Review: The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth

The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those beautiful, heartfelt novels that make you feel something as well as explore various situations that can make you think about life in a new way. In this novel, there are several things happening – a single mother facing a horrible health prognosis, a teenager facing crippling anxiety, a nurse struggling with infertility and a social worker facing her own demons. As these four come together in this novel, they are all changed by each other and their experiences. It’s ultimately a story about community, finding your way, and how connection can change your life in a myriad of ways. The physical and emotional health issues were handled quite well – particularly the social anxiety piece which I think came alive in this novel. The way all of the pieces and parts of the story came together was well done. It isn’t a complex novel in terms of story composition but the overall story was heartfelt and impactful. I think there were moments that came together almost too effortlessly when I’d expect a bit more difficulty but I was able to overlook that since I enjoyed the overall story so much. If you’re looking for something that will touch you, something with heart, then this is the novel for you! It is probably something that would be classified as women’s fiction so if that’s a genre that you typically like, please give it a try! I thought it was very sweet and quite a good read!

NOTE: Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

Review: The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry

The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Brunonia Barry’s first two novels (and I met her during her tour for her second novel) so I was eager to read this one. And it was rather good. I would say the rating would fall between 3 and 4 but I’m rounding up because I really did enjoy the book quite a bit. There is character overlap between this one and her first novel, The Lace Reader. If you read that one, this is a nice revisit to some of the characters. If you didn’t, this one is perfectly good as a stand alone! This is a mystery that plays with the historical witch trials and current life in Salem, MA. I really like the subtle magical touches that are at play throughout the book. Those touches gave the book a little something special for me. Overall, the mystery (well, mysteries) were really well done and I thought the conclusion was thoughtful and satisfying. I will say that the pacing was imperfect. It felt like it took me a longgggg time to get through this novel. It wasn’t fast paced. I was never bored but it didn’t fly by or anything. That’s not a big issue for me but if you need something with fast pacing, this might not be the right book for you. If you love a good mystery, especially one that is connected to witches and the witch trials; this is definitely one you should pick up!

NOTE: Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

Review: The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nothing in the description of this novel really spoke to me … a story about animators? Not really in my wheelhouse. However, several of my friends recommended it so I went with it and I’m so glad that I did! This is a wonderful novel about friendship, art and overcoming the obstacles of life. Yes, it’s about animation and art but it’s so much more! It’s not a fun or particularly nice story – there is quite a bit of darkness in the narrative. Each of the main characters, through their art and friendship, find a path out of their own histories and into a new life. The characters are extremely well written – multi-faceted and `complex in all the best ways. They aren’t always likable but they are always believable. The story is also complex but in a very readable way. The author doesn’t take the easy way out with the story or the characters. It’s dark with quite a bit of content around addiction and health issues. I was very taken with the story and how these characters used their art to find themselves and heal what’s broken. This is in some ways a love story, a story about friendship and how it can change your life. There is a lot of redemption and passion in this novel. And it’s such a great read! I highly recommend it! It truly packs a punch!

NOTE: Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy for an honest review.

Review: Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm struggling with reviewing this novel. On the one hand, it's really good in terms of suspense and movement. On the other hand, the ending kind of killed it for me. I don't really get the whole comparison to Gone Girl ... in my opinion, Gone Girl is much better executed than this one. This one felt as if the author gave up much of the very things that could have helped her to keep the reader guessing too early. Although the overall suspense was great, there were a number of areas that could have been used more effectively. However, I think the ending just killed the entire novel for me. It just didn't connect in that way an ending should. Was is successful? Probably. But, it didn't feel solid to me. And I don't think it would be possible for anyone to figure out the ending from the content of the novel which I guess is a good thing with this type of book. And perhaps that is exactly why it didn't work for me. I'm glad that I read it but it won't be one that I'll be recommending all over the place
like I did with Gone Girl. If you're a suspense fan, you should pick this up. If you're looking for the next Gone Girl, you may be disappointed. Many are loving this one so give it a shot if it sounds appealing.

Review: Always by Sarah Jio

Always by Sarah Jio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked the premise of this novel - I'm always a fan of stories of lost love. The premise of this one was right up my alley - a soon to be married woman encounters someone she used to love on the street ... and he's homeless. As she tries to understand how he came to be on the street, she uncovers a lot of interesting information. This is a novel of suspense as well as a romance. You learn about her past relationship as well as her current relationship and watch her as she begins to try to put all the pieces together. I found it to be sweet and it kept me interested. It's not what I'd call great literature but it was a quite nice story with interesting characters. I love how it took place in the 1990s in Seattle. Definitely a time frame that I can relate to as I came to age in the 1990s. I'm seeing a lot of mixed reviews among friends but I think I particularly related to this one given the time frame and the fact that it focuses on someone coming to terms with a previous relationship. Personally, I really enjoyed this story and these characters. I think it was pretty interesting and I enjoyed my time in the world that Sarah Jio created with this novel.

NOTE: I received this novel in e-galley format from the publisher for an honest review.

Review: The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian

The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have a love/hate relationship with Chris Bohjalian. I either love his novels or I just don't get them. This one was a bit in the middle for me. I liked it but I didn't love it. I loved the concept of the novel - the description sounded fascinating. My primary issues with the novel are two-fold. One thing is the pacing of the novel overall. It felt like a slow burn ... it unfolded very quietly. Which isn't always a bad thing but it didn't work for me in this novel. In some ways, it almost felt like I was sleepwalking through the book. It felt sleepy and hazy in some way. Secondly, the big mystery wasn't such a mystery to me. I suspected 'who done it' long before it was revealed. And it wasn't a far jump to identify the perpetrator. It didn't feel as intricate as it could have been to make the reader feel something about what happened. If you have any interest in sleep disorders, this might be an interesting read for you. I think the exploration of sleep issues was one of the bright spots in this novel. If you're a big Bohjalian fan, I also think this one is worth picking up. However, if you need a ton of action and fast pacing, this might not work as well for you.

NOTE: I received a galley of this novel from the publisher for an honest review.

Review: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think that I may have enjoyed this Louise Penny novel the most of the three I've read in this series. It almost felt like this one went a little deeper than the two previous novels. I also found the actual murder mystery to be a bit more compelling with this one. I still didn't find this one to knock it out of the park BUT I do think it was very readable and makes me want to continue with the series. I keep hearing that it starts to pick up at book 4 so I'm eager to see if that's the case. I did enjoy getting to know the various characters a bit more - the character development aspect was stellar and I found myself connecting with them more than in the earlier books. I'm eager to see how things go with the next book.

Review: Break in Case of Emergency by Jessica Winter

Break in Case of Emergency by Jessica Winter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a solid read but I wouldn't call it a favorite. It's well written and there were definitely some laugh out loud moments - especially in the context of today's working world. There is a strong mix of workplace comedy/satire and family/friend complex relationships. Jessica Winter did an amazing job of portraying an unhealthy work place as well as the difficulty of infertility. I really appreciate the way she portrayed friendship and marriage in this novel. It felt very real to me. It was certainly a well-written novel but, at times, it felt a bit too show-offy in terms of language. That gave it a bit of a less realistic feeling at moments. I wish the characters, especially the supporting characters, had more dimension. In the end, I felt as if the novel tried to be too many things at one time - a workplace satire, an intense exploration of marraige and friendship, the struggle of being an artist, and more. Although I liked it, I do think it's going to be a novel that isn't going to stick in my mind for the long term.

Review: Dare Me by Megan Abbott

Dare Me by Megan Abbott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had such high expectations for this novel since so many people have said this is Megan Abbott's best novel. So, perhaps I went in with too high of expectations. It's definitely good. And definitely a good example of Megan Abbott's ability to bring young adults to life on the page. But, I'm not sure I'd say it was the best of her novels that I've read (which is only 3).

The book revolves around the world of high school cheerleading and part of my issue with the book is that it didn't ring true to me in terms of cheerleading. I also didn't think it did as good a job of capturing the 'voice' of the teenager as some of the other books of hers that I've read. Some of the language felt very off to me.

My biggest issue was with the plot was that it ultimately didn't feel realistic. The twists weren't very twisty. The weaving of the story didn't feel effective. I just didn't love it.

If you're a Megan Abbott fan, definitely read this one since it's one that is always mentioned in combination with her name. But, I think that You Will Know Me is a much better book overall.

Review: The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I kept hearing great things about this novel and wow ... the great reviews were right! This is such a good book! Pretty unlike anything I've read before and so fascinating!

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and the resulting world is very wild west-like. The story revolves around a woman who was raised by a man she encountered in the world who ultimately raised her as his own and taught her how to survive ... and survive well. When she finds out something about this man and decides to escape from him and try to find her own parents who she hasn't seen since she was a child. That decision begins a journey that is unpredictable and interesting. Dark and wild, this story is so fantastic. The cat and mouse game that begins between Elka and the man who raised her is such crazy journey. The entire story just grabbed me and didn't let go until the last moment. The momentum of the story combined with the details about the brutal world in which this book takes place just made this such a fantastic read! This is really a story of survival and redemption. One that is unputdownable - not a word but it's the best way to describe this book. I highly recommend this gritty novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat while also giving you so much to think about!

Review: All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such a great psychological suspense novel! I'm not a huge suspense reader but this may be among one of the best I've read. The stories exploration of memory is simply fascinating. The interplay between the characters gives this novel something really special. The story being 'told' by the therapist working with the main character (Jenny) and her family was an interesting and strong choice. I think it made the overall effectiveness of this novel much better.

The story revolves around a rape and how the victim is given medication to lost all memories of that experience. The novel explores how that medication didn't actually remove the memories and the story. The therapist works with the family and the victim to make sense of things.

But the novel is so much more than just that and there are a number of surprises. This definitely is a psychological suspense novel ... but so much more. I highly recommend it and don't want to say much more so you don't get the story spoiled for you. This one is best read with little information.

Review: Sex Object by Jessica Valenti

Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm really struggling with rating this one - I wanted to love it and give it 5 stars. And yet, it didn't quite meet my expectations so I'm giving the entire thing a 3 star but some of the content deserves something closer to 5 stars.

Jessica Valenti put to words a great deal of the things that women in general can relate to and have frankly experienced. She spoke to me in so many ways. She doesn't downplay the crude and disgusting experiences that we experience as women every day. She tells the truth. She puts words to the experiences we've all had. It isn't always easy to read her very direct and focused exploration of sexism and misogyny. For that alone, this book needs to be read. Despite how uncomfortable it might be. Despite how hard to read it is.

The thing that didn't work as well for me was that some of the content didn't work for me. It fell flat in a way. I just didn't connect to it in the way I did other content. Each of the essays didn't seem to add up into one cohesive book for me. But, that doesn't make the impact of the impactful essays go away. It just means the essays individually were more impactful to me but the entirety of the work didn't work quite as well for me.

However, I DEFINITELY recommend this and hope you will read it despite it's faults. I think it gives the reader a critical look at something we all need to better understand.

Review: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is definitely a twisty, turny novel. If you like that sort of thing, this is definitely the book for you. It keeps you guessing throughout - giving you one thing, then taking away another, and so on. It's a quick read, one that I finished in a day. That is definitely due to the superb pacing and the twisty turny-ness. Although I enjoyed the read, there were several flaws that stuck out and made it stay at 3 stars. The story started off great but it did deteriorate a bit as we get closer to the end. It didn't have the same punch at the end as one would expect given the earlier success. The character development wasn't as good as it could have been particularly for certain characters such as Marco. The story ultimately ended up being a bit forgettable. I read it weeks ago but I barely remember anything about it. In fact, I had to go read a synopsis to remind myself. I just think there are better novels in this genre who offer a total solution to the twisty, turny thing! But, if you're a fan of this sort of thing, this one is worth checking out!

Review: Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm such a fan of Roxane Gay. She writes like no one else. This short story collection is searing, beautiful, terrifying and frankly brilliant. You should know up front that this is a very difficult collection to read - the need for trigger warnings abounds. Almost every story explores a woman's life in searing detail and unflinching honesty. The women in this collection are shown in raw and real ways that you will feel in ways that make you uncomfortable and break your heart at all the same time.

Although not an easy read emotionally, it's worth every single moment of reading time. It's a tough read and not for everyone. I think my favorite story is the first which centers around two children who were abducted and held captive during which they were sexually abused. It tells the story of how that experience affects them for the years to come. Heartbreaking and haunting. I'd say that probably does a good job of describing much of this collection.

This collection isn't for everyone ... it's one that will not work for a lot of readers. So beware if you have delicate sensibilities. This may not be for you. However, if you can tolerate the content ... it's such a worthwhile read. It's beautifully written and so complex. I highly recommend it!

NOTE: Received a copy of this novel from the publisher for an honest review.

Review: Wrecking Ball by P. Dangelico

Wrecking Ball by P. Dangelico
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this novel! What a great read! I'm a sucker for the beauty and the beast story line and this is a really fun take on it. Cam was such an interesting heroine - very sassy with a strong personality and interesting voice. It was wonderful to see such a strong woman heroine in a romance. They aren't as common as I'd like, honestly. And Calvin (the hero) really grew on me over time. He is certainly a challenging character although you grow to understand exactly why as time goes on. The story unfolds a little slowly but I was never bored. In fact, I was fully engaged the whole time. The relationship between Cam and Calvin really grew over time which I think was fantastic ... it wasn't just a love at first sight sort of story line. It took awhile to build their relationship. I loved the addition of the nephew and how he was so integral to the development of their relationship. I loved Cam's bestie and I really hope she gets her own book one day! All in all, this was a really enjoyable romance read!

NOTE: received a digital galley of this book from the publisher for an honest review.