Truths I Never Told You

With her father recently moved to a care facility for his worsening dementia, Beth Walsh volunteers to clear out the family home and is surprised to discover the door to her childhood playroom padlocked. She’s even more shocked at what’s behind it—a hoarder’s mess of her father’s paintings, mounds of discarded papers and miscellaneous junk in the otherwise fastidiously tidy house.

As she picks through the clutter, she finds a loose journal entry in what appears to be her late mother’s handwriting. Beth and her siblings grew up believing their mother died in a car accident when they were little more than toddlers, but this note suggests something much darker. Beth soon pieces together a disturbing portrait of a woman suffering from postpartum depression and a husband who bears little resemblance to the loving father Beth and her siblings know. With a newborn of her own and struggling with motherhood, Beth finds there may be more tying her and her mother together than she ever suspected.

Exploring the expectations society places on women of every generation, Kelly Rimmer explores the profound struggles two women unwittingly share across the decades set within an engrossing family mystery that may unravel everything they believed to be true.

I have read most of Kelly Rimmer's previous books with my favorite being A Mother's Confession.  I don't think I will ever forget that book.  The others I have read have all been solid 4-5 star books.  When I saw she had a new book, it was on my list of Must Read!  I so wish this review was the same as the others, but unfortunately it's not.  I really disliked this novel, it kills me to say this.  It started out strong and I was intrigued with her covering the topic of postpartum depression.  But after about 20% the book became repetitive and boring.  Then, without giving away spoilers, I felt like the book shifted to another topic entirely and I wasn't interested.  I had no connection to the characters and just never really cared about any of it.  And I've always been 100% emotionally invested in the characters in Rimmer's other books.  Even though this was a miss for me, I will still pick up whatever she writes.  I look forward to the other stories I know she has to tell.     

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

Big Lies in a Small Town

North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women's Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

Diane Chamberlain has done it again and this is definitely on my short list of favorites from her.  She has crafted a perfect novel in many ways.  The structure made is compelling and kept me turning the pages quickly!  The characters were complex and designed in such a way that I just wanted to know more and more about them.  One thing I love about historical fiction books is when there is a dual timeline that involves some type of mystery, and this book did an amazing job of meshing those two thing together.  If you thought art restoration sounded boring, you need to read this book.  It was a fascinating process of discovery in many ways and I loved the author's use of it in the story.  Please pick this book up as soon as possible!

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

The Fifth Avenue Story Society

An invitation to join The Fifth Avenue Story Society gives five New York strangers a chance to rewrite their own stories. 

Executive assistant Lexa is eager for a much-deserved promotion, but her boss is determined to keep her underemployed.  Literature professor Jett is dealing with a broken heart, as well as a nagging suspicion his literary idol, Gordon Phipps Roth, might be a fraud.  Uber driver Chuck just wants a second chance with his kids.  Aging widower Ed is eager to write the true story of his incredible marriage.  Coral, queen of the cosmetics industry, has broken her engagement and is on the verge of losing her great grandmother’s multimillion-dollar empire.

When all five New Yorkers receive an anonymous, mysterious invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society, they suspect they’re victims of a practical joke. No one knows who sent the invitations or why. No one has heard of the literary society. And no one is prepared to reveal their deepest secrets to a roomful of strangers.

Yet curiosity and loneliness bring them back week after week to the old library. And it’s there they discover the stories of their hearts, and the kind of friendship and love that heals their souls. 

I started and finished this book during COVID-19 and it was the book that finally got me back in my reading groove.  I absolutely loved everything about this story!  Honestly, everything about this book was beautiful.  The characters were so well developed and even though the story unfolds from five perspectives, I enjoyed every single one.  I've read several books by Rachel Hauck, but this was above and beyond the best one!  And I have to say, that this isn't just a "cute" book.  It has real life problems and situations that weren't neat and tidy, but handled in a easy to digest way.  I highly recommend this book, it hits many themes that are relevant to so many.

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

The Wife and the Widow

Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and The Widow is an unsettling thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside when she’s forced to confront the evidence of her husband’s guilt. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives. Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and The Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?

I really enjoyed many aspects of this book, but it just didn't hit the overall mark for me.  I needed more about the characters.  It wasn't enough.  I needed a reason to feel the connections.  There was such a great build up and turn, but I wanted more to care about in the beginning and the reasons at the end just felt icky and off.  My final rating for this book was 2.5 stars unfortunately, but I would read this author again. 

 

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

The Familiar Dark

Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, The Familiar Dark opens with a murder. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Eve is no stranger to the dark side of life, having been raised by a hard-edged mother whose lessons Eve tried not to pass on to her own daughter. But Eve may need her mother's cruel brand of strength if she's going to face the reality about her daughter's death and about her own true nature. Her quest for justice takes her from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and, most frighteningly, back to her mother's trailer for a final lesson.

Amy Engel crafted a wonderful thriller with this release.  It was a solid 4 star read and I highly recommend the novel if you are looking for a fast paced thriller to fly through.  Even though the book is relatively short, the characters were well developed.  The story never lagged and was well paced.  I would definitely read another book by this author.  During a time when I was struggling to pick anything up, this was perfect to get my back into my reading groove.

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

In the Middle of the Mess

In her long-awaited new book, Sheila Walsh equips women with a practical method for connecting with God’s strength in the midst of struggle. From daily frustrations that can feel like overwhelming obstacles to hard challenges that turn into rock-bottom crises, women will find the means to equip themselves for standing strong with God. Using the spiritual applications of confession, prayer, and meditation on Scripture to form a daily connection to Jesus, women will learn how to experience new joy as a child of God who is fully known, fully loved, and fully accepted. 

In In the Middle of the Mess, Walsh reveals the hardened defenses that kept her from allowing God into her deepest hurts and shares how entering into a safe place with God and practicing this daily connection with him have saved her from the devil’s prowling attacks. Though we will never be completely “fixed” on earth, we are continually held by Jesus, whatever our circumstances.

This was my first book by Sheila Walsh and I am a little sad to admit that I didn't really connect with it.  I understood what she was trying to say, but it felt repetitive and disjointed in places.  I've heard Sheila speak and was motivated to pick this up after that because I really enjoyed her live, but it just didn't translate as well on paper.  This won't be the last book I read by her, I really think this is more a case of just not totally connecting.

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

Boy Mom

This guidebook, packed with wisdom, practical advice, resources, and encouragement, explores how moms can equip their sons with what they most need to succeed in life.

Monica Swanson knew she'd tapped a heartfelt concern when nearly two million readers shared her blog post "What a Teenage Boy Needs Most from His Mom." In this helpful book, she takes mothers deeper into the insights they need for the boy-raising journey, covering topics from dealing with the daily influences of friends and technology to helping a boy grow to be physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthy. She also addresses learning and finding passions, perspectives on relationships and dating, and work ethics and money management. Each chapter features relatable stories, handy checklists, and practical advice based on a combination of research, experience, and biblical truth to guide and equip a mom in helping her son achieve his God-given potential.

What an amazing resource this book was!  I will pick this one up again and again because the advice is so helpful as a mom of 2 boys.  If you find yourself needing some guidance on how to raise those little human boys God has given you I would highly suggest you put this at the top of your list.  The author has done a fabulous job putting this together, I truly felt she gave her heart to help us!

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