The Better Liar by Tanen Jones

Synopsis: (Amazon) “Like most of the dead, I want to be remembered.”

Robin Voigt is dead. If Leslie had arrived at her sister’s cramped Las Vegas apartment just hours earlier, this would have been their first reunion in a decade. In the years since Robin ran away from home as a teenager, Leslie has stayed in New Mexico, taking care of their dying father even as she began building a family of her own. But when their father passed away, Leslie received a rude awakening: She and Robin would receive the inheritance he left them together—or not at all. Now her half of the money may be beyond her grasp. And unbeknownst to anyone, even her husband, Leslie needs it desperately.

When she meets a charismatic young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Robin—and has every reason to leave her past behind—the two make a reckless bargain: Mary will impersonate Robin for a week in exchange for Robin’s half of the cash. But neither realizes how high the stakes will become when Mary takes a dead woman’s name. Even as Mary begins to suspect Leslie is hiding something, and Leslie realizes the stranger living in her house, babysitting her newborn son, and charming her husband has secrets of her own, Robin’s wild, troubled legacy threatens to eclipse them both.

An electric, twisted portrait of sisterhood and the ties that bind, The Better Liar is a stunning debut with a heart-stopping, twist-after-twist finale that will beg the question: How far would you go to get what’s yours?

My Review: This was another quick read that I read back in February (I am awful about updating this, have you noticed?). This one was definitely a ride but touched on some deep topics. One constant theme is depression/post partum and suicide. Having suffered from both (I was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2018), I would understand the emotional roller coaster you can't seem to ever get off. 

I really could feel for Leslie and her struggles as a Mom! It's hard and when you add PPD into it, you really do feel that disconnect with your child. Don't get me wrong, I adore my babies but with PPD sometimes you just check out and half the time you don't even realize you had. 

The twist with Robin/Mary I actually didn't see coming. I mean I guess now that I look back on it, it was pretty obvious but at the time I was like NO WAY! So if you had figured it out 😛. 

This one is definitely worth checking out for yourself!

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Frankly In Love by David Yoon

Synopsis: (Amazon) Frank Li has two names. There's Frank Li, his American name. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California.

Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl--which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit . . . who is white.

As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he's forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don't leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he's found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he's left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love—or himself—at all.

In this moving debut novel—featuring striking blue stained edges and beautiful original endpaper art by the author—David Yoon takes on the question of who am I? with a result that is humorous, heartfelt, and ultimately unforgettable.

My Review: "Someone once told me that you had to hate your parents in order to leave them." 

Something I have discovered this year that I love more than anything are buddy reads. 

Buddy reads are online book clubs and I think I actually might prefer these to real life book clubs! Its just so convenient to hang out and chat with a glass of wine or in your pajamas. Some of them are strictly with text and some use Zoom or Google Meetup. Its really a great thing! But the thing I am loving the most about them is that it has expanded my reading palette. 

This book, Frankly in Love, I read for a buddy read with my friend Kaylee and her group. And this one did not disappoint yet again! 

This one touched on racism in the US in a way that made me wonder if I also do and say things like some of these characters. Another thing I loved was that this was told from the viewpoint of a teenage boy. Having one myself, I can see some of the same traits that Frank exhibits in our own home. It surprised me at first but only because society likes to pretend that only women are emotional and have hormones! But I loved the internal monologue we got and how we got to watch him nature and accept who he is.

I know it drives people crazy about how easily he fell in "love" but that was so real! Almost every teenager falls instantly in love, its like a rite of passage for them! 

Have you read this one? What did you think? 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

Synopsis: Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.

But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.

What follows is one of the most twisted, shocking thrillers you’ll ever read.

My Review: Wow! WOW! WOOOOOOOW! I recently read this for a thriller book club buddy read on IG and I am so glad I joined! I started this book and finished it in less than 24 hours. That was a combination of short chapters (which always make you just plow through a book!) and it being that good. This book had everything: intriguing story, people playing mental games and a plot that makes you go 🤯 when you finally figure out what is going on.

I really liked Thursday's character to be honest. I really felt for her when she explored the emotional mind games her Mother played with her. Having had suffered through many miscarriages myself, I can understand the deep emotional and mental toll they take. I LOVED the Seattle setting and could actually picture the places she was visiting as she described them. I liked that the story was set up as she had this idyllic life but is it ever as it seems? 

What I didn't like was how Regina's story panned out. Like she is legitmately just as bad in my opnion as she made Thursday out to be. And I wasn't too keen on that ending. I was just hoping for more, not that abrupt end that it took. 

Given how small this book was, I can't give too much more of a review without seeping into spoiler territory but I do recommend this book a million times over! 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

Synopsis: Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

My Review: I am a sucker for POV and short chapters and this book had both. I also books that flow easily from chapter to chapter (very short chapters=very quick read!). I felt for Lucy but rejoiced that she was finally able to escape that life and ended up with a happy ending. But did anyone else think that Libby was set up for a sequel? (Does anyone have any insight on this and if so, WHEN?!) But also, please tell me I am not alone in thinking that Henry really IS evil and reading his chapters felt like we got a watered down version of what his POV wanted us to see him as? The fact that the author gave me the creeps while reading her words is telling of her writing style. 

Excellent book, I can't recommend it enough! 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lovely War by Julie Berry

Synopsis: They are Hazel, James, Aubrey, and Colette. A classical pianist from London, a British would-be architect-turned-soldier, a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U.S. Army, and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past. Their story, as told by goddess Aphrodite, who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus, is filled with hope and heartbreak, prejudice and passion, and reveals that, though War is a formidable force, it's no match for the transcendent power of Love.



My Review:  So I read this book as my first ever Buddy Read and wow. I am still blown away from this book. This was my first read of 2020 and it was the BEST one to start off the year with! This book as it all: romance, mythology, historical setting with current events of the time. And it's all wrapped up into a beautiful love story. The chapters are all POV but it never gets confusing which person is telling their side of the story (if you're like me and eventually stop reading the chapter headings). It's just an absolute gem! 

I was really happy to finally have a historical fiction novel set during WW1. I feel like we have so many WW2 books that it's becoming a bit overdone, so this was already a positive for me. I had no idea this had any mythology at all in it so the retelling of the story by Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares and Hades was a pleasant surprise. I also really liked how the author touched on some hot topic happenings to keep the book as accurate as she could. She talked about how the African American regiment was treated during this time. She talked about how the soldiers with PTSD were not, and still aren't if I am being frank, getting the treatment they need and deserve. Rarely does a book elicit tears and this one had me bawling in the break room at my work.

If this book has been on your radar, check it out. If your book hasn't been on your radar, get it on there. And then check it out. This one is one that can't be missed and won't disappoint.

Book rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper

Synopsis: Based on a seldom-told true story, this novel is perfect for everyone who is fascinated by Britain’s royal family—a behind the scenes look into the nurseries of little princes and the foibles of big princes.

April, 1897: A young nanny arrives at Sandringham, ancestral estate of the Duke and Duchess of York. She is excited, exhausted—and about to meet royalty. . . .

So begins the unforgettable story of Charlotte Bill, who would care for a generation of royals as their parents never could. Neither Charlotte—LaLa, as her charges dub her—nor anyone else can predict that eldest sons David and Bertie will each one day be king. LaLa knows only that these children, and the four who swiftly follow, need her steadfast loyalty and unconditional affection.

But the greatest impact on Charlotte’s life is made by a mere bud on the family tree: a misunderstood soul who will one day be known as the Lost Prince. Young Prince John needs all of Lala’s love—the kind of love his parents won’t…or can’t…show him.

From Britain’s old wealth to the glittering excesses of Tsarist Russia; from country cottages to royal yachts, and from nursery to ballroom, Charlotte Bill witnesses history. The Royal Nanny is a seamless blend of fact and fiction—an intensely intimate, yet epic tale spanning decades, continents, and divides that only love can cross.

My Review: If you're a royal family fanatic, like I am, this very fiction novel is rather cute. It follows Ms. Lala through her years as Prince George V children's headnurse. For those that need a refresher, his children are Queen Elizabeth's father, uncles and aunt.

I rated this one 3 stars because I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it either. It was just a book I read. I did like the flow and I liked the romance bit added with the main character. I loved the royal family being the center of the novel. I love how they added the events with the Tsar and Tsarita but I am also a Romanov fanatic almost as much as I am a royal fanatic. But it wasn't something that made me feel anything or wanting more. 

Book rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Synopsis: She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral--viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.

Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways--there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

Know My Name will forever transform the way we think about sexual assault, challenging our beliefs about what is acceptable and speaking truth to the tumultuous reality of healing. It also introduces readers to an extraordinary writer, one whose words have already changed our world. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic.

My review: "How quickly victims must begin fighting, converting feelings into logic, navigating the legal system, the intrusion of strangers, the relentless judgment." When a woman is assented, one of the first questions people ask is, "Did you say yes?" This question assumes that the answer is always yes, and that is her job to revoke the agreement."

So I don't believe in reviewing memoirs. Like yeah talking about different aspects of the story sure but giving it a rating? No. So there will be no rating from me except to say this book was so important and such a deep emotional read. 

I wasn't going to read this honestly. Truth be told, I didn't even know this was Emily Doe. I knew a bit about Brock Turner case and what I do know, I wasn't pleased. But the Bookstagram world has been talking about this for awhile and my work had it, so I snagged it. And I am so glad I didd. Rarely do we hear from the victim. Rarely do we get an intimate detail of what they overcame. We can assume, sure. But we have no idea. And honestly, we don't need to know their personal details. But it takes immense courage to let those feelings out to the world. Especially in a time when victims are rarely heard and victims are scrutinized at every turn.

If you've been debating on reading this one, do it. Prepare to be angry, sad, annoyed, infuriated and everything in between. But  her message is so important to victims out there: you're not alone 💓

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

In addition to writing reviews because I like to but also for my bookstagram community, one of the projects at work is writing book reviews for our Facebook page. The patrons seem to really love it because they eventually come to a standstill with their reading and don't know where to go next! The patrons are already really receptive about this new addition to the website and it makes me happy to know that my opinion is reaching out to people! 

This book was the first one I reviewed and man...was it a tearjerker.

Synopsis: Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.

Nuri is sustained only by the knowledge that waiting for them is his cousin Mustafa, who has started an apiary in Yorkshire and is teaching fellow refugees beekeeping. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm even the bravest souls. Above all, they must make the difficult journey back to each other, a path once so familiar yet rendered foreign by the heartache of displacement.

Moving, intimate, and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a book for our times: a novel that at once reminds us that the most peaceful and ordinary lives can be utterly upended in unimaginable ways and brings a journey in faraway lands close to home, never to be forgotten.

My review: This deeply emotional story follows Nuri, a former beekeeper, and Afra, his blind wife, as they escape their war torn country of Syria. Not only does this story show us their harrowing escape from Aleppo but also their lives as they seek asylum in the UK. It's a book about loss, danger, suffering and heartbreak. 

I really enjoyed this book. While yes this is a work of fiction, this is a very real story. Something similar was and is happening in Syria. Christy's writing made you feel real emotion. There was so many times I put the book down and just thought "wow" or hugged my kids. There were moments where I had to take a walk to process the horror they are suffering. This one just reminded me of how fortunate I am to be living the life I am. But it also made me angry that this is even going on.

I will recommend this book over and over again. It is a heavily emotional read but the chapters are pretty quick and short. It's a book I feel would and should strike up some dialogue about what's going on in the world. 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Conviction by Denise Mina

Synopsis: The day Anna McDonald's quiet, respectable life exploded started off like all the days before: Packing up the kids for school, making breakfast, listening to yet another true crime podcast. Then her husband comes downstairs with an announcement, and Anna is suddenly, shockingly alone.

Reeling, desperate for distraction, Anna returns to the podcast. Other people's problems are much better than one's own -- a sunken yacht, a murdered family, a hint of international conspiracy. But this case actually is Anna's problem. She knows one of the victims from an earlier life, a life she's taken great pains to leave behind. And she is convinced that she knows what really happened.

Then an unexpected visitor arrives on her front stoop, a meddling neighbor intervenes, and life as Anna knows it is well and truly over. The devils of her past are awakened -- and in hot pursuit. Convinced she has no other options, she goes on the run, and in pursuit of the truth, with a washed-up musician at her side and the podcast as her guide.

My review: "There is warmth and comfort in hearing about people in worse situations than your own." 

In this book we are introduced to Anna McDonald who seems to have it all. A successful lawyer husband, a beautiful home, 2 beautiful little girls. But is life ever idyllic in novels? Anna has a past. A past that she's been running from. And while she's running from her past, people are running to hurt her.

I really enjoyed this book! Being a Reese's Book Club December selection, I was going to read it regardless (my 2019 goal was to read all the books she chose) and this one definitely didn't disappoint. It had mystery. It has thrilling moments. It has a podcast similar to my favorite podcast My Favorite Murder. 

This one isn't staying in my collection but not because I didn't like it. I actually donated it to my library and I hope the patrons enjoy this one as much as I did. 

Have you read this? What did you think? 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One Day in December by Josie Silver

Synopsis: Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away.

Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered.

My review: This was one of my local book club picks for December (I was in 2 during 2019!). Let me start off by saying if you're looking for a feel good, not very deep read with all the stress of the holiday season...then this is probably perfect for you. 

The book follows the lives of 3 friends Laurie, Sarah and Jack who are living in London and how their lives do complete 180s for one friend and for the other two it takes 12, yes 12, years for change. 

While I did think the story was cute, it definitely annoyed me in a lot of ways and just seemed very unrealistic in others (like how Sarah was that unsuspecting for so long and how Laurie searching for this mystery man never once ever came up?) Laurie's husband being so easy going and just too nice actually drove me nuts! There was never any real conflict there and even the "big" conflict was taken as like "okay. So we're doing this then." But if you take this book for what it is, just a feel good December read, then that's what you'll get out of it. 

Given the hype about this book, I thought there would have been more substance to it. But I leave my readers with these questions: Have you read this and if so what did you think? Do you think Laurie should have told Sarah? What about Jack? 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Synopsis: A year ago, Irene Steele had the shock of her life: her loving husband, father to their grown sons and successful businessman, was killed in a helicopter crash. But that wasn't Irene's only shattering news: he'd also been leading a double life on the island of St. John, where another woman loved him, too.

Now Irene and her sons are back on St. John, determined to learn the truth about the mysterious life -- and death -- of a man they thought they knew. Along the way, they're about to learn some surprising truths about their own lives, and their futures.

My review: Okay, let me start by saying I had no intentions of starting this series. None. One of my local book clubs picked the first one last year as the December pick and I was going to be out of town anyway so I was like "okay, cool. Don't need to read the fufu." BUT we have both of them at my work and the 2nd was picked as this years December pick so suck it up buttercup.

And you know what? I was hooked. Read the first in 24 hours. Having just visited the Carribean myself in September, I loved it. Remembering the warmth, the beaches, the food, drinks. It brought up so many memories while reading it. I miss the white sands. I miss the heat. I miss the tropical drinks. I. Was. Sold. 

So imagine my surprise when this one wasn't...as...good...as my expectation from the previous book made me want it to be. Don't get me wrong, it was a page turner. But it made me hate Russ and Rosie even more. Russ is the typical lying cheating criminal and Rosie is 100% Brigid and doesn't really seem to care all that much. Their storylines in this book made me not care that they were murdered in book 1! What it did do though is make me feel worse for the people those two people left behind. And yes I know that's the point but man. I went from being like "OMG, they were murdered!" to being like "eh. they were murdered." Now. All that being said. I can't wait for the conclusion in October 2020. 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐