Not that I claim to be a critic in any way but here I go dipping my toes into the world of book reviewing. It’s a little nerve-wracking to share your opinion on someone’s creative work so freely. Hopefully, I will get better at being open about this. I’m now 10 books into this resolution and so far so good…haven’t quit yet! This might be the longest I’ve ever stuck to one. Here are my first 10 reviews for 2018…Enjoy!

1. “The Woman in Cabin 10” by Ruth Ware

This one was a slow starter. I can usually crush a book in a day or two but I had to start and restart this one a few times because I just could not get it going. The story follows Lo, a travel journalist, as she heads out on an important assignment writing an article on a luxury cruise for the elite. As she boards she is suffering from PTSD after a break-in at her home and she is tossed into the mystery of what happened in the cabin next door after the boat leaves port. The plot gets stretched out much longer than it needed to be to increase the drama for about 3/4 of the book, making the end of the book feel a bit frenzied.

2. “Faithful” by Alice Hoffman

Warning: This was not a light-hearted read as the cover art might lead you to believe. Shelby and Helene are high school best friends who are attached at the hip until a fateful accident causes their lives to go in very different directions. Shelby is forced to deal with the outcome of that night and attempt to overcome her guilt. The story follows her as she attempts to move on with her life and find her purpose. The book does get a bit dark and gloomy but seeing Shelby’s transformation as she works towards redemption takes the reader on a realistic journey of overcoming adversity. 

3. “Here’s to Us” by Elin Hilderbrand

After reading two darker themed books, I need a change of tone for this next one. I usually love Elin Hilderbrand’s lighthearted beach-read books about Nantucket but this one was not my favorite. It was well written in her usual way but the constant switching from POV’s, random breaks to throw in a recipe after recipe made for a choppy read. The plot centers around the sudden death of a celebrity chef and his request that all 3 of his ex-wives disperse his ashes near his beloved home on Nantucket. Elin Hilderbrand’s stories are usually filled with light summer romances set to beautiful descriptions of the island but this one strays too far into the “this would never happen” category for me.

4. “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena

This book sets out to show that you can never really know a person. If you have trust issues, this one is not for you. All joking aside, as a mother I had trouble with these characters. Anne and Marco lose their babysitter at the last-minute so instead of canceling their plans, they decide to leave their sleeping baby at home while they go next door for a dinner party. They plan to take the baby monitor with them and take turns checking on her every half hour. After drinking too much, they arrive home to find their front door open and their baby gone. After lots of twists and turns the author decides to finish this story in a disappointing way.

5. “All the Missing Girls” by Megan Miranda

Before I started reading “All the Missing Girls” I wasn’t aware that the book was written in reverse. The story starts on Day 15 and as the main character, Nik, returns to her home town to help her brother and ailing Dad sell their family home and steps right back into the mystery of what happened to her best friend 10 year ago. As the days count back to one another girl, Nik’s neighbor, goes missing. With the story being told in reverse, I found this to be an interesting read. I’m the type to always figure out what is coming next in mysteries but this one kept me guessing. Once the twist was revealed the ending became a bit more predictable but overall I liked this book.

6. “See Me” by Nicholas Sparks

I am not usually the type to pick up a Nicholas Sparks book but I was willing to give it a try after yet another darker themed book. I am more a mystery/historical fiction fan with an occasional Nantucket love story thrown in to break up the heavy reads. I really can’t say I loved this book. In fact, I was really ready for it to be done half way through but I don’t quit books and saw it through to the end. The two main characters Maria and Colin are two very opposite people. Maria is a lawyer with a large, loving family and Colin has been in trouble with the law, is an MMA fighter and is estranged from his family but in Sparksland these two somehow make a compatible couple. Of course, there is drama that surrounds them and a twist or two along the way but I just didn’t find this book or its characters relatable or entertaining.

7. “The Leaving” by Tara Altebrando

“The Leaving” is a quick read despite being 421 pages. This is another POV jumper but keeps the suspenseful story going from page one. The plot line revolves around six children who were kidnapped without a trace on their first day of Kindergarten only to be returned 11 years later with little to no memory of where they have been. Only not all of them were returned…one is still missing. While the five victims of “The Leaving” try to piece their memories back together, the family of the sixth child is trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Max and why he didn’t return with the others. Although there were parts of the story I felt could have been left out, this book made for a good quick read and would be a great recommendation for fans of YA sci-fi/mystery.

8. “Salt to the Sea” – Ruta Sepetys

Out of the 8 books I have read so far this one is my favorite. This historical fiction book is written from four different characters POV in Germany during World War II. Joana, Florian and Emilia are attempting to evacuate Germany ahead of the Red Army’s invasion and Alfred is a loyal member of Hilter’s Kriegsmarine. The four characters storyline’s intersect when they come upon their ultimate destination, the ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff. I have read many historical fiction books about this time period and never came across one quiet like this. The author doesn’t hold back and the story at times is quiet painful but the characters bravery and desire to survive keeps you wanting more. Although this story is fiction you find it easy to imagine that this could easily be a story built on someone’s truth from that time. Definitely would recommend for any historical fiction lover.

9. “The Trespasser” by Tara French

Due to several factors, I would not say this murder mystery book classifies as a quick read. First, the author is Irish and uses quiet a bit of slang in the conversational text so some readers might need to take a minute or two to figure out what is being said. Second, the main character is not like-able at all. This is done on purpose by the author but it doesn’t leave the reader pulling for her at times. Third, there is a lot of time in the story where not much is happening to move the plot along. Fourth, the who-done-it part gets pretty predictable about 3/4 of the way through the book and the rest was reading on to see if you guessed right. (I did.) I wasn’t aware that this was a part of her Dublin Murder Squad series but I think this will be a one and done for me.

10. “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper” by Phaedra Patrick

69 year old Arthur Pepper decides it’s time to clean out his wife’s belongings on the one year anniversary of her death. He comes across a charm bracelet hidden in a boot that he has no knowledge of. As he begins to figure out the meaning behind each of the charms, Arthur learns more and more he didn’t know about his wife of more than 40 years. I could just picture the little old man from the movie “Up” as I read about Arthur and his adventures to discover what secrets Miriam had hidden from her past. This was such a lovely, easy read about appreciating your loved ones during life and not missing out on experiences while you still have the time to enjoy them.

Til next time,

E