Category: General Fiction (Adult)

General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Mystery

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

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Big Lies in a Small TownBig Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Out January 14th!

I fell in love with Diane Chamberlain’s writing last year when I read The Dream Daughter. She has this way of telling a story that draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very end.

I honestly devoured this book. Told in two timelines (one of my favorite formats), Chamberlain created a story that combined the past and the present in such a beautiful way.

1940: Anna Dale is an artist who will a mural painting competition in a small town in North Carolina. During the painting of the mural, she finds that living in the South with its prejudices is a different ballgame than living in her hometown up North.

2018: Morgan Christoper is a young woman who finds herself mysteriously being released from jail early in exchange for restoring Anna Dale’s mural. And she will end up engrossed in learning about Anna Dale’s history.

Once I started reading this book, I couldn’t stop. It was a wonderful novel from start to finish with rich prose and descriptions that made me feel like I was in the story. It reminded me a little bit of Where the Crawdads Sing which was one of my favorite books in 2018. Overall, I would highly recommend this one to anybody who enjoys historical fiction with a touch of mystery.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Diane Chamberlain, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review.-

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General Fiction (Adult), Romance

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

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Things You Save in a FireThings You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was super cute and had a lot of really great life lessons. The main character was written very well, with her tough outer shell and hardened personality from being abandoned and traumatized throughout the years. I loved seeing her transformation throughout the book. The author focused a lot on forgiveness throughout the story in lots of different ways and through many different character’s actions and backstories. And there were plenty of great quotes about life and its challenges that hit home. I will say there were times when the story was a bit cliche but I didn’t really care because it all came together well in the end. I would recommend giving this one a read.

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General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction

Bethlehem by Karen Kelly

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BethlehemBethlehem by Karen Kelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Out July 9th! Pre-order from Amazon here!

Bravo to my fellow Vanderbilt graduate, Karen Kelly, on a beautifully written novel!

This one is a sweeping family drama that takes place over several generations. In this way, it reminded me of Kate Morton’s The Clockmaker’s Daughter or Sarah Blake’s The Guest Book, both of which I adored. So I’m happy to be able to add Bethlehem to these incredible titles.

A woman and her family move into her husband’s family home to watch over his mother and grandmother after his father passes away. And family secrets will be revealed as the past is uncovered. I’m hesitant to give any more of a synopsis because you need to read this one for yourself to appreciate Karen Kelly’s storytelling.

The one thing that was a tad difficult for me was getting all of the names and relationships straight for the first 20% or so of the book. But, there is a really nice family tree drawn in the front of the book that helped me get everything straight. Once I had a handle on the family relationships and dynamics, it was smooth sailing the rest of the book.

I would highly recommend if you tend to like sweeping family dramas!

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Karen Kelly, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review.-

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Audiobook Review, General Fiction (Adult), Humor, Mystery

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

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Where'd You Go, BernadetteWhere’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I’m a little bit late to the party on this one since it published in 2012 but I’ve been wanting to read it for a while so I was excited when I was able to get ahold of it from the library.

If you’re looking for something fun, quirky, unique, different, and in its own wheelhouse, Where’d You Go, Bernadette is the perfect choice.

Bernadette’s daughter Bee wants to go on a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette is still adjusting to living the life she never wanted in Seattle, Washington and may be on the verge of a mental breakdown. And when Bernadette disappears, Bee is forced to weave together clues to where her mother has gone.

Told in the form of emails, letters, memos, transcripts, the format was ultimately the best and worst thing about this book. I am always a sucker for authors who write in a unique format other than strictly prose. I love the level of creativity. And I think I would have enjoyed this book’s format a lot more if I had read it rather than listened to the audio. Because on audio it did become a tad hard to follow.

But, that being said, the narrator, Kathleen Wilhoite, was one of the most fabulous narrators I’ve ever heard. She totally did the characters justice in voice, personality, and spirit. So even though the format made the audio version challenging, the narrator made up for it in storytelling.

At times, I did struggle to understand how all the pieces of the story fit together and flowed. And while it did come together in the end, there were portions of the book where I found myself zoning out because I wasn’t quite sure what was going on. That being said, I think if I were to read it again, I would probably appreciate it much more than the first time around.

Ultimately, although my numeric rating is on the lower side, I would still highly recommend reading this book just for the experience. It’s a gem.

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Audiobook Review, General Fiction (Adult)

Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner

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Drawing HomeDrawing Home by Jamie Brenner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jamie Brenner never fails to deliver a fabulous summer read perfect for poolside lounging. Last year I read her book The Husband Hour and adored it. When I saw early praise for Drawing Home was super excited to read it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get an advanced copy for review but I put myself immediately on the library’s waitlist for the audiobook once it published.

When a prestigious and rich artist suddenly passes away in a small town and leaves all his assets to a young girl to whom he’d been giving drawing lessons, everybody is confused. Her mom. His long time friend. And when the young girl’s absentee father shows up after years of neglect, everybody is suspicious of his motives. Drawning Home is a complex look at family dynamics with a small town summer feel.

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the inheritance and why it was bestowed on the young girl. I kept trying to guess why the artist would have given her such a substantial gift upon his death, and I’ll tell you right now that I guessed wrong.

The multiple characters’ story lines kept the story interesting and the relationships they all developed to each other was probably my favorite part of the book.

I don’t think I liked this one quite as much as The Husband Hour. Not that there was anything wrong with this story, I just really adored the former. If you’re looking for a great beach read, Jamie Brenner is usually a safe bet. I would highly recommend this one.

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