Shelley's Book Nook

☆☆☆☆ .PDF, 277 pages Expected Publication: June 24th 2021 by Orion Publishing Group/Gollancz About the Book: What would you do to protect your family if the world stopped working? Not long from now, in a recognisable yet changed London, Signy and Matthew lead a dull, difficult life. They've only really stayed together for the sake of their six year old son, Jed. But they're surviving, just about. Until the day the technology that runs their world stops working. Unable to use their phones, pay for anything, even open the smart door to their flat, Matthew assumes that this is just a momentary glitch in the computers that now run the world. But then the electricity and gas are cut off. Even the water stops running. And the pollination drones - vital to the world, ever since the bees all died - are behaving oddly. People are going missing. Soldiers are on the streets. London is no longer safe. A shocking incident sends Signy and Jed on the run, desperate to flee London and escape ...

☆☆☆ .ePUB, 320 pages Expected Publication: June 8th 2021 by Macmillan-Tor/Forge/Forge Books About the Book: An accomplished photographer and the devoted mom of an adorable little boy, Allie Ross has just moved to an upscale DC suburb, the kind of place where parenting feels like a competitive sport. Allie’s desperate to make a good first impression. Then she’s framed for murder. It all starts at a neighborhood party when a local dad corners Allie and calls her by an old, forgotten nickname from her dark past. The next day, he is found dead. Soon, the police are knocking at her door, grilling her about a supposed Tinder relationship with the man, and pulling up texts between them. She learns quickly that she's been hacked and someone is impersonating her online. Her reputation—socially and professionally—is at stake; even her husband starts to doubt her. As the killer closes in, Allie must reach back into a past she vowed to forget in order to learn the shocking truth of who is des...

☆☆☆ .ePUB, 272 pages Expected Publication: June 17th 2021 by Boldwood Books About the Book: They say if you love someone, you have to let them go. But what if it's your child? All Sarah McIntyre has ever wanted was a loving, happy family. So when her husband JP announces on Christmas Day that he is leaving her and their two children, 9 year old Harry and 4 year old Robyn, Sarah is left reeling. But things are set to get worse when Robyn is diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. Can JP and Sarah unite to fight their biggest battle yet? or will they be on opposing sides once again? With the couple at loggerheads and with Robyn's condition deteriorating day-by-day, precious time is running out and JP is getting desperate. My Review: I was enjoying this book and liked how it dealt with a lot of important issues, and the story itself was extremely sad, but I just found it fell a little flat in the writing department. This was hard to read because of the suffering of a child, th...

☆☆☆☆ ☆ .ePUB, 254 pages Expected Publication: May 18th 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt About the Book: Jonah Keller moved to New York City with dreams of becoming a successful playwright, but, for the time being, lives in a rundown sublet in Bushwick, working extra hours at a restaurant only to barely make rent. When he stumbles upon a photo of Richard Shriver—the glamorous Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and quite possibly the stepping stone to the fame he craves—Jonah orchestrates their meeting. The two begin a hungry, passionate affair. When summer arrives, Richard invites his young lover for a spell at his sprawling estate in the Hamptons. A tall iron fence surrounds the idyllic compound where Richard and a few of his close artist friends entertain, have lavish dinners, and—Jonah can’t help but notice—employ a waitstaff of young, attractive gay men, many of whom sport ugly bruises. Soon, Jonah is cast out of Richard’s good graces and a sinister underlay begins to emerge. As a ...

☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 257 pages Expected Publication: June 15th 2021 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine About the Book: At just thirty-five, reclusive billionaire Robbie Malcolm is a renowned financial prognosticator, a celebrated philanthropist, and a mathematical genius. Also, he’s dying, which is a fact he’s carefully concealing from the world. As he takes stock, Robbie realizes that his wealth means nothing if he can’t help the people who matter most. So he invites his oldest friends—Blair, Cat, and Wade—to their beloved Fenwick Island on the coast of Delaware to share his secret and to reveal plans for each of them that he believes will change their lives forever. However, Robbie isn’t the only one with secrets. The bonds the friends formed as teenagers still exist, but adulthood has brought a whole new set of complications, like unrequited loves, marriages on the brink, and so much unfulfilled potential. Robbie’s plans may look good on paper, but are they any match for the utte...

☆ .ePUB, 314 pages Expected Publication: June 4th 2021 by HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter About the Book: My family has just been reunited. So who is trying to tear it apart? A mother who disappeared. When Beth was 10 years old, her beautiful, wild mothr Alice walked out and never came back. Beth’s life since hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but now she is happy and settled, with a successful career, a loving family and a beautiful home. An unexpected visitor. Then one day there’s a knock at the door. Alice has returned. Overjoyed to have the chance to rebuild their relationship, Beth invites her mother to move in. A life that comes crashing down. At first, everything seems wonderful. But then Beth’s friends begin to drift away, strange things start to happen at home, and rumours begin to circle about her past. As the mysterious events around Beth become darker and more dangerous, she is forced to question everything. Is somebody in her life trying to destroy her happiness? And ho...

☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 325 pages Expected Publication: June 8th 2021 by Sourcebooks Landmark About the Book: Didi Laing met her first love, Shay Mason, on a magical winter visit to Venice. For six months after that they were rapturously happy together and Shay came to work at Didi's parents' hotel in the Cotswolds. One event changed everything, shocking the town, and leading to Shay's disappearance. In the thirteen years after Shay walked out, no one expects ever to hear from him again. Then one day, out of the blue, Shay returns to Elliscombe to fulfill his father's dying wish and unintentionally upends Didi's life.Moving into the best suite in her hotel sparks all kinds of rumors and sets off a chain of events that affects the whole town. The residents of Elliscombe all have their own stories and secrets, more intertwined than anyone could have guessed. My Review: I really liked the first novel I read by this author ( Maybe This Time ) so I thought I'd give this second ...

☆☆☆☆ ebook, 300 pages Expected publication: June 1st 2021 by Quercus Publishing About the Book: When Abby's doctor tells her she's two months pregnant she doesn't believe him. She can't be - she hasn't had sex for over a year. But to her astonishment and dismay, multiple tests confirm it's true. Desperately searching for an explanation, Abby recalls New Year's Day - the terrible hangover, the hole in her memory where the night before should have been and the inexplicable sense of unease - and realises that this baby must have been conceived at her best friend Danny's NYE party. Horrified that someone would have taken advantage of her intoxicated state, Abby enlists the help of Danny to find out which of the party guests assaulted her. But when she starts to receive anonymous messages it seems that while she has been looking into the father of her baby, someone has been watching her. My Review: She’s the cockroach in this scenario.  She’s been immobi...

☆ .ePUB, 298 pages Expected Publication: June 1st 2021 by Harper 360 About the Book: How is it possible that her body went undiscovered for ten whole months? Sarah Jones, by all accounts, is young, pretty, charismatic and full of life—a good tenant. But after three months go by without Sarah paying her rent, property manager Jenn enters the small London apartment to find a radio is playing, a small dining table set for three, and a decayed body curled up on the sofa…How is it possible that almost a year went by before someone found Sarah? Who has been paying her rent? Who was she expecting for dinner the night she died? Jenn is determined to uncover the mystery but has demons of her own to contend with. My Review: I did not like this book, the character of Jennifer was a massive helicopter mom bordering on child abuse. The book itself was very repetitive to the point of rambling and I didn't find it "A masterfully plotted, intelligent and emotionally riveting psychological t...

☆☆☆ ☆ ☆ .ePUB, 283 pages Expected Publication: June 8th 2021 by Gallery Books About the Book: Amy Ashton once dreamed of becoming an artist—of creating beautiful objects. But now she simply collects them. Aquamarine bottles, bright yellow crockery, deep Tuscan red pots (and the odd slow-cooker) take up every available inch of space in her house. Having suffered a terrible tragedy—one she staunchly refuses to let herself think about, thank you very much—she’s decided that it’s easier to love things than people. Things are safe. Things will never leave you. But when a new family moves in next door with two young boys, one of whom has a collection of his own, Amy’s carefully managed life starts to unravel, prompting her to question why she began to close herself off in the first place. As Amy embarks on a journey back into her past, she has to contend with nosy neighbors, a meddlesome government worker, the inept police, and a little boy whose love of bulldozers might just let Amy open u...

☆☆ .ePUB, 252 pages Expected Publication: June 1st 2021 by Canongate Books/Severn House About the Book: Is Wendy's dream house about to turn into her worst nightmare? From the moment Wendy Thornton first laid eyes on number 37, The Ashes, she knew she had to have it. It may seem neglected on the outside, but Wendy is convinced it's her perfect family home. It just needs to be loved. It needs her. When Wendy receives an unexpected sum of money from her aunt's will, her dream of buying The Ashes becomes a reality. But as Wendy moves in with her young family and starts uncovering its past, she soon learns that The Ashes is hiding a number of dark secrets. Is Wendy's dream house about to become her worst nightmare? As she is drawn further into The Ashes' dark history, Wendy's own life starts to unravel in the most spectacular and devastating way. My Review: I'm still searching for the words for this review, so bare with me. This book is confusing at the best of ...

☆☆☆ ☆ .PDF, 279 pages Expected Publication: June 8th 2021 by Amazon Publishing UK/Lake Union Publishing About the Book: 1984. Bessie is a confident sixteen-year-old girl with the world at her feet, dreaming of what life will bring and what she’ll bring to this life. Then everything comes crashing down. Her bright and trusting smile is lost, banished by shame—and a secret she’ll carry with her for the rest of her life. 2021. The last thirty-seven years have not been easy for Bess. At fifty-three she is visibly weary, and her marriage to Mario is in tatters. Watching her son in newlywed bliss—the hope, the trust, the joy—Bess knows it is time to face her own demons, and try to save her relationship. But she’ll have to throw off the burden of shame if she is to honour that sixteen-year-old girl whose dreams lie frozen in time. Can Bess face her past, finally come clean to Mario, and claim the love she has longed to fully experience all these years? My Review: I really enjoy Amanda Prowse...

☆☆☆☆ .PDF, 236 pages Expected Publication: June 1st 2021 by Simon and Schuster UK About the Book: You just boarded a flight to New York. There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard. What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped. For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die. The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane. Enjoy the flight. My Review: I love a good thriller, and this one was no exception. For me it was one of those fast paced, unputdownable reads, that I had to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to finish, and read it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the pacing of this book. It was never dull for me, each chapter really pushed the story forward well.  One thing in particular that I thought the author did well was utilizing multiple points of view. I don't always enjoy multiple POV shifts but I thought the author did a great job of usi...

☆☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 397 pages Expected Publication: June 8th 2021 by Henry Holt & Company About the Book: Everyone knows everyone in the tiny town of Bourne, but the Mitchell triplets are especially beloved. Mirabel is the smartest person anyone knows, and no one doubts it just because she can’t speak. Monday is the town’s purveyor of books now that the library’s closed—tell her the book you think you want, and she’ll pull the one you actually do from the microwave or her sock drawer. Mab’s job is hardest of all: get good grades, get into college, get out of Bourne. For a few weeks seventeen years ago, Bourne was national news when its water turned green. The girls have come of age watching their mother’s endless fight for justice. But just when it seems life might go on the same forever, the first moving truck anyone’s seen in years pulls up and unloads new residents and old secrets. Soon, the Mitchell sisters are taking on a system stacked against them and uncovering mysteries buried lo...

☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 284 pages Expected Publication: June 1st 2021 by Canongate Books/Severn House About the Book: A dark past. A terrifying secret. A deadly game is about to begin . . .Washed-up author Rufus Orton needs money. It's the main reason he takes the gig teaching creative writing to inmates at HMP Holderness. That, and the flattery of prison officer Annabeth Harris, who contacted him out of the blue and begged him to take the job. Annabeth loves Rufus' work. Genuinely. She loves being a prison officer too. But Annabeth is keeping a secret. Fifteen years ago she did something bad, and if it ever comes out, her new, perfect life will be destroyed. HMP resident Griffin Cox has no black marks against his name. He claims he's been wrongly convicted of the sex offence that put him in prison. He's lying. He has a plan – and everything hinges on him securing a place in the classroom with Rufus and Annabeth. It's only then that the game can begin . My Review: Bites down s...

☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 237 pages Expected Publication: June 1st 2021 by Sourcebooks Landmark About the Book: Lex fled Memphis years ago, making ends meet with odd jobs teaching English around the world. She only returns when she has no choice, when her godmother presents her with a bargain she can't refuse. Lex has never understood her mother, who died tragically right before Lex's college graduation, but now she's got a chance to read her journals, to try and figure out what sent her mother spiraling all those years ago. The Memphis that Lex inhabits is more bourbon and bbq joint than sweet tea on front porches, and as she pieces together the Memphis her mother knew, seeing the lure of the world through her mother's lush writing, she must confront more of her own past and the people she left behind. Once all is laid bare, Lex must decide for herself: What is the true meaning of family? My Review: I really enjoyed reading this book, the linguistics parts alone had me enthralled. L...

☆☆☆ .ePUB, 240 pages Expected Publication: May 23rd 2021 by Inkubator Books About the Book: When her marriage breaks down, Mel returns from Australia to the UK, and moves into the family home with her twin, Abbie. Mel just needs some space so she can recover from a painful separation and get ready to begin a new phase in her life. But something isn’t right… The twins have always been close, but Abbie seems like a different person. She used to be outgoing and gregarious, now she’s sullen and hostile. Even worse, a sinister man Mel has never seen before is following her. She doesn’t know what he wants, but she’s pretty sure it’s nothing good. And Mel is right to be worried. As she is inexorably pulled into a vortex of unimaginable terror, she discovers the horrifying truth about Abbie’s secret life… And the terrible price that has to be paid – by the wrong twin. My Review: This story started off really slow, I honestly felt like it was chick lit at first. But then as I read on it real i...

☆☆☆ ☆ ☆ .ePUB, 305 pages Expected Publication: May 25th 2021 by PENGUIN GROUP/G.P. Putnam's Sons About the Book: Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league. So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting--even if temporary...

☆☆☆ ☆ ☆ .PDF, 205 pages Expected Publication: June 1st 2021 by Catapult About the Book: Irene, a lonely nineteen-year-old in rural North Carolina, works long nights at the local pool hall, serving pitchers and dodging drunks. One evening, her hilarious, magnetic coworker Luce invites her on a joy ride through the mountains to take revenge on a particularly creepy customer. Their adventure not only spells the beginning of a dazzling friendship, it seduces both girls into the mysterious world of pills and the endless hustles needed to fund the next high. Together, Irene and Luce run nickel-tossing scams at the county fair and trick dealers into trading legit pharms for birth-control pills. Everything is wild and wonderful until Luce finds a boyfriend who wants to help her get clean. Soon the two of them decide to move away and start a new, sober life in Florida—leaving Irene behind. My Review: Some books you read, other books you experience. This is one you experience. Karen Tucker has ...

☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 271 pages Expected Publication: May 1st 2021 by Lake Union Publishing About the Book: Widowed Samantha Arias hasn’t spoken to Holly Dunfee in forever. It’s for the best. Samantha prefers to avoid conflict. The blisteringly honest Holly craves it. What they still have in common puts them both back on speed dial: a mutual love for Katie, their best friend of twenty-five years, now hospitalized with cancer and needing one little errand from her old college roomies. It’s simple: travel cross-country together, steal her loathsome ex-husband’s VW camper, find Katie’s diabetic Great Pyrenees at a Utah rescue, and drive him back home to Wisconsin. If it’ll make Katie happy, no favor is too big (one hundred pounds), too daunting (two thousand miles), or too illegal (ish), even when a boho D-list celebrity hitches a ride and drives the road trip in fresh directions. Samantha and Holly are following every new turn—toward second chances, unexpected romance, and self-discovery—and fina...

☆☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 314 pages Expected Publication: May 11th 2021 by Ecco About the Book: Elise knows every inch of the house. She knows which boards will creak. She knows where the gaps are in the walls. She knows which parts can take her in, hide her away. It’s home, after all. The home her parents made for her, before they were taken from her in a car crash. And home is where you stay, no matter what. Eddie is a teenager trying to forget about the girl he sometimes sees out of the corner of his eye. But when his hotheaded older brother senses her, too, they are faced with the question of how to get rid of someone they aren’t sure even exists. And as they try to cast her out, they unwittingly bring an unexpected and far more real threat to their doorstep. My Review: Oh My Gosh, this book was a read it in one sitting novel. This story drew me in and I could not stop reading, even knowing from the start that young, resourceful Elise was in such a sad, untenable situation and the facade of he...

  ☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 295 pages Expected Publication: June 1st 2021 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine About the Book: When Lizzie calls off her wedding in the south of France only a week before the big day, not even her closest friends know why. But since the château is already paid for, they figure it’s the perfect place to take Lizzie and get her mind off her suddenly single state. But when the party arrives, the wedding is waiting for them—food, flowers, and all. The next day, Lizzie wakes to find her friends have drunkenly reveled in the wedding-that-wasn’t—but not all their antics were benign. Someone is set on tormenting Lizzie, and she can’t figure out who. The more the friends try to piece together exactly what happened that night, the more secrets start to come out. The biggest secret of all—the one that must not come out—is Lizzie’s. But as intimidating messages appear around the château, it seems that someone intends to pursue her until it does. Will Lizzie ever be a...

☆☆☆☆ .ePUB, 295 pages Expected Publication: May 25th 2021 by Berkley Publishing Group About the Book: Piper Parrish's life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom's crab boat capsized and his body wasn't recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper? Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and c...

☆☆☆1/2 .ePUB, 277 pages Expected Publication: May 27th 2021 by Boldwood Books About the Book: From the moment they met as children, Sasha knew that beautiful, wealthy, and confident Caitlin would always be her absolute best friend. Sasha would do anything to make Caitlin happy. Even keep her darkest secrets…The years have passed, but their friendship remains. And when Caitlin announces she’s getting married there is only one choice for the role of bridesmaid. Sasha will make sure Caitlin’s wedding is as beautiful and perfect as she is. Won’t she? But as the big day approaches, cracks begin to appear. Because no matter what Sasha does, she never seems to make Caitlin happy. And the secrets that once bound these two friends, now threaten to rip them apart for good. My Review: I was unsure what to rate this. I really enjoyed this book and got sucked into it and boy was it ever a readable page turner...BUT it was not a thriller...not by my definition. This was more like a dramatic chick l...