A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell is a classic example of the age old belief that there are always three sides to every story: My side, Your Side, and a version somewhere in the middle. This book details the life of Caroline Stark whose storybook marriage is suddenly facing a crisis and possible separation. She sees a handsome stranger on the beach near her house, but then continues to bump into him and eventually hook up with him for a one night stand. However, he doesn’t view it quite the same way. Caroline then becomes entangled with a possible stalker, while facing an uncertain future
This book is like Body Heat meets Fatal Attraction with a little ‘unreliable narrator’ action thrown in there…this book will definitely keep you guessing!! Thank you to author Michele Campbell, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. To learn more about Michele Campbell and her novels, check out https://www.michelecampbellbooks.com/
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Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keene is a multigenerational tale of two families. Once neighboring families during the early days of each of the marriages, the children grow up together and have a strong bond with each other. A tragedy occurs and the children are torn apart from each other, and the story alternates between various points of view during the aftermath and even farther into the future.
This story kept my interest, but despite the tragedies, hardships, and brokenness of the characters and their lives, it did not captivate me as much as I had hoped. The narrative was rather flat and despite the characters experiencing heartbreak, it was told in a fairly 'moving right along' fashion that did not necessarily move me. The book was very plot driven and I was more invested in the dynamics and relationship but the characters felt secondary to me. The characters were developed well but it just went nowhere for me. The title is referenced briefly, but I think another title would have sufficed. I would like to thank NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I rated this book 3 Stars on Goodreads. Happy Reading! June Wrap Up!
Did we read anything in common?? I tackled a bucket list book, one considered to be a #prideread & a couple of NetGalleys. June Novels Read: Becoming Beatriz by Tami Charles ⭐️⭐️ How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We Were Liars by E. Lockhart ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Goodreads Challenge: 46/100 books First of all...snaps for an amazing book title - GENIUS.
I want to be honest - after reading this book I stopped reading altogether...because I had so many back episodes of Queer Eye to finish - I decided that binge watching all of the seasons of the new Queer Eye Reboot on Netflix was my top priority! Tan France is an accomplished entrepreneur in the fashion and textiles industry. This book details his deep love and 10 year marriage with his husband Rob (swoon - what a great partnership) as well as his career successes and challenges through the years with his fashion lines that include Kingdom & State, as well as a modest swimwear line Shade...among other ventures. He was just preparing for retirement when the Queer Eye casting call came. Tan writes frankly about his upbringing as a Muslim (raised in England...thus the amazing accent), bullies, his culture's preference for lighter skin colors, and of course...his insights on lifestyle choices and FASHION. Tan is clearly an expert in his field and doesn't try to compete for screen time on the show because when he has input to offer, he wants it to be meaningful and not necessarily silly or outlandish. He is very dedicated to helping people look their best and put their best foot forward...and I enjoyed this book! I am a real fan of audiobooks when it comes to memoirs so I am definitely pre-ordering Naturally Tan the audiobook for the June 4, 2019 release date! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! May Wrap Up! Did we read anything in common??
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Farm by Joanne Ramos ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ No Exit by Taylor Adams ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Serial Killer’s Daughter by Kerri Rawson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sugar Run by Mesha Maren ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Goodreads Challenge: 40/100 books Thanks to my bookstagram friends for the numerous buddy read invites which kept me motivated to read! Thanks to these Instagram accounts & book clubs! @where_the_wild_reads_are @crofteereader @theoxfordcommamomma @novelsandjava @bookishbex #fiercefemalesbookclub The first half of this book details her childhood, seemingly normal, with details about church and family and camping trips. Her childhood seemed fairly normal like an average daughter in middle America. The difference, however, is that while she was growing up enjoying this typical childhood, her father was committing gruesome murders along the way.
The second half of the novel lends itself to be more like the title. It deals with the news that her father has been arrested as the BTK serial killer, and the fall out from that shocking discovery. Even though Kerri was born and raised in Kansas, she really did not know very much about BTK until after her father’s arrest. Her life dramatically changed on the day he was arrested. And the fact that her DNA was used to determine his guilt was an even bigger layer of guilt thrown upon her. I honestly did not know much about the details of the BTK crimes until I read this book. My quick google search provided terrifying information so I stopped after just a couple of stories. The horrific extent of these crimes would be impossible to reconcile with a loved one as the killer. Not sure how Kerri was able to eventually move on with her life as she described in the book. Kudos to her for her therapy and her ability to process and eventually move on with her life. If you are a true crime reader, this book is for you. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Farm by Joanne Ramos is a debut novel which takes us to a medical spa of sorts for women who are serving as paid and professional surrogates for the wealthiest of the wealthy. The surrogate moms are referred to as Hosts and they are treated with the ideal environment in which to grow a baby…except they are not allowed to communicate with the outside world while they are there – their only job is to grow and nurture the perfect fetus.
This glance into a lucrative surrogate facility is supposed to be completely fictional…but It lends itself to the question if such places don’t already exist? The plot is centered around an immigrant surrogate, Jane, who enrolled to be a host because of the large sums of money promised after she delivers a healthy baby, which is a motivator for most hosts in the program – a chance to change their circumstances and future options. However, Jane already has an infant daughter and must bid farewell to her for 9 months while she is enrolled in the program. Jane is eager to serve and she has agreed to fulfill her part of the agreement (under binding legal contracts with bonuses and incentives), but when he maternal instincts kick in on her baby back at home, the plot really deepens and we begin to examine whether or not this maternal wellness spa is such a great idea after all… I enjoyed The Farm, and will definitely give it 4 Stars on Goodreads. I think my local Book Club Moms book club would enjoy this for a future title to discuss. Lots of issues to unpack in this book…the wealthiest 1%, the surrogates looking for a chance to change their station in life, the potential profitability of incubating children for money en masse, and more. Thank you to NetGalley! I received an advanced copy of The Farm in exchange for my honest review. #bibliofile #bookshivers #bookshark #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #thefarm #netgalley In lieu of Mother's Day, I began to ponder what books I have read that might stand out to me to serve as a tribute to Moms or as a standout for #momsinliterature
Although it seems that many books I read have a mom-centric controversy in the main character's life (mom died young, mom left, mom abuse, mom was abused), I ended up choosing two books that in my reading memory, stood out against the test of time as a tribute to mom. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah seems like a love letter to his mom and for all of the things she sacrificed and endured in apartheid stricken South Africa, all with the goal of helping propel Noah towards a bright future. I adored this book and highly recommend its audiobook. It has been optioned as a movie and I will definitely be in the theater when it is released. My other selection is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Henrietta was a young working mother diagnosed with cervical cancer and was fighting for her life at age 31 when the cancer took over her body. Because of her race she did not have the same cancer treatment options as white patients, and her outcome was more fatal. Her cells were the first ones to be discovered in a lab that would continue to reproduce and multiple, and they still are used (today in 2019). The book chronicles the science and labs and processes in which her cells have lived, the legacy of HeLa cells, and the struggles her children have had to endure...which was not diminished when they found out that their mothers cells were still in use in hospitals and labs 50 decades later. I hope all of the mothers out there took the day of Instagram and were able to do what they enjoy most - spending time with people that bring you joy and or the books that bring you joy! Happy Mother's Day! #bibliophile #momsinliterature OK - Clearly the WHEELS ARE FALLING OFF! Springtime is a busy time with 4 kids in various schools and while I am being very diligent on Instagram, this particular blog is losing my attention. I promise to do better!
April Reading Round Up! A month full of #SpringReads made for an amazing April of reading! Did we read anything in common?? Maid by Stephanie Land ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Evidence of the Affair by Tara Jenkins Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bad Blood: Secrets & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Circe by Madeline Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Off the Record by Taylor Danae Colbert ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Lost Man by Jane Harper ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Hard to believe it's time for the March Wrap Up!
Been a busy month! And two 5 Star Reads for me! The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls ⭐⭐⭐ The Golden Child ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Naturally Tan ⭐⭐⭐ The Castle on Sunset ⭐⭐⭐ Daisy Jones & the Six ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You've Been Volunteered ⭐⭐⭐ I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter ⭐⭐⭐ Woman 99 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tattooist of Auschwitz ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Goodreads Challenge Status: 24/100 Happy Reading! |
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