Book Review: "Photograph" by Brian Freeman

“When someone you love does something you can’t explain, you begin to realize that you don’t actually know them at all.”

Y’all, I may be late to the party, but this book was EXCELLENT! I had wanted to read it before the end of last year, but didn’t get around to it. Already three of my 5-star reads in January are thrillers!

Shannon is a private investigator in Daytona Beach. Having survived an assault but not getting justice, she only helps women in need. One day, a woman named Kate comes to see her. She found a check that her mother had written to Shannon for $5000 and she wanted to know why she hired Shannon.

A year ago, Faith came to Shannon and said she wanted to know who she really was. Shannon discovered that Faith had taken on a new identity at some point but wasn’t able to trace who she was before. That answer satisfied Faith. But apparently, Faith was violently murdered. And the only clue was an old photograph of a young girl standing outside a motel.

In order to figure out who killed Faith, Shannon has to trace where the photograph was taken and, hopefully, find the identity of the young girl. The search for answers takes her to a small town in Michigan that was rocked by violence a number of years ago, but no one ever found conclusive answers about what happened. In the course of her investigation, Shannon will need to confront some of her own secrets, too.

For a thriller, this book made me surprisingly emotional at times. That being said though, Brian Freeman didn’t let up with the action, tension, or twists. I raced through the book and can’t believe how great it was!

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: "One Night on the Island" by Josie Silver

In the newest novel from Josie Silver, One Night on the Island, two people both needed time alone, but found each other instead.

Cleo is a dating columnist for a popular online woman’s magazine in the UK. She’s chronicled her unsuccessful search for her "flamingo," her mate for life. With her 30th birthday approaching, her boss sends her on a solo retreat to a remote Irish island, in hopes of reenergizing her passion and her writing, as well as her connection with herself.

The luxury cabin on Salvation Island is everything she hoped it would be, but it comes with one unexpected addition—Mack, a photographer from Boston. He’s trying to negotiate the disintegration of his marriage and how it will affect his children, while at the same time, explore the roots of his family, which trace back to this same island.

Apparently, while Cleo’s boss reserved the cabin, Mark’s distant cousin, who owns it, promised it to him. There’s of course only one cabin on the entire island, and it’s so remote that a boat only comes once a week—if they’re lucky. How are they going to deal with their problems if they have to stay in such close proximity to one another?

“I may make a living writing about love, but I’m no wet-behind-the-ears romantic, and there’s nothing cute about this encounter. The American is abrasive. Beardy….I’m holed up at the end of the world with Han Solo.”

Rom-com fans know all about forced proximity and what happens. But Silver always brings more emotional depth to her books than the typical rom-com. These are two people who’ve been broken and are world-weary, and they know there’s no easy fix for their lives.

I thought One Night on the Island was really good, full of emotion, some gentle steam, and beautiful moments, with a fantastic cast of supporting characters. Random House and Goodreads provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review; thanks so much for making it available!

One Night on the Island publishes 2/15/22.

Book Review: "Carry the Dog" by Stephanie Gangi

Carry the Dog is an emotional, compelling read about what constitutes art, and a look at complicated familial legacies and how they impact our interpersonal relationships.

Miriam Marx was a noted photographer in the 1960s, particularly renowned for her provocative photos. Her most controversial—and, therefore, best-known—work is a series of photos featuring her preteen and teenage children called the Marx Nudes. Public outcry was fierce and it led to a chain of tragedies at the tail end of that decade.

Years later, Miriam’s daughter Bea is nearing 60 and still hasn’t been able to completely put her childhood behind her. She’s twice-divorced from aging rocker Gary Going but they’re still together periodically, and she’s trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life. Should she write a memoir? Sue Gary for money he owes her for writing one of his most iconic songs?

Suddenly, interest in Miriam’s work has grown again, and both the Museum of Modern Art and a Hollywood producer are interested in telling Miriam’s complicated story. Bea must decide whether to let someone have access to the work and her trauma for the sake of money, or whether to keep it under lock and key in a storage unit.

This was a fascinating book that really packed a punch. It’s about coming to terms with the trauma our parents visit upon us, both willingly and unwillingly, and how we let it affect our lives. It’s also about growing older and trying to determine who we want in our lives.

Thanks so much to Algonquin Books for inviting me on the tour and providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Book Review: "The Wish" by Nicholas Sparks

With his new book, The Wish, the master of the romantic tearjerker is back to tug at your emotions!

Is there anyone else who stays up super late to finish a book and it seriously rips you apart? Well, I wasn't surprised, but Nicholas Sparks’ new book definitely did that to me. It reminded me of some of his classics like The Notebook.

Maggie is 16 in 1996 when she is sent away to live with her aunt in the remote village of Ocracoke, on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. It’s a fairly solitary life—she mostly does her schoolwork and helps keep the house clean—and she misses her friends. But it’s not long before she strikes up a friendship with Bryce, one of the few other teenagers on the island.

Bryce starts tutoring Maggie to help her keep up with her schoolwork. He starts to show her things he loves about the island and he introduces her to photography, which becomes a love of hers. And little by little, the two fall hard for one another. But Maggie knows she’ll be headed home to Seattle in May, and she knows they’re both too young to derail the course of their lives.

In 2019, Maggie is a famous photographer who co-owns an NYC gallery, where she works when she’s not traveling the world. But faced with a serious medical diagnosis, she needs to hire an assistant for the gallery. As her condition worsens, she and the young man she hires develop a friendship, and she tells him the story of that Christmas in 1996, and its impact on her life.

Not much in The Wish surprised me (there was one twist that threw me) but I was fully immersed in it, falling in love with the characters and the love story. My eyes are still puffy this morning, but boy, it was a good cry!!