If you remember, March was a bit of a reading dud for me. I was all over the place and unable to focus. It surprised me – as we got settled into home during the quarantine I thought – I am going to READ! Nope. But April was a bit better. I read 6 books this month, plus one DNF. I absolutely loved one – in fact it is currently my favorite I have read so far this year. I am hoping I can continue this upward reading trend and get through even more books in May – hopefully some more 5 🍷s!
Here are the books I read in April.
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell – Robert Dugoni
Well here you have it, right off the bat. My five 🍷 read of the month and the best book I have read in 2020 thus far. I loved Sam Hill/Sam Hell. I fell in love with him from the very beginning and while it is a bit of a longer book, I just kept turning the pages. Not only did Sam help me out of my reading slump, he and his delightful parent, especially his mom, uplifted me and reminded me of how much is out of our control. In a time where it hasn’t been uncommon for many of us to question our faith or God’s plan, it help me settle into my skin and try a little harder to trust in that plan. Highly recommend.
🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
In Five Years – Rebeccas Searle
I did like In Five Years. At first I though this was going to be a light little fun read about a love affair. WRONGO! I am not going to give it away but it is pretty deep after you get to a certain point. Fasten your seatbelts! I didn’t love the way she described NYC. That was the biggest issue for me on why I didn’t rate this higher. It just didn’t feel like an authentic NewYorker and instead like someone picked up a Fodor’s guide and name dropped hot spots. But mostly an enjoyable read.
🍷🍷🍷
Little Secrets – Jennifer Hillier
Little Secrets was an entertaining read that ventured to the dark side. While not too graphic, there was definitely some content that some would have trouble reading. I thought the strength of the writing surrounded the pain that the parents, especially Marin felt over the loss of their son. Her grief was palpable. I found the descriptions of her hair styling business a bit over the top, being familiar with the area it seemed unrealistic that there were that many A list celebrities going to Seattle to get their hair done. The ending – who done-it was a bit predictable but I didn’t mind. Fairly quick, entertaining read. I received Little Secrets as an ARC through
NetGalley – thank you to them and St. Martin’s Press for providing this electronic edition in exchange for an honest review. Little Secrets is now available.
🍷🍷🍷 1/2
Truths I Never Told You – Kelly Rimmer
I was very excited to read this book as I absolutely loved The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer. Perhaps I set my expectations too high as this just wasn’t at the same level of awesomeness for me. The beginning was very slow and I wasn’t drawn to any of the characters. There are 2 timelines to follow and in the more current one Beth and her siblings are making arrangements to say goodbye to their aging and ailing father. Beth is also struggling as a new mom and in denial about needing help and support. In cleaning out dad’s house secrets are uncovered from their deceased mom’s letters. There was potential here and covers very crucial topics but it just didn’t do it for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Graydon House for providing this title for me as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Truths I Never Told You is now available.
🍷🍷🍷
Going Gray: What I Learned About Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters – Anne Kreamer
Back in January I decided to stop coloring my hair and let my natural color, now mostly gray/white grow out. My last color was December 30, 2019. With the Covid 19 quarantine, I could not have planned this better if I had tried. Thus far, weeks 11 through 18 I have spent hidden away in my house and that’s good because right now I am looking like a hot mess! 😂. I picked up this book just before the library closed so its been staring at me for weeks. I finally picked it up and flew threw it. I didn’t really learn anything new but put words to much of what I am feeling at times. The author was a bit pretentious for me, but overall, she vocalized a lot of what our society has done to a women’s image and how she feels about herself. A decent read.
🍷🍷🍷
The New Husband – D. J. Palmer
The New Husband is a domestic psychological thriller that just didn’t do it for me. Simon is the new husband, even though he and Nina aren’t married yet. But he sure wants to be. He is a controlling, manipulative weirdo that Nina can’t see through. Come on, if your first husband abandoned you with no warning, would you be so trusting of a new man right way? Especially one with so many red flags? I think not.
I didn’t care for a single character in this book. Maggie almost won my heart, but not quite. The entire book was incredibly predictable, unrealistic and felt like it followed a common formula that I keep seeing over and over. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I am scratching my head over the many very high reviews. But hey, I guess there is something for everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin’s Press for providing The New Husband in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review. It is now available.
🍷🍷
DNF
The Overstory – Richard Powers – I actually purchased this book for my bookclub and in the height of the pandemic it was just too deep for me. Seems like that was the case for my entire bookclub as we all abandoned it. I do plan on getting back to it another time when I can focus a bit better.
Book of the Month – The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
