Private Relations by Diane Chamberlain. This book was so so so bad. I’m a big Diane fan so I almost wonder if this was written by a different author with the same name, or maybe it was her first book (early Jodi Picoult books were pretty awful, too). I don’t know. But don’t read it.
Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica. I liked this! It’s about a married couple, husband dies in a car crash (not a spoiler- this happens on Page 1) and they alternate chapters. She writes post-accident, while his chapters are leading up to it. The way she did this timeline was really interesting and I liked the book enough to be walking through an airport with my Kindle in my face. I’m still undecided about how I felt about the ending. Someone please read it and then call me to discuss.
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter. REALLY liked this. I’ve read some of her other books and found them very disturbing (mainly Pretty Girls) but also impossible to put down. This is along those same lines. My mom and I were actually reading it at the same time so I read on my Kindle up to the point where she had listened to the audiobook, and then we listened together on our trip home to Syracuse. So I can confidently say you can’t go wrong with either the book or the audiobook!
The Girl Before by JP Delaney. This is a cross between The Girl on the Train and that old creepy Disney movie Smart House. Set in the UK, a very high end/high-tech apartment that starts to mess with your mind. Spoiler alert: everyone in the book has some major psychological issues. I’d probably pass on this one.
The Antiques by Kris D’Agostino. I listened to this and found it to be just okay. It kind of reminded me of The Nest. Family drama, adult siblings with some pretty serious issues, but somehow the plot never really moves. It was fine but there are better books out there.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. I seriously loved this. I listened to the audiobook (recommend, I’m a sucker for a good accent) and there are parts that will make you laugh out loud and others that will make you cry. Must read.
In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. I loooooved Judy Blume as a preteen book nerd. I read all the Fudge books, probably read Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret at a too-young age because I remember being VERY confused. I think I read Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself at least 15 times. Amazing. This gave me Sally J vibes. It’s based on the true story of plane crashes that occurred in Elizabeth, NJ in the 1950s, but all the character stories are fiction. I liked it!
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood. It’s like she couldn’t decide between a dystopian thriller or a racy sex novel (obviously I was hoping for the former, a la Handmaid’s Tale) and gave a half-assed combination of the two. This book was so bad that even after listening to it for SIX HOURS I decided not to finish it. I also hated the first episode of Alias Grace so Maggie A is not scoring points with me this week.
Devil in the White City by Eric Larson. This is a non-fiction book about the World’s Fair in Chicago back in the late 1800s but also about a serial killer in Chicago at the same time. I love all things serial killer so I thought I would be into this but I was so bored. Maybe because I was watching Mindhunter at the same time and that just moved at a more appropriate pace for me.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. This is about a girl who is invited to a bachelorette party (fun fact: in the UK apparently these are called “Hen Nights” which is WAY better and what I want mine to be called. Take note, Kelly and Morgan) for an old friend she hasn’t seen in 10 years. There’s some humor in the weekend because you have a crazy maid of honor, a token gay male friend, a friend who is leaving her newborn for the first time- all the classic dramatic characters. But it’s also a thriller. I really liked it. Recommend the audiobook, too!
That’s a wrap for 2017! That brings us to a grand total of 112 books reviewed on the blog this year. Yes I went back and counted. No excuses to not be a reader in 2018!
