I don't know what I think of this story so I am going mid-range with the stars. It is well written, the description of the location was excellent and I did listen to the whole book in one day but there was no excitement. Maybe there wasn't suppose to be. I don't know. 
I kept thinking that something unreal was going to happen between the bear and Elena. Although it was a little unrealistic at a point it didn't become weird. And I'm thinking that there was more to the story, maybe a representation of what the sisters life was about, but I just didn't get it. And the ending was much different than I expected. I really didn't like any of the characters. Well except for the mom, but her story was a sad one.
The narration was well done and did make it easy to listen to the book.

I just couldn’t get into this. I didn’t like any of the women or their relationship and how they communicated with each other. It’s hard to imagine they are friends. So disappointing. 

Over all this was a 4 star story for me but I think I am rounding up from somewhere between 3 and 4. There were some points that were quite frustrating for me and started to take away from the story.
- I grew very tired of Mallory always chasing Jake over anything else. 
- also tired of the many details of the food they were making and eating but details about events happening (such as the Scott breakup) were excluded completely. 
- at the end, I turned the page and it was done. I was not prepared for that. It felt like there should be more. 

What I did like was the "What we are talking about in (each year)...." I remember most of the topics included because I am about the same age as Mallory in each of those years. It was quite the memory walk at times.
I did have tears in the final chapter. Even though I did not agree with Mallory's choices, I still can't imagine being in her place. It would be a hard place to be. 

It's hard to imagine that Go as a River is a debut novel for Shelley Read! I can't even imagine what the next one will be like as I can only believe that she will get even better!
The author’s descriptive writing made it very easy to see myself there. I could easily see the vivid Colorado landscape.
This is as a coming of age story for Victoria even though it spans over 20 years of her life. When Victoria meets Wilson Moon, who is passing through town, life for both people changes immensely!
The reader only gets to know a little about Wilson but what we do experience is the enormous racial prejudice that is directed toward him.
The story continues to focus on Victoria from that meeting and how her life changes from that experience. I will not say anything else about this so as to not include spoilers but be prepared to be sad and annoyed, as well as a myriad of other emotions!

(An interesting part about this story is that I learned some is actual fact. There was a dam built near the three towns and they were flooded due to this. In real life people were forced to move to find new homes so this dam could be used.)

Although the issues in this book are very serious, I felt that this story read similar to a cozy mystery with a little bit of humour mixed in. 
This book has many characters and subplots mixed together with the key focus of the story. I was able to keep track of all of it all. Kirsten Miller did a good job of keeping it all straight for you without repeating information. 
I loved how the story showed the impact of books no matter what the subject matter is and how each person reacts to it. The best part was how the next generation was able to prove this point to the older generation who thought they knew better. 
I really liked how each chapter of this book was named after a real-life banned book and how that banned book impacted the character focused on in that chapter. 
When I first started reading I thought that it was going to be a DNF for me because of the about of referencing christians and bible quotes. I soon realized that it was meant as criticism of the followers who twist religion to serve their own purposes. Being a non-religious person myself, I was pleased to see a different focus.

This was my first Kirsten Miller book but I was impressed by her writing style. I am looking forward to what she writes next!

Unfortunately, this book that I was so looking forward to reading, was only a 3.5 star. I usually love Hilderbrand stories but this one was just not up to the usual level of story. 

I just could not connect with Coco. The MC is not the usual character in the EH books that I love. The sub-characters of Blonde Sharon and Chief Ed were more like the characters I look for in EH stories. 
It felt like this was just a quick writing for EH so as to tidy up some plots from previous stories and characters. Plus way too many popular social-media "words" used throughout the story. They stood out like "sore thumbs".

Happy retirement but I really wish this Swan Song was a better one.

This was a quick read for me. It was somewhat predictable at the start and there were quite a few annoying characters. There was not really a "thriller" feeling to the story. I wasn't surprised by the twist, but I did enjoy the police investigation and the multiple POVs leading up the reveal. 
The character based plot was fast based and written so you could easily imagine the scenery.

Thanks Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity.

I was very surprised by this book. I had requested it to review because the setup sounded good but as I started reading it I was quickly pulled into the story. It has been a while since I read a police procedural and I loved this one. 
It was written in two POV on two different timelines. The timelines were easy to keep track of with no confusion as to which time you were in. The countdown timeline for Shay's story really kept you engaged as you were waiting for what was going to happen! 
I liked both female MC but felt I was able to get to know Shay easier and feel more connected with her. Raisa was a bit more less developed but I haven't read the first book (which I didn't know existed until I had started reading this one and I didn't want to stop). Raisa's specialty as a linguistic professional at the FBI was intriguing and I really wish there had been more to the story about this. 
The complex story was easy to follow for me. The many characters helped in keeping "whodunit" secret until the very end, although I was keeping track of hints and thought I had it all figured out. I was wrong! 
This was well written and excellent storyline and a great ending all tied up without being rushed but not dragging either. I would recommend this book for sure. It could be one of my top 5 favourites of the year!

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this and to discover a new to me favourite author!

This is a very unusual story. My first by this author but I understand that it is not his normal style. The book is very well written and the narrator easy to listen to.
This was a sweet read but a bit strange for me. I couldn't imagine professionals doing the things they did for a mouse. I get the point about the message though. Never stop living your life no matter what your age. There is always life to experience.