Everything I Read – September 2024
1. House of Glass
A good thriller but not my favorite out of the month. I definitely was able to predict the ending but it still kept me entertained trying to figure out how the story would unfold. A wealthy couple is going through a contentious divorce after the husband is caught having an affair with the nanny. Then the nanny plunges to her death from the window of one of the second story bedrooms. Was she pushed? Did she jump? The young girl in the nanny’s care witnessed the event and the trauma has caused her to stop speaking for good.
Stella, a special interest attorney assigned to this case must help determine where the child should live once the divorce is finalized and how the custody agreement should be drawn up. But Stella doesn’t know which of the parents is hiding secrets and which of them could have possibly played a part in the nanny’s death. The story is drawn out a bit at times, but overall kept my attention. Rating: 7.5
2. Girl in Pieces
This book was hard to get through and was incredibly depressing. I got about 3/4 of the way through and ended up not finishing it. There are a ton of triggers in this book so it may not be the best for those that are sensitive to certain topics. Charlie is 17 and has had an incredibly hard life. She is now in a psych hospital after a suicide attempt and is trying to figure out her next steps. After treatment she is let out but has no family that she can stay with so is she goes to live with a friend in a new state in hopes of finding a new life where she can thrive. I don’t always mind dark or depressing books, but the story felt so slow and dragged out so I didn’t finish it. Rating: DNF
3. The Five-Star Weekend
After abandoning Girl in Pieces, I needed a home run book to get my reading mojo back. Elin Hildebrand books always do the trick. LOL They are formulaic in a way and all have a similar feel to them which I enjoy. Hollis Shaw is a famous food blogger and married to Matthew, a well renowned heart surgeon. From the outside their life looks picture perfect but the reality is far from that. When Matthew dies in a tragic accident, Hollis must pick up the pieces of her crumbling life and decide how to move forward.
Before Matthew left, he and Hollis had a heated argument and their marriage seemed to be on the verge of ending. Hollis has so many conflicting emotions and feels lost. She hears about this “five star weekend” idea where you invite the most important person from five different time periods in your life and bring them together for a weekend trip. Hollis decides she wants to do this and hopefully it will give her some clarity about her future. But it ends up revealing much more than she ever anticipated. A great story about friendship, life, hardships and forgiveness – I loved it! Rating: 9
4. The Wedding People
This book was a slow burn for me and took me a bit to get into but I did enjoy it by the end. Phoebe has arrived for a solo vacation at a luxury resort in Newport, Rhode Island only to find the entire venue has been taken over by a wedding party. She seems to be the only person staying there that isn’t part of the wedding. But Phoebe doesn’t really care because this trip is not a happy one and she has devastating plans for her time at this resort.
In a random moment together on the elevator, Phoebe shares her plans with the bride who decides to try to convince her to change her mind. Phoebe gets sucked into the wedding festivities after the bride invites her to one of the events leading up to the big day. A surprising friendship forms in just a few days and both of their lives are forever changed. The beginning is a bit depressing and made me want to stop reading but it does get better so stick with it! Rating: 8.5
5. Bye, Baby
I loved this book but it made me feel a host of conflicting emotions all at once. Honestly that is why I love reading so I always welcome these kind of books! Billie and Cassie have been friends since they were teenagers. But over the years, they have grown apart though Billie wants to hold on to what they once had. Now they are in their early twenties, both living in NYC but living VERY different lives. Cassie just had her first child and married a very wealthy trust fund kid. Billie is childless and single focusing on her career and traveling.
Cassie and Billie have been through a lot together and hold secrets that could ruin both of them. Billie wants to reconnect with Cassie after some time apart but Cassie is dismissive and condescending now that she has a new wealthy life. After a terrifying incident where Cassie’s infant daughter goes missing, she reaches out to Billie for support and comfort. Billie is thrilled to be needed again but has a secret that Cassie cannot find out about. This book made me feel so many different things and it was hard to identify who was in the wrong for some many reasons. Rating: 9
6. Wonderland
Good but not great. A mystery thriller that was entertaining but a bit predictable though that’s not always a bad thing. Wonderland is an amusement park in a small beach town in Seattle that has been the town’s sole source of income and prosperity over the past few decades. For this reason, the authorities are quick to respond to any issues reported there and are in the back pocket of the top executives at the theme park. When a series of horrific events and missing people is reported, a new deputy chief of police must try and investigate these crimes without stepping on the toes of all these important people. It’s a good whodunit type mystery with lots of twists and turns – great for spooky season! LOL Rating: 8
7. The House in the Cerulean Sea
One of the best books I’ve read in yearsssss!!! I am not normally someone who loves fantasy fiction but I absolutely ADORED this book from start to finish. I cried, I laughed, I raged – I felt all the emotions. The story centers around an orphanage set in a remote village far away from the public. The children who reside at this orphanage are magical and part of the larger magical community. They are loving, funny and delightful but their differences make people weary of them. Linus Baker is an employee of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and has been assigned to be the case worker for this orphanage. He is tasked with determining if these children are in fact dangerous and if the orphanage is being run properly. What he discovers when he gets there is more than he ever anticipated – and the experience forever changes his life. Rating: 9.5
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