Book Review: "The Fine Art of Lying" by Alexandra Andrews

Look, I know that thrillers in general are super popular. But a book having twists shouldn’t automatically classify it as a thriller. If there are real questions that keep you guessing, it’s more of a mystery or simply fiction. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Although she moves in moneyed circles thanks to her wealthy husband, Clare sometimes feels like she doesn’t belong. She wasn’t raised among NYC’s elite like Jed was, and she knows her mother-in-law has never been impressed with her.

When she was young and growing up in upstate New York, it was art that brought her joy. She moved to the city after college, got a job at a museum, and started pursuing her doctorate. But then she met Jed, got married, gave birth to their daughter Sadie, and she put her work on hold.

But now that Sadie is in school, Clare is feeling restless and unmotivated. She can’t seem to make any progress on her dissertation but she wants to do something. The ultra-wealthy and connected wife of Jed’s boss introduces her to some influential figures in the art world, including Gabriel, a handsome dealer. Gabriel respects her knowledge and challenges her intellectually, but she can’t resist his charms, and they wind up having a tumultuous affair.

Suddenly living a double life, feeling guilty but not willing to give Gabriel up, takes its toll on Clare. And when she learns that he has a painting by the object of her dissertation in his apartment, she can’t miss that chance. But suddenly she finds herself in the midst of a brutal murder and a theft—and every clue points back to her.

I really liked the first half of the book more than the last half. The setup, the relationship, the murder—all of that was great, but the investigation and the “twists” kind of fell flat. I guess, as I said at the start of my review, I was expecting the book to be more thrilling. But it still was a captivating read.

Book Review: "Last Night in Brooklyn" by Xochitl Gonzalez

I wasn’t aware of this before I started reading Last Night in Brooklyn, but it’s an updated retelling-of sorts of The Great Gatsby. Seeing as that’s one of my favorite books of all time, I’m always curious to see what authors do to update a classic like this.

Brooklyn, 2007. Alicia is 26 years old and feels like she’s stuck. She’s doing what is expected of her rather than what she wants to do. She’s saving for a wedding she’s not sure if she wants. But one night she attends a party in the Fort Greene neighborhood, and her life changes dramatically.

Alicia finds herself drawn into the orbit of her magnetic neighbor, an up and coming designer who calls herself La Garza. Alicia watches her neighbor from across the street, marveling at the epic parties she throws. When Alicia is invited into La Garza’s world, she finally realizes what she wants and what she’s been missing.

The setting of the book is as much a part as a character. Brooklyn in 2007 is on the verge of gentrification. The Barclays Center is about to be built, pushing out some of the neighborhood’s oldest residents. The country is already feeling the effects of a possible recession, but hope seems to be coming—in the form of Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

La Garza is a new type of Gatsbyesque character, but she retains the almost mythical reverence in which people hold her. She projects greatness and challenges others to seek it on their own, but you can tell she is her own fragile creation. Alicia is the book’s Nick Carraway, observing and commenting on the society surrounding La Garza, but truly powerless to fix the disasters that seem inevitable.

I definitely found this book to be intriguing, but I never connected with the characters as I did with Gonzalez’s other books. I did like this fresh retake on the Gatsby myth, and really felt that she made Fort Greene an important character.

Book Review: "The Accidental Italian" by Michael Hartwig

Chalk this up to another book I hadn’t heard of but stumbled upon. This was just wonderful in so many ways—any book set on the Amalfi Coast already has an advantage, but what a beautiful story.

With his marriage over, Theo decides to take a vacation to Positano. He’s not really a fan of Italy, but a friend had booked a hotel room she couldn’t use, so how could he pass it up? As soon as he arrives, he blown away by the beauty of the town, the water, and the handsome Italian men.

His beach lounger is next to Raffaello and Renata, an Italian couple. Theo is immediately drawn to Raffaello, but thinking the two are married, he keeps a low profile and doesn’t acknowledge that he speaks Italian. When at a dance club one night, Theo overhears two men talking about trafficking young children. While he doesn’t want to get involved, he needs to alert the police.

Much to his surprise, the police detective he reports the conversation to is Raffaello. When he enlists Theo in a return trip to the club to see if he can identify the men he heard, the two develop a quick rapport—and there’s no doubt they’re attracted to one another.

Theo reawakens dormant feelings in Raffaello, feelings he has tried to hide for a long time. He knows he would love to be with Theo, but can he risk his life and his career for a possibility? Although the two draw ever closer, Raffaello cannot give Theo all he wants to.

This is a beautiful book, filled with longing, coming to terms with your own issues and reclaiming yourself, and some really hot steam. The story is definitely an emotional one in so many ways, and I couldn’t get enough. And I needed to go to Italy pronto.

Book Review: "Bedside Manner" by C.G. Macington

I was completely blown away by this book. I had never heard of it but the cover intrigued me, and when I saw it was the first book in a series, I had to give it a try. It really touched my heart.

Dr. Maxwell York is the chief of cardiothoracic surgery at St. Jude’s Medical Centre, the hospital his family owns. Max thrives on order, silence, routine, and everything in its place. He is mostly unflappable, so much that his colleagues call him the “Ice King.”

But when the hospital begins renovations to the floor where his obsessively neat and sterile office is, he’s forced out of his comfort zone. He’s told he needs to share an office on the Trauma Floor, which is on the lowest level. For Max, it’s like getting sentenced to hell, because the Trauma Floor is messy, loud, chaotic, and essentially a Petri dish for bacteria.

To make matters even worse, Max has to share an office with the Chief of Trauma, Dr. Jax O’Connell. Jax is the complete opposite of Max (despite their rhyming names). He’s a former combat medic and an adrenaline junkie who thrives on chaos as much as Max craves order. But there’s no denying he’s an absolutely excellent doctor.

Jax wants to see how quickly he can get his new office mate to crack. Each definitely lights a fire under the other, and they bump heads more than a few times. Little by little, Max realizes that Jax is a rarity—a doctor who thinks of his patients rather than the bottom line. As they start to work together, the ice between them thaws. But Jax sparks rebellion in Max, which won’t do for those running the hospital—especially his control-hungry mother.

This book was full of fantastic banter between many of the characters, and it definitely was steamy from time to time. It was the romance, however, that stole my heart, and I just loved how each brought out the best in the other. You’ll bet I’ll be reading Books 2 and 3 soon!!

Book Review: "Little Miss Petty" by Sally Kilpatrick

“…if there’s one life lesson that has been drilled into me, it’s that you’re never too young—or too old—to be petty.” (Truer words have never been spoken.)

Stella runs a private investigator business with her partner, Ken. One night she’s able to serve a very elusive man with divorce papers, and she’s ready to celebrate. She’s got champagne, lingerie—and there’s a woman in her bed. And on Stella’s side. Apparently Ken has found himself a younger girlfriend.

Breaking up with Ken means losing her home and her job, among other things. She starts to think that being 39 is just the top of a downhill slope, and there’s no hope for romance or happiness. But she’s also angry enough to warn a young woman about her date when she eavesdrops on his phone conversation.

From this encounter, Little Miss Petty is born. Stella will help women achieve karmic revenge on those who did them wrong. It’s fun to make men pay for their stupidity, cruelty, and/or infidelity. With her two new friends, Havisham and Salcedo, Stella sets up her business and immediately gets results.

When she’s hired to get revenge on a woman’s cheating husband, it seems like an easy job. The guy lives in her new apartment building. But when all of her acts of revenge don’t make him angry, she realizes that he’s not only handsome, but funny, smart, and interested in her. He offers pizza with benefits. It would be bad to take him up on this, right?

This was a lot of fun, but the book isn’t just petty revenge plots. There’s some timely social commentary about the double standards that exist between women and men, as well as some discussion about getting older, finding love on your own terms, and keeping your heart safe. I’d love another book with Stella and her crew!

Book Review: "Good Joy, Bad Joy" by Mikki Brammer

After reading Mikki Brammer’s wonderfully heartwarming book, I feel the need to give all of my friends hugs and tell them how important they are to me. So for those of you reading this review, consider yourself hugged and loved.

“Do we ever truly shed the lessons ingrained in us as kids or are they part of our beings forever? Is there still time for me to try out a different way of being in the world? I think I’d like to find out.”

Joy is 89 years old. Although she’s surprised at her longevity, and it’s been sad losing her husband and her friends, she still has a lot to live for. She loves her daughter Elizabeth and her grandson Finn, her young piano students, and her bountiful garden.

One of her biggest joys is her best friend Hazel. They’ve known each other since they were 8 years old, and while the paths they took in life were quite different, there is a fierce love between them. Hazel has always seemed larger than life, wearing brightly colored clothes and dyed red hair, and she has so much gusto for adventure.

But when Hazel tells Joy she has terminal cancer, Joy can’t fathom a world without her friend. And while she’s always done the right things in life, trying not to make any ripples, Joy is suddenly wanting to be different. She starts causing mischief, which leads to shoplifting, and suddenly she’s in the midst of a crime. While she loves the recklessness of “Bad Joy,” she knows this isn’t her real self.

I was both moved and amused by this book. Brammer did such a great job being true to her characters and keeping the story melodrama-free. (There were many places a lesser writer might have gone for big crises.) Joy is a memorable character, and I’m inspired to borrow some of her kindness for myself.

Book Review: "Five" by Ilona Bannister

“Someone will die here this morning, at this suburban train station. It will happen in the next five minutes when the 7:06 to London Victoria arrives.”

So begins Ilona Bannister’s new thriller, which was utterly fascinating. We get a first-hand look at a chaotic morning at a train station, which will end in someone’s death. We don’t know who will die but we assume we know how it will happen.

The book introduces us to five people. There’s Emma, a woman whose life has totally been upended by her sociopathic young son, Gideon. He throws a temper tantrum while waiting for the train and Emma is unable to control him, which makes her an object of judgment by others in the train station.

There’s Sonny, a handsome and impeccably dressed young man, who is seriously addicted to gambling. Matilda is a cantankerous old woman whose anger masks the difficult life she has had. And then there’s Liam, a business manager who appears to know Emma and Gideon but seems to incur their wrath.

While we wait for the train to come into the station and end one of the five people’s lives, the book gives us each of their stories. We don’t have to rest on generalization; we know what each person is struggling with and what brought them to the train station today.

This was so compelling. The narrator invites you to think about who will die, but also who you think deserves to die. We see how flawed each person is, what made them tick, and what are their redeeming qualities. While some of the backstories dragged a bit, I really thought this was a fascinating read.