None of this is True by Lisa Jewell
Goodreads blurb: Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast. Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins. A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life. Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home. But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat. Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
My take: 4 out of 5. I am a huge Lisa Jewell fan. I have read every single book she has written from her first early 90s forays into women’s fiction to her new more thriller genre. They are all great and an automatic buy for me. I preface this to say this wasn’t my favorite book from her. It was still wonderful but not my favorite. I liked it I just don’t think it reads that easily. The mix podcast/netflix documentary description/book format made it at times more tedious to read than it should be. Is it better as an audiobook? someone tell me. Also her books I usually devour in one day. This one I was able to put it down and pick it up later, which for me means that I really wasn’t as enthralled to see what happens. However during the last 25% of the book it actually kicks into over drive and I became really invested. Also that ending?? Absolutely nailed the landing (or ending ).
The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Goodreads blurb: Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this moving new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil and the Peachtree Bluff series. Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for, and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life. June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier and Mary Stuart, during a fateful summer at camp. They’ve all helped each other through hard things, from heartbreak and loss to substance abuse and unplanned pregnancy, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne is confronted with a relationship from her past—and a confidential issue at work becomes personal—she is faced with an impossible choice. Lanier, meanwhile, is struggling with tough decisions of her own. After a run-in with an old flame, she is torn between the commitment she made to her fiancé and the one she made to her first love. And when a big secret comes to light, she finds herself at odds with her best friend…and risks losing the person she loves most. But in spite of their personal problems, nothing is more important to these songbirds than Camp Holly Springs. When the women learn their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they band together to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.
My take: 3.5 out of 5. This is a really cute story of female friendship enduring the test of time. The comradery generated from their camp was a beautiful story, and there are some heavy yet moving family dynamics at play .My only issue with this is that Lanier, one of the characters, was a bit too much for me. Apart from being irritating she generating conflict for conflicts sake. I was totally in for their redemptions, their rekindled loves and their hero adventures, but could have had 50% less of Lanier.
The Bird has Flown by Susanna Hoff
Goodreads blurb: Jane Start is thirty-three, broke, and recently single. Ten years prior, she had a hit song—written by world-famous superstar Jonesy—but Jane hasn’t had a breakout since. Now she’s living out of four garbage bags at her parents’ house, reduced to performing to Karaoke tracks in Las Vegas. Rock bottom . But when her longtime manager Pippa sends Jane to London to regroup, she’s seated next to an intriguing stranger on the flight—the other Tom Hardy, an elegantly handsome Oxford professor of literature. Jane is instantly smitten by Tom, and soon, truly inspired. But it’s not Jane’s past alone that haunts her second chance at stardom, and at love. Is Tom all that he seems? And can Jane emerge from the shadow of Jonesy’s earlier hit, and into the light of her own? In turns deeply sexy, riotously funny, and utterly joyful, This Bird Has Flown explores love, passion, and the ghosts of our past, and offers a glimpse inside the music business that could only come from beloved songwriter Susanna Hoffs.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
My take: 2.75 out of 5. I automatically requested this ARC as I am a huge fan of the Bangles and a book written by Susanna Hoffs I had to read. This might be a case of not all pretty voices are meant to narrate, I read this book fluctuating between the physical book and the audiobook and the voices were just not working for me, especially the male Tom one. I liked the concept of the book but i really did not understand the spark – why did she fall in love with him? Was it just physical?. I understood his attraction to her but here he barely said a word and its the love of her life. Insta love is a trope I am noy a fan of. There are some cool aspects, especially all the behind the music scenes, and that’s where the author clearly shows who she is as she has all the inside info for it.
Side note: it was pretty obvious Jonesy is based on Prince and prince wrote one of the standouts of the Bangles so is art imitating life here? i want to read the non fiction stories of Susanna with Prince and all his behind the scenes drama!
Pandora by Susan Sokes – Chapman
Goodreads blurb: London, 1799. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewelry artist, lives with her odious uncle atop her late parents’ once-famed shop of antiquities. After a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, her uncle begins to act suspiciously, keeping the vase locked in the store’s basement, away from prying eyes–including Dora’s. Intrigued by her uncle’s peculiar behavior, Dora turns to young, ambitious antiquarian scholar Edward Lawrence who eagerly agrees to help. Edward believes the ancient vase is the key that will unlock his academic future; Dora sees it as a chance to establish her own name. But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth, she comes to understand that some doors are locked and some mysteries are buried for a reason, while others are closer to the surface than they appear. Steeped in mystery and rich in imagination, an exhilarating historical novel set in Georgian London where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations, and romance.
This is an ARC review thanks to a gift from the publisher.
My take: 3.75 out of 5. I was really into this book until the last pages. What is going on with this ending? I wanted so much more. The concept of gothic romance with some Greek mythology attached to it was actually very well constructed and presented. The character developments of both Dora and Edward were very well done, and you could not help but root for them. But I go back to the ending and all my anticipation just fell a bit flat. The jewelry and artifact descriptions were so lovely I felt like I was looking at them.
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