The Dilemma

 It’s Livia’s fortieth birthday and tonight she’s having a party, a party she’s been planning for a long time. The only person missing will be her daughter, Marnie.

But Livia has a secret, a secret she’s been keeping from Adam, her husband, until the party is over. Because how can she tell him that although she loves Marnie, she’s glad their daughter won’t be there to celebrate with her?

Adam is determined everything will be just right for Livia and the party is going to be perfect… until he learns something that will leave him facing an unbearable decision.

I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris' first 2 novels, but the last two have just been ugh for me.  I thought she was the author for me, but I am not so sure anymore.  I just could not relate to this book at all.  Who choses to live in a smaller house for years just so they can have a fancy birthday party?  Totally unbelievable.  Also, every problem in this book could have been handled quickly if people would have just spoken to one another.  I mean, honestly, you fear your daughter is dead but you can pretend like nothing is happening and you don't tell your wife so she can enjoy her party???  I just didn't buy an of it.  Sorry, I will try another novel by this author but maybe I need to move on.  

    * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Darling Rose Gold

 

For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.

After serving five years in prison, Patty begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes. And Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling...

And she's waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

A very intriguing read, but that's because it's written directly from a story that dominated the headlines for weeks.  However, the author never once acknowledges that fact.  I thought the book was written pretty well and kept me turning pages, but it just felt like it was cheating.  I couldn't give it any more than 3 stars because I needed the author to explain where the story came from and at least reference the real people involved.  I understand in a historical fiction book that imagines what it was like because we don't have the ability to know the facts, but why not do the research and write an accurate, based on facts narrative non-fiction? 

    * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

The Night Swim

 

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

This book is an example of the podcast world colliding with the literary world and I am here for it!  I ended up picking this up on audio and it really intensified the story so I'd highly recommend you give it a listen.  The author did a great job of combining two different stories and timelines without making it too confusing.  I was totally invested in both storylines.  I only had one main issue that made me take it down a half a star in my final rating, but I can't really talk about it without spoiling it.  While I am seeing a trend of podcasts in books, as long as they continue to be this good I'll keep on reading them.

    * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Craigslist Confessional

 After graduating from law school, Helena Dea Bala was a lobbyist in Washington, DC, struggling to pay off her student loans. She felt lonely and unfulfilled but, after a chance conversation with a homeless man she often saw on her commute, she felt…better. Talking with a stranger, listening to his problems, and sharing her own made her feel connected and engaged in a way she hadn’t in a long time. Inspired, she posted an ad on Craigslist promising to listen, anonymously and for free, to whatever the speaker felt he or she couldn’t tell anyone else. The response was huge—thousands of emails flooded her inbox. People were desperate for the opportunity to speak without being judged, to tell a story without worrying it would get back to friends, family, or coworkers—and so Craigslist Confessional was born.

The forty confessions in Craigslist Confessional are vivid, intimate, and real. Each story is told in the confessor’s voice; they range from devastating secrets (like addiction, depression, and trauma), to musings on lost love and reflections on a lifetime of hard choices. Some confessions are shocking, like the husband who is hiding his crippling sex addiction from his wife. Others are painful, like the man who is so depressed he rarely leaves his hoarder apartment. Some give us a glimpse into a brief chapter of someone’s life—like the girl who discovered that her boyfriend was cheating on her with a mutual friend, or the college student who became a high-end call girl. Others are inspiring, such as the woman who lost her son too young, but sees his memory live on through the people who received his donated organs.

This was such an interesting premise for a book and it worked so well!  I couldn't believe how honest people were to a complete stranger.  Kuddos to this author for taking the time and having the ability to listen to these stories with no judgement.  It was a reminder to me that you truly have no idea what another person is dealing with in life.  A person is often defined by what we see, but there is so much more under the surface that we have no idea about, good and bad.  I would definitely read another volume of these stories.

        * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

Leave the World Behind

 

Amanda and Clay lead out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older black couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe.

Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another? 

I have to admit that I don't think a book has left me so unsure about my thoughts in a long time.  I am really torn between hating this book and enjoying the story so my rating falls at 2.5 stars.  I read it pretty quickly and I think I understand what the author was trying to portray, but something is just missing for me.  I really don't think I'd use the word thriller or mystery which is what I thought this book was going to be.  I also have to add, that I just felt certain parts of the book were vulgar and as a reader, it just felt inappropriate and unnecessary.  For those reasons I probably wouldn't recommend it.  For lack of a better word, I just found the book to be weird.  So if the author's intention was to leave readers with a "what the heck did I just read?" feeling, I think it was accomplished.

             * I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *