Lots of Love

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh is a love story with some tragedy along the way. Sarah and Eddie fall madly in love during a chance meeting while Sarah is visiting her parents’ in England. She feels that this is the real deal, until Eddie ghosts her. He won’t return any of her attempts to contact him, and he isn’t visible on social media at all. It’s as if he’s just vanished. Her friends try to reason with her that he changed his mind and that she needs to let him go. But she can’t and doesn’t for the entirety of the book.

Meanwhile, we discover more about Sarah’s past. SPOILERS AHEAD

Sarah frequently writes to a younger sister that she lost in a car accident. In fact, she was visiting the accident site the day she met Eddie. For a while, the author had me believing that Eddie was responsible for Sarah’s sister’s death which is why he cut himself off. Instead it’s the opposite. The terrible accident actually killed Eddie’s sister, not Sarah’s, and Sarah was partly responsible. Sarah’s sister never forgave her for the accident, and has not spoken to her since. The backstory is filled in as to why/how this happened. This, of course, is the reason Eddie cut ties with Sarah. Once he realized who she was, he couldn’t bear to be with her (right away anyway).

Sarah and Eddie eventually reunite and all ends well. There are some good twists and writing, but the nonstop, obsessive love was too teenager-ish for me. I would lose my mind having to hear about this guy a million times if I were Sarah’s friend.

Force of Nature

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens was a slow, lazy ride through the marshlands of North Carolina… and I enjoyed every moment of it. Kya is the youngest of a large family living in a shack in the marsh. Due to her abusive father, her mother and older siblings all leave one by one until Kya and her father are the only ones left. Now, the abuse Kya faces is neglect.

She is forced to school for one day, but she can’t tolerate the bullying. It’s not even worth the free, hot meal. She learns to take care of herself with nothing but seabirds, and her love of nature, as her comforts. The townspeople begin referring to her as the Marsh Girl. Her solitude changes when a boy a few years older than her, Tate, begins leaving her little gifts. Eventually, they develop a relationship in which he teaches her to read and they share their love of marsh life (and each other).

Tate goes to college, and Kya is abandoned again. This time a popular, handsome young man from town begins to get close to Kya (Chase, I think?). She thinks this time will be lasting and true, until she discovers that he is engaged. He has been using her as a mistress the whole time. She breaks off her relationship with him.

Eventually Tate tries to reconnect with Kya, who at this point is much more guarded. Chase also tries to reconnect. He aggressively confronts and attempts to rape her. When Chase is found dead, Kya is arrested and tried for murder. I won’t give away any more. And there is SO much more, including some information about Kya’s mom and siblings. Of course there is also the verdict and what becomes of Kya.

This is a story of steadfastness and finding beauty in unexpected places/people. The author captures the living, breathing importance of one’s environment, and how people and our land can shape us.

Ten-Year Mystery

The Lost Night by Andrea Bartz brings readers into the fuzzy, forgotten memories of main character Lindsay’s past. Her close friend Edie died while alone in her apartment during a drunken night ten years earlier. The case is considered a suicide, but Lindsay is determined to figure out what really happened.

She begins investigating the case. Lindsay starts reaching out to their group of friends from that time. They haven’t been in touch since Edie’s death. Doing so opens a wide cast of possible suspects, including Edie’s own mother. Lindsay also confides in her current friends for help. As she starts to unveil certain moments from that night, she can’t help but wonder if she may have had something to do with Edie’s death.

Finding out more about Lindsay’s psyche makes her seem a likely suspect to the reader as well. There are some surprising twists along the way. Eventually we find out the truth about Edie’s death while almost encountering another murder along the way.

Couple of the Year

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing is an extreme take on adding some spice into marriage. Narrator husband and his wife Millicent decide that targeting and killing women sparks passion into their marriage. The story opens as they are planning their fourth murder.

Husband (can’t remember or find his name!) pretends to be a deaf man named Tobias to get close to their prospects. When their third victim’s body turns up, Millicent plans to resurrect the presence of a notorious serial killer named Owen in order to thwart the police and press. Meanwhile, they go through with claiming their fourth victim, the whole while trying to pin it on Owen.

Owen’s “presence” begins to have a domino effect on the people in their lives, both friends and family. Through it all we get the backstory of their marriage, including how they met, their children and how they became killers.

Everything falls apart when Owen’s sister comes forward to prove that he already died and therefore couldn’t have possibly murdered these women. The investigation goes into full effect. Eventually, we discover that Millicent had ulterior motives behind their fourth victim. All signs begin pointing to “Tobias.” I won’t give any other spoilers; read to find out if he is caught and if “justice” is served.

This is a great story with seriously disturbed characters and a very twisted marriage.

Sail Away

Seven Dead Pirates by Linda Bailey is not your typical coming of age story. Sixth grader Lewis Dearborn is socially awkward and painfully shy, but that all changes once he befriends the seven pirate ghosts that live in his great-grandfather’s home.

Lewis’s great-grandfather passes away shortly after turning 101 years old. He leaves his grand old home on the Atlantic coast, named Shornoway, to Lewis and his parents. Lewis immediately feels drawn to his new tower room overlooking the ocean. But, things change when he realizes that pirate ghosts are sharing the room with him. Lewis’s great-grandfather promised them that Lewis would be the one to bring them to their pirate ship, the Maria Louisa, which is an exhibit in a nearby museum. Their ultimate dream is to reach the pirate paradise, Libertalia.

Lewis reads them pirate stories, buys them second-hand clothes and prepares a plan to bring them back to their ship. His growing friendship with the pirates emboldens him in other areas of his life (namely at school).

Ultimately, the pirates rediscover their ship and manage to get revenge on the band of pirates who caused their deaths. The message of being bold enough to take a chance for change relates to multiple characters. There is action, humor and unlikely friendships, all combining to make this a jolly good read 😉

Tormented Mind

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides had such an unexpected twist that I gasped out loud. I won’t reveal the twist in this entry, instead a brief summary of the premise of the book.

Theo is a devoted psychotherapist, and has been intrigued by Alicia Serenson’s case for years. He seizes the job offer to work at the treatment facility where she has been a patient since shooting her husband repeatedly in the face. This murder was more high profile considering Alicia’s well-known work as an artist. Alicia has not said one word since being accused of murder and declared insane. Theo hopes to help Alicia heal and to break her silence.

Meanwhile, we discover that Theo was driven into his field because of his own psychosis as a young man. A devoted therapist helped him overcome his self-loathing and insecurity due to an abusive father. He now works to help others like himself. The story splits between his personal life, in which his wife is having an affair, and his work with Alicia. Theo assumes a detective role as he digs into Alicia’s life (family/friends and her work) to figure out how to help her. He tries to uncover secrets in her final paintings as well. One painting in particular, the Alcestis, provides an extremely interesting framework into her psyche.

After a rocky start working together, Alicia shares her journal with him, and begins to open up more. Before long, an unknown staff member injects her with enough morphine to put her into a medically-induced coma.

A must read to find out how Alicia’s husband was really murdered, and to discover who wants Alicia to stay silent. The workings of the human mind and the connections between art/story made this book riveting to me. I couldn’t put it down!!

Moonstone Curse

Loot by Jude Watson is my second to last read from this year’s Intermediate Nutmeg nominees. March and Jules McQuin are twins who have been separated ever since the fateful night when their dad, mom and a friend were stealing cursed moonstones from Carlotta Grimstone. The curse caused their mom’s death, the friend’s incarceration and foretold their death at the age of thirteen. Their dad Alfie, who is an infamous robber, decided to separate them in an attempt to outsmart the curse.

March stayed with his dad and learned the life of an accomplished robber while his sister stayed with aunt Blue, a performer in a traveling trapeze/circus act. In a terrible turn of events, March witnesses his dad “falling” from a building during a job. Alfie is able to muster a few last words to his son before he passes away.

March is reunited with his long-lost twin when they are both sent to a juvenile facility back in the U.S.. It’s here where they meet up with their new “family,” companions Izzy and Darius. This group of four pull from each other’s unique talents to follow the clues that Alfie has left behind. Their mission is to steal back the rest of the moonstones in hopes of breaking the curse on their lives. Of course, they also hope to make seven million dollars upon returning the gems to their original owner.

While this story at times stretches the realm of reality, it is action-packed and fast-paced. I think it will definitely appeal to middle grade readers; I know it appealed to this middle-aged one!

The Perfect Con

In Her Skin by Kim Savage was a recent teen mother-daughter book selection at my town library. This book was a wild ride.

Jolene has been raised to be a master con artist by her mother, and was being used in sex trafficking by her mother’s rotten boyfriend. Jo’s mom comes out of her drug-induced stupor long enough to realize it’s time to escape her boyfriend. He kills Jo’s mom once he realizes her plan. Jo escapes to a life of more cons and homelessness in Boston’s Tent City.

Jo discovers the perfect con to get out herself out of this life which is by impersonating Vivienne Weir. Vivienne was a young girl when she disappeared from her friend’s home while the wealthy parents “watching her” dined at a nearby restaurant. Jo is embraced into a new life as Vivienne by the very couple who were in charge when the true Vivienne went missing. Jo is attracted to their daughter Temple, but also knows to be wary of her once horrible secrets are revealed. Temple is not as perfect as one would assume. Jo becomes obsessed with Temple and they form a twisted relationship with hints of romance.

Secrets, lies and survival are the major elements of this story. Everyone is part of the deception in some way, and it comes down to who will come out on top.

Twisted Love

My latest read (following a different book that I had to abandon around 30% through) is The Wife Before Me by Laura Elliot. This book reminded me of the movie Sleeping with the Enemy before I was even halfway through it.

The book has three main parts. The first is Elena’s life starting with meeting handsome, charismatic Nicholas Madison at her mother’s funeral. They develop a relationship and ultimately marry. His aggressive side starts to show when she questions him about his previous wife (who died tragically when her car veered off a cliff into the ocean below). Elena feels that she will never live up to Amelia’s ghost. Nicholas continues to show violence followed by apologies and blames it all on the stress of losing his wife. They have two children. One night, she lashes out and almost kills Nicholas. She is placed on probation and is allowed supervised visits with her kids. This is when she really starts learning the truth about her husband.

Meanwhile the story switches back to Amelia’s life with Nicholas which was definitely NOT perfect. He was abusive to her, killed her father and controlled her until she was a shell of her former self. When Amelia finally confides in a couple friends, they start the plan to save her and the life of her as yet born child (an earlier pregnancy ended due to his abuse). The plan does come together and Amelia was able to rid herself of his horrible entrapment and abuse.

In a solid twist, Elena and Amelia end up working together to take Nicholas down once and for all, including some help from a ghostly presence (an odd addition in my mind, but it works!).

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I really hated Nicholas and his mother! It’s frightening what someone may endure out of fear, hope and a twisted sense of love.

Justice

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult is an intensely emotional book with courtroom drama.

The story takes place in New Haven, Connecticut. Ruth is an exceptional nurse in the labor and delivery unit of Yale New Haven Hospital, and has worked there for twenty years. A white supremacist couple, Brit and Turk, demand that Ruth not be able to care for their newborn son because she is African American.

Ruth is offended by this request and treatment (from not only the couple but because her manager went along with it). It reaches a head when the baby stops breathing while Ruth is watching him. Ruth tries to resuscitate despite orders to not touch the baby. The baby doesn’t make it, and all heck breaks loose. Turk vows to get even and initiates a lawsuit against Ruth for murdering their child.

The story switches among multiple points of view: Ruth, Turk and Ruth’s district attorney Kennedy. Ruth must navigate losing her job, her mother and possibly going to jail, all while taking care of her teenage son. Her most upsetting obstacle is facing that no matter how hard she has worked to fit in, it hasn’t worked. Ruth builds a working relationship with her attorney. Kennedy states that she is not a racist, but through the story events discovers that racism entails more than she thinks. She realizes that just by being white, and taking for granted how life is predominantly geared to favor white people, she is part of racism.

Turk’s story was most disturbing to me. As a teenager, he connected with someone who taught and encouraged him to hate and hurt anyone non-white or gay. His wife is daughter to one of the leaders of this group and they bond over their mutual hatred of others. After losing the baby, Brit never returns to any semblance of normal. Turk, however, goes through major changes by the end of the story.

I spent most of the book angry at Turk’s group and Ruth’s situation, and anxious that Ruth or her son would be physically hurt. Luckily the latter did not happen.

Kennedy reminds me a bit of the author’s voice in the story. I think the awareness that Picoult sought is clear in Kennedy’s growing understanding through the story. The afterword explains how strongly Picoult felt about writing a book dealing with racism. She engaged in numerous pre-writing interviews to capture the thoughts and feelings of every race/belief represented in the story. Picoult understood that writing this book would open her to major criticism, but she was willing to take that chance in order to create conversation around this topic. I’m glad she did, because this book is so charged with feeling that you just have to keep going in hopes that justice will be served.