When their plane crashes in the Amazon, four children find themselves alone in the vast jungle. Having read of explorers, Fred finds himself trying to survive like in the stories he's read about. Along with Con, Lila and Lila's little brother Max, Fred finds a map that leads to a ruined city, the children find more than they were ever expecting.

Although the adventure story was fun, the pacing was so slow that it didn't make a very good read-aloud. Often, my children struggled to pay attention, and I would suggest this book would be better suited for older children.

Orphaned Hugo lives in a Paris train station, keeping the clocks and stealing food to survive. When the toymaker catches him stealing, Hugo becomes intertwined with the grumpy man and his lively goddaughter and finds his deepest secret is in danger. I downloaded the audiobook for us to listen to in the car during a quick day trip, and my family was hooked. We had a great time together discussing the book, and my kids thought it was the best part of our trip.

A Cute but Forgettable Rom-Com

On her way home from a school reunion, a surprise blizzard traps Noelle on the highway. She ends up spending eight splendid hours talking with Sam, the handsome American in the car next to her. As Noelle keeps running into Sam, she begins to realize that she wants more in life than what she has settled for.

Although I loved Lia Louis's debut, Dear Emmie Blue, Eight Perfect Hours fell flat for me. The sheer number of Noelle and Sam's coincidences tipped the scales from cute to completely contrived. Moreover, Noelle spends so much time in her head repetitively going over the same doubts, that the story loses force. Although still an enjoyable rom-com, Eight Perfect Hours needed much more nuance and character-building to be worth recommending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In a coastal Washington town, everyone was shocked when popular student Daniel goes missing and his childhood friend, Jonah, confesses to the murder before committing suicide. While struggling with his son's murder, Isaac, a devote Quaker, takes in a pregnant teenager who shows up at his door. At first her presence seems like a blessing, but as Isaac and Jonah's mother get to know Evangeline, their overlapping pasts threaten to derail the shared future they are building. What Comes After is a slow brooding debut novel that completely draws you in with its character study of the effects of grief, anger, and the need for connection.

When Abi disappears from a teenage party, the police in her insular Colorado mountain town assume she ran away. As Emma investigates her best friend's disappearance, she begins to learn that she didn't know Abi as well as she thought. Although the premise has all the hallmarks of a great summer thriller, Where the Truth Lies was all cliches and stereotypes of small-town American life, possibly because the author is British. The bigotry, homophobia, misogyny, and domestic abuse were all overplayed, lacking in even an ounce of nuance, while the culprit was the most obvious character. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

After winning a trip to a remote Scotland getaway for the weekend, Adam and Amelia try one last-ditch effort to save their marriage. Amelia is tired of Adam putting his work as a screenwriter before her and Adam is just tired of Amelia. As things start to unravel and their past is revealed through secret anniversary letters Adam has never read, you find that someone is lying and someone doesn't want them to end happily ever after. While I was reading, I wavered between enjoying the mystery and being annoyed by it. Overall the book was good, if a bit unbelievable, but the twist is so artfully executed that it elevates the entire novel up a notch. 3.5 Stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Flatiron Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Just Plain Odd ... And Not in a Good Way

Growing up, Dahlia Lighthouse's family was like no other. Obsessed with true crime, her parents isolated the family in their secluded island mansion. When her father dies, a body is discovered already in his grave - Dahlia's twin brother who disappeared when they were teens. Now Dahlia must dive deeper into her eccentric family to learn what happened to her brother.

Truth be told, The Family Plot is just plain weird ... and not in a good way. Everything was unrelatable from top to bottom - the characters, the circumstances, the true-crime obsession. Instead of being intrigued by the quirkiness, I was annoyed by the irredeemably flat characters and the bizarre story. I honestly can't believe I wasted as many hours as I did reading this terrible book instead of DNF'ing it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Before Owen Michaels disappeared, he smuggled a note to his new wife Hannah: Protect her. Hannah knows he's referring to his sixteen-year-old daughter Bailey, but Bailey doesn't want anything to do with Hannah. As Owen's boss gets arrested and the FBI come knocking, Hannah and Bailey must come together to discover Owen's secrets.

I found myself completely immersed in Reese Witherspoon's book club pick from May. As Hannah tries to unravel Owen's true identity and learn to connect with her stepdaughter, the suspense keeps you turning pages. Instead of a high-action plot like in a John Grisham thriller, Dave opts for a thought-provoking character study that I found intriguing.

A professor of psychology and marketing, Adam Alter describes the rise of behavioral addiction in America - such as the unhealthy attachment to smartphones and social media, the out-of-control gaming, the desperate need to check email - and discusses the troubling problems such addictions foreshadow. Although only a few years old, Irresistible already felt outdated to me, probably because social media is evolving so rapidly. In all, Alter's research made for an interesting read but didn't teach me anything I didn't already know.

The Vietnam War has been hard on Gibby's family. One brother never returned and the other returned only to spend three years in prison. When a day at the lake ends with a riot aboard a prison transport that will result in the murder of a young woman, Gibby dives deep into his older brother's war history to prove him innocent.

The Unwilling started strong with the complicated relationships of Gibby's family. However, the story didn't have enough suspense to compensate for the highly unrealistic characters and plot line introduced halfway through the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.