Happy Summer, Reader, and what a different summer it is. This is normally our family vacation week so my personal social media platforms have been reminding me of trips from years past. It’s made me miss “normal life” even more than usual. Traveling across the US or to another country seems like a lifetime ago. Heck, March through July feels like it’s been a year in of itself. We are all going to need a good escape somewhere in 2021! (Hopefully that’s possible!) I’m grateful that, in the meantime, we are still able to escape into a good book. This 10 stack has a good mix of everything – historical fiction, thrillers, beach reads, hits and some misses. With the last few weeks of school vacation upon us I’m hoping to find as much time to read as I can. (Maybe squeeze in another 10 stack before September?) I hope what remains of your summer is filled with sunshine, family time and relaxing days filled with “just one more chapter” moments.

“The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt

Thirteen year old Theodore Decker has been suspended from school. His mother is to accompany him to a meeting with the Headmaster. After leaving their Manhattan apartment it began to rain so the two decided to duck into a museum to stay dry before their appointment. This decision would haunt Theo forever. An explosion rocks the museum and Theodore is lucky to escape with his life, unlike his mother. His father had walked out on them about a year before so Theo is taken in by a wealthy friend’s family and is dropped into a world outside his own. Grieving his mother without any family to turn to, Theo covets the one thing that will forever tether him to her – The Goldfinch. As an adult this painting drags Theo into the world of antiques and shady art deals. With so many things stacked against him Theo’s life is spiraling out of control. 771 pages later this story of survival, addiction and obsession is worth all the time it will take you to read The Goldfinch. Though I found the end to drag a bit I couldn’t put this down without knowing what became of Theo. If you have the time to carve out to tackle the size of this book, I highly recommend it. The movie actually stays pretty close to the book though the storyline is done out of order. Definitely worth the watch.

“The Family Upstairs” by Lisa Jewell

Libby Jones has always known that she was adopted but when on her 25th birthday Libby learns that she has inherited a house from her birth parents it comes as a surprise. Not just a house, a multi-million dollar mansion. The lawyer informs Libby that the house was originally intended to be passed down to her older brother, then to her older sister if he was unable to claim the property. She has siblings? Where are they now? Why haven’t they come forward? When Libby starts digging into her family’s past she learns that her parents weren’t in fact killed in a car crash like she was told by her adoptive parents but in fact committed suicide in what appeared to be a cult pact. There is no mention anywhere of what happened to her older siblings. Libby tracks down a journalist who investigated her parents’ deaths and together they begin to put the missing pieces into the puzzle of what really happened inside 16 Cheyne Walk that night. “The Family Upstairs” is the second book I have read by author Lisa Jewell and to be honest it lacked the buzz I felt when reading “I Found You”, which I reviewed back in 2019. This story is told through 3 different POVs and over two timelines. You anticipate at some point the present day POVs must intersect as they did in “I Found You” but when they did it wasn’t with a shock or thrilling reveal, it was a bit predictable. I definitely plan on reading another of Jewell’s 18 books hopefully finding another one I liked as much as “I Found You”. For those of you who are more well read on her catalog, what should I try next?

“The Little Bookshop on the Seine” by Rebecca Raisin

Small-town girl, Sarah Smith, loves her bookshop more than anything. Well, maybe not more than her journalist boyfriend, Ringe, but it’s a close second. Despite this she can’t help but feel that her life has come to standstill. While others around her are getting married, starting families or having adventures, Sarah’s life in Ashford seems mundane. Friend and fellow bookshop owner, Sophie, calls from Paris lamenting on her newest heartbreak to propose an idea – the two should swap bookshops for six months giving each of them a change of scenery and a chance for Sophie to escape running into her cheating ex. Without much thought and completely out of character, Sarah agrees. Days spent strolling the Paris streets, browsing the shelves at “Once Upon a Time” all during the romantic fall and Christmas season, she was giddy with excitement. However, upon arrival she finds she might have bitten off more than she could handle. People are rude, the employees are difficult – one of them is even stealing – and Ringe has been away working on a story for months. For someone who wishes life were a happily-ever-after romance novel, Sarah’s Parisian fairytale expectations are not quite living up to what she hoped they would be. Sarah needs to find a way to turn things around for the shop as well as her own life before Sophie’s store goes under. “The Little Bookshop on the Seine” is a book lovers dream. Who wouldn’t want to spend their days inside “Once Upon a Time”? I could feel myself getting happier imagining myself inside its walls or daydreaming of the endless pastries and cheese Sarah described. This story reminded me so much of the Christmas movie, “The Holiday”. If you are looking for a sweet, feel-good story be sure to add this to your TBR list. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman

Simple social skills, casual friendships and the support of a family are all things we take for granted in day to day life but for Eleanor Oliphant these things are Mission: Impossible. For as long as she can remember she has been on her own. Bouncing from foster families every 18 months since she was 10, her carefully organized life is one of simplicity. Wednesday night phone calls with Mummy, frozen pizza and vodka from Tescos on the weekends and she is set. Eleanor doesn’t covet material things, human contact or corporate ladder climbing, she is fine as she is. Completely by chance, Eleanor makes her first friend when she and Raymond from IT are bonded over an emergency situation. Edging her way out of isolation, Eleanor begins to slowly uncover what life is like outside of the 4 walls of her apartment all while turning over stones that weigh down the buried memories of her past. “Eleanor Oliphant…” was such a pleasant surprise for me. This has been on my shelf for sometime and I’m regretting not reading it sooner. This was such a beautiful story mixed with compassion, kindness, heartbreak and survival. A quick read that will remind you that you never know what is going on inside another person, not to judge others and to always live with an open heart. If you have yet to be introduced to Eleanor Oliphant be sure to pick up a copy of this book ASAP.

“Orphan Train” by Christina Baker Kline

Molly is about to age out of the foster care system. Her struggles with her most recent foster family are adding up after Molly was caught attempting to steal a book from the library. In order to avoid detention, she must complete 50 hours of community service. Molly’s boyfriend, Jack, mentions that the elderly woman his mother works for is in need of some help with a project at her home. They agree that if Molly helps her empty her attic she will sign off on her hours. Vivian’s attic is piled with boxes, trunks and memorabilia from nearly nine decades of her life. Though the two of them couldn’t be more different on the outside, Vivian and Molly begin to realize their pasts are more similar than they could have imagined. Memory after memory comes rushing back for Vivian with each box that gets opened and Molly begins to cherish the time they share together pushing Molly to do her own research into Vivian’s life. She discovers that she has the ability to unlock secrets that were hidden from Vivian for her whole life but will these answers do more harm than good? “Orphan Train” is told from two character POVs and steps back to New York in the late 1920s when you meet a young girl recently immigrated from Ireland who finds herself in dire straits aboard an orphan train headed for the Midwest. This book, by author Christina Baker Kline, is a quick read that will break your heart with every page. I had never heard of these trains before reading this that were responsible for transporting 200,000 children across the United States between 1854-1929. I’m so grateful that books like “Orphan Train” exist to educate us and remember the past. Fans of historical fiction, be sure to add this to your TBR list.

“The Clockmaker’s Daughter” by Kate Morton

A young archivist in London has come across a bit of a mystery. Elodie Winslow has found a satchel that has somehow slipped through the cracks in her office. Inside she finds a journal and a photograph of a woman dressed in Victorian-era clothing. While scanning through the journal, she comes across a sketch of a house that instantly seems familiar to her. Elodie realizes that the house looks exactly like the one her mother described to her in a recurring childhood bedtime story. Could the story have been real? Unfortunately, Elodie’s mother passed away when she was young leaving her without the answers she craves. She makes it her mission to uncover the story behind the items – Who did they belong to? Where was this picture taken? What connection did her mother have to this house? The Clockmaker’s Daughter is told through multiple POVs and over multiple time periods. If you have difficulty keeping characters straight or navigating jumping timelines, this one might not be the book for you. I found myself struggling to finish as the story kind of dragged on. This was my first book by Kate Morton but it won’t be my last. Though the story wasn’t a home run for me, Morton’s writing was still exquisite. I’m looking forward to trying out another one of her titles soon.

“Hello, Sunshine” by Laura Dave

Sunshine Mackenzie is a YouTube cooking celeb with a huge following, a number of best-selling cookbooks, a husband that adores her and just closed a deal to bring her brand to TV in a show dedicated to her. When Sunshine wakes on her 35th birthday she has it all but by the end of the day she would lose everything – all thanks to a hacker. The hacker who aptly names themself “aintnosunshine” is hell bent on taking her down. Every secret she thought she’d buried deep was now splashed all over Twitter for the world to see. In a matter of hours she no longer has a job, a marriage or a home forcing her to retreat back to her hometown, a place she never thought she would return to. Sunshine won’t be here long – just enough time to plot her climb back to fame and uncover who took so much pleasure in destroying her life but first she needs to convince her estranged sister to let her in the door. This bright and sunny cover prompted me to pack this on a recent summer jaunt and it was just the perfect pick! “Hello, Sunshine” is a quick read filled with drama, scandal, humor with an openly flawed female lead. My one complaint is that author Laura Dave left me wanting more. I felt the abrupt ending left this reader without a sense of closure on Sunshine’s story.

“Magic Hour” by Kristin Hannah

How do you rebuild your life after hitting rock bottom? Dr. Julia Cates is facing this dilemma as her career as a child psychiatrist comes screeching to a halt. When her sister calls to request her help on a case back home in Washington, Julia realizes she has nothing to stay in Los Angeles for. Being the sheriff in a small town doesn’t lead to too many exciting cases but when a 6 year old girl turns up in the town center with no explanation and unable to provide answers, Ellie knows her sister is the only person who can help. The two sisters work in tandem to try and solve the mystery of where the little girl came from and who she belongs to while trying to piece together why she can’t or won’t communicate with anyone. The little girl who seems to have appeared out of nowhere will force Julia & Ellie to repair old wounds from their past, forcing them to break down walls neither of the two women realized they had built around their hearts. This touching book by Kristin Hannah will draw you in from the very beginning. (Though I did find Ellie to be a bit vapid and the comments regarding Peanut to be uncalled for.) This was my third book by Hannah having reviewed “Firefly Lane” in 2019 and “Night Road” back in 2018 and it definitely won’t be my last. Would recommend adding all of these to your TBR list.

“The Italian Cure” by Melodie Campbell

When Charlie gets a call from her Aunt Della inviting her as her plus one on an all expenses paid trip to Italy, Charlie jumps at the chance. Having recently had her heart broken this trip could be just what she needs to shake off her sadness. The two embark on an adventure that can only be described as a comedy of errors. Charlie and Aunt Del join a tour group as they travel around to the beautifully described scenic tourist spots around Rome, Naples and Pompeii. The characters they meet along the way make the trip just that much more zany. “The Italian Cure” is a novella that would be a quick read for anyone at only 128 pages. I was just starting to get into the story when the book ended so abruptly. I would have loved for this to continue on a bit further and for the characters to be developed more. The concept had a lot of promise to have been turned into a full blown novel. Aunt Della & Charlie’s antics deserved more time. Cute story for anyone in need of a quick distraction. Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Look-Alike” by Erica Spindler

At 18 years old Sienna Scott was the first to discover the body of a murdered student on her college campus late one stormy night on a secluded path she took home regularly. Sienna begins to question whether or not she was the intended target when she realizes the victim was wearing the same coat as her. Sienna’s worries are compounded by the fact that her mother’s paranoid delusions are getting worse. When things reach a tipping point Sienna is abruptly sent away to London to live with family. Ten years later, Sienna has decided to return to her hometown only to discover that the murder case that drove her from home has been reopened and her mother’s illness has taken a turn for the worse. When Viv begins ranting about white vans and prank phone calls Sienna fears for her mother’s sanity but when Sienna begins to experience the same strange occurrences she begins to wonder if her mother has been telling the truth all along or could it be that she is slipping into the same illness that has taken over her mother’s life for all these years? “The Look-Alike” is a page-turning thriller filled with twists and turns. Though you think you may have this whodunit figured out numerous times author Erica Spindler leaves you second guessing yourself over and over again. A worthwhile read for any suspense/mystery fan. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Til next time,

E

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