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It’s been a WHILE since I last did one of these, but honestly reading took a bit of a back burner for me this year. I started a new job, traveled a ton, and honestly had a ton of TV/movies I wanted to watch. But, I still read 25 books this year and these were the last of the lot! There were a lot of good ones and a few misses so let’s dive in.
Summary: Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in Chicago. He is a cheater while she lives and breathes denial. He decides to play it both ways and she has nothing left to lose. Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage that is nearing the end and, from both perspectives, destined to fail. The crime that will come is endgame.
Would I Recommend It?: Honestly, this one fell a bit flat for me. if you’re a crime novel junkie, this narrative is nothing new and there was no major plot twist or climax. I’d skip it.
Summary: In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident. A powerful courtroom showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all keeping secrets and hiding betrayals. As the story progresses, you’ll find yourself shifting alliances and wondering was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe? This whodunnit of epic proportions will make you think you know until you don’t.
Would I Recommend It: I read this for my book club and it started a bit slow and took me forever to get into. However, I will say the character development and plot twist were really great and it’s a story that made you think and really dissect why you were identifying or sympathizing with a character or not. It’s different than what I normally read so I’d recommend giving it a go if the summary interested you.
Summary: Olive Torres is used to being the unlucky twin. By contrast, her sister Ami is an eternal champion . Unfortunately for Olive, the only thing worse than constant bad luck is having to spend the wedding day with the best man (and her nemesis), Ethan Thomas. Olive braces herself for wedding hell, determined to put on a brave face, but when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. Suddenly there’s a free honeymoon up for grabs, and Olive will be damned if Ethan gets to enjoy paradise solo. Agreeing to a temporary truce, the pair head for Maui. After all, ten days of bliss is worth having to assume the role of loving newlyweds, right? But the more she pretends to be the luckiest woman alive, the more it feels like she might be.
Would I Recommend It?: I devoured this book! It was cute, charming, quirky, maddening, and juicy. The characters are so lovable [and hate-able] and the pages turned quickly. It was a breath of fresh air from my normal true crime books and I LOVED it.
Summary: Annie Colwater’s only child has just left home for school abroad. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he’s in love with a younger woman. Lonely and afraid, she retreats to her hometown of Mystic, hoping that there she can reclaim the woman she once was—the woman she is now desperate to become again. There, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower unable to cope with his grieving and his six-year-old daughter, Izzie. Together, the three of them begin to heal, and, at last, Annie learns that she can love without losing herself. But just when she has found a second chance at happiness, her life is turned upside down again, and she must make a choice through a series of events that will shape her life forever.
Would I Recommend It: I always love Kristin Hannah and this was no exception. While it wasn’t as deep as some of her other stuff, it was still a heartwarming read that will bring a tear to your eye. She writes women protagonists like no other and Annie is no exception. If you like her writing style, you’ll like this.
Summary: This story follows 3 individual stories that are woven together. Single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on a beach outside her home. He has nothing on his person and no idea how he got there. She invites him in and gets to know him and tries to uncover who he is and why he’s there. Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, newlywed Lily Monrose’s husband fails to return home from work one night. Soon, she receives even worse news: according to the police, the man she married never even existed. The final story takes place 23 years earlier; Gray and Kirsty Ross are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. The annual trip to Alice Lake’s hometown is uneventful until a young man they meet starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable—and it’s not just because he’s a protective older brother. I Found You weaves together these 3 stories in a way that makes you question who is the man on the beach, who and where is Lily’s husband, and how did Gray and Kirsty’s trip have anything to do with these 2 women?
Would I Recommend It: I thought this book kind of dragged on but the story was definitely interesting and took me for a ride. Just when you think you know, it changes. The character development was good and it kept you guessing. I’d give it a go if you want a new psychological thriller.
So, there you have it. The books I’ve read most recently and my thoughts on them. You can find previous 2019 recaps here, here, here!
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