THE GOOD SISTER

BY GILLIAN MCALLISTER


Rating: 5 out of 5.


I just finished reading “The Good Sister”, by Gilliam McAllister. Here are my thoughts.


If there is one word I could use to describe this book it would be haunting…absolutely haunting. Two sisters, so close growing up, both have kids. One is steady and hardworking and organized the other lives life on the edge, throws caution to the wind and is slightly discombobulated. The older sister Martha, has a new born baby named Layla who is always collicky and crying and difficult. Her sister Becky is the wild one with a child of her own named Xander, and she volunteers to help Martha with baby Layla whenever Martha needs her.


So when Martha is called to take care of some business away from home and has to leave for two days, Layla is taken to stay with Becky. Unfortunately Layla is found dead in her crib and noone knows what happened and Becky is charged with killing her neice.


The entire book revolves around the trial, and is told from the perspective, of the sisters, the witnesses, and even the judge. It is harrowing and awful and so very sad. It is easy for the reader to feel empathy for both sisters and what they have lost.
I really went back and forth on what really happened and at the end all is revealed.
It was an excellent book, wel written and full of incredibly sad and emotional moments. The author seemed to hit on every emotion that might have been felt if this had actually happened. I was hooked.


Even though it was slow to start it was an excellent rollercoaster of emotions that was an incredible read.


Well done Gilliam McAllister…well done.

#THEGOODSISTER #GILLIANMCALLISTER #FIVESTARBOOKS #FIVESTARS #FICTION #WOMEN’SFICTION #FEMALELEAD #NEEDTOREAD #FIVESTARFICTION



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ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY

BY JAMIE DAY

Rating: 4 out of 5.


I just finished reading “One Big Happy Family” by Jamie Day. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’a Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of a young housemaid who works in a hotel owned by a creepy owner who dies and has his daughters ascend to the hotel for the reading of the will. There is also a possibly dishonest lawyer and a stowaway who is hiding in the hotel because of her abusive boyfriend. How are all these characters related….Well, that is one heck of a story which weaves in and out of the past and present to expose all the secrets the sisters have (and boy are they BIG secrets) and leads to a very explosive ending where all secrets are revealed.

What I liked about this story was the back story of the sisters and how they grew up with a total loser of a father who had many mistresses and didn’t really care about his children. I kind of felt sorry for them. The back story set up and explained alot of why there were so many secrets in the family.

What I also liked was how the author managed to keep the mystery secret and tie everything together at the end in an explosive way. I liked that all the sisters were deliciously flawed and all acted terrible to each other. I liked the murder mystery and how it also led to secrets being revealed.

What I didn’t like was the flow of the book. I went from being exciting to really wordy and I found myself skipping paragraphs because I didn’t see their importance. I also didn’t like the Charley was stealing from guests to help pay her grandmothers rent.

Overall, I liked this book. It was filled with interesting characters who had secrets that impacted everyone in the book. The ending which revealed the villain behind everything was brilliant. I felt sorry for the villain because their backstory was incredibly sad but….everyone got what they deserved.

A good choice for anyone who enjoys this genre. Happy Reading!

#ONEBIGHAPPYFAMILY #JAMIEDAY #NETGALLEY #STMARTIN’SPRESS #FEMALELEAD #MYSTERYTHRILLER #WHODIDIT #THRILLER #WOMENSFICTION

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IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME

BY ALEX FINLAY

Rating: 5 out of 5.


I just finished reading “If Something Happens to Me”, by Alex Finlay. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This is my first time reading this author. I went into this story blind. Sometimes I read online reviews or summaries before starting a book, but not this one. This is a story about a fairly new Officer, Poppy is asked to look into a mysterious dissapearance of a young girl named Allison, when the car she was abducted in is found in a nearby lake but…she isn’t in it. The story also includes Allison’s dad, her boyfriend Ryan and Poppy’s family. Then there is the mysterious hitman Shane O’Leary and his family and we don’t get the connection at first until we do and then the story takes off…

But I think I’ve said too much…this book is awesome. It is a fast paced adventure involving alot of characters and is told in parts so that the reader doesn’t lose track.

What I loved about this book was that it was so seemless in its transition between characters and plots. The author chose the perfect time to make revelations in the novel to make it interesting and suspenseful and surprising.

There were a few loose ends that I had questions about…but it certainly didn”t take away the impact of the story and its resolution which was awesome and necessary and totally satisfying. All the characters were flawed, except for maybe Ryan who I just wanted him to be happy.

All in all, a great book. Five out of five stars. A must read for lovers of this genre.

Happy Reading everyone
#IFSOMETHINGHAPPENSTOME #ALEXFINLAY #STMARTIN’SPRESS #NEEDTOREAD #MYSTERYTHRILLER #FIVESTARRATING #FICTION #FEMALELEAD #BOOKREVIEWS #THRILLERBOOKREVIEW


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THE LAST STARS IN THE SKY

BY KATE HEWITT

Rating: 4 out of 5.



I have just finished reading “The Last Stars in the Sky” by Kate Hewitt. Thanks you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is not the type of book I would normally read. It is about a family of five who journeys to their summer cabin in Canada to start anew after the husband loses his job and they lose the house. Alex, the wife feels as though an extended trop to the cabin will be the answer to reset their lives. The son Sam, stays at college and the rest of the family travels to the cabin. A few days after they arrive…there is a nuclear strike in the USA and they are left without food water or safety. With their future in jeapordt, Daniel (The Husband) leaves the family to go find ;Sam, while Alex, and her two daughters are left at the remote cabin to survive.

And survive they do…through resilience and sheer determination they learn to hunt, fish, forage in the woods, and suvive agains the odds…sometimes doing and seeing things they would never want to do. Meanwhile Daniel struggles to find Sam…and endures his own survival in what seems like horrible consequences.

The story culminates in some feel good moments…but ultimately, the family must work together to keep surviving, but at this point, the reader is fairly confident that they will all survive.

I loved the characters in this story. They were real and honest and scared and resilient when they had to be. There were some ugly moments but moments of great triumph as well. The suthor did an excellent job of showing both the wonderful and horribly ugly side of humanity.

I wish more time had been spent describing the journey of Daniel when he went looking for Sam. We still don’t know what he did that was so awful…we can only imagine and maybe that is the whole point.

All in all…i liked this book ALOT! A welcome departure from my usual choices that tells the story of survival and sacrifice and the human spirit.

Happy Reading

#THELASTSTARSINTHESKY #KATEHEWITT #NETGALLEY #STORMPUBLISHING #NUCLEARATTACK #FAMILYSURVIVAL #FAMILYDRAMA #FICTION #CABINLIFE #FICTIONBOOKREVIEW



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THE CHOICE

BY GILLIAN MCALLISTER


Rating: 4 out of 5.


I just finished reading “The Choice” by Gillian McAllister. Here are my thoughts.

I love books that have a momentous choice as a jumping off point for a novel that is written from two perspectives, each depending on which choice the main character makes. It is usually fascinating and includes both good and bad consequences and delves into how your live would continue as a result of the choice you made. That is what this book is about. The main character Joanna is out one night with a friend at a bar where she is harassed by a mam. While walking home (Why would you walk home from a bar…hello???) she thinks the man that harassed her is following her so she gets scared and when she thinks he is about to attack her she pushes him and he falls down the some stairs and is severely injured. So…does she call for help or does she walk away and hope for the best. How does the decision impact her life and the life of her husband and friends and family and above all..how does it impact her?

I thought the main character was super interesting…yes she had faults…yes she lied. But…this book is all about not just self-preservation, but doing the right thing and how guilt can eat away at you until you invoke your own form of punishment.

While I did find it a little wordy at times, I liked the back and forth because I totally understoon the impact of each choice. It was interesting to see the journey of the main character in each situation and the impact that each choice had on her relationships…because each choice did have both positive and negative impacts on her life and the life of those around her.

In the end, this is a book about self-renewal, and consequences, and growth and love and understanding and maturity. I really liked it and while it did not contain shocking plot twists or revelations (there was one kind of exciting one) it did offer an interesting insight into the impact of choices that we make, and how they can be overeaching in both good and bad ways.

A well written story that kept me interested and intrigued until the very end.

Happy Reading.

#THECHOICE #GILLIANMCALLISTER #WOMENSFICTION #FEMALELEAD #THRILLER



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JUST ANOTHER MISSING PERSON

BY GILLIAN MCALLISTER

Rating: 4 out of 5.


I just finished reading “Just Another Missing Person”, by Gillian McAllistair. A myster thriller that begins slowly but then picks up speed and keeps up an intense pace until the very end.

This is a story about a Police Officer named Julia who is a detective investigating a missing person. She finds her self testing her integrity to get to the truth and is met with many perplexing questions and mysteries. The story is also told from the narrative of Lewis, a grieving father whose own daughter disappeared over a year ago and Emma a devoted mother who wants t believe in her mysterious young son, but seems to think that he may be connected to the missing person.

The novel begins slowly introducing Julia’s family as well as the the other narrators and their families and giving an interesting back story to all of them. You know one of the characters is the bad guy but you are never quite sure because the story keeps shifting slightly, until about two-thirds of the way through when all is revealed in a exciting, somewhat shocking, and crazy way.

In the end, the truth about everything (well almost everything) is revealed. It is believable, and glorious and extremely well written, leaving nothing out. It was quite clever how the author told us just enough to keep us reading and magnificently tied everything up at the very end. CLever…very clever. And the bad guy….awesome.

I think lovers of this genre will enjoy this book. It is a little long for my taste…but well worth the read.

Happy Reading Everyone!

#JUSTANOTHERMISSINGPERSON #GILLIANMCALLISTER #WOMENSFICTION #MYSTERYTHRILLER #STRONGFEMALELEAD #FOURSTARBOOK #GOODREADS




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GOOD HALF GONE

BY TARRYN FISHER

Rating: 3 out of 5.



I just finished reading “Good Half Gone” by Tarryn Fisher. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest reviow. I chose this book because I have enjoyed previous books written by this author. Stories revolve around mystery, suspense, and strong female lead characters.

In this story two twin girls who come from a very rought background, go out to the moves with some supect boys and one twin sister, Piper, gets kidnapped. The other sister, Iris, tries to convince the police to take the matter seriously by they don’t. With the help of her grandmother they both move forward but Iris longs to figure out the truth about what happened to her sister, Fast forward some years later, and Iris who is now a mother, gets a job working at a creepy psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane because whe believes there is someone there who can give her the answers she needs.

The story develops as it winds from past to present to past etc… While the story of the truth comes out eventually, the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory. It feels too rushed and unbelievable. It could have had such a better ending I feel.

What I liked about this book was the tragic backstory of the girls. It was very well told and created alot of sympathy for the girls. There were some interesting stories and some twists and turns.

The part I didn’t like was that there were alot of characters and I didn’t really understand their significance. Also, some of the characters their reason for existing wasn’t really apparent until the end. There were also alot of unanswered questions that that I had at the end. The biggest dissapointment was the ending. For a story that unraveled so slowly, the ending felt rushed and it was really “out there”. It was like a soap opera ending where at the end of the story the main bad guy rips of his mask to reveal he is really someone else.

I feel like this story had alot of potential but somewhere, around the last 4 chapters, things started to fall apart, and what made this story so good was abandoned for a super weird ending.

Happy Reading.

#NETGALLEY #GOODHALFGONE #TARRYNFISHER #HARLEQUINPUBLISHING #WOMENSFICTION #MYSTERYTHRILLER #FEMALELEAD #TWINLOVE #FICTION



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SHE’S NOT SORRY

BY MARY KUBICA

Rating: 3 out of 5.



I just finished reading “She’s Not Sorry” by Mary Kubica. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an advanced copy in return for a honesy review. I have read many books by this author and I am a fan of her work. Her are my thoughts on her latest.

This book is a mystery thriller and there are ALOT of things happening in the story. It centers around Meghan a nurse who works in a hospital and is put in charge of a mystery patient who it is revealed, was pushed off a bridge with the intent to kill her. It is also about a mystery woman named Nat who Meghan befriends and invites to live with ther because she believes Nat is a victim of domestic abuse.

At one point in the book there is a MAJOR twist..which confuses but at the same time makes perfect sense. The twist is a good one and leads to a surprise conclusion. I am not sure who is “not sorry” in the story which is the point, maybe none of the main characters are sorry. I am not sure.

What I liked about this story was that the author created interesting characters which were surprising and flawed. Some were too flawed though. I liked the impact of all the twists and turns. ANd I liked that the story showed the difficulty of being a nurse.

What I didn’t like was that there were alot of unanswered questions. Not important ones but what was the point of some of the characters if their stories were resolved or explained. Was it to create intrigue and suspense? I would have liked to know more about them.

All in all, this was a quick read and had some great twists and turns. I like this author, and although not her best work, definately worth the read.

Happy Reading Everyone

#SHESNOTSORRY #MARYKUBICA #NETGALLEY #MYSTERYTHRILLER #FEMALEFICTION #FEMALELEAD #WOMENSFICTION #FICTION #


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THE GUEST

BY B.A. PARIS

Rating: 3 out of 5.


I just finished reading “The Guest” by B.A. Paris. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Matin’s Press for the advanced copyin exchange for an honest review.

This story is about a married couple Iris and Gabriel who are trying to get over a traumatic event when their friend Laure arrives at their home and asks to stay because her husband Pierre announced he has a daugher and is tryiing to sort himself out. Gabriel is dealing with his own personal crisis and as it turns out so is Iris..we just don’t know until we are well into the book. There are many mysteries in this book and we don’t quite know who the bad guy is or what the big secret is…until we know…and then the story gets really interesting. It is all revealed at the end in a fairly spectacular way and the reader is left quite satisfied.

What I liked about this book is that it provided a lovely backstory for the two couples and the reason why they are so invested in each other. There are definately some secrets involved which, when they are revealed, explain much of what happened throughout the book.

What I didn’t like about this book was the implausibilty of some of the events that occured. Without giving anything away I ask myself how they were able to get away with what they did. There was a bit of suspension of disbelief, kind of like when you are watching a Soap Opera and the character returns from the dead and everyone accepts it. Okay…

Overall, a good read, entertaining and easy to follow. Good for lovers of this genre or lovers of this author.

Happy Reading everyone.

#netgalley #baparis #theguest #mysterythriller #femalelead #murdermystery #womensfiction



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THE HEIRESS

BY RACHEL HAWKINS

Rating: 4 out of 5.


I just reading “The Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins. Thank to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This a book with an interesting in intriguing plot damaged characters and exposed secrets…and they all come together to create a wonderfully written story with a bang up ending.

The story centers around wealth status narcicism and of course love. Jules and her husband Cambden return to his childhood home to deal with his inheritance which he doesn’t want because it is tainted with lies an deceit. He was adopted into the wealthy world of the McTavish family and his mother Ruby who had a storied past.
Camden has secrets that he is keeping from Jules and…Jules has. bigger secrets that she is keeping from Camden. When they return to the “Ashby House” slowly the secrets start to unravel and reveal themselves in a delicious and twisted way. Let’s just say that no-one is innocent in this story.

What I liked about this book was the way the author crafted this mystery. She told the story through different narrators: Jules, Camden and a series of letters from Ruby McTavish which are written to who we don’t know until the very end. I loved the character of Ruby McTavish and her story was fascinating: POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL! I liked how she tried to make ammends at the end of the novel

What I didn’t like about the story was some of the characters were a bit cartoonish and some of the sub-plots were unecessary. But the story revealed perfectly the impact of money, wealth and power and how the rich can get away with way too much.

I read this book quickly and it was hard to put down, A great pace and a great mystery that was perfectly ended with a final perfect reveal.

Happy Reading

#MYSTERYTHRILLER #RACHELHAWKINS #THEHEIRESS #BOOKLOVERREVIEWS #NETGALLEY #NEEDTOREAD #WOMANSFICTION #FAMILYDYSFUNCTION



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