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A single mom, Jess Thomas struggles every day to make ends meet.  Her husband, from whom she's been separated for two years, fights depression and is unable to hold a job.  The little money Jess makes from working two part-time jobs has to stretch far enough to support herself, her 10-year-old daughter Tanzie, and her moody teenage stepson, Nicky.  So, when an incredible educational opportunity for Tanzie, a maths prodigy, arrives, Jess is heartbroken that she doesn't have the funds to take it.  A competition that could solve the problem provides a bit of a silver lining, except Jess isn't sure how she's going to transport her family all the way to Scotland.  The unfairness of it all is breaking her already battered heart.

Enter Ed Nicholls, an arrogant 33-year-old tech millionaire, who's also one of Jess' cleaning clients.  Under investigation for insider trading, he's watching his posh, successful life go down the drain.  In a move completely inconsistent with his personality, an unselfish act he doesn't quite understand himself, Ed agrees to drive Jess, Tanzie, Nicky, and their stinky dog, Norman, to Scotland.  Disgusted with the motley crew assembled in his luxury vehicle, he's sorely tempted to leave them all by the roadside.  But something about the eternally optimistic Jess and her desperate situation touches his stone cold heart.  As the miles slip by, his own troubles take a back burner, and he finds himself warming to the quartet in his care.  

But, what will happen when the road trip bubble bursts and reality seeps in again?  Will Tanzie win the competition, thus gaining entrance to the elite school she so desires to attend?  Will Jess be able to carry on?  Will Ed go to prison?  The closer the group gets to Scotland, the more the tension builds.  When everything blows up in their faces, as it inevitably does, what will happen to our heroes?  

Warm and authentic, One By One by Jojo Moyes, is a gem of a novel.  It's funny, it's sad, it's real, it's redemptive.  I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I cheered.  Seriously, I loved this book for so many different reasons—its engrossing, compelling plot; its complex, sympathetic characters; its upbeat, affable tone; etc.  Really, everything about it.  I've heard many readers rave about Jojo Moyes.  Now, I'm adding my voice to theirs.  Moyes is brilliant and I can't wait to read more from this talented English writer.  

(Readalikes:  Moyes' writing reminds me of Liane Moriarty's, although the former's has a little bit more of an edge to it.)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, sexual content, and references to illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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Seventeen years ago, two drunk teenage girls were in a car accident.  One died, one survived.  Plagued with guilt for killing her best friend, Lisa Smyth spent the next few years drowning her sorrows in copious amounts of wine and booze.  Grief-stricken by the death of her older sister, Jennifer, good girl Rae McDonald made a string of poor decisions, which ended with her pregnant at 16.  After placing her baby for adoption, Rae sealed off her emotions, vowing never to let her life spin out of control again.  Now 32, she's a family therapist widely known to have a heart of stone.  Rae thinks she has put the past firmly behind her, but when Lisa returns to Alexandria, her arrival stirs up all kinds of buried emotions.  An out-of-the-blue e-mail from her biological son creates its own whirlwind, turning Rae's rigidly ordered life completely upside down.

As if Rae didn't have enough to worry about already, an enthusiastic salvage artist and local history buff has unearthed artifacts relating to the McDonalds' long history in Alexandria.  The woman's research brings up even more secrets from the past, making Rae wonder if her family has been cursed from the moment they stepped foot on American soil.  Lisa's kin have been likewise unlucky.  As the vagabond wet-plate photographer struggles to find her place in Alexandria while caring for her ailing aunt, she'll discover startling truths about herself as well.  Like how fragile is her control over her alcoholism, despite the many sobriety chips hanging from her keychain ...  

Can the two women come together despite the still-raw pain that looms between them?  Can they break the curses of the past to create a healthier, happier future?  Or are they doomed to live lives as solitary and painful as those of their ancestors?  

The View From Prince Street by Mary Ellen Taylor is a warm-hearted novel about fighting fate by taking control of your past, present and future.  A tribute to friendship and forgiveness, it's also about finding and facing hard truths.  Despite its heavy themes, the story feels not oppressive, but balanced.  True, I would have liked the setting to come alive a little more.  I would have also enjoyed better development of the male characters in the book.  Tighter plotting (the novel often seemed overly long) would have been good as well.  Overall, though, The View From Prince Street is a pleasant, uplifting read that both intrigued and entertained me.  

(Readalikes:  This book often refers to characters from Taylor's other novels set in Alexandria.  Although I haven't read any of them, I would assume The View from Prince Street is similar to The Union Street Bakery; At the Corner of King Street; and Sweet Expectations)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs)

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of The View From Prince Street from the generous folks at Berkley Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House).  Thank you!

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An up-and-coming stage director, Alex Morris' life takes a tragic turn after her fiancé is stabbed to death while trying to defend a stranger.  Overcome by grief, the 26-year-old is in desperate need of a change—of scenery, of career, of everything that reminds her of Luke.  A friend offers her a job in Edinburgh teaching drama to students at a last-chance high school.  Alex is as overqualified for the position as she is underqualified; although she has plenty of acting/directing experience, she's never taught school before.  Though petrified, she vows to do her best.  

Alex's most challenging class consists of five prickly teens who refuse to cooperate with anything she says.  It's not until she lets them choose which Greek dramas to study that the kids start to take an interest.  Feeling triumphant, Alex fails to recognize just how seriously her students are taking their learning until a shocking tragedy occurs.  What actually happened?  And who is truly at fault?  

Written from two perspectives—Alex's and that of a student whose identity is revealed only at the end of the story—The Furies by Natalie Haynes is a well-plotted psychological thriller.  Not a particularly surprising one, but it's a solid, suspenseful read nonetheless.  Dark and depressing, the novel tells a sad, somber tale of grief and obsession.  As compelling as the book is, I didn't mourn its end—by the time I finished The Furies, I was more than happy to move on to something lighter.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Furies from the generous folks at St. Martin's Griffin.  Thank you!

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January 1945—World War II is ending in East Prussia, with the merciless Russian Army pushing the bloodthirsty Germans back toward Berlin.  Desperate to evacuate, thousands of refugees flee toward the Polish coast, frantic to board ships that will whisk them away to safety.  Enduring brutal winter weather conditions, the frayed tempers of war-weary soldiers from two different armies, and the deadly effects of disease and starvation, the refugees are in dire straits.  Salvation waits in the form of a re-purposed German pleasure cruiser called the M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff.  But fate will not be kind to the ship, nor to her passengers ...

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys tells the largely unknown story of the unlucky refugees who strove so hard to leave East Prussia only to become victims of one of the greatest maritime disasters in history.  The tale unfolds through the voices of four distinct narrators, all from different backgrounds, all with something to hide.  There's Joana (a cousin to Lina from Between Shades of Gray), a 21-year-old Lithuanian nurse who's evacuating without official orders; Florian Beck, a Prussian on the run with a treasure stolen from the Führer; Emilia Stozek, a pregnant Polish girl with no papers; and Alfred Frick, a German sailor who dreams of proving his greatness.  As the lives of the first three intersect, they'll learn astonishing truths about each other—about who they've become and what they've done in the name of survival.  Although wary of trusting anyone at all, the three will come to need each other more than they could have ever imagined.  Alfred, who is so eager to prove himself, will get the chance.  But will he succeed or fail? 

When the fates of all four narrators intersect aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, the quartet must once again battle for their own survival.  Some will prove themselves heroes, others cowards.  At the end of the day, will any of them be among the meager survivors?  Or will their efforts to reach Gotenhafen be in vain, their bodies committed forever to a watery grave?

If you've read Between Shades of Gray, Sepetys' first novel, you already know the author is a master at creating vivid, affecting prose.  That gift is never more evident than in Salt to the Sea, her third novel (which is a companion to her first).  Not only does she create a cold, terrifying setting that feels like a nightmare come to life, but she also forms intriguing, complex characters that help us see the horrors of war from four different points of view.  Both are extremely effective devices which combine to make Salt to the Sea a rich, deeply moving tale.  So much of the story is brutal and bleak, but it's also surprisingly buoyant and bolstering.  It's been a couple months since I read this book, but I'm still haunted by it.  One of my favorite reads of 2015, Salt to the Sea is a rich, moving novel that simply cannot be missed.  

Note:  Considering the fact that 9,000+ people (more than three times the number who perished on the Titanic and Lusitania combined) died in the Wilhelm Gustloff disaster, it's amazing that I'd never heard of the boat until reading Salt to the Sea.  The story is a fascinating one, tragic and true.  If you'd like to read more about it, try www.wilhelmgustloff.com and wilhelmgustloffmuseum.com.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-galley of Salt to the Sea from the generous folks at Penguin via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!