Book Review, Fiction, thriller

You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon ~ Book Review

Morgan

MIRA Books
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: May 25, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

Hannah Mary McKinnon is back with another twisted and deceptive thriller. You Will Remember Me is split between several main characters: Lily, whose boyfriend Jack goes missing one night, Maya, whose stepbrother, Asher, left home mysteriously, and a nameless man who wakes up with no memory of who he is. Is he Jack? Asher? Both?

This was a pretty classic thriller setup. When the police tell Lily there’s no record of her boyfriend existing, she begins to question everything she knows about him. Meanwhile, the mysterious man struggles to try to connect what Maya is telling him with himself. Are the memories she’s telling him really his?

I guessed pretty quickly who the villain in the plot was, but it was still interesting to see the true depth of their deception and the ending was definitely shocking. That being said, there were a few parts of the narrative I didn’t buy, like how easy it was for the man with amnesia to find his way to his hometown without any sense of who or where he was.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy!

Buy You Will Remember Me at an indie bookstore near you
You Will Remember Me on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction

Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: March 23, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪.5

Don’t be deceived by the fun, tropical cover of Meet Me in Paradise — this book has emotional heft! It starts with Marin reluctantly agreeing to go on a tropical vacation with her sister Sadie. The sisters couldn’t be more different. Sadie is a travel photographer, always on the go, and ever since their mother died on a work trip as a journalist, Marin doesn’t travel or take risks. Instead, she takes care of Sadie.

When Sadie misses their flight, the handsome stranger, Lucas, who takes her seat on the plane next to Marin becomes her impromptu tour guide. When Marin’s passport quickly goes missing, Sadie promises to help her get a new one, using her work connections, only after Marin has proven that she’s letting loose and trying something new on her vacation. Marin slowly comes to realize that maybe the missed flight wasn’t so much of an accident, and that there’s more to her trip, and her sister’s motivations than she realizes.

Sadie and Marin’s relationship was incredibly well written and I could feel the closeness of their connection. The island of Saba was the perfect setting and made for a stark juxtaposition to the shattering discoveries that Marin uncovers about her sister while she’s there. Although Marin’s relationship with Lucas is important to the story, her relationship with Sadie is far more salient and meaningful. We see the sacrifices Marin has made to try to keep them both safe, but that sheltered her from truly living, and Sadie’s attempts to make Marin truly see what life could be.

This book has a little of everything — romance, adventure, family, and heartbreak, not to mention a gorgeous cover, and I highly recommend it.

Buy Meet Me in Paradise at an indie bookstore near you
Meet Me in Paradise on Goodreads

Uncategorized

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight ~ Book Review

Morgan

Harper
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: May 5, 2020
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

Lizzie never wanted to work at an elite law firm, but after her husband incurs steep legal fees, she’s forced to leave her job as a federal prosecutor to do just that. When she hears from an old college friend, Zach, who is in jail for the presumed murder of his wife, she’s confused as to why he would think of her, but reluctantly takes on the case.

Scandal and drama abound in the wealthy New York City community that Zach and his wife Amanda are part of. Their son’s elementary school is embroiled in a hacking scandal, with families being blackmailed for incriminating information on their computers, and everyone is gearing up for an annual party that’s known for its promiscuity. These events unfold interspersed with chapters in the future, while Lizzie tries to uncover what really happened to Amanda, who died on the night of the infamous party.

Amanda, who came from a difficult upbringing, offers a very different narrative voice than Lizzie, and it’s hard to know if her perspective can be fully trusted. I enjoyed slowly seeing everyone’s motivations come out in this book and appreciated that there were two very different stories going on— that of Lizzie, and that of Amanda. Both of their lives were layered and detailed, which made them realistic and distinct. This overlapping made for an always interesting and eventful story.

I love stories about wealthy, glamorous New Yorkers with secrets (if there’s not a genre name for that, there should be), so A Good Marriage was right up my alley.

A Good Marriage on Goodreads
Buy A Good Marriage at an indie bookstore near you

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One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston ~ Book Review

Morgan

St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Romance
Release Date: June 1, 2021 (Thanks to Libro.fm for my copy!)
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

I went into One Last Stop totally blind and boy was I surprised. It starts off with a meet-cute on the subway between August and charismatic and beautiful Jane. Things start getting weird when August runs into her every single time she gets on the train. The more time they spend together, the more August realizes there’s something different about Jane — she can’t seem to get off the train. When August spots a photo from the 1970s with Jane lurking in the back, she realizes there’s even more to Jane’s story.

The setting of this book was so vibrant. McQuiston crafts a crew of wonderfully eccentric friends for August and a close-knit community at the pancake diner where she works. I loved the way they all came together to support August and Jane’s relationship, from bringing parties down to the subway so Jane could join to brainstorming possibilities for how to free Jane. New York City comes to life through McQuiston’s descriptions and details and I felt fully immersed in August’s world.

Jane’s historical perspective offered another really unique layer to the story. She speaks about the animosity and challenges she faced being queer in New York City in the 1970’s. This added a lot of depth to an already complex story. I loved getting to spend time with August and her friends and was sad to leave them behind.

Buy One Last Stop at an indie bookstore near you
One Last Stop on Goodreads

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Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean ~ Book Review

Morgan

Flatiron Books
Genre: YA Romance
Release Date: May 18, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

Tokyo Ever After has a very nostalgic Princess Diaries feel to it. It’s always just been Izumi and her mom, and they’ve both been perfectly fine with that. When Izumi discovers an old letter from her dad to her mom, one of her friends takes to the internet and discovers that Izumi’s dad is none other than the Crown Prince of Japan.

So begins a whirlwind as Izumi is whisked off to Japan to spend time with her dad and learn what’s expected of her as a princess. She finds time and time again that her actions are misconstrued and that her American upbringing leaves her largely at odds with Japanese customs. Izumi’s struggle over her heritage and not feeling like she quite fit in anywhere is a really important conversation to put in YA literature and was done really thoughtfully.

In addition to her daily struggles to fit into her new role in Japan, Izumi finds herself irresistibly attracted to her appointed bodyguard, one of the few people she feels she can truly confide in in Japan.

I thought this story was cute and I appreciated the narrative about Izumi’s struggles to fit in both in America and Japan, but I struggled somewhat with the writing being so obviously geared towards a younger audience. I think if I’d been in the target age for this book I would’ve loved it.

Buy Tokyo Ever After at an indie bookstore near you
Tokyo Ever After on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley ~ Book Review

Morgan

Graydon House
Genre: Romance
Release Date: May 25, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪.5

The cover and the title totally got me on this one. I mean, Talk Bookish to Me?! How could I not. Kara is a romance writer, but she’s struggling to finish (or even start) her next book. With her bridesmaid’s duties ramping up for her best friend’s impending wedding, and a six-month trip to Italy planned right after that (paid for with her advance), Kara is running out of time to be inspired. Until, inspiration walks into her best friend’s rehearsal dinner in the form of her ex-boyfriend from college, Ryan.

The backstory behind Ryan and Kara’s relationship was detailed and heartbreaking and added a lot to their present day storyline. As they reconnected, their chemistry was palpable and the growing romance was illustrated through cute, believable scenes that I could picture perfectly.

The story changed significantly when Kara is living in Italy, but I loved that just as much. The change of scenery was just as beautifully depicted and Kara’s experiences there added even more of an understanding of her character.

My one big problem with this book was the infidelity aspect. For me, this took away a lot from my enjoyment of the romance and I wished there had been a different conflict that didn’t detract from the characters in the same way.

Buy Talk Bookish to Me at an indie bookstore near you
Talk Bookish to Me on Goodreads

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The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley ~ Book Review

Morgan

Berkley
Genre: Romance
Release Date: May 25, 2021 (Thanks to NetGalley for my copy!)
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪.5

The setting of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island hooked me from the beginning. Setting can make such a big difference for me!! The residents of Frick Island form a small, tight knit community very set in their old-fashioned ways. Anders Caldwell, an aspiring journalist, is assigned to cover the annual Frick Island Cake Walk. Anders is shocked by the small-town ways of life the residence subscribe to — the fact that it’s a dry island, the lack of wifi, and the limited options for food and lodging. He’s struck, however, by the alluring Piper Parrish.

Piper’s husband disappeared at sea during a storm but in order to cope, she continues to act like he’s there, and furthermore, the entire town has adopted the pretense. As Anders begins to catch on to what’s going on, he realizes there might be more of a story on Frick Island than just a Cake Walk.

The character’s Oakley created on the island were so vivid and developed into such a lovely, quirky community. Their wary, often disgruntled reactions to Anders were entertaining and interesting and I loved watching him try to gain their trust.

The juxtaposition between life on charming Frick Island and Anders’s career aspirations and growing podcast subscribers made for a really interesting narrative. Although there wasn’t a lot of action, I never wanted to put this book down. I felt so fully immersed in the community of Frick Island and I loved the depth of Piper and Anders’s motivations and personalities. It’s clear that Oakley gave a good deal of thought to developing realistic characters. This was a delightful story unlike anything I’ve ever read, and is a perfect summer read.

Buy The Invisible Husband of Frick Island at an indie bookstore near you

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, YA

Anna K Away by Jenny Lee ~ Book Review

Morgan

Flatiron Books
Genre: YA Romance
Release Date: April 27, 2021
My Rating: 🍪

I think I’ve learned my lesson that YA isn’t for me. I think I enjoyed the first book in the series, Anna K because it was a modern retelling of Anna Karenina, which gave it a uniqueness that set it apart from other contemporary YA novels. The sequel, however, seemed like a repetitive series of teenagers hooking up, sneaking out, and getting in trouble. I found all the relationships to be really overdramatic — I feel like this would have resonated more if I was a teenager, the intended audience. That being said, the excess drama made for great escapism.

The story was split between the main female characters from Anna K: Anna, Lolly, Bea, and Kimmie. Anna K’s storyline took place in South Korea and I enjoyed the change of scenery and culture from the other characters in America. The other storylines were all unique, and Lee crafted really descriptive memorable settings and challenges for each character which helped me keep them all straight.

I think this drama and glitz would appeal to a younger audience, but it was too over the top for me.

Buy Anna K Away at an indie bookstore near you
Anna K Away on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, Romance

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren ~ Book Review

Morgan

Gallery Books
Genre: Romance
Release Date: May 18, 2021 (Thank you to NetGalley for my copy!)
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪🍪

When I started The Soulmate Equation I was pretty quickly convinced it was going to be very clichéd. Jess, a single mom, joins a new DNA-based matchmaking company and gets an insanely high match with none other than the company’s founder himself, River Pena. I may have rolled my eyes. BUT, this story was actually very sweet and I was super pleasantly surprised by it.

I loved Juno, Jess’s daughter, and the depth the story took into their relationship and crafting Juno as a well-rounded character. She added a level of complexity to the story that not all romance books have. Jess’s best friend, Fizzy, is an amazing addition as well. She’s hilariously extroverted and over the top and completely unafraid to speak her mind and push Jess to do things she wasn’t totally comfortable with — in the most supportive way.

There was a twist in this story that caught me off guard, and I couldn’t guess where the narrative was going to end up after that. This kept me fully engaged even through that scenes that did feel a little stereotypically romance-y.

Jess and River’s relationship felt like it blossomed organically and I loved that they bonded over being statisticians. This is a really lovely story and a quick read that made me smile.

Buy The Soulmate Equation at an indie bookstore near you
The Soulmate Equation on Goodreads

Book Review, Fiction, thriller

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone ~ Book Review

Morgan

Scribner
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: April 20, 2021
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

This book was incredibly dark. It starts when Cat returns to the house she grew up in in Edinburgh after her twin sister, El, goes missing. Coming back to the house brings back memories for Cat of an imaginary place called Mirrorland where she and El used to play make believe, imagining fearsome pirates and witches. Cat’s sure that she would have sensed if something truly terrible had happened to her twin, but as she and El’s husband, Ross, dig into her mysterious disappearance, Cat becomes less and less certain.

I don’t even know where to start with this one. I didn’t understand how the entire concept of the fictional Mirrorland was going to be related to the present, but boyyy did it catch me off guard. It’s hard to say too much without giving away what happens. What I will say is that I found the Mirrorland concept a little confusing and it wasn’t my favorite thriller trope. It was incredibly unique, but it almost felt gimmicky to me. That being said, it did keep me guessing the whole time.

A lot happened at the end of this book and some pieces didn’t feel like they’d been interwoven enough into the plot for me to be satisfied with them. Overall, I’d say this was one of the most unique thrillers I’ve ever read, but it was a bit disjointed for my liking.

(Thanks to Libro.fm for my copy!)

Buy Mirrorland at an indie bookstore near you
Mirrorland on Goodreads