Happy Spring! I am always so happy to see this side of Winter. Warmer weather, the birds chirping and no more snow! What more could we ask for? How about a few good reads to read in the sunshine! I have been on a great reading streak lately with not too many misses in this 10 stack. These 10 kept me company on our first spring break trip in two years so I was grateful for their company and stories. Hope you find something good to add to your TBR list.

“Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway” by Michael Riedel

Calling all Broadway fans! If you are like me and can’t get enough of that “Original Cast Recording” and would love to learn more about what goes on behind the curtain then “Singular Sensation” is a must read. In this book, author Michael Riedel focuses on Broadway during the 90s during the power transfer from the Lloyd Weber era to American musical domination. Hear how shows like Sunset Blvd, Rent, Lion King, Titanic, Chicago, The Producers and many, many more were created, casted, and were either failed or hailed by critics. As a former dancer, my biggest dream as a teen was to dance on Broadway and these shows were at the height of my Broadway obsession. I wore out many of my CDs for the shows Riedel covers in this book which made it all the more interesting to hear of the behind the scenes work. If you love theater I would highly recommend adding this to your TBR list – the audiobook version was a really enjoyable listen.

“Rock Paper Scissors” by Alice Feeney

With their marriage hitting an impasse Amelia is hopeful that the weekend away she has won in her work raffle will help revive things with Adam. Unfortunately the weather outside doesn’t cooperate and throws a blizzard in their way making the drive up to the Highlands even more tension filled. Amelia wanted Adam to leave work behind for a few days and all Adam wanted was to leave Amelia behind. A few nights in an old chapel in the middle of nowhere was not his idea of a getaway. When they arrive at Blackwater Chapel they can already sense that something isn’t right. Only when Adam starts to question the circumstances around Amelia’s win does the couple begin to feel that their presence at the chapel this weekend was less than a coincidence and wonder who would have wanted to bring them out to the middle of nowhere and why? Alice Feeney’s “Rock Paper Scissors” had me thinking I was a fingertip away from figuring out the plot at so many points but just kept it out of my grasp long enough to make this a real page turner. I love a good thriller mystery that gives you little bread crumbs along the way and “Rock Paper Scissors” was full of them. Told through multiple POVs, this is a great addition to your TBR list for anyone who enjoys a good suspense read.

“Final Girls” by Riley Sager

When Quincy Carpenter was the lone survivor of a mass murder one tragic night at a secluded cabin in the woods the media inducted her into a very exclusive club, she was now a “Final Girl”. Quincy joins two other women who somehow survived harrowing ordeals of their own. Despite the media’s many attempts these women never meet each other trying to put their nightmares behind them and move forward with their lives. Quincy has an easier time than Lisa and Samantha considering she can’t remember anything from that night. The memory loss helps her pretend she is doing well even if her perfect baking blog and relationship are less than real. Quincy’s façade starts to crumble when the first Final Girl is found dead and the other one shows up outside her apartment. Quincy is the only one who doesn’t question Samantha’s intentions behind her visit and when the details begin to emerge about Lisa’s death Quincy starts to wonder if her safety is in jeopardy. Author Riley Sager is an auto-read for me. I really enjoy his style of writing and usually can’t put his books down, “Final Girls” was no exception. Unfortunately, now I’m caught up on my Sager reads and have to wait until June until his newest book is published. If you haven’t yet read something from Sager’s collection be sure to pick one up ASAP!

“We Are the Brennans” by Tracey Lange

Just when he thought he couldn’t handle one more thing on his plate Denny answers a call from the LAPD letting him know that his sister, Sunday, has been in an accident and he needs to get on a plane from New York to get to her bedside. The last thing that Sunday wants is to return to their small town where everyone knows the Brennan family and their tight knit Irish family knows everything about each other. When Sunday ran away to LA five years ago leaving her family and her fiancé behind she never intended to return to face their interrogations battered and bruised from her bad decisions. The Brennan’s family pub is in dire financial straits, marriages are falling apart and old buried secrets are being brought back to the surface by dangerous enemies. The one thing that has never wavered is their bond, “if you mess with one, you mess with all six” and never before has their loyalty been tested the way they all must stand for one another now. “We Are the Brennans” has sat on my shelf for a while now and I’m kicking myself for not reading it sooner. I loved this story, this family, their flaws and their fierce loyalty to one another. I am dying for someone to pick this up and make the Brennans into a movie. I would love to see this on the big screen. If you haven’t yet read this I would highly recommend adding this to your shelf.

“Heartbreak for Hire” by Sonia Hartl

Brinkley has an unusual job. As one of the four employees at Heartbreak for Hire she is in the business of revenge. Have a boss who takes credit for your work or a co-worker who harasses you when no one is looking, Brinkley is your girl. The women of H4H specialize in serving up what’s owed to people who have no regard for others. Because H4H is a secret organization that operates mostly by word of mouth, Brinkley’s friends and family believe she works as an Administrative Assistant at an insurance company, something that drives her academically driven mother crazy. Fueled by her own need for revenge thanks to a cheating ex, Brinkley is good at what she does…until she meets Mark. Hired to cause Mark some emotional damage, Brinkley has her first slip-up when she starts to believe that Mark may not be the guy she was told he was and for the first time her professional mask falls off. Things go from bad to worse when her boss announces that she is hiring four male Heartbreakers and in walks Mark, to partner with Brinkley. Now their secret night together is just one more to add to the pile of things Brinkley has to juggle and hope that no one finds out. “Heartbreak for Hire” is a quick, beach read romance that I literally read in an afternoon. Though I have serious moral questions around this entire business plan I found the two main characters believable and liked how it didn’t take the entire book to get to the point. If you need a quick vacation book give this one a try.

“Version Control” by Dexter Palmer

“Version Control is about a possible near future, but it’s also about the way we live now. It’s about smart phones and self-driving cars and what we believe about the people we meet on the Internet. It’s about a couple, Rebecca and Philip, who have experienced a tragedy, and about how they help — and fail to help — each other through it.” – This is the first time I’ve used a pre-written blurb to help review a book but it is 100% necessary for “Version Control” because I have absolutely no idea what happened in this almost 500 page book. I really like the time travel trope but this one just went completely over my head. Maybe I’m not smart enough to understand all of the ins and outs or maybe it was my vacation brain not wanting to puzzle all of this together but this book was just not for me. If overly complex sci-fi reads are your thing then give this one an add otherwise maybe give this one a miss.

“By Any Other Name” by Lauren Kate

Lanie loves romance. As a heartbroken young woman she found the words of author Noa Calloway and adopted her theories on love. So when Lanie met her fiancée, Ryan, she knew she’d found “the one” when he checked off all the boxes on her ninety-nine point list. Finally landing her dream role of editor for her favorite author Lanie’s life couldn’t be better except Noa is now months late on her deadline and in order to keep her dream promotion Lanie must get Noa to deliver her next great novel. Though Noa and Lanie have corresponded digitally for years she has never been allowed to meet Noa and when Lanie finds out why she stands to lose everything she has worked for and forces her to question everything she thought she knew about love. Now Lanie must pull Noa out of a writer’s block all while pulling her life together. Romance fans – don’t miss this book. I loved Lanie and all that went into her story. I read “By Any Other Name” so quickly and turned the last page wanting more. If you are looking for a new rom-com read be sure to add this one to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Someone We Know” by Shari Lapena

Theirs is perfect neighborhood filled with the perfect neighbors until one of them turns up dead and now everyone is questioning whether they are living among a murderer. Then the anonymous letters start to arrive. Someone has been breaking into the homes on their street and snooping through their computers, learning what they are hiding behind a screen. The event seems innocent enough, nothing stolen, a dumb teenage prank but someone just couldn’t let it go. Someone just had to try and figure out who was sneaking around in the dark. The question is how far will the residents of this idyllic New York suburb go to keep their secrets buried literally and figuratively. Shari Lapena has grown to be one of my favorite thriller writers. I have read four of Lapena’s books so far and found each of them to be strong, satisfying mysteries that I haven’t been able to put down. Though “Someone We Know” wasn’t my favorite out of the bunch it was still a page-turner worthy of your TBR list. If you haven’t yet read a Lapena book I highly recommend checking her work out.

“Accidentally Engaged” by Farah Heron

Reena notices her new neighbor struggling with his bike up the stairs of their apartment. She could work with this handsome stranger living across the hall from her. Striking up a conversation with him Reena learns that Nadim isn’t a stranger after all…he’s been placed in this building by her father, the newest employee of their family business. Not only is Nadim here for a job but their fathers have arranged their marriage. Suddenly, Reena is no longer interested and decides that the new neighbor is the enemy and starts to avoid him at all costs but when circumstances keep bringing them together the two decide to form an alliance in order to help Reena get something she has always wanted. What could go wrong with them faking an engagement on TV? When it comes to rom-coms “Accidentally Engaged” didn’t rise to the challenge for me, ironic when the topic of baking bread is basically on every other page. It started to get uncomfortable the amount of times Nadim’s foot fetish was mentioned and the constant bread talk just got stale (see what I did there) and I lost interest with these characters after a while. If you are a big foodie you may enjoy this book for the recipes alone. The author includes several in the back of the book.

“The Things We Do For Love” by Kristin Hannah

Angie and Lauren are both missing something from their lives that they both desperately want. Lauren has always fended for herself with a Mom who is never sober or around long enough to care; all she wants is for someone to love her. Angie, who is recovering from a divorce and the loss of her child, she craves a soul in need that she can help. When their paths cross the two see something in one another and form a fast connection. Angie hires Lauren at their family restaurant but soon when Lauren finds herself abandoned by her mother, Angie’s role in her life becomes even more important. Together they navigate life-altering decisions that cause ripple effects that neither could have foreseen. As always, tissues should come attached to Kristin Hannah’s books. “The Things We Do For Love” is heart wrenching and well written but could be extremely triggering for some readers. The topics covered in this book are difficult to say the least (loss of a parent, loss of a child, infertility, miscarriage, divorce, adoption, failed adoption…it goes on) I am working my way through Hannah’s backlist and will say this one wasn’t my favorite of hers but for fans it is worth a TBR add.

Til next time,

The Booked Mama

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