The Finalists (David Bell)

 

The Finalists
David Bell
⭐: 4/5

Pros: great plot idea, loved the historical background, loved the diverse characters. I kind of had a feeling from the start of "who done it", but was wrong, so that was nice.

I was kept guessing the whole while. Props for that.

Cons: politics are not my most favorite subject ever and it felt like they were a light undertone in this. It's good to bring attention to things and I felt it wasn't overdone, I just thought, "really?" several times. Then again, that's how I feel in general with them, so this point may be completely irrelevant for some of y'all.

Conclusion: if you want a fairly fast paced "who done it", see if you like this. You've seen my pros and cons, so hopefully they help!

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The Children on the Hill (Jennifer McMahon)

 

The Children on the Hill
Jennifer McMahon
⭐: 4/5

Pros: the duality of human nature is certainly explored in this work and I give mad props for the creative ways in which it's done.

I appreciated the twist towards the end. I thought I'd figured everything out, and did some of it, but not that switch up! I'd say the last 25% of the book is what held my attention the most, though the prior 75% was necessary to plot and character build.

I'm a fan historical sciences (I'm a scientist myself), so definitely was intrigued by how TCOTH presented it.

Cons: I personally am not in love with repeated information, especially in excess. This can be in the form of word repetition in paragraphs or the same ideas over and over. There's a book title that is said so many times, authors included, that I thought, "Again? How many times is that now?" Its existence is important, as are those who wrote it, but I felt it was overemphasized that way.

I also felt the description fell short. While it was there, it didn't feel creatively presented. Everything was a list of what was in the room or what was learned. I'd like to have seen it woven more organically via actions and conversations.

Conclusion: if you want something that's suspenseful and about medical history, give this a go. However, if you're ridiculously meticulous about how stories are written and presented, you may not love it. I think the bones of the story are fabulous, but just wasn't thrilled about the execution of animating them.

The Housemaid (Freida McFadden)

The Housemaid
Frieda McFadden
 ⭐: 5/5

Pros: this did not end or go where I was certain it would, but that's not a bad thing in the least. It's difficult to describe pros without spoilers, so let's say that one may be a bit annoyed with what I'm going to list in the cons, but that they're worth being annoyed over when all is said and done.

Cons: first, I'm allergic to peanuts and we have a jar in our kitchen. This was made to be a huge deal. It isn't. It isn't hard to avoid the jar or potential cross-contamination. Second, I was annoyed with all the romance. Wasn't this supposed to be a thriller? Last, there are some words that get used over and over in paragraphs and that is a little annoying to me, but all the same, points were made.

Conclusion: the cons are absolutely worth dealing with for the pros. Read that again and maybe you'll catch my drift. Read this book and see what you think for yourself. As for myself, I'll definitely be thinking about this for a few days!

The Broken Vows (Daniel Hurst)

 

The Broken Vows
Daniel Hurst
⭐: 5/5

OKAY, THEN. If you were a fan of Verity and had the #TeamManuscript or #TeamLetter dilemma, this is one for you! Only with a new take by the time we learn of these things. No, I'm not giving too much away!

Pros: I cannot count the times I say, "oh my gosh!" While this book could come off predictable to a small degree, the wording and plotting felt so intricate and delicious that even if I knew what was going to happen, I'd forget I knew it until it did. Those are the best kinds of stories!

The character development is strong, given there are primarily 3 MCs all involved in one plot with many layers. This also means the plot development itself also had accolades to be sung about. I couldn't get enough!

Cons: I don't think this is necessarily a con, but this is my standard review format, so I'd say if cancer and/or cheating of any sort bothers you, you should think before you pick this up. I wasn't triggered by either despite having experienced both in one form or another.

Conclusion: if you want something full of revenge, manipulating, "things aren't always what they seem", and wow factors, pick this up like five minutes ago!

The Wife Upstairs (Rachel Hawkins)

The Wife Upstairs
Rachel Hawkins
⭐: 5/5

Pros: though I'm not out with the same end goals as MC, Jane, is, I still found myself in her coming from nothing to something. That was rather nice to read about.

I won't give away spoilers, but I absolutely was surprised about the shift of things and how I thought this was going to be another Behind Closed Doors (B.A Paris) or The Housemaid (Freida McFadden). It most definitely wasn't and I'm pretty sure I need to add this to my personal library! I only buy books I've read and loved, so that's saying a lot.

Cons: sometimes I found the scene transitions a little confusing, as in one place, MC was somewhere and in the next paragraph, she was somewhere else. This doesn't happen often, but the times it did, I found myself rereading to see if I missed something.

Conclusion: I'd say to give this work a shot. It's got a fairly original spin and if you liked the titles I aforementioned, I'd venture to guess you'll like this one, as well. If you've read My Lovely Wife (Samantha Downing), that's even more a higher chance you'll enjoy this! 

I'm Glad My Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy)

I'm Glad My Mom Died
Jennette McCurdy
⭐: 5/5

Calling all children of truly difficult parents: this book is for us. We are not alone. Also, this review will not be my standard pro/con format. (For those of you who know me and my mother, it is what it is. Talk to me, not about me, if you don't like this review.)

Initially, I was skeptical. The title is a bold thing to say, but I knew deep down it wasn't without reason. As I listened to Jennette tell her story, I felt the little girl in me being drawn to her. I was a plethora of emotions throughout the whole ride.

I related to the hoarding issues, to the mother being emotionally reliant on everyone but herself, to the struggle it takes to face oneself, and to the eating disorder. I still struggle with the latter, though I've had more control than it has for more than a decade now. I loathe that Jennette had to go through all she did, but damn it, I'm also really proud of her for being willing to go head first into all the traumas that followed her into adulthood and to show them who's boss! I'm proud that she's continuing to do what it takes to find peace and happiness. I admire her for being true to herself, even when it's difficult.

I also loved how raw she was. She says what every kid probably does when we're little, but that we never admit to. She's hilarious and I giggled more than a few times, too.

I don't normally get star struck, but I think I wouldn't mind having coffee (or a drink) with this girl! I totally understand dysfunctional relationships with mothers, as well as overcoming oneself and eating disorders. I also love how raw, blunt, and unfiltered she is.

Jennette, thank you for sharing your story! I'm sure you've gotten a lot of flack, but I'm here cheering you on for what it's worth! Even if the world doesn't like it, this stuff still happens, so it needs to just deal with it!

Suicide Med (Freida McFadden)

 

Suicide Med
Freida McFadden
⭐: 5/5

First, I must absolutely own this!

Pros: if you love science, specifically anatomy, and have any sort of medical background, you might nerd out like I did while reading about specific lab scenes. I also had to giggle about formaldehyde not being so noticable over time. I remember those days well!

Next, the format of this book surprised me with how well it was done. Essentially, it's one situation seen from a few different perspectives but isn't confusing to follow. I was blown away with how much more depth each character got once their own chapters came along and almost wish I could read more like this!

Last, that ending... Didn't feel overly rushed. Everyone was addressed and when I read "the end", my only words were, "WOW. Also, WTF... It's already 1AM? This was definitely a 'just one more chapter... Yeah, right' book!" Always a great reaction to have!

Cons: there's a specific situation that occurs with a character named Abe that my science brain can't wrap my head around and I know McFadden is a doctor in real life, so it's got to be plausible, but I wish we'd had a little more info about infection aftermath. She gave a lot of info overall, but I'm curious by nature and will probably rabbit hole that topic soon.

Conclusion: if you're a science/health/medical nerd like I am who appreciates well-executed format and character development, as well as a thorough and engaging plot, you really need to give this a "shot"... Pun intended.