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Saving Noah

by LUCINDA BERRY

I just finished reading “Saving Noah” by Lucinda Berry. Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This story is about motherly love and sacrifice and it is tragic and sad and haunting and I had to wait a few days before writing this because It was so profoundly heartbreaking and enduring at the same time. It follows a family whose son Noah does something terrible and it tears the family apart. His mother wants to support him when he gets out of jail, but his father wants nothing to do with hime because of what Noah did. Caught in the middle is his younger sister who absolutely adores him but doesnt know what he did. The only solution when Noah gets out of jail is for the Mother to move out with him and live seperate from the Dad and sister.

Noah’s time out of jail doesnt go well (because of what he did) and he wants to end his life, and the mother tries to “save” him… from himself, from others from his Dad.
It is tragic and sad and so hard to read at some points, but the book is extremely well researched and well written. It is haunting and without revealing more, it is an ABSOULUTE must read… except fair warning…some parts are hard to get through. It is incredibley realistic and doesn’t hold anything back.

The biggest surprise is the twist at the end…which wraps up the book in a way that I won’t say is satisfying.. but it does explain ALOT. In the end…the mother’s love for her son is heroic and this is a book which will stay with you for a long time.
It is not happy reading…it is sad and horrible and reflective and serious..but so well written that you want to read on.
Worth it.

#savingnoah #poisonedped #netgalley #lucindaberry #familydrama #needtoread #fivestars #motherlove

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Two Kinds of Stranger

by Steve Cavanagh

I just finished reading “Two Kinds of Stranger” by Steve Cavanagh. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy in return for an honest review. Here are my thoughts.
This is a great book. It is so filled with drama and suspense and likeable characters and horrible villains that you can not stop reading the book. The author does an excellent job of creating a multi layered mystery with all these sub plots and twists and turns. And maybe the best twist is the very end…I did NOT see that coming.
The book is about a dispicable man named Logan who likes to kill people and decides to pick as his next victim a youg. Tiktoker named Ellie who has just found. out that her husband is cheating on her with his best friend. So he kidnapps Ellie and tries to kill her and then frames her for the murder of her ex and best friend. He does a few more horrible things before the book is done.
At the same time we meet Ellie’s lawyer Eddie who is trying to save her as well as kepp his own ex wife and her husband from going to jail for different reasons. And in some impossible twist, all these characters and somehow connected.
The constant drama makes for an excellent read and the characters and strong and very likeable…except for Logan. He is a creep and is written in the most villanous way. I love what the author does with this character.
What a great book. I havent been this entertained in quite some time. Highly recommend
Happy Reading

#needtoread #mysterythriller #psychologicalthriler #fivestarread #fiction #stevecavanagh #twokindsofstrander #netgalley #simonandschuster #fivestarthriller

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The Housewife

by Natalie Barrelli

I just finished reading “The Housewife” by Natalie Barelli. Many thanks to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book about revenge and sisterly love and dark secrets and crazy obsessions. A troubled girl is released from prison and finds out her sister has gotten married and is dead. She doesnt believe the story that her sister committed suicide so she travels to her sisters hometown and infiltrates her husbands life enventually marrying him and sets about trying to prove her husband actually killed her sister.

The main character comes of as a bit looney tunes but it certainly makes her interesting. And although she has done some horrible thinks, you want her to be right. Her husband seems too good to be true and it turns out he is.

The story is fast paced and filled with intrigue and twists and turns. A good read through and through. Although some of the characters were unecessary and some of the events were far fetched, overall it was an entertaining read. And the ending was very satisfactory.

I recommend this book to fans of this genre.
Happy Reading

#thehousewife #nataliebarelli #fiction #thriller #suspense #womensfiction #murdermystery #netgalley #bookreview #needtoread #siblinglove

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The Butler

By Clare MacKintosh

I just finished reading “The Butler” by Clare MacKintosh. Many thanks to NetGalley and Podium Entertainment for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.
This is a short book, less than 200 pages. It is about a butler that is running a house in Cannes in an upscale neighbourhood and has to navigate his way through a week spent with a very wealthy family with huge secrets…especially whena murder is exposed.

The characters are quite one dimensional but nevertheless fascinating. An ex husband who has a new gmuch younger girlfriend and his exwife are hosting a birthday celebration for their son who has a girlfriend who unbeknownst shares a secret with the Dad. Then there is the couple who is in the movies and they are trying to get the ex-husband (Alec) to invest. There is all sorts of drama and intrigue.

As a not-rich person it fascinates me to get a glimpse into the life of the uber rich. It is cringy and delicious at the same time. The main star is the Butler and his name is Baxter and he holds it all together while trying to sove a murder mystery.
A short but delicious read from a great author. I strongly recommend this book
Happy Reading

#thebutler #claremackintosh #mystery #novella #netgalley #needtoread

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Too Close to Home

by Seraphina Nova Glass

I just finished reading Too Close to Home by Seraphina Nova Glass. Here are my thoughts.

This book began with a BANG..literally. A car explodes and kills a young woman who was in attendance at a party in a very affluent neighborhood. Tragic yes…but…even more traffic was that the target was the owner of the car, who was not driving. So what happened and what drove someone to commit murder. Told from multiple perspectives, this novel takes the reader on the ride of a lifetime.
What I liked about this book is that the chapters were short and at the end of each chapter there was a cliffhanger. I was constantly surprised and it kept me interested in the sequence of events. I kept trying to figure out what was real and what wasnt. Also the author created multi layered and itneresting characters, especially the three main characters. The reader was drawn into the maternal conflicts and stresses of life, managing a home and a husband and a family, while trying to retain a certain facade of easy wealth. I actually felt sorry for some of them.

The author managed to create enough twists and turns that kept the reader engaged, even if sometimes it was somewhat over the top

One thing that was problematic, especially at the beginning was the vast number of characters. With so many different characters, it was hard to keep track of who was who, and some characters were a little too cardboard with little or no development of back story.

Overall, the author delivered a great tale with twists and turns that kept me guessing to the end.

Happy reading

#tooclosetohome #seraphinanovs-glass #thriller #livesoftherichand famous #womensfiction #netgalley #fourstarread

Spectacular Things

by Beck Dorey Stein

Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I just finished reading “Spectacular Things” by Beck Dorey-Stein. Here are my thoughts.
This is a story about two sisters, who are very close and were raised by a single mother who had to give up her dreams because she got pregnant. Her parents wanted her to give up the baby and pursue her soccer dreams, but she decided to forge ahead with motherhood…on her own.
Time were tough but she managed to raise two girls who had ambitions of their own. One grew up and got married…the other became a world famous soccer player….until her sister fell ill and she was the only one who could save her. In order to do so she had to give up her soccer dream herself.
What does she do? Well, interpersed with the present dilemna, the reader finds out about how this all came to be, the struggle of the mother, raising two girls, their own struggles, and the reader is torn between which sister deserves their chance.
This is a story about sisterly bonds and sacrifices we make for others. It forces you to ask yourslef the same question? What would I do in that situation?
A good read, but a little too long for my liking. I struggled through some chapters, and it seemed to repeat in some parts.
Overall, a good book that is worth the read.
Happy reading.

#womensfiction #spectacularthings #reesesbookclub #sisterfiction #sacrifice #soccerstory

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SAFE WITH ME

BY K.L. SLATER

I just finished reading “Safe With Me” by K.L. Slater. Here are my thoughts.
The story begins with a woman named Anna who witnesses a car hit a motorcycle and stops to help. As she is assisting the young man who got hit she recognizes the driver as a women that did something horrible to her many years ago. She vows to seek revenge on this woman and in order to do that she needs to stay close to the young man who got him (Liam) and convince him to convict the woman who injured him.
As we continue to learn Anna’s back story as well as the woman she seeks revenge on (Amanda). We also learn about her brother Danny and their upbringing and a woman named Carla who also had an impact on Anna.
The story is told through the perspective of Carla and Amanda, with a strange mysterious perspective which is not revealed but we can assume who it is or was by the end of the story.
Anna is absolutely and completely bonkers. She has a skewed vision of what she sees and knows and is very entertaining but in a creepy kind of way. I loved how the character was written. It kept me turning the pages thats for sure. There were so many secrets and mysteries and it was written in a way where everything was secretly revealed.
There were some parts that were left out, that I am assuming we have to infer. Like what was the awful smell that Anna kept mentioning when inside her place? And, the ending felt a bit rushed.
In the end, Anna figures it all out. We get the full story of Carla and Amanda and Ivy and Liam and Anna and her brother Danny. There are alot of weird and strange characters in this book, but that is what makes it interesting. I liked this story. I was certainly a physchological thriller. I just want someone to explain to me what the smell was that Anna kept referring to.
Happy Reading

#SAFEWITHME #PHYSCOLOGICALTHRILLER #KLSLATER #WOMENSFICTION #FOURSTARTHRILLER
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The Maid’s Secret

by Nita Prose

I just finished reading “The Maid’s Secret” by Nita Prose. Many thanks to Net Galley and Viking for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.
Well Nita Prose has done it again. She has created this unforgettable character whose story and anventures make me smile and laught and cry all at the same time.
This book continues the story of Molly the Maid who gets the surprise of her life when what she thinks is a trinket in her Gram’s collection turns out to be invaluable and likely to change her life forever. What starts out as a lovely surprise quickly turns into a mystery that could potentially harm Molly. The book also provides the back story of Flora, Molly’s beloved Gram, and it is so lovely and sad and inspiring and joyful with a wonderful message and ending.
This book is both funny and sad and mysterious and joyful. Learning about Molly’s Gran as she is trying to solve her own mystery is what makes this book so great. The way Nita Prose ties everything together is wonderful and the way she weaves past and present creates a page turner that is read very quickly.
I love this series and I love the character of Molly. She is so authentically wonderful and real, and she reminds us how we should live and treat others.
Brave Nita Prose. Bravo!

#themaidssecret #nitaprose #netgalley #viking #fivestarread #needtoread #womensfiction #feelgoodbook #canadianauthor

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THE HONEYMOON

by Gemma Rogers

I just finished reading “The Honeymoon”. by Gemma Rogers. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story begins with an intriguing premise. A newlywed couple goes on a honeymoon but the tension quickly builds into suspense and mystery. There are many twists and turns to keep the readers engaged and wanting to see what happens next. The author does an excellent job of creating intrigue throughout the book.

Unfortunately, the characters seem uninteresting and one dimensional. I found them hard to root for and at times I had to suspend by disbelief to keep on reading, especially with Chloe.

It is a good domestic thriller that can be read quickly and without alot of pause. But it suffers from typical plot twists and flat characters.

While the plot offers plenty of twists to keep readers engaged, the character development occasionally falls flat, and some of the twists require a suspension of disbelief.

#thehoneymoon #gemmarogers #domesticthriller #women’sfiction #netgalley

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THE FAVOR

BY NORA MURPHY

I just finished reading “The Favor” by Nora Murphy. Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in return for an honesy review. This book is definately a domestic thriller that may be difficult for some to read because it revolves around domestic abuse.

Two women who don’t kow each other but live very similar lives because the are both being abused by their partners. Leah and McKenna are smart intellgent women who are both seemingly living perfect lives: beautiful husbands, beautiful cars, beautiful homes. But behind closed doors they are struggling to survive their monster husbands. The story of how domestiv abusee begins slowly and eventually dominates is told perfectly by the author, who has definately done her research.

Both women find themselves wanting to help each other, but without really knowing each other. Interspersed with their struggle is a police office who is trying to solve a crime. It is very well written and provides an excellent back story of both women which makes them bery sympathetic and rootworthy. The men are completely despicable and it is hard to believe that such people exist but unfortunately they do.

I liked the honesty of this book, and the pace of the story. It was completely absorbing and I found myself not wanting to put the story down. The main characters were not perfect, but they were very real and relateable. The way the story ended was realistic and satisfactory.

I obviously hated reading about the men. They made me angry and I was shocked by some of the things they did to these women they professed to love.

In the end, I was engrossed in this story and invested in what happened to these women. What was the favor? You’ll have to read the book to find out. You will not be disappointed.

Happy Reading.

#THEFAVOR #NORAMURPHY #DOMESTICTHRILLER #DOMESTICABUSE #FEMALELEADCHARACTERS #WOMENSFICTION #NEEDTOREAD