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Friday, February 22, 2019
Sisters + Family Secrets + Coming Home = Always-Appealing Trifecta
3:21 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
After the trauma of losing their mother and youngest sister in a sudden storm, none of the remaining Hemingway sisters had any reason to stay in their tiny hometown in the Ozarks. As soon as they were old enough to leave Cold River, Missouri, they did. The only thing that could bring the three sisters back is the death of the aunt who raised them. As the women return to the dilapidated ancestral farmhouse where they grew up, they're filled with grief, anxiety, and fear. All of them are harboring secrets they haven't shared with the others. When Aunt Bea posthumously lets out a few of her own skeletons, the Hemingway sisters are thrown for a dizzying, unexpected loop.
As Hadley, Pfeiffer, and Martha try to puzzle out a family mystery, they must come together in a way they haven't since they were children. With the help of friends old and new, including an affectionate basset hound who adopts them despite their protests, they will discover that the happiness and fulfillment which has been so elusive to all of them might just be waiting in the exact place they never expected to find it—home.
I love books about sisters, family secrets, and coming home, so a story that combines all three is always going to appeal to me. The Sisters Hemingway by Annie England Noblin offers this bewitching trifecta in an engaging novel that is compelling, upbeat, and enjoyable. I would have liked a stronger mystery plot, but really it's the relationship between the sisters that is at the heart of this novel. And while none of the women are all that original or exciting, they're all sympathetic and likable. I cared about what happened to them. There were a few holes in the novel's plot that had me scratching my head and I got a good laugh out of Noblin's description of driving a new Tesla with "keys" and an engine that "purred" (we use an app on our phones to drive ours [with a slim key card as a back-up] and the engine is eerily silent, an oddity that a first-time electric car driver would definitely notice). Overall, though, I found The Sisters Hemingway to be an easy, entertaining read that I liked but didn't love.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of Joshilyn Jackson's Southern family sagas, especially Almost Sisters)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (one F-bomb plus milder expletives) and mild sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of The Sisters Hemingway from the generous folks at William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins) via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Interested in more opinions on The Sisters Hemingway? Follow along on the book's blog tour by clicking the links below:
Instagram Features
Tuesday, February 12th: Instagram: @oddandbookish
Tuesday, February 12th: Instagram: @thepagesinbetween
Wednesday, February 13th: Instagram: @megabunnyreads
Friday, February 15th: Instagram: @somekindofalibrary
Saturday, February 16th: Instagram: @marissa_writes
Monday, February 18th: Instagram: @books.tea.quotes
Tuesday, February 19th: Instagram: @storiesandcoffee
TBD, Sunday, February 17th: Instagram: @writersdream
Review Stops
Tuesday, February 12th: A Bookish Affair
Wednesday, February 13th: Peppermint PhD
Thursday, February 14th: Bibliotica
Friday, February 15th: Lindsay’s Book Reviews
Monday, February 18th: Iwriteinbooks’s blog
Tuesday, February 19th: BookNAround
Wednesday, February 20th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Friday, February 22nd: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Friday, February 22nd: Literary Quicksand
Monday, February 25th: Instagram: @giuliland
Tuesday, February 26th: Laura’s Reviews
Wednesday, February 27th: Into the Hall of Books
Thursday, February 28th: What Is That Book About
Thursday, February 28th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Taut Crime Thriller a Pulse-Pounding Page-Turner
5:53 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for The Suspect, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Kate Waters books. Even though this installment is labeled a standalone, I still recommend reading books in a series in order.
As a journalist who's used to covering hard news, Kate Waters is an expert at maintaining objectivity. She observes what's happening, cajoles victims into telling her their stories, writes up her pieces, and sends them across the wires. She's not a cold-hearted monster; she's just doing her job.
When Kate hears the news that two 18-year-old British girls have disappeared while on a backpacking trip in Thailand, she's immediately on alert. It's not only because it's been a slow news week, but also because her own son—24-year-old Jake—has been in the Asian country for the past two years, almost incommunicado with his worried parents. If she's sent on location for the newspaper, she can help find the missing girls and check on Jake at the same time.
Kate is shocked to discover that something very sinister has gone down in Thailand. And that Jake may be tangled up in it. Frantic with worry, Kate flies to Thailand determined to find not two missing young adults, but three ...
While there's nothing super unique or original about The Suspect, a taut thriller by Fiona Barton, the novel is still a pulse-pounding page-turner. I read it fast and furious, anxious to know what would happen next. I guessed most of the twists, but still, the story's compelling enough that I kept reading. Way later than I should have, as a matter of fact. In addition to a fast-paced plot, the novel features sympathetic characters (the adult protagonists anyway—the kids are selfish, shallow brats) and capable prose. Like I said, there's nothing shout-it-from-the-rooftops amazing here, but I'm definitely up for reading more from Barton. If you like British crime thrillers, give this newcomer a try.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of books by Tana French, Sharon Bolton, Jane Casey, Paula Hawkins, Ruth Ware, etc.)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for strong language, violence, mild sexual content, depictions of illegal drug use and underage drinking, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of The Suspect from the generous folks at Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Little Big Love: I Laughed, I Cried, I Loved It
9:12 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Juliet Hutchinson may be tired, overweight, and perennially bankrupt, but she's making it. Barely. She lives in a dingy council flat, subsists on cheap convenience food, and can't always be home at night due to her dead-end job. Still, Juliet pours what little energy she has into the care of her 10-year-old son, Zac. It's not a glamorous life, but at least Zac knows that he's loved, that his mom would do anything for him. What he doesn't realize is that she's been lying to him his whole life. She's done it to protect his fragile ego—and her own. After all, it's easier on Juliet's non-existent self-esteem to forget that Liam Jones—Zac's father and the only man she's ever loved—walked out on them when Zac was only two weeks old.
Even though Zac has a doting grandpa who does "dad" things with him, the boy can't help but wonder about the father he's never known. His mum and her parents insist Liam is a waste of space and they're better off without him. But if Zac's dad is such a loser, why did his mother love him so much? And, if Zac has half Liam's DNA, does that mean Zac will grow up to be a bad person, too? The only way to get answers is to find Liam. If his father's not a bad person, maybe Zac can even get his parents back together so his mum can be happy again.
With Zac's Find Dad mission, he unwittingly opens a can of worms that will crack open the secrets, pains, and hard truths that have defined his family's lives for the past decade. As each of them is forced to face the things they've done, the lies they've told, and the assumptions they've made, they may finally be able to find healing, forgiveness, and peace.
Little Big Love by Katy Regan is a sweet, but heart-wrenching novel about a vulnerable boy and his search for answers. It tells a warm, hopeful story, one that is, nonetheless, realistic and peopled with complex, flawed human beings. Both engaging and engrossing, Little Big Love is an enjoyable read about redemption, forgiveness, and the kind of truths that set men (even little big ones) free. I laughed, I cried, I loved it.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for strong language and some violence
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Little Big Love from the generous folks at Penguin Random House. Thank you!
Monday, February 18, 2019
New Magic Treehouse-ish Series Offers Fun, Educational Adventures for Kids (with a Giveaway!)
7:34 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
George and Gracie know that their family's Stockton Museum of Just About Everything in American History holds some amazing artifacts. What they don't realize, until one fateful night, is that one of those objects is actually a time machine. The exact same contraption their parents used to get themselves stuck somewhere in history. Now, it's up to George and Gracie to figure out when their folks are and how to unstick them so they can finally come home.
The kids have a solid plan to find their parents in history, but that scheme goes horribly awry when they find themselves in the middle of the Revolutionary War. Even worse, Gracie has turned into a horse! Things can't possibly get worse ... until they do. Suddenly, the twins are smack-dab in the middle of a wild race to save not just their own skin and that of their parents, but also the fate of the entire country. Will they be successful? Or will history—and their family—be changed forever?
Are you the parent of a rabid Magic Treehouse fan? Then, you should probably give the Just in Time series by Cheri Pray Earl and Carol Lynch Williams a go. I'm not sure how many books of a projected 25 (one for each state) have already been penned, but I do know the series starts with The Rescue Begins in Delaware. Like the Magic Treehouse books, this one involves a set of siblings, a time machine, and a host of based-on-a-true-story historical adventures. The Rescue Begins in Delaware tells a fast, fun tale that gives young readers a little glimpse of history that is educational enough to teach them something but not so much that they will be bored with the lesson. This installment starts with a bang and doesn't let up, which is good except that I felt like I was missing some background information that would have helped later events make more sense. Based on the series opener, I would say the Just in Time series isn't quite up to Magic Treehouse snuff. It should, however, give fans of the latter something entertaining and new to devour.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osbourne)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-copy of The Rescue Begins in Delaware in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
--
Want more opinions of The Rescue Begins in Delaware? Follow along on the book's blog tour by clicking the links below:
Feb 19: Min Reads and Reviews
Feb 20: LDS Writer Mom
Feb 21: My Book a Day
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