Book Review: "Lucky Day" by Chuck Tingle

What an utterly creative, chaotic, gruesome, and thought-provoking book this was! Horror is definitely not my preferred genre but Chuck Tingle writes books that are so complex, even as they gross me out at times.

“There are billions and billions of paths for us on any given day, and we certainly remember the ones that lead to something like a brutal car crash. We think to ourselves, Why me? How did I get so unlucky? The problem is, we have absolutely no idea how many times we’ve missed one of the infinite tragic routes, ducking and dodging butterflies left and right. Every day, we never know the billions and billions and billions of car crashes we’re not in.”

Four years ago, Vera, a statistics and probability professor, was celebrating the publication of her first book. It was a fun occasion which was marred by Vera’s coming out to her mother during the brunch. They fought and her mother ran out of the diner. And then disaster struck.

In what would become known as the Low-Probability Event (LPE), eight million people across the world all were killed on the same day, each death more random and bizarre than the next. People shepherding a giant balloon were strangled by its ropes. Someone was killed when a costumed chimpanzee threw a typewriter at them. While Vera escaped death, everyone she cared about was killed.

Vera retreats into her grief for four years, because nothing matters to her anymore. Then she is visited by Special Agent Layne, part of a government agency investigating the LPE. She reluctantly agrees to help Layne once he reveals they’ll be investigating a mega-casino in Las Vegas, where the odds seem strangely in the gamblers’ favor. What they discover, however, is truly eye-opening, and Vera must decide if she cares enough about the world to save it.

There’s a lot of graphic descriptions of death in here, so if that is triggering, this is probably not the book for you. At the same time, this book was shockingly emotional at times, which really made it so much more than a horror story.

Book Review: "Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar

“Can you imagine having that kind of faith?” Cyrus asked. “To be that certain of something you’ve never seen? I’m not that certain of anything. I’m not that certain of gravity.”

This book was on lots of critics’ and Bookstagram friends’ 2024 best-of lists. I had meant to read it last year but didn’t get around to it, so it was my first read of the new year.

The son of Iranian immigrants, Cyrus grew up under the specter of grief. When he was an infant, his mother was killed when her plane was inadvertently shot down over the Persian Gulf. His father, who worked at a farm killing chickens, died shortly after Cyrus left for college.

A recovering alcoholic and addict, Cyrus wants to be a poet and fancies himself a provocateur. He becomes obsessed with martyrs (unsurprisingly) as a topic for his poetry, and is drawn to a terminally ill artist whose final work is spending the rest of her life in a museum.

He also is inspired by his uncle, who was shattered by his time in the Iranian military. His uncle used to dress as the Angel of Death and ride through the battlefields, so that vision would be the last thing dying soldiers saw. And when Cyrus finds a painting of his mother in an art gallery, he realizes that all he was told about her may not be true.

Kaveh Akbar is a poet, so it’s not surprising that his prose is really beautiful. I just felt like the book was really disjointed; the narration shifted among many characters and between past and present. This was tremendously thought-provoking, however.

Book Review: "Variation" by Rebecca Yarros

This was really good and really intense. Nothing like a powerful, all-consuming love story to get the blood pumping!

“Messy is good, love. Messy is where the best parts of life happen. You don’t have to be in control at all times. It’s okay if you fall apart. I promise I will be right here to put you back together if you just let me.”

Allie is an exceptionally talented ballerina. Her sisters are also dancers, and they all exist under the critical eye of their mother, who never achieved her own ballet dreams. She expects nothing but perfection at every second, and will tolerate no distractions from the achievement of the goals she has set for her daughters.

When Allie is injured during a performance, she goes to her family’s summer house to recover. The last thing she expects is to see Hudson again. Hudson, her best friend growing up, and her one true love. The one person she always hoped to see yet cannot bear to, even years later.

Hudson, a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard, has one regret in life: that he left for basic training without saying goodbye to Allie. He has loved her since he was 17, and her absence from his life has haunted him ever since. When his niece Juniper asks for his help finding her biological parents, he enters Allie’s orbit again. Can they pick up where they left off years ago? And could that survive the secrets that both have kept hidden?

I’m a huge fan of Rebecca Yarros’ storytelling. There’s so much to love about this book—secrets, lies, family dysfunction, rivalry, drama, and some serious steam. I was hooked from the very first page, and while Juniper was very manipulative, I still enjoyed this book immensely.

Book Review: "Counting Miracles" by Nicholas Sparks

There’s just something about a Nicholas Sparks book that, well, sparks my emotions. Give me a headstrong and/or troubled FMC, a MMC who’s a handsome drifter, and throw in a crisis and I’m there, every time.

Raised by his grandparents, Tanner has been a military man for a while, and now does international relief work. He’s always been on the move, from place to place, country to country. But when he goes to be with his grandmother in her last days, she tells him to find his place, and then she gives Tanner the name of his father and his last known location—Asheboro, NC.

When his grandmother dies, Tanner heads to Asheboro, and lines up his next job in Cameroon. Within hours of his arrival, he meets Kaitlyn, a divorced doctor and mother of two. They definitely feel an instant connection, the first one either has felt in a long time. But Kaitlyn knows Tanner will be leaving the country, so why get involved with him?

Meanwhile, Jasper is an elderly man living in a cabin not far from Kaitlyn. He only has his elderly dog for company, and he bears the physical and emotional scars of a tragedy that happened years ago. But he is a kind man who Kaitlyn cares for, and he is teaching her young son how to whittle.

When a rare white deer is spotted in the nearby national forest, Jasper sees it as a sign of a miracle, and is desperate to protect the deer from poachers. But in his desperation, he puts himself at great risk. Can Tanner and Kaitlyn save him before it’s too late?

At its core, this is a story I really got into. But there were a lot of little subplots that really annoyed me and bogged the story down. I liked all three main characters, but Kaitlyn’s daughter was annoying and the whole subplot with the rich family seemed unnecessary. That being said, Sparks still made me cry.

Book Review: "Summers at the Saint" by Mary Kay Andrews

Pack your bags and join Mary Kay Andrews at the St. Cecelia (better known as “The Saint”), a famous resort on the Georgia coast. The Saint has been a haven and a playground for wealthy travelers for decades, and its exclusivity rankles those who can’t afford to stay there.

When Traci first saw the pink building that looked like a fairytale castle, she wanted to go there, but as a local “ain’t,” her kind wasn’t welcome. She was able to land a summer job there for several years, which led to her meeting and marrying one of the heirs to the resort. Now, a widow in her 40s, she’s determined to return The Saint to its glory days, before the pandemic took its toll.

Faced with unprecedented staff shortages, she increases salaries, provides housing for employees, and recruits new staff, including the daughter of her former best friend, who worked with Traci years ago before ending their friendship. Traci even convinces her niece to abandon her study-abroad plans and work at The Saint for the summer.

What Traci doesn’t fully grasp is how the deck is stacked against her. She has to deal with the machinations of her brother-in-law, who wants nothing more than to wrest The Saint from her hands. And it turns out there’s a lot of nefarious goings-on behind the scenes, which threaten to take the resort down for good. When a member of the staff is killed, and someone comes looking for answers about an incident at the hotel years ago, Traci realizes she can only depend on herself—and maybe one or two others.

There’s no shortage of family dysfunction, drama, people behaving badly, even murder and violence. Who’s responsible for the chaos that has broken out, and why? Can Traci turn things around at The Saint before she winds up in danger—and/or loses a place that reminds her of her late husband?

Andrews knows how to tell a story and paint an evocative scene, and this hooked me from start to finish. It's definitely a little darker than many of her books. There’s suspense, romance, intrigue, grief, even rehashing old memories. I definitely enjoyed my time at The Saint!

Book Review: "Signal Fires" by Dani Shapiro

Dani Shapiro's first work of fiction in 15 years is a beautifully written, poignant story about two families and how their lives are connected.

I didn’t know much about this book when I picked it as an add-on with my BOTM order this month. But how could I resist the story of two families over more than 30 years, full of drama and emotion? I mean, if ever there was a recipe for a perfect “Larry book,” this was it. And it was utterly fantastic!

The book opens in 1985. One summer night, three teenagers are hanging out and drinking when they decide to go for a drive. In a split second, everything changes, and for the Wilf family, the decisions made in the subsequent moments will change all of them.

On New Year’s Eve, as 1999 is about to turn to 2000, Dr. Wilf is pressed into service to deliver a baby for the Shenkmans, a new family in the neighborhood. And years later, as Dr. Wilf prepares to move out of the neighborhood and into assisted living, the two families will be connected again, in myriad ways.

So much more happens in this beautiful story, but it’s best to let it unfold. There are emotional moments, moments of regret and renewal, and an exploration of the ways we are inexorably connected. This is a quietly powerful novel, which reminds me of one of my favorite writers, Ethan Joella, and his ability to create emotion and drama from life’s simple moments.

Book Review: "Keya Das's Second Act" by Sopan Deb

This was a poignant story about forgiving yourself and finding the strength to move forward.

One day, much to the surprise of her Bengali parents and older sister, 18-year-old Keya came out to her family. Their reactions hurt, disappointed, and angered her, but they never found the opportunity to apologize to Keya, as she died shortly thereafter.

Years later, Keya's father Shantanu lives alone. His marriage is over and he doesn’t speak to his other daughter, Mitali, that often. One day he finds boxes in the attic, and one contains notes Keya wrote to her then-girlfriend as well as a play that the two young women had written.

When Mitali suggests that the family stage the play as a tribute to Keya, it is seen as a chance to make amends in a small way for the way Keya felt when she died. And as the production of the play progresses, it represents a chance for each of Keya's family members, who have been mired in grief and guilt for some time, to take tentative steps toward a new start as well.

This was a really well-told and emotionally rich story. I found myself really hooked on these characters and rooting for them to succeed. I felt like there was one thread, related to the man that Mitali is dating, which seemed extraneous and didn’t advance the story much, but I wasn’t too distracted by it.

Having grown up in the New Jersey suburbs, I loved the mention of lots of familiar places. I also was impressed that this is Sopan Deb’s debut novel and I look forward to seeing what comes next in his career.

Book Review: "An Exaltation of Larks" by Suanne Laqueur

This was one of my favorite books of the last decade, but when I was given the opportunity to receive a free copy of the book from Red Clover Digital and Suanne Laqueur, I wanted to reshare my review.

To borrow from a language spoken periodically in this book, Madre de Dios, este libro! (Mother of God, this book!)

"Second chances are given or made."

In 1973, 11-year-old Alejandro Penda is living in Chile in the midst of a military coup. Both of his parents are arrested, and Alejo doesn't know if he'll ever see them again. With the help of family friends, he escapes to America, to live with his uncle in the upstate New York town of Guelisten. Although the trauma of what he lived through, and his grief over his parents, is tremendously difficult for him, he finds himself becoming very close to the Larks, a large, active, warm family that is friends with his uncle.

Alex becomes best friends with Roger Lark, and he and the Larks' oldest daughter, Valerie, have a love/hate relationship which turns into infatuation when Valerie returns home from college. But although she and Alex are drawn to each other, they give each other the freedom to live their own lives for a while, with Val becoming a successful costume designer in New York, and Alex studying veterinary medicine in Colorado.

Javier Landes had a tumultuous childhood growing up in Queens. When a bout of teenage experimentation is discovered, he loses his family and is forced to make his own way. Through a chance meeting with an older woman, Jav becomes a successful male escort—he's always in demand, highly skilled, and well-versed to meet the needs of his clients. But the only thing that is missing is a love of his own, although he isn't sure exactly what he wants.

Alex and Val first meet Jav in New York City when they're in their 20s. These meetings leave indelible impressions on all three, and their interactions take on different dimensions and intensities before they go their separate ways. Through the years each experiences their own set of tragedies and challenges—Val and Alex together as a married couple, while Jav tries to find his way and his heart's true path.

Years later the three are reunited when Jav comes to Guelisten, after being named the guardian of his orphaned nephew. The three become inseparable, more like family than friends, and together they weather some difficult challenges, and learn some tough truths about one another. But it's the secrets they keep from one another, the feelings they try to keep hidden, the needs each person has that threaten to untie their bonds and unmoor them forever.

An Exaltation of Larks absolutely blew me away. This is a 500-page book and I literally stayed up until 1:30 a.m. because I desperately needed to finish it. This is a story about friends that become family as well as the often-blurred lines between friendship and love. It's a story about how we can never completely outrun the traumas we face, and some times our struggles are more difficult than others, yet life is worth living to the fullest, surrounded by those you love. This is also a book about the challenges of parenthood, the trust that is so key to the success of long-term relationships, and what it is like to feel like you keep missing your chance at happiness.

I absolutely loved these characters, every single one of them. Suanne Laqueur has such love and respect for them as well that she fleshed them out so skillfully and gave them so much complexity that I found myself feeling the same way about them that the other characters did. Yes, there are one or two coincidences that made me roll my eyes a tiny bit, but they didn't detract from the beauty of Laqueur's storytelling or the emotions she made me feel.

There are a few incidences of animals getting injured or dying, due to political unrest and accidents. Those scenes may be difficult for some to read or may make some avoid the book altogether, but I skimmed them and didn't miss anything.

This book, along with the two others in this series (A Charm of Finches and A Scarcity of Condors), are some of the best books I've read in years.

Book Review: "Beneath Cruel Waters" by Jon Bassoff

Lies and denial can ripple for years to come.

Several friends raved about this book so I had to pick it up. It’s definitely bleak and poignant, but it’s tremendously gripping and well-told.

It’s been many years since firefighter Holt Davidson has returned to his Colorado hometown. But when he learns that his estranged mother committed suicide, he feels compelled to return for her funeral and perhaps come to terms with their strained relationship once and for all.

Being in his childhood home doesn’t really evoke feelings of nostalgia, though. Holt searches through his mother’s belongings to try to find some clues to why she might have taken her own life, not to mention why she treated him in such a cold way. But instead of answers, he finds a gun, a love letter, and a Polaroid picture of a dead man.

Who was this man? Could his mother have killed him? If so, why? Holt is desperate to figure out the truth, even if it means uncovering long-hidden secrets and traumas that affected not only him but his older sister Ophelia and those who kept the secrets all these years.

The story shifts back and forth between the present and 1984. While not all of the twists were surprising, I was drawn into the dark stories of this book. It’s sad and perhaps a bit triggering for some, but it will definitely stay in my mind.

Book Review: "Body Grammar" by Jules Ohman

This debut novel from Jules Ohman is a beautifully written book about love, longing, and finding your way.

Everywhere Lou goes, her striking, androgynous looks catch the attention of modeling scouts. But the thought of being in front of the camera doesn’t appeal to Lou, who loves taking pictures of her own and dreams of studying ecology in college. She’s also nursing a serious crush on her best friend Ivy, yet neither is willing to make the first move.

When Lou is witness to a tragedy, her confusion about how to react causes a great deal of guilt and seems to widen the divide between her and Ivy. She decides to pursue modeling after all, learning how to be comfortable with a body she’s tried to hide all these years, and making connections with her fellow models.

Almost unwittingly, Lou becomes a sensation in the modeling world. And while she develops more comfort with being in front of the camera and on runways, she’s not sure if this is the life she wants. But mostly she can’t stop thinking about that one fateful day, and how much she still wants Ivy in her life.

This book is definitely character-driven, but I absolutely loved the emotions of the characters and the journeys they took. It’s tremendously self-assured for a debut novel, and it reminds me of one of my favorite authors, Nina LaCour, who writes so well about longing. I can’t wait to see what Ohman does next!!

Book Review: "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin

One of the most beloved books of the year is this sweeping story of friendship, love, grief, recovery, and video games.

Sadie and Sam meet in the hospital when they are 11 years old in the late 1980s. Sadie is visiting her older sister and Sam is recovering from one of several surgeries to repair his foot, which was crushed in a car accident. She finds Sam in the hospital’s game room and she is impressed with his skill at Super Mario Bros.

Even though Sam hasn’t spoken to anyone since he came to the hospital, he and Sadie strike up a friendship, mostly bonding over video games. She even comes to the hospital to visit him after her sister is released, and they spend a great deal of time together until an argument ends their friendship.

Years later, Sam spots Sadie on a crowded subway platform in Boston. He knows she’s a student at MIT, while he attends Harvard, but they’ve not seen each other since they were 13. But quickly it’s as if no time has passed, and that encounter is the spark that leads to their partnering on developing a video game.

The story follows them over the next 15 or so years, as they become famous video game developers, and deal with personal and professional ups and downs. Their friendship is tested time and again, with jealousy, misunderstandings, ambition, and tragedy affecting them. It’s a powerful and emotional story, which meandered a bit too much for me, but it definitely kept me invested in the characters’ stories.

While you don’t have to know much about video games to read this, it would help. But I enjoyed the portrayal of their creativity and genius, as well as the commentary about video games’ effect on society.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!

Book Review: "The Survivors" by Jane Harper

The Survivors is a slow-burn mystery filled with unresolved guilt and old secrets and lies.

Twelve years ago, Kieran’s error in judgment led to a tragedy which rocked his small Australian coastal town. He still lives with the guilt of what occurred that fateful day, which had ramifications for several families, including his own.

When Kieran returns for a rare visit to his parents, along with his girlfriend and their young daughter, he is struck by how bad his father’s dementia has gotten and how much his mother is overcompensating. And when a crime occurs, it sets off a cascade of events, revealing secrets long hidden and uncovering questions that had been ignored for years, while forcing people to relive the events of 12 years before.

I’m a big fan of Jane Harper. I love her use of imagery, which definitely makes you feel you’re right there in the middle of the story along with the characters. Her books are real slow-burns but I love the way the tension builds as the story reaches its conclusion.

This was a Book of the Month selection back in January 2021, and I’ve been trying to read all of those BOTM picks I never got to. I enjoyed this once it got going, and while I figured some of the plot out, there was still a surprise or two to be found.

Book Review: "Secrets of Our House" by Rea Frey

If you love domestic drama, Rea Frey's upcoming novel, Secrets of Our House is one for you!

Desi has finally achieved her dream of a beautiful getaway home in the mountains of North Carolina. She plans some time away with her husband, Peter, and their 18-year-old daughter, Jules. She’s hoping this will be the opportunity they need to rebuild their marriage before Jules heads off to college at Columbia.

The thing is, nothing is quite what it seems. Jules is in love with a local boy, Will, and doesn’t want to go away to school—in fact she never did. And while Desi wants to rebuild her marriage, she’s not really looking be with Peter, as she’s in love with someone else.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are secrets and lies galore, all ripe for the picking. Some things are obvious if you’ve watched a Lifetime Movie or two, but Frey’s storytelling keeps you hooked, even if the characters may annoy you a bit. I needed to know what was going to happen and if my suspicions were correct.

This is the second of Frey’s books I’ve read and she’s really a compelling writer. I don’t think this is necessarily a mystery or a thriller as it's been marketed; it's just a good, hearty, domestic drama, but if you like this genre, you’ll be hooked.

Thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Rea Frey, and St. Martin's Griffin for inviting me on the tour and providing me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Secrets of Our House publishes 2/8/22.

Book Review: "Keep What Remains" by Carrie Beamer

Carrie Beamer's Keep What Remains is an emotional coming-of-age novel about love, family, and difficult choices.

It’s 1985. Megan is trying to be a good daughter but she’s also a teenager, craving something big, something exciting, something like she’s seen in the movies.

When her charismatic, bold best friend Tessa moves to a different school, she opens Megan’s world up. It’s not long before Megan meets Jason—not quite a bad boy, but a bit of a rebel—and they both quickly fall in love with one another.

With Megan’s dad being immensely overprotective, she’s forced to lie about Jason and their relationship. And when unexpected tragedy strikes, followed by a shocking surprise, Megan must decide whether to do what she feels is right or follow her dad’s rules and expectations. It’s one of the toughest choices she’ll ever have to make.

This was a really good book—sad in places but hopeful in others. You can bet I was a sucker for the 80s setting, but I really felt the characters’ emotions were genuine. I remember the weight of what felt like all-encompassing love when you were a teenager, the thought that no one but you ever felt this way before.

Carrie is one of the authors I’ve met on Bookstagram since I joined and she’s absolutely terrific. I’ve really enjoyed both of her books, this and Signs We Don’t See. Thanks to Carrie and Evernight Teen for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Book Review: "The Happiness Thief" by Nicole Bokat

Nicole Bokat's The Happiness Thief is both a twisty mystery and an exploration of how guilt and memory can drag us down.

When Natalie was 13 years old she was in a car crash that killed her mother. She has flashbacks to the last seconds before the crash, and she remembers being told it was somehow her fault.

Even in adulthood, the guilt is a constant companion, causing panic attacks and depression. Her stepsister Isabel is a therapist known as The Happiness Guru, and she offers to try and help Natalie move on, as these feelings have ruined her marriage and could jeopardize her relationship with her teenage daughter.

Tagging along with Isabel to a conference in the Cayman Islands, one night they’re involved in a small car accident. Natalie is convinced they hit something—an animal, a person—yet no traces can be found. She can’t help feeling like she’s responsible for tragedy yet again, and this starts triggering memories of the night her mother died all those years ago.

When she returns home, a series of incidents motivate her to start looking into what really happened the night her mother died, and whether anything really happened in the Cayman Islands. Will she find that her memories are true, that she is responsible for her mother’s death? And if not, who was?

There’s a lot that happens in this book so I’m trying to be vague. It’s both a layered mystery and an interesting, well-written story about trying to find a way past guilt and sadness you’ve carried with you for far too long. There are lots of twists—some surprising and some less so—but it’s a satisfying, emotional, and thought-provoking read.

My thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Nicole Bokat, and She Writes Press for inviting me on the tour for The Happiness Thief and providing a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Book Review: "When You Were Mine" by Rebecca Serle

Rebecca Serle's When You Were Mine is a sort-of modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with a slightly different focus. (Apparently at the start of the play, Romeo is in love with Roseline, and he goes to a party to try and catch sight of her, then Juliet enters the picture. Story over.)

Roseline and her best friends are excited that senior year of high school is about to begin, and they’re ready to make it the best year ever. She’s hoping that she and Rob, her longtime crush, will finally be able to take their relationship to the next level.

Everything is going well. And then Juliet returns to town. Juliet is Rose’s cousin and former best friend, and they haven’t seen other in a long while. She’s the complete opposite of Rose—impulsive, emotional, confident—and she’s decided she wants Rob for her own.

When Rob falls prey to Juliet’s advances, Rose is angry and devastated. But the more rumors she hears about Juliet’s instability and neediness, the more Rose’s jealousy and hurt turns to worry about Rob and Juliet. Are they heading toward a tragedy?

This was an interesting, soapy YA romance. Nothing is really surprising but it’s still a captivating read.

I’ve loved Serle’s first two adult novels, The Dinner List and In Five Years, but I didn’t know she had written YA novels before this. When You Were Mine was originally published in 2012 but it’s recently been re-released.

Book Review: "I'd Give Anything" by Marisa de los Santos

If you enjoy a particular author's work yet you haven't read anything by them in a long while, when you finally pick up another one of their books, it feels like coming home. That's the way I felt when I read Marisa de los Santos' new book, I'd Give Anything. Her first few books—Love Walked In and Belong to Me—really blew me away, and I still consider them among my favorites, yet for some reason I lost track of her over the last several years.

When I saw I'd Give Anything on a friend's Bookstagram feed, I knew I had to read it. And once again, I was reminded why I love de los Santos' storytelling so much. She writes of love and friendship and how one often complicates the other, she writes of family, secrets, desire, guilt, all real human emotions, and does it so well.

In 1997, Ginny, Gray, Kirsten, and CJ are inseparable best friends in high school. Her friends, even a burgeoning relationship with Gray, are her haven from a mercurial, brittle mother most interested in her family's reputation and the battles her mother has with her older brother, Trevor, her ally and compatriot. The four friends have that typical teenage certainty that they'll be part of each other's lives forever.

One night, tragedy strikes, and it changes all four of their lives. Shortly afterward, Ginny overhears a declaration that rocks her to her core, spoken by the one person she trusts more than any other. She cannot believe what she heard, but she knows she must keep it a secret. Her subsequent silence and depression causes her to lose the people she cares about most—her best friends. But it's a sacrifice she knows she must live with.

Twenty years later, Ginny is living in her hometown, in a safe marriage, and is the mother of a 15-year-old daughter, Avery. Their seemingly placid, "normal" life falls apart one day when her husband is embroiled in a scandal that causes him to lose his job. At that point, Ginny realizes she's spent so much of her life doing what is safe, what is right, instead of what makes her happy, and it's time that stops.

Although she did reconcile with Kirsten when they were in college, she hasn't spoken to Gray or CJ since high school. When they are all brought together one night, she must confront the secret she has carried alone for all these years. But one secret is tied to so many others, and she has to make a decision whether to take the safe route once again or follow her heart, and finally unburden herself of the guilt and sorrow she has carried for so long. Hopefully she can help her old friends to do the same.

The story shifts back and forth between 1997 and 2017 for a while, and then stays in 2017, and is narrated by Ginny and Avery. Make no mistake, there is a lot of drama happening here, but I was so hooked on these characters and their story that it didn't matter to me. (Plus, I love melodrama.) There were a lot of times where I wondered how I would react if placed in a similar situation, and that endeared me to the book even more.

Friendships are intense relationships, sometimes even more so than romantic ones. Even though the characters aren't always sympathetic, I loved their story and, of course, loved the way de los Santos told it. And I'll definitely be picking up the books of hers I missed, too!

Book Review: "Hieroglyphics" by Jill McCorkle

This was a thought-provoking meditation on the fickleness and the resonance of memory.⁣

⁣ I’ve often remarked at how easily I can remember song lyrics from the 1980s, specific instances or people from my childhood, even what theaters I saw movies at (and with whom) years before, but I can’t remember why I walked into the kitchen or where I put my keys. Those same things would certainly be familiar to the characters of Jill McCorkle’s newest book, Hieroglyphics!

⁣ ⁣ Frank and Lil have moved from Boston to North Carolina, ostensibly to be closer to their daughter. But both also suffer from health problems and are starting to have issues with memory.⁣

⁣ Both Frank and Lil lost a parent tragically when they were young. It’s one of the things that connected them early on. And now the memories of their parents and the emotions around their loss seem fresher than what is currently happening around them. ⁣

⁣ As Lil sorts through papers and other mementos and junk she brought in the move in order to assemble some sort of record for their children of their lives and the decisions they made, Frank becomes more obsessed with visiting his childhood home, determined to find if he left something there years ago, and causing upheaval for Shelley, the woman who lives there, and her young son.⁣ Shelley has her share of issues with memories as well.

⁣ This was a poignant and well-written story, told by multiple narrators. It meandered a bit too much for me at times, but definitely resonated in many ways. I’ve always been a fan of McCorkle’s storytelling ability and her use of language, since her very first books.⁣

⁣ I’m grateful to have been a part of the blog tour for this book. Algonquin Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!⁣

Book Review: "How to Save a Life" by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Sometimes saving the person you love is harder than you think. That's the concept behind How to Save a Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.

Dom and Mia had what seemed like a storybook romance, culminating in a magical engagement. But shortly afterward, things fall apart, and they never see each other again.

Almost 10 years later, Dom runs into Mia at a coffee shop. He can’t believe he might have a second chance to try and build a relationship with her, and she seems interested, too.

On their first date, he’s determined to show her how much he’s changed from the overly cautious guy she used to know, but when Mia tragically dies, he is devastated. How could his second chance at happiness end so quickly?

But when he wakes up the next morning and discovers he’s repeating the same day, he thinks maybe fate has intervened. Yet no matter what he tries to do, Mia’s fate remains the same. He keeps living the day over and over again.

Dom’s desperation increases as he tries to figure out a way to save Mia. Can you actually control fate, or are we doomed to repeat life’s tragedies? Can he save Mia?

This is an interesting and thought-provoking story a la Groundhog Day. It definitely keeps you guessing and you feel for these characters, so you root for things to work themselves out.

This is the second book of Liz and Lisa I’ve read and I enjoyed their storytelling once again. I did think the storyline took a little too long to play itself out, but I still was pretty invested in how things unfolded.

And now I have the song by The Fray stuck in my head...

Book Review: "Clap When You Land" by Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo's new book, Clap When You Land, is a novel-in-verse about family, grief, anger, and letting go.⁣

Camino is a teenage girl living in the Dominican Republic with her aunt, who works as a healer. Her father, who lives in New York, comes to visit every summer, and Camino lives for those visits. Yet on the day his plane is to arrive and she waits for him at the airport, she learns that his plane has crashed.⁣

Another teenage girl, Yahaira, lives in New York. Her father goes home to the Dominican Republic each summer, which causes a strain on his relationship with her mother. One morning she is called out of her class and told by her mother that her father’s plane crashed.⁣

⁣Both girls are grief-struck, devastated by the loss of their father. Camino has dreams of going to college in New York and studying medicine, and now isn’t even sure how she and her aunt will survive, especially as a dangerous man she has been protected from all this time circles closer.⁣

⁣Yahaira, who discovered a secret about her father before he died, feels guilty, angry, and deceived, yet doesn’t know how to live without her hero. She tries to push everyone away.

⁣When the two girls learn of each other, it is a shocking discovery of a connection that wounds but might ultimately save them both.⁣

⁣Clap When You Land is poignant, luminous, and powerful. Acevedo imbues her words with such vivid imagery and raw emotion. It didn’t quite hit me as hard as I expected it to given the subject matter, but it still was a book that will stick with me.⁣ Acevedo's two earlier books, The Poet X and With the Fire on High, are master works.