Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

My rating: 4.6

While snorkeling on their dream honeymoon, Mark & Erin find something in the water. They have a choice to make and, it triggers a chain of events.

Judging by the reviews, you will either love or hate this book. It is a typical thriller where you have to suspend reality and go with the wild plot twists and the simple writing style but, I enjoyed it a lot. It made me wonder, what I would do in her circumstances.

Live To Tell by Lisa Gardner #4 D.D Warren Series

My Rating: 4.6

When Danielle was a child her whole family was slaughtered.  Now she is a nurse on a pediatric psych ward. Victoria is a mother to a very troubled son. Is she so devoted that she is willing to risk her family and even her own safety? DD Warren has to figure out how another family is slaughtered and if there is any connection.

As with all Lisa Gardner novels, you have to go with it and just enjoy. I wouldn't say this was the best in the D.D. Warren series but, I am enjoying them and will continue reading.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

Rating: 2.5

Shelby and her best friend are in a car accident and Shelby has to live with the guilt of that night.

This was just ok for me.I felt that some things just fell in to place too neatly. I didn't feel a strong attachment to any of the characters as they felt very immature and not developed.  By the end of the book, I was actually very tired of a few characters. There was just no depth to the writing so I was glad to be done with this.

The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck

Rating:  5.0

In the summer of 1976, recently widowed and childless, Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless old black man to mow her lawn. The neighborhood children call him the Pee-can Man; their mothers call them inside whenever he appears. When a crime happens, the Pecan Man (Eddie) is arrested and charged. Twenty-five years later, Ora sets out to tell the truth about the Pecan Man. In narrating her story, Ora discovers more truth about herself than she could ever have imagined.

Wow. I fell in love with so many characters. You know from the beginning that Eddie/The Pecan Man is in prison but you don't know the details behind it. I was early on the book, while Eddie was still free, that I knew Eddie was in jail as I loved him so much I didn't want that to happen. This book had my heart with so many of the characters. This novel has been described as To Kill a Mockingbird meets The Help. 

Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim

My Rating: 4.8

They say we are formed by our relationships with the women who raise us. Moments after Lisbeth is born, she’s taken from her white mother and handed over to an enslaved wet nurse, Mattie, who is a young mother separated from her own infant son in order to care for her tiny charge. Thus begins an intense relationship that will shape both of their lives for decades to come. Though Lisbeth leads a life of privilege, she finds nothing but loneliness in the company of her overwhelmed mother and her distant, slave-owning father

This had me from the first chapter. Such a beautifully told story with Mattie having such a beautiful heart despite her circumstances. I felt that the ending was a bit contrived but did enjoy it.  The first portion about Mattie was my favorite but I think I liked Someone Knows My Name a bit better. 

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Rating; 2.0

A mother's group meets for one of their meetings without their children at a bar. One of the women's child is kidnapped and their is much speculation as to who done it.

There were too many Mothers to keep track of and none of them had any traits where I cared about them and then a lot of extraneous backstories *yawn* The little switcheroo at the end felt very contrived. This is trying to ride on the coattails of all the latest string of "thrillers" and barely kept my attention. Definitely not a recommend.

The Other Woman by Sandie Jones

Rating: 4.4

Emily thinks she has met the perfect man in Adam...until she meets his mother. Pammie is very controlling and manipulative and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Emily has to decide how much is she willing to fight to keep her man.

If you think you have problems with your mother-in-law, you have no idea of how bad it could be! This is the worst MIL that you could ever imagine. This is a quick beach read that had me engrossed with the dysfunctional Banks family. I had to listen to the  ending twice to figure out what happened - I love it when the ending is not wrapped up in a neat bow! Thanks to Holly https://dressedtoread.com for this twisted beach read recommendation 

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Rating: 4.6

Andrea knows her mother Laura very well. But when they are in a mall and a shooter attacks, Andrea sees a completely different side of her mother. The timeline changes between current day of Andrea trying to figure out who this new version is of her mother, and back to 1986.

At first, I loved this book, then, when it introduced a new part to the story-line flashing back to 1986, I wasn't so sure, and then I was glad I stuck with it as I did enjoy it. You just have to trust Slaughter as she knows what she is doing and is the master of writing a good twisted thriller.

Educated by Tara Westover

Rating:  3.0

This is the story of a fundamentalist/survivalist Mormon family. Tara tells her story of being raised off the grid, with no birth certificate, no formal schooling with a very extreme religious and dysfunctional family.

For me, this wasn't unique. I am familiar with so many people with similar stories and some who have broken free and others who have chosen to stay that this didn't have an allure for me. I agree with others that say it seemed far-fetched she could have gone to Harvard/Cambridge as not only do scholarships don't cover everything but as someone put it "Intelligence is not the main thing required to attend Harvard or Cambridge; being able to pass exams and perform the system's dance is. Someone without formal education should have no idea how to do that."

This definitely had a pleasing writing style that was meant for the masses. It was entertaining but not a must read in my books.

How To Stop Time by Matt Haig

Rating: 3.0

Tom has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. Tom has lived history--performing with Shakespeare, exploring the high seas with Captain Cook, and sharing cocktails with Fitzgerald. Now, he just wants an ordinary life. Not aging sounds like a great problem to have but, when people start noticing, it is time to move.

This flashes back and forth in time showing us the many lives that Tom has lived.  While this started off as enjoyable it quickly felt like a forced history lesson and it dragged (maybe how Tom felt living so long). A better time travel book would be The Time Traveler's Wife

Our Kind of Cruelty by Arminta Hall

My Rating: 3.5

After a brutal childhood, Mike has met the love of his life in Verity. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job, he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.

It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls. It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus. It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move he’ll know just when to come to her rescue.

Despite having some slower sections, I felt that this was a page turner so, why didn't I rate it higher?  The ending drove me as crazy as Mike! I have so many questions. I don't like books that tie up in a neat bow but, I truly didn't know what to think at the end and that frustrated me.  No matter who was in on what, this was about a lot of craziness.Don't read this if you think there is a big reveal or surprise as there is not.

Us Against You by Fredrick Backman

My Rating:4.9

This is a continuation of Beartown's hockey team vs the neighboring town of Hed's hockey team as well as the other residents of this remote Swedish town. This is about so much more than hockey.

Backman's simple sentence structure is so powerful. In my opinion, you have to read the 1st book in this series which is Beartown in order to understand Us Against You. 

The Name of the Wind by Philip Rothfuss

My rating: 5.0

This flashes back and forth in time between modern day when Kvothe is an innkeeper and back to his youth. He recalls how he grew up with amazing loving parents in a troupe and how they were family who fostered him to grow into the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

What an amazing writer. This reminded me of a much more mature version of Harry Potter with less magic. The back story on the gods was a bit tiresome (picture reading about Greek Gods) but I loved the rest and will definitely be reading the other books in this series.

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner

My Rating: 4.2

A young mother disappears leaving behind her husband and four year old daughter. Detective Sergeant D. D. Warren senses something off about the picture of wholesome normality the couple worked so hard to create. On the surface, Jason and Sandra Jones are like any other hardworking young couple raising a four-year-old child. But it is just under the surface that things grew murky.

I am enjoying this series but this wasn't my favorite of the four I have read so far. Still, I will keep reading to see what else unfolds in this twisted, thriller, series.

Anatomy Of A Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

My rating: 4.7

James is a member of Parliament and seems to have an idyllic marriage until James confesses to his wife Sophie that he has had a five month long affair with Olivia, a co-worker. He ended it so why is he confessing? As she is reeling and trying to process this he admits to the reason why he told her....the newspaper scandal rags have found out and it is all going to be in morning paper. Then things get unspeakably worse as Olivia says she was raped.

This is not really a suspenseful beach thriller but more of a serious court drama. I listened to the audio version and it was brilliant in the unfolding of what happened, capturing the voices and keeping me on the edge of my seat. I felt so uncomfortable for Sophie, Olivia and Kate so have to say that the author did a fabulous job.