Set in Texas during the Dust Bowl, The Four Winds tells the story of Elsa Martinelli and her struggle to do anything to protect her children. Elsa marries Rafe after getting pregnant and her family disowning her. She moves into his family home and helps run their farm. When the drought starts Rafe leaves her and her children, Loreda and Ant. She stays with her in laws trying to help keep the farm running, but when Ant gets dust pneumonia, Elsa makes the decision to take her children to California in hopes of a better life.

I wasn’t really sure how I would feel about this book when I found out what it was about. I read The Grapes of Wrath in college and honestly found it kind of boring. I’m so glad I went with my gut and trusted that Kristin Hannah would make this book anything but boring because this book was amazing!

I loved everything about this book. It had me enthralled from the beginning straight through the end. This book is very character driven, and I thought there were so many great characters. Elsa is such an amazing character. Her strength is such an inspiration even though she doesn’t see how strong she actually is. Rose and Tony, Elsa’s in-laws, were great characters too. The love they showed Elsa and her kids even after their son left them, was so moving. Loreda was a spitfire and full of spunk. I loved how she wanted to fight for what’s right. Ant was at times the comic relief and heart we needed in such a serious and depressing story.

Kristin Hannah did such an amazing job in setting the tone of this era and describing the situations they were in. Her descriptions of the farm, the drive to cross country, and the camp they lived in were all done so well that I felt transported there. Make sure you read the author’s note at the end of the book because she lets you know what was fictional in this book.

This is a book about female empowerment and strength. It’s about a mother’s love for her children and the lengths she’ll go to make sure they have what they need to survive. Like other Kristin Hannah books, you’ll definitely need a box of tissues nearby while reading it. There were a few times I found myself crying.

There’s definitely a reason Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors. The Four Winds is my favorite book I’ve read this year, and I can definitely see it staying at the top of the list.

I haven’t read any of the Ginger Gold Mysteries, and this book was two short cozy mysteries based off of those books. I don’t think you need to read the main books first though as this book was easy to follow. I do wish the stories were a tad longer with more focus on the mysteries, but they were a cute and quick read.

Skye Starling has suffered from OCD since her mother passed away. It keeps her from having serious relationships until she meets Burke Michaels, and he can see past her issues. They start dating and have a whirlwind relationship and get engaged only a few months later. But Burke isn’t all he seems to be. In fact, he’s married to his high school sweetheart, Heather.

Too Good To Be True is told from three perspectives - Skye’s story, journal entries written by Burke, and Heather’s story from 30 years earlier.

There were definitely a lot of twists in this book, but unfortunately I figured out what was going on early into the story. I did think the writing was good though so that didn’t make me want to stop reading. I just wanted to see how it was going to end.

Speaking of the ending, that definitely let me down. I can’t say anything without posting spoilers, but I really wish this book ended differently.

A lot of people loved this book, and I can definitely see why. I would have given it a higher rating if I hadn’t figured out the biggest twists.

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

I wanted to love this because a YA Fantasy take on King Arthur sounds so cool, but I found myself confused a lot of the time. I listened to the audiobook, and although I thought the narrator was great, it was hard to understand some of the names and terms.

I had never read this book when I was younger so figured it was time. I really enjoyed it and the life lessons!