I’m so happy that I received an ARC of Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain. I haven’t read a book by this author yet, but this won’t be my last.

North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher is in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. She gets bailed out by the daughter of a local artist, Jesse Jameson Williams, who before his death helped troubled artists get their lives on track and art careers started. There are conditions to her parole, the main one being that she needs to restore a mural painted in 1940, which will be hung in Jesse Williams’ art museum in Edenton, North Carolina – a small town with a history. This museum is opening in two months, and Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she agrees.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, a young artist from New Jersey has just won a national contest to paint a post office mural in Edenton, North Carolina. Her mother has recently passed away, and since she is basically alone she moves to Edenton while working on the mural. Not knowing much about Edenton, Anna starts to get to know the locals to see how they would like their town represented in the mural. She enlists the help of two young students, one white and one black, which leads to many prejudices in this small town being revealed.

I loved how this story was told from both Anna’s and Morgan’s perspectives, and the fact that I loved both stories was great. Normally, when books are told like this, I prefer one story to the other, but not in this case. The two women’s stories blend perfectly together in the way the story is told, and I was enthralled right from the beginning. I loved Anna’s story of painting the mural while she learns to survive in the South in 1940, and I loved Morgan’s story of restoring the mural while she learns to live with a past she isn’t proud of.

I was invested from page one of this book and loved seeing how it would progress. Chamberlain did a great job of drawing the reader in and wrote a beautiful story where I felt transported to Edenton. I look forward to reading more of her books. The way she brought everything together at the end was great. My only complaint, if you can call it that, was the epilogue which left me wanting more closure. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Bridie Devine is a detective hired to find a child that was kidnapped. While investigating, she realizes that perhaps the child is something else perhaps not human especially as she gets pulled into the seedy underbelly of Victorian London and meets all sorts of shady characters along the way. The child has garnered the unwanted attention of collectors of curiosities, but secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems. Set in 1800’s London, Things In Jars by Jess Kidd is definitely a fantastical tale of historical fiction coupled with folklore. We meet some interesting characters throughout the book including a ghost named Ruby and a 7-foot tall housemaid named Cora.

I loved all the quirky characters, especially Ruby and his relationship with Bridie. I hoped for a different ending for them, but understand why the author went the direction she did. The circus setting in some parts was interesting and definitely beneficial to the story.

The book is told from two different timelines. We go back and forth from 1843 where we learn of Bridie’s upbringing and what gives her the background she has in medicine, and 1863 where we focus on the kidnapping of Christabel and Bridie’s investigation in these matters. The two timelines intersected well and helped bring the story together.

I struggled with my rating because although I think the writing was exceptional, this story just wasn’t for me. I felt like the author’s descriptions at the beginning of each chapter were beautifully written, but not necessary to move the story along. They actually slowed it down a lot which almost made me not want to finish this book. I think that Victorian England is just not the right setting for me. Overall, if you like Victorian England and the fantasy genre, I think this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ollie meets Will over summer vacation at a lake in North Carolina and they have a summer romance. When Ollie’s parents tell him they’ll be moving to NC for his senior year to help take care of his sick Aunt, he’s excited to be living close to Will. But when Ollie texts Will to let him know, he gets no response and realizes he’s been ghosted. When Ollie starts his first day at his new school he makes friends with three girls, and tells them about his summer fling. Little does he know Will goes to the same school, and he is not out of the closet. Did Ollie accidentally out Will and where will their relationship go if one of them is out and the other isn’t? Will Ollie and Will end up together or will Ollie end up only mostly devastated?

Let me start by saying that I had serious Grease vibes reading this book especially at the beginning. In this case, it’s boy meets boy over summer vacation. Boy moves to other boy’s town and doesn’t realize they go to the same school until their friends reunite them at a party. Totally sounds like Grease, right? Surprisingly though there is so much more to this story.

There’s the touching relationship with Ollie and his family and the way he takes care of his young cousins to help out his aunt who is battling cancer. I loved the kids, Crista and Dylan, and I thought Ollie’s relationship with his Aunt Linda was very sweet. Then there’s his friendship with Juliette, Lara, and Niamh. I especially loved how Ollie and Lara’s friendship progressed throughout the book. Finally, there’s Ollie and Will. I think the author did a great job of telling a realistic story of a couple where one is out and the other isn’t. They obviously go through a lot of ups and downs especially with Will’s being a jock and his friends on the basketball team making fun of Ollie.

It’s a heartfelt story that had me both laughing and crying. Ollie’s awkwardness is endearing throughout the story, and I love how the author showed growth in all of the characters. This is definitely a YA story, but I think adults will enjoy it as well.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Andy is a graphic designer who is way too reliant on technology. He spends his days on social media, the internet, and playing video games. He rarely even has to leave the house because he can order food online, meet dates on dating apps, and do all shopping online. Because of this, he hardly sleeps, has chronic neck pain, and has issues with going to the bathroom. When Andy goes to pitch a graphic design job things take a crazy turn for the worse, and he realizes he needs to make some changes. His doctor recommends a digital detox where he’ll log off of all technology for 60 days. Can Andy do it, and if so, will it be worth it?

This book has a great concept. I think most of us are reliant on social media, technology, and our smart phones. Personally, I think I spend way too much time on them, but don’t know if I could go as far as Andy did and cut them out completely for two months.

The book is definitely written with British humor and satire. Some of which was lost on me, but it did have some funny parts - driving without GPS and a duck pond come to mind! That was a funny scene. There were also some endearing parts mainly Andy’s relationship with Grace. I loved the part where they travel to Bath, and I’m glad they made a connection through him logging off.

I definitely think this is a book everyone who spends a lot of time online should read. It has a great message about balancing our lives between our digital selves and the real world.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Daphne and Drue were frenemies growing up, but haven’t spoken in years after a falling out. Daphne is now a plus-size Influencer and living her best life. When Drue asks her to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, can Daphne forgive her and believe Drue has grown out of being the mean girl she always was?

This was my first book by Jennifer Weiner, and I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t just contemporary chick-lit, but that it was a mystery too. I was totally looking forward to this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is definitely a fun, summer read that I highly recommend.

The only reason I can’t give it 5-stars is because I found it odd that Nick, who didn’t use social media or have a job that needed the internet could so easily find someone’s Facebook profile from years ago. There were some other things he did that I question as well, and although I liked his character, I’m still a bit suspicious of him!

After her husband, Isaac, gets a new, better-paying job, Janey Markham moves to Buckingham Crescent, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in their new town. She quickly learns which are the moms to become friends with when dropping her son off a school. Edie, Tanya, and Kyoko are the moms everyone envies and wants to be included with. Janey gets invited into their group, but is being friends with them as good as it seemed it would be or will it get her into trouble?

Little Whispers is about moms who gossip, but there’s a lot more to it. It had all the makings of a great thriller, but it just fell flat for me. It was a slow build, but it never picked up or had me on the edge of my seat. I honestly found it quite predictable. I didn’t see everything coming, but figured out who the bad guy was early on.

There was a secondary mystery throughout the book set in the past which I did actually enjoy. I can’t say more without giving anything away, but I would have liked the past story to be connected to the main story somehow.

I’ve read two other books by K.L. Slater and really enjoyed them. This one just wasn’t for me though.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lizzie, a prosecutor turned defense attorney, received a collect call from Rikers. Zach, an old friend from law school, has been arrested for assault of a police officer, but there’s more to it. His wife, Amanda, was found murdered in his home, and Zach wants Lizzie to get him out of Rikers before he’s arraigned for the murder. Lizzie is hesitant since she has not handled a murder before, but her boss talks her into taking Zach’s case.

A Good Marriage is told from Lizzie’s perspective after the murder, and Amanda’s perspective before. It alternates between the two points of view plus there are memos and court testimonies spaced out in between. I liked the way it was written from both perspectives. The author did a good job of keeping us in suspense as to what was happening and who murdered Amanda.

There were a few different types of marriages in this story, and I’m not sure any of them were good! I like how these different marriages helped with the story and how they were all intertwined a little. The characters were well built up which kept adding more suspense and made it harder to figure out who done it! There were definitely twists throughout, and the author was great at keeping us on our toes. This book had a very slow start for me, but the ending was definitely not what I expected and moved at a much faster pace.

Thank you Kimberly McCreight and Harper for an advanced reader’s edition in exchange for my honest review.

I listened to the audiobook of “One for the Money” by Janet Evanovich which is narrated by C.J. Critt. One for the Money tells the story of Stephanie Plum who starts working as a bounty hunter for her cousin after losing her job and basically having no other option for income. She is given a FTA (failure to appear) to find, Joe Morelli. Morelli is a cop that is involved in a murder and also the person Stephanie lost her virginity to when they were in high school. With the help of fellow Bounty Hunter, Ranger, and a childhood friend who is now a cop, she sets off to find Morelli and get the $10,000 payout which will help her get back on her feet.

This series was recommended to me by some friends who said it was great for listening to on my commute to/from work. I’m glad I decided to try the first book and plan on reading the others in the series. It’s easy to pay attention to while driving, and Stephanie is a very funny character. I was routing for her the entire time I was listening and look forward to seeing where her relationship with Morelli goes in future books. The narrator, C.J. Critt, was very good as well so I plan to continue reading the audiobooks during my commute.