Book Review: "Far Gone" by Danielle Girard

Just devoured Danielle Girard's upcoming thriller, Far Gone. Another twisty thriller I really liked? Who am I?

14-year-old Hannah is scheduled to babysit for Ben and Nadine Garza on Friday night. She shows up to their house a bit high on oxycodone but hopes they won’t notice.

And then a man comes into the house. Hannah is able to hide in the closet and watches in horror as the man shoots both Ben and Nadine but mercifully leaves their infant daughter safe. But Hannah is afraid he’ll return, so she flees with the baby.

Detective Kylie Milliard lands the investigation into the Garza murders. When she finds blood on the scene not belonging to the victims, she knows this could be the break she needs. She is shocked, however, to find that the DNA in the blood drop is a familial match to Lily Baker, a local nurse, who was involved in a horrible crime years before.

As Kylie and her colleagues work to find the killer and Lily tries to deal with the return of traumatic memories, dark secrets are uncovered and shocking discoveries are made. Will anything be the same again?

Far Gone is the second book in Danielle Girard’s Badlands series (after White Out). I didn’t read the first book but boy, I’m hooked on Girard’s writing now. You could read this as a stand-alone because there was enough background into the past.

For someone who has been having a really tough time with thrillers lately, I thought this was great. There were lots of twists and turns, some of which I predicted and some which surprised me, but I loved the characters and the emotions the story evoked.

Suzy Approved Book Tours, NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Danielle Girard provided me with a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

The book publishes 6/15.

Book Review: "Skye Falling" by Mia McKenzie

Mia McKenzie's upcoming novel, Skye Falling, shows that if you push everyone away, you can’t wonder why you’re lonely.⁣

⁣ When Skye was in junior high school she was voted “Most Likely to Be Single.” It’s like even then her classmates knew relationships really weren’t for her.⁣

⁣ “And while being voted ‘Most Likely to be Single’ at twelve years old isn’t necessarily an early indicator that one might die alone in a hotel bed many years later, it’s not hard to imagine it as part of the same narrative, right? Not that you’d expect it, but if you heard about it you’d be like: ‘Uh-huh, okay, I can see that.’ So, yeah. Nobody would be super surprised. Is what I’m saying.”⁣

⁣ Now, as she nears 40, Skye hasn’t changed much. She keeps her friends, her family at arm’s length and doesn’t do relationships beyond hookups. But when Vicky, a 12-year-old girl, finds Skye and tells her she’s “her egg” (Skye donated her eggs to an infertile friend years ago), Skye starts thinking about whether she should try to have a relationship with this girl. But where to start?

⁣ ⁣ And when she tries to pick up a woman (and fails), only to discover the woman’s connections to Vicky, Skye wonders once and for all whether her plan to push everyone away was the right one. Is she worthy of loving and of being loved?

⁣ ⁣ Skye Falling was an interesting, well-written character study and a look at a woman who thinks she has it all figured out, only to ultimately discover that she really doesn’t. I think we all know—or are—people like that.⁣

⁣ My challenge is that I found Skye fairly unappealing as a character so I had trouble caring about what happened to her. My feelings changed a bit as the book progressed, but it’s always difficult for me to connect with unlikeable characters.⁣

This was an early release through the Book of the Month Club. Skye Falling publishes 6/22. ⁣

Book Review: "Who Is Maud Dixon?" by Alexandra Andrews

The recently published thriller Who Is Maud Dixon? had so many twists and turns I was afraid I’d get motion sickness!

Florence Darrow couldn’t wait to escape her Florida home and her overbearing mother; after college she moved to New York City, certain she’d become a famous writer. But when no success materialized, she decided her best bet was a job in publishing.

Somehow she stumbles into an opportunity to be the assistant to Maud Dixon, a best-selling author whose debut thriller captivated readers worldwide. Florence will be only the second person to know whom Maud really is—the reclusive author has kept her identity a complete secret.

Working for Maud (whose real name is Helen Wilcox) opens Florence’s eyes to the life she could have one day. Helen is difficult at times but she’s an unending source of advice and inspiration. She asks Florence to accompany her on a research trip to Morocco so she can finally finish her second book.

When Florence wakes up in the hospital in Morocco after a car accident, she has no memory of what happened. And when Helen fails to materialize, Florence figures she must have died in the accident. But since no body was found, Florence decides her best bet is to pretend to be Helen—and more importantly, Maud Dixon.

This book started slowly but once Florence began working for Helen, it picked up momentum and whoa! There were lots of twists and turns and while some things weren’t completely surprising, Who Is Maud Dixon? definitely kept me guessing.

When you need to read a thriller in one sitting, you know it’s a good one. There really was a lot to like about this—and it sure would make a great movie!

Book Review: "The Passing Playbook" by Isaac Fitzsimons

Isaac Fitzsimons' debut YA novel, The Passing Playbook, is an emotional, hopeful story about finding your voice and being true to yourself.

Spencer is starting over. After a threat of violence against him put his old high school in lockdown, he’s about to start at a progressive private school, and a liberal one—the most liberal one in Ohio, in fact. But while he’s ready to tell his fellow students he is queer, he’s not ready to share the truth: that he’s transgender, because that's where the trouble arose at his last school.

It’s not long before Spencer’s athletic prowess lands him a spot on the soccer team. Despite his parents’ concerns, he’s happy to be part of a team, to have friends, and the possibility of even more with one of his teammates.

When the soccer league enforces a discriminatory rule, Spencer finds himself on the bench. He realizes he has two choices—he can keep silent and let discrimination win, or he can reveal the truth about himself and fight for his rights and the rights of other transgender students. But what price will he and his family pay for the truth?

I really enjoyed The Passing Playbook. I have to give Fitzsimons so much credit—there were so many times when I expected the book to go a certain way, to follow the “typical” plot lines—and nearly every time, he did something else. I loved these characters, from Spencer and his brother Theo to the coach and Spencer’s friends and teammates.

Living your truth isn’t easy, especially when you face the possibility of ostracism, violence, and rejection. Thanks to Fitzsimons for a book that focused more on the joy that comes from being who you are rather than the pain.

Book Review: "Heartstopper, Volume 4" by Alice Oseman

In Heartstopper, Volume 4, Nick and Charlie return in another graphic novel, and this one deals with some serious subjects.

I am a gigantic puddle of emotions and it is all the fault of Alice Oseman. Not only was Volume 4 of this series adorable and poignant and thought-provoking (like they always are), but the thought that the series will end at Volume 5 makes me sad...although we have a while until that’s published. (There is a Netflix adaptation with live actors coming and I cannot wait.)

In Volume 4, Charlie is struggling. He really wants to tell Nick he loves him but he’s afraid it’s too soon in their relationship, he’s afraid Nick might not feel the same way, he’s feeling all the things we might have felt when wanting to say that first “I love you.”

Once that hurdle is cleared (so adorably), Charlie’s eating disorder starts to get worse and his anxiety and depression intensify, as does his tendency to self-harm. He doesn’t know what to do about it but he knows it’s becoming more of a problem and he knows Nick is scared, too.

Nick is so worried about Charlie but doesn’t know how to help him. His mother helps him understand all the ways he can help, and that sometimes he can’t.

This is divided into two parts—the first deals with the two saying “I love you” and the return of Charlie’s struggles, the second deals with Charlie’s journey and further developments in their relationship. It’s a more serious installment of this series but they’re just so darned adorable and the supporting characters are amazing. (Plus there's a mini-comic which features the teachers who chaperoned the gang's Paris trip, and that is just adorable, too!)

If you’ve thought about getting into graphic novels I’d definitely encourage you to try this series. It’s definitely more a Heartmelter than a Heartstopper.

Book Review: "The Guncle" by Steven Rowley

You know the feeling when a book is as amazing as you hoped it would be, maybe even better? That's how I felt reading Steven Rowley's new book, The Guncle.

⁣ ⁣ Patrick was a well-known actor on a television sitcom, but when the show was done, he retreated to Palm Springs, where he essentially cut himself off from the world. But when his sister-in-law and best friend dies, it brings him home to Connecticut and back to his family.⁣

⁣ Patrick’s brother tells him that he’s dealing with a crisis of his own and he needs him to take his two young kids for three months. Patrick can’t believe anyone would entrust their kids to him. And what would he even do with them? He’s never even really been around his niece and nephew that much, let alone thought about raising them.⁣

⁣ Even though temporary fatherhood is the last thing he ever dreamed of, Patrick is determined to help Maisie and Grant deal with their grief over their mother’s death. It turns out Patrick needs to grieve for Sara too, and he still is dealing with the emotions caused by a tragedy that happened a few years before.⁣

⁣ Patrick is not your ordinary caregiver—he quotes Oscar Wilde and Grey Gardens, has a closet full of caftans, and a bunch of “Guncle Rules,” but it turns out that he’s more suited for this role than anyone might have imagined. And, of course, the kids help him just as much.⁣

⁣ Rowley has created a fantastic book which left me crying and laughing, sometimes simultaneously. It certainly made me think of my four nephews—they range in age from 1 to 13–and while I’ve never actually called myself “Guncle Larry” I’ve certainly tried to be the best uncle I can be, even though I’m 3-1/2 hours away.⁣

⁣ I loved this book so much. I didn’t want it to end, and I wanted to hug it when I was done.⁣

⁣ BookSparks and Putnam Books sent me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review as part of #SRC2021. Thanks for making it available!!⁣

Book Review: "The Truth and Other Hidden Things" by Lea Geller

Sometimes the thing you need most hurts a lot of other people. This is the message at the core of Lea Geller's newest book, The Truth and Other Hidden Things.

“The day Harry didn’t get tenure was also the day I discovered that an IUD is not foolproof. At the time, it was hard to say which news was worse.“

Bells Walker’s life is about to implode. She’s 43, living in a small Manhattan apartment given to her husband as part of his job at a university, and she has two adolescent children. A surprise pregnancy and her husband’s being denied tenure were not what she was counting on.

When Harry lands a job at Dutchess College in New York’s Hudson Valley, the family gets uprooted to a small town called Pigkill, much to everyone’s chagrin (except Harry). But the bucolic town Bells pictured has actually been taken over by hipsters and super-high-maintenance parents, all who’ve escaped the rat race of NYC to create a new one in Pigkill.

With no job prospects in sight and feeling ostracized by the mothers who clearly have it all together, Bells decides the best way to express her feelings is through an anonymous blog. Calling herself the “County Dutchess,” she sets her snarky sights on the people, the behaviors, and the not-so-secret goings-on in Pigkill. Her blog catches fire quickly and readers want to know, who is the Dutchess?

Of course, Bells’ fulfillment from writing the blog (fulfillment she has been searching for for years) has to stay a secret, or she could jeopardize Harry’s job and her kids’ tenuous efforts to fit in. But the more her posts go viral, the greater the risk is. Is it worth it? Can this secret stay secret?

I thought The Truth and Other Hidden Things was fantastic—laugh-out-loud funny in places, poignant in others. It’s amazing the things we do to try and prove our self-worth, to ourselves and the others we think are finding us wanting. I couldn’t get enough of this and Lea Geller’s storytelling!

Suzy Approved Book Tours, Lea Geller, and Lake Union Publishing provided me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!