Novel but Nice

Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton My rating: 4 of 5 stars A beautiful, haunting story of friendship and what happens when that friendship is put to the test. A must-read for women of all ages!!! Girls’ Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is a gripping tale of friendship and the cracks that form over time. This book reminds me a bit of what makes Liane Moriarty successful—it’s a deep character study of women and their lives both separate to and in relation to one another, and with a dash of suspense. Readers will find themselves turning the pages, wanting to find out the hidden secrets of these three women that will answer the question, what happened to their friendship?? From the outside Ashley has everything a girl could want —a handsome husband, two lovely daughters, a successful business, a 7,000 square-foot home in California, stunning good looks, and a magnetic personality. But these things that Ashley has that make her enviable also make it hard fo...

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney My rating: 5 of 5 stars The parallel plot lines make this book a suspenseful masterpiece! I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! The Girl Before by J. P. Delaney is an absolutely fantastic read. I took a break from my ARC reviews to get back to this one, which I had purchased months ago but not had a chance to read yet. With Delaney having a new book out in the fall, I wanted to get a feel for his (I researched this, and was pleasantly surprised to find that J. P. is a male because the female characters are written so authentically) writing before it came out. I absolutely loved this book! The parallel plots and varying chapter lengths were so well done. I was captivated by both story lines and I couldn’t wait to get back to each one. Neither felt like it was taking precedence over the other, which is quite a feat! Excerpt In my art history degree course, we did a module on palimpsests—medieval sheets of parchment so costly t...

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow! The number of twists in this book had my head spinning! Jessica Knoll brings us a wonderful but terrifying portrayal of the dark side of sisterhood, leaving the reader wondering if the drama we see on Reality TV is actually less twisted than the truth. I found this novel absolutely captivating! Jessica’s use of alternating narrators kept me on my toes—I didn’t know who to trust or believe. Once I thought I had the dynamics and characters figured out, the narrator would change and everything I thought I knew was turned over. I have followed Jessica Knoll’s work since her days at Cosmopolitan Magazine, when she wrote her Josie stories. From there, I followed her blog as she kept Josie alive. Though I liked the Josie stories, it was really when she began writing about Elizabeth that I saw what is so special about Jessica as a writer. She writes damaged characters so well; I hate them, I love them, they...

Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison My rating: 5 of 5 stars Better than I could have imagined! This book was truly fantastic and worthy of the domestic noir/psychological thriller genres. I finished this yesterday and my head is still spinning from all of the twists and turns. I went into this book with some pretty big expectations, because so many of my favorite bloggers spoke highly of it. I have to say, it exceeding my expectations. Plot Teaser (Spoiler Free) A perfect couple... Ethan and Sutton Montclair are both successful authors, and the darlings of the literary world. They seem like the perfect couple, but there is so much darkness and deception lurking behind the doors of their beautiful Victorian mansion in Tennessee. There's is a marriage so full of passion, that at times it it becomes unhealthy. And then one day, Sutton disappears... Ethan awakens to find Sutton missing. Her normal routine has been broken, and he finds a note from her. Sutton says sh...

Exquisite by Sarah Stovell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Go in knowing little, and you'll be pleasantly surprised! I must admit that when I read reviews that say the less I know about the book, the better, I find them to be frustrating. Sometimes I want a bit more than what the blurb says, and my favorite reviewers are the ones who are able to pull me into the book with more detail, and still avoid spoiling anything major. Now that I've read Exquisite , I understand some of the hesitancy of reviewers to say too much. That being said, I think there is actually quite a bit revealed in the book description that does not spoil the book whatsoever. So with that I give you a spoiler-free teaser to the book... Plot Teaser (Spoiler Free)   The book is about the close relationship that forms between successful writer Bo Luxton and misguided millennial Alice Dark. Alice is a lost soul. She is in an unfulfilling relationship with a struggling artist who is honestly mor...

When You Disappeared by John Marrs My rating: 4 of 5 stars A dark but lovely story that truly made me think. This is a really lovely book by John Marrs, and I have to admit, it was difficult to put down. I saw many reviews and it does seem this is a polarizing book. Some hated it, some loved it, and most hate-loved it. Having read it, I can understand these opinions. I will say that even those who seemed to dislike the book the most, admitted that it really made them feel something, and that is a marker of a great book in my opinion. This is a book I won't soon forget. I would not characterize this book as a psychological thriller, or even really a domestic thriller. Though there are secrets not unveiled until the end, you understand from early on much of what is going on. You know where Simon went the day he disappeared, and you know what Catherine went through as she struggled to find her footing. Plot Teaser   Catherine is a mother of three who wakes u...