Let’s talk about books! I am excited to share the books I read this month. All of which were audiobooks, except one that was on kindle.
If you like reading reviews to make your next book pick, check out all my reviews here.
synopsis
Paul Strom has the perfect life: a glittering career as an advertising executive, a beautiful wife, two healthy boys, and a big house in a wealthy suburb. And he’s the perfect husband: breadwinner, protector, provider. That’s why he’s planned a romantic weekend for his wife, Mia, at their lake house, just the two of them. And he’s promised today will be the best day ever.
But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them, and doubts start to arise. How perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really? How much do they trust each other? Is Paul the person he seems to be? And what are his secret plans for their weekend at the cottage?
my thoughts...
Paul Strom is clearly a psychopath. From the start you can clearly hear his inner voice and it is dark and disturbing. But like any train wreck you can’t dare look away. This starts as a husband and wife trip and he continues to call it “the best day ever”. It’s told through Paul’s perspective and I couldn’t help but giggle at some of his opinions.
This one kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending was perfectly written and I couldn’t have picked a better ending.
4/5 stars
synopsis
It’s been a decade since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her pretty face still hangs like a watchful queen on the posters on the walls of the town’s Baptist church, the police station, and in the high school. They all promise the same thing: We will find you. Meanwhile, Tru’s brother, Wyatt, lives as a pariah in the desolation of the old family house, cleared of wrongdoing by the police but tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion and in a new documentary about the crime.
When Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, making silent wishes, he believes she is a sign. The town’s youngest cop, Odette Tucker, believes she is a catalyst that will ignite a seething town still waiting for its own missing girl to come home. But Odette can’t look away. She shares a wound that won’t close with the mute, one-eyed mystery girl. And she is haunted by her own history with the missing Tru.
Desperate to solve both cases, Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and to dig up the shocking truth about a fateful night in the past – the night her friend disappeared, the night that inspired her to become a cop, the night that wrote them all a role in the town’s dark, violent mythology.
In this twisty psychological thriller, Julia Heaberlin paints unforgettable portraits of a woman and a girl who redefine perceptions of physical beauty and strength.
My Thoughts...
Although this was a creepy slow-burn this plot had me intrigued. The first 25% was tough to get into but once the characters are developed you really start breezing through it! I won’t say it was my favorite thriller, it wasn’t as suspenseful as I had hoped, but it kept my attention.
And the ending was 🤯 I’m glad I stuck through it ’til the end.
Overall an ok read
3.5/5 stars
synopsis
There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men’s maximum-security prison:
1) Treat all prisoners with respect.
2) Never reveal any personal information.
3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.
But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary’s most notorious and dangerous inmates.
And they certainly don’t know that Shane was Brooke’s high school sweetheart—the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke’s testimony was what put him there.
But Shane knows.
And he will never forget.
My Thoughts...
After reading Want to Know A Secret? last month I knew McFadden was turning into one of my favorite authors. And this one did not disappoint!
This plot was perfectly set up. The author wove both storylines (past and present) perfectly and it was not confusing at all! I really thought I knew where it was going… then bam I was wrong. I truly enjoy being shocked with an ending and this one delivered.
4.5/5 Stars
synopsis
Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.
Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts–paper, cotton, pottery, tin–and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.
Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.
my thoughts...
At first, this synopsis sounded just like the first book I read this month. But it quickly surpassed that book with Feeney’s unique and witty writing. I love a setting in a snowstorm and then throw in a desolate lodge in the middle of nowhere! I love how the narrator went from past to present so seamlessly, it made for an excellent set up. And as for the twist at the end!… WOAH, I did not see that one coming.
5/5 Stars
Synopsis
A couple who broke up months ago pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from author Emily Henry.
Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.
They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.
Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.
Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?
my thoughts...
Y’all!! What can I say, Emily Henry can do no wrong. The way she writes characters and relationships, you can’t help but fall in love with her style.
I absolutely adored this sweet love story about how everything around you changes; and the nostalgia for moments you will never get back.
The friend group was awesome, it was like watching Friends. I really enjoyed Harriet’s perspective on her friendship with her two besties and also her boyfriend.
This is the perfect beach read if you’re looking for something to pull you in and fall in love.
5/5 Stars
So there you have it, four books I read this month. What do you think? Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and your recommendations!!!
