I can’t believe I was actually able to complete this goal I set for myself 12 months ago. This is the first resolution I’ve ever completed and though it wasn’t a life changing one it feels pretty good to have accomplished something I set for myself. Getting these last 12 books finished was complicated. Our fall schedule was something and I found it really hard to find time to read. Thankfully I am a fast reader and was able to get to #52 on the last day of 2018. This challenge really increased my love of reading and I plan to do another 52 for 2019. If you’ve enjoyed reading these reviews/suggestions and don’t already follow, head over to Instagram (and Facebook) and like “The Booked Mama” where I will continue to share about the books I am reading. I have been asked a few times which book was my “favorite” and I really can’t just pick one so I plan on sharing a Top 10 list soon. Stay tuned! 

41. The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green

The women of the Sunshine family are, for lack of a better word, dysfunctional. They are all broken in their own ways, they all harbor resentment towards their mother and they all have challenging relationships with each other. Ronni Sunshine, the matriarch of the family is at the root of each of her daughters issues. The famous movie star didn’t have the time or the patience to be a mother to her three girls. Each of them annoyed her and she took out her anger on them at a flip of a switch. Nell, the oldest daughter was great at removing herself from these outbursts. Lizzy, the youngest, never paid them any attention but middle daughter, Merideth, always took them to heart. The minute they each had their chance they moved out of their mothers home and started very different lives from one another. Their relationship fell apart and each drifted away. Ronni, forever the drama queen, was always making up some illness to get attention from her daughters so this time when she calls them all home for an emergency, they find it hard to believe her…until they see her with their own eyes. Ronni’s only goal is to repair the damage she has done to her relationship with her daughters and repair their bond with each other before it is too late. In a way this book felt disjointed to me. The chapters in the first half of their book could have been their own separate stories, I wanted more. The Sunshine Sisters seems to be a fan favorite for those who enjoy Green’s books, however personally, I enjoyed Second Chance much more that this one.

42. Home by Harlan Coban

Ten years ago, two six year old boys were kidnapped during a play date at one of their homes. After all these years someone has sent Win Lockwood an anonymous email with a tip that cracks the case wide open. Win brings his best friend, Myron Bolitar, in on the case and the two set off on a worldwide hunt to bring the now 16 year old boys home. After rescuing Patrick in London the two won’t rest until Rhys is found as well. However, Patrick is being less than helpful and his parents are doing everything in their power to keep Win and Myron away. What are they hiding? Is Patrick really who he says he is? I found this book on a suggested reads list but what the blurb didn’t mention is that this is book 11 in a series written by Coban about these two characters. I’m not sure if this is why I felt a disconnect to this book. The actual plot was probably 50% of the story and the other half, in my opinion, was filled with unnecessary banter between the characters and irrelevant scenes (attending a professional wrestling match, lots of talk about Myron’s old basketball injury, etc.). When the plot was in motion it was a real page turner but I felt the author hit pause on it one too many times. After checking out other reviews for Home, people who are regular readers of Coban’s seemed to have high praise for this addition to his series. I might have to go back and see where Win and Myron started.

43. The Paying Guests by Megan Waters

Mrs. Wray and her daughter Francis have fallen on hard times. WW1 has ended and London is attempting to put itself back together again. With her father and both of her brothers now gone, Francis is left to take care of her aging mother and their aging home. In order to pull them out of debt, the women decide to take in lodgers or “Paying Guests” as they refer to them. They convert a few rooms into a mini-apartment and Francis takes over the role of housekeeper and cook. It doesn’t take the Wray women long to welcome their “guests”, the newly married Mr. & Mrs. Barber. Lilian and Leonard settle themselves in to the house on Champion Hill and begin making the Wray house their home. Lilian and Frances begin to form an unexpected relationship and loyalties begin shift. What comes next for these two women, I can honestly say, I did not see coming. In a single act of passion and desperation everyone’s world comes crashing down. Waters skill in developing these unlikeable characters and scene descriptions puts you right in the room as you read. I did feel the last section of the book could have been condensed to bring it all together a bit sooner. “The Paying Guests” is definitely NOT for everyone. The story deals with an abusive relationship, graphic sexual descriptions and murder among other sensitive subjects that might be difficult for some to read about. None of this is mentioned on the book blurb (and caught me off guard) so reader be warned.

44. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Sixteen year old Lina is having a very rough year. Her mother just died after a short battle with cancer leaving her alone. During the four months she was sick, Hadley began to tell her daughter wild stories from her youth with a “friend” named Howard and now that she is gone Lina’s grandmother has just announced that Howard is actually Lina’s father. Her mother’s dying wish was for Lina to go and live with this stranger that she only just learned existed. One other plot twist in Lina’s already bad year was that she was going to have to leave her home and friends in Seattle because Howard lives in Florence, Italy. Where Hadley and Howard met. The year Lina was conceived. Upon arriving in Italy, Lina finds out that Howard is a caretaker for a World War II Memorial and lives inside a cemetery. Could this get any worse? Before she died Hadley had her journal from her time in Florence shipped to the cemetery and it found its way to Lina. She begins to discover the city along with her mother, entry by entry. In Hadley’s journal, the letter X is used to refer to the man Lina assumes is her father but when she presses Howard on some of the stories that Hadley shares he seems to know nothing about them. Is Howard really her father? Who is X and why did Hadley send her half way across the world to live with this man that may or may not be her father? Love & Gelato will have you reaching for your passport (or at least Google) to see for your self the gorgeous Italian landmarks that Lina visits on her journey. Jenna Evans Welch has written a sweet read for Young Adult readers and up. Her second book Love & Luck takes place in Ireland. I look forward to picking that one up!

45. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

From the outside looking in the Lee family would appear to have it all together. However, behind closed doors Marilyn Lee is struggling to come to grips with a life she didn’t dream of and James can’t seem to find common ground with his children. Middle child Lydia wants a moment of peace from her mother’s constant need for perfection, Nath can’t wait to get out of the house and Hannah, the youngest, just wants someone to notice her. Marilyn’s character reads like a signal flare of caution to parents to check yourself and your expectations of your children often. The book begins by drawing the reader in with the opening line, “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet…”. As the family discovers what life is like without Lydia the story takes the reader across several decades jumping back to James and Marilyn’s past giving the us a glimpse of what made them who they are today as well as what led up to Lydia’s last night alive. This is the second book I have read by Ng and I think I enjoyed “Little Fires Everywhere” more than this one. If you haven’t read that one yet, I would highly recommend it.

46. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

In an elevator on her way up to her sister’s hotel room Alexa finds herself trapped with a handsome stranger. The two hit it off over snacks from Alexa’s purse while passing the time. Drew, who is in town for his ex-girlfriend/former best friend’s wedding, decides on a whim to ask Alexa to be his plus one. To save face with the future bride and groom Drew tells everyone that Alexa is his new girlfriend forcing the two to pretend to be a couple. After their charade at the wedding is a complete success the newly formed chemistry between Alexa & Drew becomes too difficult to ignore. Drew decides to extend his stay in San Francisco and the two begin a long-distance relationship. Alexa and Drew both have highly demanding careers and things becoming complicated. Although, slightly predictable “The Wedding Date” is a lovely, lighthearted debut book by Guillory. If you are looking for a fun, flirty read to take on vacation this is the perfect book.

47. One Day in December by Josie Silver

On her way home from work on a particularly miserable December day, Laurie is staring out of the window of her overly crowded bus when she locks eyes with a handsome stranger waiting on the bench at the bus stop. All at once she is overwhelmed with a sudden urge to rush off the bus and meet him. Clearly feeling the same she sees him get up and rush towards the bus as it begins to pull away. He is left standing on the side of the road and Laurie left wondering if she will ever see “bus boy” again. Over the next year Laurie and her best friend Sarah keep their eyes peeled for the mystery man anytime they are out with no luck. Sarah however has managed to snag a new dreamy boyfriend that she has fallen head over heels for. She can’t wait to introduce him to Laurie at their annual Christmas party, only Laurie has already seen him before. Sarah’s new boyfriend is none other than “bus boy” who’s name turns out to be Jack. Neither Jack or Laurie decide to tell Sarah about their previous meeting leaving an unsettled chemistry between the three. “One Day in December” follows the trio over a decade and changes perspective between Jack and Laurie. This is a quick, lovely story was the perfect escape from the holiday crazies. I really didn’t want it to end and actually shut the book with a smile on my face. Pick this book up for your holiday break!

48. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Nel Abbott, whose death brings everything to light, wasn’t well liked in her small town of Beckford. Did her fascination with the Drowning Pool and her desire to dig up its past drive her to choose the same watery end that so many other women in Beckford have endured or did her desire to uncover the Pool’s secrets cause one of the residents to force her over the edge of the cliff? Each chapter in the book changes POV to a different resident of Beckford. There are so many characters in this book that the author includes a key at the beginning of the book for the reader to reference. I have to admit I had to look back at it quiet a few times in Part One. Although not a jaw dropper, “Into the Water” is filled with twists and turns and truly leaves you hanging until the lasts few words. Having read and enjoyed Hawkins’ other book, “The Girl on the Train” I expected dark and twisty and this book didn’t disappoint. If you are a fan of mysteries be sure to add this book to your list. 

49. The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Every day at noon 85 year old Arthur Moses can be found in the same place – eating his lunch at his wife Nola’s grave. Arthur wouldn’t miss his daily visits to her for anything. He fills her in on his day to day happenings since she passed six months ago. Arthur misses Nola so very much. Maddy is a girl on the verge of adulthood whose home life is less than miserable and is on her way out of an unhealthy relationship. Maddy can’t wait to escape the hell that is High School. She has no friends, can’t go a day without someone tossing a disparaging comment her way and finds her only peace among the trees at the cemetery during her lunch breaks. This is where the unlikely duo meet for the first time, on one of their daily lunch trips. Arthur’s neighbor, Lucille, is a retired school teacher and is equally lonely. She keeps Arthur’s cookie jar full with her homemade baking. The three of them become an unlikely trio that prove that sometimes its the family that you create for yourself that ends up being the greatest blessing. Berg has written an absolutely heartwarming book. Some compare Arthur to Ove from Fredrick Backman’s book “A Man Called Ove” but I found Arthur to be much more of a genuinely caring soul right from the start. Nothing had to be chipped away for the reader to fall in love with his heart of gold. Add this one to your must read list. 

50. Surprise Me by Sophia Kinsella

Dan and Sylvie have been together for 10 years. They have settled into a phase where they know what the other is going to say before it comes out of their mouth, can order a meal for the other person without asking what they want and can consistently predict each others next move through life. When a doctor tells them that they both have the capability to live to 100, Sylvie and Dan begin to panic. 68 more years together? What does that even look like? They dive into a tailspin worrying over how they will keep their relationship alive and wonder will they even be able to make it that far without becoming bored of one another. After deciding that spontaneous holidays, living in a new country or adding to their family is just not the answer, Sylvie comes up with a plan. They decide that they are going to start surprising one another. Not major mind-blowing surprises all the time but subtle ones to let the other know they are thought of. Sylvie thinks her brilliant plan is going to help end their predictable ways but what she ends up getting, however, is a surprise Sylvie never saw coming. “Surprise Me” is a book that picks up after all of those other rom-com/girl meets boy stories end and gives an honest look at what real-life marriages can struggle through as years pass and people change. 

51. Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

Being the daughter of a wedding planner, Louna has seen it all. She has seen the highs and lows of love and has become jaded to the idea of marriage after working at her mother’s highly in demand business since she was young. After suffering the loss of her first love, Louna has now given up on dating much to the distress of her best friend, Jilly. With this being her last summer before leaving for college Louna just wants to focus on her job, spending time with Jilly, her mother and her godfather, William. When a mother-of-the-bride approaches Louna’s mother and begs her to take her teenage son out of her hair, Natalie offers to hire him for the summer. Louna has little to no patience for Ambrose and his immature, serial dating ways but the two are forced to work together daily and he begins to chip away at Louna. One day while on a coffee run for her mother, the two make a bet. Ambrose has to date the same person for 7 weeks while Louna has to adopt Ambrose’s dating habits. Winner gets to select the next person the loser dates. Dessen has written a heartwarming story filled with such endearing characters. Who wouldn’t fall in love with Ethan? The only issue I had with the plot (and it was completely my own doing) was I kept picturing Louna to be in her early 20s not 17. This would be the perfect vacation book and will definitely not be my last Dessen book.

52. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Four girls who become fast friends at a boarding school, bonding over their unconventional home lives, become a force to be reckoned with thanks to their game. Thea and Kate are deep into the Lying Game when they meet Fatima and Isa on the train on their way to their first day at Salten House. The new girls are invited into the Lying Game and the girls pledge an unspoken pact to put each other above everyone else. They spend every weekend together at Kate’s house just across the marsh swimming in the Reach, drinking and smoking under the watchful eye of Kate’s father, Ambrose, the school’s art teacher. Fast forward seventeen years later and Isa, Thea and Fatima get a text in the middle of the night from Kate – I need you – this could only mean one thing, their lies have finally caught up to them. The story changes between two time periods, age 15 and present day and is written from the perspective of Isa. I enjoyed “The Lying Game” so much more than “The Woman in Cabin 10“. This isn’t a true thriller mystery in my opinion but it definitely has its twist and turns as Ware takes you on a ride to figure out whose body has been found buried beneath the sand on the Reach. 

Til next time, 

E