The Kennedy Debutante - Review

The Kennedy Debutante   3.5 stars
by Kerri Maher
Published October 2 2018 by Berkley  Books

The Kennedy family makes for interesting story fodder, that's  for sure.  If nothing else, they provide a look into surviving multiple tragedies while maintaining a pretty charmed existence. Joe Sr. and Rose had nine children and tragedies befell five of them, six if you include Teddy's story that was mostly covered up.  Then there was John Jr. and his wife, and I'm purposely leaving out the other grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  But it makes me wonder and marvel at their history.

I did not know much about the fourth oldest, Kathleen, aka Kick Kennedy, maybe the most tragic and short-lived of them.   Because the family was living in London during Joe's term as Ambassador, Kick's debut took place there.  These were her formative years and so she made her best friends and social connections in London.  She would always consider London her home, not America. Her true love was an English noble who would one day become Duke of Devonshire.  He was Protestant, which was a major issue with his family, with the Catholic church, and the Kennedys, especially Rose.  Most of the book delves into Kick's conflicted feelings about marrying for love or marrying to keep the peace in the two families.  I hope today religion isn't as big an issue, but I don't  know.

This kept me interested, even though it felt like a really long time before Kathleen and Billy finally found happiness.  Actually it was about 5 years, and then very short-lived because, again, tragedies ensue.  The author gives some additional history at the end, and then Google led me to reading about the Astors  and Fred Astaire's sister. Thanks  to  NetGalley and the publisher for this enjoyable preview copy.   

Night of Miracles - Review

Night of Miracles  🌟🌟🌟🌟
by Elizabeth Berg
Published November 13 2018 by Random House

Books that are very sweet or saccharine are usually a big turn off.  But when there is literally sugary sweetness, as in cookies and cakes, and lots of them, count me in.  And with this author,  I am 100% in, knowing it's going to be a moving experience, as it was.

Lucille, alone in life but never lonely with all her good friends, has opened her house to baking classes, so there is much to drool over while she describes her goodies. Ancillary characters either work  in or go to the local restaurant for breakfast -- some will order an Overnight French Toast which makes its own syrup.  Yes, lots of sweetness.

As in Arthur Truluv, the characters that Berg has created are people you would want to know.  My favorites were Iris, a recent divorcee from Boston, trying out small town Missouri for the first time, and Tiny, a thoughtful, kind taxi driver and friend to all.  Oh, and little Link, Lucille's precocious neighbor boy whose mother has cancer.  

I enjoyed this tremendously, through lots of tears (happy tears and sad too), and recommend to anyone, especially if you liked Arthur Truluv.  If Ms. Berg writes more of these small town tomes, count me in.  

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.  4.5 stars.

Bring Me Back - Review

Bring Me Back  🌟🌟

by B. A. Paris
Published June 19 2018 by St. Martin's Press 

I have read all three of B A Paris'  books and find they follow a pretty similar pattern:  Intriguing start; slow, repetitious and annoying in the middle; and a surprising, out of left field ending.  At least she has had in all her efforts two-thirds of a good book in the making.  But to me that's not really enough.  When I read a chapter detailing events from one perspective,  and then the very same events are recounted from another perspective, the progress of the story stalls out and makes zero headway.  Even moreso when characters are on the unlikeable side.  My mind starts wandering...and wondering if I should finish.

I finish most things that I start, but here I admit to skimming some of the Russian doll rhetoric and much of the dialog.  The Layla and Ellen "transformations" were quite unbelievable in my opinion but I won't say any more than that.

An ARC  from NetGalley and the publisher.

Leave No Trace - Review

Leave No Trace  🌟🌟🌟
by Mindy Mejia
Published September 4th 2018 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books

This was a comp copy from the publisher that I was thrilled to read since I enjoyed the author's first book so much.  She has a writing style that is easy to understand and get sucked into.  She also develops her stories slowly and methodically.  Unfortunately, this one moved too slowly in the beginning for me and became repetitive when Luke was in the care facility and acting out quite violently in his attempts to get back to his sick father somewhere in the wooded Boundary  Waters area of rural Minnesota. I guess I was hoping to know more about the father and son missing for ten years, and less about the young woman speech therapist, whose story did not seem credible.  The ending chapters tied it together, and even that had parts not entirely believable. 

 This took me a long time to finish so I wish it could give it a higher rating than 2.5 stars, so I'm  rounding up.   

Not Her Daughter - Review

Not Her Daughter   🌝🌝🌝🌛
by Rea Frey
Published by St Martin's Griffin August 21 2018

Has she been stolen...or rescued?

Amy has a five year old daughter, Emma, and the two of them are like oil and water in their very damaged relationship.  Amy is physically abusive because Emma is a contentious brat.  Emma is contentious because she knows her mother doesn't love her.  Nothing good can come from this continuing in the same manner.

Sarah is an innocent bystander, a successful business woman, who has witnessed  firsthand the awful parenting of Amy.  Having been abandoned by her own mother at the age of eight, she compares her own feelings with what she believes Emma is experiencing.  One night when Amy locks Emma out of the house with no dinner, Sarah takes Emma and thus starts a kidnapping investigation and a series of close calls for Sarah and Emma on he run.  Emma, of course, is now the perfect child being with someone who actually cares about her.  

I couldn't stop thinking about these people even after long stretches when I wasn't able to get back to my reading.  The author had me caring about what was going to ultimately happen.  Were Sarah and Emma perhaps too perfect together?  Maybe.  Was Amy the ultimate mother from hell with not a single redeeming quality and no regrets for her actions?  Hell yes!

Toward the middle and onward there were a few plot holes and I thought what happened in Chicago was not at all believable, but overall this made for an addictive read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for my copy.  

Providence - Review

Providence  🌟🌟

by Caroline Kepnes  

Published June 19 2018 by Lenny

The first two books by this author, You and Hidden Bodies, were 4 star reads for me, and I thought them clever and sort of fun.  This book started out strong, has a good cover, and then instead of fun became just silly.

Childhood pals Jon and Chloe  are devastated when tragedy strikes -- Jon is kidnapped by a substitute teacher, held in a basement in an induced coma for four years, and then set free as an experiment of the sub teacher.  The experiment somehow gave Jon super powers which I won't go into, and I wish the author hadn't either.  There is also a good chunk of pages devoted to H.P. Lovecraft books and Lovecraft devotees.  I didn't know who he was before so had to look him up.  Monsters.  Imaginary places and made-up words no one can pronounce.   No thanks.  

By the end, the number of times that Chloe and Jon almost met up, or were in the same place without seeing it, or dialed each other and then hung up -- it became repetitive, drawn out and silly.  A disappointment to me.  I know Kepnes can write, though.  The chapters told by the detective were really quite good.  Maybe he should have a book of his own  

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Country Dark - Review

Country Dark    🌟🌟🌟🌟

by Chris Offutt

Published April 10 2018 by Grove Press

So much to love in these few pages, Tucker being the main thing. He's a Korean War veteran, hitching a ride home, saving a girl from being raped by her uncle and then marrying her, making a life for them and their children by boot legging.  The writing is spare but still manages descriptions that give you all the visuals you need to imagine their small house in backwoods Kentucky, the wooded setting, the ruts in the road leading through the hills, and all the struggles endured.  You see the good in Tucker as well as the bad.  The bad gets him into trouble, and the good saves his hide time and time again.  After all, he goes off only when he needs to protect himself or his loved ones.  I can't say I agree with some of the things he did  but he knew how to survive (in Korea, in prison, and in the hills) and did it well, better than most.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.