Review: Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

Published: August 8, 2017

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime.

My Thoughts

Emma in the Night is the tale of Cass who return after being gone for a few years and now must tell everyone where she has been and what happened to her sister who left with her but never returned. This tale has many twists and turns when it comes to the Tanner sisters, we see a crack in her home life that showcases a family that has many problems, to say the least. We see a mother who is hanging by a thread and a stepfather and stepbrother who don’t have the best intentions.

Cass’s story of where she and her sister were all this time is kind of sketchy to the police, they think some of what she is saying is true but they think there is definitely more to her story than she is saying. So we are left to figure out what if any of her stories are true. This story has layers upon layers of secrets and lies that when unfolded gives us the real and true story of Cass and Emma’s life. When everything is finally revealed I was shocked and truly felt for Cass, she lived a life that was hard but in the end, she was free to live a life that she deserved.

Emma in the Night is part thriller part mystery but what regardless what you want to call it, bottom line the story is amazing! It definitely draws you in and keeps you engaged until the last page is turned. So if you like a story that has any of these elements this is surely the book for you.

Mini Review: All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

Published July 12, 2016

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

In the small, affluent town of Fairview, Connecticut everything seems picture perfect.

Until one night when young Jenny Kramer is attacked at a local party. In the hours immediately after, she is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of the violent assault. But, in the weeks and months that follow, as she heals from her physical wounds, and with no factual recall of the attack, Jenny struggles with her raging emotional memory. Her father, Tom, becomes obsessed with his inability to find her attacker and seek justice while her mother, Charlotte, prefers to pretend this horrific event did not touch her perfect country club world.

As they seek help for their daughter, the fault lines within their marriage and their close-knit community emerge from the shadows where they have been hidden for years, and the relentless quest to find the monster who invaded their town - or perhaps lives among them - drive this psychological thriller to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.

My Thoughts

This is one of those books that I’m really on the fence about. This is a brutally honest look about Jenny and following a night out partying she is raped. What we see is the aftermath of what happens. We are told the story through a person we don’t know at first but eventually, it is revealed who they are.

What I liked about this tale while it is very honest it can be hard to read at times. What I didn’t like was that we don’t know who is telling the tale and that really got on my nerves. I just couldn’t get into the story and to be honest, I was ready to give up on it a few chapters in. However,I give it a chance and the pace did pick up but by then I kind of checked out mentally.

I gave it 3 stars mainly because I liked the storyline more than I didn’t like it. Maybe in time I will revisit this read again and feel different one way or another.