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BY SHARI LAPENA

I have just finished reading “Everyone Here is Lying” by Shari Lapena. Here are my thoughts. First of all, any book that I can read in one day deserves to be praised, even though the characters in the story were a little flat and at times ridiculous, I could NOT put this book down.

The story follows many families that live on the same street in a small town, and it centers around a little girl named Avery who one day goes missing, and it follows the clues to find out what happened. The problem is that, in order to save themselves and protect their own secrets, everyone in this book lies, hence the title. Avery herself, is a sociopathic liar, so we don’t ever really learn the whole truth about everything that happened to Avery before she disappeared.

What I liked about this story was that everyone had something to hide, and the author did an excellent job of exposing secrets one by one. She created some delicious characters (especially Avery) and some great mysteries. The men in the book were pretty awful, narcisistic characters who were looking out only for themselves, and it made it seem at time that they were the culprits. That is what was so good about this book, everyone, except for Avery’s mom could have abducted Avery.

Avery’s mom was the character I felt for the most. I felt her pain and anguish as she was looking for answers. The police officers were also well written.

There really is nothing I didn’t like except for some of the characters, who were written as selfish and narcicistic, but it was necessary because they had to protect their own secrets at the expense of the truth. Avery’s dad was a real piece of work…he was so awful.
Oh by the way…the ending?…fantastic. I loved the last line. The truth always prevails, no matter how much we try to hide from it or cover it up.

#everyonehereislying #sharilapena #thriller #familydrama #femalelead #needtoread #summerthriller #canadianauthor

A great book and well worth the read.
Happy Reading everyone



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BY LISA JEWELL

I just finished reading “Invisible Girl”, by Lisa Jewell. Here are my thoughts. I wasn’t sure about this book when I read the cover description because I am not a fan of the awkward, weird, man who lives by himself and can’t get a girlfriend. But I found a copy in the Public Library so I thought I would give it a try…I was not disappointed.

This is a story about secrets and lies and misconceptions. A man named Owen, who is socially awkward and has never had a girlfriend, gets in trouble at the school he works at, for being innapropriate to his female students. He is put on leave and then starts diving into the world of incels (involutary celibats). In the meantime a young girls named Saffyre, who is a former patient of one of Owen’s, neighbours, goes missing and all fingers are pointed at Owen.

What happens next is a story told from three different perspectives: Own, Saffyre, and Cate, the wife of the man who treated Saffyre. The story presses onby revealing what happened to all characters involved from the past to the present. Much is learned and slowly revealed…and the ending is quite satisfying.

I really liked this book. I honestly had trouble putting it down. It was well written, engaging, and full of interesting characters, plot twists and drama. This is what Lisa Jewell is so good at. Developing these imperfect characters who have baggage but are trying to do the right thing. There is always a bad guy or more than one…but everything is revealed in the appropriate time and the reader feels as though all questions have been answered. There was one lingering question about Cate’s husband…but it was the same question that was on my mind as well.

I absolutely believe any fan of Lisa Jewell will enjoy this book. She somehow manages to consistently produce excellent stories with rootable characters and satisfactory endings.

Happy Reading.



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BY LISA JEWELL

I just finished reading “The Girls in the Garden”, by Lisa Jewell. Here are my thoughts.
This story takes place in a communal living are which has a communal garden where children and neighbours hang out. Years previously, there had been the death of a young girl which has caused suspision among neighbours as to who was responsible. With this in mind, a new family moves in which includes two young girls Pip and Grace, who have secrets of their own (revolving around their Dad, and his misdeeds). The two girls befriend the other children in the Garden Square and there is drama which of course, revolves around a boy. The parents seem nice enough and one of the mom’s, Clare, seems to lead the charge to find the honesty and truth into what it happening. The other women are a mystery and there is not alot of dimension to them.

At the beginning of the story we learn that Pip finds her sister unconcscious and in a state of undress one night after a big yearly garden party. What follows is a search for what happened to young Grace and who was responsible for her hospitalization.

There are alot of red herrings in this book, mostly fishy characters with a history which may involve hurting women. There is also alot of intrigue surrounding all the extra characters, what they saw, what they know etc…

I liked the story of the girls, especially young Pip. I especially liked the relationship she had to her Dad. I also liked the character of Clare. She seemed to be the only one who was asking the tough questions. But my feelings towards the characters or Leo and his Dad, and also towards the other moms was and remain unresolved.

In the end we find out (I think) who hurt Grace. The reason I say I think, is because, I don’t really think it was. But the author leaves it (in my opinion) a mystery. I suppose that its her way of saying that secrets are secrets and meant to stay that way.

I have liked all of Lisa Jewell’s books. This one is not my favourite, but worth the read, as she is an excellent writer who has the ability to create strong, complicated female characters and well thought out suspense and mystery.

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BY SALLY HEPWORTH

I just finished reading “The Family Next Door” by Sally Hepworth, one of my favourite authors. Here are my thoughts.
This is a story about three families that live on the same street. They have children and their own past mistakes are haunting them in different ways. The husbands are secondary characters but important in their own way. One of the characters, Essie has a history or depression and so her mother (Barbara) helps her ALOT. When Essie befriends the new neighbour, Isabelle, things get interesting. Isabelle is single and young and has a connection to Essie that is slowly revealed througout the book.
The other women have issues to deal with as well: betrayal, family roles, secrets, infidelity. For the most part, by the end of the novel, things are tied up with pretty satisfactorily.
I like Sally Hepworth books because they are well written with interesting characters that all serve a purpose in the book. There are enough secrets revealed and information given throughout the book that make the reader want to keep turning the page.
There was one part that made me feel icky and it had to do with the reason why Essie felt so connected to Isabelle. But, besides that, I enjoyed this book. While it is not my favourite Sally Hepworth novel, it is definately worth reading



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BY ASHLEY TATE

I just finished reading the book “Twenty-Seven Minutes” by Ashley Tate. I chose to read this book because it was recommended by one of my favourite authors, Ashley Audrain. Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

First of all the title is great…Right away you feel as though something really important happened in or after 27 minutes to someone that had disastrous effects. In this case it was Phoebe… who is one of the main characters, who we find is struggling to stay alive and had an ambulance been call 27 minutes earlier, she may have survived. What a great beginnig, because I wanted to know shy her brother Grant waited so long.

In order to find out we read many different sides of the story 10 years into the future, when Pheobe’s death still has implications on the lives of the people involved in a small twon where nobody minds their own business.
The main characters are Pheobe’s brother Grant, who is hiding some major secrets and has a hard time coping with reality, Becca who is a complete nutjob, and June, who seems to be a side character, but who is written in a way that makes her very compelling. The key to finding the truth is June’s brother Wyatt, who disappeared ont he same night as Phoebe died tragically.

The story shifts from present to past, but it is easy to folllow because the font changes everytime the story reverts to the past. There are some psychological hallucinations that require alot of attention when reading because the reader is not sure if the character talking is real ora figment of someone’s imagination.

There are side characters which add to the drama and help to tell the story of what really happened those ten years ago to Phoebe and Grant and Becca and Wyatt. Unfortunately, the reader finds out in the last few pages which is alright but there is not consequence to the revelation…but, mayber, that is the point of the story.

It is slightly wordy in some parts, but I truly felt the crazy of both Grant and Becca and June. They were very well written. The only problem I had was understanding why Phoebe wanted to control her brother Grant so much. It felt kind of weird…their connection. And the answer to the twenty seven minutes was not what I was expecting, although it was alright.

I enjoyed this book…but I didn’t love it. It was entertaining enough, but didn’t really stick with me. A good summer read, is what I would call this book by Ashley Tate.

Happy Reading

#twentysevenminutes #ashleytate #doubledaycanada #psychologicalthriller #mentalillness #secretsandlies #familytrauma #smalltownsecrets #siblinglove



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BY JOHN MARRS

I just finished reading “What Lies Between Us” by John Marrs. A highly anticipated book that has been raved about almost everywhere I look. It is about a mother and a daughter who live together in their family home. It starts with an explanation that at the end of each night the daughter Nina, locks mother Maggie, in the attic and attaches her to a chain so that escape is impossible. What follows is a story told from both perspectives of how their existance came to this. There is a lot of trauma in the past told through both perspectives, and the beauty of how the book is told is that the reader doesn’t know which character is the more evil or disturbed one.

There is abandonment, pregnancy, adoption, infertility, lies, mental illness, more lies, murder…many thngs that happen to pull this story forward and it is told in a tight, fast-paced and twisted way that makes this book very hard to put down.

I loved the characters and their back stories. It was interesting to see that thay both had faults and moments of tenderness. They were both victims of trauma in their own right and I felt compassion for both of them.

Some of the plot developments were a bit over the top. How did no one figure our that Maggie was missing? How did the police not suspect anything? What about the Dad? Noone wondered or investigated what happened to him? I suppose in some parts of the story you have to suspend disbelief long enough to keep reading…because the payoff was awesome. There are so many twists and turns that I don’t know which was my favourite…maybe the true story of the events that led to the Dad leaving…I don’t want to give anything away so I will stop there. But not before giving a strong recommendation to read this book.

I have read John Marrs before and this book has made me an even bigger fan of his.

#whatliesbetweenus #johnmarrs #needtoread #thriller #mothersanddaughters #femalelead

Happy Reading



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BY ASHLEY AUDRAIN

I just finished reading “The Whispers” by AShley AUdrain. Here are my thoughts. First of all, you all need to read “Push” by the same author. It is fantastic and so is “The Whispers”. It is a story about the meaning of being a woman and a mother. Told through the eyes of four different women who live on same street in a well to do neighborhood. There is an accident where one child falls through a window and goes to the hospital. The mom (Whitney) goes into silence as the stays vigilant by her son’s side. Whitney’s best friend Blair is having issues of her own with her spouse but she is a devoted mother who does everything for her child. Rebecca is the doctor who treats Xavier in the hospital who is unable to have children and carries that pain with her everywhere she goes. Then there is Mara…the mysterious older woman who carries a painful secret of her son. I must say that I loved the back story of Mara and how she came from Portugal and made pasteis de nata and cainja for her neighbors. Being portuguese myself, I enjoyed reading that.

The men in the story are background characters. This story is all about motherhood and the choices we make concerning our lives and our duties as mothers. It was riveting…fantastic…heartbreaking…and so so so good. And the last line of the book…BEST LAST LINE EVER!!!!!
If you can’t tell I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down. It is filled with heartbreak and heartache and is so relateable. I loved every page of this book and I was so sad when it finished.. and it wasn’t wrapped up in a nice bow ending…it left the reader wanting more. Which is always a good thing.

Thank you Ashley Audrain for another fantastic read. I cannot wait for your next book.
If you are going to buy one book this summer, make it “The Whispers”, by Ashley Audrain. You won’t regret it.

#ASHLEYAUDRAIN #THEWHISPERS #NEEDTOREAD #THRILLER #MOTHERHOOD #MARRIAGETHRILLER #BESTBOOKOFTHEYEAR2023

Happy reading.



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BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID

I just finished reading “Maybe in Another Life ” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Here are my thoughts. This book is about the consequences of choices that you make in life. A young lady, Hannah moves back to L.A. and returns to live with her best friend Gabby, who takes her to a bar where she meets her ex Ethan. Towards the end of the night, Ethan offers to take her homw. Does she choose to go home with Ethan or Gabby? This book explores what would happen as a result of whether she chose Ethan or Gabby.

WHAT IF EVERYTHING THAT IS POSSIBLE ACTUALLY HAPPENS?

I loved the premise of the book. I jumped between the Gabby and the Ethan choice, and both angles were dramatic and interesting, with tough decisions and heartbreaking consequences. While we do not see which path Hannah chose, we get to follow her story into the future and see how she and who she ends up with.

This book was very easy to read and in some part it was easy to skim through. The characters were all rootable, except for Mark (he’s a jerk) and I really liked Henry (so sweet). The story was well written and retained my attention and interest. Some parts (like the inclusion of Hannah’s family) seemed unecessary, but the rest was important to the outcome of the story.

Even though I enjoyed it, I wasn’t sad the the story ended. I’m not sure why, I was not as invested in this book as I normally am…maybe because I don’t believe in fate or in this idea that what is meant to happen will happen. I felt a little too sugary for me…not sure if that is the right word.

It is a good summer read for anyone who want to read a lighthearted interesting take on where our sometimes small decisions lead us.

#MAYBEINANOTHERLIFE #TAYLORJENKINSREID #FEMALELEAD #SUMMERREAD #WHATIF…

Happy Reading



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by Megan Miranda

I just finished reading “The Only Survivors” by Megan Miranda. Here are my thoughts. This is definately a slow burn. Survivors of a horrific buscrash in highschool where everyone died except for a few, they meet every year by the ocean to support and re-connect.

They aren’t really friends and there are secrets that happened on the night of the crash that are slowly revealed…the biggest one being the actual cause of the crash (which is the biggest wow of the book. Another big(gish) wow is then the stalker is revealed. I didn’t hate this book but I didn’t love it either. I am a big fan of this author but the characters didn’t really do it for me.

I thought they were all a little flat. The lead character was mildly interesting and she did have a lot of secrets as well…enough to keep reading until the end. But in some parts of the book, I found myself “skimming” through. A bit too repetitive with maybe too many characters and unecessary subplots.

The ending was satisfactory though, but not the author’s best work.

Happy reading

#theonlysurvivors #meganmiranda #thriller #femaleleadcharacter



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