Tropical Girl Reads

South of the Buttonwood Tree-Book Review #southofthebuttonwoodtree #heatherwebber

Hello all! Back with an honest book review, South of the Buttonwood Tree which will be released on 21st July, written by Heather Webber. Here’s my review!

South of the Buttonwood Tree by [Heather Webber]

Blue Bishop has a knack for finding lost things. While growing up in charming small-town Buttonwood, Alabama, she’s happened across lost wallets, jewelry, pets, her wandering neighbor, and sometimes, trouble. No one is more surprised than Blue, however, when she comes across an abandoned newborn baby in the woods, just south of a very special buttonwood tree.

Sarah Grace Landreneau Fulton is at a crossroads. She has always tried so hard to do the right thing, but her own mother would disown her if she ever learned half of Sarah Grace’s secrets.

The unexpected discovery of the newborn baby girl will alter Blue’s and Sarah Grace’s lives forever. Both women must fight for what they truly want in life and for who they love. In doing so, they uncover long-held secrets that reveal exactly who they really are—and what they’re willing to sacrifice in the name of family.

No. of pages:- 330 pages

Date published :- 21st July 2020

Genre:- Magical Realism/ Women’s Fiction

Heather Webber (aka Heather Blake) is the author of more than twenty-five novels and has been twice nominated for an Agatha Award. She loves to read, drink too much coffee and tea, birdwatch, crochet, and bake. She currently lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, and is hard at work on her next book.www.heatherwebber.com | http://www.heatherblakebooks.com

This is the second book I have read from this author, the first book, The Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, which I did a blog on months ago. I got this free unedited copy from Netgalley and the publisher so I would really like to thank them for giving me this advanced copy.

Like in the Midnight at Blackbird Cafe, the story starts with Blue Bishop, who has an affinity of finding lost things. So one day, she finds an abandoned baby in the south of the infamous Buttonwood tree. Apparently, the Buttonwood Tree has a famous folklore story about advising and granting wishes by giving out buttons with the words of advise engraved on the button. If the advise is not followed, you are doomed to be cursed, hence is the folklore. Blue had been wanting to adopt a baby and she was amazed that this wish is granted. However, there were many people in the town who do not want the baby to be adopted by Blue, because she was a Bishop, since Bishops family are not very well liked by the community due to their criminal nature.

Meanwhile, Sarah Grace always tried to do the rights things, even though she was having an unhappy marriage. She was trying to impress her mother but at the same time she wants to do what is right for her. She is also hiding secrets that would make her mother disown her…

But the arrival of the new baby would change both Blue’s and Sarah Grace’s life forever.

So here are the things I liked about the book

Just like the Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, the story deals with the magical realism and folklore tales. The Buttonwood Tree holds a certain folklore that is actually intriguing to read. Normally, I am not much into magical realism but this book made me intrigued to read more.
The story is told from the perspectives of Blue and Sarah Grace–so as a reader we would know what each of the characters are feeling and also the type of secrets they seemed to be holding.
Towards the end, it got more and more interesting, particularly the ending where you did not expect that unusual and unexpected twist!
The writing was really good, quiet a page turner and author did a good job of making the reader engage into the story, as if the reader was also going on that rollercoaster ride with both Blue and Sarah Grace.
The story, except for the folklore part was realistic.

Overall, this is an emotional, heartbreaking and quiet a page turning book, that will keep you into the story and you will not be able to put this book down at all. Worth five stars!

This book will be released on 21st July so if you are looking to buy the book, here is the link below

Don’t Turn Around – Book Review #dontturnaround #jessicabarry

Hey all! Third book review of the week. A gripping thriller Don’t Turn Around by Jessica Barry.

Don't Turn Around: A Novel by [Jessica Barry]

The riveting follow up to Jessica Barry’s debut Freefall—a controversial, of-the-moment thriller about two women fighting for their right to live.

322 miles of road. 6 hours. 2 strangers. 1 killer. Too many secrets.

Midnight. Cait Monaghan and Rebecca McRae are on a desolate road that slices through the New Mexican desert. They’ve never met before tonight. Both have secrets to protect. Both of their lives are in danger.

When a truck pulls up fast behind them, they assume it’s punk teenagers or run-of-the-mill road rage, but it soon becomes clear that whoever is driving the truck is hunting them for sport—and they are out to draw blood.

As the miles unspool and the dangers mount, the pasts they’ve worked so hard to keep buried have come back to haunt them. Someone wants one of them dead. But which one? And given the lives the two women have been leading, that someone could be almost anyone.

If Cait and Rebecca are going to survive, they’ll have to learn to trust one another—and themselves. But trust is a costly business, and they’ve both paid the price before. . . .

No. of pages :- 317 pages

Date published :- June 2020

Genre:- Political Thriller/ Women’s Fiction

Jessica Barry is a pseudonym for an American author who grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and was raised on a steady diet of library books and PBS.

She attended Boston University, where she majored in English and Art History, before moving to London in 2004 to pursue an MA from University College London.

She lives with her husband, Simon, and their two cats, Roger Livesey and BoJack Horseman.

This is the first book I have read from this author. The plot line, particularly this opening line caught my eye.

322 miles of road. 6 hours. 2 strangers. 1 killer. Too many secrets.

The story starts with Cait Monaghan picking up Rebecca McRae from her residence and the two women are on their way to Albuquerque, New Mexico, driving through the midnight. Both the women have some secrets–Cait was raped by a musician named Jake and had published an article as a part of #MeToo movement, only to be criticized by the politician Patrick McRae and was faced with bullies. Rebecca on the other hand is the wife of an upcoming politician Patrick McRae. She seemed to be having a perfect married life but then she felt shadowed by the political campaign of her husband, as he is dreaming of becoming a senator.

But that fateful night, someone was following behind them, with an intention of killing one of them. Which one of them is it?

So here are the things I liked about the book.

The book is divided into past and present, told from the perspectives of Cait and Rebecca. So we would know what each of the female characters were going through before they started this journey to Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is the past. The present always starts with how many miles both the women are on the way to Albuquerque.
Towards the middle part and the ending was good.
The author somehow managed to make the reader gripped and hooked into the story. It was actually very interesting.
The author also in the story deals with the issue of abortion, which seemed to be the sensitive topic in America.
The story is also realistic in some ways. The marriage that Rebecca is going through because of her husband’s political career and how it had affected their marriage. Cait’s suffering as she was going through bullying online about the article she wrote about the musician. The emotions and feelings that each of these women are going through is realistic.
The part about how the women are going through with a man trailing after them, the anxiety and terror that each women is feeling is realistic to me.

Now the things I didn’t like about the book.

The first few parts were a bit boring to me.

Overall, this is a good psychological thriller, that will grip you and also a bit emotional as well. Worth four stars for me!

Book Review- The Silent Dolls #TheSilentDolls #NetGalley

Hey all! Thanks to Netgalley I manage to get a free copy of this book, The Silent Dolls by Rita Herron and the first book of the Detective Ellie Reeves series!!! Here is my review

The Silent Dolls (Detective Ellie Reeves #1)

Silent tears trickle down her cheeks as she curls inside the tiny cave-like space. She lies on her side, darkness all around her, rubbing her fingers over the little wooden doll he’d carved. He told her to be quiet, not to cry or scream. Not to be a baby. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen shut. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She wanted to go home.

When Penny Matthews, a seven-year-old girl with blonde curls and a gap-toothed smile, goes missing in the Appalachian mountains, Detective Ellie Reeves is called straight to the scene. According to Penny’s parents, their daughter vanished after a picnic by the creek. All that’s left behind is a pink friendship bracelet etched with “Penny”.

Ellie knows all too well that the mountains’ endless miles of dark forest and winding rivers are the perfect place for a criminal to hide. Racing against the rapidly setting sun and a brutal winter storm on the horizon, she searches desperately for Penny.

Special Agent Derrick Fox is determined to join the hunt. His younger sister, Kim, disappeared in the same area twenty-five years ago––on the day he was meant to be watching her. He’s certain the cases are linked and that over a dozen girls have vanished in the last decade. Ellie refuses to believe that their tight-knit mountain community could be home to a deadly criminal, but even she can’t deny the similarities in the cases. And when they discover the remains of a small body buried with a carved wooden doll, it’s clear they’re up against a deadly serial killer preying on innocent little girls.

As the temperature plunges, Penny’s life hangs in the balance. Most people who get lost in the woods never make it out alive. Can Ellie and Derrick defy the odds and find out the truth about all the stolen girls? Or will the mountain, and its twisted killer, claim another victim?

No. of pages :- 366 pages

Date Published :- 17th July 2020

Genre:- Thrillers

USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.

With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.

For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at http://www.ritaherron.com. You can also find her on Facebook/ritaherron.com and Twitter @ritaherron

First of all, I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book.

This is the first book I have read of this author, Rita Herron and the plot line sounded interesting so I decided to try out this book. And I must say, I was not disappointed with this book!

The story begins with Detective Ellie Reeves is called to the scene when a seven-year-old girl named Penny Matthews goes missing while she was out having picnic with her parents in the woods. The Appalachian Trail is a very dense and big trail with a severe storm threatening to come in and Detective Ellie must find Penny before it was too late. Meanwhile, Special Agent Derrick Fox sees the news about the missing girl and immediately offers to help Ellie with her investigation. Twenty-five years ago, Derrick’s sister Kim went missing under similar circumstances and when Derrick further investigates, he realized that dozens of young girls had gone missing for those years, and he suspected that there is a serial killer involved. Will Ellie be able to save Penny before it is too late?

Here are the things I liked about the book!

Honestly, I really enjoyed reading the book. The book was well written, and I was immediately drawn into the story
There were some twists in the story along the way, and I was so hooked into the story that I simply couldn’t put the book down!
Ellie is actually a likable character and all the emotions and feelings that she was going through while investigating the case, particularly dealing with the missing children was very realistic.
The ending of the book was unexpected and shocking and I couldn’t really wait to know what is going to happen next! Seriously, the author did a good job of making the reader crave for more!
This is actually a page turner book and the book that you simply cannot put down! Twists, secrets and deceits, lies are all tangled in this book, making it interesting to read the book. It was a real rollercoaster ride to this book, and truly gripped me!

Overall, this is certainly a book that you simply cannot put down, that gripped me towards the end. A real page turner book that the readers will not be disappointed! I am most certainly looking forward to read more on this series.

Worth five stars in this book!

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Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing the free copy for reviewing!

The Sunset Sisters- Book Review #TheSunsetSisters #CeceliaLyra

Hey all, just finished reading the Sunset Sisters by Cecelia Lyra, her debut book. Check it out!

The Sunset Sisters: An utterly gripping and emotional page-turner (The Sisterhood Series) by [Cecilia Lyra]

Two sisters. A surprising inheritance. A summer that changes everything.

As children, half-sisters Cassie and Julie were nearly inseparable, bonded through happy, lazy summers playing barefoot in the surf and sleeping out on the porch of their grandmother’s Hamptons beach house. Though from wildly different backgrounds, each magical summer the girls were as close as only best friends, accomplices, sisters can be. But they haven’t spoken in nearly fifteen years—not since the funeral of Cassie’s mother—and now there is only resentment and painful memories between them.

Successful and self-contained, Cassie is shocked to learn the requirements of their Nana’s will—that she and Julie spend one final summer together in the Hamptons house in order to inherit. Cassie agrees reluctantly, she needs an excuse to leave Boston and give the growing rumors about her personal life a chance to die down.

And for Julie, who is discovering too late the cracks in her marriage, it is the chance to repair at least one damaged relationship. But for the two sisters to regain what they had, they will have to finally confront what happened the night Cassie lost her mother. With their Nana’s wisdom guiding the way, could this summer bring painful discoveries, and a new direction, for both sisters?

An emotional and riveting novel full of family drama and dark secrets. Perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner.

No. of pages:- 384 pages

Date Published:- June 2020

Genre:- Women’s Fiction/Literary Fiction

The Sunset Sisters is an emotional story between two estranged half sisters, Cassie and Julie Meyers. Their grandmother, whom they affectionately called her as Nana dies and leaves them a will–Nana’s house to them. However there is one condition–the two sisters have to live under one roof for one month before they both can inherit the house. Cassie and Julie, who share the same father used to be close as sisters but after Cassie’s mother dies, Cassie stop talking to Julie and the two didn’t talk to each other for fourteen years until now. This story is all about the bond between the two sisters and how the two sister eventually come closer together.

Here are the things I liked about the book.

The writing was so good and it was UNPUTDOWNABLE!!! I couldn’t really put the book down and stayed up all night to finish off the book!
The story is told from the perspectives of Julie and Cassie, so the writer will know what each of the sisters think about each other.
Many of the characters in this book are likable–and you can see how the characteristics between the two sisters are different. Julie is somewhat a dreamer, imaginative and is easily forgiving and friendlier unlike her half sister, Cassie, who is somewhat less forgiving. The two also share a different sort of relationship with their father as well–Cassie labels her father as a violent and manipulative person while Julie remembers him as a doting parent though in the end, she sees the true colors of her father. Julie is also very loyal and is trying hard to build her relationship with her sister Cassie. Cassie on the other hand doesn’t want to though in the end, the two sisters bond with each other.
It’s also interesting to get an insight of what their relationship with each other was like before they had a fall out and I also like how the author in the end explained the whole scenario of why Cassie was not talking to Julie
This book was truly emotional, gripping and will take your heart. The situation was very realistic and you can actually feel all those emotions that Julie is going through being the “other woman’s” child and actually understand Cassie’s anger towards Julie and her mother, inadvertently blaming them for her mother’s suicide. The author’s writing was incredible. Each chapter became more and more interesting and will hypnotize the reader into the pages.
I also like how the author manage to outline the lives that Julie and Cassie is going through–Julie is having an unsuccessful marriage with Patrick who seems to control her and eventually falling in love with their neighbor Craig and Cassie’s relationship with a married man, Daniel.
I also like the ending, how in the end, the two sisters bond each other.

Overall, this book is an emotional gripping and heartwrenching book, that will keep you hooked into the story and you will not want to put this book down. Worth five stars!

July TBR List – Part 2

Hello all! Here is the second list of books I am reading and will be on the blog soon!

The Sunset Sisters – Cecelia Lyra

Two sisters. A surprising inheritance. A summer that changes everything.

2. Where Forest Meets Stars – Glendy Vanderah

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by [Glendy Vanderah]

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay—just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?

Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

3. The Silent Daughter – Claire Armanti

The Silent Daughter: A gripping pageturner of family secrets, with a twist you won't see coming by [Claire Amarti]

“Schoolgirl missing”, the ticker reads, and the camera cuts to a girl’s face. Blonde hair waterfalling over her shoulders, serious eyes, lips a little parted like she’s about to speak. That’s when I realize I’ve been holding my breath, because the gasp when I inhale almost chokes me.

Sadie Kelly has lost her job. Until last month, she was a teacher at Horton College – the same high school she went to ten years ago along with her best friend, Fiona. But Fiona died in an accident on their graduation night, in circumstances Sadie’s spent the last ten years trying to forget, and since then nothing’s been the same.

Now Sadie’s jobless and living with Fiona’s mother Jan, the woman who’s watched over Sadie since she was a little girl, and the one person Sadie would do anything to protect. But when Sadie hears that Horton schoolgirl Devon Hundley has gone missing, everything changes. Devon is the daughter of Philip Hundley – wealthy school donor, local doctor, and a man Sadie knows all too well. And now Sadie can’t help remembering the last time she saw Devon – and heard her whisper something Sadie’s been trying ever since to forget…

4. The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks – Julie Valerie

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks (Village of Primm #2)

A wife, mother, and aspiring filmmaker clings to the pursuit of perfection only to have fate play with every plan she’s made in this quirky, contemplative, and empowering novel.

Holly Banks is on a desperate mission to have it all, but nothing in life goes according to plan. She’s quickly learning that keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time job, especially when the women of Primm, her new neighborhood, seem to have it together all the time.

With her husband’s job in flux, her daughter’s difficulty with learning to read, and her mother’s new zest for dating, Holly’s life is already anything but picture perfect. Then her dog digs up an old artifact in the village center, and the mishap draws the attention of local media. Because of course it would.

Holly finds herself at the center of a mystery between two rival towns that, if solved, could change the Village of Primm forever. Attention is the last thing she needs as she’s launching a new business, the village-wide “Parade of Homes” is approaching—though she’s hardly unpacked—and she needs to submit her entry for an upcoming film festival. Can Holly still create her perfect (looking) life? Or is fate about to go off script and give her a story she never could have imagined?

5. The Bride Test – Helen Hoang

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working…but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love.

Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop- Book Review

Another one of cozy romance books I just finished–Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop by Rebecca Raisin

The trip of a lifetime!

Rosie Lewis has her life together.

A swanky job as a Michelin-Starred Sous Chef, a loving husband and future children scheduled for exactly January 2021.

That’s until she comes home one day to find her husband’s pre-packed bag and a confession that he’s had an affair.

Heartbroken and devastated, Rosie drowns her sorrows in a glass (or three) of wine, only to discover the following morning that she has spontaneously invested in a bright pink campervan to facilitate her grand plans to travel the country.

Now, Rosie is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime, and the chance to change her life! With Poppy, her new-found travelling tea shop in tow, nothing could go wrong, could it…?

A laugh-out-loud novel of love, friendship and adventure! Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Holly Martin.

No. of pages:- 232 pages

Date Published :- March 2019

Genre:- Literary Fiction

Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been published in various short story anthologies and in in fiction magazines, and is now focusing on writing romance.

Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships, and most importantly believe in true love.

Rosie Lewis is a Michelin Star chef working in a fancy restaurant in London. She seemed to be having plans with the thought of having a baby. But then her husband Callum admits of having an affair with another woman and soon she is getting a divorce.

And one day, in a drunk stupor, she orders a van through her credit card that has a kitchen. She names her van Poppy and she quits her job, moves out of London and sets off to an adventure. While on adventure, she meets Aria, who is selling romantic novels, Max a former U.S. soldier selling gluten free product and through online she meets Ollie. This is a story filled with adventure, laugh and emotions.

Here are the things I like about the book

The story was funny in some ways and so gives the reader some good laugh.
I also like how the friendship between Rosie and Aria developed through the book, supporting each other during hard times.
I actually like the plot of the story–doing business and travelling around the country and selling items at some sort of festival – I thought I really like the concept of the book.
I like how romance blossomed between Max and Rosie though Rosie was whiny about it at first.
For people who enjoy a cozy, warm and funny and quick romantic novel, you will definitely love this book.

Now here are the things I didn’t like about the book

I didn’t really much like the character Rosie much– I felt she was too naive and also a bit whiny as I said earlier.
Some parts of the story was boring

Overall, this is a good, cozy novel and a quick read. Worth four stars!

An American Marriage – Book Review

Hey, just finished another book, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. Here is my review!

An American Marriage: WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION, 2019 by [Tayari Jones]

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of the American Dream. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. Until one day they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit.

Devastated and unmoored, Celestial finds herself struggling to hold on to the love that has been her centre, taking comfort in Andre, their closest friend. When Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, he returns home ready to resume their life together.

A masterpiece of storytelling, An American Marriage offers a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three unforgettable characters who are at once bound together and separated by forces beyond their control.

No. of pages :- 321 pages

Date Published:- March 2018

Genre:- African American Fiction/Contemporary Fiction

Tayari Jones is the author of the novels Leaving Atlanta, The Untelling, Silver Sparrow, and An American Marriage (Algonquin Books, February 2018). Her writing has appeared in Tin House, The Believer, The New York Times, and Callaloo. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, she has also been a recipient of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, United States Artist Fellowship, NEA Fellowship and Radcliffe Institute Bunting Fellowship. Silver Sparrow was named a #1 Indie Next Pick by booksellers in 2011, and the NEA added it to its Big Read Library of classics in 2016. Jones is a graduate of Spelman College, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University. An Associate Professor in the MFA program at Rutgers-Newark University, she is spending the 2017-18 academic year as the Shearing Fellow for Distinguished Writers at the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

This book had been in my want to read list for a long time and finally, I was able to get my hands on this book!!! This book has so many good raving books including comments from former US president Obama and Oprah Winfrey’s book choice for her book club so this made me want to read the book more!

So in a nutshell, Roy and Celestial are newlywed couple who seemed to be living a comfortable life in Atlanta and who also seemed to be having a successful married life with the hopes of having a family. But on the night of the anniversary in Louisiana, a fateful incident happened that changed both Roy and Celestial’s married life. Roy was sentenced to twelve years in prison for a crime he never committed and the story begins with how this incident had a great impact on their married life.

Now here are the things I like about the book.

The book was well written–the author has written this book really well, captivating the reader. The descriptions of the places and food, the emotions and feelings that each of the characters are feeling are so well written that the reader can feel them.
The book is very realistic outlining many injustices that many African-American are facing in America even today. Roy, is a successful African-American male but became easily suspect when the woman accuses him of raping her. Despite lack of seemingly evidence and proof that Roy never raped the woman, he was sentenced to jail for twelve years (eventually shortened to five thanks to Celestial’s uncle’s work). This is just how most African-American despite having successful careers are still easily accused of being criminals. This is still a sad and emotional issue that most African Americans are facing.
The main focus of the book is the emotional impact this had on Roy and Celestial’s marriage and not about the crime Roy was convicted of which makes it a unique book to read.
The story was told from the perspectives of Roy, Celestial and Andre (who is Celestial’s childhood friend and later on lover and who was the one who set Roy and Celestial up during college) so we know what each of the characters are thinking about each other.
I also like the letters that are exchanged between Celestial and Roy, while he was in prison, outlining how their marriage seemed to be deteriorating and how the epilogue ends with Celestial and Roy writing letters to each other after they go in their separate ways, showing they still care about each other.

Now the things I didn’t like about the book.

Though the story was good, I didn’t like the characters at all particularly Celestial. For me, she sounds selfish and think only about herself.
Some parts of the story was boring

Overall, this is an emotional book to read. Worth four stars!

I Know Your Secret – Book Review

Hey all! I am back after a long time!!! Anyway so I just finished I know Your Secret by Ruth Heald and here is my review!

I Know Your Secret: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller full of twists by [Ruth Heald]

She thinks she knows me.

She believes my marriage is falling apart at the seams, that my husband can barely look me in the eyes. She thinks I’m desperate for a baby, that my longing for a family keeps me up at night. As much as I hate to admit it, all of this is true.

She thinks I listen to her advice, that I care about her opinion. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Because she has no idea who I am. She has no clue that I know everything.

I know her secret. I know that she did the unforgivable. I know how many lives she ruined.

I know exactly what she did. And I’m here for her.

No. of pages:- 272 pages

Date published:- June 2020

Genre:- Psychological Fiction

Ruth Heald is the bestselling author of psychological thrillers THE MOTHER’S MISTAKE and THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS, and the relationship drama 27: SIX FRIENDS, ONE YEAR.

Ruth studied Economics at Oxford University and then worked in an eclectic mix of sectors from nuclear decommissioning to management consulting. She worked at the BBC for nine years before leaving to write full time. Ruth is fascinated by psychology and finding out what drives people to violence, destruction and revenge. She’s married with two children and her novels explore our greatest fears in otherwise ordinary, domestic lives

The story starts with a woman named Beth, who is going through a break-up with her partner, Richard as he moves out of the house. Her life becomes messier as she needs to look after her son Charlie. Beth is working as a therapist and during one of her session, she meets a new client named Danielle Brown. Then things began to change in her life.

Now I will start with the ones I like about the book.

The book is told from the perspectives of two women, Beth and Danielle. Both seemed t be struggling with their own relationships and both seemed to be carrying some sort of secret, which as a reader you are dying to know what the secret is.
I also really like the writing of the book–the author has done a good job keeping the reader hooked into the story.
The story is gripping, intriguing making the reader like me want to read more and also in each of the chapter, there are unexpected twists and turns. Also both the characters are undependable and later on the secret is unraveled in the end of the book.
The ending was good, a bit emotional but was good.
By reading the perspectives of Beth and Danielle, it will be interesting as a reader to know what they are actually thinking and so the reader can read their minds–I also like how both the characters are vulnerable–Beth seemed to be suffering from delusions and Danielle seemed to be suffering from anger management. During the course of Beth’s relationship with Richard, he admitted of having an affair and Beth suspected it was Danielle. Was it really Danielle? And Danielle doesn’t seem to be too honest with her husband, particularly her family background which you are curious to find out.
The book is actually fast paced and also a quick read.
Each of the chapter is filled with suspense that made the reader hooked and intrigued into the story. The author was clever of making the reader believe in both the characters and then doubting them in the middle and finally clearing up the fog towards the end. That’s the great writing.

Overall, this is truly a gripping, mind blowing psychological thriller that you simply cannot put down!!! I would rate this book as five stars!

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The Second Chance Supper Club – Book Review

Just finished listening to The Second Chance Supper Club by Nicole Meier

Always With a Book : Review: The Second Chance Supper Club by ...

Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings.

They had a forever bond, until a sudden tragedy thrust them apart. Now, each at a crossroad in her own life, two sisters’ paths are about to intersect.

Broadcast journalist Julia Frank has it all: a career, an ambitious fiancé, and the hard-won respect of her peers. Until a ruinous decision destroys her reputation, puts her job at risk, and sends her reeling toward the only soul left to turn to: her estranged sister, Ginny.

The owner of a clandestine supper club hidden in the Arizona desert, Ginny Frank has a lot on her plate. The last thing she wants is more drama—or the burden of nursing her younger sister’s wounded ego. But family is family. Besides, Ginny can use the help in more ways than one, and she’s going to make sure Julia pulls her weight.

As a tenuous reunion reopens old wounds, Julia and Ginny have no choice but to confront the pain and betrayals of the past. Will working to keep the secret supper club running be just what they need to find common ground and a path toward forgiveness, or will the increasing stress push them even further apart?

No. of pages :- 267 Pages

Date Published :- September 2019

Genre:- Rural Fiction/ Contemporary Fiction

Nicole Meier is the author of The House of Bradbury, The Girl Made of Clay, and The Second Chance Supper Club. She is a native Southern Californian who pulled up roots and moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her husband, three children, and one very nosy Aussiedoodle. Visit her at http://www.nicolemeierauthor.com.

Here’s the nutshell of the story. Julia Frank seems to have a successful career as a broadcast journalist but one day, her career seems to have just ended when she asked the mayor of New York a question on live that seemed to have angered him. She then flees to Arizona to get away from the chaos and tries to reunite with her estranged sister, Ginny. Ginny used to be a former chef who also used to live in New York but now is running a secret supper club in her house during the night. This is the story about how the two estranged sisters trying to patch up their relationship.

So here are the things I liked about the book.

I would say that the book was well written. I like the way the author has used the description that makes the reader feel as if they are in Arizona with the characters.
The description of the food was amazing and made me feel hungry and mouth watering!
I also like the book cover because I thought it looked cute!
Another good thing about the book is it is actually a quick read and didn’t take too much time to finish the book!

Now the things I didn’t like the book

I did not like the characters at all, particularly Julia and Olive, Ginny’s daughter. To me, Julia sounds like a whiny naive character–I mean she is a journalist and shouldn’t she at least try to save her at least her reputation by proving her point? Also Olive sounded more like a whiny teenager than a twenty one year old.
I do like the story about the two estranged sisters getting back together to renew their relationship but then some parts of the story doesn’t sound realistic

Overall, this book is a good quick and cosy read. Worth three stars!

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The Family Upstairs- Book Review

Back with a book review! Just finished reading The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell and here’s my review for the book!

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

Hardcover: 352 pages

Date Published : November 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Domestic Thriller/Women’s Fiction

Lisa Jewell is the internationally bestselling author of seventeen novels, including the New York Times bestseller Then She Was Gone and the UK instant Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller The Family Upstairs, as well as other much loved novels such as Watching You, I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into over twenty five languages. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters. Connect with her on Twitter @LisaJewellUK and on Facebook @LisaJewellOfficial.

This is the first time I was reading Lisa Jewell’s book. Found this copy of The Family Upstairs during my recent visit to a bookstore and so decided to get this book. And I was not to be disappointed.

In a nutshell, Libby Jones inherits a house in Chelsea through a trust fund that was created for her when she turned twenty-five years old. Despite the expensive and exquisite look from outside, the house however was known to have some dark secrets–twenty five years ago, the bodies of three decomposing people were found on the floor of the kitchen and Libby, who was just a baby was well fed and was left in a cot in another room. There used to be four children in the house but they were missing. Libby finds that her real name was Serenity Lamb and together with the Guardian journalist Miller, she discovers some dark secrets about the house.

Now as usual, let’s start with the ones I like about the book.

The book was actually well written and the author did a good job of keeping the reader hooked into the story.
There were some twists in the story that made the reader was made at the edge of the seat and wanting to know what is going to happen next in the story.
The story was divided into four parts and was told from the perspectives of three people–Libby, Lucy and the past which is told from the perspective of Henry, who happened to be Lucy’s brother set in somewhere in 1990’s. The house used to be full of parties and social life until Henry’s mother invited a woman named Birdie into the house along with a man named David Thomsen who eventually changes the house to the rags. So as a reader you can see how some unknown strangers changes everything around the house. This shows how naive people can be to let some unknown strangers into the house who eventually take control of the house.
By reading through different perspectives the reader will get to know what is happening in each part of the story.
It was really good and I really couldn’t stop reading the book as I want to read more and want to know what is going to happen next!

The things I didn’t like about the book.

I am actually confused about the title–The Family Upstairs didn’t really suit to the story.
Some parts of the story doesn’t really sound realistic to me–what type of person would let some unknown stranger to run the house let alone take all their stuff including money? Sometimes, I found it hard to believe it. Particularly the parts where the children were punished by locking up in their room, not feeding them, not giving them proper food. But then maybe, it may happen in real life.
Following a cult like that is actually disturbing to read sometimes.
The ending to me was bit confusing

Overall, this was a good psychological thriller book to read which will actually keep you up all night. Worth four stars!