New Dark Cover, Same Dark Story: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK 

MY LOVELY WIFE (Berkley Trade Paperback Reprint; March 3, 2020), Samantha Downing’s smash debut about a husband and wife duo who kill together, will be available in paperback on March 3^rd. This delightfully twisted domestic-suspense thriller launched last year to the praise of readers across the country and established Downing as a writer to watch—and for very good reason.

After watching a documentary about a husband who forced his wife to help him kidnap a young woman and keep her captive for years, Downing had a terrifying but intriguing thought: Women never do this to other women… but what if they did?

Enter Millicent, a real estate agent living with her husband and two children in a gilded suburb of Central Florida. When Millicent and her husband commit their first murder, it’s accidental. But they are surprised to discover how the shared secret injects new life into their relationship. The second time a woman goes missing, it isn’t an accident. But even though they think they have this crime perfectly planned, it’s the deadly secrets they’re keeping from each other that may just be their undoing.

I'm honored to promote one of my favorite recent reads as it comes out in paperback. Here is my review of My Lovely WIfe if you haven't had the chance to read it please do! I know you will love it as much as I did.

Review: Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

Published: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Gallery Books

Format: via NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?

Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.

Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.

My Thoughts

Eva wakes up after being struck by lightening not knowing anything but is told her mother is dead and she is the prime suspect. She can’t recall anything but knows she couldn’t have possibly killed her mother so she sets out to find out the truth since her life depends on it. Her search for the truth takes her from Seattle to London and in the process, she learns her life was a complete lie and this just makes matters worse. Not only does she have to defend herself she now has to find out who she is.

Behind Every Lie is another winner from Christina McDonald, she is quickly becoming my new go-to author. Her writing is amazing, she gives us characters and storylines that are complex but yet very human and relatable at the same time. She gives us twists and turns and her storytelling has depth and multilayers. 

I could go on about this book but I wouldn’t dare spoil it for anyone who is thinking about picking it up, and if you aren't thinking about it you really should! If you love a great suspenseful novel I highly recommend this gem of a book.

Review: The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man by Alex North 

Published: August 20, 2019

Publisher: Celadon Books

Format: audiobook

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window.

My Thoughts

In theory, The Whisper Man had everything I wanted in a book, it was a thriller with hints of real scariness that I was so ready to get into. It’s the story of Tom wants a new start with his young son after the loss of his wife, until his son encounters “The Whisper Man” and Tom doesn’t know what to think. The Whisper Man was a man who years ago came to the window of young children to kidnap them and do harm. However many think the man who was convicted had an accomplice and now the police are out to find out what is really going on.

This story is told through different timelines and POVs, so much so I found myself confused at times. While I was so looking forward to reading this it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I was imagining something more scary or haunting but it wasn’t so much that than a story of fathers and sons. and their relationships with one another. Don’t get me wrong there were some scary elements but nothing like I thought it would be. Although it wasn’t what I was expecting it was a good read, one with an interesting storyline and characters that will leave a lasting impression.

Review: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Published: March 26, 2019

Publisher: Berkley Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4.5/5

Synopsis

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with. We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

My Thoughts

My Lovely Wife is the captivating tale of a couple who from the outside look to be living a normal life but behind closed doors, they have one odd and scary hobby...they like to kill. The story is told in the POV of the husband who we only know as “Tobias” and he tells the story of how he and his wife met and how she likes to kill people. According to him he doesn’t actually kill these women his job is to lure them in and his wife does the rest. He doesn’t know what she does or how she does it, he simply rather not know.

During the story we get to know “Tobias” and how he seems to want to stop doing these things for his wife, he knows its wrong and he starts to feel guilty for leading these women on and wants to stop but his wife convinces him to do this one more time. We soon start to see how crazy and sick his wife really is and how if she doesn’t get her way he will pay for it.

This story has so many twists and turns, just when you think you figured something out something else comes out of left field. To see the lengths one will do to get revenge is mind-blowing! Not to mention just when the story ends you think that’s it, then you are thrown another twist that left me with my jaw on the floor. This is one great thriller that just gets better as the story goes along, peeling back the layers until you are blown away at the end. This is one book that I highly recommend.

Review: Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi

Published: 1974

Publisher: W.W. Norton Company

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

The prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the twentieth century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Here is the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime. 50 pages of b/w photographs.

My Thoughts

I’ve always been fascinated by true crime stories and the one that has had me for as long as I can remember is The Manson Murders. From their evil mastermind of a leader, Charles Manson to his royal and true followers their whole story is haunting yet their story is one that decades later still has people wanting to know more.

In Helter Skelter, we get detail by detail of the Manson murders and their victims. We get how Manson and his followers decided to pick their victims and how they came together to become part of Manson’s evil cult. While we have grown to know this wickedly gruesome story but to read this book I still found out some things I didn’t know before. This is a really good book from someone close to the original case and if you're a true crime junkie like myself I’m sure you will find this book as interesting as I did.

Review: A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

Published: June 25, 2019

Publisher: Celadon Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Eighteen-year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of the brutal murder of a man almost fifteen years her senior. She is an ordinary teenager from an upstanding local family. What reason could she have to know a shady businessman, let alone kill him?

Stella’s father, a pastor, and mother, a criminal defense attorney, find their moral compasses tested as they defend their daughter while struggling to understand why she is a suspect. Told in an unusual three-part structure, A Nearly Normal Family asks the questions: How well do you know your own children? How far would you go to protect them?

My Thoughts

In A Nearly Normal Family, Stella is accused of killing an older man. In alternating POVs and timelines, we see pieces of the puzzle and it keeps you thinking could Stella have killed this man, or was it someone else. The next question is if she did why did she? What could have happened to make her do this unspeakable crime? In the process, we met her father who is a pastor and her mother who is a lawyer. I like how we dive deeper into her family and we see how they all interact with one another. We start to see how these relationships play a part in things that have happened. They think they know their daughter but honestly how well do we really know each other? I liked the twist and turns of this book so much and the way things played out I never saw them coming. This is one book that is weird in a good way and with characters that are definitely interesting plus with a storyline that pays off in the very end.

Review: Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi

Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi

Published: September 3, 2019

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BYR

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis

After a year of college, Pablo is working at his local twenty-four-hour deli, selling overpriced snacks to brownstone yuppies. He’s dodging calls from the student loan office and he has no idea what his next move is.

Leanna Smart’s life so far has been nothing but success. Age eight: Disney Mouseketeer; Age fifteen: first #1 single on the US pop chart; Age seventeen, *tenth* #1 single; and now, at Age nineteen…life is a queasy blur of private planes, weird hotel rooms, and strangers asking for selfies on the street.

When Leanna and Pab randomly meet at 4:00 a.m. in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn, they both know they can’t be together forever. So, they keep things on the down-low and off Instagram for as long as they can. But it takes about three seconds before the world finds out.

My Thoughts

Pablo is just a guy working at a local deli when Leanna enters his world and turns everything upside down. One night Leanna walks into the deli and sparks fly and they hit it off and things take off from there. If they want to have fun and see where this goes they can’t let anyone know, meaning they must stay offline.

Each of them are having their own problems so they know this whatever it is won't last forever. Pablo is dealing with family issues and his college career is up in the air. Leanna has been in the spotlight all her life and all she wants is to have some time off and just be herself. I felt that they both entered each other’s lives just when they needed someone. They used each other as a means to escape what they were going through.

While I didn’t love this read I thought it was okay. I liked the characters but some of the storylines just went on longer than I thought they needed to. This was a middle of the road read for me but I would give the author another chance in the future.

Review: Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Published: August 6, 2019

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Dover, Massachusetts, 1969. Ginny Richardson's heart was torn open when her baby girl, Lucy, born with Down Syndrome, was taken from her. Under pressure from his powerful family, her husband, Ab, sent Lucy away to Willowridge, a special school for the “feeble-minded." Ab tried to convince Ginny it was for the best. That they should grieve for their daughter as though she were dead. That they should try to move on. 

But two years later, when Ginny's best friend, Marsha, shows her a series of articles exposing Willowridge as a hell-on-earth--its squalid hallways filled with neglected children--she knows she can't leave her daughter there. With Ginny's six-year-old son in tow, Ginny and Marsha drive to the school to see Lucy for themselves. What they find sets their course on a heart-racing journey across state lines—turning Ginny into a fugitive.

For the first time, Ginny must test her own strength and face the world head-on as she fights Ab and his domineering father for the right to keep Lucy. Racing from Massachusetts to the beaches of Atlantic City, through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to a roadside mermaid show in Florida, Keeping Lucy is a searing portrait of just how far a mother’s love can take her.

My Thoughts

Keeping Lucy is the touching tale of Ginny who goes to lengths to try to get her daughter Lucy back. It’s the late 60’s and Ginny is giving birth when she wakes up she finds out her daughter Lucy has been taken away from her. She later finds out that Lucy has Down Syndrome and given the time there was no other option but to put children who they consider “different” away in orphanages. Ginny was also told Lucy had other problems health wise and this was the best for everyone involved.

A couple of years pass and Ginny finds out that Lucy isn't in the type of place she thought she was. The place isn't fit for anyone and Ginny and her best friend decide to visit Lucy and take her for the weekend but once she is there and sees things for herself she decides Lucy will never go back and from there on it's Ginny and Lucy against the world.

They go on a road trip and Lucy soon begins to open up but only after Ginny sees how Lucy has suffered in that place. She begs her husband and his family, who are very powerful back home, to help but Ginny soon sees she might have to do this alone. Since she didn't have a choice, in the beginning, she takes a stand now and chooses the love for her child over everything and everyone.

Keeping Lucy made me an emotional wreck. The storyline is amazing and touching about a mother whose child was literally taken from her without her permission. She worries if Lucy will even know who she is. However, once they lock eyes Ginny’s heart is complete and Lucy knows this is her mama. This shows us the lengths a mother will go for her child and no matter what others think about Lucy, Ginny cares and will fight for her. If you want a heartwarming read look no further than Keeping Lucy.

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: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Published: Scribner

Publisher: May 28, 2019

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the bond between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness.

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, two rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne—sets the stage for the explosive events to come.

Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Francis and Lena’s daughter, Kate, and Brian and Anne’s son, Peter. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while tested by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace.

My Thoughts

Ask Again, Yes is the story of two families who endure a tragedy and how they overcome and try to move on from it. Francis and Bruce were two rookie cops who worked briefly together but later find themselves neighbors. When they moved in Francis wife, Lena wanted and needed a friend but Brian’s wife Anne was very closed off from the get-go. Soon Kate, Francis and Lena daughter and Peter, Brian and Anne’s son become close friends. Over the years we see their friendship grow and they become each others consent.

Peter has always known his mother is different than other moms, she has episodes and doesn't come out of her room for days or weeks and her highs are highs but her lows are really low. She continues to have these manic episodes and Peter doesn't know what exactly is wrong with her and his father is no help at all. She needs help but doesn't know what to do and all of this comes to a head one night and what happens as a result of it could end Peter and Kate’s friendship but also tie the families together forever.

This novel spans over 40 years and shows us overtime how these two families lives are embedded into each other. We see Peter and Kate grow up and apart but are always thinking of each other until they finally reunite. Kate’s life while it has its struggles family wise isn't as hard as Peter's. His family life is all but destroyed after that one night, his mother is in a mental institution and his father basically leaves him behind with his uncle never to be heard from again. Of all the characters I felt for Peter, his life is the one that could've destroyed him but his uncle and Kate were two people who wouldn't give up on him. As he got older he family problems and his past got the better of him which led to a dark period in his life but once again Kate was there to help him through it.

This is a story of love, friendship, hardships, mental illness, and addiction. We get the highs and lows of these two families who were destined to come together for better or worse. I loved the spanned of decades and how we see them grow and overcome their demons with help from each other. Ask Again, Yes is a wonderful yet gritty story at times that shows us we can overcome anything in life.

Review: Birthday by Meredith Russo

Birthday by Meredith Russo

Published: May 2, 2019

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis

Two kids, Morgan and Eric, are bonded for life after being born on the same day at the same time. We meet them once a year on their shared birthday as they grow and change: as Eric figures out who he is and how he fits into the world, and as Morgan makes the difficult choice to live as her true self. Over the years, they will drift apart, come together, fight, make up, and break up—and ultimately, realize how inextricably they are a part of each other.

My Thoughts

Morgan and Eric are soul mates in all ways, they were born the same day and time and have been best friends forever. They have always had a shared birthday party but as time moved on and life dealt them tragedies, like the death of Morgan’s mother they tried to keep their friendship intact. 

Each one is dealing with family and personal issues, Eric has a father who isn't the most supportive person and while Morgan is trying to come to terms with his true identity and these feelings he's having towards his best friend. Eric has known for a while that Morgan is dealing with something but doesn't want to push, he wants Morgan to come to him when he is ready but deep down Eric has an idea what Morgan is going through. Morgan hasn't been dealing with the death of mother well and with a father who isn't very expressive he doesn't know who to turn to, he wants to tell his best friend but is scared to lose the one person he truly loves in this world.

Birthday is soulful and heartbreaking at the same time. You feel for these two teens who are trying to find themselves in a world that can be cruel. The one thing that they have is each other, no matter what happens, no matter what they may do they always will be there for each other. That love is real and it will transcend everything. That love is so deep that even they become surprised as to how much its true. This story is about friendship and love and how some people truly are soul mates from birth.

Review: Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Published: July 30, 2019

Publisher: William Morrow

Format: via Edelweiss

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis

Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it--teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy's sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night.

Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it's naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way--a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did.

When they're alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn't give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she's going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.

To protect herself and her family and save the life she's built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can't beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.

My Thoughts

In Never Have I Ever we met Amy who lives a pretty ideal life, she married a man who loves her, stepmom to a teen and new mother of a baby boy. She has a good circle of friends and one night during book club the new neighbor makes her presence known. Roux is unlike any of the other moms on the block, but she came to play and Amy is her target. Unknown to anyone else Roux has a secret about Amy that could truly blow up Amy’s life but little does Roux know that Amy isn't one just to lay down and be exposed.

Amy has made a new life for herself after years of running from her past. She did something in her teens she isn't proud about and someone else took the blame for it and she hasn't gotten over it. She has made it her mission to help and protect the ones she hurt and although she wants to do right she doesn't want her past to claim her present.

Roux has come to town with the sole purpose to ruin Amy’s life. She has something that Amy has and she wants it now. However, Roux has no idea that Amy is doing a little background check of her own and soon she discovers who Roux really is and the devastating secret(s) Roux has. Roux is sick, twisted and a master manipulator but she has met her match with Amy who isn't backing down and wants Roux to pay for all her wrongdoings.

Never Have I Ever is pure genius, this book had me on my toes from the first page. I love the banter between Roux and Amy and how they always one-upped each other. Just when one thought they were winning the other comes back with something stronger. This is a game that at the end no one really wins, but the reveals are masterpieces. Joshilyn Jackson has outdone herself with this novel of twist and turns and with each revelation, you are bound to be amazed. If you want an honest to god amazing read look no further than this jaw-dropping story.

Review: The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess

The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess

Published: July 9, 2019

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co

Format: via NetGalley

Rating:4/5

Synopsis

In the summer of 1987, 25-year-old Eve Rosen is an aspiring writer languishing in a low-level assistant job, unable to shake the shadow of growing up with her brilliant brother. With her professional ambitions floundering, Eve jumps at the chance to attend an early summer gathering at the Cape Cod home of famed New Yorker writer Henry Grey and his poet wife, Tillie. Dazzled by the guests and her burgeoning crush on the hosts’ artistic son, Eve lands a new job as Henry Grey’s research assistant and an invitation to Henry and Tillie’s exclusive and famed "Book Party"— where attendees dress as literary characters. But by the night of the party, Eve discovers uncomfortable truths about her summer entanglements and understands that the literary world she so desperately wanted to be a part of is not at all what it seems.

My Thoughts

The Last Book Party centers around Eve and her summer on Cape Cod working under famous writer Henry Grey and his his wife, poet Tilly. Eve is an aspiring writer but hasn't written anything worthwhile. Eve is drawn into this literary world with its intellectual elite and talented writers that she finds herself in a situation that she never thought she would be in. She falls for Henry and Tilly’s son but soon finds her sights on someone else, someone she never imagined but the situation is one that will change things. 

The spotlight of the summer is the “Book Party” hosted by Henry and Tilly that has the who's who in the literary world invited. This is the place when all of the secrets that have been ongoing finally come to the surface and not only will Eve’s secret come out but all of those around her. She finally realizes that this world she has been wanting for as long as she can remember isn't what’s it's cracked up to be.

The Last Book Party drew me in with the promise of all things literary and it didn't disappoint. We get a glimpse of this world but also so much more, Eve is a young woman who just wants to do what she loves, which is writing and being around all these great writers is something she could only dream of. However, this life she thought she wanted isn't so wonderful as she had imagined and realizes there has to be a better way. She is simply learning to come into her own and finding her path to being able to do what she loves. This read is a great coming of age novel that has a great storyline and characters that give us reasons to hate but also love them. This is an easy and quick read that is perfect for these last days of Summer.