Saturday, March 24, 2018

Our House by Louise Candlish




Wow. That's the only word I can think of right now. Where do I start? This is a good wow by the way. Finally, a contemporary book that I found myself not being able to wait to get back to. I read a lot of books and sometimes they sit and I read when I go to bed usually. For this one, I was taking my Kindle to snatch pieces where I could, even in the car. I kept thinking, where is this going to GO?? 

Now, let me say it was not what I expected. It lured me in because the description said that when Fi (Fiona) came home one day, people she didn't know were moving into her house. What the what?  I had to find out. I thought it sounded quite original. 

I started it and was taken on a wild roller coaster ride. I thought there were enough twists to make this quite a satisfying read. I do not want to give any spoilers away about what happened and WHY it was going on, but did anyone else think of the Gift of the Magi by the time things were explained? 


Also, I always appreciate an ending where things may or may not be wrapped up too neatly. I want to admit this is my first Louise Candlish book and it will not be my last. I immediately went to Goodreads to find out what else she has written. YAY! There are other books by her! 

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this opportunity!

Monday, March 19, 2018

Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser


This book's description really had me intrigued. It was supposed to be about friends who had a night around a fire to have a break from the kids and just chat and be social. Then, the next day, one of them is gone and nobody understands or knows where she might have gone. She has taken the kids, too. Or, is something else going on? Sounds exciting, right?

Well, it started off that way. I was really excited to see what was going on. However, in my opinion, it started to drag and get really predictable. The bad part for me was this was supposed to be a "thriller" and it just did not deliver on that front. 

There were other aspects of the story regarding the other women on the street. One has been through a traumatic experience herself, but you don't find out what until later. One of the others is running away from unrequited love and the other is dealing with a very precocious daughter who stirs up a little trouble on the street. Then, there are Rhoda and Randi, the couple who has a new baby and runs a shop in the small town. 

There was ONE small surprising thing and I won't spoil it here. The book kept me interested enough to finish it, but it was no big shocker and it certainly shouldn't be called a thriller. This is more like Women's Domestic Fiction, but not Chick Lit.