Tropical Girl Reads

The September House – Book Review

Title:- The September House

Author:- Carissa Orlando

Date published:- September 5th 2023

No. of pages:- 352 pages

Genre:- Horror

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee.

Margaret is not most people.

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

I had always wanted to read this book and when the spooky season and month finally came, I decided to read this book during this month.

Trigger Warnings – Domestic abuse, suicide, animal abuse, child abuse, alcoholism

Margaret and her husband Hal bought a nice Victorian house at a price that they most certainly could afford. But there is something dark and sinister in their newly bought house. Every September, blood oozed out of the walls, making the place unlivable, and ghosts of former residents appear and all of them are terrified of what is lurking in the basement. Hal her husband couldn’t take anymore and wanted to leave but Margaret is determined to live in the house–she is not going to let the house be taken over by the demon named Master Vale.

The story is told in Margaret’s POV. I felt like I was watching an entire horror movie through by reading this book. The haunted house, its dark history, not to mention that no one literally believes you when you tell them about ghosts and demons! I actually did enjoy reading this book and couldn’t actually put the book down. It was also fast paced and I like that there are different types of ghosts lurking around in the house–Fredricka, who seemed to be the only sane ghost, the children, Elias who has his fangs and of course the dark demon Master Vale. I also liked the backstory behind the house as well. The fact that these dark supernatural things happen during the September is a mystery although it is revealed through the backstory why the events take place in September.

I like the main background story of this book as well. Hal who is Margaret’s husband couldn’t take it anymore that he mysteriously leaves the house. Katharine, who doesn’t really get along with her father however, thought it was weird that her father isn’t answering his phone that she returns to the house. Margaret meanwhile tries to protect Katharine from the ghosts while she is living in the house. There are some sensitive materials that is discussed in the book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this horror book and couldn’t wait to read more books from this author–worth four stars.

Carissa Orlando has a doctorate in clinical-community psychology and specializes in work with children and adolescents. In her “day job,” Carissa works to improve the quality of and access to mental health care for children and their families. Prior to her career in psychology, Carissa studied creative writing in college and has written creatively in some form since she was a child. It was only a matter of time before Carissa, an avid horror fan for much of her life, merged her understanding of the human psyche and deep love for storytelling into a piece of fiction.

How to End a Love Story – Book Review

Title:- How to End a Love Story

Author:- Yulin Kuang

Date published:- April 9th 2024

No. of pages:- 384 pages

Genre:- Romance/Contemporary

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

Two writers with a complicated history end up working on the same TV show… Can they write themselves a new ending? A sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings and give you a book hangover from brilliant new voice Yulin Kuang.

Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever.

Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers’ room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer’s block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except…

Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just can’t pass up.

Grant’s exactly as Helen remembers him—charming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she’s never been. And Helen’s exactly as Grant remembers too—brilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he’s in the picture at all.

When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet… the key to making peace with their past—and themselves—might just lie in holding on to each other in the present.

The author of this book is actually writing a screenplay for Emily Henry’s book Beach Reads which is going to be adopted into a movie soon. Maybe that’s why I bought this book.

Trigger Warnings:- Suicide

The story starts with Helen Zhang whose sister died in front of an oncoming car driven by Grant Shepherd. Many years later, Helen Zhang is a popular YA author and one of her books are going to be adapted into a TV series. Helen flies to LA to help with the screenplay and she had to work alongside none other than with…Grand Shepherd. Helen initially didn’t really want to work with Grant and so does Grant. But the two had no choice and so reluctantly work together. However soon, the two realized as they work together that they have feelings for each other…

This was well written as it was told in both Helen and Grant’s POV through third person narrative. There were spicy scenes in the book, which some readers might love and also I like how I learned about how a movie or TV series are being developed, the stages of screenplay. I like how the chemistry between Helen and Grant improved and increased as the two start understanding each other. Of course, Helen still had to deal with the fact that Michelle committed suicide by jumping in front of Grant’s car which was a bit sensitive to read. The Asian lifestyle of Helen is very realistic. Overall, it was a good read and worth four stars.

Yulin Kuang is a screenwriter and director. She was once fired from a Hallmark movie for being ‘too hip for Hallmark’ and is the adapting screenwriter of Emily Henry’s People We Meet On Vacation, as well as the writer/director of the forthcoming Beach Read feature film for 20th Century Studios. She lives in Pasadena with her husband Zack and their orange cat, Eloise.

The Echo Man – Book Review

Title:- The Echo Man

Author:- Sam Holland

Date published:- April 5th 2022

Genre:- Thriller/Psychological thriller

No. of pages:- 400 pages

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4.5/5

Sam Holland’s chilling debut draws inspiration from infamous serial killer cases, culminating in the ultimate, heart-pounding copycat tale.

Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are on the case of a series of seemingly unconnected murders, each different in method, but each shocking and brutal. As the body count increases, they can’t ignore the details that echo famous cases of the past—Manson, Kemper, Dahmer, and more. As Elliott and Deakin get closer to unmasking the killer, the murders are moving closer to home.

Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is on the run. She’s been implicated as the arsonist who killed her neglectful husband and injured her young daughter. With the help of disgraced and suspended detective Nate Griffin, Jess discovers a shocking link between her case and that of the ultimate copycat killer working on his horrifying masterpiece.

Wow! This is truly a masterpiece and one of those thrillers that I simply couldn’t put the book down!

A series of horrible crimes are happening across the UK and the crimes seemed to be not connected to each other. DCI Cara Elliot and her partner Noah Deakins investigating on a brutal murder of two college girls, their bodies found in the remote area. As they investigate and as they realize that more brutal and gruesome murders are happening, they realized that whoever who is committing these murders are copying the works of the most evil serial killers–Kemper, Manson, Dahmer and many more. Hence the media when they got hold of the story nicknamed as Echo Man. Meanwhile, Jessica Ambrose is running away from the police as they suspected that she was responsible for the arson and the death of her husband Patrick. The only person who believes her innocence is the disgraced cop Nate Griffin as he believes that Jessica’s case might be connected to the other murders.

This was an unputdownable thriller. And quiet fast-paced too with lots of twists, turns and actions along the way. Even though the story was quiet long, I actually did not get bored at all as I was literally hooked into the book. The thought of the perpetrator copying the murders of the notorious serial killers like Kemper, Manson and Dahmer and so on and the descriptions of those murders and the aftermath were actually too gruesome and disturbing to read. Yet, I actually liked this book a lot and as I mentioned, I couldn’t put the book down as I was wondering who this mysterious Echo Man is going to be. I like the sisterly-brotherly connection between Cara and Nate, the relationship between Nate and Jessica.

What blew me away from this book was the ending–wow the ending was quiet unexpected and I actually liked the cliffhanger, indicating…well, I am not going to give too much details here. All the same, with an ending like that, I cannot wait to read the other two books of the Major Crimes series!

If you are into serial killer thrillers, then check this book out–worth 4.5 stars.

Sam Holland is the award-winning author of the Major Crimes series, following detectives as they investigate murders committed by brutal serial killers in the south of England. Her debut, The Echo Man, shocked and enthralled readers and reviewers alike with its sinister depiction of a serial killer copying notorious real-life murderers of the past.

Her books have been published in 14 countries worldwide, including the US, Germany and the Netherlands, where she became the first author to win the Bronze Bat for her debut and the Silver Bat for best thriller in consecutive years at the Nederlands Thrillerfestival.

The Puppet Master is her third novel and is out now.

She also writes as Louisa Scarr and is the author of the Butler and West crime series, beginning with Last Place You Look and ending with Out of the Ashes. A new series, about a police dog handler, launched in July 2024 with Gallows Wood.

Sam can be found on Twitter and Instagram at @samhollandbooks or online at www.samhollandbooks.com.

Theme Music – Book Review

Title:- Theme Music

Author:- T. Marie Vandelly

Date published:- July 23rd 2019

No. of pages;- 387 pages

Genre:- Horror/Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 3.5/5

An utterly propulsive and unpredictable psychological thriller from stunning new talent T. Marie Vandelly

For the lucky among us, life is what you make of it, but for Dixie Wheeler, the theme music for her story was chosen by another long ago, on the day her father butchered her mother and brothers and then slashed a knife across his own throat. Only one-year-old Dixie was left alive, infamously known as Baby Blue for the song left playing in the aftermath of the slaughter.

Twenty-five years later, Dixie is still desperate for a connection to the family she can’t remember, so when her childhood home goes up for sale, Dixie sets aside all reason and moves in, re-creating a macabre decor with her family’s salvaged furniture. But as the ghosts of her family seemingly begin to take up residence in the home that was once theirs, Dixie starts to question her own sanity and wonders if the evil force menacing her is that of her father, or a demon of her own making.

In order to make sense of her present, Dixie becomes determined to unravel the truth of her past and seeks out the detective who originally investigated the murders. But the more she learns, the more she opens up the uncomfortable possibility that the sins of her father may belong to another, and, perhaps most tragically, to Dixie herself. As bodies begin to pile up around her, Dixie must find a way to expose the lunacy behind her family’s massacre and redeem what little remains of her soul.

This book is actually a very interesting, creepy read.

Dixie Wheeler was known as Baby Blue back during the day. Her father axed her entire family but let Dixie survive the massacre. Dixie was just a baby and she was found by one of her brother’s friends Rory. When Dixie was found the radio was playing a song titled Blue Song, hence she was nicknamed Baby Blue. Now many years later, Dixie is now a young woman. Dixie wanted to learn more about her family and thus she purchased her former childhood house, much to her aunt being against it. As Dixie moves back into her childhood home, she starts feeling the presence of the family members–worse she start getting blackouts with no memory of what happened before…

This was creepy, disturbing and at times, weird when reading the book. Dixie seemed to be a very complex character but the chapters were a bit too long and there were some parts when I was little bored and nearly put down the book. There were some twists and turns, like in a thriller book and the ending was actually quiet unexpected, which increased my rating to a 3.5 stars. This book feel like the basic horror movies you watch on the TV.

IF you are looking for a Halloween read, check this book out. Worth 3.5 stars.

Loving Mothers – Blog Tour

Title:- Loving Mothers

Author:- Miranda Smith

Date published:- 3rd October 2024

No. of pages:- 316 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

Our whole neighborhood is desperately searching for sixteen-year-old my own daughter’s best friend. But I know my daughter is lying about the night Shelby disappeared. And a mother will do anything to protect her child…

Hickory Hills is the perfect place to raise a family. Everyone knows everyone. Sometimes, that’s a bad thing.

The morning after the Halloween party, the word spreads from house to house, each resident gasping at the news, each mother holding their child tighter. Shelby has gone missing.

My daughter should be distraught, but she’s claiming they weren’t even friends anymore. When I go to talk to her, I hear her giggling on the phone with Shelby’s boyfriend.

And then I find her Halloween costume, stuffed into a bag in her closet, covered in blood.

I will do anything to protect my daughter. I will turn this community upside down. I will blame someone else’s child if I have to.

After all, I have secrets of my own…

A totally gripping psychological suspense about the dark secrets that lie behind perfect families, and how far mothers will go for their children. If you love Claire Douglas, Ruth Ware or Karin Slaughter, Loving Mothers will have you glued to the pages till the final jaw-dropping twist.

After a Halloween party, a teenage girl named Shelby has gone missing. There are two main suspects–Hudson, who is Stella’s son and who seemed to have a history with the old school and Grace, who is Mary’s daughter who fought with Shelby on the day she disappeared. Mary would do anything to protect her daughter and Stella would do anything to protect her son, even though she suspected that he might be behind Shelby’s disappearance. When Shelby’s body was found, immediately Hudson was suspected as he and Shelby used to date together.

This was actually an interesting and a fast paced thriller that will keep you on the edge till you reach the end. Both Stella and Mary are determined to protect their children at any cost even though they both suspected that their children might have something to do with Shelby’s disappearance. The story is told in the POV’s of Stella, Mary and the other mothers Naomi and Donna who is Shelby’s mother. The story is a bit emotional when you read Stella’s part as she suffered from domestic abuse from her ex-husband. The twist at the end was completely unexpected . I have read this author’s books many times and this book is one of her best psychological thrillers I have read. If you are looking for an unputdownable thriller, then this book is for you–worth five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only. Many thanks to Bookoute formaking me a part of the blog tour.

Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.

https://mirandasmithwriter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MirandaSmithAuthor/
https://www.instagram.com/mirandasmithwriter/
https://twitter.com/msmithbooks

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0D8TGF7MJsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Drowning – Book Review

Title:- Drowning

Author:- T.J. Newman

Date published:- May 30th 2023

No. of pages:-304 pages

Genre:- Action/Thriller/Suspense

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman—whose first book Falling was an instant #1 national bestseller and the biggest thriller debut of 2021—returns for her second book, an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean, and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside, and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

More than two hundred feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent—Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife—who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff.

There’s not much time.

There’s even less air.

With devastating emotional power and heart-stopping suspense, Drowning is an unforgettable thriller about a family’s desperate fight to save themselves and the people trapped with them—against impossible odds.

Drowning is like the TV show Lost but the only difference is, the plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean while in the Lost, the plane crashes on an island.

Minutes after take off, Flight 1421 suddenly crashes into Pacific Ocean. Inside the plane, Will Kent and his eleven year old daughter Shannon along with other passengers are stranded inside the plane, has drowned into the ocean. There is limited amount of oxygen is available inside the plane and a rescue team, led by Will’s wife Chris must decided the ways to save the passengers inside the plane before it is too late.

This was a breathtaking and making you feel on the edge type of thriller. I simply couldn’t put the book down because, I am not sure what the ending is going to be–are the passengers going to be saved or the recuse mission will be failed? I felt like I was watching a movie the entire time I was reading the book. I also liked how the passengers seemed to have united together with each other, trying to find a way to save the life. The writing was really great as the author knows, how to make the reader feel like they are at the edge of their seats. The entire time I was reading the book, I was at the edge–which means the book was really great. The book was fast paced, twists and turns along the way and above all, it was a really an interesting thriller that will definitely keep you up all night.

I really like the relationship Will had with the daughter Shannon and Will’s wife Chris’s determination to save the family that she loved. This book is soon will be turned into a movie so I cannot wait to watch the movie. Overall, great story–worth five stars.

T.J. NEWMAN is a former bookseller and flight attendant whose first novel, Falling, became a publishing sensation and debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list. Her second novel, Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 was an instant New York Times bestseller. Both books made a number of best book of the year list, are published in thirty-five countries and will soon be major motion pictures after selling in two separate headline making seven-figure deals: Falling with Universal Pictures, and Drowning with Warner Brothers. T.J. lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Her new novel – WORST CASE SCENARIO – comes out August 13.

Motherthing – Book Review

Title:- Motherthing

Author:- Ainslie Hogarth

Date published:- September 27th 2022

No. of pages:- 288 pages

Genre:- Horror/Thriller

Rating:-

Plot:- 3/5

Writing:- 3/5

Overall rating:- 3/5

A darkly funny domestic horror novel about a woman who must take drastic measures to save her husband and herself from the vengeful ghost of her mother-in-law.

When Ralph and Abby Lamb move in with Ralph’s mother, Laura, Abby hopes it’s just what she and her mother-in-law need to finally connect. After a traumatic childhood, Abby is desperate for a mother figure, especially now that she and Ralph are trying to become parents themselves. Abby just has so much love to give—to Ralph, to Laura, and to Mrs. Bondy, her favorite resident at the long-term care home where she works. But Laura isn’t interested in bonding with her daughter-in-law. She’s venomous and cruel, especially to Abby, and life with her is hellish.

When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts Abby and Ralph in very different ways: Ralph is plunged into depression, and Abby is terrorized by a force intent on destroying everything she loves. To make matters worse, Mrs. Bondy’s daughter is threatening to move Mrs. Bondy from the home, leaving Abby totally alone. With everything on the line, Abby comes up with a chilling plan that will allow her to keep Mrs. Bondy, rescue Ralph from his tortured mind, and break Laura’s hold on the family for good. All it requires is a little ingenuity, a lot of determination, and a unique recipe for chicken à la king…

This book is one of the creepiest and weirdest books I have ever read.

Abby is yearning for a mother figure, having had a traumatic childhood. She marries Ralph and moves into Ralph’s childhood home where Ralph’s mother Laura is a domineering figure. Laura meanwhile is cruel and venomous, often finding faults with Abby. When Laura takes her own life, Abby steals the heirloom ring which apparently Laura never took off. Abby realizes that she made a biggest mistake when Laura’s ghost start domineering back to life. Ralph plunges into depression, and Abby feels like her whole world is turned upside down.

I did like the book but I wasn’t exactly sure if I loved the book. The writing was however great and entertaining read. Sometimes, some parts of the book were boring but then I actually did like the main character Abby, however the disturbing her character might be. Also I am not sure why it was labeled as a horror book because I didn’t find anything horror in the book. However, the ending of the book was slightly disturbing to read.

Overall, to me, this was an OK book, worth three stars.

Ainslie Hogarth is the author of four novels. You can find her short fiction in Hazlitt, Maisonneuve, Room Magazine, Black Static, and more.

Love Interest – Book Review

Title:- Love Interest

Author:- Clare Gilmore

Date published:- October 10th 2023

No. of pages:- 339 pages

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

A sparkling adversaries-to-lovers romcom set at a magazine publisher in Manhattan. When Casey and Alex are forced into proximity, they soon realize falling for each other is just as much of a risk and as it is a reward.

Casey Maitland has always preferred the reliability of numbers, despite growing up the daughter of two artistic souls. Now a twenty-four-year-old finance expert working in Manhattan, Casey wonders if the project manager opening at her company – magazine powerhouse LC Publications – is a sign from the universe to pursue a career with a little more sparkle. That is, until she’s passed over for the job in favor of the board chairman’s son.

Alex Harrison is handsome, Harvard-educated, and enigmatic. Everybody loves him – except for Casey. But when the two are thrown on the same project, they both have something to prove. For Casey, it’s getting tapped for a transfer to the London office and fulfilling her dreams of travelling. For Alex, it’s successfully launching a brand that will impress his distant father.

As work meetings turn into after hours, Casey and Alex are drawn to each other again and again, but neither can avoid the messy secrets and corporate intrigue threatening to tear them apart. What they discover about their workplace might change everything – including the dreams each of them is chasing.

Love interest is a Workplace Romance set in Manhattan New York–Casey Maitland and Alex Harrison work in the same publishing company. Casey is eying for a promotion but at the same time, she wanted to get transferred to the London office, where her mother was originally from. But when the promotion went to Alex Harrison, the handsome and charming Harvard graduate, Casey was devastated and was determined to hate him. However, as they were both asked to work together for a segment, Casey realizes that Alex wasn’t really the type of person she imagined him to be and soon start to fall in love with him.

If you like complete romcoms shows, then Love Interest is such thing. This is not enemies to lovers story, and I like how the story turned out to be. Both Alex and Casey acted more like realistic adults and most of all the secondary characters in the book were all likable. There were some twists and turns, particularly relating to their workplace and the sizzling chemistry between Alex and Casey. Although the first part of the book was slightly boring, it became interesting as the story progressed. I also like the multi-cultural perspective of the story–the fact that Alex, one of the main characters in the story is biracial–Korean-American and that diversity is present in the book was actually a plus sign to me.

This was a typical romance book with a predictable happy ending but overall, I enjoyed this book and couldn’t wait to read more from this author–worth four stars.

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Restaurant of Lost Recipes

Author:- Hisahi Kashiwa

Translated by:- Jesse Kirkwood

Date published:- will be published on 3rd October 2024

Genre:- Japanese fiction

Rating:-

Plot:- 4/5

Writing:- 4/5

Overall rating:- 4/5

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is the second book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Kamogawa Food Detectives series, for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

We all hold lost recipes in our hearts. A very special restaurant in Kyoto helps recreate them…

Chef Nagare and his daughter Koishi serve their customers more than delicious food at their Kamogawa Diner down a quiet street in Kyoto. They can help recreate meals from their customers’ most treasured memories. Through ingenious investigations, these “food detectives” untangle flavors and pore through old shopping lists to remake unique dishes from the past.

From the swimmer who misses his father’s lunchbox to the model who longs for fried rice from her childhood, each customer leaves the diner forever changed—though not always in the ways they expect…

A beloved bestseller in Japan, The Restaurant of Lost Recipes is a tender and healing novel that celebrates the power of community and delicious food.

This is the second book of the Kamogawa Food Detective series. I enjoyed reading the first book of the series and it was a privilege to get an invitation for the second book as well.

Cheif Nagare and his daughter Koishi runs the restaurant but their restaurant is just more than a restaurant that serves food. They specifically makes a meal and recreate that meal through their customer’s memories about the meal thus recounting the story about the meal. The customers involve a swimmer with hopes of becoming an Olympic swimmer to the famous supermodel who yearns for a fried rice that she loved during her childhood.

This book is no different from the first book–in fact it is exactly like the first book except maybe this time, the customers are different. The outline and the story overall are still the same as the previous one, so there are no special changes that you can see in this second book. There were often times when I thought that some parts of the story were repetitive but nonetheless just like the previous book, I enjoyed reading this book. Having lived in Japan and spending part of my childhood there, some of the Japanese food mentioned in the book made me think about my own experiences as a kid back in Japan and how I enjoyed eating those Japanese dishes. The description of those food and meals made my mouth water and I really wanted to try those dishes!

Overall, this was no different from the first book, yet it was enjoyable to read. Worth four stars in my opinion.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Hisashi Kashiwai was born in 1952 and was raised in Kyoto. He graduated from Osaka Dental University. After graduating, he returned to Kyoto and worked as a dentist. He has written extensively about his native city and has collaborated in TV programs and magazines.

This Could Be Us – Book Review

Title:- This Could Be Us

Author:- Kennedy Ryan

Date published:- March 5th 2024

No. of pages:- 416 pages

Genre- Romance/Contemporary

Rating:-

Plot:- 5/5

Writing:- 5/5

Overall rating:- 5/5

Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.

But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She’s too busy keeping a roof over her daughters’ heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.

But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?

After all she’s lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?

This is the second book of the Skyland series. This book revolves around the life of Soledad Barnes, who is one of the friends of the trio Yasmen and Hendrix. The first book, Before I Let You Go, which was based on Yasmen was so good that I wanted to keep reading the series. And I feel this book is so much better than the first one.

Soledad has it all–her life has been planned out for her and she is perfect in many ways. But then a catastrophe strikes in her life, causing all her well planned life to crumble down. Her husband, Edward was accused embezzling money from the company he was working. As Soledad is dealing with the crisis, she meets the accountant, Judah Cross, who is actually responsible for Edward’s fall. Soledad needs to rebuild her life and at the same time, she couldn’t stop her feelings towards Judah Cross.

This book is packed with emotions, heartbreaks as well as friendship, support, laughter and kindness. The story is told in the POVs of Judah and Soledad and I actually did like the chemistry between the two. Judah was divorced with two autistic sons and Soledad is dealing crisis in her marriage. The whole book was well written, engaged and really inspiring–”focus on your girls. focus on yourself, but when you do think about this relationship, don’t compare it to anything else, to anyone else. Draw a picture in your mind of what a future could look like and really believe this could be us. And whenever you’re ready, I’m right here.”— I thought this quote was really inspiring to people who are struggling with their own lives. The author manages to show that women are powerful and courageous.

I also like the characters–Judah Cross is one of my favorite characters. He is supportive, protective, a contrast to Soledad’s ex-husband Edward who is nothing but a scumbag. Women can really wish for a future husband like Judah Cross.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read Hendrik’s chapter next! Worth five stars.