It’s the saddest time of the year when the end of summer rolls around, the weather is suddenly cooler and the back to school preparations begin. I would live inside summer forever if I could. With fall comes the return of our hectic schedules and I miss the unstructured days of summer. But with every season there is a beginning and an end…and here we are, on the cusp. This wasn’t my most productive reading season numbers wise but I have enjoyed the time I’ve been able to settle in with a book. This last summer Ten Stack has a bit of a mix of genres and more hits than misses. Hopefully, you are able to squeeze in a few more good days of reading in these last few days of my favorite season. Share with me what your favorite read was this summer.

“The Lost Man” by Jane Harper

In the Australian Outback, one wrong decision can mean the difference between life and death. As Cameron Bright’s brothers stand at the spot where he was found dead they are left with only questions. How did Cameron get out to the stockman’s grave? Why did he come here when he was meant to be meeting his brother? Did he come out to this spot on purpose or did something happen to bring him here? Cameron’s death leaves much in its wake – the care of their property, the care of his wife and children, not to mention the future of their family business. But Nathan can’t seem to settle in with the local police’s theory on Cameron’s death. He doesn’t believe that his brother would have taken his own life in this way. The small details are just not adding up for him. Unable to rest until he uncovers the secrets Cameron has buried Nathan begins to realize he may not have truly known the man he thought was his brother. Jane Harper is truly a master of character driven mysteries. The Outback felt like a character in and of itself this time. I have really enjoyed the other titles I’ve read by Harper and “The Lost Man” is no exception. The conclusion to this book had me guessing all the way through, which rarely happens. I recommend adding this to your TBR list if you are a fan of thrillers and mysteries.

“Happy Place” by Emily Henry

For the last decade a cottage in Maine has been the yearly escape for Harriet, Wyn and their friends turned family. However, this will be their last as the cottage is being sold and the threat of life and their friendships never being the same is felt by all. No one is feeling it more than Harriet and Wyn forced to put on the perfect show so their friends don’t figure out that the happy couple broke up six months ago but couldn’t bring themselves to tell their friends. Not wanting to ruin their last vacation together Harriet and Wyn decide to pretend to still love each other for one week. After years of being in love it shouldn’t be that hard, right? I have loved everything in Emily Henry’s current catalog and “Happy Place” is no exception. A contender for my favorite Henry book “Happy Place” was so hard to put down. I loved the dual timelines that gave you insight on how Wyn and Harriet came to be mixed with present day at their happy place in Maine. (One of my personal happy places as well!) This book will give you all the feels and is the perfect summer read. (Also, now I need a lobster roll ASAP!)

“Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Riva siblings have not had an easy life though to an outsider their last name would suggest otherwise. Their father, the famous Mick Riva, is America’s sweetheart but to the four Riva kids – Nina, Jay, Hudson and Kit – he’s a stranger. Each of them are successful in their own way no thanks to Mick and know the only people they can rely on is one another. All of Malibu is fascinated by the Rivas and their annual summer party is the event to be at and be seen at. This year’s party will be no exception. By midnight the event will have turned into the wildest party Malibu has ever seen and as the sun comes up the Riva mansion will burn to the ground. What happens in those 24 hours will shift and shape the Riva siblings in new ways, fracture open old wounds and uncover long buried secrets. Some people were born to tell stories and Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of them. “Malibu Rising” is another example of her perfectly crafting a tale in a unique and gripping way that makes the characters come alive. Told through multiple timelines and perspectives “Malibu Rising” is filled with love, loss, loyalty and the strength of family ties beyond everything else. I highly recommend adding “Malibu Rising” to your TBR list. Though you can’t go wrong with any TJR titles as I have yet to find one I didn’t fall in love with.

“What Lies in the Woods” by Kate Alice Marshall

At 11 years old, Naomi and her two best friends lived for their time in the woods playing their secret games and making their magical wishes. On a perfect day and when they least expected it, Naomi was attacked while deep in the woods. Thanks to her two best friends, rescue workers made it to her in time to save Naomi from her seventeen stab wounds. Between the three girls they were able to put the criminal behind bars, locking up a notorious serial killer in the process. Now twenty-two years later Naomi was just informed of her attacker’s death. Not wanting to be alone with this news, the friends gather back in their hometown. Only then can they fully process what this news means, what they went through all those years ago…and the lies they told to everyone outside of those woods. Reviewing “What Lies in the Woods” is slightly conflicting because there were parts of this book that were really interesting and others that felt like it was all just a little too obvious. I thought I had the plot all figured out midway through and for the most part I did, but the story was good enough to keep me turning pages. A good read for thriller fans.

“One Night” by Georgina Cross

They all got one. Red envelopes that arrived with a simple message. Come to the designated location and you will finally know what really happened to Meghan the night she died. Her mother is convinced Meghan’s old boyfriend is behind this, having just been released from jail completing his sentence for her murder. They all gather at the secluded cliffside home that’s been rented by their secret host as a storm begins to rage outside. But when the suspected mastermind behind this night is found unconscious after a car wreck the family begin to spiral. Desperate for answers – Who brought them here? Why has the truth been kept secret for so long? What really happened to Meghan? Cal is now too injured to give them what they want…but that doesn’t mean they can’t have closure. Who would miss him if they took true justice into their own hands? Help is not coming and accidents do happen after all. Half of the group wants to hear what he has to say while the other half wants to serve him no mercy. But what will happen if Cal does wake-up and reveal the truth that maybe he wasn’t guilty after all and the killer is someone already in the house. “One Night” is a twisty closed-door mystery that, though fairly predictable, had me gripped. I don’t mind if the plot is easy to figure out as long as the slight possibility that I’m wrong exists and this is exactly what Cross has done. A good mystery/thriller for fans of this genre.

“The Hundred Loves of Juliet” by Evelyn Skye

As a young girl Helene dreamed of her perfect love. She would write him into her stories hoping for a future as idealistic as her heroines had. Now as an adult Helene is deep in the weeds of a bitter divorce settling into her new life in Alaska in order to hopefully write her novel. On her first day in town Helene meets some of the locals and one of them looks so incredibly familiar. The man she spent years writing about in her stories was now standing right in front of her. How could someone look so similar to her dreams? Determined to keep Helene at an arms length, Sebastien, scared from so many heartbreaks, does everything within his power to avoid contact with her. Yet somehow the two keep crossing paths as if fate has other plans for the two star-crossed dreamers. I feel really conflicted reviewing this book. I didn’t dislike “The Hundred Loves of Juliet” but I also didn’t love it either. Slightly outside of the normal genre I read with its Fantasy leanings I had a hard time really believing in the story. With themes like immortality, reincarnation all rolled into a retelling of Romeo & Juliet the author had high ambitions for her love letter of a book. Maybe for the right reader this will be a perfect five star but it felt too disconnected for me personally. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott

Audible Originals alert! This beautifully perfect classic of a story has recently been turned into an Audible Original dramatized performance narrated by the icon Laura Dern. This retelling is a full scale production featuring a full cast filled with veteran actors and led by Dern’s soothing voice. I have loved “Little Women” forever, read the book and watched the movies but this new audio drama was so enjoyable I didn’t want it to end. One or two of the characters I would have recast but for the most part it was perfection. Don’t miss out on this audiobook.

“California Golden” by Melanie Benjamin

Carol Donnelly was anything but a conventional housewife. If her two young daughter’s wanted any sort of relationship with their mother they better learn to surf. Rarely at home, Carol could only be found on the waves often competing in the male-dominated sport for her shot at fame, often neglecting Mindy and Ginger along the way. The two girls tip-toed around their mother’s emotional abuse in order to stick together – Mindy picking up her mother’s sport quickly in an effort to bond with Carol but Ginger struggled to do so. Desperate to make her own path Ginger sidesteps into the world of drugs, cults and dangerous men. The Donnelly girls each try in their own way to overcome generational trauma, disappointment and hardships set in the backdrop of an unsteady 1960’s during a time of war, racial tension and expectations that women should look and behave a certain way. I’m not sure what it was about “California Golden” but I had a hard time settling into the story. The time period isn’t one that I easily relate to though Benjamin does a great job portraying life in the 60s. Fans of Historical Fiction may enjoy this. Thank you to Delacorte Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“In the Garden of Beasts” by Erik Larson

“Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Goring and the expectedly charming—yet wholly sinister—Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.” “In the Garden of Beasts” follows the accounts of the American Ambassador to Germany during the tumultuous years leading into World War II. Professor William E. Dodd was named ambassador in 1933 just as Hitler’s climb to power was becoming more and more obvious. Bringing with him his wife, son and daughter, the Dodd family had front row seats to the atrocities that befell Germany and its citizens as they either became entranced by Hitler’s words or the victims of them. The audiobook version is well narrated and worth a read especially if you have been fans of Larson’s other historical titles as I was.

“The Wicked City” by Beatriz Williams

Having just moved into a new apartment after leaving her cheating husband Ella is just trying to stay above water. Her new neighbor Hector warns her of an unspoken building rule to avoid the basement at night after numerous residents have heard unexplained noises from a speakeasy that hasn’t been in operation for decades. In 1924 the Christopher Street building was a regular haunt of Ginger Kelley’s. The basement speakeasy known by those privileged enough to attend as the Christopher Club. After getting nabbed during a raid Ginger is approached by Prohibition agents with an offer she can’t really refuse, to help them put her stepfather, one of the area’s biggest bootleggers, behind bars. Told in dual timelines and dual POVs “The Wicked City” has such promise to be a great historical fiction read. It had times that really held my attention but other parts that moved very slow. Also, I had a hard time with a few of the “reveals” towards the end feeling a little far-fetched. “The Wicked City” is book one of a three book series but I think for me this might be a one and done. If you have finished the series, is it worth the read?

Til next time,

The Booked Mama

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