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With Friends like These

by Alissa Lee

I just finished reading “With Friends Like These” by Alissa Lee. Many thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review. Here are my thoughts.
This is a book about enduring friendships and the ties that bond as a result. The book focusses on five friends and a game that they play every year after New Years. The game involves ‘taking each other out’, metaphorically of course. Each girls hunts another girl and is hunted herself. When a hunt is completed the hunted hands over their medallion to the huntee, until one girl remains with all five medallions. The game began for these girls in College, and has continued over many years. Added to the game is a lingering memory of a friend from their group who died mysteriously. So even though these girls are close there are ALOT of secrets between them. And one of the girls swears she saw the friend who died. And then the girls start receiving incriminating messages threatening them unless they stop playing the game. Finally, there are the winnings. Alot of money is at stake. Sets up a great mystery and lots of suspense.
I liked the premise of the book, it certainly sounded and felt interesting. But there were a few too many characters for me, and you could kind of tell who the villain was because of how they were written. There were a few red herrings in the book which kept it interesting enough for me to finish the book. In the end, the twist didn’t work because I already had figured it out, but I did like the friendships in the story and how they stuck together in the end. I guess the title is accurate. With “friends like these”, you are. never alone and you always have someone on your side, especially when your world seems to be falling apart.
Happy Reading

#netgalley #withfriendslikethese #womensfiction #atriabooks #alissalee #bookreviews

YESTERYEAR

YESTERYEAR

BY CARO CLAIRE BURKE

Yesteryear Yesteyear by CaroClaire Burke

I just finished reading Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Here are my thoughts.
I actually finished reading this book weeks ago but havent been able to sit down and write about it becuase it is one of those books that shocks and surprises and delights and sucks you in to the point that when you are finished, you realize you stopped breathing.
It is the story of a trad wife who wakes up one morning and in transported back to the pioneer days when everything was done by hand. No stores, no TVs and no comforts of modern life. The big mystery is how did whe get there? Interspersed with the present day is a complete review of the past and we find out a alot about the woman, her husband and how they got to the point of the start of the book.
Read carefully, in case you miss something because It is shocking. I could not believe this author would weave such an intricate, slow burning tale but she did it and it was successful.
This book is unforgettable, but in the worst way. The characters or most of them turn out to be quite aweful and brutal to each other. There is no happy ending which is good because noone deserves one. Just a study of human behaviour that explores how some will do anything for attention and fame.
Everyone should read this book. It is actually exhausting…but so worth it.
Happy Reading.

#YESTERYEAR #BOOKREVIEW #CAROCLAIREBURKE #NEEDTOREAD #FIVESTARREAD #WOMENS FICTION

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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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