Book Review: "Rip Tide" by Colleen McKeegan

Kimmy Devine leaves her prestigious finance job to move back to Rocky Cape, her hometown on the Jersey shore. When she graduated high school 15 years before, she swore she’d never move back, but she’s taking over the family business so her parents can retire. Her sister Erin moved home prior to the pandemic, following the end of her marriage.

Kimmy had forgotten what a small town Rocky Cape was. (Too small, actually.) And within a few days of her return, tragedy strikes: their former neighbor, Peter, was found dead in the water following the Devines’ party to celebrate their daughters. But Peter was more than just a neighbor when Kimmy and Erin were in high school.

It’s not long before Kimmy and Erin fall into their same behavior patterns from high school, and they’ve never quite escaped the gossip and secrets from that time. But in the aftermath of Peter’s death, all of the old resentments and hurts are revisited and brought into the light.

The book is told in two separate timelines: from 2005-2007, when the sisters were in high school, and 2022, when the tragedy occurs. It’s mostly narrated by Kimmy and Erin, as young women and adults.

Colleen McKeegan really captured the essence of the mid-2000s, with AOL Instant Messenger and MySpace, along with the fashion and music. But while this is billed as a mystery, it’s much more of a family drama than anything else.

The pacing of the book was really slow at times, but the epilogue is where all the big secrets are revealed, quite quickly. I wanted to like this more than I did, but it definitely had some elements I enjoyed.

Book Review: "When We Were Bright and Beautiful" by Jillian Medoff

The newest book from Jillian Medoff is a gripping family/courtroom drama about a family caught in scandal.

Cassie tries to assert her independence from her wealthy family every now and again, but when she is summoned home to NYC because her brother Billy is in trouble, she shows up in the middle of the night. It turns out that Billy, the youngest child, a star athlete and an aspiring pediatrician, has been accused of raping his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Diana.

The family is shocked by this accusation. Billy and Diana have had a tumultuous relationship and their breakups have been difficult, but there’s no way that he could have raped her. But Billy is a privileged, handsome, white athlete—one who stutters when he gets nervous—so the family knows he may have a difficult time getting acquitted, especially in the current #MeToo environment.

While their parents fight over everything, from whether Billy should take a plea to whether he has the right attorney, family relationships start to splinter under the stress. But even as Cassie starts wondering about what really happened between Billy and Diana, she’s determined to prove her brother’s innocence—no matter what secrets have to be revealed.

This was my August BOTM pick, and it really surprised me just how much it hooked me. We’ve seen this storyline before, but in Jillian Medoff’s hands it’s immensely compelling and complex. As long as it doesn’t involve my family, I’m all in for good family drama!!

Book Review: "Before She Was Helen" by Caroline B. Cooney

You never know just what secrets people are living with. Or so Caroline B. Cooney's latest novel, Before She Was Helen, tries to tell us.

Clemmie lives a fairly uneventful life in a retirement community in South Carolina. When checking on a neighbor one day, she notices a beautiful glass sculpture unlike anything she’s ever seen. Curious about what it is, she sends a picture of it to her grandnephew and grandniece.

Apparently this sculpture is actually a rig for smoking pot. When her grandnephew shares the picture of the rig on the internet, it turns out there’s a story behind this object—and it was stolen. It’s not long before the owner wants to track down Clemmie and get his rig back.

What Clemmie doesn’t realize is that her carefully crafted life is about to come crashing down around her. She’s been living a secret life for more than 50 years, and apparently her secrets are about to be revealed. And she’s not the only one with secrets—turns out her fellow neighbors have some things to hide, too.

I was excited to read Before She Was Helen because I love when older characters aren’t portrayed as burdens or wise sages, but flawed, complex people. But there were so many competing storylines in this book as well as multiple timelines, that it was hard to keep track of who was doing what, who had done what in their past, and what was happening. (It also made it difficult to find sympathy for these characters.)

I read this as a buddy read and had a great discussion with some friends. We agreed the book needs some trigger warnings for rape, assault, violence, etc. We also agreed that the ending was so rushed (and incomplete) that there were so many unanswered questions and things that didn't quite make sense.

Oh well! On to the next!!

Book Review: "Yes, Daddy" by Jonathan Parks-Ramage

Wow. Jonathan Parks-Ramage's debut novel, Yes, Daddy, is thought-provoking, disturbing, and emotional commentary on the power dynamics in a relationship and how easy it is to find yourself powerless. It's a fascinating look at #MeToo from a gay man's perspective.

Jonah was raised by a religious family in a small town, where he was taught his homosexuality was something that needed to be cured. But when the therapy leads to a bigger crisis, he is able to convince his mother to let him go to graduate school, then move to NYC and pursue a career as a playwright.

Subletting a tiny room in Bushwick, working as a waiter, Jonah barely has any money or friends, and hasn't been doing much writing. When he spots a picture of famed playwright Richard Shriver, who has a fondness for handsome, muscular, younger men, Jonah formulates a plan to meet Richard and make him fall for him.

Jonah’s well-researched plan works and their relationship takes off, although Richard is a mercurial man to deal with. And when he’s invited to spend the summer in the Hamptons with Richard and his famous friends, who all live on a fancy compound, he feels like he’s finally being enveloped in a life he deserves.

But while the summer has its moments, often Jonah feels the subject of scorn and ridicule. He doesn't feel like any of Richard's friends see him as anything more than a boy-toy. Jonah notices that the compound seems to have a “staff” of young, handsome men in its “employ,” but he doesn’t get their role and they seem to tell him he doesn’t belong. But while Jonah thinks that’s motivated by jealousy, he realizes that there is something far more sinister happening at the compound, and when the dynamics of his relationship with Richard change, he sees the truth.

Yes, Daddy is a story about being victimized and how hard it can be to come to terms with that truth, it’s about revenge and the way we don’t always act in even our own best interests, it's about the role that faith plays in people's lives, and it’s a story about finding your own strength, your own self-belief and self-esteem. Parks-Ramage has written an unforgettable book, one that you’ll want—and need—to discuss.

(TW: sexual assault, violence, and thoughts of suicide)

NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

Yes, Daddy publishes on May 18.

Book Review: "The Night Swim" by Megan Goldin

Megan Goldin's new novel, The Night Swim, is part courtroom drama, part mystery, part thought-provoking exploration of how horrible society and the criminal justice system treat those who have been raped.

Rachel has gained notoriety as the creator and host of a true crime podcast. While the first two seasons focused on past crimes—and helped a man go free—this time she’s focusing on a rape trial, covering it from the small town where it happened.

The son of the town’s wealthiest family and a prospective Olympic swimmer is accused of brutally raping a teenage girl, the granddaughter of the former police chief. The town is torn apart by the case, with some thinking the girl “deserved” it and is lying, while others think he needs to be punished.

Meanwhile, Rachel, who is known more for her voice than her face, is being followed around town by a woman who says her sister was murdered in the same town 25 years ago, but the police refused to investigate, calling it an accidental drowning. This woman, Hannah, wants Rachel to tell the true story of what happened to her sister, even if it riles up old ghosts.

What will be the outcome of the rape trial? What was the truth behind Hannah’s sister’s death? Rachel will find herself in the middle of both cases, with their similarities and overlaps.

This is a very slow burn of a book and it’s definitely not the thriller Goldin’s first novel, The Escape Room, was. That being said, it’s a compelling and emotional story about rape and reputations in a small town, and the scars we bear.

NetGalley and St. Martin's Press provided me with an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

The book publishes 8/4.