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Showing posts with label Infertility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Infertility. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Eerie, Atmospheric Small-Town Secrets Thriller Perfect for Summerween Reading
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Homicide detective Gwen McDaniel is in desperate need of a new start. Her career is over, her marriage is on the brink of collapse, her personal life is in shambles, and her mental health is suffering. On a whim, she buys an old fixer upper in a quaint seaside town in Maine, intending to distract herself with the challenging remodel. A well-respected physician in Baltimore who will now be practicing routine family medicine, Steven McDaniel is not best pleased with the situation, but he's willing to go along with his wife's plan if it will right their upended lives. What happened in Maryland needs to stay in Maryland; if they stay under the radar, not calling attention to themselves, they should be able to put the past behind them and build a satisfying enough life for themselves in their new home.
From the moment Gwen steps into the house she purchased sight-unseen, however, she knows she's made a terrible mistake. She was aware of some of the home's disturbing history, but not all of it. Now, she's hearing phantom baby cries in the night, smelling scents that aren't real, and seeing things that shouldn't be there. Is her new home haunted by the ghosts of all those who have died there? Or is Gwen experiencing another mental break? Steven believes the latter, but she's convinced what's happening to her is all too real. Something awful happened in the house. Gwen knows it and she won't rest until she finds out what. Even if it costs her everything, which it very well might...
I hadn't heard of Jessica R. Patch until her newest thriller, The Girl Upstairs, was published in April. After that, her name seemed to be everywhere. The book was receiving rave reviews from my favorite Christian fiction bloggers and beyond. I'm very much in favor of the "clean" thriller vibes associated with Patch, so I knew I wanted to give her latest a go. Expecting a novel that was Christian and clean, I was actually quite startled by this book's content. While The Girl Upstairs is clean in that it has no profanity (not even Bible swears) or described sex/spice, it's still a dark and disturbing read. More like a mainstream thriller than a Christian one (although it does have light religious content). I like this explanation by Patch that she published on her Facebook page:
"Confession time: I'm a Christ-follower who writes disturbing, unhinged, dark, twisty suspense...I'm not writing a Bible study with a body count. I am writing stories about light in the darkness, the fight between good and evil, and characters who discover that hope isn't dead—even when everything around them says otherwise."
That's a great description of The Girl Upstairs because while it's definitely gritty and sinister, it's also wildly hopeful in the end.
A big part of the unsettling nature of the book is its atmospheric setting. Its small-town, insular community should feel quaint, but, through Gwen's eyes at least, it comes off as claustrophobic and sinister. The village's obsession with Halloween only adds to the ominous vibe. Add in a creepy old house with a troubling history, ghostly whispers lingering around every corner, and you've got yourself an eerie, hair-raising atmosphere that had me jumping at every sound my own (unhaunted) house made.
Gwen is a complicated heroine. She's obviously hurting, which makes her sympathetic, but she's also prickly and obsessive, which means she's not always likable. Since Patch reveals her back story very slowly, Gwen remains a mystery throughout most of the book. It's difficult to know if the strnage things she is experiencing in her new house are real or imagined, whether she's in her right mind or seeing/hearing things because of mental health issues. I like thrillers that keep me feeling wrong-footed, always guessing, and this one does that well. Gwen did grow on me, even though she's not a warm and fuzzy character. Still, I definitely wanted her to find answers and overcome her many demons.
The plotting in The Girl Upstairs is skilled, with gradual reveals that ensure the story remains tense and suspenseful throughout. While I saw the truth about Tara coming from a mile away, there were other twists that caught me unawares. I had a lot figured out by the end of the book, but definitely not eerything. The final scene surprised me, bringing the story to a very satisfying conclusion. Even though The Girl Upstairs is on the longer side for a thriller, there was enough going on in the tale to keep me riveted. I whipped through the book in a day-ish, always wanting to know what was going to happen next.
Although this book isn't the easiest read, due to its subject matter, I enjoyed it overall. The writing is tight, the plot is propulsive, the characters are interesting, and the light-conquers-darkness theme is hopeful and, ultimately, uplifting. The Christian elements are there, but they're subtle and not at all preachy, which is how I like my religious fiction, especially the edgier kind.
I 100% want to read more from Patch, although I'm not much for romantic suspense, which is what most of her previous books are. I'll be reading The Other Sister for sure. After that? I could be convinced to give romantic suspense another try. With the right author, maybe it won't be so bad...
Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
(or maybe R) for violence, blood/gore, scary situations, disturbing subject matter, and innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of The Girl Upstairs with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Saturday, September 17, 2022
Warm-Hearted Adoption Novel Intimate, Insightful, and Discussion Worthy
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
A planner by nature (and profession), Tabitha Basnight is determined to turn her unconventional clan into a real family. She wants her 7-year-old twins to maintain a close bond with their biological siblings, even though the children are spread out between three different households. The families' frequent (but hurried) gatherings aren't enough for Tabitha, who longs for a close sisterhood with her fellow adoptive mothers. To that end, she has organized an activity-filled, two-week stay for the entire crew at a vacation home in Aspen, Colorado. Tabitha just knows the time together will finally cement the bonds between them in the rock solid way she's been dreaming of.
Elizabeth Evans isn't quite as thrilled about her upcoming vacation. After five years of miscarriages and IVF treatments, she and her husband couldn't wait to adopt infant Violet. John is absolutely enthralled with fatherhood, but Elizabeth? Well, she kind of hates it. Weighed down by guilt, exhaustion, and heavy debt from her infertility treatments, Elizabeth is already on edge. How is she supposed to keep it together while in such close proximity to Tabitha, the perfect mother?
Although Ginger Kowalski, an introverted technical writer, never intended to have children, she's delighted with her adoptive daughter. She's less enamored with Tabitha's determination to create one big, happy family. By living in a different city than the other parents, shy, private Ginger is able to keep a little bit of distance. She knows Tabitha doesn't agree with her choice and she's not looking forward to spending two weeks feeling suffocated and pressured by the bossy planner.
When Brianna, the kids' flighty birthmother, calls to let the families know she's pregnant again, it lights a match to a fire already stoked with a dangerous mix of anxiety, resentment, guilt, jealousy, doubt, and feelings of inadequacy. Will the family be able to rise from the ashes of the ensuing inferno? Or will the vacation that was supposed to bond them forever tear them apart for good?
I hadn't heard of Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown before seeing it advertised at a local bookship with a note saying, "Everyone connected with adoption should read this book." I'm an adoptive mom who's always looking for a compelling read, so I picked the book up (from the library, because I'm also cheap). The story immediately sucked me in, not because it's action-packed, edge-of-your-seat kind of stuff, but because the characters are so relatable. I saw different elements of myself in each of the three moms at the center of the book. All three are complex, sympathetic, well-actualized characters. I cared about them, their children, and what was going to happen to their unique family. This is very much a character-based novel, but there's enough tension in the plot to keep things moving along. In fact, I zipped through Any Other Family in a day. It's a warm-hearted read that made me smile, sympathize, and think about adoption as a whole and about my experience with it in particular. The author is an adoptive mom herself, so the novel feels authentic, intimate, and very personal. Whatever your experience with adoption, Any Other Family is an engrossing, insightful book. I enjoyed it.
If you're looking for a book club read that asks discussion-worthy questions, look no further. Any Other Family explores lots of intriguing questions like: What makes a family? What (if anything) do adoptive parents owe to their child's birth family? What kind of adoption is healthiest for a child? How does being adopted affect a child's psyche and well-being? What questions are appropriate/inappropriate to ask an adoptive family? How does the experience of motherhood differ for each mother? No matter your own experience (or inexperience) with adoption, these are probing questions sure to inspire an interesting book club discussion.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of Far From the Tree by Robin Benway and How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Thursday, October 01, 2020
"Perfect" Parenting Aside, She Gets That From Me Is a Buoyant, Upbeat Read
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Quinn Langston has always wanted a family of her own. With no marriage prospects on the horizon, the 36-year-old interior designer is considering using a sperm donor to have a baby on her own—just like her best friend, Brooke Adams, did. Then, Brooke dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm. Although Brooke's 3-year-old daughter, Lily, is technically under the guardianship of her 79-year-old grandmother, Quinn steps up to care for both the little girl and elderly Miss Margaret. Aiding the two helps Quinn grieve while also fulfilling her desire for a family.
Then, Miss Margaret throws Quinn a curveball. She wants to find Lily's birth father, insisting that only family can raise family.
When Zach Bradley donated his sperm back in college, he was thinking only about the money it would earn him, not about the children it could produce. Although he's shocked by the reality of having a child, Zach's prepared to step up. One problem: his wife, who has struggled for years to have a baby, can't stand the thought of watching him play daddy to another woman's baby. They're already in the middle of a move to faraway Seattle. What does Zach really owe Lily and her family?
As the lives of Quinn, Zach, Margaret, and Zach's wife, Jessica, converge, all of them will learn important lessons about love, duty, sacrifice, and what it really means to be a family.
She Gets That From Me by Robin Wells is an engrossing novel with an intriguing and very contemporary conflict at its core. It's peopled with a likable cast, each member of which I found sympathetic, even if I didn't agree with their particular choices and viewpoints. While the plot is mostly predictable, the story still kept me engaged. It's warm, upbeat, and heartfelt. Quinn and Zach both struck me as a little too perfect—each needed some annoying flaws to make them more human. I also chuckled at Quinn's almost seamless transition into single motherhood and her "struggles" with parenting. True, a little whining and projectile vomit isn't fun, but it's hardly the pinnacle of problems when it comes to dealing with a young child, especially one whose world has been rocked by death and upheaval. I get that She Gets That From Me strives to present single parenting by choice in a positive, respectful light, but I wish it had been a little more authentic. I've been through four 3-year-olds and it wasn't easy, even with a loving partner to help me deal with them! Quinn's experience just felt inauthentic, which made me roll my eyes instead of connect more strongly with her. These complaints aside, I enjoyed She Gets That From Me. Its premise is intriguing, its characters are relatable, its vibe is buoyant, and its lessons are valuable. Despite its flaws, I found it an engaging and thought-provoking read.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (1 F-bomb, plus a few milder expletives) and innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of She Gets That From Me from the generous folks at Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Wednesday, April 01, 2020
Backlist Hannah Book Just Okay
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Exhausted from years of trying to have a baby with nothing but heartbreak to show for it, Angie Malone has had enough. Enough of the miscarriages, enough of the failed adoptions, enough of the marriage that has crumbled under the strain. With divorce on the horizon, she moves back to her tiny seaside hometown of West End, Washington. Between all the drama her big, loud Italian clan cooks up and her new task of saving the family's struggling Italian restaurant, Angie should have plenty to focus on besides her crushed dreams.
When Lauren Ribido walks into Angie's life, everything changes. With her world-weary countenance and ill-fitting Salvation Army wardrobe, it's clear the 17-year-old is in need of some TLC. Especially when her alcoholic mother disappears, leaving Lauren to fend for herself. As Angie pours all the love she's been storing up for her own child into this abandoned young woman, she cautions herself against growing too attached. When Lauren announces that she's pregnant, Angie can't help the hope that flutters in her heart. She knows better than to play the "What if" game, but what if Lauren can provide the one thing Angie wants most in the world? How far will Angie go to make that happen? And what of the teenaged mother? What does she want? If their desires conflict, what does that mean for their newly-discovered closeness? What will happen as the two frightened women try to navigate their unknown futures?
I'm a big fan of Kristin Hannah's recent blockbuster novels, The Nightingale and The Great Alone. While waiting for her to produce another stunning masterpiece, I've been making my way through her backlist. I've enjoyed some of these older novels—others, not so much. The Things We Do For Love (2004) falls somewhere in the middle. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. Its premise intrigued me and I was definitely interested to see where the story would go. Unfortunately, although I sympathized with Angie, I didn't really like her. To me, she seemed self-centered, fickle, and short-sighted. This made it tough for me to side with her, while I had no problem rooting for Lauren. This, plus the fact that The Things We Do For Love seemed to ramble on longer than necessary, made the novel less enjoyable than it could have been. In the end, then, I feel a bit ambivalent about this one. Like I said before, I didn't love it, didn't hate it.
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of The Things We Do For Love at Target with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Authentic and Compelling, Oakley's Latest an Enjoyable Read
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
For years, Mia Graydon has had recurring dreams starring the same dark-haired man. A man who is not her husband. She hasn't thought a lot of it as her life has taken its own dream-like path toward fulfillment. With a strong marriage to a handsome doctor, a spacious house (picket fence and all) in a quaint new town, a private studio which will allow for hours of peaceful painting, and a baby on the way after two miscarriages, Mia is experiencing the joy of hope and possibility unfurling before her. It feels as if anything could happen in her happy, privileged life.
Then, the unexpected occurs—Mia sees the man from her dreams. To her absolute astonishment, Oliver is a real, flesh-and-blood person. A nice one to boot and one with whom she feels instantly comfortable. Even more amazing, he has been dreaming of her too. As the two puzzle out the meaning (or lack thereof) behind their odd connection, Mia's orderly life starts to veer off the rails. With things falling apart in her real life, her dreams of Oliver start to seem more and more appealing. When it comes to a choice between salvaging her reality and chasing what could be, what will Mia ultimately decide to do?
You Were There Too, a new novel by Colleen Oakley, explores the intriguing question of what if? It uses a unique premise to ruminate on common themes like marriage, infertility, grief, guilt, and familiarity vs. newness in romantic relationships. The characters come off as authentic (flawed, but relatable), the prose is engaging, and the story compelling. You Were There Too kept me guessing right up until the unexpected plot twist at the end which seems to come out of nowhere, but is actually inevitable and, when you think about it, not entirely surprising. Overall, then, I found You Were There Too to be an engrossing, funny, poignant novel about love, loss, and the strange "coincidences" of life that maybe aren't so coincidental after all.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of novels by Joshilyn Jackson and Katherine Center)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), mild sexual content, and violence
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of You Were There Too from the generous folks at Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Intriguing Premise Leads to Twisty, Compelling Psychological Thriller
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
After years of struggling with infertility, both 38-year-old Lana Stone and her boyfriend, Tyler Jones, are at their wit's end. The difference is Lana's willing to continue, while her faithful partner is done—with Lana's baby obsession, with all the stress and financial burden it places on them, and with their whole relationship, which has become tense and angry. When Tyler moves out, Lana's stung. Then, she gets miraculous news—she's finally pregnant. Tyler might be out of the picture, but Lana's determined to have their baby anyway.
A chance encounter on a New York City subway brings Lana face-to-face with a woman she's never met, but with whom she shares an intimate connection. Katya Dimitrova is the 21-year-old college student whose donated eggs are making Lana's dreams of motherhood a reality. Lana knows she should not, under any circumstances, follow Katya off the subway, but she does it anyway, an impulsive action that leads to an unlikely friendship between the two women. It's not long, however, before fun-loving Katya disappears under suspicious circumstances. Suddenly, Lana finds herself the prime suspect in a missing persons investigation. In a desperate attempt to exonerate herself, she digs into Katya's past, which brings some very disturbing information to light ...
Her Daughter's Mother, a debut novel by Daniela Petrova, is a compelling psychological thriller built on an intriguing premise. The characters are complex and authentic, although not very likable. Still, the propulsive plot kept me reading, needing to know what was going to happen next. Although the novel is depressing and I didn't end up loving it, it definitely kept me turning pages. I liked it enough that I'll keep an eye out for Petrova's sophomore attempt.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing's coming to mind. Help!)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language, violence, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Tense and Compelling, The Confusion of Languages Makes for An Engrossing Read
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
For ex-pats living in the Middle East, following the rules is of utmost importance. At least, that's how 34-year-old Cassie Hugo feels. Over the last two years that her husband has been working for the American embassy in Amman, Jordan, she's learned how to handle herself in a very foreign culture. By adhering to the rules, she's remained safe and sound. Bitter because of her inability to become pregnant and the increasing strain that struggle has put on her marriage, Cassie isn't exactly happy, but she is settled into her unconventional life abroad.
Because of her expertise, Cassie agrees to mentor Margaret Brickshaw, a young mother who's just arrived in Amman with her husband. Cassie's enamored of Margaret's 15-month-old son, Mather, even if she's growing more and more frustrated with his effusive, impulsive mother. No matter how many times Cassie warns Margaret to restrain herself, the newcomer refuses to listen. Wanting only to explore and experience real Jordanian culture, she takes risks that—in a place like Amman—could be deadly.
Cassie's worst fears are realized when Margaret is arrested after a minor car accident. When she fails to return from the police station, Cassie grows concerned, then terrified. What trouble has Margaret's impetuousness gotten her into this time? How can Cassie help her if she can't even find her? And what will she do with poor Mather, who cries for his mother? In a place where breaking the rules can result in the most dire of consequences, what will happen to one hapless, naive American woman?
An ex-pat herself, Siobhan Fallon brings that unique experience to vivid life in The Confusion of Languages, her first novel (read about Fallon's real-life experiences living in Jordan here). Amman provides a colorful backdrop for a tense, engrossing story peopled with characters whose personalities and relationships are realistically complex and flawed. I cared about these story people, which kept me turning pages in order to find out their separate fates. While the tale definitely gets depressing, it's undeniably engaging. With skilled prose, a propulsive plot, an exotic setting, and intriguing characters, The Confusion of Languages is a well-crafted novel about regrets and redemption, fences vs. freedom, and caution vs. compassion. I quite enjoyed it.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-galley of The Confusion of Languages from the generous folks at Penguin Random House via those at NetGalley. Thank you!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Disturbing Courtroom/Family Drama Not Perfect, But Decent
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Scandals aren't something that usually happen in the small town of Arbor Valley, Michigan. So, when a popular high school math teacher gets arrested for criminal sexual conduct against a student, the news sends waves of shock throughout the community. Especially since the victim, 17-year-old Morgan Monetti, insists T.J. Hill is no criminal, that their relationship was entirely consensual. Hill agrees he's innocent, just not for the same reason. He claims Morgan's a disturbed, obsessive young woman who's making up stories to get attention. Who's telling the truth? That's the million dollar question.Morgan knows how she feels about Mr. Hill. What happened between them wasn't just real, it was special. And she'll defend him to her dying day. She doesn't care if she loses every friend she has, alienates her parents, or gets bullied at school—she's standing by her man. Morgan's always been told she's "mature for her age" and "an old soul," so why won't anyone take her seriously like the adult she knows herself to be?
No matter how defiant her daughter's been lately, Dinah Monetti refuses to believe Morgan's anything but the unfortunate target of an older man's manipulation. She'll see T.J. Hill jailed if it's the last thing she does. In the meantime, Dinah has to keep her cafe running somehow, worry about her twin sons, and deal with her husband, an assistant principal who's terrified of losing not just his reputation, but also his job at the school.
Rain Hill can't believe her loving husband's been accused of such heinous acts against a child. He'd never do such a thing. Would he? Rain knows her staunch determination to have a baby despite multiple failed attempts has driven a wedge between her and T.J., but she still knows—and owns—his heart. Doesn't she?
A heated courtroom battle will decide T.J. Hill's fate. As the fight rages on, three women will launch their own quests for truth. Questioning themselves and those they love will bring heart-wrenching revelations, life-changing decisions and mind-bending arguments about guilt vs. innocence, maturity vs. naivete, and childhood vs. adulthood. Only one thing is guaranteed: none will come out of the situation unscathed.
By now, you're probably thinking the premise of The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle sounds a little ... disturbing. You'd be right. The novel examines an uncomfortable subject, for sure. And while it does it thoroughly, I'm not sure it does it satisfactorily. I think my reluctance has to do with T.J. and Morgan, neither of whom really earned my sympathy. Neither were particularly likable and yet, I definitely cared about what happened to them, if only because of Dinah and Rain, the characters with whom I did feel empathy. The story's compelling, though, so much so that I had trouble putting it down. It's also depressing and lacking in subtlety. Perfect, the book is not; still, it's engrossing, thought-provoking and a decent read overall.
(Readalikes: The story format reminds me of a Jodi Picoult novel; the subject matter recalls Defending Jacob by William Landay; House Rules by Jodi Picoult; and Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder invectives), sexual content and depictions of underage drinking/partying
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of The Whole Golden World from the generous folks at Harper Collins via those at TLC Book Tours. Thank you!
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