Here we are seven weeks after sharing my last 10 stack and not much has changed. We are still living life in quarantine, still living with so many restrictions, still wondering when the heck will we all feel safe being out in public again. Missing friends, family and take-out food more than ever! Our family has talked about where we all want to go when it’s safe to do so and as silly as this may seem I can’t wait to go to a Barnes & Noble. I miss browsing the aisles and idly scanning the shelves. I love to see what new covers jump out at me and adding titles to my always growing TBR list. They say it’s the small things in life that gives us the most pleasure and whoever “they” are must have been talking about an hour spent like this. Thankfully, we can still order books straight to our front door. This 10 stack actually turned out to be more misses than hits but there are still a few not-to-miss titles mixed in there. Now that school vacation has arrived I can’t wait to dive into the next 10. I’m not sure what our lives will look like then but I promise to keep reading, reviewing and recommending books that will hopefully bring some escape and comfort into your day.

“The Light We Lost” by Jill Santopolo

On one of the most tragic days in our nation’s history Lucy met Gabe. The two stood together atop a dorm at Columbia University and watched as the Twin Towers burned. After bearing witness to how quickly life can change, Lucy & Gabe are determined to make their lives count for something, to work for a greater purpose. When life brings them together a year later the couple fall heavy in a wildfire love but as we all know wildfires leave nothing but destruction in their wake. “The Light We Lost” spans over thirteen years with Lucy & Gabe and is told from solely Lucy’s perspective as she recounts every detail of their story, as she remembers it, to the reader. Though I enjoyed reading “The Light We Lost”, I felt no love for Lucy and the decisions she made. I turned the last page feeling let down and disappointed but maybe that’s what the author, Jill Santopolo, was going for. Not all love stories get wrapped up in a nice, little bow. If you are looking for a quick weekend read add this one to your TBR list.

“The Guest List” by Lucy Foley

Dear Reader, you are cordially invited to attend the wedding of Julia Keegan & Will Slater on a private island off the coast of Ireland. Guests begin to travel across choppy waters the day before the ceremony as celebrations start with the champagne flowing freely. Julia’s 19 year old half-sister, Olivia, will act as her only bridesmaid, Will’s best man and ushers are friends from his elite private school days and the evening will be MC’d by Julia’s long time best friend, Charlie. With a celebrity bride and groom no expense has been spared to make The Folly’s first wedding spectacular. Sure the cell-phone service is lacking and the weather an impending disaster but that doesn’t stop Folly Owner/Wedding Planner, Aoife, from trying to pull off the perfect event. As day turns into night the guests get drunker, the storm outside grows increasingly more angry and tightly-wound threads of secrets begin to unravel in all directions. Speeches are given, the cake is cut and then the lights go out. A scream can be heard outside the marquis, someone has found a body. Told from the POVs of Olivia, Julia, Johnno (the best man), Aoife and Hannah (Charlie’s wife) “The Guest List” is a perfect, slow-burn mystery. Just when you think author Lucy Foley has shown all the cards she comes back with yet another shocker that you didn’t see coming. Highly recommend this one for all fans of this genre. Available now for Book of the Month Club members and for purchase everywhere on June 2, 2020.

“Would Like to Meet” by Rachel Winters

Long-time assistant, Evie Summers, is determined to convince her boss that she is ready to be an agent. Her agency’s star screenwriter, Ezra Chester, has missed several deadlines for the newest script he’s been asked to write and the producers are starting to get angry. Evie’s boss sends her to convince Ezra to deliver his work within three months or his deal (and their company) will be over. Narcissistic Ezra, however, believes rom-coms are beneath him and unrealistic. In order to save her job Evie devises a plan. If she can prove to Ezra those romantic meet-cutes that happen in the movies can occur in real life then he has to finish the movie. Ezra agrees to her terms only if she will provide him with weekly written updates about her adventures. Evie begins to recreate iconic movie moments, hoping to meet her Harry on a road trip with a stranger or leaving her number in a book (a la Serendipity). As in every rom-com, nothing goes as planned and humiliation abounds as Evie stops at nothing to keep her deal with Ezra now if she can only get him to keep his end of the bargain then they could all live happily ever after. This debut novel by Rachel Winters is a refreshing, heart-warming read that fans of rom-com movies will love! You could completely see “Would Like to Meet” up on the big screen. If you are in need of a light, upbeat book to escape into, be sure to add this to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Wives” by Tarryn Fisher

Her life is one giant compromise for the man she loves. She tried, she really did, to put him out of her mind. When they first met he let her know about his wife, about their arrangement. Seth was a polygamist looking for a second wife to start a family with and she was the one he wanted. The rules laid out to the arrangement meant that she couldn’t know anything about the “other” woman – no names, not what she looks like, nothing. He referred to them by their days of the week, First was Monday, soon he added Tuesday and she was Thursday. One day, while in the closet they shared for his Thursday visits, she noticed an envelope in his pocket addressed to a woman. Now she had a name. Unable to stop herself, she begins to dig into Seth’s other lives and what she finds, who she finds, makes her world spin out of control. If what you read above has you thinking “hm, this sounds interesting” – not so fast. The first 3/4 of this book had me hooked and then the “twist” caused the whole thing to fall apart. I love a good thriller as much as the next reader but it felt as if the author was tossing things at a wall hoping they would stick. I have read some good thrillers lately and sadly, “The Wives”, just didn’t measure up.

“Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity and Love” by Dani Shapiro

A beautifully written memoir that chronicles author Dani Shapiro’s journey upon discovering a long hidden family secret that shakes her to her core. Many of us have contemplated taking the heavily advertised Ancestry.com or 23 & Me DNA tests thinking it would be a fun way to learn a little more about where in the world our ancestors came from. What Dani didn’t realize is that her results would open up her own Pandora’s box unlocking her true identity – Dani’s father wasn’t actually her father. Having felt out of place in her own family her whole life, her results were in a way, an affirmation but with her identity so ingrained in her family history and devout faith everything she believed in was turned upside-down. Readers will follow Dani as she wrestles with who she is now that she knows her true biological father’s identity, why her parents kept her conception a secret and what this means for her faith, marriage and her family.

“The Address” by Fiona Davis

After a chance encounter at the Langham Hotel with American architect Theodore Camden, Sara Smythe finds herself sailing from London to be the first lady managerette at a new luxury concept apartment building in New York City. She can’t believe this opportunity has fallen into her hands. Moving across the sea meant Sara had a world of possibility in front of her. During the fall of 1884, The Dakota’s residents were busy moving into their new homes and when Sara could steal a few minutes to herself she found solace in Theo’s arms…until his wife and children arrived from England. A series of misunderstandings brings all of Sara’s dreams to a halt and she finds herself at rock bottom. Bailey Camden is on the other side of her rock bottom. Leaving rehab behind a month ago she is attempting to rebuild her life. 1984 has been an awful year and Bailey is ready to get back to work overseeing the renovations of her cousin’s apartment in The Dakota. Though they share a last name her cousin wasn’t family by blood. Bailey’s grandfather, Christopher, was raised as a Camden after Minnie Camden took him in as her ward. While the last name was nice, the Camden trust fund would have solved a lot of Bailey’s current issues. With nowhere to live, she is staying amongst the construction for the time being thanks to her cousin taking pity on her. Hidden in the basement storage area Bailey comes across three trunks filled with the personal items of Theodore & Minnie Camden as well as someone named Sara Smythe – two of the most intriguing items was a picture of Sara with the Camden children along with a note claiming that Christopher’s father was really Theodore Camden signed with a smudged S. Bailey’s resemblance to Sara was uncanny. Did this prove that Bailey was actually a Camden by blood? With the new DNA technology of the 80’s secrets that were easily buried 100 years ago begin to find their way up to the surface. “The Address” is a great read for Historical Fiction fans.

“The Weekenders” by Mary Kay Andrews

Riley Griggs is waiting at the ferry dock for her husband, Wendell, to arrive so they can travel to Belle Isle with their 12 year old daughter Maggy. Predictably he is a no-show again and as the ferry pulls away Riley realizes she is now going to have to break the news of their divorce to Maggy on her own. Belle Isle is in Riley’s blood, her ancestors being the first to inhabit the island and establishing a lot of the original properties there. The family home, Shutters, is the biggest and most grandest property on the island. The duo was looking forward to spending the summer with Riley’s family until she was shockingly served with papers on the open water. This was a low-blow even for Wendell. From the moment the Griggs women stepped foot on Belle Isle things went from bad to worse. What awaited them was a tangled web of disasters that Riley would have to unravel in order to put her life back together. I had high hopes for “The Weekenders” thinking it would be a fun, light-hearted read (a la Hilderbrand) but instead all I got were whiney characters, repetitive content (we remember Riley’s family history the first time you told us – yes, Maggy has diabetes, we get it! – how many times do we need to say Nate’s full name?) and a weak storyline that just dripped with entitlement. I couldn’t tolerate the surface relationships in this book especially Riley and Maggy’s. Reader, do yourself a favor and leave this one alone. If you are looking for a small island mystery read give “The Perfect Couple” by Elin Hilderbrand a try instead.

“The Camera Never Lies” by David Rawlings

Daniel Whitely is a successful marriage counselor and thanks to his best-selling book business at his once failing practice is booming. However he has been unsuccessful at keeping his own marriage afloat. Teetering on dangerous footing, Daniel and Kelly have danced around their problems for months and with the passing of Daniel’s grandfather tensions have never been higher. At his funeral, Daniel’s mother hands him a briefcase and a letter left to him by his grandfather, his last gift. Inside the briefcase is his grandfather’s most prized possession, an old camera with the inscription “No matter what you think you might see, the camera never lies.” on the bottom. Daniel develops the film left behind in the camera only to be left with more questions when the only photo lab left in town returns a series of upsetting pictures of his family that he didn’t remember being taken. Why would he have taken these? When Daniel returns to the lab with his own roll of film confusion only grows when the photos he receives back have been altered revealing secrets he thought he buried. Who was doing this? Daniel must find out what is going on before his carefully crafted exterior comes crumbling down. When I started out reading “The Camera Never Lies” I didn’t expect it to take the turn it did. Don’t get me wrong the concept and messaging were good but the overall package just wasn’t a big hit for me. The book fell squarely in the middle of the road, wasn’t bad but wasn’t one I would read again, nor probably highly recommend you add to your TBR lists. This is a hard one to review – it’s an easy read, the story flows well and maybe for the right person “The Camera Never Lies” might be just what you are looking for. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“One in a Million” by Lindsey Kelk

Annie Higgins is much too busy to think about love. Her new start-up company Content London keeps her schedule full. Luckily she is in it with her best friend since childhood, Miranda. The two, along with their friend Brian, are taking over the social media world one account at a time. Even with recently being nominated for three major business awards, Annie & Miranda are constantly teased by two other marketing agents in the building. When one pushes Annie too far she challenges them to a bet – she can make the next person to walk through the door Insta-famous in 30 days. If Content wins, Charlie needs to pay their rent for the month. If Charlie wins, Content helps with his company’s social media for free. Competitive Annie isn’t deterred even when the subject of their bet becomes anti-social, historian Dr. Samuel Page, another occupant of their office building. Even if the odds are stacked against her (the man doesn’t even have a single social account, yet!) Annie’s bank account (or lack thereof) makes winning that much more crucial – well that and shutting up Martin & Charlie for good. Getting Dr. Page 20,000 followers in 30 days might seem attainable to Annie at the start but breaking into the fortress that Dr. Page has built around himself looks like it might just be mission: impossible. You guys, “One in a Million” is a smash. For those of you who love a good “feel good” read this is an absolute must. While reading I kept imagining Annie as if she was being played by Emilia Clarke. (Anyone else see this?) Crossing my fingers that someone turns this into a movie. I hadn’t heard of author Lindsey Kelk’s work before but her catalog has 15 other titles and one children’s book! I can’t wait to read more of these this summer. Be sure to add this to your summer TBR list.

“Only Ever Her” by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

Annie Taft is the town’s golden girl. Since the age of three, Annie has been raised by her aunt after her mother’s murder, the one Annie was the only witness to. After many years in jail the man who was convicted of killing her mother has just been set free. His release is poor timing considering Annie’s wedding, the wedding of the year for their town, is only days away. Family and friends have all noticed that Annie’s behavior has been a little off lately but who can blame her with all of the stress in her life. Maybe they all should have been paying a little more attention because Annie suddenly goes missing. Is it just a case of cold feet or has something more sinister happened? “Only Ever Her” is told from multiple character’s POV as the hunt for answers as to what happened to Annie unfolds. I always feel bad when reviewing a book that I just didn’t connect with. I found myself skimming pages, just pushing through to get to the end. For the right reader this might be “unputdownable”, as the cover claims, but for me this one fell flat.

‘Til next time,

E

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