Everything I Read – August 2024
1. The Arrangement
Sometimes I love a book that isn’t a literary masterpiece but it’s easy to follow along, keeps me engaged and entertained. This is that kind of book and I really enjoyed it! It’s a mystery with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing throughout. Natalie is a struggling art student in NYC and trying to stay afloat with a low paying job and awful roommates. When Natalie meets a new friend in one of her art classes, she is introduced to the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies. Natalie’s friend is able to focus on her studies while various rich men help fund her lifestyle.
Natalie is desperate and decides to give it a shot for just a short time. Immediately she meets Gabe who is 30 years her senior and a very successful lawyer. Gabe says he’s divorced but is really stuck in a failing marriage that he doesn’t want to leave. Natalie figures she will go on a few dates and receive some money that she can use to find a new apartment. But after a series of events, Gabe decides to end things with Natalie but she isn’t ready for things to be over. Things quickly dissolve into anger and resentment ending with Gabe being murdered. But did Natalie actually kill him? She can’t remember that night but worries she could have. Rating: 8.5
2. Sometimes I Lie
I have two books from Alice Feeney in this list. One I really enjoyed and one I did not. Sadly this was the one I did not. I found it hard to follow and I kept losing interest. Amber wakes up in a hospital and can’t move or speak. She has no idea why she is here and what happened to her. People visit her every day and she can hear them talking but can’t respond or ask them any questions. She is trying desperately to remember the events leading up to her supposed accident but things are too hazy. Could her husband be involved? Or maybe her sister? Could events from her past have led her to this? There are definitely some major twists and turns in here that I did NOT see coming but the overall story was a bit hard to follow. Rating: 7
3. All the Colors of the Dark
I almost stopped reading this multiple times because I found the story SO tedious! It has amazing reviews but sadly I could not get into it at all. Patch is only a small boy when he is kidnapped and held in a basement for a long time. He is in complete darkness and can’t see anything but there is another girl down there with him. Her name is Grace and they become each others lifelines.
Eventually Patch is rescued but his rescuers said there is no girl down in the basement with him and don’t believe him when he says there was. Patch then spends the next few decades of his life searching for Grace and trying to reconnect with her. It consumes his life and his family and friends struggle with watching him search for something that no one believes is there. As I said, this book has amazing reviews and many people love it so I don’t want to discourage you from possibly reading it. It just wasn’t for me. Rating: 5
4. One of Our Own
I love Lucinda Berry books though some are better than others. This one was short and very predictable but I still enjoyed it. Felicia is a single mom and lawyer who volunteers at a local crisis center in her free time. Late one night she receives a distressed call from a young woman who says she was the victim of a sexual assault at a high school party. The young woman is distraught and feeling hopeless, so Felicia tries to talk her through it and suggests resources to help.
At one point during their conversation, the young woman mentions the high school she goes to which is the same one that Felicia’s son attends. Felicia gets a pit in her stomach hoping that her son was not at that party. But if he was, could he have been involved? Could he have hurt this young woman? Felicia is determined to find out. Rating: 8
5. Daisy Darker
This was the second book from Alice Feeney I read this month and I LOVED it! Honestly, the twist in this book left me speechless which rarely happens. I never saw it coming! Daisy was born with a heart condition and has struggled with her health her entire life. Because of this, her relationship with her family has been strained much of her life so she is hoping to reconnect with everyone at her grandma’s 80th birthday celebration. The entire family has gathered at her grandmother’s remote home on a tiny island to celebrate this milestone. But before the festivities can begin, the grandmother is found dead in the middle of the night. The entire family is shocked and worries the killer could be among them. Just when you think you may have this figured out, trust me you probably don’t. LOL Rating: 9
6. The Perfect Marriage
Another book that had a major jaw dropping twist at the end! Sarah is a high powered attorney in D.C. and her husband is a struggling writer but they found comfort in each other and have been happily married many years. Often when Sarah is working long hours, her husband Adam goes to their lake house to write. He has been doing this for years but Sarah doesn’t know that for the past year, Adam has been having an affair and meeting with her at the lake house. After a night together at the lake house, Adam leaves in the early morning to return to Sarah at their city home.
Later that day, Adam is approached by police officers because Kelly was found stabbed to death in the lake house. Sarah is devastated but agrees to take Adam on as a client and be his defense attorney. Can she defend her husband after such a betrayal? Rating: 9
PS. Find more book reviews here.
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