This was just what I needed to get in the holiday spirit!  I remember writing letters to Santa as a child.  There was so much hope and excitement woven into those written words.  As an adult, I’ve ceased to reach out to the jolly old elf.  But this book has me second guessing that.  

It’s been a hard year for Lindy.  As she returns home to celebrate the holidays with her family, her mother encourages her to tap into old traditions in hopes of recreating some of the Christmas joy she knew as a child.  

This book is full of all the holiday charm you could want…. sleigh rides in the snow, visits to Santa, Christmas cookies, connecting with hometown friends, and a (possibly too perfect) mistletoe fueled romance.  

Dear Santa is a delightfully easy and tinsel draped read that will rival any Hallmark holiday movie.  

Thank you Debbie Macomber, Random House Publishing Ballantine, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

“But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from life as well as fiction, it’s that nobody is ever just a hero or just a villain.  We all have it in us to be both.”

 

Feeney is back with another cringeworthy thriller that can only be read at one setting: compulsively fast. Her knack for writing unlikable characters with complicated relationships is second to none.  And she’s at the top of her game with Rock, Paper, Scissors.  

 

We meet Adam and Amelia on an anniversary weekend getaway. It’s been a long journey, both in their marriage and to the Scottish Highlands.  And this escape could bring either reconciliation or devastation.  But what exactly does devastation look like for this couple?  

 

As secrets were unveiled and unexplainable circumstances unfolded, the tension increased, and the storyline became more compelling.   

 

Feeney created the perfect atmosphere, full of foreboding. The chapel was described in perfect detail, down to each molecule of dust, and was tinged with just the right amount of creepiness.  The snow storm, with all of its challenges, added an additional dimension to that captive feeling.

 

The point of view alternates between Adam and Amelia with anniversary letters from each year of marriage included as background.  This alternation kept me engaged and constantly made me ponder which POV was accurate, if any.  

 

The unveiling is adeptly executed.  A perfect 😱 moment.  And that ending.  Oh that ending.  This gripping read proves Feeney is at the top of her game. 

 

“Amazing to think that something beautiful could lie beneath the ugliness, and all you had to do was peel it away.” 

 

Moriarty has long been a favorite author of mine.  She has the ability to observe life with astuteness and utilize that to create a premise with characters that resound.  

 

Applies Never Fall is a family drama full of love, complexity, and secrets.  The Delaneys, talented, hardworking, successful and full of love, are the kind of family every other family strives to be.  But no family is perfect, and that is evident of the Delaneys when matriarch, Joy, vanishes.  (To me, the mystery was a complete side note to the family saga.)

 

Moriarty adeptly writes characters that are unique and deeply layered.  I found myself wanting to either hug, shake, and/or have coffee with each member of the Delaney family.  Flawed and multifaceted, these characters were relatable and kept me honed in to each distinct personality.  Moriarty takes the characterization a step further when depicting how each family member fit into the unit as a whole.  The complexities of a family, especially a large family, are well executed and became the strength of this story.    

 

Moriarty builds the foundation of the story with great depth, quite possibly a firmer foundation than was necessary.  I enjoyed getting to know each family member intricately, but as I reached 300 pages with 180 yet to go, I also wished the story had a bit more brevity.  With that said, it’s worth sticking through that extra bit for the satisfying ending.  

“If you try to understand one other person, you learn love.  If you try to understand many, you become wise.” 

Masood tells the struggles of two Muslim immigrant families with the perfect balance of wit and poignancy.  Divisive, hard topics are some of the most difficult to write about in a way that builds bridges and brings true visibility.  Yet Masood has managed to do both.  

 

We meet Anvar as fundamentalists threaten his home country of Pakistan forcing his father to move his family to the safety of America.  At the same time, we meet Safwa/Azza as she barely survives the abominable violence around her, as well as the depth of grief within, creating a need for her to find a way, ANY way, to get her and her father to the freedom found in the United States.  

 

But safety is elusive, and freedom means many different things, even in America.  

 

This is a timely and provocative look at the immigrant experience that made me thoughtfully examine it’s realities.    

 

It’s not all seriousness though.  There is plenty of irreverent humor that will keep you laughing while allowing you to process the story as it unfolds.  One of my favorite, lost in translation moments is when Anwar is called a “pedantic little son of an owl.”  

 

At our core, humans long for acceptance.  Constantly looking for a place to fit in. Race, nationality, religion, gender…none of that changes those primal desires.  But what if you feel like you belong somewhere that you aren’t accepted? 

“On the way back to Vermont I thought about words and how, if you put a few of them in the right order, a three-minute story about a girl and her dog can get people to forget all the ways you’ve disappointed them.”  -Timeline

 

Short stories tend to leave me wanting.  I’ve generally found them lacking the depth I desire.  Until now.  King charmed me in her previous work, Writers and Lovers.  And now she has shown me that not only can I enjoy a collection of short stories, I can also deeply connect with them.  

 

King’s first anthology is full of substance.  The ten stories represent varying slices of life that unpack human nature and extrapolate the most inner thoughts. 

 

Each piece in this collection is created with intricate detail, tapping into a wide range of emotions.  The characters, all so unique and different, are vividly painted, deeply layered, and relatable.  King’s astute observation of people is evident in the way she has crafted these distinctive characters and their stories. 

 

I was entertained by each of the ten stories, but my favorite was Waiting for Charlie.  It’s a devastatingly touching story about a 91year old grandfather sitting at the hospital bedside of his granddaughter, recently injured in a skiing accident.  After pondering the fragility of life, he is left with an epiphany relatable to all.   

 

The stories left me with just the right amount of satisfaction and yet a hint of ambiguity. 

 

Thank you Lily King, Grove Atlantic, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

“They all thought I had it coming.  They all thought I was better off dead.  And the truth, the one I realized in that last, horrible moment before the gun went off, is just this:  They were right.”

Compulsively readable.  Utterly shocking.  This is a thriller that lives up to the its genre title.  It’s smartly written, cleverly executed, and left me with that gasp worthy thrill that I crave from this genre.  

 

After you read a lot of thrillers, it’s easy to become desensitized.  Not many create that deep sense of shock.  But that can’t be said when the main character is narrating from beyond the grave.  

 

People in town didn’t know Lizzie Oulette.  Not really.  But then again, they didn’t need to.  Her role was assigned to her before she was even born. Her dad was an outsider to the town, and he ran the junkyard.  That made her both an outsider and a junkyard girl.  Everyone loathed her from a distance without ever stopping to ask why.  So when her cabin is covered in blood and guts, no one seems to mind.  She was never one of them anyway.  

 

Rosenfield created Copper Falls with vivid depictions.  The atmosphere of the town added depth to the mystery and personified the hatred felt for Lizzie.  But those characters.  Unlikable yet completely fascinating.  Getting into the psyche of those characters is what kept me turning page after page. 

 

Lizzie’s story is a commentary on how harshly society judges, many times without having a solid foundation for that judgment.  

 

Thank you Kat Rosenfield, Harper Muse Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

 

 

I heard the buzz about this one last year and added it to my lengthy TBR pile.  Horror really isn’t my go to genre, but the premise of this one really fascinated me.  Just not enough to move its way off of my TBR… until now.  And now, all I can think is WHY DID I WAIT?!  

 

Fortunately for me, I read it at just the right time.  This is the perfect October read.  Ghosts, murders, and a serial killer!  It’s literally all the things you ask of an eerie book.  

 

Carly’s mother has just died.  She entrenched in sorrow.  Looking for a way to connect, she seeks answers to the family secret…her Aunt Viv vanished into thin air decades ago, but what happened to her?  Channeling her grief into action, Carly moves to Fell, NY where her aunt disappeared.  It’s not enough to be in Fell.  Carly must walk in her aunt’s shoes….a few shifts at the nearly abandoned old motel where her aunt was last seen.  What could go wrong?

 

St. James creates the perfect atmosphere full of eerie vibes.  Every time those lights at the Sun Down started to flicker, my heart started to race. The sense of foreboding is intense and kept me on the edge of my seat.  The dual timelines between Carly and Viv work well and kept me engrossed in the storyline.  I love a strong, kick butt female protagonist, and in this story, we get two!  

 

Did I have to suspend reality a bit?  Yes.  Two young girls manage to unravel a mystery the cops cannot (do not?).  But ultimately, everything else was done so adeptly in this book that I was willing to overlook the implausible.  

 

I’ve passed old roadside motels often in travel.  They’ve always intrigued me.  But I’ll never want to stay in one thanks to Sun Down.  

C.S. Lewis created pure magic as he walked us through that wardrobe door and into Narnia. Callahan taps into that magic to give us this nostalgic story of family, hope, and love. 

George has lived long past what doctors expected. His poor heart physically can’t take much more. But he’s learned that good literature, particularly The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, gives his heart all the life and joy he can desire. Knowing C.S. Lewis is a tutor at his sister’s college, George sends her, Meg, on a quest to find out where Narnia originated. 

Thus, follows an endearing journey between Meg, George, and Lewis. Callahan weaves together facts from CS Lewis’ life and pieces of his classic story together alongside the heartwarming fictional storyline that spotlights the deep bond between a brother and sister. 

Callahan’s messaging resonated strongly with me: there is great power in both family bonds and the written word. 

This book would be best enjoyed under a cozy blanket with a hot cuppa…even better if snow flurries are forecast! 

Thank you Patti Callahan, Harper Muse Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

The Mad Girl is a dark psychological thriller that explores the impact of trauma and abuse. 

 

We meet Cee shortly after the deaths of her father and brother.  Traumatized by years of abuse at her father’s hands, Cee believes her hatred caused the tragic accident.  Buried in guilt, Cee seeks solace from her faith and her local priest.  What follows is a path of destruction and depravity at the hands of the very person from whom she seeks guidance and forgiveness.

 

We see abuse and trauma change Cee. Her desire for justice becomes carnal. I greatly empathized with her plight.  The ideology of right and wrong takes center stage as Cee’s decisions, dictated by poor mental health, turn more sinister.  Her moral code becomes corrupted.  

 

This story begs two key questions:

-When helpers become abusers and push you towards wrongdoing, who is ultimately at fault? 

-Is justice at any cost really justice at all?   

 

In this debut, Colvin creates a good working premise that intrigued me and gave me much to ponder. While the characters are largely unlikable, they are intricately created. Many dangling plot lines are placed throughout the story.  In some cases, these created puzzles to keep the mystery in play.  However, in many other cases, they muddled the storyline and took away from the mystery.  The potential twist at the end could’ve created a riveting conclusion, but it didn’t quite have the foundation upon which to be well executed.  

 

This story places an important spotlight on the horrors of abuse and the way trauma effects mental health.  Unfortunately, this book only looks at the negative ramifications and offers no healthy solutions.  

 

Upon finishing this book, I asked myself: Whose words give you strength and confidence?  And are they worthy of such?  

 

*There are many, necessary content warnings for this book.  

 

Thank you to Andrew Colvin for the opportunity to read and review this book.   

“All because she got sucked in by a cute accent and a pair of very blue eyes.”

 

Spellbinding!  I mean, yes.  Vivi, our main character, does put a spell on her ex-boyfriend, Rhys…and it’s a good one.  One that all of us who’ve been dumped have pondered.  But the stronger spell cast here is the one that Sterling puts on her readers!

 

Vivienne and Rhys must team up to break the curse she drunkenly placed on him years ago when he left her behind.  The curse has also left her beloved town in trouble alongside him, which to be honest, she’s more concerned about than him.  The undoing of the spell is just as delightful as you expect.   

 

Sterling (Rachel Hawkins) has delivered the perfect, witchy rom-com that charmed me and put me in Halloween spirit.  It has just the right mix of festivity, wit, and steam.  (Hotter than any witch’s caldron!)

 

This is a fun book.  It’s entertaining and delightful.  Don’t go into it looking for dynamic plot points.  This is one you sit back and enjoy.