Everything I Read In July 2024
1. Swan Song
I am not a fanatic about Elin Hildebrand books but I always enjoy reading them. They always have a feel good aspect to them that I adore. And this one is her last book about Nantucket that she will be writing. A new wealthy family, the Richardsons, move on to Nantucket and the town is instantly abuzz with gossip about them. They bought an insanely expensive home but nobody knows much about them. So to introduce themselves to the community they throw a lavish party to get to know everyone. But the police chief Ed, who has been a resident of Nantucket his entire life, is a bit skeptical about their intentions and lifestyle.
Soon the Richardsons are part of Nantucket society though most still don’t know much about their history and why they are here. When one of their employees goes missing, Ed and his officers must try to determine if they are hiding anything about this disappearance. It’s an easy read that makes you want to move to Nantucket immediately. LOL Rating: 8
2. Darling Girls
Jessica, Norah and Alicia all had difficult childhoods and found themselves all in foster care at the same place. They all came for different reasons, but soon formed an unbreakable bond from this shared experience. Their time at this foster home and relationship they had with their foster mother, Ms. Fairchild, is something they want to forget now that they are adults. But when human remains are found on the property of their foster home decades later, the authorities want information. All three ladies are now grown with their own lives but must return to a place that has haunted them for decades. And they must face their former foster mother and deal with her lies about them. This book was just a like for me but not a love. Rating: 7
3. A Death at the Party
I like that there was a secret kept throughout this entire book as it kept me engaged and guessing up until the end. The entire story takes place in one day which is not always a great timeline but really works with this story. The story does reference the past continuously so you know the details of what leads up to the current day situation. Nadine and her family are getting ready to host a birthday party for Nadine’s mother, who is a famous writer. All the preparations are underway for the birthday but there are secrets from Nadine’s past that are still haunting her. In addition to it being her mother’s birthday, it is also the anniversary of a tragic event that occurred decades ago but still remains unsolved. Will the truth be revealed tonight? And will the person responsible finally be brought to justice? Rating: 8.5
4. This Summer Will Be Different
I like a cozy light beach read especially in the summer but this sadly was so tedious and boring to get through. I almost contemplated not finishing it but finally did. Lucy and Bridget are best friends and have spent many summers vacationing on Bridget’s home of Price Edward Island. Bridget is getting married and Lucy is helping plan all the details. When Bridget calls frantic that she wants to see Lucy and spend the weekend at her childhood home on PEI, Lucy drops everything to go to Bridget. But the only problem is that Lucy will have to see Bridget’s brother, Felix, again. They have tried to hide their feelings for one another for years out of respect for Bridget but it’s getting harder and harder. Will this finally be the summer that they try to make it work and tell everyone how they feel? Rating: 7
5. Every Single Secret
I can’t review this book because I could NOT finish it. I found it so drawn out and boring so I didn’t even get past the first third of it. Rating: Did not finish
6. The Paradise Problem
Now THIS was a beach read that I absolutely LOVED and couldn’t put down! Anna is a struggling artist who married her friend’s brother, Liam, in order to get access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She didn’t know much about him but was grateful for the housing. Fast forward a few years and Liam is back because he has to attend his sister’s wedding and Anna must go as his wife even though Anna thought they had signed divorce papers already. Little did she know that the papers were not signed so they are in fact still married. And now she has to be his “plus one” at this wedding even though they both hardly know each other.
But there is one other catch that Liam isn’t telling Anna – he is heir to a billion dollar grocery store fortune and must be married in order for him and his siblings to inherit their trust. Liam agrees to pay Anna $100k to attend this wedding with him and to make his family believe they are a happily married couple. Seems easy enough until Anna meets the family. They are dysfunctional and downright toxic to be around. She must decide if she can continue this facade for the money or should she just bail to save her own sanity. Obviously, I knew how the story would end but I still loved watching it unfold – it was so good! Rating: 9
7. Keep It In the Family
Wow, wow, wow! This book just kept going and going with twists and turns that never seemed to stop. There was one point where I thought the entire story had been revealed and the book was going to end soon only to look and see that I had 3.5 more hours left to listen. Every time I thought it would be over, it kept going somewhere new. Mia and Finn just moved into their new fixer upper home and want to begin renovations on building their dream home. That is until Mia finds a message carved into a skirting board that says “I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC”.
What they discover in the attic turns their dream home into a full blown nightmare. Authorities are called and the investigation begins around what exactly occurred in this house decades ago. The details are horrifying enough but could this be connected to their own family members? Are there secrets that Finn’s family is holding which could unravel this entire case? Rating: 9
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