If you've followed my blog for very long, you probably know I'm a fan of Lisa Gardner.  She's one of those authors that I don't even read the book description because I know I'm going to want to read whatever she writes.  I was surprised though when I started reading Before She Disappeared and realized I was being introduced to a new lead character that hadn't been seen in a previous novel or series.  It was fun to see how Frankie Elkin's character developed over the course of the novel.  I very much enjoyed this stand alone novel and hope it might evolve into a new series.  
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Frankie Elkin is a recovery alcoholic whose sole personal mission is to travel around the country searching for the missing, those people that no one else can bring home.  Part amateur detective, part renegade, Frankie is committed to do whatever it takes to solve the case.  Flawed yet relatable in certain ways, Frankie leads the reader along as she investigates the complicated disappearance of Angelique Badeau.  

This book kept me guessing and turning pages at a fast pace. Fingers crossed that we see a new series with Frankie Elkin solving more missing persons cases.   Another five star read for me!

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  

This book grabbed me just based on its premise alone: Three different women, one in present day, one in 1907 and one in 1944, all tied together by Highbury House and its vast garden.  I really enjoyed how each character and time period brought its own unique perspective and how they were connected by the home and gardens.  Normally in these types of stories, I'm drawn slightly more to one character over another, but truly this book had all timelines and storylines on equal footing.  It was so interesting to read about the challenges the women faced and how they each handled their own adversity differently.  I think readers will identify with at least one character, if not several characters, in the novel.  

If you are a historical fiction fan, or simply enjoy a moving story, I highly recommend The Last Garden in England.  I also think it would make for an engaging and interesting book club discussion as well.  A five star read for me.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I love how Rachel Joyce crafts these stories that are so unique and includes characters that are quirky but completely realistic and relatable.  Miss Benson's Beetle gives us not one but two strong female characters that truly transform over the course of this engaging novel.  

Margery Benson has lived a regimented stifled life, in my opinion, and needing a new direction for her life, on a whim, she decides to follow her childhood dreams and head to New Caldedonia in search of the golden beetle that her father dreamt of finding.  She interviews assistants, order supplies and makes travel plans for this expedition.  At the last minute, she has to hire a different assistant than she had planned, asking her to meet her at the dock, sight unseen.  When assistant Enid Pretty arrives, Margery is in for a surprise.  The two women embark on this life changing mission and their adventures make for quite a story.  

I truly enjoyed this novel and the beauty of the story. The story of Margery and Enid is a great narrative of the power of friendship, resilience and determination.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

What a fun engaging and interesting novel!  My family is a big fan of the Decoded tv show with Brad Meltzer and this book was the perfect companion to go back and relive those episodes with even more details.  We always enjoyed learning about an event in history that we thought we were familiar with, but then Brad Meltzer just turned it upside down, giving us a whole new perspective.  This book is the perfect gift for that history buff in your family or a non-fiction fan.  Honestly, it is just a great all around engaging novel that I think everyone would enjoy.

I received this book courtesy of Workman Publishing Company through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

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The Christmas season is always so full of special traditions and reading a Richard Paul Evans book has become one of my most treasured staples of the season.  

Living in New York and working in the book publishing world, Noel Post has left her painful childhood behind her and has no plans to ever return to her childhood home in Utah.  Then she receives a phone call from her dying father, asking her to come home one last time, but she doesn't arrive in time to say goodbye.  Noel suffers further life changing news while she is in Utah, and decides to take some time to regroup and learn more about the bookstore she inherited from her father.  She begins to receive anonymous letters offering advice and guidance for her future.  Who is writing these letters and how are they so insightful?

The Noel Letters is a novel full of hope, which I think we could all use right now.  If reading Richard Paul Evans is not one of your holiday traditions, now is the time to add this to your Christmas list.  

I received this book courtesy of Gallery Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

There is something so splendid about picking up a Sophie Kinsella book.  You know that it will be the perfect mix of laugh out loud funny and realistic yet endearing romance.  When I start reading, I know I'm in for a treat.  Love Your Life was just the book I needed during this stressful time in our lives.  

Ava has recently booked a stay at a writers retreat in Italy in hopes of finally taking time to finish her novel.  The attendees aren't allowed to give their real names or any personal information to the other attendees so that they may only focus on their work.  While not on the lookout for romance, Ava does meet "Dutch".  Their romance blossoms in this unique bubble of the writers retreat, but doesn't give them much opportunity to learn about what their lives are like back home.  When they return home, Ava and Matt a/k/a "Dutch" have a lot to learn about each other.  As you might imagine, that is just the beginning of all the fun in store for you when reading Love Your Life.

I truly enjoyed this novel so much and appreciated the break from reality to just dive into Ava's world.  It isn't often enough that I read a book that is laugh out loud funny and I love Sophie Kinsella for providing me those moments.  Love Your Life is a really fun and rewarding read.  

I received this book courtesy of Dial Press Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

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Lisa Jewell has quickly become my "go to" author for all things suspenseful, dark and twisty.  The Invisible Girl was another perfect installment in that collection.

The story centers around three main characters: Cate Four, a physiotherapist whose husband Roan Fours is a child psychologist; Owen Pick, a mid thirties college professor who recently lost his job due to some sexual misconduct allegations and lives with his aunt across the street from the Fours; and Saffrye Maddox, a former patient of Roan Fours, who has been following and watching Dr. Fours in hopes of re-establishing that relationship.  All of these separate, yet connected, lives converge when young Saffrye goes missing and accusations are made.  

This story kept me guessing and trying to uncover the truth behind it all.  The pacing is always spot on with Lisa Jewell's stories and I really enjoy how she develops the plot and characters.  A really terrific book that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I received this book courtesy of Atria Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.    

Thirteen year old Pia Lange has many wishes.  She wishes her father were back from the war.  She wishes they were living somewhere other than in the overcrowded Shunk Alley area of Philadelphia.  She wishes she didn't experience physical pain every time most people touched her.  She wishes her German heritage was something she could be proud of, instead of something she has to try to hide.  When the Spanish flu epidemic arrives in Philadelphia, all those wishes suddenly don't seem to matter anymore.  Suddenly, Pia is fighting for her own survival while also caring for her infant twin brothers in a city ravaged by disease.

Bernice Groves has seen her life shattered by the epidemic.  Her own infant son succumbed to the flu and all Bernice can think of is how she can join him as her life means nothing without him in it.  Then Bernice sees Pia leaving the apartment without her brothers.  She makes a decision at that moment that will have far reaching consequences for not only her own life, but many others.  

The Orphan Collector was well researched and vividly written so you could truly envision what the characters experienced.  As I was reading, I had to frequently remind myself that I was reading a historical fiction novel and not a novel set in present day.  So many things were eerily familiar from the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic with what we are currently experiencing during this COVID-19 pandemic.  At times, that made for interesting and compelling reading and honestly at other times, it was overload for me.    

Bernice Groves is truly one of the most evil characters I can remember reading about, even more so than some characters in horror or murder mystery novels.  The author did an excellent job of creating a character that not only do you want to hate, but one that you simply detest.  I couldn't help but be shocked at some of the actions she takes during the novel.  

I received this book courtesy of Kensington Publishing Corp. in exchange for an honest review.  

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Being a huge Jodi Picoult fan, as in I own all the books she's written, I was so excited to learn about her newest novel The Book of Two Ways.  When I found out it had connections with Egyptology, it heightened my anticipation to read it, because I find Egyptian history and archaeology interesting as well.  Unfortunately, I didn't connect with The Book of Two Ways and was left very disappointed.  

The book opens very dramatically.  Dawn Edelstein is one of only a few survivors of a plane crash.  In those moments right before the crash, the first person who enters her mind is Wyatt, the man she had a romantic relationship with over 15 years ago while working together in Egypt. Surprisingly, it is not her husband and teenage daughter at home in Boston that enter her mind first.  Told in two story lines, the book explores Dawn's travels to Egypt to track down Wyatt and her life in Boston where she serves as a death doula and is married to Brian, her physicist husband.  

Even though I have an interest in Egyptology, the book felt almost too academic and bogged down at points.  That combined with trying to understand all the quantum physics topics covered made for heavy reading.  Then also trying to cope with the topics of life and death for the terminally ill clients Dawn serves, and the body issues her teenage daughter is dealing with, made for a very difficult read.  I always appreciate how Jodi Picoult handles controversial subjects and makes you see different sides to issues, but this just felt like too many topics for one book.  Dawn was not a character that I could relate to or even really wanted to read about.  Her moral compass seems to skate both sides of issues, depending on which side serves her best at that moment, and those qualities didn't seem to match up with someone who has a career of helping people through the death process.  As the final stinger for me, the ending completely frustrated me. It was like reading a Choose Your Own Adventure novel and then you pick your ending, but when you turn to page 99 to see what happens, that page is missing.

Of course, I will always read Jodi Picoult's books and while this novel was not to my taste, I appreciate her work as a writer and will continue to buy her books.

I received this novel courtesy of Ballantine Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

I was so eager to read The Exiles to learn more about this time period in Australian history and to be lead on this journey by such a talented author.  The Exiles met all my high hopes and expectations.

Evangeline has recently lost her father and must make her way in the world by taking a job as a governess in London.  Having been sheltered for many years by her father, her naivety is soon taken advantage of and a now pregnant Evangeline is sent to Newgate Prison and eventually exiled to the Van Diemen's Land, a penal colony in Australia.  While traveling overseas on the repurposed slave ship Medea, Evangeline meets young Hazel, who is very shrewd and street smart.  The two develop an unlikely bond and it is one that will change their lives forever.  

We also have the opportunity to meet Mathinna, an Aboriginal orphan who is taken in by the Governor of Van Diemen's Land and his wife so that she might, essentially, become more like the rest of "polite society".  Her perspective is so important to the novel and brings a unique quality to the narrative.  

I very much enjoyed this novel for so many reasons. I felt it was fresh and unique.  I was aware of some of the Australian history, but this novel caused me to examine what I knew in a new way and also introduced me to many things I was not aware of regarding that time period.  I would definitely recommend this novel to historical fiction fans and I also believe it would make a wonderful book club selection.  

I received this book courtesy of Custom House through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.