Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Published: August 6, 2019

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is. 

My Thoughts

I’ve always had an iffy relationship with Ruth Ware, I’m always excited by her new reads but sadly they don't live up to the hype. Now maybe it's just me who hypes them up so high but her books just never “get” there for me. Well, all that has changed with her newest book The Turn of the Key, this book is just...spectular!

The Turn of the Key is told through letters from the main character Rowen to a lawyer she hopes can help her. All we know is that she is accused of murder. We met Rowen who comes across an ad as a nanny so she goes for an interview to this massive home which is all decked out tech-wise. When she meets the kids things don't go well but somehow she gets the job and strange and scary things begin to happen.

She is soon left with the children while their parents go away and Rowen tries her best to get along with the kids but they are a handful and one of them continues to tell Rowen that she should leave or bad things will happen. The fact that Rowen begins to hear things and suspect somethings aren't right doesn’t help matters.

While Rowen does have reason to fear, she’s isn't so innocent we start to learn more and more about Rowen as the book goes on and soon her secrets are relieved and the real reason she came to this house. As things unravel Rowen’s real story doesn't help her case and she is left to defend herself. 

This book was just amazing to me, you get this story that straight up opens with a murder and a suspect already in jail. If that wasn't enough we get this huge mansion with a ghost or something and nannies that keep disappearing. Then we find out Rowen’s secrets which was a huge plot twist and lastly, we get a second plot twist at the end! Ruth Ware doesn't disappoint with this thriller it is one that pays off dividends! If you want a great page-turner of a book look no further than this one….it’s the ultimate read!

Review: Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

Published: September 12, 2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: audiobook via Overdrive

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Three years ago, Tanner Scott’s family relocated from California to Utah, a move that nudged the bisexual teen temporarily back into the closet. Now, with one semester of high school to go, and no obstacles between him and out-of-state college freedom, Tanner plans to coast through his remaining classes and clear out of Utah.

But when his best friend Autumn dares him to take Provo High’s prestigious Seminar—where honor roll students diligently toil to draft a book in a semester—Tanner can’t resist going against his better judgment and having a go, if only to prove to Autumn how silly the whole thing is. Writing a book in four months sounds simple. Four months is an eternity.

It turns out, Tanner is only partly right: four months is a long time. After all, it takes only one second for him to notice Sebastian Brother, the Mormon prodigy who sold his own Seminar novel the year before and who now mentors the class. And it takes less than a month for Tanner to fall completely in love with him.

My Thoughts

Autoboyography gives us the story of Tanner who is a bi teen living in conservative Utah. He has a best friend Autumn whom he thinks likes him but he doesn't see her that way. He is just waiting to go off to college and live his life the way he wants when he meets Sebastian. Sebastian is everything Tanner wants to be, he has just published his first novel and Tanner falls in love with him. Living in religious Utah he doesn't know if Sebastian is gay or not so he doesn't want to be too forward but soon he gets signals that make him think Sebastian feels the same way about him.

We slowly see Tanner and Sebastian trend the line when it comes to romance. Tanner is head over heels while Sebastian can't admit that he is bi or gay he just knows that he has feelings for Tanner but will never admit it to anyone. This story pulled at my heartstrings at times seeing how both of these guys are just trying to find their way in the world all the while trying to navigate the feelings of love. It's hard enough growing up but to come out in such a conservative city it took a toll on them both and their relationship.

This novel was all about love and coming to terms with who you are and being proud of it. The romance was cute and you rooted for them because you wanted them to be happy and have a chance to see what could be. I also enjoyed Tanner’s friendships and family, they offered him such love and support sadly something you don't see sometimes. This is a wonderfully written novel that will leave you with so many emotions in the very end.

Review: Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka

Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka

Expected Publication: August 1, 2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Who Are You When No One Is Watching?

When a beloved high schooler named Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.

In crystalline prose, Danya Kukafka offers a brilliant exploration of identity and of the razor-sharp line between love and obsession, between watching and seeing, between truth and memory.

My Thoughts

Girl in Snow is an intriguing and creepy [in a good way] novel about a girl named Lucinda who is found murdered and trying to find out who did this to her. There are three people who are the book focuses on Cameron who is obsessed with Lucinda, Jade who lost her childhood friend to Lucinda when he fell in her love with her and Russ who is one of the officers on the case who may be related to someone who might be evolved.

Told in alternating chapters we see how each one is touched by Lucinda in some way, shape or form. As we get to know each character we find these dark secrets that each holds and how it is possible that any of them could know something about Lucinda’s past and her murder.

I found this story original and yes creepy! But creepy in the way that’s so suspenseful and definitely keeps you on your toes. There was never a dull moment and you kept getting secrets and twist and turns thrown at you that you couldn’t keep up. I love that you didn’t find out the truth until the very end and I was surprised, which is nice since most of the time I can figure out things rather quickly! This is one novel that I think is worth the read!

Review: Hello Sunshine by Laura Dave

Hello Sunshine by Laura Dave

Expected Publication: July 11, 2014

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: via publisher

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Sunshine Mackenzie has it all…until her secrets come to light.

Sunshine Mackenzie is living the dream—she’s a culinary star with millions of fans, a line of #1 bestselling cookbooks, and a devoted husband happy to support her every endeavor.

And then she gets hacked.

When Sunshine’s secrets are revealed, her fall from grace is catastrophic. She loses the husband, her show, the fans, and her apartment. She’s forced to return to the childhood home—and the estranged sister—she’s tried hard to forget. But what Sunshine does amid the ashes of her own destruction may well save her life.

In a world where celebrity is a careful construct, Hello, Sunshine is a compelling, funny, and evocative novel about what it means to live an authentic life in an inauthentic age.

My Thoughts

I love the whole idea of having it all, only to be taken away to truly realize what is important in life. This is what happens to Sunshine Mackenzie who was plucked out of a bar and became the newest face of food tv. She became a food television star but ironically she can't cook to save her life. She is living the life until one day she is hacked and her whole world falls apart. After her career has fallen apart and her marriage quickly follows the same path she decides to go back home to her sister and niece to sort things out. Once there she tries to have a relationship with them both but it's hard when she hasn't been around in years. Sunshine is determined to pick herself back up but she also wants to know who was malice enough to rock her world and when she finally discovers who did it she can't believe it and neither could I!

In Hello Sunshine, Laura Dave gives us an easy breezy read that is perfect for the time and world we are living in. We live in a world where everyday people can become internet stars at the drop of a hat but can also be taken down just as quickly. This online world can be a wonderful and amazing thing but it also has its evil side that can make it easy for anyone to destroy the next person. However what I also loved was the storyline with her sister and niece. We see the one side of Sunshine that we know is real. We see her caring and wanting that relationship with them that she knows is more important than any money can buy. This is the quintessial beach read. It is engaging, funny and has heart. We see the journey of a person who got lucky in life but when it was taken away wanted to do things the right way. We see things come full circle and while it was a diffcuilt road it was one worth taking.

Review: The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

Expected Publication: March 1, 2016

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: via publisher

Rating: 5/5

Add to Goodreads * Amazon

Synopsis

In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it...

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

With heart-stopping escapes and devious deceptions, The Passenger is an amazing psychological thriller about defining yourself while you pursue your path to survival. One thing is certain: the ride will leave you breathless.

My Thoughts

“In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it...”

Those are the first words that drew me into this wonderful mystery/suspense thriller by Lisa Lutz. When we first met Tanya we find over standing over her dead husband's body and when we hear those words we are from there taken on a wild ride one that takes us on a journey where you never know what will happen. You are always questioning everyone and everything and never believing what you read because can you really believe someone who would leave someone to die? Once she is on the run she meets up with the mysterious Blue who herself has a questionable past but when she seeks out to help Tanya you have to wonder what exactly is she up to.

This is a fast paced book that takes us through the journey of Tanya or whoever she is, and slowly like peeling back the layers of an onion we get to see who she really is and how exactly she got to where she is today. By the end, everything is explained and my opinion of her was definitely changed from what I thought about her in the beginning. This is an action pack read one that gives us lots to think about and one that constantly has us changing what we think will come next. I highly recommend this read it is one that will keep you glued from the very first sentence.

Review: The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis

The Summer of Good Intentions by Wendy Francis

Published: July 7, 2015

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Challenges: 2015 NG/EW

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Cape Cod summers are supposed to remain reassuringly the same, but everything falls apart when three sisters and their families come together for their annual summer vacation—and they are carrying more secrets than suitcases.

Maggie is the oldest. She feels responsible for managing the summer house and making sure everything is as it always has been. But she’s hurt that her parents’ recent divorce has destroyed the family’s comfortable summer routines, and her own kids seem to be growing up at high speed. Is it too late to have another baby?

Jess is the middle sister. She loves her job but isn’t as passionate about her marriage. She’s not sure she can find the courage to tell Maggie what she’s done—much less talk to her husband about it.

Virgie is the youngest, her dad’s favorite. She’s always been the career girl, but now there’s a man in her life. Her television job on the west coast is beyond stressful, and it’s taking its toll on her—emotionally and physically. She’s counting on this vacation to erase the symptoms she’s not talking about.

The Herington girls are together again, with their husbands and kids, for another summer in the family’s old Cape Cod house. When their mother, Gloria, announces she’s coming for an unscheduled visit—with her new boyfriend—no one is more surprised than their father, Arthur, who has not quite gotten over his divorce. Still, everyone manages to navigate the challenges of living grown-up lives in close quarters, until an accident reveals a new secret that brings everyone together in heartbreak…and then healing.

My Thoughts

The Summer of Good Intentions focuses on the Herington family and how one summer has changed their lives forever. When all three sisters and their families comes together for their annual summer getaway at the family house but this year feels and is very different from summers past. Their parents are recently divorced and they have to deal with having them there separately since their mother is bringing a new boyfriend and their father just isn’t acting himself these days. Plus they all have to deal with their own lives and families and how their choices will not only affect themselves but the family as a whole.

Maggie is the oldest the family’s rock. Her life and marriage is the most solid and she is the one who is determined that her family doesn’t fall apart, so much so that she takes on everything only adding more stress to her own life.

Jess is the middle sister who we discover is having an affair after she feels her life is boring and her husband doesn’t give her what she feels is missing. She takes this summer to discover if she wants to save her marriage or if she wants to see if this “affair” is really anything or just a fling.

And then there is Virgie. She is the baby of the family her father’s favorite who up to this point has put her career first and personal happiness second. She recently has met a nice guy who she is quickly falling for and for the first time she rethinks her decisions in life.

The Summer of Good Intentions gives us everything that makes it an amazing read. I loved this story of family and how while everyone has their own problems in the end it’s all about family. They are truly there for one another and this summer of the tragedies, illnesses and obstacles they face will truly test just that. This book defines a summer read. It gives you a nice summer background of sun and fun but it is so much more than that. I loved the family dynamics between everyone; however the bonds the sisters have with one another is so true to life. It isn’t perfect they fight and argue and I liked how the author didn’t try to sugar coat this family and showed them flaws and all. In the end this read digs below the surface and shows us that family is the most important thing, that you can have all the money, fame and career but nothing means anything if you don’t have that backbone of love and support behind you. This is one is a MUST on any summer reading list.

Review: Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

Expected Publication: June 2, 2015

Format: NetGalley

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Challenges: 2015 NG/EW and 2015 SRC

Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

There are secrets you share, and secrets you hide…

Growing up on her family’s Sonoma vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. The secret behind ending a fight: hold hands.

But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.

Georgia does what she’s always done: she returns to the family vineyard, expecting the comfort of her long-married parents, and her brothers, and everything familiar. But it turns out her fiancé is not the only one who’s been keeping secrets…

My Thoughts

I love this tale of Georgia who with a week before her wedding comes home to the family vineyard when she realizes her life is falling apart at the seams. What would you do if as you are having your wedding dress fitting you look out and see your fiancé with a famous actress and child? Going down the street in full gown she finds out he has a child he never mentioned. Mad and upset she goes back home for comfort and hoping for support from her parents when she is hit with another surprise…her mother with another man. Georgia just keeps getting hit after hit with family secrets that are about to boil over and change everyones lives. Her parents’ divorce is just the tip of the iceberg.

She soon learns that her beloved family vineyard is being sold to big corporation the one thing her father never wanted. She is torn between her job and her passion for the vineyard she is the only one besides her father who doesn’t want to part with it. Now she is determined to go head to head with the owner and not surprisingly there is a little underlying attraction. She must decide what direction she wants her life to go. Will she go with her heart or do what is expected of her? This is the story of secrets and how while some can destroy things sometimes they can bring amazing results in the end. I fully enjoyed this story of family and realizing what you truly needed and wanted is right there in front of you all along.

    About Laura
Laura Dave is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The First Husband, The Divorce Party and London Is The Best City In America. Her novels have been published in fifteen countries, and three of her novels, including Eight Hundred Grapes, have been optioned as major motion pictures. She resides in Santa Monica, California.

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Review: The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella

The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella

Published: January 20, 2015

Format: copy via publisher

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

A debut, coming-of-age novel in which a teenage girl from Philadelphia leaves her old life behind to become The Sweetheart, one of America's most infamous female wrestlers. It's 1953 and seventeen-year-old Leonie Putzkammer is cartoonishly tall and curvaceous, destined to spend the rest of her life waiting tables and living with her widowed father, Franz, in their Philadelphia row house. Until the day legendary wrestling promoter Salvatore Costantini walks into the local diner and offers her the chance of a lifetime.

Leonie sets off for Florida to train at Joe Pospisil's School for Lady Grappling. There, she transforms into Gorgeous Gwen Davies, tag-team partner of legendary Screaming Mimi Hollander, and begins a romance with the soon-to-be Junior Heavyweight Champion Spider McGee. But when life as Gorgeous Gwen leaves her wanting, she orchestrates a move that will catapult her from heel to hero: she becomes The Sweetheart, a choice that attracts the fans she desires but complicates all of her relationships with Franz, Joe, Spider, Mimi (who becomes her fiercest competitor), and even with herself.

My Thoughts

The Sweetheart caught me completely off guard…in a good way! I must admit I didn’t know if this book was my type but I vowed this year to span my literary horizon and after reading this I’m sure glad I did. While I’ve always been a fan of ‘resslin’ I honestly never really cared for women wrestling. However this story of Leonie was amusing and I loved the whole coming of age tale of a girl finding her passion and living her life. And while Leonie’s story is wonderful I also loved the supporting characters that are all wonderful in their own right. Although this books storyline is basically about wrestling it’s much more than that. It’s about friendship, love and ultimately finding who you are and whom you’re meant to be. 

Review: The Rest of Us by Jessica Lott

The Rest of Us by Jessica Lott
Expected Publication: July 2, 2013
Format: E-Arc via Edelweiss
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary via Goodreads

A gorgeous literary debut about second chances, The Rest of Us is an indelible love story that explores the legacy of an affair between a young student and her older professor.

As a college student, Terry fell madly and destructively in love with Rhinehart, her famous poetry professor, tumbling into a relationship from which she never fully recovered. Now, fifteen years later, she’s single, still living in the same walk-up she moved into after college, and languishing as a photographer’s assistant, having long abandoned her own art. But when she stumbles upon Rhinehart’s obituary online, she finds herself taking stock of the ways her life has not lived up to her youthful expectations and grows disproportionately distraught at the thought that she’ll never see him again.

She is shocked when a few weeks later she bumps into Rhinehart himself: very much alive, married, and Christmas shopping at Bloomingdale’s. What ensues is an intense and beautiful friendship, an unexpected second act that pushes Terry to finally reckon with the consequences of their past and the depth of her own aspirations—and to begin to come back alive as an artist and a woman. Set in New York’s vibrant art world, The Rest of Us is a captivating read and is as much a love letter to the city and the struggles of its artists as it is a sharp and stirring novel of the heart.

My Thoughts

This book is all about love, heartache and second chances. The story tells the story of Terry and her relationship with her professor. While having moved on with her life she is forced to relive t when she thinks he has passed on. In flashbacks we learn all about their relationship and what leads up to the breakup.

I personally didn’t feel the emotional pull that the writer was trying to make us buy into. While I think the overall story is good and I enjoyed the writing I just couldn’t buy into this “love story.”

While this is a storyline we have seen time and time again I do agree that we must deal with and address our past actions if we ever want to move on. That things that seem important when we are young aren’t valued the same when we are older.