The Seaside Sisters - Pamela Kelley

The Seaside Sisters - Pamela Kelley

Pub. Date:  June 4, 2024

She read

Hannah, a best selling romance author, is having a bit of writer’s block.  Currently living in Brooklyn, she decides to spend the summer in her hometown of Chatham on Cape Cod, with her aunt.  Her sister, husband and four children also live in Chatham.  Both her aunt and sister are having some marital hiccups. While there, Hannah rekindles a friendship with attorney Spencer and also dates a best selling author whose parents live on the Cape. 

If I had to describe this book in three words, it would be cozy little romance.  There is no significant drama or humor in this story of nondescript characters who seem to live an idealized life.  Told from different POVS, there is a lot of wine (often identified by brand) and descriptions of food (especially bagels, lobster, and brownies). Chatham is depicted in all its charm and those who have visited there will enjoy the journey back.  

I am a stickler for authenticity, even in fiction, and a major activity in the book bothered me. Would attorneys really have an author who is doing research sit in on conferences with clients?  Where is the attorney client confidentiality? I also noticed a bit of repetition in the narrative.

All that said, if you are looking for a nice little no effort quick beach read, this may be for you.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #STMartinsPress for the DRC.

***

Just Some Stupid Love Story - Katelyn Doyle

 Just Some Stupid Love Story - Katelyn Doyle

Pub. Date: June 4, 2024

She read

Molly split with her high school sweetheart, Seth, breaking his heart, just before they were to leave for college. Seth, a divorce attorney in Chicago, believes in soulmates. Molly is a rom com screenwriter in LA, ironic since she always seems to sabotage her romantic relationships. They unexpectedly meet up at their 15th HS reunion and a spark is reignited, but just for one night, although Seth makes a bet they will be together for their 20th reunion.  They play on and off again with their relationship over the ensuing months, with Seth even getting engaged to someone else. Yet, they can’t seem to forget each other.  Who will win the bet?

Romance novels are not my typical go tos, but I loved this book.  Witty, entertaining, fast moving, I recommend this read to rom com fans as well as though wanting to dip into this genre. It is told in dual POVs, alternating between Molly and Seth.  As a Floridian, I was impressed by how much Doyle  really “gets” Florida.  Lots of good humor here! My only hesitation with the book is that Seth is almost too good to be true…but, after all, it is fiction!

Thanks to #NetGalley and @flatiron_books for the DRC.

*****

Wolf at the Table - Adam Rapp

 Wolf at the Table  - Adam Rapp

she read

This is a novel that spans sixty years and four generations of a large Catholic family, the Larkins.  As with many large families, the offspring have a wide range of personalities and levels of success.  There is also one child who has an intellectual disability, one who marries into a family with, unbeknownst to her, a history of  schizophrenia, and one who was abused by local priests as a child and develops an antisocial personality disorder (commonly known as a “psychopath”).  This true cross section of America is revealed through snapshots of family members at different points in time, particularly focusing on two of them who quite disparate in their temperaments. 

Well written, the narrative in this character driven novel is rather objective; Rapp didn’t exploit the emotionalism of the antisocial behaviors and family difficulties.  He touches on serial killers, with passages involving Richard Speck, John Wayne Gacy, and, of course, the Larkin sibling who is a serial killer and we see how family can be complicit or ignorant. There is an undercurrent of danger, perhaps even evil throughout the story.

I couldn’t engage with any of the characters  Often I read a family saga such as this and, although it may be dark, am left with some feelings of hope.  After this one, which was mesmerizing, a generalized bleak feeling remained.  

Thanks to #NetGalley and #LittleBrown for the DRC.

Camino Ghosts - John Grisham

 Camino Ghosts - John Grisham

Pub. Date:  May 28, 2024

She read

This third installment of Grisham’s Camino Island series finds author Mercer Mann, friend of bookshop owner Bruce Cable, stumped when trying to come up with an idea for her next book.  Bruce introduces her to a small nonfiction piece written by 80 year old local resident, Lovely Jackson.  Lovely, the descendent of slaves who settled on Dark Island off the coast of Camino Island, has resided on the bigger island since 1955, leaving the smaller one uninhabited.  Yet, as the last inhabitant, she claims Dark Island is hers and when a big, unscrupulous corporation wants to develop Dark Island including putting a Casino on it, Bruce facilitates her fight for the home of her ancestors.

 Grisham is a talented story teller and this book does not disappoint.  A quick, compelling read, Lovely is a captivating character.  Grisham does an excellent job of capturing the development frenzy that is Florida…the greed of the corporations, the questionable practices of the politicians, the disregard for the environment, the highway  sprawl of businesses. He also acknowledges how the electorate can be so easily manipulated. 

The history of the difference between the British and Spanish owned colonies as relates to slavery is fascinating.  When you read Lovely’s account of the realities of the slave trade, you can’t help but wonder, as did Mercer, how our forebears  could have tolerated such cruel treatment of those who were kidnapped and enslaved. 

This does work as a standalone, although reading the first two in the series gives a broader background of the repeating characters and provides context for some of the references made in this book to action that took place in prior ones. 

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DoubledayBooks for the DRC

*****

The "I Love My Air Fryer" Easy Recipes Book - Robin Fields

 The "I Love My Air Fryer"" Easy Recipes Book - Robin Fields

Pub. Date:  April 23, 2024

She read

Air frying has become very popular.  In this book,  175 “easy” recipes are presented with common ingredients and simple steps.

Well organized, the book begins with the basics of air frying as well as some tips, including accessories you might want to purchase to enhance your air frying experience.  I liked that there were no exotic spices called for.  I hate when a recipe needs something that you have to buy and use maybe once or twice!  The recipes are interesting, diverse, and I appreciated the vegetarian section.  Each recipe includes the hands on preparation time as well as nutritional content. Because this was a DRC, I missed having photos of all the dishes; I believe they are present in the final copy of the book.

As I just received this copy, I haven’t attempted any yet, but I have a list that I can’t wait to try, starting with the panko-crusted mahi mahi and moving on to the strawberry galette.

Thank to #NetGalley and @adams_media for the DRC. 

****

If Something Happens to Me - Alex Finlay

 If Something Happens to Me - Alex Finlay

Pub. Date:  May 28, 2024

She read

High schoolers Ryan and Ali were parked at Lover’s Lane when they were attacked, Ryan knocked unconscious, and Ali and her car went missing.  Suspicion followed Ryan causing him to change colleges and even his name.  Skip ahead five years, he is now visiting Tuscany with a group of students from his law school.  Back in his hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas, soldier Poppy has returned home and it is her first day as deputy sheriff working under a close military buddy of her father when Ali’s car is discovered under a lake with two adult male bodies in it. A cryptic note is found in Ali’s pocketbook which was in the backseat of the car. What happened to Ali?

As Poppy tries to solve the mystery, she is seemingly stymied by her boss and has questions about not only his involvement but also her family’s.   Meanwhile, Ryan races across Europe to try to determine if Ali is really still alive. When he spots the man he thinks was involved with her abduction, his and other lives are in danger. 

Told in alternating timelines and POVs, this is a suspenseful, mysterious story. Fast paced and addictive,  there is action, violence, and interwoven plot lines that take the reader on a thrilling adventure. Although a little over the top, this is another solid addition to Finlay’s growing body of work. 

Thanks to #NetGalley and @stmartinspress @minotaur_books for the DRC.

****

Think Twice - Harlan Coben

 Think Twice - Harlan Coben

Pub. Date: May 14, 2024

She read

Myron Bolitar has reopened his sports agency and teams up with friend and attorney Win Lockwood when federal agents tell him that his once rival, long thought dead, former client Greg Downing’s DNA has been found at the scene of a murder. Is Greg still alive?  As the pair dig down into the mystery, they find that there are similar puzzling cases in other locales.  Could there be a serial killer and is Myron in danger?

This is the twelfth in best selling author Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series.  I have read many of Coben’s books, but only one or two from this series and that was a very long time ago. Myron and Win are a bit over the top characters; smart, resourceful, and entertaining. There is suspense, action, humor, colorful characters, a twisted plot line in this fast paced, entertaining read. I enjoyed the technique of interspersing the narrative with chapters from the perpetrator’s POV.  

Although this was successful as basically a stand alone for me, My enjoyment of it might have been enhanced had I followed the career progression of these two characters by having read more books in this series. 

Thanks to #NetGalley and @grandcentralpub for the DRC

****