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The Couple in the Photo
Author: Helen Cooper
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Date Published: June 22, 2023Adam and Lucy, and Cora and Scott. Two couples and their kids who are like one big happy family, hanging out at each other’s houses, even renovating a beach house together.
That’s why Lucy is devastated when she sees a photo of Scott and another woman on a colleague’s phone. Should she tell Cora? Can her husband have a discrete conversation with Scott to find out if he’s cheating on Cora?
When she fails to get answers, Lucy takes it on herself to investigate with devastating consequences.
While you might be able to figure out what happens, there are so many twists and turns on the path to getting there, that I marveled at the author’s ability to keep it all straight!
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for another great title from Helen Cooper!
Background photo courtesy of @analiaferrario via @unsplash
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While You Weren’t Watching
Author: Stephanie Hazeltine
Publisher: Hazeltine Publishing
Date Published: June 12, 2023Stephanie Hazeltine is a “new to me” author and I really enjoyed this fast-paced novel about new mothers and their insecurities that quickly escalates into a kidnapping. I quickly became invested in the characters and was able to get a visceral feeling for everything these new moms were experiencing.
I was glad to see the author included trigger warnings, since I could see the topics being upsetting to a young parent. Also, I found the epilogue a little jarring as it took the book in a whole different direction and introduced a character we hadn’t met, but based on other reviewer comments it seems it might be leaving room for a sequel, which I would welcome!
Thank you to BookSirens for an advance reader’s copy from this indie author.
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What the Neighbors Saw
Author: Melissa Adelman
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date Published: June 20, 2023When Sam and Alexis move into the “perfect” neighborhood, the disappointments are mounting up and the activity in this quiet cul-de-sac is anything but perfect.
Alexis’s poor self-confidence is compounded by what she sees as her post-partum body, the money trap that is her new house, and her husband’s demeaning attitude. She’s the only person of color in her wealthy neighborhood, and that is weighing in her thoughts as well. So, when her neighbor Blair takes her under her wing, Alexis finally starts to relax and feel like she belongs.
Adelman does a great job of describing the creepiness of those “perfect” neighbors, the issues with being the least wealthy residents in the neighborhood, and the secrets behind the facades. I felt there was something missing in the characterizations, but I think it was an attempt to maintain the mystery behind their backgrounds – which wasn’t as big a deal as I thought in Alexis’s case. I would describe this as a domestic thriller and would read more by this debut author.
Background photo courtesy of J King (fifthjmk) on Unsplash.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Girls of Summer
Author: Katie Bishop
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Date Published: June 6, 2023There are some things I think it’s important to know going into this book. Despite the Booklist review that says “plot-driven tension will appeal to fans of psychological suspense” it was definitely not in that category for me, but wholly in the category of women’s fiction.
This is a slow moving but beautifully written coming of age story about a 17-year-old girl who travels to Greece and encounters an older man who she falls in love with. It’s not until she’s older that she comes to realize the depths of the manipulation that occurred, not just to her, but to whole groups of girls who were recruited for more than work in the bar he managed. Yet she still clings to the fantasy of that time, when there were endless parties, little responsibility, and the hint of a future that might be.
The story only hints at the atrocities carried out on the island, and during one fateful trip to England. I wanted the author to just come out and say what we already knew. There are many TW for this book: Grooming, rape, abortion, suicide, drugs. It’s not until the last 1/4 of the book that the pace really picks up. Despite that I gave the book 4 stars because of the beautiful language of the book, and the way it was able to evoke a time that many young women encountered during my generation, and maybe even today.
Background photo courtesy of Artiom Vallat on Unsplash.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader’s copy.
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The New Mother
Author: Nora Murphy
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur
Date Published: May 30, 2023A new house and a new baby should be the stuff of dreams, right? Not for Natalie! Baby Oliver is too colicky, and Natalie is determined to keep feeding him to keep him calm and satisfied. But the price she pays is sleepless nights.
But along comes Paul. He’s watched her and seen her frustration. He loves babies. And he’s confident. So when he picks up Oliver and he stops fussing, Natalie is in own. Pretty soon she’s having chats with Paul, and even catching some sleep while he watches Oliver.
And then, her mind starts playing tricks on her. Or is Paul just not the person she thought he was?
Much of the book was a review of Oliver’s crying, Natalie’s leaky breasts, pumping milk, awkward attempts at feeding Oliver and frustration over him not sleeping, combined with Natalie’s desire to go back to work. We spend a great deal of the time waiting for the mystery part of the book. But anyone who has had a colicky baby and sleepless nights will relate 100% to Natalie’s vulnerability and desperation.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this reminder (even though it was fictional) that we need to be aware of the danger of postpartum depression.
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The Revenge List
Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA
Date Published: May 23, 2023Frankie is her own worst enemy. Her anger has gotten her into trouble enough times that she has finally agreed with her boss (her dad) that she should start anger management classes. But how do you do that when you’re even angry at the instructor?
When Frankie is instructed to make a list of people she should forgive, She ranks herself at the top of the list because she’s angry about something that happened a long time ago. She’s also mad at: her dad, her grouchy neighbor, a woman who bullied her in high school, her high school boyfriend, a guy she went to college with, someone she worked with, a client, an unknown person, and the “bastard who killed my mother”.
When accidents involving the people on her list start piling up, Frankie starts to get nervous. And even worse, she’s starting to make herself a target, showing up at all of the “accident” sites.
While McKinnon’s previous book (Never Coming Home) was a five star read for me, I had trouble reconciling the humor in this book. It made it read like a slightly elevated cozy and I wanted the telling to be a little more serious. That’s just my opinion. There’s plenty to enjoy from the plot to the twists and you might love the dark humor that’s instilled throughout the book!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for an advance reader’s copy.
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The Wedding Day
Author: Sue Watson
Publisher: Bookouture
Date Published: May 17, 2023Poor Alice. If it wasn’t for bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all!
She moves from England to escape possible legal issues to what she believes is a blissful escape on the beautiful island of Corfu. She’s long been fascinated by the cases of older women who have gone missing there, middle-aged, with money, and no one looking for them.
But Alice’s sister warns her that she might still be wanted for an investigation back in England, because “someone, somewhere always knows something”!
This book has plenty of elements to keep you on your toes:
- Missing women
- Bitter divorce
- Husband with secrets
- Wife with secrets
- Creepy cousin
- Noises in the night
- Intimacy issues
- Money issues
Even though you might want to shake Alice a million times while reading The Wedding Day, it’s only because we, the readers, see all, know all. Well, until the twists that will catch even you, dear reader, unaware!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this entertaining read!
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The Silent Wife
Author: Ruth Harrow
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Date Published: May 14, 2023Why would a woman walk out of her house in the middle of cooking dinner? That’s what James wonders when he hears the smoke alarms going off as things are burning on the stove. But Sarah’s sister Kate thinks she knows why. Because running is what Sarah does.
And even though Kate is hesitant to get the police involved, she is worried about her brother-in-law, James, so much so that she is spending an awful lot of time with him and well…. we know where that is going. James thinks Sarah is telling lies, Sarah thinks James is telling lies. Kate’s husband, Chris, might be telling lies. And Kate is forced to tell some white lies. So many lies!
We eventually find out about the secrets in Sarah’s past – one that is predictable, and one that comes out of left field. By the time Kate unravels what has actually driven Sarah from her home and marriage, Kate’s in serious trouble – and so is her marriage.
To me, the sign of a good book is still thinking about it when you go on to the next book, and that’s exactly how I felt about The Silent Wife. As with her other books, Ruth Harrow knows how to tell a suspenseful tale!
Thanks to NetGalley, Inkubator Books, and Booksprout for an advanced reader’s copy.
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Don’t Look Back
Author: Jo Spain
Publisher: Quercus Books
Date Published: May 11, 2023This book takes us from London, to the Caribbean, to County Donegal Ireland, and back again. It has a really well written complicated plot that was tied together beautifully by author Spain.
The characters in the book are a) damaged b) on the border of criminality through their connections/actions or c) both. Three of the characters have a history of abuse in their lives that is a unifying theme in the book.
But it is Rose’s fear and need to be on the run from her past that drives the story. Even when she’s on a Caribbean island for a belated honeymoon she’s arranged with her new husband, Luke. But then she presents him with the real reason they’re on the island: she’s been attacked by her ex, and now there’s a dead body in Luke’s apartment. She wants to run; Luke wants to stay and fight. He calls in a woman from his past, Mickey, a former attorney and now an advocate who helps women in similar situations.
But now, the unexpected has happened, and Mickey isn’t sure whose side she’s on. And now there’s more than one person running.
I enjoyed Spain’s book, The Perfect Lie, and as with that, this book did not disappoint. It’s an intelligent story that will keep you riveted.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advance reader’s copy.
Background photo courtesy of Peter Fogden at Unsplash.
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The Vanishing of Class 3B
Author: Jackie Kabler
Publisher: HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter
Date Published: May 11, 2023This book blew me away! Every little piece of the plot was well thought out and kept you guessing through the entire story!
It’s a typical day in a little village named Littleford. A group of 10 children and 4 teachers board a minibus for a field trip. Only it’s not the brand-new Mercedes minibus, it’s a reliable clunker rented from a local taxi company. So, when the children and teachers don’t return as expected, with no communication, there is no GPS tracker on the bus. None of the teachers are answering their phones, and the children aren’t allowed phones. And it’s starting to get dark.
While the parents and school personnel imagine the various scenarios that might be happening (no cell service, traffic emergencies, an accident), when police are called on the scene they are starting to suspect that this might be a kidnapping. But when no ransom call comes in, even with a few wealthy parents among the group, the police are stymied – where could a bus and 10 kids and 4 adults have disappeared to?
And then the call comes with the startling message, “One of you has a secret. We know what it is. And if you want to keep it a secret, it’s time to PAY.”
Throughout the book, we’re privy to a few secrets the parents are hiding. But when the parents get together, we learn there is more than one family with a secret. But whose is big enough for a ransom?
I thoroughly enjoyed Kabler’s use of suspense as she built her characters around a situation many parents fear but think could never happen to them, all the while maintaining the suspense and moral choices these families must make.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an advance reader’s copy.
Background photo courtesy of @cuellar on Unsplash.
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