Sooo many characters and a dual timeline left me confused, and not really caring.
I loved his book, The Night Shift, but I’m afraid that was a one off.Sooo many characters and a dual timeline left me confused, and not really caring.
I loved his book, The Night Shift, but I’m afraid that was a one off.
* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own....more
I appreciate reading a book that highlighted the history of the Bosnian-Serbian War. The atrocities were hMy review is a bit of a mixed bag. 3.5 stars
I appreciate reading a book that highlighted the history of the Bosnian-Serbian War. The atrocities were horrific and difficult to read. This happened in our recent lifetime, and we should never ever forget.
I won't go into the plot, and the details of the Serbian-Bosnian War are easy to find and worth the rabbit hole I went down. We all need to be better informed.
HF is not a genre I prefer, for many reasons, which I won't go into. I've made no secret of the fact that I prefer non-fiction when reading about history. Yet, I still appreciate the author highlighting this period of history, which led me down a path to learn even more of this horrific war.
But, I didn't find this particular telling compelling. Yes, it was brutal and horrific, and yes, the revenge plot was understandable and based in truth. Yet, the revenge plot was predictable and was a slog at times. The ending, while unsurprising, was tense enough to bump my rating up to a 4.
HF readers will likely love this more than I did. My reading buddy, Marialyce, and I had a great discussion. It would make a terrific book club read....more
I've loved the author's previous books so jumped into this one without hesitation.
The story is told in a dual perspective between Jane and her psychiaI've loved the author's previous books so jumped into this one without hesitation.
The story is told in a dual perspective between Jane and her psychiatrist. Together, they begin to unravel what happened to Jane.
Jane is unremarkable, an average Jane. But when she is found in a public place with no memory of how she got there, the authorities delve deep into her life. She's worried about her young son, who was left at his daycare when she entered a state of fugue.
Jane suffers from amnesia, premonitions, and hallucinations. She tells the story to her psychiatrist of how she saw a man who she knows to be dead. Jane has a photograph memory. She forgets nothing and can remember events in her past down to the most inconsequential details. There are a lot of details which must be pieced together to get a complete picture of her life.
Meanwhile, Henry, the psychiatrist, has secrets of his own.
What follows is a compelling story where the reader is never quite sure what is going on, but I was left so curious the pages flew by. I was completely immersed in their stories.
This is a chilling story that has threads of the pandemic in these pages but years before the actual pandemic of 2020. Time is fluid, which is a major theme in this book.
This is such a unique premise and beautifully written. I don't want to say too much, but this a compelling and mind-bending story that made me think. I love a book that delves into the inner workings of the mind and this book delivered! Speculative fiction can be hit or miss, but this was a complete hit for me.
I realize my thoughts are all over the place, much like this book. Read it for yourself!
* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own....more
This was my first Eddie Flynn novel and I was expecting a legal thriller. Or at least a psychological thriller as the synopsis promised.
ThDnf at 35%
This was my first Eddie Flynn novel and I was expecting a legal thriller. Or at least a psychological thriller as the synopsis promised.
This actually is more of an action thriller. With a LOT of characters and side plots.
The book opened strongly and I would have enjoyed it more had the book focused on that case. I don’t enjoy stories where there’s more hit men, the mob, dirty cops, and killing/cracking of heads than investigation. The added theme of the wealthy behaving badly is not one I enjoy either (unless it’s tongue-in-cheek/funny)
This is a case of it’s me, not the book. Perhaps this isn’t the best book to start with in this much-loved series.
* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own....more
I’m an outlier once again. I found this a boring slog,
This book is based on the extraordinary true story of the French noblewoman Marguerite de la RoI’m an outlier once again. I found this a boring slog,
This book is based on the extraordinary true story of the French noblewoman Marguerite de la Rocque. Everything you need to know about her harrowing story can be found here:
If you want a fictionalized overwrought account of her story you will find it in this novel.
I have an issue with fiction based upon real people so I should have known to not pick this book up. But the hype roped me in. The angst and drama were OTT.
I much prefer non-fiction of people who walked this earth. For me, no fiction could compare with their real stories, so this story is not for me. My mistake!...more
I really enjoyed this one. 4.5 stars! I rate a book on how it makes me feel so this was a complete winner!
Katie isn’t the first woman to have body imI really enjoyed this one. 4.5 stars! I rate a book on how it makes me feel so this was a complete winner!
Katie isn’t the first woman to have body image issues but hers are complicated by growing up with a negative and critical stepmother, and then enduring vicious online attacks on her looks when a picture of her and her rock-star ex surfaced.
Don’t we all engage in negative self-talk? Aren’t we our own worst critic? I think many of us can identify with Katie on some level.
Currently, Katie’s job is on the line, so when she is offered a job to produce a documentary on Hutch, a coast Guard rescue swimmer, she takes it. Never mind that she can’t swim, she will learn when she arrives. Desperate times require desperate measures. What ensues is often laugh out loud funny.
When Katie arrives in Key West, she meets the delightful Aunt Rue, her gal friends, as well as Hutch and his rescue Great Dane, George Bailey. Rue makes it her mission to make Katie feel at home and sets her up in one of her colorful cottages, while arranging swim lessons.
No surprise that her swim instructor, much to Katie’s surprise, is none other than Hutch.
What follows is a mixture of hilarity and seriousness. I loved Rue and her friends, and George Bailey, the Great Dane, completely won my heart. I loved the sense of community this group built in Key West. Rue in particular is colorful, warm, and inviting.
In this genre, the focus is on the journey and I enjoyed Katie’s journey as she faced her fears and learned self-acceptance and self-love. The focus on friendships & community was an added bonus.
If I have any complaints I don’t think Cole’s character added much to the story and I’m not a fan of the web of lies as a plot device.
But despite those flaws, I found this a delightful read that addresses some important issues, all while making me wish I was the one living in the Key West cottage and sitting around the pool in colorful clothing having cocktails with Rue & her friends.
An added bonus is learning more about the Coast Guard and the rescuers. The author did her research and it shows.
Enjoy life, silence your inner critic, face your fears, and enjoy to the fullest this one spectacular life we’ve been given.
Don’t miss the author’s note at the end! I love, love, love her thoughts and perspective.
I received a digital review copy via NetGalley . All opinions are my own...more
Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist whose mission is to write compelling fiction that brings understanding and empathy for the diseases she writes about, haLisa Genova, a neuroscientist whose mission is to write compelling fiction that brings understanding and empathy for the diseases she writes about, has won many well-deserved awards for her efforts. In this book, she provides a window into the world of bipolar disorder.
Marialyce and I read this and we were both touched by Maddy’s story and impressed, once again, with Lisa Genova’s talent.
One of my very good friends had a son with bipolar, and I can say Lisa Genova did a phenomenal job of highlighting the challenges on both the person who has bipolar and on their family and loved ones.
Maddy suffers the hallmark cyclical symptoms, with extreme mood swings ranging from the depths of depression when she can barely get out of bed, to the reckless behavior during her manic phases. No one chooses this illness, and the illness doesn’t define the person. Maddy desperately wants to go back to who she was before.
In the author’s own words she chooses to “write about people who tend to be ignored, feared, and misunderstood because of what’s going on inside of their brains�. She’s tackled ALS, Huntington’s chores, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury, and autism. But this is the first time she’s written about mental illness, which carries the additional burden of shame, stigma, and judgment.
As a neuroscientist, the author knows about what she writes, and it’s clear in the acknowledgments she does extensive research from people who are living it.
It’s not an easy read. It’s heart wrenching to see Maddy experience the lows of depression, and the delusions of grandeur during manic episodes. The disease onset usually strikes young adults, an already uncertain, often tumultuous, time of their lives. Maddy must come to terms with her new normal at a time in life when young adults just want to fit in. It’s typical for sufferers to stop taking their medication during a calm phase, which of course leads to a manic episode. The disease causes behaviors that leads others to label them as “weird� or unlikable.
Being so close to a family whose son suffered with this disorder made this a difficult read. Many of the scenarios were all all too familiar. Unfortunately, our friend’s son, a brilliant, kind young man with a loving family and a promising future, did not survive this devastating illness, despite access to treatment. We have a long way to go.
I hope that readers will gain much understanding and empathy toward those who live with bipolar, a disorder that, according to the author’s note, has 47 million sufferers worldwide, 7 million of those who live in the U.S....more
The blurb says this book is perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing. I disagree. I was not a fan of Crawdads and I personally see no similarities The blurb says this book is perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing. I disagree. I was not a fan of Crawdads and I personally see no similarities between the two books.
This book has all the elements of a love story and a literary thriller with a murder trial, but this description fails to capture what makes this book special. The impossible choices and consequences when faced with the dilemmas these characters face makes it a propulsive and heartbreaking read.
I am NOT a fan of love triangles but the writing and characterization elevate it far above books with similar themes. I was pulled into their lives from the first page to the last. We know from the beginning someone was killed but we don’t know who or the details until later.
A few plot developments could be seen as predictable but did I care? No! The writing and emotional depth more than compensated for it. And there was still an unexpected surprise (or two) in store.
Set in a rural English village in the 1960s the environment is in itself a character in this story. I loved the descriptions of life on an English farm. The before chapters set in the 1950s gives context to the dilemma which these characters will face in the future.
I was completely captivated with this emotional, heartbreaking story, and finished it in less than 24 hours. I closed the last page with tears in my eyes and a sigh of satisfaction.
* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own...more
Eve, a successful novelist, wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband finally tells her the truth. She had surgery tEve, a successful novelist, wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband finally tells her the truth. She had surgery to remove a brain tumor, and the diagnosis is glioblastoma, an aggressive, malignant brain cancer.
The author received the same diagnosis and says this is her most autobiographical novel. At 144 pages, this is a novella, and easily read in one sitting.
Told as a series of vignettes as she navigates her new normal, this could be somber and depressing but in this author’s hands it’s filled with her trademark humor and optimism, even in the midst of struggles and heartbreak.
I have great admiration to those who can navigate difficulties with grace and courage. I wish all the best to the author, as well as her loving, supportive husband and children. ...more
The set up: Maggie is found to be suffering from the same fatal illness as her mother, who died at the age of 41. SheI’m on outlier island once again!
The set up: Maggie is found to be suffering from the same fatal illness as her mother, who died at the age of 41. She is determined to find a suitable wife for her husband after she’s gone, after her father was the victim of a con artist after her mother died.
But the majority of the book is set in the past with teenage Maggie behaving badly while her friends, parents, and sister speak in pithy, smart-ass comments. They find hilarity and humor even when faced with the death. The problem is the humor wasn’t funny in the least.
Everything that happens in this book requires a massive suspension of disbelief. Everything, and I mean everything, is completely implausible. If it wasn’t so stupid and cheesy I would have been laughing.
The adults at 43 were indistinguishable from their 16 year old selves. They were all insufferable. The dialogue was ridiculous, and bears no resemblance to how people really talk to one another.
The final nail in the coffin is the author portrays women to be predatory, gold-digging, casserole-wielding piranhas out to snare new widowers in their web. Misogyny at its finest. Very offensive.
I was ready to DNF early but the glowing reviews kept me listening to the audiobook, sure that at 50% the book would pick up. It did not.
The synopsis promised a thriller with biting humor. Don’t believe it. The author seems like a good person, working with international charities, but it still doesn’t redeem this book.
A complete disappointment for me and my reading buddy, Marialyce.
The positive: January LaVoy did her usual excellent job narrating the audiobook.
2 VERY generous stars only because I finished it. With regret.
* I received a digital audio and e/book copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own ...more
I understand that london in the past was a cesspool of filth and extreme poverty, which led to crime, but this book read like a textbook. Some inDNF:
I understand that london in the past was a cesspool of filth and extreme poverty, which led to crime, but this book read like a textbook. Some interesting parts but the delivery kept me from wanting to pick it up so onto the dnf pile it goes....more
Dominic and his 3 children are caretakers on Shearwater, a remote island near Antarctica, home of the world’s largest seed bank. Once filled with reseDominic and his 3 children are caretakers on Shearwater, a remote island near Antarctica, home of the world’s largest seed bank. Once filled with researchers, they are the last remaining inhabitants. The rising seawaters will eventually flood the island, and Dominic’s job is to pack up the seeds to be transported to safer ground. A rescue boat is expected within a few months.
During a severe storm, a woman, Rowan, washes ashore. It's not a place that sees a lot of traffic so her presence is a mystery. Her reason for making the trip is eventually revealed and exposes secrets on both sides. Meanwhile, Dominic and his children nurse Rowan back to health, who was left barely alive.
Deeply atmospheric, with beautiful writing, there are traumas and mysteries to be revealed. I felt deeply for these characters and their relationship with one another, which makes up the bulk of the novel.
I won’t say much about the plot as it’s best discovered for yourself. The audiobook narration was phenomenal and captured the mood of the book perfectly. I felt the isolation, the desperation, and the love of this family. I was transported to the island and deeply moved. The events of the last chapters were harrowing and heartbreaking.
Words fail to convey how this book made me feel, and I always rate according to genre, how long a book stays with me, and how it makes me feel. It's a rare author who can evoke these emotions without manipulating the reader. This one is an easy 5+ stars.
� I received both the e-book and audio digital copies via NetGalley. I listened exclusively, and highly recommend that format....more
As the title suggests, nothing much is happening here�
Each chapter is narrated by a different person in the 1st person so it’s easy to forget which pAs the title suggests, nothing much is happening here�
Each chapter is narrated by a different person in the 1st person so it’s easy to forget which person is talking especially since most are unmemorable. Mack & Shelby are interchangeable.
Most of the story line was eyeball-roll inducing. Add in the most inept police force in history and the reader is forced to accept all the plot holes.
Nothing much happens in the middle of the book but there is a lot of filler with information that has no bearing on the story,
I did enjoy the older characters in the old age home and the idea they started a podcast. But the characterization is awful�.really people in their 60s and 70s are more savvy than portrayed. The podcast angle is never fully explored.
This reads as a cozy but language is thrown in to prevent the book being pigeonholed into that category, which was jarring.
I’m rambling, much like this book�.so I’ll stop here
The beginning was promising and there were elements I enjoyed but ultimately this was a huge miss for me and my reading buddy, Marialyce
* I received a digital copy of the book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own...more
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