tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56892374449174515642024-03-08T07:38:04.486+00:00Daisy Chain Book ReviewsLeanna Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.comBlogger127616tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689237444917451564.post-31482263119169059402020-12-09T08:30:00.001+00:002020-12-09T08:30:02.401+00:00Review Round-Up: One by One by Ruth Ware, To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan & The Night Swim by Megan Goldin.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cUQkVO01BSI/X8-kz0emThI/AAAAAAAALiw/sExbFmsr5-EH4AOvFCFhNni5raFEbPVGQCNcBGAsYHQ/s471/OnebyOne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cUQkVO01BSI/X8-kz0emThI/AAAAAAAALiw/sExbFmsr5-EH4AOvFCFhNni5raFEbPVGQCNcBGAsYHQ/w270-h400/OnebyOne.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 178.2pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ruth Ware hits the slopes
in <i>One by One</i>, a nail-biting thriller, which sees a corporate getaway at a
luxury mountain retreat turn deadly, as an avalanche hits, a power cut ensues,
and then people start to die, one by one…</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Online streaming platform
Snoop is a modern day success story, downloaded millions of times, loved by
celebrities and ordinary people alike. Ever wondered what songs Lady Gaga likes
to listen to as she does the ironing? Snoop on her to find out! Now Snoop is at
a crossroads, on the cusp of a major buyout which will see the shareholders
become multi-millionaires, if only they can all agree to sell. Snoop founders,
Topher and Eva, can’t come to an agreement, and so it’s up to the other
shareholders to cast the deciding votes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Danny and Erin, caretakers
at the luxury chalet Snoop has chosen for its ‘mindfulness and collaboration’
getaway, have seen all the bad behaviour that untold success brings. Nothing much
shocks them. So when Eva goes missing after a day of skiing, and then an
avalanche hits, they keep calm and carry on as normal. However, when two more
members of the Snoop team turn up dead, seemingly murdered, it seems it might
be time for panic stations. After all, they are snowed in. They can’t leave the
chalet. And it looks as though there is a murderer in their midst.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">An exciting thriller that
builds to a breakneck crescendo, <i>One by One</i>, though entirely predictable,
nevertheless kept me on the edge of my seat, with plenty of entertaining twists
and revelations throughout.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /> </span><br /><b>Four Stars.<br /></b><b>Published November 12th 2020 by Harvill Secker.<br /></b><b>Received for review.</b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>*****</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-507iKeOFC80/X8-l4vxQa6I/AAAAAAAALi4/8SMIqSpeYmUVDc1T1bpVizpiBDGn1ClcwCNcBGAsYHQ/s424/truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="276" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-507iKeOFC80/X8-l4vxQa6I/AAAAAAAALi4/8SMIqSpeYmUVDc1T1bpVizpiBDGn1ClcwCNcBGAsYHQ/w260-h400/truth.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lucy Harper is a born
storyteller. In fact, many years ago, Lucy spun a tale about her little brother
Teddy’s disappearance, that wasn’t entirely true. Though Teddy has never been
found, Lucy has moved on with her life, and these days enjoys a career as a
bestselling author. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Readers can’t get
enough of Lucy’s DS Eliza Grey crime novels. We’re talking Gillian Flynn levels
of success. Lucy is also happily married to Dan. Or is she…?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Lucy’s husband, Dan, is a
character readers will love to hate. An aspiring author himself, it’s clear
from the off that Dan is riding on Lucy’s coattails, and jealous of her
success. Unfortunately for Lucy, she has chosen to put Dan in charge of her
finances (never a good idea at the best of times and certainly not when you’re
a multi-million selling author), and so when Dan surprises her by purchasing a house
near to where Teddy went missing, Lucy can’t do a thing about it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You could say that things
aren’t hunky dory between Lucy and Dan after he pulls this stunt, and so when
Dan vanishes without a trace, all eyes turn to Lucy. After all, she has form in
this area…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I can’t think of higher
praise for <i>To Tell You the Truth</i> than to say I now want to read more books by
Gilly Macmillan. Multi-layered and unpredictable, <i>To Tell You the Truth</i>, is a
twist-filled thrill ride, guaranteed to keep you hooked from start to finish.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Four Stars.<br />Published June 25th 2020 by Century.<br />Received for review.</b></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">*****</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bdnsOQ3EDv8/X8-mx4Z8qlI/AAAAAAAALjA/aoa7cqzT1v8-MBt7brM4XVvFc3VnK2NPQCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/thenightswim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bdnsOQ3EDv8/X8-mx4Z8qlI/AAAAAAAALjA/aoa7cqzT1v8-MBt7brM4XVvFc3VnK2NPQCNcBGAsYHQ/w263-h400/thenightswim.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The first season of Rachel
Krall’s true crime podcast <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guilty or Not
Guilty</i> was a runaway success, leading to the exoneration of an innocent
man, and catapulting Rachel into podcast superstardom. With <i>Guilty or Not
Guilty</i> entering its third season, and with copycat podcasts springing up left,
right and centre (I’m seeing a lot of <i>Serial </i>comparisons here), Rachel feels more
pressure than ever before to do something different, something special,
something meaningful. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Deciding that
investigating a case in real time is the something different she needs, Rachel
journeys to the town of Neapolis, where the town’s golden boy has been accused
of the rape of a teenage girl. While Neapolis may be a town devastated by the
fall from grace of its golden boy – an Olympic hopeful swimmer named Scott
Blair – it is also a town hiding a decidedly dark past. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before she arrives in
town, a note left on Rachel’s windshield urges her to investigate the death of local
girl Jenny Stills, who died by drowning twenty-five years earlier. Jenny’s
death, the note alleges, was no accident. In fact, Jenny was murdered and, in a
town where past and present forever intertwine, Jenny’s murderer will be
present in the courtroom at upcoming rape trial.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s up to Rachel to
uncover the murderer, who has been hiding in plain sight for twenty-five years,
and get justice for Jenny. Now that’s something meaningful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thoughtful examination rather
than explosive page-turner, <i>The Night Swim</i> by Megan Goldin, is a meticulous
exploration of what can happen in a town that fails to learn from the mistakes
of its past.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">3.5 Stars.<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Published August 4th 2020 by St. Martin's Press.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Received for review.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*****</span></p><br /><p></p>Leanna Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689237444917451564.post-3181657106762672722020-11-04T09:00:00.001+00:002020-11-04T09:00:06.805+00:00Book Review: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_w_VuLr7pk/X6GAwnMyYnI/AAAAAAAALhE/O-PZJn6bI6IGI3o6cbuSPL5dQ09INIZUQCNcBGAsYHQ/s475/Ghosts.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="295" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_w_VuLr7pk/X6GAwnMyYnI/AAAAAAAALhE/O-PZJn6bI6IGI3o6cbuSPL5dQ09INIZUQCNcBGAsYHQ/w249-h400/Ghosts.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><u></u></b><blockquote><b><u>Product details</u></b>: <br /><div><b>Publisher</b>: Fig Tree. </div><div><b>Release date</b>: October 15th 2020.</div><div>Hardcover, 336 pages. </div><div><b>Rating</b>: 3½ out of 5. </div><div><b>Source</b>: Received from publisher for review.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: nonw; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he's going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan.</span></span></div><span id="freeText14466750955580295077" style="background-color: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: justify;">A new relationship couldn't have come at a better time - her thirties have not been the liberating, uncomplicated experience she was sold. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of time passing and opportunities dwindling. Friendships are fading, ex-boyfriends are moving on and, worse, everyone's moving to the suburbs. There's no solace to be found in her family, with a mum who's caught in a baffling mid-life makeover and a beloved dad who is vanishing in slow-motion into dementia.</div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span id="freeText14466750955580295077">Dolly Alderton's debut novel is funny and tender, filled with whip-smart observations about relationships, family, memory, and how we live now.</span> </div></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0241434548/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0241434548&linkCode=as2&tag=digiloun-21&linkId=674b998269dd431b04da0160166d5f16" target="_blank">Ghosts</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=digiloun-21&l=am2&o=2&a=0241434548" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" />, the witty and whimsical debut novel from journalist Dolly Alderton, follows a year in the life of
Nina Dean, a thirtysomething food writer, who is looking for love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">All of Nina’s friends are
coupled-up and settling down. At 32 she’s one of one two singles in her friendship
group, along with Lola, a ten-year-veteran of the online dating scene. Nina
spent most of her twenties coupled-up with safe-but-boring Joe, until they
mutually realised, as long-term couples often do, that they had firmly entered
the friend zone. In the time since their split, Nina hasn’t dated anyone, Joe
is soon to be married, and they remain firm friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">With a happy home and
work life in place, Nina is ready to re-enter the dating scene. And so she
downloads an app.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Nina’s very first match
is a guy called Max. Max is ruggedly handsome, charming in his way, and on
their first date, he tells Nina he’s going to marry her (run, Nina, run!) Nina
doesn’t run. Instead she finds herself falling fast for Max. Weeks turn to
months, and then one night, Max tells Nina he loves her. The very next day he
goes cold on her, taking hours to respond to her texts. Then one day, Max
simply stops returning her calls. He won’t answer her texts either. He simply
cuts off all contact. Over a few bottles of wine, Lola tells Nina she’s been ‘ghosted.’
She needs to move on with her life; forget about Max. Of course, that’s easier
said than done.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Nina’s got bigger things
to worry about than men that seemingly vanish into thin air. Namely her dad, whose
memories are being consumed by dementia, making their relationship one where
time is rapidly running out, and every time might be the last time. Secondary
to this, Nina’s relationship with her one-time best friend Katherine has taken
a hit since Katherine became a mum. Now their weekly catch-ups are about as
much fun as a trip to the dentist. Simply put, at this point in their lives,
Nina and Katherine have nothing in common. Nina thought that her friendship
with Katherine was something she could rely on, a constant in her life. Now
she’s not so sure. It’s seems like everyone is moving on, everyone except for
Nina. Even Lola has a new boyfriend. And there’s still no sign of Max. The
absence of Max in Nina’s life is really no loss. The men in this novel, it must
be said, are all-round awful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As a long-time reader of
Dolly Alderton’s journalism, and a fan of her memoir <a href="http://daisychainbookreviews.blogspot.com/2018/01/book-review-everything-i-know-about.html" target="_blank">Everything I Know About Love</a>, I had high expectations for her debut novel. Maybe, in fact, I set my
expectations too high. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alderton stays
firmly in familiar territory in Ghosts as she details the lives, loves and
tribulations of online dating in your early thirties. Hen parties and weddings
are covered in detail, as in her memoir, and female friendships factor hugely;
female friendships and the dialogue surrounding them is something Alderton excels
at, but I have to admit I was hoping for something new and different from
Ghosts. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite my quibbles, I
found <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0241434548/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0241434548&linkCode=as2&tag=digiloun-21&linkId=674b998269dd431b04da0160166d5f16" target="_blank">Ghosts</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=digiloun-21&l=am2&o=2&a=0241434548" style="border: none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /> to be an overall enjoyable read, maybe not as standout as I was
hoping for, but heart-warming and humorous in all the right places,
nonetheless. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I look forward to reading
whatever Dolly Alderton writes next.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /></div>Leanna Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689237444917451564.post-2069924723730114742020-10-23T08:30:00.001+01:002020-10-23T08:30:05.072+01:00Book Review: Breathless by Jennifer Niven. <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3RTUMJK3YHA/X48BeHkb-OI/AAAAAAAALgk/iJVPS6mtCLQ80saEHOnal65TF7yhXlMrgCNcBGAsYHQ/s475/Breathless.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3RTUMJK3YHA/X48BeHkb-OI/AAAAAAAALgk/iJVPS6mtCLQ80saEHOnal65TF7yhXlMrgCNcBGAsYHQ/w261-h400/Breathless.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: Lato;"></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Lato;">Product details:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lato;">Publisher: Penguin.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lato;">Release date: September 29th 2020.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lato;">Paperback, 400 pages.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lato;">Rating: 4 out of 5.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lato;">Ages: 14+</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lato;">Source: Received from publisher for review.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Lato;"><br /></span></div><div><span id="freeText16611755970505012347" style="background-color: none; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>The much anticipated new novel from international bestselling author Jennifer Niven, author of <i>All the Bright Places</i>.</b><br /><br /><i>You were my first. Not just sex, although that was part of it, but the first to look past everything else into me. Some of the names and places have been changed, but the story is true. It's all here because one day this will be the past, and I don't want to forget what I went through, what I thought, what I felt, who I was. I don't want to forget you. But most of all, I don't want to forget me.</i><br /><i></i><br />For her last summer before college, Claudine Henry and her mother head to a remote island off the Georgia coast. There, amidst the wild beauty of the place, she meets the free spirited Jeremiah Crew. Their chemistry is immediate and irresistible, and even though they both know that whatever they have can only last the summer, maybe one summer is enough . . .</span><span style="background-color: none; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">A visceral coming-of-age tale, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084T4ZRXD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B084T4ZRXD&linkCode=as2&tag=digiloun-21&linkId=7e6c0cf7ee5846180ceff11c83afca71">Breathless</a><img src="//ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=digiloun-21&l=am2&o=2&a=B084T4ZRXD" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> by Jennifer
Niven is as raw and real, as hopeful and heart-breaking, as only first love can
be.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Eighteen-year-old Claude Henry, commonly known as Claude,
has got the summer before she leaves for college all worked out. Plans include losing her virginity to her
number one crush, Wyatt Jones, and embarking on a road trip with her best
friend, Saz. However, as parents often do, Claude’s throw a spanner in her
summer plans, when they announce that they are separating. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Instead of road-tripping with her best friend, Claude finds
herself accompanying her mother on a work trip to a remote island off the
Georgia coast; an island so remote that the Wi-Fi doesn’t work and cell-phone
service is almost non-existent. Nightmare! Claude thinks she might just about
die of boredom, but then one day she meets Jeremiah Crew – Miah to his friends
– and suddenly summer stuck on a remote island doesn’t seem so bad.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sparks fly between Miah and Claude from their very
first meeting. Their physical attraction cannot be denied, and their subsequent
relationship, which goes from zero to zoom in record time, reflects this. Miah and Claude’s summer fling, it’s fair to
say, is a sizzling hot romp when compared to the sweet slow-burn romances synonymous
with many coming-of-age tales. No fading to black here, people. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Claude is consumed by thoughts of Miah; she’s distracted
by him. He helps her forget about all the bad stuff that’s going on in her life
- mainly that her dad seems to want out of their family unit. How do you deal
with something like that? How do you come to terms with it? This is the summer
when Claude grows up in more ways than one; it’s the summer she finds herself,
loses herself in somebody else, comes to terms with her new reality, and looks
to the future, a future without Miah because, though Claude loves Miah and the
feeling is mutual, they both know that what they have can’t last. They have
their own lives to lead; their own futures to build. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Breathless is bittersweet in the way that summer
romances often are; burning bright under the summer sun and fading as the
leaves turn golden-brown. It’s the natural order of things, and as such, Claude
and Miah never really envisage a future together. Their time together on the
island has a strict time-limit, making for a relationship that is intensely
passionate and all-consuming. This passionate duo do make time for other
things; adventuring and exploring, delving into Claude’s family history, and
even finding time to hang out with some other friends, but these distractions
eventually fade into the background, and in the end, all they see is each
other. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Like all the very best summer romances, Jennifer
Niven’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084T4ZRXD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B084T4ZRXD&linkCode=as2&tag=digiloun-21&linkId=7e6c0cf7ee5846180ceff11c83afca71">Breathless</a><img src="//ir-uk.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=digiloun-21&l=am2&o=2&a=B084T4ZRXD" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> will sweep you off your feet and leave you wanting more.
Honest, heartfelt, and sweetly seductive, this is a worthy addition to any
‘Summer Reads’ shelf.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: none; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></div>Leanna Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689237444917451564.post-29532817345169750862020-08-04T13:00:00.000+01:002020-08-04T13:00:02.465+01:00Summer Shorts: The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson, Two Truths and a Lie by Meg Mitchell Moore & Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-09YzbEWI0pM/XykuiqAumkI/AAAAAAAALeE/Wt_Re5az_hUUIxXHKr6mosHA6TTTRD7bACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/theweekendaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-09YzbEWI0pM/XykuiqAumkI/AAAAAAAALeE/Wt_Re5az_hUUIxXHKr6mosHA6TTTRD7bACNcBGAsYHQ/s400/theweekendaway.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How well do you know your
best friend?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Orla and Kate have been
best friends forever. Former party girls who loved to dance till dawn, new mum
Orla and newly single Kate, have drifted apart of late. However, if there’s one
thing guaranteed to bring them back together, it’s their annual weekend away.
This year, a trip to Lisbon is on the cards. While Orla is a little nervous to
leave her baby for a whole weekend, she’s also looking forward to a weekend
spent catching up with her best friend. Maybe they’ll even dance the night away.
That’s something Orla hasn’t done in a while. As for Kate, glamorous as ever,
she’s still the fun-time girl Orla knew way back when. And Kate is ready to
party!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The morning after the night
before, Orla awakes with the hangover from hell. There’s no sign of Kate. Nor
is there any sign of the two very good-looking guys they brought back from the
club. Ahem. Orla’s not sure what her husband would make of that particular
detail. Not that anything untoward happened. At least she’s pretty sure. The
truth is, though Orla doesn’t think she drank <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> much, details of her night out with Kate are hazy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As the hours pass, and
Kate doesn’t return, Orla starts to panic, convinced that something terrible
has happened to her friend. Alone in a city she doesn’t know, she sets out to
find Kate, but it seems as though her friend has vanished into thin air. Turns
out, Kate has her secrets. Secrets that will shatter Orla’s world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did Orla ever really know her best friend at
all?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fast-paced, engaging, and
a whole lot of fun, <i>The Weekend Away</i> is a great summer page-turner, with a
twisty ending that will leave you wanting more. A winner!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Four Stars</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Published July 23rd 2020 by Avon</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Received for review</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*****</span></div>
<br /><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c4IbPkjF7OM/XylHxb1r-iI/AAAAAAAALeQ/6E66WO4uusIoFfQIAQW1OFcWEuHw9k3cgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/twotruths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c4IbPkjF7OM/XylHxb1r-iI/AAAAAAAALeQ/6E66WO4uusIoFfQIAQW1OFcWEuHw9k3cgCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/twotruths.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Easy, breezy, and with a Mom Squad reminiscent of the Greek
chorus in Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, Meg Mitchell Moore’s <i>Two Truths and
a Lie</i> is the perfect escapist summer read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When Sherri Griffin arrives in the beachside town of
Newburyport fresh from a divorce – at least that’s the official story – she’s
not expecting to fit right in with the local Mom Squad. And she doesn’t.
However, for the sake of her eleven year old daughter, Katie, Sherri has to
make an effort with this close knit group of ladies who lunch, gossip and
day-drink with abandon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Once upon a time, Rebecca Coleman was all aboard the
Mom Squad gossip train, but not so much these days. Ever since her husband
died, eighteen months ago, Rebecca has been grieving. She’s also been spending
time with a new man, but the Mom Squad does not need to know about that. Can
you imagine the gossip? In any case, the Mom Squad is not paying attention to
Rebecca, so distracted are they by the videos her seventeen-year-old daughter,
Alexa, is uploading to YouTube. Of course, Rebecca knows nothing about her
daughter’s online life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When Alexa agrees to babysit Katie – the Mom Squad is
in full agreement that Katie, at eleven, is too old for a sitter and that
something must be going on – Rebecca and Sherri grow closer, Alexa discovers a
dark secret, and a tragedy occurs in a summer that will change everything for
one, possibly two, and maybe even all three, of these women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If it’s pure summer escapism you’re looking for – with
a dash of mystery and a smidge of bittersweet first love to boot– then Two
Truths and a Lie is it. While the story doesn’t offer anything in the way of
major surprises (except one!) it’s nonetheless an enjoyable summer read with
which to soak up the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>3.5 Stars</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Published June 16th 2020 by William Morrow</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Received for review</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">*****</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5XbYuTMHNc/XylIiBXcQlI/AAAAAAAALeY/DQRi6iDH8OwOCHxhLGTpUcAUivDiFB9JQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/deadtoher2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--5XbYuTMHNc/XylIiBXcQlI/AAAAAAAALeY/DQRi6iDH8OwOCHxhLGTpUcAUivDiFB9JQCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/deadtoher2.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you marry for money, you’ll earn every penny of it…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When down-on-her-luck waitress Marcie met successful
attorney Jason Maddox, sparks flew. Feathers were ruffled when Jason divorced
his first wife, but that’s all in the past, and Marcie is now happily ensconced
as the second Mrs. Maddox. As such, Marcie enjoys all the trappings of the
elite Savannah society to which Jason belongs. It’s five-star all the way for the
former waitress from Boise, Idaho. Marcie may not have been ‘born to it’ and
she knows the Savannah ‘old money’ set will always see her as an outsider, but
she can live with that. The big house helps. As does the country club. Oh, and
the endless shopping sprees – those help too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At thirty-five, Marcie is a good deal younger and more
glamorous than the botoxed-to-the-eyeballs first-wives in her set, and so when
Jason’s boss, the recently-widowed William, returns from a trip to Europe with
a much younger second-wife in tow, Marcie is less than pleased. At twenty-two,
Keisha, an obvious gold-digger, is not only younger than Marcie, she’s more
beautiful too. And ever since she arrived in town, Keisha has been flirting up
a storm with Marcie’s husband, Jason…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There may be trouble ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you’re a regular reader of Sarah Pinborough’s
novels, then you’ll know to expect the unexpected. That’s certainly the case
with<i> Dead to Her</i>, which might seem like a delicious summer thriller of errant
husbands and warring wives, but is actually deeper, darker, and far deadlier
than that. <i>Dead to Her</i> is wicked with a twist – and a whole lot of strange. If
you liked Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes, you’ll enjoy this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>3.5 Stars</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Published August 6th 2020 by HarperCollins</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Received for review</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Leanna Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689237444917451564.post-25931207167631400772020-07-06T12:30:00.000+01:002020-07-06T12:30:02.616+01:00Book Review: The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo.<span style="font-family: "lato";"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "lato";"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsh69r6X7Nc/XvyqDGkg0EI/AAAAAAAALc4/rFo6CENebfQWShKsQ0UQnFCNYGd9Z6BhwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/mostfun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="255" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rsh69r6X7Nc/XvyqDGkg0EI/AAAAAAAALc4/rFo6CENebfQWShKsQ0UQnFCNYGd9Z6BhwCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/mostfun.jpg" width="262" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<blockquote>
<b style="font-family: Lato;"><u>Product details</u></b><span style="font-family: "lato";">:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lato";"><b>Publisher</b>: W&N.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lato";">Hardcover, 544 pages.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lato";"><b>Release date</b>: June 27th 2019.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lato";"><b>Rating</b>: 4 out of 5.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lato";"><b>Source</b>: Purchased.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lato";"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A multigenerational novel in which the four adult daughters of a Chicago couple—still madly in love after forty years—recklessly ignite old rivalries until a long-buried secret threatens to shatter the lives they've built.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: none; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that's to come. By 2016, their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest: Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator-turned-stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt when the darkest part of her past resurfaces; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects. Above it all, the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents'.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: none; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: none; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: none; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">As the novel moves through the tumultuous year following the arrival of Jonah Bendt—given up by one of the daughters in a closed adoption fifteen years before—we are shown the rich and varied tapestry of the Sorensons' past: years marred by adolescence, infidelity, and resentment, but also the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "lato";"><br /></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A multigenerational novel spanning forty years, Claire Lombardo’s <i>The Most Fun We Ever Had</i>, is a perfectly observed commentary on the trivialities and complexities of family life. Inviting us into the heart of the Sorensen family, the still-happily-married-even-after-all-these-years David and Marilyn, and their four adult daughters, The Most Fun We Ever Had details the highs, lows, loves and losses that comprise everyday family life.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Few people experience the kind of love shared by David and Marilyn Sorensen. While many marriages wilt and wither with time, the same can’t be said for David and Marilyn, whose love still blossoms and blooms as the years go by. We first meet these lovebirds eyes locked, limbs entwined, at the wedding of their eldest daughter, Wendy. Wendy has married rich, and that’s a relief, since left to her own devices, Wendy is an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sixteen years on, Wendy is windowed, bored, and about to foist the mother of all surprises on her sister, Violet. Irish twins, born less than a year apart, Wendy and Violet were once closer than close, but are now less so. Former litigator Violet, now a stay-at-home mom to two young boys, doesn’t really have time for boozy lunches with her older sister, but when Wendy calls, Violet does her duty and shows up. It’s the least she can do after all Wendy has been through. However, Violet did not anticipate that Wendy would invite Jonah, the son Violet gave up for adoption fifteen years previously, along to their lunch. Nobody knows about Jonah. Not even Violet’s parents. Especially not them. Why would Wendy try to ruin her life like this?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Third daughter Liza is winning at life. Or so her everybody thinks. A newly tenured professor, Liza is a certified success. She should be on top of the world. Only she’s not. Her long-term relationship is on life-support and she’s just discovered she’s pregnant, an Oops! baby if ever there was one. It’s all too much for Liza, who instead of dealing with her problems, instead decides to embark on an affair with a colleague. Because that’ll fix things. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At least David and Marilyn can rely on their youngest daughter, Grace, to never cause them any worry. Born a whole nine years after Liza, sweet-natured Grace is doted on and indulged by her loving parents, to whom she’ll always be the baby. Too bad then that loving, uncomplicated Grace has been lying to her parents this whole time…</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Along with detailing the various crises of the Sorensen daughters, <i>The Most Fun We Ever Had</i> also rewinds to the early days of David and Marilyn’s relationship as it details the events that brought them together and one time almost split them apart. Personally, I could take or leave some of the Sorensen girls; Violet is unlikeable, especially in dealings with Jonah, who is otherwise welcomed with open arms into the Sorensen fold, while Grace is wishy-washy. Wendy, though, quick-witted, spiteful, and in favour of a mid-morning gin, I loved. Also, Wendy’s story is the most compelling here touched, as she is, more than once by tragedy. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you enjoy a good family saga – and especially if you grew up with sisters – <i>The Most Fun We Ever Had</i> is a worthy addition to your book pile. It is lengthy at 500+ pages and a little wordy at times, but it is nonetheless an enjoyable, heart-warming, wonderfully observed read. It’s a book I think will transfer well to screen, and I’m excited for the soon-to-be HBO adaptation, to which Amy Adams and Laura Dern are attached.</div>
<br />Leanna Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689237444917451564.post-84012591266165693212020-06-08T08:30:00.000+01:002020-06-08T08:30:08.279+01:00My Summer 2020 Reading List!<div style="text-align: center;">
This strange new world of ours might mean a whole lot of cancelled holiday plans, but it doesn't mean an end to summer reading. After all, there's nothing better than catching some rays in the company of a cool drink and a good book!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
With that in mind, here are my top reading picks for summer 2020. Hopefully, there's something here for everyone. We may be stuck at home for a while longer, but at least we'll always have books for company!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What are you summer 2020 must-reads?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Let me know in comments!<br />
<br />
<br />
*****</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5pjKezXIgM/XtpridFu24I/AAAAAAAALag/k_115lJycVgkbAaqVH6jlI5EGmv43unowCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/twotruths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5pjKezXIgM/XtpridFu24I/AAAAAAAALag/k_115lJycVgkbAaqVH6jlI5EGmv43unowCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/twotruths.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>In Short: Small-town secrets and summer romance in the vein of Liane Moriarty.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">From the author of <em>The Islanders</em> comes a warm, witty and suspenseful novel filled with small-town secrets, summer romance, big time lies and spiked seltzer, in the vein of Liane Moriarty.</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Truth: Sherri Griffin and her daughter, Katie, have recently moved to the idyllic beach town of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Rebecca Coleman, widely acknowledged former leader of the Newburyport Mom Squad (having taken a step back since her husband’s shocking and tragic death eighteen months ago), has made a surprising effort to include these newcomers in typically closed-group activities. Rebecca’s teenage daughter Alexa has even been spotted babysitting Katie.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Truth: Alexa has time on her hands because of a recent falling-out with her longtime best friends for reasons no one knows—but everyone suspects have to do with Alexa’s highly popular and increasingly successful YouTube channel. Katie Griffin, who at age 11 probably doesn’t need a babysitter anymore, can’t be left alone because she has terrifying nightmares that don’t seem to jibe with the vague story Sherri has floated about the “bad divorce” she left behind in Ohio. Rebecca Coleman has been spending a lot of time with Sherri, it’s true, but she’s also been spending time with someone else she doesn’t want the Mom Squad to know about just yet.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Lie: Rebecca Coleman doesn’t have a new man in her life, and definitely not someone connected to the Mom Squad. Alexa is not seeing anyone new herself and is planning on shutting down her YouTube channel in advance of attending college in the fall. Sherri Griffin’s real name is Sherri Griffin, and a bad divorce is all she’s running from.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A blend of propulsive thriller and gorgeous summer read, <em>Two Truths and a Lie</em> reminds us that happiness isn’t always a day at the beach, some secrets aren’t meant to be shared, and the most precious things are the people we love.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<br />
<b>Release date: July 16th by William Morrow</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>*****</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DO5eBXSFhpM/XtptRUNwkjI/AAAAAAAALas/U1mFCXrZN_sj8oh0wP9r_lFD3RW_Pz9uQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/beachread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DO5eBXSFhpM/XtptRUNwkjI/AAAAAAAALas/U1mFCXrZN_sj8oh0wP9r_lFD3RW_Pz9uQCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/beachread.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>In Short: Two Writers. Stuck in a writing rut. Ready for some real-life romance. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b> <b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.</b><br />
<span id="freeText5385328736814744289" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.<br /><br />They're polar opposites.<br /><br />In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.<br /><br />Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
<br />
<b>Release date: July 9th by Penguin</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BakPtecpC3M/Xtpuoo1zmQI/AAAAAAAALa4/ntzANMMYO3woC2BL0gs4KbqG54XwuRzhQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/theweekendaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BakPtecpC3M/Xtpuoo1zmQI/AAAAAAAALa4/ntzANMMYO3woC2BL0gs4KbqG54XwuRzhQCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/theweekendaway.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>In Short: Friends Orla and Kate go on their annual weekend away. Only one comes back. </b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Two friends go on holiday. Only one comes back.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">If you loved The Holiday, get ready for your new obsession…</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Orla and Kate have been best friends forever. Together they’ve faced it all – be it Orla’s struggles as a new mother or Kate’s messy divorce. And whatever else happens in their lives, they can always look forward to their annual weekend away.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">This year, they’re off to Lisbon: the perfect flat, the perfect view, the perfect itinerary. And what better way to kick things off in style than with the perfect night out?</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">But when Orla wakes up the next morning, Kate is gone. Brushed off by the police and with only a fuzzy memory of the night’s events, Orla is her friend’s only hope. As she frantically retraces their steps, Orla makes a series of shattering discoveries that threaten everything she holds dear. Because while Lisbon holds the secret of what happened that night, the truth may lie closer to home…</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A twisty holiday read for fans of The Holiday and Date Night.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span><b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Release date: July 23rd by Avon</b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*****</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvjDbt_InFg/XtpwYgzT0QI/AAAAAAAALbE/Fo6iYX94-yMIP6qwOMKodogMreDEBYHugCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ageofconsent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HvjDbt_InFg/XtpwYgzT0QI/AAAAAAAALbE/Fo6iYX94-yMIP6qwOMKodogMreDEBYHugCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/ageofconsent.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>In Short: Coming of age in 1980's New England and New York.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Synopsis</b>: <b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A daringly honest, sexy debut novel about three young women coming of age in 1980s New England and New York—a bingeable summer read</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">It’s 1983. David Bowie reigns supreme, and downtown Manhattan has never been cooler. But Justine and Eve are stuck at Griswold Academy, a Connecticut boarding school. Griswold is a far cry from Justine’s bohemian life in New Haven, where her parents run a theater and struggle to pay the bills. Eve, the sophisticated daughter of status-obsessed Park Avenue parents, also feels like an outsider amidst Griswold’s preppy jocks and debutantes. Justine longs for Eve’s privilege, and Eve for Justine’s sexual confidence. Despite their differences, they form a deep friendship, together grappling with drugs, alcohol, ill-fated crushes, and predatory male teachers.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">After a tumultuous school year, Eve and Justine spend the summer in New York City where they join Eve’s childhood friend India. Justine moves into India’s Hell’s Kitchen apartment and is pulled further into her friends’ glamorous lives. Eve, under her parents’ ever-watchful eye, interns at a SoHo art gallery and navigates the unpredictable whims of her boss. India struggles to resist the advances of a famous artist represented by the gallery. All three are affected by their sexual relationships with older men and the power adults hold over them, even as the young women begin to assert their independence.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">A captivating, timeless novel about friendship, sex, and parental damage, Amanda Brainerd’s <i>Age of Consent</i> intimately evokes the heady freedom of our teenage years.</span>
<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Release date: July 14th by Viking</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>*****</b></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BIRc2SckF0/XtpxNO5wFRI/AAAAAAAALbM/fVauuu4xIC0B1RWnmAMFVwhxAfX6AuJqgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/deadtoher2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BIRc2SckF0/XtpxNO5wFRI/AAAAAAAALbM/fVauuu4xIC0B1RWnmAMFVwhxAfX6AuJqgCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/deadtoher2.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>In Short: High society. An illicit Affair. A woman scorned. Next stop...murder?</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Synopsis: </b>For fans of Liane Moriarty, Liv Constantine and Lisa Jewell, a twisty psychological thriller about a savvy second wife who will do almost anything to come out on top from the New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes.</div>
</div>
<span id="freeText6703056663072911656" style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span id="freeText6703056663072911656" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span id="freeText6703056663072911656" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
Being the second wife can be murder . . .</div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
“Once a cheat, always a cheat,” they say. Marcie Maddox has worked hard to get where she is after the illicit affair that started her new life a few years ago. But her world of country clubs, yachts and sumptuous houses in Savannah, Georgia, isn’t easy to maintain, no matter how hard she tries. Nor is keeping her husband, Jason, truly interested.</div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
So, when Jason’s boss brings home a hot new wife from his trip to London, the young Mrs William Radford IV isn’t quite the souvenir everyone expected. Sexy, drop-dead gorgeous and black—Keisha quickly usurps Marcie’s place as the beautiful second wife. But when Marcie sees the extra spark in the room when Keisha and Jason are together and their obvious, magnetic attraction, the gloves come off.</div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span id="freeText6703056663072911656">Revenge is best served cold, but in the steamy Savannah heat, blood runs so hot that this summer it might just boil over into murder.</span> </div>
</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Release date: August 6th by HarperCollins</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>*****</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4o7K7rgoX2M/XtpzQFWyGbI/AAAAAAAALbY/4i18vhx5vlUNdE5EZViy7OP3UZku5qDJgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/justaboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4o7K7rgoX2M/XtpzQFWyGbI/AAAAAAAALbY/4i18vhx5vlUNdE5EZViy7OP3UZku5qDJgCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/justaboy.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>In short: Summer camp romance.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Synopsis: </b>Sam’s summer isn’t off to a great start. Her boyfriend, Eli, ditched her for a European backpacking trip, and now she’s a counselor at Camp Blue Springs: the summer camp her eleven-year-old self swore never to return to. Sam expects the next seven weeks to be a total disaster.</div>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">That is, until she meets Gavin, the camp’s sailing instructor, who turns her expectations upside down. Gavin may have gotten the job just for his abs. Or that smile. Or the way he fills Sam’s free time with thrilling encounters—swimming under a cascade of stars, whispering secrets over s’mores, embarking on one (very precarious) canoe ride after dark.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">It’s absurd. After all, Sam loves Eli. But one totally absurd, completely off-the-wall summer may be just what Sam needs. And maybe, just maybe, it will teach her something about what she really wants.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Release date: May 19th by HarperTeen</b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>*****</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nAaBgrtNinY/Xtp0-XAv24I/AAAAAAAALbk/iBB94HmFvPwFTGbmohcjPORXblQg8kPCQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/zoespanos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nAaBgrtNinY/Xtp0-XAv24I/AAAAAAAALbk/iBB94HmFvPwFTGbmohcjPORXblQg8kPCQCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/zoespanos.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>In Short: Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca meets Serial in this twisty YA murder mystery.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Synopsis: </b>For fans of <i>Sadie</i> and <i>Serial</i>, this gripping thriller follows two teens whose lives become inextricably linked when one confesses to murder and the other becomes determined to uncover the real truth no matter the cost.</div>
</span><span id="freeText12589948362689204427" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /><i>What happened to Zoe won’t stay buried…</i><br /><br />When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected—and that she knows what happened to her.<br /><br />Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the <i>Missing Zoe</i> podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?<br /><br />Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s <i>Rebecca</i>, Kit Frick weaves a thrilling story of psychological suspense that twists and turns until the final page.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Release date: June 30th from Margaret K. McElderry Books</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
</span>Leanna Ellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17156147175772720617noreply@blogger.com0