All the Books I Read Recently
1. The Seven Year Slip
Both my mom and I read this book and our reaction was a simple “meh”. It was interesting enough to finish but the premise was sort of confusing and at times hard to follow. Clementine is a book publicist living in NYC and everything is going well in her life except when it comes to love. Clementine’s aunt has recently passed away and left her NYC apartment to Clementine. This seems fortuitous until she arrives at the apartment and finds a random man staying there. His name is Iwan and is the son of a friend of her aunt. However the twist to this whole meeting is that when Clementine steps inside her aunt’s apartment, it is immediately 7 years earlier. Clementine and Iwan form a friendship that doesn’t exist outside the apartment because in the future, Iwan and Clementine don’t know each other anymore. Can Clementine find the current day Iwan? And will their chemistry still be the same? Rating: 7.5
2. The Girl Next Door
It is VERY rare that I don’t find a book. It’s only happened maybe one or two other times but I simply could NOT finish this. Gory, scary or true crime type books never really bother me but this book was just too upsetting to finish. And the fact that it is based on the true story of Sylvia Likens makes this even harder to read. The story centers around two sisters who have been orphaned after their parents died in a car accident and had to go live with relatives. Their aunt Ruth is an absolute monster and inflicts the most insane and dehumanizing torture on both girls. And to make it even worse, she enlists the help of all the neighborhood kids to carry out the abuse. I shudder just thinking about the story and recommend not even putting this on your “to be read” list. Rating: DON’T READ IT
3. She’s Not Sorry
The fact that I read another psychological thriller after The Girl Next Door is probably cause for a therapy session, but nonetheless this book was an entertaining read that had so many good twists and turns that really kept me guessing. Meghan is trying to balance being an ICU nurse and a single mom to a teenage girl. Meghan loves her job but tries to keep a professional distance between herself and her patients. Until Caitlin arrives after reportedly jumping from a bridge in an obvious suicide attempt. But Caitlin’s parents had no idea she was struggling mentally and can’t understand why this happened. Meghan becomes intertwined in the family’s drama and believes there is more to this story. Did Caitlin jump or was she pushed?! I won’t give away anymore because there is a twist halfway through the book that will completely blow your mind and make you rethink everything you read prior to it. Rating: 9
4. The Women
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE!!!! I am a huge fan of the author Kristin Hannah and have read many of her books and each of them still stick with me to this day. And to think that Kristin Hannah has been working on this book since 1997 makes so much sense because it is a true masterpiece. The title alone gives me chills because it is about some of the strongest women imaginable. In fact most of Kristin Hannah’s books are centered around women and highlight their strength, resiliency and support of one another. Frankie is a 20 year old nursing student and after losing her brother in Vietnam, decides to enlist herself and become an Army Corps nurse to continue his legacy. From her time in Vietnam to the years following her return, this story will absolutely break your heart while simultaneously have you feeling so proud to be a woman. Rating: 10
5. The Rose Code
I thought that I would keep the women doing amazing things during war time theme going with this next book and sadly it was absolute torture to get through. Ugh. It was slow, tedious and did not hold my attention. The book is based on the true story of the women of Bletchley Park, who worked for the British government trying to break German military code during the second world war. These women were instrumental in helping decode so much important information while doing so in a completely male dominated environment. Though the characters are fictional, they are loosely based on actual women that lived and worked at Bletchley Park. The premise of the story sounds amazing but I just couldn’t get into it and felt it dragged on. Rating: 6
6. How To Sell a Haunted House
To have one of the best books I have ever read in the same post as some of the worst books I have read in a long time is quite ironic. What the heck was this monstrosity of a book? I got about 1/4 of the way through and knew it was not for me. I stuck with it until the end but it is absolutely absurd and ridiculous (and sorta gross). Louise’s parents have died tragically in a car accident so she must return to her hometown and settle up their estate. The only thing standing in her way is her brother, Mark, who is trying to make things more difficult. Things start to get really weird when they come across Louise’s mom’s puppet that she always used to entertain Louise and Mark when they were kids. It seems the puppet is possessed/haunted/full of evil and Louise and Mark need to figure out how to rid their home of this creepy puppet. Yup, the book is about an evil puppet. I can handle a bit of dark fantasy but this book was insane. Rating: 1
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