Book Review: "The Last to Drown" by Noelle W. Ihli

I’ve seen so much praise for Noelle W. Ihli’s books that I’ve been meaning to pick one up for a while. But when I saw a friend mention that The Last to Drown gave her The River Wild vibes, I knew I had to read it. And now I just need my heartbeat to slow down so I can go to bed!!

Kaia and her husband were supposed to go on a whitewater rafting trip to celebrate their 30th birthdays. But now she’s switched to an all-girls trip and she’s excited to get her adrenaline pumping.

Yet not long after the trip starts, some of her fellow travelers start talking about a tragedy that occurred 7 years earlier on the same stretch of river they’ll be riding. Apparently one of the guides killed a group of rafters and while his body was found, one survivor managed to get free. The murders have been the subject of a television movie and lots of conspiracy theories over the years.

Kaia’s nervous enough about the journey; she doesn’t want to think about murder. And when equipment goes missing or somehow gets lost, it’s just a coincidence, right? But when Kaia awakens to screaming in the middle of the night, she realizes that tragedy really is striking twice.

It’s the middle of the night, and they’re not sure how they’re going to get down all of the Class-3 and Class-4 rapids. Then they realize that the killer has every intention of leaving no survivors. And Kaia and a few of her fellow travelers aren’t going to let that happen without a fight.

This was just a fantastic thriller that left me breathless. The descriptions of the rapids and the struggles the women faced, the feelings of fear and despair felt so incredibly real. I really was wowed by this, and I’ll be diving into Ihli’s backlist, that’s for sure!

Book Review: "Dive Bar at the End of the Road" by Kelley Armstrong

“It’s pitch dark, pouring rain, and I have no idea where I’m going, which is also the perfect analogy for my life.”

It was a dark and stormy night…literally. Ellie is driving home to her parents in Michigan in the middle of a torrential rain storm. Her GPS had her take a detour a while back, but she hasn’t seen another car in quite some time. Suddenly in a flash of lightning, she sees a woman inexplicably standing in the middle of the road. As she swerves to avoid hitting the woman, she crashes into a fallen tree. But was there even a woman there?

Shortly thereafter, a pickup truck crashes into Ellie’s car. The truck is driven by Henry, a paramedic who was traveling to a cabin for a fishing weekend with his friends. Henry helps treat Ellie’s wounds and with no cell service, they go looking for shelter. They soon discover a dilapidated-looking bar, which is surprisingly nice on the inside.

Not long after their arrival at the bar, a young couple crashes into Henry’s truck. This same thing happens a few more times. But the crashes aren’t even the worst of it—strange things seem to be happening to each of the victims. One thinks they see zombies, one is being chased by wild animals, and no one is sure whether these things are really happening or if they’re hallucinating.

The tension definitely keeps rising as the paranormal occurrences keep happening. It seems like they’re each caught up in their own nightmare. But can they break out of these horrors, or are they doomed to repeat them forever?

This was a quick, eerie read. There was too much going on at once, however, with too many characters’ perspectives to keep track of. At one point things felt repetitive, but the story picks up speed as it barrels toward the conclusion. This is my first Kelley Armstrong book, but it won’t be my last!

Book Review: "If Not You" by Ellen O'Clover

Now THIS is how you do a former coworkers/rivals romance. I was hooked from the very start and enjoyed these characters—both the mains and the supporting ones—so much. With her second book, Ellen O’Clover is fully ensconced on my auto-buy authors list.

Mattie and Campbell are summer interns vying for one copywriter job. They’re both tremendously talented but Campbell, with his Phi Beta Kappa from Vanderbilt, always seems to come out just ahead of Mattie. And when he wins the job at the end of the summer, Mattie is back to square one again.

Now, 5 years later, Mattie is on the verge of becoming a senior copywriter at her new agency. While she and Campbell seem to see each other at every industry event—and he still seems to come out ahead—Mattie always seems to see red whenever he’s around.

When both of their agencies are finalists for a luxury resort account, they’re going to be in close proximity for a month. Mattie tries her hardest not to let Campbell agitate her, but he knows what buttons of hers to push. Every. Single. Time.

Yet as their teams spend four weeks together at two resorts, both start to see the other in a new light. Mattie discovers that all of her assumptions about Campbell aren’t correct, and he’s far more vulnerable than she would have ever thought. And he starts to understand what’s behind her constant need for oneupmanship.

The book alternates between the present and five years ago when their rivalry first began. It definitely helps explain Mattie’s animosity and her desire to beat Campbell at his own game. The romance is slow burn but really lovely, and their banter is hilarious and sometimes very sweet.

Book Review: "Loved and Missed" by Susie Boyt

“There is so much in life that doesn’t matter, so many things that hold you back, hem you in and throw you off the scent of what’s important.”

This was an incredibly poignant read. Susie Boyt has written seven novels, but this was the first one published in the U.S. It’s an emotional story of mothers and daughters, the delicate push and pull between wanting your child to know that they are loved and yet wanting them to stand on their own.

Ruth’s own childhood was a difficult one. Her father deserted her mother, who never got over that loss. When Ruth had her own daughter, Eleanor, she tried to give her everything she could. But of course, that’s not what Eleanor wants.

When Eleanor reaches adulthood, she becomes a drug addict. It’s certainly not what Ruth wanted for her daughter, but she is tremendously careful not to appear judgmental or critical. And when Eleanor gets pregnant and gives birth to her own daughter, Lily, it’s clear—to Ruth and to Eleanor—that Lily would be better off if she’s raised by her grandmother.

The relationship between Lily and Ruth is a beautiful one, but Ruth must walk a fine line so she doesn’t ever appear critical of her daughter. Of course, in situations like this, you wonder how this type of upbringing affects the child, but as Lily grows you see the kind of woman she will become.

I knew nothing about this book before I stumbled onto it. It really moved me and made me think about the nature vs. nurture concept, and how we never know the impact adults have on the children in their lives. This is such a beautiful read.

Book Review: "Bob & Shirley's Guide to Murder" by Suzy K. Quinn

What a fun read! I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries but now that I’ve stumbled upon this series, I’ll definitely need to read the next 3 books!

Bob and Shirley have been married for over 40 years. They own Goose and Gander, a popular pub in the charming English town of Great Oakley. The two are as opposite as they can be. Bob is athletic, smart (if not more than a bit pedantic), and tries to avoid confrontation as much as possible—although he usually blunders into one. On the other hand, Shirley has never met an animal print outfit she couldn’t squeeze herself into, and she always is free with her opinions—and her grudges.

One morning, Bob wakes up early (as always) to discover a body lying in their pub garden. It was Bevvy Tuck, the leader of the local Waist Watchers group, although she never practiced what she preached. Bevvy and her group were at the pub the night before for the weekly pub quiz, but apparently at some point she went into the garden and died.

The local police believe Bevvy died of heart failure. But Bob and Shirley both believe she was murdered, and when the young police trainee expresses the same suspicion, it propels Bob into investigative mode and starts the town’s gossip engines working overtime.

As they try to figure out just who might have killed Bevvy, the local church ladies’ group casts suspicion on the pub. Bob and Shirley see their customer base dwindling and their chef, John Boy, has been kept out of the annual bake-off. But neither Bob nor Shirley will just sit idly by as they’re gossiped about—they just approach the situation in very different ways.

The book’s narration alternates between Bob and Shirley. The two of them are quite a hoot, and it’s funny to read their digs at each other as well as their interpretations of the goings-on in town. I really enjoyed their antics and all of the supporting characters. Can’t wait to read Book 2!

Book Review: "The Tulip Poplars" by Silas House

All the stars for this beautiful, emotional book. Silas House is such an incredibly talented writer, I would read his grocery list if he let me. But his talent isn’t surprising, considering he is a former poet laureate of Kentucky.

The book begins in rural Kentucky, a small town known as Bright Star, in 1918. Two young men, Tom and Amos, fall in love while working side by side on Tom’s family’s farm. They know that they have to keep their feelings for one another secret, although Amos dreams of being in a place where he can be himself and be with Tom.

Tom’s childhood friend Maeve is raised by the town’s Episcopal preacher, and he also runs an orphanage tied to the church. It is there that Maeve meets and falls for Paschal, but given their different races, they know their love cannot be, especially not in Kentucky.

When tragedy strikes Tom’s family, he feels like he must stay in Bright Star to care for his sister and protect the farm from the machinations of an evil preacher. But Amos no longer wants to stay where he has to hide who he is, so he moves to NYC. He realizes that with freedom comes very real danger.

The book spans from 1918-1976 and traces the lives of Tom, Amos, Maeve, and Paschal. It’s particularly bleak in places where the story deals with the treatment of gay people during these years. But it also emphasizes that love can last even when circumstances seem insurmountable or when you can’t be with the person you love. There are moments of beauty and hope as well.

House’s prose is so lyrical and evocative. I could see the tulip poplars in my mind’s eye and watch as love tears the characters apart and lifts them up. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.

Book Review: "Bad Words" by Ríoghnach Robinson

Y’all, I’m totally conflicted on this one. I definitely liked elements of the book, but I’m not as wild about it as others have been.

When Parker Navarro’s first novel was on the verge of being released, it was hailed as one of the up and coming books of the year. Then literary critic Selina Chan eviscerated the book in a review, and suddenly the predicted hit becomes a huge flop. Colossal.

Four years later, Parker has finally written his second novel, and he’s ready for it to be released. And then Selina drops another less-than-complimentary review, but rather than slink off in disgust, this time, Parker challenges Selina and what he sees as her superiority complex. Their argument gets recorded and goes viral, causing them both to double down on their opinions about one another.

As their feud becomes more and more public, they find themselves learning more about each other. They have a surprising number of things in common, and while there’s still anger between them, mutual respect—and even stronger feelings start to develop.

I really liked what the book had to say about critics and criticism. It’s one of the issues I’m frustrated about. But in the end, I realized that while I often don’t like enemies to lovers stories because I don’t feel like there’s enough actual animosity between the love interests, in this book, they’re downright mean for a long while. I didn’t see how they could like each other when they were so insulting. Maybe it was just me, but this was the slowest of slow burns.