Whatever you think you know…You’re Wrong

“The Couple” by Sarah Mitchell is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Claire, an immigration lawyer, and her engagement to Angus. The story flips between present and five years ago to her college relationship with Daniel, and her obsession with him.

After a whirlwind relationship, Claire and Angus purchase a house from a man named Mark, who looks like an older version of Daniel. Claire begins to become infatuated with Mark which causes her to get involved in something she shouldn’t.

There were a couple of twists along the way, but the story felt disjointed at times with too much going on. I couldn’t understand why the author was focusing on Claire’s immigration cases although later on in the book it makes more sense. Going back and forth from present day to five years ago was also confusing. It just didn’t feel necessary to the story of Claire, Angus, and Mark even after figuring out the “big” twist.

I really love a good thriller, but this just wasn’t it for me. I wanted to like it and kept reading in hopes I would, but the author’s writing style just wasn’t for me. The "big" twist just made no sense because it changed the author's story in an unnecessary way.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars for “The Red Address Book” by Sofia Lindbergh. What a charming and heartwarming story.

Doris is 96 and currently living in Stockholm with nurses checking on her. The only family she has is Jenny, her grand-niece, who lives in San Francisco so they only Skype once a week. Doris is lonely, and begins to look through her red address book, a gift given to her from her father when she is a child. There are many names of people she has met throughout her life, most crossed out with the word “dead” written next to them.

Doris wants to leave Jenny the story of her life so reminisces while looking through the red address book. She tells stories of her time as a maid when she was just a teenager in Stockholm and her friend, Gosta, that she met there. She tells stories of when she moved to Paris and became a living mannequin. Paris is also where she meets Allan, the love of her life. There are so many great and some not so great stories of her life and her travels all over the world.

When Doris has a fall, she ends up in the hospital, and Jenny rushes to Stockholm to be by her side for her last few days. Jenny finds the notes Doris has written for her and some letters and photographs throughout Doris’s life. She learns so much from her grand-aunt, but the most important lesson she learns from her is love.

This really was a lovely story. It was well written and kept a good pace, I thoroughly enjoyed it and honestly wanted to learn more about Doris’s life as if she was a real person. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a feel good story with a little heartbreak, but a lot of living and loving throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC in exchange of my honest review.

“One Winter’s Day” by Laura Briggs tells the stories of three friends who own a wedding planning business, Wedding Belles. This is the second book in a series however I did not read the first book and do not think you need to to fully understand this story. With that said, I do plan on getting the first book to read now that I’m finished with this one.

Tessa, Ama, and Natalie are partners in a wedding planning business with a fourth “silent” partner, Blake. They are new to this industry, but each has their strengths to keep their business afloat. They take on new clients, Nadia and Lyle, and only have a short amount of time to get the wedding planned. It seems that the Wedding Belles are jinxed though as things just keep going wrong. and the bride and groom’s over-involved mothers aren’t making anything easier for the Belles.

While the ladies stress about getting things right for the couple they are also dealing with their own love lives. Will the girls find happiness in their personal lives while finding success in their business? You’ll need to read this cute, romantic novel to find out!

I had a hard time with my rating of this book. If 3.5 stars were an option that would have been my rating, but I had to go with 3 stars. I think the author does a great job with her descriptions and attention to details especially when it comes to wedding details like the dress and the cake. However, “One Winter’s Day” was a little long for a romance in my opinion. I also had a hard time figuring out what day/month it was. One day it was Thanksgiving and then it was the wedding, but I think having a better idea of the timeline would make this book a little easier to read. With that said I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see what happens with the Belles and their love lives.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Love You Gone” by Rona Halsall is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Mel, who is meeting her family on holiday. She arrives two days after them due to work, but when she arrives Luke and the children are not there. They’ve left a note saying they’ve gone for a walk, but when it’s dark and they haven’t returned the police get involved.

This story is told in four parts first from Mel’s perspective where we start to learn about her and Luke’s relationship. Part two is told from the past in Luke’s perspective, and that’s when we really learn what’s been going on behind closed doors in their relationship. I can’t say much more without giving away major plot twists, but I found this a really enjoyable read. The writing is very good, and I look forward to reading Rona Halsall’s other book.

This is a psychological thriller that keeps you wanted to learn more and possibly routing for a character you thought you might not in the beginning. I highly recommend this for fans of psychological thrillers. It will keep you guessing and wanting more!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“An Isolated Incident” by Emily Maguire tells the story of the gruesome murder of Bella Michaels and how it affects the people in her life, mainly her sister Chris. The story is told from two perspectives, Chris’s and May’s a reporter sent to cover the story. This book is not so much about the investigation of the crime, but rather an examination of the impact of the horrific crime.

The two main characters, Chris and May, were both way too obsessed with their relationships with their ex-partners and used sex as a way not to think of them. They aren’t the best female role models especially in a book about violence against women and misogyny in general. I didn’t really care about either of these characters although I did feel sympathy for Chris for loosing her sister. The only likable character was Nate, Chris’s ex-husband and Bella’s ex-brother-in-law although he too had a history of violence against women.

I understand the setting of this book is a small, rural town where everyone knows each other and turns a blind eye to what people do behind closed doors. The problem is that there was nothing to show how these views can hurt women and even lead to a violent murder. There was nothing written to show how a murder such as the one of Bella Michaels could bring a town together and change these bad behaviors for the better.

I struggled with my review of this book. I didn’t like the writing, and still can’t figure out who Chris was telling had story to. There were side plots that weren’t clear if they had anything to do with Bella’s murder or not - dead animals, other murders, ghost stories. None of these side plots were fully written about so there was no closure, and it was confusing to the story.

The ending was the worst part of this book. Introducing a new character at the last minute just to have the murder solved made no sense especially when the entire book was about how our relationships can lead to violence and at times murder. It would have made sense if the killer was someone Bella knew. It was as if the author didn’t feel like giving the book and Bella the proper ending they deserved. I would not recommend this book.

“The Paris Secret” by Lily Graham tells the story of Valerie who was born in Paris during World War II. She grows up in London with her aunt, but travels back to Paris when she is twenty to find out the truth about her family and why they gave her away. She goes undercover to work at her Grandfather’s bookstore, and with the help of some snooping and a close neighbor she learns the truth of her past and her parents lives in the war.

I really like how this book was written going back and forth from the war to Valerie’s life working at the bookstore. The chapters are a good length making this book very easy to read. The story itself is what is expected of a novel set in World War II, but the way it is written makes it a great read. I cared about the main characters and wanted to know what happened to Valerie’s parents just as much as she did. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“A simple act of kindness...can sometimes change the world”

That’s how “A Miracle on Hope Street” by Emma Heatherington starts and it describes this lovely story completely.

“A Miracle on Hope Street” tells the story of Ruth Ryans who is an agony aunt (basically Dear Abby) who appears to live the perfect, glamorous life. One fateful night, eight days before Christmas, things will change for Ruth. While waiting on a ride to the hospital (her father is ill) she gives a homeless man money without knowing this man will eventually change her life.

One year later, eight days before Christmas, Ruth is in a serious depression. She lost her father one year ago, lives all alone in her big house, and has no one to share it with. She meets Michael at a cafe she frequents and finds out that he was the homeless man she gave the money to one year earlier. She changed his life that night, and now he will change her life, and the lives of other lonely people with her help.

This is not the type of novel I normally pick to read, but I’m so glad that I did. The book was so well written with relatable characters and a powerful message about the kindness of giving and what it can do for others. I highly recommend this book. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one day. It’s definitely a 5 star read for me, and I look forward to reading more books by Emma Heatherington.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperImpulse for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis of this book I thought it had all the makings for a great psychological thriller. “Tell Me No Lies” by Alex Sinclair tells the story of Grace from two different perspectives- on her fifth wedding anniversary to John when he is killed by a hit and run driver and six weeks after his death when strange things start happening to her.

I really thought this book had great potential. The story about a grieving widow who thinks she sees her deceased husband, she receives mysterious phone calls, and someone seems to be watching her. Then she finds some information about her husband’s past she wasn’t aware of. Will she be able to figure out what’s going on or is she just crazy like her best friend suspects. Sounds like the perfect thriller, but the problem with this book was that it just didn’t move fast enough or at all at times. When we finally got to the end it just felt rushed and honestly there really wasn’t enough closure or follow up for me.

I was hoping for a psychological thriller that I just couldn’t put down because I needed to know what would happen next, but I didn’t put it down just so I could move onto my next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Our Little Lies” by Sue Watson is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Marianne and her marriage to Simon, who appears to be Mr. Perfect, but things aren’t always what they seem. On the surface it appears Marianne has an ideal life - married to a handsome surgeon, three wonderful children, and a beautiful home, but behind closed doors there’s something dark and twisted going on.

Marianne did not have the best childhood being in and out of foster homes and dealing with her mother’s death, but when she meets Simon he seems like he will be the one to make her life right. That is until he makes her give up a career that made her happy, removes her friends from her life, and starts controlling her in more ways than one, and let’s not forget to mention the affairs. Is having the perfect life really worth it especially if you can’t tell what’s real and what isn’t?

Marianne as a character can be a bit annoying and seems whiny, but the further you get into the book you learn more about her and start to feel for her. Simon is a narcissist and honestly there wasn’t much I liked about him, but his character was written well for what he was. There were some interesting characters and a big twist at the end that I totally did not see coming.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my free audible originals for May 2019. I liked how it was told through a series of phone calls, and I thought all of the narrators were great, but in particle Usha, the mother. She was fantastic. I liked the story and thought it was creepy and intriguing. I needed a quick read, and this was perfect!