book reviews

1. The Night We Lost Him – I absolutely loved The Last Thing He Told Me from this same author but sadly this book was not as enjoyable for me. It was good but not great. Liam Noone lived an extraordinary life and rose to great success early on in his career. His personal life however was always a bit more complicated. He had multiple wives and multiple children with these wives though none of them ever seemed to fully get to know who their father really was. So when Liam dies in a tragic accident, one of his sons, Sam, is convinced something more sinister may have occurred. Sam reaches out to his half-sister Nora for help and they both try to learn more about their father’s life which hopefully could explain his death. It was a bit predictable and a tad slow for me but still kept my attention. Rating: 7.5

2. Husbands & Lovers – This took me a bit to get into and I wasn’t sure if I was even going to finish it. But then about 1/3 of the way through, I became fixated on finding out how everything would play out and really became invested! Mallory has a young son named Sam who suffers a horrific accident at summer camp and leaves him fighting for his life. He is now forced to be on dialysis until they can find a kidney donor to save him. Since Mallory is a single parent, she must face all of this alone. She got pregnant in her late teens and never told the father about the pregnancy. With Sam’s impending health crisis, Mallory contemplates reaching out to the father and also exploring her familial history to see if there could be a potential donor match for her son. The book does oscillate between time periods which can be a bit hard to follow at times but overall I ended up really liking the story! Rating: 8.5

3. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches – After falling in love with The House in the Cerulean Sea and it’s sequel Somewhere Beyond the Sea, I was excited to possibly read more heart warming fantasy books. This book was recommended many times so I decided to give it a go. Sadly I could barely get through it because it was so boring and slow. I know so many loved it so don’t let my opinion sway you too much because everyone has different preferences. Mika Moon is a witch living amongst regular people trying to have a normal life. When she receives a message to come visit a place called Nowhere House, she wonders what they could possibly want her to do. After she arrives, she meets three young girls who live there and comes to find out they are witches. Their guardians want Mika to help teach them how to be a witch and harness their powers safely. I love the premise of this book but sadly it just was not enjoyable for me. Rating: 6

4. The God of the Woods – My mom is on my iPhone family sharing account so she listens to all of the audiobooks that I do. I will often ask her what she thinks especially if a book has a TON of buzz but I am not loving it. That was the case with this book. It has so many great reviews and tons of hype but she and I just didn’t understand why. LOL It was good but definitely not a favorite for us. That being said, since so many loved it, I would recommend giving it a go because you may fall into the majority of people who found it captivating. Barbara Van Laar is a 13 year old camp goer spending the summer at her family’s youth summer camp. She isn’t happy to be here and rebels against the conservative values of her parents. One night Barbara goes missing and many find her disappearance too similar to the disappearance and tragic death of her older brother years ago. Will Barbara suffer the same fate? Or is the family hiding a devastating secret that could explain all of this. It’s a story with lots of twists and turns and it did keep my attention, but was not a favorite this month. Rating: 8

5. The Last Love Note – This entire month was a month of books that were just ok. Not spectacular but not awful. This was another book that kept my attention but wasn’t a favorite. Kate is now a young single mom after suffering the devastating loss of her husband a few years ago. Since his death, Kate has struggled to find purpose and some sense of stability in her life. She has a supportive job, boss and family, but she is still drifting aimlessly through life. Her boss, Hugh, has become a source of comfort for her and he was also very close with her husband. During a work trip, Kate discovers that her husband shared something with Hugh that he never wanted Kate to know. Now Kate wonders who she can trust and what her husband was hiding? Rating: 7

6. Carolina Moonset – Another good not great book for this month. An enjoyable read but a tad slow at times. Joey is a divorced father who has returned to his hometown in South Carolina to look after his father who is struggling with dementia. Joey wants to give his mother a break so he offers to stay with his father while she goes on a girls’ trip for a few days. Things seem ok at first but Joey’s father begins discussing things from his past that Joey has never known before. Secrets that his father has kept for decades and only now are coming out in his increasingly confused state. It’s only when a neighbor is shot and killed that Joey worries that there is something his father is hiding that could ruin their lives. Did his father leave the house in the middle of the night and shoot this man? And if so, why? Joey can’t go back home until he clears his father’s name and finds out what he is hiding. Rating: 8

Everything I Read – October 2024

1. This is Why We Lied

This is part of the popular Will Trent series that Karin Slaughter has been writing for years. The good thing is you don’t have to read the prior ones to know what is going on in the later ones so you can pick and choose the ones you are interested in. This was an entertaining “whodunit” type of mystery that I love to read. Will Trent and his new wife Sara are on their honeymoon at a remote mountaintop resort in the Georgia mountains. The resort is run by Mercy and her family though Mercy is the main one who interacts with the guests and runs the day to day activities.

After only being there one night, Will and Sara hear a terrifying scream and race to find Mercy nearly dead after a brutal stabbing. Will stays with her while Sara goes to get help and in her final breaths she tries to tell Will who did this to her. But unfortunately Will is unable to understand what she is saying. When Will notifies Mercy’s family that she is dead, their reaction is not typical of those who just lost someone they really care about. Will knows something is off here and while he is not officially assigned to the case, he decides to personally investigate Mercy’s death. Lots of twists and turns with a surprising ending. Rating: 8

2. The Perfect Couple

I only read this after the Netflix series came out and everyone was buzzing about it. So I decided to read the book first and then watch the series. The book was amazing but the series was so different from the book that I ended up not finishing watching it. LOL This was another Elin Hildebrand hit and so easy and fun to get through.

One of Nantucket’s most prominent families is hosting a wedding for their son and soon to be daughter in law. Party prep is underway until the maid of honor is found dead the night before wedding. Was it an accident? Was it murder? As chief of police Ed Kapenash looks more into the family and surrounding friend group, secrets are uncovered that could destroy families and relationships. This is such a fun and easy read that will keep you entertained until the very end! Rating: 8.5

3. Such Charming Liars

Ugh, this book was a struggle for me to get through and I found my mind wandering during the entire thing. My mom and I normally listen to each book I download at the same time and then chat about our thoughts as we get through it (it’s our own mini book club! LOL). Normally we are on the same page, but she had to help explain some of this book because I was losing interest and could not follow the plot.

Kat and her mother, Jamie, have been on their own since Jamie and Kat’s father split. He was abusive and went to jail for his abuse towards them. Since then Jamie has struggled to provide for her daughter and is currently working as a jewel thief for a theft ring. Jamie has decided however that this will be her last heist and then she wants to go straight. But things during this last job are not going right and Jamie and Kat believe that someone may be after them. The premise may sound a bit entertaining but honestly it was not enjoyable for me at all. Rating: 5

4. The Secret Book of Flora Lea

Honestly I can’t even give much feedback on this book because I didn’t finish it and had a hard time even following it from the beginning. It had amazing reviews but it was way too slow and drab for my personal taste. Rating: Did Not Finish

5. Home is Where the Bodies Are

A mystery/thriller that will keep you entertained but was a tad bit predictable for me about halfway through. Three siblings must return to their childhood home to sort out their late mother’s estate. Beth is the oldest and has spent the last few years of her life caring for their mother and was present during her final moments. Before she passed, Beth’s mother says something cryptic that Beth doesn’t understand but worries that it was a warning.

While cleaning out the house, all three siblings come across some home videos that their mother and father made that incriminates them in some horrific crimes decades ago. Was their mother really complicit in these horrible things? Did their father really disappear one day never to return? So many unanswered questions but one thing Beth knows for sure is that her life may be in danger if she doesn’t get the bottom of this soon. Rating: 8

6. Somewhere Beyond the Sea

This is the highly anticipated sequel to one of the best books I’ve ever read – The House in the Cerulean Sea. And this book was just as heartwarming, hysterical and amazing as I had hoped. I’m not someone who typically enjoys fantasy fiction but this book really captivated me from the first in the series. Arthur runs an orphanage for magical youths who have been shunned from society. Together he and his partner Linus create a loving and openly accepting home for these adorable kids to thrive and find their place in the world. But the government is trying to do what it can to shut them down and demonize those that are part of the “magical community”. So Arthur must testify in front of a governing body to protect these kids. But in doing so, he must reveal some secrets of his own magical past.

This is the most beautiful story of acceptance, being different and creating community against all odds. I cannot recommend this book enough! And if you have a chance to listen to it instead of reading, the narrator is absolutely wonderful and his voices for all the characters makes the book 100x more enjoyable! Rating: 9