Whalefall is one that is completely unique. Part Jonah and the Whale, part lesson on where and who you came from, part making it through the grieving process – it’s a story unlike any other I’ve read.
The premise is that Jay’s father committed suicide via the sea after being diagnosed with an incurable cash of mesothelioma. The two had a very contentious relationship and Jay’s choices in the final years of his father’s life have led to a strain on his ties with the remaining members of the family and the diving community his father was such a part of. Jay decides his shot at redemption is to find Mitt’s skeletal remains in order to give him a proper burial . . . . and then he gets swallowed by a whale . . . .
I noticed on Goodreads this is classified first as a horror and . . . no. I’d call it The Martian for the marine lover. It will blind you with science, but it is written beautifully. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but I’m so glad Shelby put this on my TBR during our weekly phone chat.
And I didn't even know MTV Books was a thing, but I'm here for it....more
Per usual I went into this one blind without taking a gander at any blurbs. I’ve enjoyed Shari Lapena in the past and apparently a tree house is stillPer usual I went into this one blind without taking a gander at any blurbs. I’ve enjoyed Shari Lapena in the past and apparently a tree house is still house enough of a cover for me to gravitate toward it. I was a little worried upon beginning that this was going to be a fail for me because I’m not super into missing child stories. But man oh man what a page turner. I was totally invested right from the jump.
The story here is about Avery who has some sort of unnamed oppositional defiance disorder type of condition. She is missing and it could be anything from she ran off to her daddy doing her or someone else. The first 200 pages of the story play out sort of like The First 48 and a Lifetime Stabby had a baby while the police do their thing and you meet all of the neighbors – who of course are almost all hiding something.
You won’t up your I.Q. reading this one, but if you’re like me you’ll be invested throughout and breeze through it in a matter of hours. Oh and the very end????
Before I talk about how much I disliked this book, let me start with saying I freaking loooooooooved The Husbands, so still give Chandler Baker some oBefore I talk about how much I disliked this book, let me start with saying I freaking loooooooooved The Husbands, so still give Chandler Baker some of your money. And if you are looking for a book about bloodsucking children for the spooky season, I highly encourage you all to check out The Lesser Dead.
To say Cutting Teeth was one of my most anticipated Fall reads would be an understatement. As I said above, I was looking forward to whatever Baker was going to come up with next after her revamp of a Stepford Wives story and when I saw this was about some bloodthirsty four year olds at the local preschool I was all in. That’s before I knew it was actually going to be A LOT of “mommy” talk about how haaarrrrrrrrrd it is to be a mom and judging of the “right” type of parenting and quite a bit of man bashing thrown in to boot and there is maybe nothing as mind numbing as people who only talk about their children nonstop . . .
No, ma’am. It is 100% NOT okay to simply regurgitate the younger ginger Murdaugh son’s sordid history into your page count when everyone in the G.D. universe was tuned in to that trainwreck for the past couple of years. Talk about lazy. This is only getting 2 Stars for the ending. ...more
I haven’t read a serial killer story this good since . . . . I don’t even know. Dexter???? This had a perfect page count (THANK YOU, Catherine Ryan Howard for keeping it brief so I never left the edge of my seat), some Gilgo Beach feels, one scary mofo and an ending that had me like . . . .
This bright yellow cover popped up on my feed courtesy of my friend Marty Fried. I took a quick peek at the first sentence of the blurb which called tThis bright yellow cover popped up on my feed courtesy of my friend Marty Fried. I took a quick peek at the first sentence of the blurb which called this Friday Night Lights meets The Lincoln Lawyer and I committed to take this ol’ Ford for a spin. And now that I’m finished I have this to say to Marty . . . .
I talk quite a bit about how I am the spoiler of my own enjoyment quite frequently when it comes to stories involving the law, but I had forgotten how good a courtroom drama could be when done well. The story here is about a patent attorney from Marshall, Texas (Go Mavericks!) who somehow finds himself smack dab in the middle of a murder trial. If it sounds farfetched, have no fear because it doesn’t come off that way at all. You see, attorney Eucher is a well know “local” (that’s local counsel, if you aren’t familiar) who had been recruited to help defend a patent claim for a new rideshare/mapping/taxi app called Medallion . . . . and then stays on when the defendant of that suit finds himself accused of murdering the judge presiding over his case.
The writing is simple and succinct, legalese is explained without being too explain-y, I learned something I didn’t know in that the Eastern District of Texas is the hotbed for patent suits (nearly everything I do involves Patent and Trademark Agreements, but I work on the lender side so I don’t even pay attention to those when putting my stuff together), the realistic approach of simply providing enough reasonable doubt to find the client innocent was a nice change (although the whodunit aspect of this one was more than satisfactory), and maybe most importantly if there were more books featuring Jimmy I would probably break my normal routine and pick them up. This had everything that makes a good series – mainly a cast of unique and likeable characters who all had great chemistry with each other. And who doesn’t want to know more about The Leg or if James does indeed decide to switch things up and become a criminal attorney? ...more
I just took a second to look at the overall Goodreads’ rating along with my friends’ individual Star reactions to this one and it turns out I’m the naI just took a second to look at the overall Goodreads’ rating along with my friends’ individual Star reactions to this one and it turns out I’m the naysayer of the bunch. You know what that means, right????
Ha! Just kidding. Everyone is aware that I’m usually the wrongreader. The main reason I didn’t vibe with this one was not because it was farfetched – I’m down for some fun with my thrillers – it was a combination of this supposed grifter type of conwoman being so easy to fool and a supposed “zany” thriller that really did not tickle my funny bone after the first couple of chapters.
I’m over 100 reviews behind for the year, so that’s all I have to say. Everyone else really liked it, so it was probably just wrong place/wrong time for me. ...more
There’s nothing quite like that feeling when you finish a book and think “now what the eff am I going to rThis isn’t going to have a happy ending.
There’s nothing quite like that feeling when you finish a book and think “now what the eff am I going to read after THAT?!?!?!?!” Man, bookhangovers – they are a rarity for me, but last night when I finished up The Searcher that’s exactly how I felt. I had only read (and enjoyed) Tana French once before, but my real life bookpal recommended this one . . . . with trepidation . . . . so I immediately downloaded it from the library. (I ride or die with my book besties because they don’t ever tend to steer me wrong.) I understand her hesitation on telling me about this one, though, because not only is it 450+ pages and she’s well aware I’m a dumb dumb baby who likes my stories wrapped up in about 100 pages less than that, but also because this one is a slow roller. But I’m telling you it was a slow roller in the best possible way for me. The story absorbed me like fog rolling across the backyard on my favorite types of quiet Saturday mornings out on the deck with my cup of Joe. I loved Cal instantly and grew to love him even more as the “why” behind how he had wound up in Ireland after retiring from the police force back in the States was explained. And I love a kid in a book about once a year, so kudos to you little Trey – you done good at making me fall in love with you as well. The mystery here doesn’t even get mentioned until nearly the 100 page mark, so I’m not kidding when I say you need to be patient and just let yourself be sucked in by the atmosphere for a bit. Not to mention, it’s not the most mysterious of mysteries. You KNOW things ain’t gonna end up great, you just have to keep reading for the details.
I vaguely remember this being a bit of a miss when it was released, but again I’m not a Tana French reader historically so I was not trying to compare apples to apples. If I were to compare this to anyone, it would be David Joy – and that’s about the finest compliment I can give an author so it’s getting all the Stars.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what I decided to pick up next I pretty much spun the wheel on my NetGalley backlog and ended up with Best Men. It’s completely different from this, but Max is already charming me. ...more
Talk about cover love. Y’all know I dig houses, but winding roads and small bodies of water are quickly becoming a can’t resist situation for me too. Talk about cover love. Y’all know I dig houses, but winding roads and small bodies of water are quickly becoming a can’t resist situation for me too. And a story about a missing girl from years past, the discovery of a body and potentially two new missing girls??? You know what that amounts to . . .
I wish I would have had an easier time with this one. If you know me you know I get through a book in about a day or day and a half. This took FIVE. There is an excellent story here - it just got buried in a super murky back and forth timeline and characters with very similar voices. If you are patient the payoff is definitely worth the wait, but I also would completely understand those who DNF doing so here.
3.5 and I’m rounding up even though my brain is trying to convince me to round down by reminding me how much I struggled to make progress despite reading whenever I had a free moment.
ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
CONTENT WARNING: I'm not a person who needs trigger/content warnings, but for those who do please note (view spoiler)[there are some very detailed dog fighting scenes that are seriously disturbing. (hide spoiler)]
I knew going in this was going to be young adult, but since I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom who still appreciates YA (especially the stabby kind) and loves a good Christie knockoff I was all over it. I mean, a group of “influencers” get sent to a deserted island for some reality T.V. show where they aren’t allowed their screens for two weeks and then bodies start piling up? Um, yes please.
Well, it turns out I am a regular mom – not a cool mom *womp wommmmmmp* I appreciated the vibe of . . .
But not only were all of these characters completely interchangeable with the same voice (other than one of them calling every one “Babe” which made me wish she was the first to be whacked), they also seemed to keep forgetting their fellow island dwellers were being offed and did weird super teenage shit like playing spin the bottle instead of freaking the eff out or trying to find a way back to civilization like they should have been doing. I also guessed the first big “surprise” reveal right off the bat, but the actual whodunit was pretty satisfying and I’m always down for a good pool cover. Two Stars means “it was alright” and that’s about as much as I can say about this one.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
I went into this one blind. All it takes sometimes is a snappy title, folks! I had not read this author before (because Kitchens of the Great MidwestI went into this one blind. All it takes sometimes is a snappy title, folks! I had not read this author before (because Kitchens of the Great Midwest was a title that did NOT grab my attention, but I’ll be rectifying that shortly). To keep it brief and without any spoilsies, just know things all start off with a mom who needs a ride home from the church pancake breakfast from the daughter she has been estranged from for years who is prevented from said Ubering thanks to getting in a head-on with the local fauna.
We then timehop back to 1934 to Florence’s story – then to the 1980s and Ned’s and eventually back to the present with Mariel . . . . and her mother who has now been holed up in the church waiting for that ride for over two months.
If you are familiar with me at all you know that I am a sucker for a family story and when it comes to dramedies that also involve restaurant ownership? Well . . . .
If you enjoyed Marrying the Ketchups or The Chicken Sisters or We are the Brennans run, do not walk to get a copy of this one. And serve it with a relish tray . . . .
Whether your vibe leans toward Heathers or Mean Girls or the Pink Ladies, know that The Honeys also rule the school . . . errr, I mean the Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy.
I was FEEEEEEEELING this one. I’m all down to clown when it comes to some culty ish and errrrybody knows you better not be killing off the honeybees! If you’re looking for some YA summertime fun that might give you the creeps, this one shouldn’t be left unread.
So I read this about a trillion days ago, loved it and then as it’s reward I never even bothered rating it, let alone talking about it. Basically, The Guest List amounts to a destination wedding to a creepy uninhabited island, which automatically makes my brain think of . . . .
Where you just know at least one person is going to get whacked and then since it’s Lucy Foley not only will the victim be unknown, but the remainder of the story is going to be along the lines of . . .
It’s just a given that it’s going to be a fun time. This would be an excellent rainy Saturday in October selection if you prefer the stabby over the scary.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. Foley has solidified herself as an auto-request for me.
So I read this about a trillion days ago, loved it and then as it’s reward I never even bothered rating it, let alone talking about it. Basically, The Guest List amounts to a destination wedding to a creepy uninhabited island, which automatically makes my brain think of . . . .
Where you just know at least one person is going to get whacked and then since it’s Lucy Foley not only will the victim be unknown, but the remainder of the story is going to be along the lines of . . .
It’s just a given that it’s going to be a fun time. This would be an excellent rainy Saturday in October selection if you prefer the stabby over the scary.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy. Foley has solidified herself as an auto-request for me....more
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
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