Tropical Girl Reads

THEN
She was fifteen, her mother’s golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty – and meeting her completely takes Laurel’s breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?

This was the fourth book I have read written by Lisa Jewell. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her books and so I was excited to read her almost debut book, Then She Was Gone.

Fifteen years ago, Ellie, Laurel’s adoring daughter mysteriously disappeared and was never heard from again. Ellie’s disappearing put a restrain on Laurel’s family life even when Ellie’s remains were found in a wooded area.

Now, Laurel is dating a guy named Flynn and when Flynn introduces his young daughter…Laurel was shocked. Because Poppy, Floyd’s daughter look like a mirror image of Ellie.

This was good but I have to say, this wasn’t as good as her other books she later wrote. There were twists and turns but it was a bit unrealistic as well, which actually didnt help me to enjoy the novel. The ending was OK in my opinion but overall this was an OK book–worth three stars.

Your new husband has a shocking secret. Would your mother-in-law kill to protect it?

From the moment I meet my new mother-in-law in her beautiful country house, she makes it clear I’m not welcome. Lilian Fletcher hates me for marrying her precious boy on a golden beach far away from her.

Starting our marriage living in the Fletchers’ family home is a nightmare. Lilian’s steely blue gaze follows me everywhere. Then the accidents start to happen, and I know she is behind them. It starts with small things, like a dropped birthday cake, a spilt glass of wine. But then my mother-in-law accuses me of something terrible. This woman is determined to get me out of her son’s life.

Now I wish I’d never met my handsome, clever husband. Or come to this luxurious house that feels more like a prison.

But I have secrets too. And no-one knows who I really am…

Wow…this was such a gripping psychological thriller I have read! Shalini Boland has done it again!

Caroline moves to a small town in England from Australia and is married to Sebastian. Sebastian brings his new wife to his family-owned pub and the news of his marriage actually shocked many, including his mother Lillian. Lillan starts cold feet with Caroline, believing that Caroline may have some sort of secret and was surprised at how Sebastian could marry Caroline all of a sudden. And Caroline believes that her husband’s family are holding a secret–a secret that may ruin her marriage with Sebastian.

From start to finish, this book was engaging and unputdownable. The story is mainly told from Caroline’s and Lillian’s POV with a background story with two women Amy and Michelle going on in the story. It’s typical that usually, mother-in-laws and daughter-in-law do not really get along but as you reach to the middle of the story, you will wonder what type of secret Sebastian was holding. You will also know that Caroline too is holding a secret.

By the middle of the book, and towards the end is where things started going…interesting. Secrets started revealing which becomes a completely surprising, twisted, and unexpected secret. And totally shocking too. The end literally blew my mind away and I felt like I was holding my breath as I was reading the end. Overall, I actually enjoyed this page-turning fast-paced thriller–if you like a page-turning fast-paced thriller with a bit of family drama, then I highly recommend you to read Shalini Boland’s new book The Daughter-In-Law–worth five stars!

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

In the tradition of Long Bright River and The Mars Room, a gripping and atmospheric work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life—from the bestselling author of Girl in Snow.

Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. He hoped it wouldn’t end like this, not for him.

Through a kaleidoscope of women—a mother, a sister, a homicide detective—we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the homicide detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake.

Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes on an Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it simultaneously unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our system of justice and our cultural obsession with crime stories, asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men. 

This is one of the best books I have read this year.

Just before I begin my review, in this modern world, literally, people are obsessed with serial killers. You have all these famous American serial killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer (have you watched the Netflix Monster Dahmer yet?), even Jack the Ripper and people really seemed to be obsessed with the culture. Movies are made, seemingly glorifying the killers and forgetting about the victims who died at the hands of the serial killer. This story talks about that in general.

In less than twelve hours, Ansel Packer is scheduled to be executed. The story narrates to the hours leading up to his execution. The story then is told in the views of three women–Lavender, Ansel’s mother, Hazel, who is the twin sister of Jenny, who is married to Ansel and Saffy, who is a detective determined to prove that Ansel was guilty of the crimes he committed.

The plot itself is thought-provoking. Some of the lines and quotes are equally touching and I must say, this author did a really good job of drawing the reader into the story. You also feel connected to the main female characters as well, and in my case, I was particularly connected to Saffy. What I actually enjoyed reading, (just nothing serious) is the scenes of the death row–when Ansel was getting ready for his execution, when he was given his last meal, when he was transferred to another prison, how he was dreaming to be glorified for what he did. The author also beautifully tackles the sensitive subject on how America is glorifying the serial killer. The last scene where when Ansel was executed was chilling. We also learn about Ansel’s life, during his childhood, the hardships he faced while being taken care in foster homes. Each of these women, Lavender, Hazel and Saffy are somehow related to Ansel through their stories and how their lives got affected by Ansel.

I do like the wording used in the book. This book was truly an engaging piece of work, powerful, intriguing, and brilliantly written. This book is very different from the usual ones I read where the story is told from the women’s perspectives. As the author says in the beginning.

“I am tired of seeing Ted Bundy’s face. This is a book for the women who survive.”

I highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn’t read it and I heard this book will be turned into a TV series soon. Worth a full five stars!

My husband’s dead. She’s at my door. She owns my home…

When the doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death, I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with buttery blonde highlights and a diamond bracelet identical to my own.

My world implodes when she tells me that she is my husband’s girlfriend, that the baby in her arms is his son, and that she owns our cherished family home.

But she doesn’t want to throw me and my children out on the street. She says she’s no monster, that she wants her baby to grow up with brothers and sisters. With no family, no money and no home, I have no choice but to accept her offer.

Now her food is in my fridge and her beautiful clothes are in the wardrobe in our master bedroom, yet as she helps me with chores and plays games with my little daughter, there’s a part of me that’s glad I’m not on my own. And as we sip wine at the kitchen table, I wonder if we could even become friends…

But when I find a phone hidden in her underwear drawer, I discover her terrible secret. Could she have had a hand in my husband’s death? And what exactly does she want from me?

This is such a gripping, unputdownable thriller that will put you on the edge from start to finish!

Jennifer and Cole seemed to be married happily until Jennifer receives the news that her husband Cole had died in a car accident. After his death, a woman named Sara enters into her life, claiming that she had an affair with Cole and her son Rory is Cole’s son. Not only that, she also tells Jennifer that the house now belonged to her and that Jennifer and her two children Miller and Sylvie might have to leave…but as soon as Sara settles down in the house, Jennifer soon starts suspecting Sara and Miller too starts behaving strange after Sara and Rory moves into the house. Meanwhile, the police discover that Cole was murdered by the blunt trauma on the head and not from the accident.

This was about the fifth book I have read from this author and I have too say, I wasn’t disappointed! The story is told mainly from Jennifer’s POV as well as Sara’s POV and from start to finish, it was gripping with twists and turns along the way. The ending was completely unexpected ending. Jennifer and Sara relationship seemed to derail as Sara moves into the house as Sara accuses Miller of hurting Rory. Overall, I was literally hooked into the story and this book has all the traits of a good psychological thriller–gripping, unputdownable, fast-paced with twists and turns. Overall, this book worth five stars!

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