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The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown @NetGalley #contemporaryfiction #womensfiction

Susanne’s Review:

Take a mini-vacation with Elin Hilderbrand’s The Hotel Nantucket! Immersing myself in this novel felt like I was in Nantucket, traipsing the cobblestone streets and going to Miacomet. If only! I barely even remember what a vacation feels like at this point!

The new novel by Elin Hilderbrand centers around The Hotel Nantucket, which closed in 1922 after a fire. Newly reopened and revamped, Lizbet Keaton is now the general manager, having been hired on by a London billionaire to run the place. First on her list after renovations, is hiring a full staff to help run the hotel and help her win the best review possible from a hotel blogger (known as the 5 Keys). My favorite staff member here was Chad, whose personality and story won me over tenfold. 

A fun, winsome novel that kept me fully engaged throughout. Somehow Elin Hilderbrand always knows how to lighten the mood!

 Thank you to Little Brown and Company for the arc via NetGalley.

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One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke #lucyclarkebooks @PutnamBooks @NetGalley #mystery #suspense

Susanne’s Review:

A Girls Trip from Hell!

Oh, how I wanted to love this….

Having read and really liked all of Lucy Clarke’s other books I was eagerly awaiting her next book, sadly One of the Girls did not deliver.

Six women travel to the Greek Island of Aegos for Lexi’s Hen Weekend. What seems like paradise at the start, turns into the exact opposite just a few short days later.

Told in alternating chapters by Lexi, Bella, Robyn, Eleanor, Ana, Fen, and an unknown narrator, we slowly learn each character’s background and the undercurrent that lies beneath the surface of their friendships.

Sadly, none of the women are all that likable and neither is the storyline. Every character is withholding here, a secret, a lie, something, and when all rise to the surface, it isn’t pretty. 

While this was intended to be a suspenseful, twisty read, the despicability of the characters and Bella in particular, made this less so, at least for me. I am, however, only one reader and in this instance, was the wrong reader for this novel.  

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the arc. 

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The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson @SampsonF @BerkleyPub @NetGalley #contemporaryfiction

Susanne’s Review:

Predictably Cute and oh so Heartwarming!

If you’re looking for a book to make you laugh and smile, The Last Chance Library is it.

June Jones is a Library Assistant who has never stepped out of her comfort zone.  Moving back home many moons ago to take care of her ailing mother, who has since passed away, June has never truly lived or done anything with her life.  The Chalcot Library is everything to her, as are the patrons.

When the town threatens to close the library, everyone is up in arms. A campaign called FOCL (Friends of Chalcot Library)  is then started to save it. 

This, of course, gives June a chance. A chance to do something, to make a difference, and to find herself.  

The Last Chance Library was a sweet, heartwarming novel that was just what I needed during difficult times.

Thanks to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group for the arc.

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My Summer Darlings by May Cobb @BerkleyPub @NetGalley @edelweiss_squad #fiction #domestic suspense #mystery #bookreview #bookblogger

Susanne’s Review:

Extremely Weak Women.

Anger, Betrayal, and Idiocy.

Fake “Lifelong” Female Friends who backstab each other day in, day out. 

Graphic Nasty Raunchy Trashy Sex. 

Color me sick. To be perfectly frank, absolutely revolted. In case you didn’t get it, this book was not for me.  

The main reason is this: I abhor books where authors portray women as weak. My favorite books are those with strong women and this book was the exact opposite of that. If you can get past that and enjoy the raunchy, silly storyline, you might enjoy this for the soap opera this was but I for one was not a fan. 

This was a buddy read with Kaceey, who enjoyed this one more than I did.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing via Edelweiss for the arc

Kaceey’s Review:

Three best friends and one new sexy, single man. Oh my! If you have considerable doubts about this threesome gleefully strolling their way to a happy ending… you’d be right!🤣. The ultimate consequences? Well, simply put they could be deadly!☠️

I love a good neighborhood book! But come on, these women were full-tilt out of control! Not exactly sure how they manage to define themselves as friends. The last people I would ever rely on to have MY back!

Once again my liver has taken a serious beating and I’ve sworn off alcohol (not really😉) This is what always happens after reading one of May Cobb’s books! Wow! Can these women drink!🤦🏻‍♀️

This was a fun, though a bit OTT romp. The ending went in a direction I wasn’t expecting, and actually didn’t sit very well with me. For that I subtracted a star. (Just my opinion folks).

I wasn’t as fond of this latest release from May Cobb as much as her previous, The Hunting Wives. But if you’re looking for a fun mystery that will have you shaking your head and taking a harder look at your own drinking habits…then this will be a great fit! Happy reading’🥂🍾

A buddy read with Susanne that left us on different sides of the neighborhood fence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing.

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The Party at Number 12 by Kerry Wilkinson @kerrywk @bookouture @NetGalley #thriller #suspense #bookreview

Kaceey’s Review:

I’m a huge Kerry Wilkinson fan, so when I saw his latest release offered as an audio I couldn’t resist! And once again… he delivers!

Newly divorced, Hanna decides to throw herself a well-deserved going away party for herself before setting off on a dream trip abroad. She’s even rented a house so she can have her family and a few of her closest friends over to celebrate.

But of course, not everyone gets along. Not everyone feels welcome. Not everyone will survive the night!

This was truly a superb, thrilling audio. Though guessing the ending correctly I still savored every single minute. So good in fact I flew through this one in just a few sittings.

Already looking forward to see what this author is cooking up next! Once again, I might hold out for the audio!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio.🎧

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Billy Summers by Stephen King @StephenKing #mystery #suspense #characterdrivenfiction #bookreview

Guess somebody LOVES Stephen King!

Susanne’s Review:

Quite the Tale!

Billy Summers is gripping, entertaining, somewhat surprising, and yet, somewhat predictable.  

What I loved:  

The character of Billy. Brilliant, sweet, kind, and as honest as he can be, given his career choice.

Alice Maxwell. What a surprise she turned out to be.  

The friendship that developed between Billy & Alice.  

The nod to The Shining. The Overlook Hotel will never be forgotten.

What I didn’t love:

The War Stories. I get that the point of this was to explain Billy’s background but given everything going on in the world and in my life personally, I found these passages to be wholly depressing and I felt that they just made the story drag on and on.

On the whole, I enjoyed Billy Summers quite a bit and even though it won’t make it into my list of favorite Stephen King books, I loved the character-driven plot and adored Billy, Alice and Bucky too. If you’re a fan of Stephen King I’m sure this one will be a winner for you as well!

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The Favor by Nora Murphy @NoraMurphyBooks @StMartinsPress @NetGalley #domesticsuspense #fiction #bookreview #bookblogger

Kaceey’s Review:

The best favors are those you don’t need to ask for….

Leah and McKenna have never met, but they have a great deal in common. Primarily, their abusive husbands. 

When the two women incidentally cross paths Leah realizes that McKenna is as trapped as she is. How will both women find a way out of their abusive relationship?

I continually saw great reviews for this book, so after a bout of FOMO I immediately picked it up. Glad to say it’s as good as all the hype!

Domestic suspense reads are among my favorite and this one didn’t disappoint! But let’s bear in mind that behind the fictional characters and scenarios lies a dark reality of abused women. 

Nora Murphy did an amazing job of blending the darker themes of abuse into an explosive and gripping fictional thriller.

Looking forward to more from this author. 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press

⭐⭐⭐⭐

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The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis @JillShalvis @WmMorrowBooks @NetGalley #contemporaryfiction #fiction #bookreview #bookblogger

Susanne’s Review:

Just Right.

I’ve always believed that family is what you make of it, thus the new series by Jill Shalvis, The Family You Make, struck a chord with me.

Jane is a woman who has never stayed in one place  A nomad who has moved around, she grew up in Sunrise Cove and will always love it. Levi is from Sunrise Cove. Though he has never felt as though he belonged, he calls it home.

These two form a bond when Levi’s life is put in danger and Jane, a traveling nurse, comes to his rescue. Thereafter, the two pretend to date, for the sake of Levi’s family and of course, can’t find those loving feelings.

Jane has been alone forever. She doesn’t know how to be anything else. Yet somehow she can’t ignore Levi, try as hard as she might.

Charlotte is a physician who is Jane’s closest friend. These two lean on each other through thick and thin. Charlotte has been through hell and back and has never really let anyone in, until now. Mateo is an ER doc who lives next door to Charlotte. Mateo has been in love with Charlotte forever. A man who goes out of his way for the woman he loves, he will do whatever it takes to break down those walls.

This is a story that centers mainly around Jane and Levi, though admittedly, I enjoyed the story of Charlotte and Mateo much more.  If I had to put my finger on why I’d have to say that I felt as though Jane and Levi’s relationship felt forced whereas Charlotte and Mateo’s was quite easy and natural. That said, all in all, I enjoyed The Family You Make and so agreed with the sentiment shared at the end of the book. I started reading Jill Shalvis’ novels in the middle of last year and quite enjoy them and am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House for the arc via NetGalley.

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The Sixth Wedding by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand #womensfiction #romance #libraryloan

Fun Stuff!

What are we talking about in 2023:  Peloton Classes in LA and NY, the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona (lol), and of course Cooper Blessing! Go Coop!  

This felt like a trip down memory lane and what a trip it was!

It’s Labor Day Weekend, in 2023, and Cooper, Fray, Leland, UDG, and of course, Jake McCloud are back. Their antics kept me glued to the edge of my seat (as always). 

As for Coop, you are one wild and crazy guy!

Now all I need is another book in this fabulous series!

Thanks to my local library for loaning me a copy.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

The Angel Maker by Alex North @writer_north @CeladonBooks @NetGalley @MacmillanAudio

Susanne’s Review:

Another Pulse Pounding Thriller from Alex North!  

Fate is a funny thing. Either you believe in it, or you don’t. Alan Hobbes is a Professor who teaches Fate, and Free Will, and believes fully in both. As if he knew, or had some sort of intuition, a few hours before Alan Hobbes is about to be murdered, he fires his entire staff. Sounds almost like fate or perhaps just a coincidence?

Growing up, Katie Shaw and her brother Christopher were quite close until one fateful day when Katie made the greatest mistake of her life. Thereafter, both she and Chris paid dearly for it. Chris most of all.

Years later, Katie has a family of her own, who she would do anything to protect. Unfortunately for her, she’s going to have to do just that.

Throughout most of his life, Chris has been through hell. It seems as though he has come out the other side. It’s too darn bad that hell isn’t done with him.

A twisty-turny novel that got me all riled up, The Angel Maker is another winner from Alex North! 

I will admit that I wasn’t sure about this at first, and had a bit of trouble keeping all the storylines straight. It turns out that listening to the audio simply didn’t work for me at all! Normally, I just would have given up on a book that confused me from the get-go, but since I’ve loved all of Alex North’s previous books, I decided to switch to the ebook and start fresh. Let’s just say that I’m super glad I did.

This was a buddy read/listen with Kaceey.

Thanks to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware @RuthWareWriter @GalleryBooks @NetGalley #thriller #fiction #bookreview #bookblogger

Susanne’s Review:

Can You Say Ruh Roh?

The It Girl started out strong and petered out at the end.

I had such high hopes for this one! I adore Ruth Ware and admittedly love character driven novels. In the beginning I was all in and that excitement carried on until about 70-75% and then I lost it.  

So what happened you ask? Well let’s get to it!

The day Hannah enters Oxford she meets her new roommate April Clarke-Clivedon. Affluent, bright and completely wild, April changes Hannah’s life forever. The two become besties, even though they are from different worlds. Enter Will, April’s boyfriend, who Hannah can’t help but crush on. Surrounding them are a group of friends, Ryan, Emily and Hugh. Then something goes awry. Tragedy strikes April and everyone’s life is shattered.

Ten years later, Hannah’s life is very different. The day she receives news of past events, everything stops and Hannah realizes that she must go back in order to move forward.

So when the big reveal finally happened, well, it wasn’t so big. Then it carried on way too long. To be perfectly honest, it was a snoozefest. The how and why frankly, didn’t matter at all.  Everything leading up to that point had me. I was wholly intrigued by the life and times of Hannah, Will and April and then not so much.  Such is life.

I am only one reader however, thus I encourage you all to read other reviews as this one seemed to be a hit with everyone else.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey.

Thank you to Jessica Roth at Gallery Books for the arc via NetGalley

Kacey’s Review:

Hannah has been accepted into Oxford and begins settling into her new life. Her dorm-mate April, is the self-designated leader of their tight-knit pack which includes Hannah’s new friends Emily, Hugh and Will.  With a whole school-year of hope and possibilities ahead she’s simply giddy to begin her journey. But everything changes when one member of the group doesn’t survive that freshman year.

Flash forward ten years, the man responsible for the death of her friend has died. Never wavering, he claimed his innocence to his final breathe. That has Hannah beginning to question everything! Was he truly guilty? Could she have pointed the finger at the wrong person all those years ago?

The stage is set…Hanna is now on a personal quest for the truth! She will soon up-root some answers she wasn’t prepared for.

I enjoyed the first section of the book as timelines shifted between the present and her Oxford days. But eventually the story came to a crawl and I found myself impatiently wanting to push it forward…

I had this one figured out quite early on as well. Perhaps that took away a bit of the suspense.  Nonetheless, I believe all Ruth Ware fans will enjoy her latest release!

A buddy read with Susanne that left us both a tad disappointed.

Thank you to Jessica Roth @ Gallery Books via NetGalley