Hi guys! I’m back with another what I’ve read lately. I can’t believe at the end of this post I’ll have covered THIRTY books! My goal for 2018 was 12, with a stretch goal of 24 [that I never thought I’d achieve]. So having done 30, I’m aiming to finish 6 more by the end of the year [so 2 books a month] to bring my grand total to 36! Let’s see if I can do it! For now, here’s what I’ve read lately:
Summary: Chicago reporter Camille Preaker is charged with returning to her Missouri hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Her mother and half-sister have always been a point of contention in her life and now she must face them again as she tries to uncover the root of these horrific murders. Now, Camille finds herself identifying with the murder victims and she has to figure out why. Her inner demons must be faced in order to get to the bottom of this case, and in the process she must deal with her past.
Why I liked it: This book was DARK. Part of it were super hard to read. It’s graphic and explicit and the end left me speechless. It was a good, pretty quick read and I’ve recently started watching the series on HBO! If you like dark, psychological thrillers, I’d recommend this. Just be warned that I mean it when I say dark. The end still haunts me.
Summary: When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nick Young, she has no idea what she is in for. Nick is hiding a big secret about his family, and that secret involves a LOT of money.
As they both descend into Nick’s lavish Singaporean life, old secrets surface and new obstacles come in the way of their love.
Why I loved it: I absolutely devoured this book. It had everything I love in a juicy read: love, scandal, fashion, art, and wit and delight. The characters are all so entertaining. I watched the movie and it was brilliant, but nothing can top this book. If you need a light [compared to the other dark, murder stuff I typically read] and highly entertaining book, I ‘d definitely recommend this.
Summary: Charlotte Rowe spent the first seven years of her life in the hands of the only parents she knew—a pair of serial killers who murdered her mother and tried to shape Charlotte in their own twisted image. If only the nightmare had ended when she was rescued. Instead, her real father exploited her tabloid-ready story for fame and profit—until Charlotte finally broke free from her ghoulish past and fled. Just when she thinks she has buried her personal hell forever, Charlotte is swept into a frightening new ordeal. Secretly dosed with an experimental drug, she’s endowed with a shocking new power—but pursued by a treacherous corporation desperate to control her. Except from now on, if anybody is going to control Charlotte, it’s going to be Charlotte herself. She’s determined to use the extraordinary ability she now possesses to fight the kind of evil that shattered her life—by drawing a serial killer out from the shadows to face the righteous fury of a victim turned avenger. [synopsis from Amazon]
Why I loved it: Oh man, this book was FUN! While parts of it were a little long-winded, the story was super interesting and took a lot of twists and turns that you didn’t see coming. There was an element in that kind of reminded me of All Is Not Forgotten, and I couldn’t put it down. This is a psychological thriller in every sense of the word and it is definitely a page turner.
Summary:When Ani FaNelli was a student at her private school, she went through a harrowing incident that left her yearning to reinvent herself as the perfect young woman. As an adult, she achieves that. Status, money, a handsome fiance, and everything she every wanted. Leading up to her wedding, her past is brought to the surface and she must face her demons before moving into her new title as the perfect wife. Her fiance doesn’t want her truth exposed, but if and when she chooses to, you’ll find out whether it will make or break her.
Why I liked it:This book was nothing like what I thought it was going to be. This was another one that was super dark and twisty. The “incident” is not what you think it is and that part was honestly a little hard to read. But, the character development is really good and there’s a ton of suspense in this story. I’d recommend this to the thriller-lover, but there are others I’d recommend before it.
Summary:This novel is the story of a woman who creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past. Upon finding her husband dead in thier home, Tanya Dubois flees her life and does what she can to immediately formulate a new one. On her journey, she meets a woman named Blue, someone who knows exactly the type of situation Tanya is in. They form a fast alliance and become entangled in each other’s dramas. As the story unfolds, both women go through twists and turns that end up with Tanya returning to her old hometown and a bounty of secrets, lies, betrayals, and truths.
Why I loved it: This was another fun page turner. I loved following Tanya on her journey and all the characters and shenanigans along the way. A part of me felt so bad for her and I couldn’t wait to figure out what the big secret was waiting for her at the finish line. This one kept me interested until the end and it was definitely not what I thought! I love when I can’t predict the twists and turns. This was a relatively quick read, too, so I’d definitely recommend it!
Summary: Erika and Clementine have the perfect lives filled with perfect marriages, children, and careers. They’re best friends but theirs is a complicated relationship. Erika invites Clementine to a barbecue at her neighbors’ , Tiffany and Vid, and that’s when *it* happens. Two months later, Clementine and her husband Sam can’t stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn’t gone? This novel is about how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes innocence can be worse than guilt.
Why I didn’t love it: This book was SO long. All her novels are long, but this one seemed never-ending to me. I think it could’ve easily been 100 pages shorter. The story did not go where I thought it was going to, and while there were some twists and turns, the overall plot was underwhelming to where I thought it was going. I would definitely recommend Big Little Lies over this. It just fell a bit flat for me, specifically after investing so much time to finish it, I was let feeling a bit “meh”.
My name is Preeti and I am a wife, mother, sister, and friend who is navigating my way through life in Cincinnati, OH.
I work in the beauty industry for a living and work from home, so Nines to 5 is my place to express myself through fashion. Just because I have a home office doesn't mean I can't dress to the nines for my 9-5!
