book review · Contemporary Fiction · Womens Fiction

Book Review ~ The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband’s Secret is the second book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it.  We are introduced to three women, Cecilia, Rachel and Tess, whose lives become intertwined by the revelation of a letter containing the husband’s secret, a letter that was only meant to be read after his death.  This secret changes their lives in ways they cannot imagine.  

It was an interesting read and I did become invested in the characters and their lives.  Each woman had a storyline that drew me in immediately which is a wonderful thing.  Tess’ story especially grabbed my attention and actually made my jaw drop more than once.  I must admit I was very curious to know what the husband’s secret was (although I had my ideas) and that kept me turning the pages for the first half of the book.

Somehow though, once the letter was read and I knew the secret, the rest of the book became a little less interesting for me. There weren’t really any more big twists or turns but I kept reading because I did like the characters and wanted to see how it panned out for them.  It took me a bit longer to read this book than usual because my interest waned in the second half but I’m happy I finished it.

I will add personally, and this is just my own opinion, that some of the choices that were made by Tess seemed utterly unbelievable and unrealistic to me at times.  Perhaps this is because I cannot fathom making that same decision in her situation.  I found myself shaking my head and often thinking “whaaa?”  However, this probably kept my interest and kept me reading as I pondered “why?” more than once! 

In the end, though it was a bit of a slow read at times, and perhaps might have kept my interest a bit more if the secret had been revealed nearer the end, for the most part I enjoyed the book.  I’ll be reading more of Liane Moriarty’s work for sure!  3.5 STARS 🙂

book review · Contemporary Fiction · Romance · Womens Fiction

Book Review ~ One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Ahhh, One True Loves had ALL the feels.  This book hurt my heart.  I promised myself I would not cry.. but I just ended up blinking faster and faster until I finally let out a muffled “UGHH” and let the darn tears fall.  

“I am finishing up dinner with my family and my fiance when my husband calls.”

Bam.. first line of the book.  It certainly pulled me in!  Poor Emma loses her new husband and childhood sweetheart when his helicopter disappears over the Pacific and he is presumed dead.  Once she finally finds the strength to move and finds new love with Sam.. surprise!  Jesse, her husband, is back and very much alive.  Impossible situation.  Impossible decision.  It made me think what would I do??  What should she do??  Once I allowed tears to come, I cried for each one of them and the heartache they were feeling.

I will admit I had a hard time getting into the story in the first half of the book, with the back story and all the events leading up to present day.  It felt a little bit rushed getting to know the characters and their history and I was slightly bored and not sure if I cared enough to continue on.  But I did.. and I’m GLAD of that!  Once we were back in present day, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen!  

This story brought out many emotions for me and I laughed and cried along with Emma.  I enjoyed the author’s style of writing as well.  I think I’ll be reading more of her work in the future.  She certainly has a talent for creating intriguing characters and weaving together a lovely story with ALL the feels! 4 STARS 🙂

book review · Contemporary Fiction · Womens Fiction

Book Review ~ How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

After finishing a book that left me feeling a tad bit disgusted, I needed a feel good read.  How to Walk Away did NOT disappoint.  

When you don’t know what to do yourself, do something for someone else.”

What a lovely quote and indeed the ending of this book left me feeling satisfied and even joyful.  I was slightly crestfallen to leave these characters behind!

This is the story of a lovely young woman who has her entire future ahead of her, planned out meticulously the way she thinks it should go.. until.. well until she no longer does.  This is her journey through all that entails and for me, it was a quite a journey to watch her undertake.  

Right off the bat, I found myself relating to this girl in a very real way and as well found it to be a pretty fast paced beginning.  She was so likeable and that made me want to root for her.  It also helped that more than one person in her life drove me nuts and I just wanted her to prove them wrong already and maybe sock them in the nose at the same time!  As you can imagine, this all led to a couple days where I did not get much done!

It was an inspiring read; it made me think about how we deal with tragedy, how we cope when things go so wrong and still manage to move forward, maybe learning along the way what really matters in life and being better for it.  This was a beautiful novel, very endearing, and I would highly recommend it!  5 STARS 🙂

book review · Contemporary Fiction · Suspense

Book Review ~ The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

Okay, I just finished The Perfect Nanny last night and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.  Does that make it a good book?  I’m not sure.  To begin with, I almost didn’t read it.  I picked it up and began to read it and almost immediately, I was put off.  We read right away that the baby is dead.. what a depressing beginning.. and I had a sickening feeling inside so I put it down for a few hours.  I knew this was how the book started but I had no idea how it would make me feel once I began to read.  In the end, I did go ahead and continue reading but it was most definitely a slow start.  

Once I got into the story, it was a fast read.  The book isn’t long.  The more I got to the know the characters, the sweet children included, the more I dreaded the ending even knowing what it would be.  The nanny’s reason for what she did was a mystery and that is mostly what kept me going.  I wanted to figure her out, discover what her motive was.   How unfortunate that I will never know what caused her to commit  murder.  I can guess and make assumptions but I won’t know.  We are never told and that for me was a very unsatisfying ending.  

The writing WAS actually pretty good though and I may have enjoyed the book more if it hadn’t been so depressing and had given the readers an actual informative conclusion.  Its a good thing the story wasn’t longer or I likely would not have finished it.  

Wow, I went into this review thinking I somewhat liked the book, but looking at what I’ve written, it is clear I didn’t.  I wouldn’t recommend it myself but check it out if curiosity gets the better of you!  2 STARS

book review · Contemporary Fiction · Mystery · Suspense

Book Review ~ The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn

For my next book, I chose The Woman in the Window.  In this story, we are introduced to Anna Fox, a woman suffering from agoraphobia who has been trapped in her home for many months.  She spends much of her time popping pills, drinking wine and spying on her neighbours to pass the days.  As you can imagine, her version of events may not always be entirely reliable.  

I did enjoy this book, it was a quick read and I found it to be fast-paced with a good story.  I was never sure of what the real truth was and it kept me wondering (and turning pages) until the conclusion, which while not entirely shocking, WAS a surprise and a pretty decent ending.  

I liked Anne despite some annoyance with her behaviour at times, but I felt it was realistic considering the depth of her illness.  I enjoyed the writing style of the author and found that as the action picked up near the end of the book, it was detailed, suspenseful, and I enjoyed it immensely!  

Overall, I am very impressed with this book and I would read more of A. J. Finn’s work.  If you like a good suspenseful story, make sure to grab this one and give it a read!  4 STARS 🙂

book review · Contemporary Fiction · Historical Fiction · Mystery · Womens Fiction

Book Review ~ The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Wow… just WOW.  When I decided to read The Secret Keeper, I had no idea of the ride I was in for!  My emotions were all over the place!  In the story, Laurel is on the search for answers after witnessing her mother commit a shocking crime fifty years ago and we are introduced to three characters, Dorothy, Vivien and Jimmy, in a tale that captivated me until the mind blowing end!

First of all, I loved the writing style of this author.  There were moments when a sentence or a paragraph would hit me suddenly with the simple beauty of it:  “The thought came suddenly:  the house remembered her”, “The landscape of one’s childhood was more vibrant than any other.”   Just like that, simple but lovely.   

I loved, loved the characters and enjoyed getting to know each one.  I felt as though I could see them so clearly with my mind’s eye and I grew to care about them!  

The first half of the book I admit did drag a slight bit but it was worth it because once I hit the half way point, I seriously could not put this book down!  I was constantly wondering what the end would bring!  I thought I had it figured out at times, as if the mystery was so close to becoming clear but it remained just beyond my grasp.  More than once, I set the book on my lap and stared into space, pondering, theorizing… I love a book like that, one that makes me think, and truly pulls me in, all-consuming!

There was more than one surprise as Laurel got closer to figuring out the mystery and each one shocked me as it came, but none as much as the final mystery.  My jaw dropped and I had to close the book for a moment and let it sink in.  SO GOOD!!  This book has now risen to one of my top favourite reads of all time.  I am excited to read more of Kate Morton’s books!  Definitely recommend!  5 STARS 🙂