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Neither Nora Holliday nor Josh Landon is happy in their long-term marriages, but that doesn't mean either one of them is the type to start an illicit affair.  But that's just what happens when they run into each other at a hotel in a different city.  A one-time mistake blossoms into something more as they continue to see each other secretly after returning to their small hometown.  Despite the risks to their reputations, their marriages, and their families, Nora and Josh find that their relationship provides the affection and fulfillment they haven't felt with their spouses in years.

When Abby Landon—a college junior who's home recovering from a shattering breakup—sees her father kissing a woman who's not her mother, she vows to get revenge on the pretty homewrecker.  As she plots against her father and his lover, Abby unknowingly sets into motion a plan that will end in the brutal murder of her mother.  Gwen Landon had plenty of enemies, but who actually killed her?

The Last Affair by Margot Hunt is another compelling, but depressing psychological thriller.  It's engrossing, even though it's populated with a cast of selfish, immature people with whom it's very hard to sympathize.  I felt sorry for the kids caught in the middle of their parents' drama, but that's about it.  The Last Affair is enough of a page-turner that I kept reading to the end; overall, though, I didn't find it a very enjoyable or satisfying read.  Mostly, it's just a big downer.  It convinced me that it's time to give this genre a break for a while ...

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, sexual content, violence, and blood/gore

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Last Affair from the generous folks at Harlequin.  Thank you!

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Not far from Pittsburgh sits quaint Sewickley, Pennsylvania.  City folks are drawn to its safe, small-town atmosphere, banking on the hope that the place is as placid and peaceful as it seems.  No locale is perfect and, as four women soon find out, even the most tranquil-seeming villages can hide nasty secrets under its serene veneer.  

Alison Riordan, Julie Phelps, Sarah Walker, and Heather Lysenko are four very different women who have become friends because of their children, who all go to school together.  Over coffee at the local cafe, they share their trials and triumphs, swap stories and gossip, offer support and receive encouragement.  No matter how close they have become, however, each harbors a damning secret they'll die before divulging.  Heather's becomes apparent to her friends when they start noticing bruises in odd places on her model-perfect body.  Although Heather denies it's happening, the others recognize the signs of abuse and urge her to leave her wealthy, influential surgeon husband.  When she refuses, they know it's only a matter of time before Heather lands in the hospital.  Or worse.

When they receive the frantic, middle-of-the-night phone call they've been dreading, Alison, Julie, and Sarah are forced to make an impossible decision.  The fateful choice they make in one desperate moment will tear them each apart.  And change their lives forever.  

Just Between Us, a psychological thriller by Rebecca Drake, tells a tense, suspenseful story which I stayed up very, very late to finish.  There's no doubt that it's compelling.  Still, the selfish, unlikable women at the novel's center irritated me.  For being such good friends, I felt little warmth between the four of them.  Maybe that's why their decision and subsequent actions felt so far-fetched and unrealistic.  Despite the fact that I wanted to know what was going to happen, I didn't end up being overly fond of Just Between Us.  The cast just isn't that appealing, the "twists" are fairly predictable, and the ending gets ridiculous.  I like the novel's Desperate Housewife-ish premise.  Its execution?  Not so much.

(Readalikes:  A little like Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Just Between Us from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press.  Thank you!

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Isn't it strange how—sometimes—the smallest, most insignificant decision in the world can change everything about your world?  This is the idea at the center of Truly Madly Guilty, a new domestic drama by popular Australian author Liane Moriarty.  And it's an intriguing one, for sure.  The novel lacks a lot of the charm of her previous books, yes, but it's still a compelling tale about the tiny, obscure moments in which life changes irrevocably.

Truly Madly Guilty is about three couples living in Sydney, Australia.  Erika and Oliver are both serious, orderly accountants.  Infertility has left them childless; Oliver, in particular, longs for a biological son or daughter.  Sam and Clementine Hart have two children, both of whom keep them extremely busy.  A freelance cellist, Clementine is flighty and scattered, as different from Erika as she could be.  Vid and Tiffany—along with their larger-than-life personalities and their 10-year-old daughter, Dakota—live next door to Erika and Oliver.  When the colorful couple invites Erika and Oliver over for a barbecue, and Erika invites Sam and Clementine, things take an unexpected turn.  The events of the evening will leave all three couples questioning everything they know about themselves—and each other.

After reading Big Little Lies and several other novels by Liane Moriarty, I've become a big fan.  I love the author's sharp observations about love, friendship, marriage, family, and human nature in general.  Her stories are warm and funny, but also thoughtful and complex.  So, yeah, I get excited when Moriarty publishes a new book.  Unfortunately, I found Truly Madly Guilty disappointing.  Connecting with the characters—especially the women, who all seemed selfish and cold—was difficult for me.  The overall story didn't grab my attention like Moriarty's others; it felt lacking somehow.  It does have excellent pacing, however.  The back-and-forth-in-time narration generates suspense, which just continues to build until the finale finally reveals all.  Although I didn't care much about the characters in Truly Madly Guilty, I definitely wanted to know what the heck happened at the ill-fated barbecue.  In the end, though, I found Moriarty's newest disappointing.  I wanted to love it as much as I have her previous novels, but ... I didn't.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other novels by Liane Moriarty, including Big Little Lies; The Husband's Secret; and What Alice Forgot)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, sexual content, violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of Truly Madly Guilty from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.