Waiting on Wednesday: Where They Found Her

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine and is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming book releases.

I read Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight in December of 2013, and I still think about it from time to time. McCreight's upcoming release, Where They Found Her is due out April 14th, 2015 from HarperCollins.

Love this cover!

From Goodreads, "An idyllic suburban town. A devastating discovery. Shocking revelations that will change three lives forever.

At the end of a long winter in well-to-do Ridgedale, New Jersey, the body of a newborn is found in the woods fringing the campus of the town's prestigious university. No one knows the identity of the baby, what ended her very short life, or how she wound up among the fallen leaves. But among the residents of Ridgedale, there is no shortage of opinions.

When freelance journalist, and recent Ridgedale transplant, Molly Anderson is unexpectedly called upon to cover the disturbing news for the Ridgedale Reader—the town's local paper—she has good reason to hesitate. A severe depression followed the loss of her own baby, and this assignment could unearth memories she has tried so hard to bury. But the history Molly uncovers is not her own. Her investigation unravels a decades-old trail of dark secrets hiding behind Ridgedale's white picket fences.

Told from the perspectives of three Ridgedale women, Kimberly McCreight's taut and profoundly moving novel unwinds the tangled truth behind the tragedy, revealing that these women have far more in common than they could have ever known. That the very worst crimes are committed against those we love. And that—sooner or later—the past catches up to all of us."

Also, check out this awesome book trailer from HarperBooks YouTube channel:

How can you NOT want to read that?! Come on, April!

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant: a review

 

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant is a captivating look at what it was like to be a Jewish girl navigating her way through America in the early 1900s.

From Goodreads: Addie Baum is The Boston Girl, born in 1900 to immigrant parents who were unprepared for and suspicious of America and its effect on their three daughters. Growing up in the North End, then a teeming multicultural neighborhood, Addie's intelligence and curiosity take her to a world her parents can't imagine - a world of short skirts, movies, celebrity culture and new opportunities for women. Addie wants to finish high school and dreams of going to college. She wants a career and to find true love.

Eighty-five-year-old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her "How did you get to be the woman you are today." She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naïve girl she was and a wicked sense of humor.

My thoughts: While I was reading this historical fiction, I felt like Addie was in the room with me telling me her story. Honestly, if I didn't know it was fiction, I would have thought it was a non-fiction memoir - that's how well written it is.

The book seems simple, however, it is anything but. Addie lives in a complicated time with unfortunate standards that women are meant to follow. Help out at home, obey your parents, get married, have babies, obey your husband. Addie wants more than that, and is able to surround herself with likeminded women. I like to think that had I grown up in this time, I'd be friends with Addie.

The writing style is fairly simple and it's a quick read, but I think that's how the story shines. There's no detail that seems out of place. The reader is able to get to know Addie and her family/friends, and can understand the world they lived in. The book spans over many years, and I loved getting to see how Addie changed, but how she ultimately stayed true to herself. It was refreshing to read about a strong woman remaining a strong woman.

This book is not all happy. There are some terrible things that happen to Addie and her family, but that's the realty of the times, and life in general. I appreciated the terrible things because these things happen to all of us, and made the book even more relatable. It's a testament to Diamant's writing that I was able to connect to a character whose story takes place in the early 1900s.

This book goes on sale Tuesday, December 9th and is one that you should definitely go out and buy immediately, or add it to your Christmas wish list.

You by Caroline Kepnes - Review

It's been forever, again. My husband and I recently moved into a bigger apartment, so much of August/September has been all about moving. I hate moving with a passion, but I love this place so much, so I guess it all balances out.

Before the moving craziness started, this showed up in my inbox from Simon & Schuster Canada:

 

 

I was instantly intrigued. How creepy does that sound?! It's called You and it's Caroline Kepnes' debut release. The book showed up, and I regret not reading it right away because oh my, it was so good!

 

Guinevere Beck (she prefers Beck) is an aspiring writer who happens to catch the glance of Joe, who is one of the creepiest characters I've read. Beck is an attention-seeking, lazy girl who has daddy issues and comes across very naïve. Joe quickly becomes obsessed with Beck and will stop at nothing in order to make her his, including stealing her phone after she leaves it in a cab.

 

It's told entirely from Joe's perspective, and much of it is his internal thoughts, which I think made it all the more creepy and disturbing. It was scary because Joe doesn't come off as crazy in his everyday life. He's just that guy you pass on the street and don't give a second thought to. He, on the other hand, is thinking about you. You'd never know that he has a cage in his book store where he sometimes keeps more than just rare books.

 

I loved the parts where Joe was reading Beck's emails because you got a better glimpse of how messed up Beck was. Joe is a crazy stalker, but Beck definitely her issues as well. She's so wrapped up in herself that she doesn't even really notice when people around her begin disappearing for long periods of time.

 

I spent a lot of time reading this book with this expression on my face:

 

It was almost uncomfortable to read, but I could not put this book down. I'm trying not to give anything away because this book is best to go into blind (most books are), but if you like disturbing, uncomfortable reads, then this is a great book for you. This is the perfect fall read, and definitely perfect for Halloween.

 

This may be Kepnes debut release, but you wouldn't know it by her writing style. She has definitely been added to my auto-read list of authors.

 

5 out of 5 stars. This book is available September 30th from Simon & Schuster Canada. Definitely add it to your to-read list!

 

 

 

Why You Should Be Reading Morgan Matson

I'm a mood reader. I have to be in a certain mood to be able to enjoy certain books. I find that this helps me read different genres because I can't just read one genre over and over without getting tired of it. If I'm not in the right mood, it won't matter how good the book is. The poor thing will probably get abandoned without any fault of its own. Good thing I'm not like this with people!

 

That being said, this weekend I found myself craving a good summer read, and something with a road trip. My fiancé and I are taking a road trip to the Canadian east coast this summer for our honeymoon, so road trips have been on my mind for months. Add in the nicer weather, and BAM! I needed a road trip fix.

 

 

Enter Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, which I devoured in two days. Amy's family is moving from California to Connecticut and Amy is responsible for getting the family car there, along with the help of the son of her mom's friend, Roger. The thing is, Amy is not driving for reasons, so Roger drives. When you're stuck in a small space with a stranger for a long time, you become acquainted pretty quickly.

 

This is not a review because the book is a few years old, but more why you should read it.

 

1.) The format. It's told from Amy's POV, but what I loved even more was that it had a small scrapbook style. There were play lists, postcards, and other little things you collect on a road trip. LOVED this aspect of the book.

 

2.) The romance. It wasn't cheesy. Sometimes I find YA romance to be cheesy and unbelievable. This was believable and sweet, and right for the book. It was nostalgic.

 

3.) The reason why the Curry's are moving. It will break your heart.

 

4.) The characters. I loved them all, except for Hadley. They all seemed like real people, and people I'd want to be friends with. It made me excited for the people we could meet on our upcoming trip.

 

5.) Wanderlust. It will definitely make you want to just pack up the car and take off. It made me even more excited for our honeymoon! Hurry up, July!

 

Once I finished Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, I knew I had to read Morgan Matson's second book Second Chance Summer.

 

I loved this book, too. This one was devoured in less than a day, as I spent most of last night reading it. This one broke my heart into a million pieces, and kept me up well past midnight. When I finally finished it, I had tears rolling down my face. Taylor and her family head up to their lake house because her dad is sick and the family wants to spend one last summer together. Once there, Taylor runs into her ex boyfriend, Henry, and ex best friend, Lucy.

 

You should read this one because:

 

1.) The lake house. I had vivid pictures in my head of what it may have looked like, and I spent much of the book wishing I was laying on a dock reading it with the water beneath me.

 

2.) Again, the characters. I loved them all. Taylor's dad has to be one of my favourite father's in YA books. He is what I think a good father should be.

 

3.) Both books had really great father-daughter relationships. I find with a lot of books, there's a bad relationship between the father and daughter, but not in these books. The relationship is secure, and celebrated. It was a refreshing change.

 

4.) The reconnection between Taylor and Henry and Taylor and Lucy. It wasn't immediate, or corny. Taylor was forced to confront what she did to her former friends, and it wasn't an easy road back to being friends. It was believable, and I appreciated that.

 

5.) The flashbacks. I'm a big fan of flashbacks in novels, as I find they give you perspective you may not have otherwise. You get to know the characters in a different way, and I love it.

 

In a matter of four days, Morgan Matson has become one of my new favourite authors. Not YA author, as while she may write for young adults, I think anyone could enjoy her books. I would recommend her for fans of Sarah Dessen, John Green, Jane Green, and Kristin Hannah.

 

Matson has her third book, Since You've Been Gone, set to release in May and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

 

 

Definitely check out Morgan Matson if you're a fan of well-written contemporary stories!

 

Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

From Goodreads: Everyone has a lot to say about Alice Franklin, and it’s stopped mattering whether it’s true. The rumors started at a party when Alice supposedly had sex with two guys in one night. When school starts everyone almost forgets about Alice until one of those guys, super-popular Brandon, dies in a car wreck that was allegedly all Alice’s fault. Now the only friend she has is a boy who may be the only other person who knows the truth, but is too afraid to admit it. Told from the perspectives of popular girl Elaine, football star Josh, former outcast Kelsie, and shy genius Kurt, we see how everyone has a motive to bring – and keep – Alice down.
My thoughts: This was such a fast read and one I really enjoyed. This book shows what happens when a rumour rapidly flies through a high school - what it does to those involved directly, and even those who are not directly involved. Everyone knows that there's usually only a smattering of truth in rumours, but when you're in high school and your popularity is on the line, truth doesn't seem to matter. Even when someone gets hurt.

Each chapter is told from a different characters perspective (something I really love), and each chapter reveals more about that fateful night. It also reveals more about the different types of people in high school, from the popular people, to the not so popular people. I really liked Kurt, the quiet genius who doesn't have a lot of friends, but who knows what happened that night. Kurt befriends Alice while the whole school turns away, and while his intentions may not be as pure as you'd think, it all works out for him.

I liked the way the story unfolded. It was a short read, but that worked well in this story because too many more details or more characters might have made the story too jumbled. Instead, it read at the perfect pace with details being released at the right times.

The ending was what made the story for me. I was hoping that Mathieu would throw in an Alice chapter, and was happy when I finally got there. Having the story told from everyone but Alice's perspective made it a unique way to read the story because you have to form your opinion about Alice without actually hearing from her until the very end. I liked Alice before I read her chapter, but I really liked her afterwards.

I rated this four out of five stars based on Goodreads rating system, and I think that teens and people who enjoy YA will really like it.

Review: Tempting Fate by Jane Green

From Goodreads: When Gabby first met Elliott she knew he was the man for her. In twenty years of marriage she has never doubted her love for him - even when he refused to give her the one thing she still wants most of all. But now their two daughters are growing up Gabby feels that time and her youth are slipping away. For the first time in her life she is restless. And then she meets Matt . . .

Intoxicated by the way this young, handsome and successful man makes her feel, Gabby is momentarily blind to what she stands to lose on this dangerous path. And in one reckless moment she destroys all that she holds dear.

Consumed by regret, Gabby does everything she can to repair the home she has broken. But are some betrayals too great to forgive?

My thoughts: I've read a few Jane Green books over the last few years, and I've found that they're either really great, or just average. Unfortunately, this one falls into the average category for me. I felt like it was one big cliché. Average older woman getting older while feeling unfulfilled, falls for a younger man who makes her feel beautiful. Happy, doting husband who clearly loves her goes out of town, and voila, her life changes forever.

Part of my issue with the book wasn't the book itself. I think that having an affair is one of the absolute most cruel things you can do to someone you reportedly love. It takes someone really special and great to be able to move on after an affair. I would not be that someone. I knew an affair happens in this book, so to be fair to the book, I went into reading it with a bit of a negative attitude, which shouldn't reflect on the book itself at all.

I ended up giving this three out of five stars because while predictable, Green is still a good writer, and I did enjoy reading this. I will say, though, that she kind of overuses the phrase "for ....". The characters were all obviously flawed, and though Gabby does have an affair, I found it hard to completely hate her. I hated her actions, but I didn't hate her character. She wasn't my favourite, but Green wrote her in a way that I almost (almost) felt sorry for her. I can see how women (even men) could relate to her situation and feelings.

While this may not have been my favourite Jane Green novel, I'm not sorry that I read it.

End of the Year Book Survey!

 

Since this is my first year with a book blog, I thought I'd participate in The Perpetual Page-Turner's End of Year Book Survey. It sounded like a really fun way to go back over what I've read this year. Let's get started!

 

1. Best Book You Read In 2013? This question is far too difficult, so I'm going to break it down into genres.

Adult Contemporary: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. Jodi Picoult is definitely one of my favourite authors. Her books always suck me in and don't let me go, even after the book is finished. 

 

Young Adult: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did.

 

Thriller/Mystery: This has to be a tie between Reconstructing Amelia, and If You Find Me. I loved all three books I read by Chevy Stevens, too. I suck at picking just one book per question!

 

Non-Fiction: Brain in Fire: My Month of Madness. This book was terrifying because it was true. What happened to Susannah could happen to anyone. How scary is that?!

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? Fly Away by Kristin Hannah. I LOVED Firefly Lane, but Fly Away kind of fell flat for me, and I was really disappointed. It was still a good book, and I'd recommend reading it if you loved Firefly Lane, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013? Probably the Chevy Stevens books that I lent to my mom because I know she likes thrillers.

5. Best series you discovered in 2013? Lindsey Kelk has another book following Tess coming out, so I guess that's considered a series. It also looks like the Cormoran Strike books are going to become a series.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013? Chevy Stevens,  and Lindsey Kelk

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you? A Christmas Carol. I don't read a lot of classics, so this was definitely out of my comfort zone. You can't go wrong with Dickens.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013? Reconstructing Amelia, If You Find Me, Always Watching, Still Missing, basically every thriller I read.

 

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? I don't really re-read books often. The only books I tend to re-read are the Harry Potter books.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013? Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. So wintery, so fun.

11. Most memorable character in 2013? Tris Prior

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013? The Silver Star. It read like prose.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? It may be cheating a bit because I'm currently reading it, but Wild by Cheryl Strayed is leaving an impact on me.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? Insurgent. I don't know why I waited so long, but it might of been because I hate waiting forever for the next books in a series.
 

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013? From Allegiant: “I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.”  It spoke to me.

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013? Longest: Allegiant, though the print was pretty big so it may not be accurate. Shortest: A Christmas Carol.
 

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!: I guess that scene from Allegiant.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc). Romantic: Reena and Sawyer from How to Love, Cath and Levi from Fangirl, and Alex and Leo from The F-It List.
Friendship: Alex and Becca from The F-It List, and Cath and Reagan from Fangirl.
Family: Carey and Jenessa from If You Find Me.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else? Probably How to Love. I kept seeing it recommended everywhere, so I had to check it out for myself. That, or Fangirl. Both books were everywhere, but they didn't disappoint.
 

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013? Adult contemporary, for sure. Lots of YA, too.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013? I don't have one.

23. Best 2013 debut you read? How to Love, or Someday, Someday Maybe.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013? Insurgent and Allegiant.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013? Fangirl, any of the thrillers I read, Let it Snow, and Dash and Lily's Book of Dares.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013? Henry's Sisters. Read it. You'll fall in love with Henry.

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out? I've only just started hearing more about If You Find Me, which I think more people need to read.

 

 

 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014? The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. I just haven't touched this yet because I'm trying to reach my 50 book pledge goal, but it's on the top of my list.
 

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)? What a Girl Wants by Lindsey Kelk, the next Cormoran Strike novel, Landline, & That Night by Chevy Stevens.

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating? Hm, I don't actually know!

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014? I have a few next books in a series on my list, but I don't think they're the end of the series.
 

5. One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging in 2014? Set up a better blogging schedule! One that isn't so random and all over the place.

This was fun! It was interesting to go back over my Goodreads and see what I read early in the year. It's easy to forgot those early in the year reads, but I definitely read some good ones early on. This will definitely be a survey I come back and do every year.