Book Review: "It's Not Her" by Mary Kubica

When I’ve seen lots of people post about a book and how much they loved it, I always get a little nervous reading it. Will I be the outlier, disappointed by the hype? It does happen at times, but in the case of Mary Kubica’s latest, the hype is real!

Courtney and her family take a vacation at a lakeside resort with her brother Nolan (who is married to her best friend, Emily) and his family. They’re ready to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.

But the peace is short-lived. Early one morning Courtney hears a scream and sees her young niece, Mae, come running out of Nolan and Emily’s cottage. She has blood on her and she’s unable to do much more than cry.

Courtney rushes over to the cottage and finds that both Emily and Nolan were brutally murdered. Their son Wyatt appears to have slept through the attack and is unharmed. But their teenage daughter Reese is missing. Was she kidnapped or was she the murderer?

As the police investigation unfolds, Courtney isn’t sure who is innocent and who is guilty. She becomes convinced her husband is keeping secrets from her and she’s starting to feel afraid of Wyatt. But she’s determined to find out what happened to Reese, as well as who murdered her family.

This was really good. Kubica kept ratcheting up the tension and creating so many questions that I trusted no one. And how it all wrapped up? Chef’s kiss.

Book Review: "The Epicenter of Forever" by Mara Williams

“Maybe joy and suffering are the same subjects brushed in different hues—not either or, but both and. Coexistent. They are lovers with clasped hands and entwined bodies. Maybe in order to have one, you must embrace, accept the other. The beauty is not in the ever after but in trusting the now.”

When Eden was growing up, she spent summers in the idyllic California mountain town of Grand Trees. It was a town that embraced nature and she loved the people who lived there.

But Grand Trees was also the place where her dreams ended and she dealt with a betrayal that shattered her family. Eden fled, vowing never to return. And apart from a brief appearance at a funeral, she’s kept that promise—until now. When she gets news that her estranged mother is suffering from Parkinson’s, she heads back there.

When she arrives, Eden finds her mother’s condition is worse than she thought. She also meets Caleb, her mother’s step-nephew and caregiver, who immediately blames Eden for all that transpired with her mother through the years. But despite her mother’s found family, she’s determined to try and rebuild their relationship, even if it means reopening old wounds.

While she is staying with her mother, Eden finds her relationship with Caleb changing from an adversarial one to a romantic one. Both have more in common than they realize. But the demands of her mother’s condition force Eden to make a choice: her family or her heart?

I thought this was so good. It’s a love story, sure, but it’s also about parental love and the fierce love of found family. I found Mara Williams’ use of imagery to be so powerful as well. ⁣

Book Review: "Leave It Up to Love" by Kristy Woodson Harvey

There’s something about the books that Kristy Woodson Harvey writes. Maybe it’s because they’re always set in sunny, idyllic locations, but they always seem to brighten up the day. I’m thankful to Amazon FirstReads for early access to this sweet and fun story.

All Lila has dreamed of is being a bestselling author. While sales of her first novel didn’t quite make a huge impact, she’s determined that one of her two new ideas may be her ticket to quitting her barista job and writing full-time.

She can’t believe that her book is published by the same company as her favorite author of all time, Elizabeth Lancaster. The “Queen of Regency Romance” is her idol, and even though she orders a coffee from Lila nearly every day, Lila has never let on that she knows who she is.

Ever since her husband died a few years ago, Elizabeth has had writer’s block. She cannot write a word. But her publisher’s patience is running out, so they’ve suggested she use a ghostwriter: Lila, whose style is very similar to hers. Elizabeth doesn’t want to depend on her barista, but it doesn’t seem she has a choice. (She doesn’t.)

This is a story about recovery, finding your confidence again, and taking a different path. At the same time, it’s a sweet love story and a story about finding every way possible to achieve your dreams. This was a nice appetizer to hold me over until Kristy’s next book comes out in May!!

The story will officially publish 3/1.

Book Review: "Blade" by Wendy Walker

Maybe it’s because the Winter Olympics are about to start, but when I saw this mystery/thriller involving figure skating, I was ready to do a triple salchow. Luckily for all of us, I took the simpler route and just read Wendy Walker’s newest book.

As a teenage figure skater with Olympic dreams, Ana was accepted to train at The Palace, a famous skating facility in Colorado. Training was physically rigorous and emotionally draining, because the head coach believed that breaking down a skater’s fears could help them reach their goals.

By the time Ana turned 16, she left The Palace and her skating career behind. She found a new passion in law and now is a successful (and well-known) defense attorney specializing in working with minors. But the last thing she is expecting is to return to The Palace nearly 15 years later.

Grace, the talented daughter of one of Ana’s best friends from her skating days, is accused of brutally murdering The Palace’s assistant coach. This same man coached Ana and her friends back in the day, playing good cop to the head coach’s bad cop. Grace maintains her innocence even though the evidence certainly suggests her guilt.

But in order for Ana to defend Grace, she must confront her own traumatic memories of The Palace. What happened all those years ago? Could Ana have played a part in the coach’s murder? With a blizzard on the horizon, time is running out to find answers and unearth secrets long-hidden.

I love athletic drama, and there was no shortage of that here. The book shifts back and forth between past and present, contrasting Ana’s time at the Palace with her efforts to clear Grace’s name. I enjoyed the story although at times the back and forth confused me a little. But no characters were quite what they seemed!

Book Review: "The Fourth Daughter" by Lyn Liao Butler

Liv is an up and coming chef in NYC. But when she is involved in a traumatic incident, she can no longer leave her apartment without a full-blown panic attack. She misses cooking but can’t imagine setting foot in a noisy kitchen ever again.

After hearing from her beloved Ah-Ma, her grandmother who lives in Taiwan, Liv is motivated to end her self-imposed imprisonment. Apparently Ah-Ma saw a woman on the street that she was convinced is her fourth daughter, who was taken from her as an infant. This is a shock to Liv, who never knew that Ah-Ma had a missing daughter out there all these years. She agrees to fly to Taiwan to help find the woman.

When Liv arrives in Taiwan, she is amazed to hear Ah-Ma’s story about her fourth daughter. She tells of a country under martial law, where women had no rights and had to obey their husbands, and independent action was swiftly punished. Her husband (Liv’s grandmother) was a cruel man affiliated with the powerful military, and he arranged for their daughter to be taken.

As Liv and her grandmother try to track down this woman, they spend a lot of time eating and cooking traditional Taiwanese food. This awakens memories for both of them, and helps Liv recover some of her love of cooking.

The book shifts back and forth between 1960s Taiwan and present day, and is mostly narrated by Liv and Ah-Ma. (Other characters provide some narration from time to time.)

I found this book to be tremendously moving and thought-provoking. This is a story of love and loss, recovery and possibility. And it sure did make me hungry!!

Book Review: "In Bloom" by Liz Allan

“It doesn’t matter anymore. We are trouble. We have always been trouble. Our mothers have been telling us this for years.“

At first glance, this book appears to be fairly simple and straightforward. But it’s only as you come to the end that you realize what quiet power Liz Allan’s debut novel really possesses.

It’s 1994 in Vincent, a small coastal town in Australia. Four high school girls, longtime friends, have a band called The Bastards, because none of them has a father present. They’re obsessed with Nirvana, with loud, angry music, and believe the band is their ticket out of their horrible little hole of a town.

These girls live by a self-fulfilling prophecy. They’re almost a group of ruffians—poor, rowdy, disdainful, and not particularly smart—so no one expects much from them. But they don’t care—they’re just biding their time. And an upcoming Battle of the Bands competition is the key to freedom.

Trouble strikes when their lead singer, Lily, drops out of the band. Shortly thereafter, she accuses the girls’ beloved music teacher (and perhaps their only champion), Mr. P, of sexual assault. The other three girls know he’s innocent and don’t understand why Lily would accuse him of such a horrible act. They’re determined to discover the truth, and nothing—or no one—will get in their way.

Most of the book is narrated by the three remaining Bastards in a collective voice. This was an interesting and very effective choice. You really feel for these girls, who just want to be viewed in a positive light by their peers and their families. The book really made an impression on me!

Book Review: "Dear Debbie" by Freida McFadden

Oh, Debbie, Debbie, Debbie. You are such a fantastically memorable character in one hell of a book!

Debbie is an advice columnist for her local newspaper. For years she’s been helping women deal with difficulties they’re having with their husbands, children, families, etc. But taking her own advice isn’t the easiest thing.

Lately, though, Debbie has been struggling. Her older daughter snaps at everything she does or says, her younger daughter is sullen and clearly hiding a problem. And her husband is definitely up to something. She notices that he stops sharing his location on his phone from time to time. Plus, other people just make her angry.

Debbie has always kept her mouth shut as best as she can. But keeping her cool is getting more and more difficult. So it might be time to right some wrongs and protect her family. No matter what it takes.

This is funny and twisty and even a little bit menacing. I don’t know if I’ve ever devoured a book so quickly in my life. What a great job Freida McFadden did with this!