Happy publication day! 4⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Setting ~ Illinois Publication date ~ July 23, 2024 Est Page Count ~379 (95 chapters) Audio lenHappy publication day! 4⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Setting ~ Illinois Publication date ~ July 23, 2024 Est Page Count ~379 (95 chapters) Audio length ~ 13 hours Narrators ~ Vas Eli, Emana Rachelle, Lee Osorio, Natasha Soudek, Philip Hernandez POV ~ single 1st, present tense & multiple 3rd Featuring ~ multiple timelines, short chapters/page breaks, murder, gangsters, espionage, mentions of human trafficking and cancer
Leo is an attorney accused of murder. He might have a way to stay out of prison if he helps the FBI. I mostly enjoyed his character. He was a bit much with his love of prime numbers, but he provided enough humor that I could overlook that. One thing is for sure, he will protect his brother, Trace, at all costs.
Chris is a FBI agent and a cancer survivor.
Andi is a former cop, now a deputy director of security. She's also Leo's ex-girlfriend.
We hear from Marilyn, Leo's mom, a few times.
There is a lot going on and you can try to pay attention, but there are twists after twists after twists. Luckily they were doled out nicely and not wam wam wam smacking me in the face all at once, which I liked. The multiple timelines are easy to follow along with. It’s a bit repetitive and on the longer side, but I appreciated the short chapters and page breaks to keep the pace steady. I'd recommend it if you like an action packed thriller with some espionage and a character that strives for justice.
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference. Seems like it would be good with a full cast of narrators.
Go enter the GR giveaway for 50 kindle copies going on right now if you fancy this one. 4⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Setting ~ Minnesota Publication daGo enter the GR giveaway for 50 kindle copies going on right now if you fancy this one. 4⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Setting ~ Minnesota Publication date ~ August 6, 2024 Publisher ~ G.P. Putnam's Sons Est Page Count ~ 368 (29 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 9 hours 40 minutes Narrator ~ Karissa Vacker POV ~ single 1st, present tense Featuring ~ debut, dead friend, grumpy/sunshine, slow burn, no steamage
I was drawn to reading this book due to the fact that the main character carries the BRCA 1 mutation. I, like, our main character, Alison, and the author, Ellie, am a carrier, too. (See below for some BRCA facts I've added.)
Alison (30) & Adam team up to clear out their dead friend, Sam’s, house in order to take the burden off of his parents. Speaking of his parents, they think Alison was still Sam’s girlfriend when he died, but it turns out they have been broken up for weeks. She goes along with the ruse for quite a while to spare his mother’s feelings.
Being someone who understands all that Alison feels regarding her carrying the BRCA gene I felt that was well written and relatable. Her mother's character is relatable to me too since I have a daughter that could very well be positive, too. I don't think I'll be as overboard as she was, but time will tell how I'll react. It definitely gives you a new perspective on life when you get those positive results. She's already had a double mastectomy and is contemplating the removal of her fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus. I can’t say I was fully on board with what she thought she was expected to do with her life, but to each their own. While it does a good job of bringing awareness it’s not going to be fully relatable to all readers with its heavier topic since it takes up more of the book then the actual romance portion.
I do like a good grump and Adam fits the bill in that department. He does take a little bit to warm up to, but once you do he’s like a big teddy bear that wears flannel and can’t get enough coffee. With that said, though, I didn’t fully feel their connection honestly. Maybe since it was a super slow burner.
Alison's friends were great side characters to help keep her in check, even if she didn’t want to listen to their advice. I love the trivia competitions they went to. They really take their trivia seriously and it was fun to read.
Overall, I really enjoyed the good banter in this debut. I look forward to reading more from Ellie in the future.
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
************************************************************* I always like to provide some information on this topic when the opportunity presents itself.
I had a preventative double mastectomy, an oophorectomy and had my uterus, cervix and fallopian tubes removed back in 2019 in order to reduce my cancer risks significantly (a full guarantee of never getting cancer is not possible).
BRCA1 vs BRCA2 Both mutations increase the risk of ovarian cancer, as well as pancreatic cancer. A BRCA1 mutation can also increase the risk of cervical, uterine, and colon cancer, while BRCA2 can increase the likelihood of stomach, gallbladder, and bile duct cancer, plus melanoma.
For example, about 50 out of 100 women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation will get breast cancer by the time they turn 70 years old, compared to a probability of about 12% for the general population. In the general population, about 0.2–0.3% of people, or roughly 1 in 400, have a faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. However, the prevalence of BRCA gene mutations varies by ethnic group. For example, about 2% of people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent have a harmful variant in one of these genes, and among Ashkenazi Jewish women and men, about 1 in 40 have a BRCA1/2 gene mutation.
There are presently no reliable diagnostic test for ovarian cancer. The two tests available are the CA-125 blood test, which detects a marker in the blood, raised levels of which are associated with ovarian cancer; and trans-vaginal ultrasound, which uses sound waves to build up a picture of the ovaries, including any suspicious lumps ~ are not reliable, they detect only a minority of cancers.
If you remove the ovaries of a woman with a BRCA1 mutation early enough, you can almost halve the risk of her developing breast cancer.
For women with a mutation, the evidence suggests that MRI scanning combined with mammograms can be over 80% reliable. That is, it detects cancers in 80% of cases, while mammograms alone detect only 23% of tumors.
The gene was discovered around 2000.
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4⭐ Genre ~ family drama, domestic thriller, legal thriller Setting ~ Pennsylvania Publication date ~ March 26, 2024 Est page Count ~ 400 (65 chapters +e)4⭐ Genre ~ family drama, domestic thriller, legal thriller Setting ~ Pennsylvania Publication date ~ March 26, 2024 Est page Count ~ 400 (65 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 9 hours 40 minutes Narrator ~ Edoardo Ballerini POV ~ single 1st Featuring ~ short chapters, lawyers, alcoholism, sobriety
TJ is the black sheep of the family, an ex-con, too. When his brother comes to him for help one night he finds himself on a mission that could cost him everything he's worked for.
I felt like I was tagging right along with TJ on his investigations. You can’t help but both feel bad for him and wonder why you are since what he did to land himself in the slammer wasn’t great. His father and brother are down right awful to him and their entitlement was a bit much. Sister, Gabby, on the other hand was great!
Overall, it was pretty fast paced with a good amount of action that kept me engaged. If you're a fan of legal family dramas then you'll probably like this one.
Side note ~ I was pleased to read in the author's note that she did extensive research and actually attended AA meetings in order to make sure she was writing the characters realistically. Obviously she knows her stuff on the law side of things since she went to law school.
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
*Thanks to the author, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3.25⭐ Genre ~ mystery Setting ~ England Publication date ~ December 5, 2023 Est page Count ~ 367 (35 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 10 hours 45 minutes Narrato3.25⭐ Genre ~ mystery Setting ~ England Publication date ~ December 5, 2023 Est page Count ~ 367 (35 chapters +e) Audio length ~ 10 hours 45 minutes Narrator ~ Naomi Frederick POV ~ single 3rd Featuring ~ secrets, lies, murder, infidelity
4 best friends, Lucy & Adam & Cora & Scott, do everything together. 3 went to uni together and 1 married into this tight knit group, which is who our main narrator is, Lucy.
Once Lucy sees an incriminating photo she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out what's going on. And then the person in the photo turns up missing and she really amps up her obsession. I could totally see my nosy self trying to figure out what was going on my own, too, but I'm not sure I would make all the same decisions as Lucy. I was quite curious how it would play out, but it turned out to be a bit predictable to me. It did move along at a quick pace, so that was a good thing. The extra POV from an unknown adds some intrigue, but unfortunately that's easy to guess who it is. There were some heart pounding moments, especially in the car at the end, but Lucy's actions is the final scenes were just too implausible in my opinion.
Overall, I think it was well written and would appeal to unseasoned mystery reads.
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
*Thanks to the author, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Four friends, Helena, Maggie, Liz & Joni are on holiday together. Liz has picked their excursion this time and not everyone is thrilled about it.
It took me a bit to get into the story. Maybe because I'm not super big on hiking. You might catch me on an early morning walk/jog with my pup once in a while, but out in the wilderness, no thanks. Anyway, I loved that it was written with each of their POV's. It's full of friendship drama and some old secrets, as expected. After it picks up the pace there's some tension and action that kept me engaged. Overall, decent.
I was able to listen to an audio copy as well. Narration notes: No complaints.
*Thanks to the author, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
4.25⭐ Genre ~ thriller Publication date ~ May 16, 2023 Page Count ~ 335 Audio length ~ 9 hours 12 minutes Narrator ~ Jaime Lamchick POV ~ single 1st Featuri4.25⭐ Genre ~ thriller Publication date ~ May 16, 2023 Page Count ~ 335 Audio length ~ 9 hours 12 minutes Narrator ~ Jaime Lamchick POV ~ single 1st Featuring ~ serial killers, con artist
Imagine getting taken by a serial killer, getting rescued, going on the run from the FBI and then finding yourself trying to take down another serial killer. I was gripped from the get go with this funny, fast paced vigilante plot.
The story is mainly told by Amber, with some interlude chapters. There's a nice set of side characters that Amber meets along the way. Overall, this was quite a ride that I never wanted to end. I'll definitely be reading more from this author.
I was able to listen to an audio copy as well. The narrator did a fine job.
*Thanks to Michelle Gagnon, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
I am not going to say too much about this one. There is A LOT going on and there are so many different characters to keep track of that the author provides a name key. Some of the names are interesting and there were some funny nicknames too ~ Pietro Hay (the man who sells hay), Donato Nuts (the man who sells nuts), Giuseppe Dry Beans, Antonio Wet Beans, etc….they just made me chuckle.
We start out in 1810, then have a 15 year jump. We follow a mafia and a mans mission to be the most powerful, a kidnapping and a lawyers mission to find the boy, Alfredo who makes charmed cheese and has a big secret and an albino girl named Lucia. There’s violence, there’s sadness and happiness too.
I was going back and forth with rounding my 4.5 down or up and I chose to go with up after reading the author’s note. When an author actually goes to the country in which she sets her book to do actual research that deserves an extra nod IMO.
*Thanks to Lisa Scottoline, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*...more
3⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Setting ~ NYC Publication date ~ January 10, 2023 Est page Count ~ 351 (45 chapters) Audio length ~ 9 hours 47 minutes Nar3⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Setting ~ NYC Publication date ~ January 10, 2023 Est page Count ~ 351 (45 chapters) Audio length ~ 9 hours 47 minutes Narrator ~ Rebecca Lowman POV ~ single 1st Featuring ~ debut, police procedural, suicide references, animal death (view spoiler)[goat with throat slashed (hide spoiler)], flashbacks
I have mixed feelings about this one, so I'm going to plop it in the middle. Leigh is a suspended detective and heads back to her hometown to help her brother investigate some suspicious deaths. Sometimes I liked her and other times I wasn't sure why she was making some of the decisions she did. I guess family is family, but she was just leaving her 4 year old daughter with her uncles that she hadn't seen in 14 years. Yeah they helped raise her when she needed it the most, but still seems crazy.
I liked the mystery behind Welcome to Copper Falls: The idyllic town that no one leaves alive. I'm not going to pick apart every little thing because there's a lot of other things going on. There were some sad moments in regards to her relationship with her husband, Eric, but the build up of what went wrong took a long time to find out.
Overall, this was fine as a debut, but if this was the authors 4th book or so I'd have more concerns.
Side note ~ I love that her daughter, Simone's, stuffed animal is named Arnie since that's my dogs name.
*Thanks to the author, Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
I was able to listen to a copy as well. Narration notes: She did a fine job.
2⭐ for the 1st half~ish + 4⭐ for the 2nd half~ish = 3⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, rich to poor, entitled, celebrity, family drama, small town,2⭐ for the 1st half~ish + 4⭐ for the 2nd half~ish = 3⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, rich to poor, entitled, celebrity, family drama, small town, reverse grumpy/sunshine, fake fiance, clean, magic realism, Christmas spirit galore, no steamage
For the first half of the book I did not care for any of the characters. Bettie was very self absorbed and materialistic, like over the top. Her family was pretty awful at times, except Grandpa. The children had some interesting names, but they seemed to be well behaved.
Hall was an absolute delight throughout. I don't have one bad thing to say about him. You can't help but smile at his holiday excitement. He acts, but does not look like, Buddy the Elf. And it was all because of Hall that the second half of the book was great. His infectious joy brought out the good in everyone.
*Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ multiple POV's ~ 1st person (Amy) & 3 person (Joanna & Leah), dual timeline, mystery
Joanna is fresh off a break up when she meets Ca3.25⭐
Featuring ~ multiple POV's ~ 1st person (Amy) & 3 person (Joanna & Leah), dual timeline, mystery
Joanna is fresh off a break up when she meets Callum. They've only had one date when he is involved in an accident. He doesn't have any next of kin and somehow Joanna is thrown into helping him heal by moving him in with her. What's up with this guy though, does he have an ulterior motive for wanting to be close to Joanna?
Leah is finally feeling like she is able to visit her family's resort a year after her niece, Amy, died there. She's not liking what she sees when she gets there and starts an investigation of her own to try to find out what really happened to Amy. I liked this part of the story.
This one was slow going for me. We knew that Joanna and Leah's lives would collide somehow, but it took a while to get there. I am so happy there was Amy's POV, so we had a better understanding of what happened to her. All in all a decent read.
I was able to listen to the final version on audio as well, so I went back and forth reading and listening. Sofia Zervudachi did a fine job narrating for 11 hours and 39 minutes, easy to follow at 2x.
*Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*...more
4.35⭐ I wish I read this while I was lounging at my pool, so I could have pretended I was sipping Prosecco while I listened in on a bunch of secrets an4.35⭐ I wish I read this while I was lounging at my pool, so I could have pretended I was sipping Prosecco while I listened in on a bunch of secrets and a whole lotta drama.
Featuring ~ multiple 3rd person POV, secrets, lies
Six ladies are off to the the Greek Islands for a hen party (this is one of my favorite British terms!) to celebrate Lexi's upcoming nuptials to Ed. We have Lexi, Robyn, Fen, Bella, Ana & Eleanor and a mysterious person as our storytellers.
I really loved that it was told in multiple POV's ~ it really showed how each of them felt about one another and all the lies they tell and all the secrets they try to keep. I found it was paced and written well. I thought I knew where the story was going and I was correct and not correct. I guessed somethings and others were a surprise. Definitely gives off Big Little Lies vibes.
I was lucky enough to both read and listen to this one and I enjoyed both formats equally. Natalie Simpson and Sofia Zervadachi did a lovely job narrating for 10 hours and 8 minutes, easy to follow along at 2x.
I have not read this authors work before, but I'd be delighted to do so.
*Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, Lucy Clarke and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, debut, childhood sweethearts, manipulation madness, miscommunication, light on the rom, second chance
I was drawn 3⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, debut, childhood sweethearts, manipulation madness, miscommunication, light on the rom, second chance
I was drawn to this one by the premise and the cover and it ended up being just alright for me. I wasn't overly in love with any of the characters, except for Tola and Eric. Aly's parents were something. Aly's boss was a tool. Dylan coulda stepped up more. And what was up with Nikki, blah with her.
I did like how Aly fixed things with Dylan at the end, but I wouldn't have minded more than a smooch. Since this was a debut I'd give this author another go.
*Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
I was able to listen to the final version as well, so I went back and forth reading and listening. Lily Howkins did a fine job for 8 hours and 22 minutes, easy to follow at 2.25-2.5x.
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and the author for providing me with an advanced reader copy for my honest review** 3.5 ⭐ From a Kyle C**Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and the author for providing me with an advanced reader copy for my honest review** 3.5 ⭐ From a Kyle Chandler look-a-like to a bald headed vigilante dad. Chapter 1 had me hooked! Jason, Lucinda, Allison and Ethan are carjacked on their way home one night resulting in a parents worst nightmare. The FBI shows up and the family is whisked away to a safe house in the witness protection program, leaving everything and everyone behind. Jason seemed very cool as a cucumber most of the time throughout part one. I got something smells fishy vibes right away and it's not because they were living near the marsh.
Then, onto pulse pounding part two!...or so I thought. It really started out good, with much more page turning action and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next, but then some things started to seem far-fetched and predictable to me. Although it was fast paced, it seemed to drag on quite a bit. There were some twists I saw coming a mile away, and some that were a surprise, which kept me reading on. I did enjoy the friendships that Jason made along the way. Something that really stuck out as odd for me was that Jason called his son "Honey". To me that's more of a term for a female. And I always find it interesting when authors write in the point of view of their opposite sex, it just seems more likely that women author's first person character would be a woman. Overall, I would recommend to my suspenseful, secret and action packed-ish loving friends. ...more
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