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Showing posts from January, 2023

The Lost English Girl by Julia Kelly

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👧👧👧👧👧 Print Length: 416 Pages Publication Date: March 7th, 2023 By: Simon & Schuster Canada | Gallery Books Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Liverpool, 1935: Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighbourhood and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous Jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. But when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family. Five years later and on the eve of World War II, Viv is faced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, to the countryside estate of the affluent Thompson family. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in

Spare by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex

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🫅🫅🫅🫅 .ePUB, 450 pages Publication Date: 10 Jan 2023 By: Random House Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is that story at last. Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight. At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from

The Family Bones by Elle Marr

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  ☠️☠️ Print Length: 317 Pages Publication Date: March 7th, 2023 By: Thomas & Mercer Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Psychology student Olivia Eriksen’s family is notorious among true-crime buffs. Faced with a legacy of psychopathy that spans generations, Olivia has spent much of her academic life trying to answer one chilling question: Nature or nurture? Although she’s kept a safe distance from her blood relatives for years, Olivia agrees to attend a weekend reunion. After all, her fiancé is eager to meet his future in-laws, and the gathering may give her a chance to interview her elusive grandfather about the family traits. But nothing is ever peaceful among the Eriksens for long. Olivia’s favorite cousin is found dead in a nearby lake. Then another family member disappears. As a violent storm isolates the group further, Olivia’s fears rise faster than the river. And an uninvited guest is about to join the party. True-crime podcaster Birdie Tan has uncovered a disturbing myst

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

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☠️ ☠️ Print Length: 368 Pages Publication Date: March 7th, 2023 By: St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books Goodreads  | Amazon About The Book: Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, a bond forged as residents of Savior House, an abusive group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down—after the disappearance of several kids—the three were split up. Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live successful, if troubled, lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them. To save their lives, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their past—a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead. It’s a reunion none of them asked for... or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives. My Review: I read and loved both Every Last Fear and The Night Shift by this a

When the Moon Turns Blue by Pamela Terry

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  🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙 Print Length: 320 Pages Publication Date: February 21st, 2023 By: Random House Publishing Group | Ballantine Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: On the morning after Harry Cline’s funeral, a rare ice storm hits the town of Wesleyan, Georgia. The community wakes up to find its controversial statue of Confederate general Henry Benning destroyed—and not by the weather. Half the town had wanted to remove the statue; the other half wanted to celebrate it. Now that the matter has been taken out of their hands, the town’s long-simmering tensions are laid bare. This conflict is especially personal to Harry’s widow, Marietta, who’s never been a fan of the statue. Her brother, Macon, the top defense attorney in the Southeast, is representing Old Man Griffin, the owner of the park where the statue stood. Despite Marietta’s pleas to let the matter rest, Macon is determined to find those responsible for the damage and protect the Griffin legacy—and he’s far from the only person Mariett

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

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✍️✍️✍️✍️ Print Length: 320 pages Expected Publication: 21 Feb 2023 By: Atria Books | Emily Bestler Books Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement. But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex re

A Dangerous Education by Megan Chance

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🍎🍎🍎🍎 Print Length: 397 pages Expected Publication: February 7, 2023 By: Lake Union Publishing Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Rosemary Chivers is haunted by the choices she made as a teenager—and by those made for her by a controlling mother. Now, in the Cold War era of conformity and suspicion, Rosemary is a modern new teacher at a school for troubled girls, where she challenges the narrow curriculum meant to tame restless young minds. She also keeps a devastating secret. She knows one of the students is the child she gave up. But which one? Ignoring warnings, Rosemary forms an impenetrable bond with the three girls who are the right age: shrewd runaway Maisie, alcohol-indulging Sandra, and overly flirtatious Jean. But these are no ordinary girls, and what begins as an effort to bring closure to her own rebellious youth soon spirals dangerously out of control. Rosemary is prepared to do anything to find her daughter. What she isn’t prepared for are the deadly consequences that

My (extra)Ordinary Life by Rebecca Ryan

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🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞 Print Length: 448 pages Publication Date: January 5th, 2023 By: Simon & Schuster UK Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: When watching a documentary on the average human experience, Emily realises she's the epitome of the typical woman. Her name, her height, her occupation… even her blood group. The only thing unusual about her is that she’s a twin. But her twin died when they were only 8 and Emily can't help but think maybe her sister was meant to live instead of her. Secretly she suspects her sister would have done a better job at life... better than average anyway. So Emily writes a list committing her to live a more extraordinary life… she’ll become a vegan, run a marathon and bungee jump. But the one thing she knows she can’t do though is fall in love… because according to the stats this is the perfect time for her to meet the person she’ll marry. And normal just won’t do. My Review: How do you fail at living when you’re alive? This book is such a heartbreake

Maureen (Harold Fry #3) by Rachel Joyce

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💐💐 Print Length: 192 pages Expected Publication: February 7, 2023 By: Random House Publishing Group | Dial Press Trade Paperback Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Only she can finish the journey her husband started. Maureen and Harold Fry have settled into a quiet life, but when an unexpected message from the North disturbs their peaceful equilibrium, Maureen realizes that it’s now her turn to make a journey. But she is not like her affable, easygoing husband. By turns outspoken, then vulnerable, she struggles to form bonds with the people she meets—and the landscape she crosses has radically changed. Maureen has no sense of what she will find at the end of the road. All she knows is that she has to get there. My Review: I loved both The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy from this series but the final one left me feeling very disappointed. I couldn't connect to the main character, Maureen, at all and frankly, I was quite bored sometime

One Day With You by Shari Low

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🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Print Length: 308 pages Expected Publication: January 20, 2023 By: Boldwood Books Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: One day, five lives, but whose hearts will be broken by nightfall? It started like any other day in the picturesque village of Weirbridge. Tress Walker waved her perfect husband Max off to work, with no idea that she was about to go into labour with their first child. And completely unaware that when she tried to track Max down, he wouldn’t be where he was supposed to be. At the same time, Max’s best friend Noah Clark said goodbye to his wife, Mya, blissfully oblivious that he would soon discover the woman he adored had been lying to him for years. And living alongside the two couples, their recently widowed friend, Nancy Jenkins, is getting ready to meet Eddie, her first true love at a school reunion. Will Nancy have the chance to rekindle an old flame, or will she choose to stay by Tress’s side when she needs her most? One Day with You - two fateful goodbye

The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan

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⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️ .ePUB, 275 pages Expected Publication: January 19, 2023 By: Welbeck Publishing UK @welbeckpublish Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: Set in suffragette London. Lotta Rae is a working-class 15-year-old, raped by a wealthy gentleman, who makes the brave decision to testify in court. William Lindon is a barrister about to lose everything. Both have decisions to make that will change the course of their lives and the lives of everyone around them for generations to come. My Review: This book was fascinating from start to finish. I loved the emotions it evoked in me, everything from heartbreak to anger. What surprised me the most about the book was that the trial itself wasn't the book's main focus but rather the aftermath. I really liked that about the story as it was a refreshingly new take on a woman scorned and out for revenge after being taken advantage of by men, especially a man who was supposed to be on her side to help her get justice. The writing was exceptiona

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

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🏚️🏚️🏚️🏚️🏚️ Print Length: 288 pages Publication Date: January 1, 2003 (Originally Published in June 1979) By: Beacon Press Goodreads | Amazon About The Book: The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given. My Review: I have had this book on my to-be-read shelf for nine years. It was the release of the Hulu series that encouraged me to read it now. I always have to read