The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5.0

It is 1974 and former POW Ernt Allbright comes home a changed man. He thinks that inheriting some land with a house on it in Alaska could be the new lease on life that he and his family so desperately need.  He takes his wife Clara and 13 year old daughter Leni to live off the grid in the wilds of Alaska. This is about love, coming of age story, family and about Alaska....and Hannah captures all of it flawlessly.

There wasn't one thing that I didn't love about this book.  WOW! Every character, even the unlikable ones, were so well done. I was in Maui and Arizona while reading this and with Hannah's descriptions of Alaska, I felt cold! You understand how hard and unforgiving Alaska is and how this family wasn't prepared to deal with it and so many other things. I also loved The Nightingale. She could be my new favorite author.

A Stranger In The House by Shari Lapene

My Rating: 3.9

Tom comes home to find his wife Karen has vanished and yet didn't lock the door, left behind her cell phone, purse and ID. A knock from the police tells him that she was in an accident in a very bad part of town and is in the hospital. Karen's concussion leaves her with no memory of the events.

This had lots of twists and turns. Some of the characters felt cheezy but if you go with it, it was a fun read. IMO, this wasn't as good as her previous book A Couple Next Door but still a fun read.

Final Girls by Riley Sagar

My rating: 4.7

Final girls is named for the girl who is left alive at the end of a horror movie. This thriller is about three girls who have each survived horrific mass murder sprees. It starts 10 years after 5 of Quincy Carpenter's friends were murdered and she was the lone survivor. She is trying desperately to put it behind her and have a 'normal' life.

This was a great beach read full of suspense and twists. It definitely had me guessing until the end and I enjoyed the final twist and ending.

The Taster by V.S. Alexander

My Rating: 4.5

In 1943, Magda finds herself working as a food taster for Hitler at the Berghof mountain retreat. Magda gets drawn into a plot that tests her wits and loyalty in a quest for safety, freedom, and ultimately, vengeance.

This was very interesting in terms of the story but also understanding some of the things with Hitler. The circumstances of Hitler's death has been disputed and Alexander weaves a fascinating plausible historical fiction novel around this. The characters could have had more depth and the story dragged at times but overall, it was a good read.

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney

My Rating: 4.3

Emma and Jane rent the same house three years apart. It is a unique house with a unique landlord. He has a LOT of rules. There is a long list of question such as "make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life." Most applicants aren't approved. Unfortunately for Emma and Jane, they are both approved and even though they never know each other, their lives intersect.

I quite enjoyed this light beach read psychological thriller. It was fast paced and kept me guessing till the end. I am not surprised that Ron Howard has picked up the movie rights and I would love to see how he interprets it for the big screen.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

My Rating: 4.8

Rill is 12 years old and lives on a riverboat with her four younger siblings. When their father takes their pregnant mother to the hospital, strangers arrive and rip them from their riverboat home. They are thrown into the Tennessee Children's Home Society Orphanage which they quickly to realize is a very dark sinister place.

This was an amazingly well told story that captured the true life story of Georgia Tann and her horrific 30 years of kidnapping and selling children.