Fern Brookbanks is dealing with the loss of her mother after a car accident. Her mother had left the reMeet Me at the Lake is a second-chance romance.
Fern Brookbanks is dealing with the loss of her mother after a car accident. Her mother had left the resort she owned to her. Fern knows she needs help managing the property but she doesn’t know if she wants to do it. Her life is in the big city, of Toronto. She has been living there for the last few years. Then, as if losing her mother was not enough shock, she learns her mother had hired a company to help her stay in the black and the person who shows up is none other than Will Baxter, the man she met ten years before and who broke her heart.
Ten years earlier, Fern had the best day with Will. Will, who is an artist, is painting a mural in the coffee shop where she was working. As soon as they meet, a spark is there. Yet, both have a significant other but they make a pact to see each other a year later at the resort. A year later, Fern is there but Will never shows up.
In the present, Will is in front of her and she is still furious at him but she knows she needs his help if she wants to keep the business afloat or if she decides to sell.
Meet Me at the Lake had 3 timelines if we count Fern's mom's diary entries and one main POV.
It was easy to like Fern. I understood why she didn’t want to take over the resort after college. She wanted to do her own thing. I like Will except during the conflict. He didn’t act the way I thought he should.
Overall, I did like it and I would read another romance by Carley Fortune.
Cliffhanger: No
3.5/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Viking via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ways the World Could End is about a father and a daughter and their grief after losing Jana (wife/mom). It is also aboutQuite an interesting YA novel.
Ways the World Could End is about a father and a daughter and their grief after losing Jana (wife/mom). It is also about Aspergers, coming of age, love, and forgiveness.
The audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Willing and Pete Cross. Both did a wonderful job in giving life to these wonderful characters.
Each chapter that begins with Dave starts with him narrating the many ways the world could end. This is the reason why he has a bunker stocked with everything he might need to keep himself and his daughter, Cleo alive.
You see Dave has Asperger's and dealing with people is a problem. After Jana died, he moved himself and Cleo to a remote area in the hills of San Juan Capistrano where he can have more control. He knows that he has to let Cleo live her life but he doesn't need to like it. So when Cleo strikes a friendship with Edie, a new girl recently transferred from another school, Dave has to tolerate her.
Cleo is almost sixteen. She misses her mother terribly. Jana was not only her mom but her friend. She was able to tell her mother everything including her new feelings towards girls. Cleo knows of her father's Aspergers and she knows how to help him thanks to Jana. She is a very smart and thoughtful teenager. She seems mature for her age but life might have something to do with it. Meeting Edie has been the one positive she wasn't expecting.
I truly enjoyed Ways the World Could End. I liked that in the end, forgiveness was a big statement. I would say that the one thing that I wasn't too happy with was the way sometimes Dave came across. In some instances, he sounded selfish and robotic. Thankfully most of the time, he sounded like a worried dad grieving the loss of his wife.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Dreamscape Media via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a huge fan of Loreth Anne White. I have read all her books and I have enjoyed all of them.
Lily Bradley is married to Tom and has 2 children. She wI'm a huge fan of Loreth Anne White. I have read all her books and I have enjoyed all of them.
Lily Bradley is married to Tom and has 2 children. She works as a therapist. She has gone this route because she truly wants to help people. Her past is the reason why she has chosen her profession. Yet, Lily has made sure that no one knows about her past although lately, she has been feeling like someone is following her, and her life as she knows it can be unraveled, and if the past comes out, it will not only destroy her work but her family too.
As Lily's life is unfolding, a woman jogger is found dead. Detective Rue Duval is called to find out if it was an accident or was it murder. Rue has been investigating the "jogger killer" and this woman fits the pattern. Everyone is a suspect and Rue won't give up until she finds out the truth although Rue is also hiding her own connection to the deceased.
I loved this one. I devoured the audio which had a great narrator. I love all the red herrings LAW threw at us. It made me question everything. Was there a crime or not? If yes, who killed her and why?
I liked both Lily and Rue. In a way, both women were trying to keep their children safe. Hopefully, we get to see Rue in another book.
Lastly, if you listen to the audio you won't be disappointed with Brittany Pressley's narration.
5+ stars for Josh and Gemma Make a Baby's audiobook.
If you are looking for a romance, don't look any further. I adored this book! It was sweet and ch5+ stars for Josh and Gemma Make a Baby's audiobook.
If you are looking for a romance, don't look any further. I adored this book! It was sweet and charming.
Gemma is ready for the next step in her life. She wants to have a baby. She has stage 4 endometriosis and she is done waiting for the right guy. Her marriage to Jeremy was a big disappointment and left her with a sour taste for romance. Adding salt on the wound, Jeremy has remarried and is on his third child.
Gemma needs an IVF partner and she asks her brother's best friend, Josh to be the donor. At first, Josh says no but then he changes his mind. Josh has been in Gemma's life since they were teenagers. Josh was her first too. A detail she has never forgotten.
Once Gemma decides on taking the next step on IVF, her boss Ian, who is a guru in self-help, asks her on a date. He is hot and handsome and she has liked him for the last seven years but is he what Gemma needs? Or is it Josh who is going with her to every doctor's appointment and makes her laugh when she is stressed?
Josh is hands down one of my favorite book boyfriends. He was there for Gemma all the way and I found him to be sweet, supportive, and super sexy.
Gemma was so much fun to read. She has so many great scenes like the koi pond, the pumpkin dress, the humble pie. Too many to count.
I loved Josh and Gemma Make a Baby so much. It's was hard to let go of these characters. I will miss them.
I did the audio for this novel and I thought it was phenomenal. I wanted to listen to it all at once, it was that compelling. The chapters just flew by.
Trigger warning: Infertility.
Cliffhanger: No
5/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Swift & Lewis Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Three women dating the same guy. A nightmare, right? Not so much.
Was I upset at Joseph Carter? ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MAD AT HIM.
Yes, I'm screaming andThree women dating the same guy. A nightmare, right? Not so much.
Was I upset at Joseph Carter? ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY MAD AT HIM.
Yes, I'm screaming and so will you ( I think). What a bastard, right. Or is it?
Anyway, let's talk about the 3 ladies.
Siobhan: she is a life coach. She has two very supportive girlfriends. She has some issues in moving forward from a past relationship and admitting that she is in love.
Miranda: A tree surgeon who loves her job. Her twin sisters have moved in with her and she is dating Carter although AJ (from work) can't stop flirting with her.
Jane: A quiet wounded soul. She is working at a store as a volunteer. She is not saying where she got the money to rent a place or what happened when she was living in London.
Now Joseph Carter: A handsome guy in a nerdy way. He is everything these 3 women want. He can be sweet and supportive, and overall, he appears to be a good guy. A big example is Carter moved in with his mother to take care of her because she has dementia. Yet, he is not perfect. He is never on time, and the reason why he stood them up on Valentine's day is still a mystery.
Quite a few feelings with The No-Show. I got angry, I cried, and I felt sad but in the end, I felt hopeful which was truly a good thing.
So did I like Joseph Carter? The truth is a resounding yes!!
I loved The Flatshare and the Switch but I wasn't sure about the Road Trip, so I was a little leery about reading this one. Thankfully, I had nothing to fear. Beath O'Leary is back in top form once again.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center confirms that romance novels still do it for me.
Hannah Brooks is not having a good week. The next day of her mother'The Bodyguard by Katherine Center confirms that romance novels still do it for me.
Hannah Brooks is not having a good week. The next day of her mother's funeral, her boyfriend dumps her and he cites 3 reasons. The last one is like a knife to the chest.
"You’re a bad kisser".
For Hannah, the only way to deal with all of it is to immerse herself in her work. She is an Executive Protection Agent, a bodyguard. She begs her boss for a new assignment but the boss tells her she has to grieve and grounds her.
After a month, she is finally about to go back to work. She’s excited to leave Texas behind and go anywhere else. The joke is on her when her boss Glenn tells her, she is staying and she is going to be the lead bodyguard for Jack Stapleton, a famous actor.
Jack and Hannah's first encounter is not a perfect one. He confused her with the cleaning lady and by the end of the interview, she has left him on the floor after he told her to prove to him she could take him. Things get more complicated when Jake doesn't want his mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer, to know his life might be in danger and he wants Hannah to fake being his girlfriend. Hannah doesn't want to do it but she is competing for a new position and she will do it to keep her job and win the post.
After days of spending time together, Hannah realizes she has developed feelings for Jack and Jack seem to be reciprocating them. But is it for real or is Jake acting instead?
I loved both characters. They were both dealing with things from their past and carrying the guilt with them. It was nice to see how they complemented each other and helped the other one heal. Their banter was outstanding and the way their relationship develops felt real and believable. Best was the amazing epilogue which answers everything I wanted to know.
The Bodyguard proves once again why I love Katherine Center's writing so much.
Cliffhanger: No
4.5/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
56 Days is set in Ireland the week COVID-19 hit the island.
56 days ago Ciara meets Oliver in the supermarket. Oliver is tall and handsome and Ciara wan56 Days is set in Ireland the week COVID-19 hit the island.
56 days ago Ciara meets Oliver in the supermarket. Oliver is tall and handsome and Ciara wants nothing more than continue talking to him.
Oliver for his part can't believe that Ciara is who she says she is. Oliver lives in fear of people finding out about his past. What he did and every time he brings his walls down, something happens that makes his new life disappear right in front of his eyes. This time, this is a new beginning for him, one he doesn't want to lose.
35 days ago Then the world goes into lockdown due to a pandemic. What better way to find out more about Ciara than to spend time together in the apartment his work is providing. No one will see much of them and they can explore what they are feeling for each other.
Today A body has been found in Oliver's apartment. Who's the body??
__
I was hooked! Despite the different timelines from past and present and the voices from Ciara, Oliver, and the detective Leah Riordan, it all made perfect sense and my attention never wavered.
56 Days had the right kind of suspense. Do I wish the ending was a little different? Sure but the way it went also works.
The Nothing Man is still in my TBR. I know I have to read it after enjoying 56 Days so much.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Blackstone Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have liked Jessica Strawser's other work so you could understand how excited I was to dive into The Next Thing You Know.
Nova Huston is an end-of-lifI have liked Jessica Strawser's other work so you could understand how excited I was to dive into The Next Thing You Know.
Nova Huston is an end-of-life doula. She works for Kelly Monroe at Partying Your Way. Kelly is also a doula and she and her daughter Willow have formed a friendship and a bond with Nova.
End-of-life doulas can be their client's support system, the go in-between with family. They can guide their clients with their legal issues and end-of-life care. End-of-life doulas are also there to help with the mental, emotional, and spiritual parts of their journey. Kelly's way of working is more by the book. She's responsible and loves to follow protocol. On the other hand, Nova just goes more with her gut feeling. Nova also takes the cases Kelly doesn't like to do, for example, a young person their age dying. So when Mason Shaylor comes knocking, Kelly immediately passes him to Nova.
Mason tells Nova he has a deteriorating condition and there is nothing left to be done to help him. After a rocky start, Nova takes him as her new client and she's hopeful she can help him with his transition.
Then we switched to the present where Nova is in trouble and Kelly's business might be in danger of closing. Mason's mother has made an accusation against Nova. First to the police and then to the media. Nova's world is imploding while she mourns her loss too.
The Next Thing You Know was thought-provoking and also quite informative. I knew all about Hospice and end-of-life care but not about doulas and the extra help they could bring to a patient in the right setting. Most of the time is quite hard for patients and families to accept hospice coming in and helping. I believe the last time I saw a statistic, hospice was underused. Most people are only in hospice for a median average of 24 days so not enough time to actually use all its benefits.
Death for most people is not an easy topic to discuss. Patients and family members tend to avoid talking about advance directives. Yet, the one constant is that we are all going to die so it would be nice if we can get the help we need during the end of our life. A support system, helping with pain, acceptance of the inevitable, seeking forgiveness, dealing with unresolved feelings and regrets. I can see the use of end-of-life doulas in this regard.
Even though I liked this book, I didn't like the ending quite that much. I thought the explanation was just too out there for my liking. Other than that, I have no qualms about recommending it.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gone for Good is an enjoyable thriller and I want more Annalisa Vega!
Detective Annalisa Vega is following in her father's footsteps. She is a cop justGone for Good is an enjoyable thriller and I want more Annalisa Vega!
Detective Annalisa Vega is following in her father's footsteps. She is a cop just like him.
When the book begins, she has been assigned a new partner who turns out to be her ex-husband Nick Carelli. Their marriage didn't work but Annalisa knows she can't complain and she will have to work with him. She doesn't have a lot of time to process anything before she is called to the scene of a murder.
The victim is Grace Hopper. Grace, on her personal time, was part of an online group, The Grave Diggers, who review cold cases and try to find clues the police missed. Her latest interest was the Lovelorn Killer. Grace is murdered just like one of his victims. Annalisa realizes this and she knows it could mean that after twenty years, the person who killed her neighbor, Katie who was the mother of her boyfriend Collin, is back. She knows she must contact Collin who disappeared from her life after his mother's murder.
Everyone wants to know why, is the Lovelorn Killer back? Why did he stop for twenty years? Is this the work of a copycat? Annalisa doesn't believe that it is. She feels confident it's him! He is taunting her with phone calls and is following her. She could be his the next victim.....
I love Annalisa's character. She was strong and was ready to make the hard decisions. I also liked that despite Nick being her ex, they work well together. I liked Nick and I also like Collin who comes back because his mother's killer is back. I'm not sure which guy I will pick for Annalisa.
I guess we should see what happens to them on the next installment which I won't miss!
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so used to reading books by Kristan Higgins that leave me with a smile on my face. Yes, some can elicit tears but they are always hopeful. So I waI'm so used to reading books by Kristan Higgins that leave me with a smile on my face. Yes, some can elicit tears but they are always hopeful. So I was a little shocked to read the blurb of this one. We are told the main character dies!!
Was I going to read it? Yes, absolutely.
Was it going to break my heart? Probably, but I wouldn't pass up the opportunity.
This is the story of Lauren and Josh. A young couple who is happily married. They are lucky, they get along in a fantastic way. Then, Lauren's asthma keeps on making her feel tired and short of breath. She has multiple ER visits and hospital admissions for pneumonia. Then she is sent to the pulmonologist and finally, an accurate diagnosis is made. Lauren has IPF, a terminal disease.
Joshua's world collapses. Despite him being a prodigy in his career, he can't help Lauren. He is completely useless and powerless and losing her, he does. Yet, Lauren is helping him deal with her loss from the GB (great beyond). She left behind a letter for each month of the first year she's gone to help Joshua move on. The tasks are not easy for him to do but in a way they make him move forward despite the pain.
There is no doubt that Kristan Higgins is my favorite author for a reason. Pack Up the Moon is a well-written novel that deals with grief in an honest way. I couldn't feel sadder for Joshua and his heartbreak. Lauren was a little too good for her own good but I will let that go. I did love the secondary characters, Lauren's letters to her dad, the humorous parts of the story, and I thought the epilogue was just what the novel needed.
Thank you KH for making sure my tear ducts are in working order!
Cliffhanger: No
5/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Royal Assassin begins just where Apprentice Assassin ended.
If you read the books you know what happened to Fitz. Suffice it to say, he didn't do so weRoyal Assassin begins just where Apprentice Assassin ended.
If you read the books you know what happened to Fitz. Suffice it to say, he didn't do so well on his first solo quest as an Assassin to help his King and King-in-Waiting, Verity. At least, the Six Duchies has gained a Queen-in-Waiting, Kettricken.
In the beginning, Fitz is not sure about himself. He was hurt during the events that happened a the end of book one and he's still recuperating. But Fitz must go back to Buckkeep not only because of his promise to his King but also because he wants to look for Molly, his friend.
When he gets to Buckkeep, King Shrewd is not himself. He looks sick. King-in-Waiting, Verity is trying to keep the raiders off the Six Duchies without much success. The one good piece of good news is that Molly is now working at Buckkeep. The bad news is that by him caring for her, he has painted a target on her back.
Fitz does make a new connection with an animal, NightEyes who becomes one of my favorite characters in this book (Just like I loved Nosy and Smithy).
In Royal Assassin, nothing really good happens to Fitz. He has the bad luck of being a bastard and having Regal as an enemy. His life is nothing but dangerous situations and people trying to kill him.
Despite things not going well for him, I did enjoy this book and so many of the characters have become dear to me, including Kettricken, Verity, NightEyes, The Fool, Patience, Lacey, and Burrich.
Maxine and Alex were quite a pair. Not in the way you are thinking. She is a ninety-year-old lady and he is only twenty-five. Yet, their friendship woMaxine and Alex were quite a pair. Not in the way you are thinking. She is a ninety-year-old lady and he is only twenty-five. Yet, their friendship works.
Max(ine) lives in a retirement community and using the app car share, she pays Alex for a trip to Brussels. Maxine is going there to end her life. She believes she has Alzheimer's and she doesn't want to live that way. So she has an appointment she can't miss.
Alex is a depressed young man who is going to Brussels after having his heart broken. He needs a vacation but needs help with gas so he puts an announcement in the app. At first, he is not sure about Maxine. She seems to be crazy but soon he realizes she is just that way. A spirited and funny lady who he starts caring for.
Between Maxine and the neurotic Alex, the trip is quite memorable. In a way, both helped each other open up about their current situation and realized that life is not so bad after all if you have someone who cares about you.
I love Maxine, she was full of life and her purse was the bomb. Alex was a little harder to like at the beginning but this mismatched pair worked in the end.
3/5 Fangs
Cliffhanger: No
A complimentary copy was provided by Hodder & Stoughton via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As a huge fan of On the Island, I jumped at the opportunity of reading Heard It in a Love Song.
Layla is a thirty-five-old woman recently divorced. SheAs a huge fan of On the Island, I jumped at the opportunity of reading Heard It in a Love Song.
Layla is a thirty-five-old woman recently divorced. She is still healing, her divorce took a toll on her. Her ex-husband never supported her dream of becoming a professional singer so for all the years they were married, she had to give it up. Now, she has decided to sing for herself. She changes her basement and makes it her studio. A place where she can play her guitar and sing her music without a disapproving glance or an explanation needed.
Josh is an electrician. He recently separated from his high school sweetheart. He is in his 40s and has a daughter who is going to kindergarten. Josh shares custody and loves the time he spends with her. Yet, his free time is another matter. He would like to have someone he can share things with.
Layla works at the school. She is the music teacher. She's also at the receiving end of drop-off time at school. Here is where she starts interacting with Josh when he drops his daughter every morning. Soon thereafter, a friendship with potential ensues.
I liked the story. It's more about realizing what your dreams are and resuming them. It's also about moving forward after a failed relationship and rediscovering who you are on your own. Learning to enjoy the time alone.
I wouldn't call this a romance per se since I felt the romance was secondary at times. Both Layla and Josh were cautious despite their attraction. They knew they wanted to avoid making a mistake in their new relationship. I liked their growth from strangers to friends to something more.
This was a buddy-read with my friend, Jayme.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Will she give her child away to give her or him a better life?
Will she sell her body to eWhat will a mother do for her kid?
Will she donate an organ?
Will she give her child away to give her or him a better life?
Will she sell her body to earn money to bring food to the table?
Or will she sell opiates to pay for a medical treatment that is cost-prohibitive?
The last one is exactly the scenario Dr. Emma Sweeney is living.
Emma has only wanted one thing since her parents died: to have a family. Meeting Nate and having their son, Josh has been the best thing that happened to her. She loves her husband and adores her child.
Emma is a doctor at a local clinic, she is still paying her student loans and her husband Nate is a detective. They live a modest life without luxury but they're happy. Then the blow comes, Josh is diagnosed with AML and he needs treatment right away. He can either have chemo and a poor prognosis or he can go with CAR T-cell therapy which will cost them 100k plus insurance.
Emma, who knows time is of the essence and money is needed or the hospital won't help Josh, does the unimaginable. She decides to sell signed prescriptions of opiates for cash. She needs to be smart about it. She has old connections she can push to help her while making sure her smart husband, the cop, doesn't discover her.
What a heartbreaking story! Christina McDonald does a great job at describing some of the broken pieces in medicine including the cost of cancer treatment, the opiate crisis, addiction, the power of insurance companies, to name a few.
I was surprised how easy it was for Emma to leave her conscience behind. Yet, I understood her motives. I felt for her dilemma and her fear of losing Josh. However, I can't say that agree with what she was doing. The world of drugs is a dangerous and usually a lethal one.
I had some minor issues with the story and it might because of my job. Nowadays, Eforce is becoming universal. PDMP is checked regularly. Most prescription pads are under lock and key and we never have opiates at the office.
Despite the above, Do No Harm was a gratifying thriller.
I do know now that whatever Christina McDonald writes next, I will read.
I still can't fathom how some humans can endure so much pain, mentally and physically, and survive it and find happiness.
I don't think I could've survI still can't fathom how some humans can endure so much pain, mentally and physically, and survive it and find happiness.
I don't think I could've survived Auschwitz-Birkenau. I couldn't have survived the Vorkuta gulag in Siberia and most definitely, I wouldn't have survived both places.
How can a sixteen-year-old survive all of those thirteen years of misery? I have no clue. Like Lale Sokolov said: "She was the bravest person I knew".
“Everyone affected by war, captivity, or oppression reacts differently — and away from it, people might try to guess how they would act, or react, in the circumstances. But they do not really know.”
Even though this is a work of fiction, Cilka Klein was a real person. She was a Jewish girl born in Bardejov. She was a prisoner in both Auschwitz and Siberia. She endured rape, abuse, hunger, and so much death. Everyone she loved, was taken from her. Yet, she found new friendships and a doctor in Siberia who was sympathetic to her and decided to help her and train her.
The story is devastating in the horrors humans inflict on other humans. Despite it all, it does end up with a sense of hope that all is not lost.
Is this the same author that gave us The Flatshare and The Switch?
It didn't feel that way to me.
Dylan and Marcus are driving towards their friend CherIs this the same author that gave us The Flatshare and The Switch?
It didn't feel that way to me.
Dylan and Marcus are driving towards their friend Cherry's wedding in Scotland when they hit the car in front. Of course, the car in front is driven by Dylan's ex-girlfriend, Addie.
Addie is also going to the wedding. Her sister, Beth is in the passenger seat and Rodney, a guy from the Facebook wedding group is in the back.
When Dylan's car ceases to work, Addie can't leave Dylan stranded. So both Dylan and Marcus join them in Addie's car. What follows is an uncomfortable trip for most of them.
I had 3 issues with The Road Trip.
First one: Connecting with the characters. I didn't like Dylan and hated his best friend, Marcus. Addie was not so bad but If I have to pick a favorite character, it would be Beth, Addie's sister. Beth was there for Addie every time she needed her. She also gave good advice and inserted humor into the story.
The second problem: Addie's reactions. It felt like Addie was in love with Dylan just a few hours after meeting Dylan. Then, in the present, just a few hours into the drive she was forgetting and sweeping under the rug all the bad times Dylan and Marcus have caused her.
Third, I didn't understand the necessity to include Rodneys's drama into the storyline. It felt it came out of nowhere and it didn't contribute to anything.
I felt disappointed that I didn't like it when I have loved her other books.
Sigh, Hopefully, I can connect with the next book.
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had hoped the story would go in a different way (
"never pray to the gods that answer after dark.”
I hated the ending!
Why?
Because I'm a dreamer.
I had hoped the story would go in a different way (view spoiler)[ An ending where Addie feels hope, rather than anger or revenge. An ending where Luc becomes redeemable or one where Addie's love for him changes him (hide spoiler)]
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue had a provocative proposition.
Addie La Rae is a woman who from a young age knew she wanted her freedom. Freedom to live her life the way she wanted it. She didn't want to be like her friend Isabelle and get married and have children. No, Addie wanted more from life but when she is told she must marry, she runs to the woods and prays to the gods to help her. A mistake she will come to regret since who answers is none other than the Darkness. She strikes a deal with him and she will become immortal until she surrenders her soul.
"Then take my life when I am done with it. You can have my soul when I don't want it anymore."
Not too long after, Addie will begin to believe her immortality is a curse. No one will remember her. She will be there but a second later, she will be forgotten. Nothing will really belong to her for 300 years until she meets Henry.
Henry runs a book store in NYC in 2014. An encounter with Addie will make her hope for a new beginning. She is not sure how, but Henry is able to remember her.
"I remember you."
Yet, there is someone who has never forgotten her, the darkness himself, Luc. He has been with her every year. Is Addie ready to surrender?
“And there in the dark, he asks if it was really worth it. Were the instants of joy worth the stretches of sorrow? Were the moments of beauty worth the year of pain? And she turns her head, and looks at him, and says 'Always.”
Was the writing beautifully done? Absolutely. V.E. Schwab did a marvelous job of bringing the characters to life. She perfected the pass of time emphasizing the ambiance during each time period. I was there with Addie when she was in Paris, Germany, Los Angeles, NOLA, and of course in NYC.
Can I just say I have mixed feelings? Not because I didn’t love the story but because I’m not sure I agr
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"Love doesn't require a future."
Can I just say I have mixed feelings? Not because I didn’t love the story but because I’m not sure I agree with the ending.
What a heartbreaking and beautiful story! In Five Years brought out so many emotions in me.
The novel is a story of two best friends, their friendship and the love, loss and hope they experienced.
From the first moment I opened this book, I knew I wouldn't be able to put it away for any reason. It's one of those books that demand your attention. This story spoke to me in so many ways. As I said earlier, it made me feel all types of emotions.
The characters:
We have Bella, a free spirit girl who had absentee parents growing up. As a rich girl, life has brought her everything she wanted except love; Love from her parents or love from a significant other. Yet, Bella falls in love easily. Bella is a good person and a good friend with a good heart.
Then, we have Dannie Kohan who is a woman with her feet well planted on the earth. She's all about numbers and she loves her job as a lawyer. When the book begins she’s getting ready for an interview with a new firm but she also suspects her boyfriend, David Rosen is about to propose. Dannie is happy with her life and her five-year plan. Then a dream happens. A very real dream where she wakes up five years into the future, in a different home, in Brooklyn, with a ring on her finger and with a different man. A man named Aaron Gregory. The dream shakes her to her core.
Years later, Dannie meets the man of her vivid dream and she tries to stay away from him but fate or her destiny has other plans for her.
In Five Years had an amazing writing and a well-developed storyline that I won’t easily forget.
Cliffhanger: No
5/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Georgina is having the second worse night of her life when the story begins.
First, her boss fires her without a real reason. Then, when sh
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Georgina is having the second worse night of her life when the story begins.
First, her boss fires her without a real reason. Then, when she goes to see her boyfriend, she discovers him with another woman. He doesn't feel guilty because he tells her, he thought they were seeing other people. He never thought they were exclusive despite being together for six months.
Without a job, Georgina takes a job as a bartender at a new pub. Everything is going well until she realizes, that the co-owner of the pub is none other than Lucas McCarthy, the boy she fell in love in high school. At first, she has no idea how to behave around him but soon she discovers, he has no idea she was the girl from school.
Georgina doesn't have a great relationship with her mother and an even worse one with her stepfather. Same goes with her sister but she does get along with her brother in law. There are some secrets she's keeping from them and they feel like Georgina had ruined her potential after dropping out of college. Luckily, Georgina has a set of amazing, supportive friends.
I liked Don't You Forget Me. It was more a story of self-discovery than a romance. I love Georgina's friends and how they had her back. The book made me laugh and teared up at times too. Lucas made me mad for the longest time but the end had me forgiving him and I might have swooned a little bit too.
Cliffhanger: No
3/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by William Morrow Paperbacks via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
With fat tears running down my face, I'm writing this review.
It has been almost a year since The Things We Cannot Say came out 5 moje Wszystko stars!
With fat tears running down my face, I'm writing this review.
It has been almost a year since The Things We Cannot Say came out yet life has made it impossible for me to read it before now. So many friends recommended it and they were not wrong. It's a beautiful devastating story. One that will be impossible to forget.
I went in blind which I'm so happy I did. Kelly Rimmer does a beautiful job at creating Tomasz, Alina, Alice, Eddie, Emilia, Saul, and all others right in front of me.
The story begins with a wedding and then we jump to the past. A past that involves 6 million lives lost to the Nazi invasion to Poland, where 18% of the population was lost and 90 percent of Polish Jews died.
Alina is the youngest daughter of the Dziak family. Truda her oldest sister is married to Mateusz. Alina's twin brothers, Filipe and Stanislaw help her father, Bartuk, and her mother, Faustina with farming. Alina, being the youngest, gets away with doing less work and uses any free time she has to spend it with Tomasz, her true love.
Alina has known she wanted to be married to Tomasz since she was nine years old and he was twelve. Now, she is fifteen and Tomasz is ready for University. Just before he leaves to start medical school in Warsaw, Tomasz and Alina get engaged. Tomasz promises to return for her. Then WWII begins.
As farmers, Alina and her family live a hard yet comfortable life until the invasion. When the Nazis invade, everything changes drastically.
In the present (2019) Alice is dealing with her own crisis. Her dear babcia (grandmother) has had a stroke. Her son, Eddie who is the autism spectrum and communicates with an AAC app, is having a meltdown in the aisle of the store due to a yogurt label changed. Her daughter is a genius who needs constant stimuli and her husband is far from helpful with her son.
Then her Babcia communicates using Eddie's app and tells Alice:
"Babcia fire Tomasz".
The rest is for you to read.
A masterful piece is what The Things We Cannot Say novel is. It depicts the horrors of war, the fear, the famish, and so much death but also the bravery and the courage humanity can have during the worst of times.
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