May 2022 – Brooke & Binding

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

My Rating: 2 Stars

Here’s why

Okay I know you might be thinking that is a low rating, but I have changed my stars lately so it’s not as bad as it seems!

Home is a luxury resort company made up of an elite group of celebrity members that has locations all over the world, giving their clients the luxury and privacy they are desperate for. Now, a new Home is about to launch, Island Home, on a small remote island off the coast of the UK that only has access when the tides are low. This weekend’s launch party will host only the more prestigious and dedicated members, ready to see what elaborate and creative events the owner, Ned Groom, has planned; but some of these surprises have deadly consequences.

***

I honestly didn’t know too much about this book going into it, except that I really liked the precious book this author duo wrote, People Like Her (review down below!)

I will admit, I read this book in a lot of little chunks, which was not how I anticipated reading it, but with littles you learn to get your reading in whenever you can! I think this book would’ve been better consumed in one or two big chunks instead of how I ended up doing it, so that could be another factor as to why I didn’t enjoy it as much as their precious novel.

I am giving this book 2 stars because it does have some redeeming qualities, like the character ties and little connections you find out about as the story progresses, but I feel like the overall plot and driver to the story didn’t do it for me. There were some characters that felt more fleshed out than others that I liked, and there were definitely high stakes for most of them, but I think I wasn’t super invested overall. Were there plot twists? Yes. Were there interesting connections between characters? Yes. Did the book capture my attention? Sometimes.

All in all, if you haven’t read Ellery Lloyd before, you should check them out regardless! But would I recommend this read to just anyone? Probably not. I would probably recommend People Like Her over The Club, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good or you won’t like it!

HAPPY READING 🙂

People Like Her review: https://brookeandbinding.wordpress.com/2020/12/30/people-like-her-by-ellery-lloyd/

Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Suspense

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

My Rating: 4 Stars

Here’s why

This is my third Rebecca Serle novel and I think she has become another trusted author for me!

Katy has just lost the love of her life – her mother. She doesn’t know how to move forward, let alone go on the trip they were planning for years to Positano, Italy; but a break from her life – and marriage – is just what she needs. So off she flies across the world to a place she has never been, to reconnect with herself – and her mother – as she had visited there when she was Katy’s age. Through her grief, she tries to follow the itinerary they created together, but what she doesn’t have planned is running into her thirty-year old mother, alive and healthy! Katy doesn’t understand how this is happening but she wants to soak up as much time with her mother as she can. But the more Katy spends with her, the more she realizes she might not be exactly who she thought she was. One Italian Summer touches on the “what ifs” in life with a little bit of magic to create this emotional, and hopeful work of literature.

***

If you have not read another by Rebecca Serle you definitely need to!

So many people have been loving reading this novel and desiring to go right to Italy! Some probably have even booked themselves as a ticket 😉 I was loving the descriptions of Positsno and all the yummy food! And I love that the author went there herself and wrote about what she saw/details from her trip – man, what a hard life to be a writer 😉

I am giving this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed it overall. One element I was not a fan of, but later on it resolved itself so I was okay with that! She is an author that loves to play with time, relationships, family, and can pull on those heartstrings! Katy was not my favorite character of hers, but I did appreciate all the time and effort Serle put into this novel!

For my other Rebecca Serle reviews, click the links down below!

HAPPY READING 🙂

In Five Years review: https://brookeandbinding.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/in-five-years-by-rebecca-serle/

The Dinner List review: https://brookeandbinding.wordpress.com/2018/11/09/the-dinner-list-by-rebecca-serle/

Genre: Magical Realism/Contemporary/Romance/Chick Lit

The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

My Rating: 4 Stars

Here’s why

This was an Add-on for my March 2022 Book of the Month selection and I was so excited! I loved my last Rosie Walsh and had no clue other people had chosen it for their book club selections!

Emma has a beautiful life: a husband who adores her, and she him, a spunky two-year old daughter and a passion for her job as a marine biologist. When she got the cancer diagnosis, she didn’t let it slow her down. But now, as they are awaiting her most recent results, her and her husband, Leo, are her again staring death in the face; which is actually what Leo does as an obituary writer. With Emma’s future unknown, Leo begins to do what he does best – write – to try and process this amazing woman he married; but what he doesn’t expect to uncover is that the person he married doesn’t exist.

***

The last Rosie Walsh book I got was also from Book of the Month and I loved it. It took me by quite the surprise and this one did the same!

Walsh really takes multiple genres and applies them all to her writing. Part mystery, part drama, part contemporary fiction, she has a way of blending these types of genres in a very unique way, unlike any other author I have read before. I really liked the characters in this story and being able to not only be in Emma’s perspective, but Leo’s as well.

I am giving this book 4 stars because I love the overall storyline, the unique writing of Walsh, and the character conclusions. Walsh only uncovers partial truths at times, which makes you question each character and their motives, what actually has happened, and who Emma really is until it is revealed at a later time. There were only one or two things I didn’t like, but I see why she added them into the story and their purposes.

All in all, Rosie Walsh is a great writer and I think she is at a point where I can pick up whatever she has written and love it. 🙂 My review of her novel, Ghosted, is linked down below!

HAPPY READING 🙂

Ghosted review: https://brookeandbinding.wordpress.com/2019/03/01/ghosted-by-rosie-walsh/

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Mystery/Chick Lit

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

My Rating: 5 Stars!

Here’s why

I have read two other Alice Feeney novels and one was a hit and one was a miss (for me at least!). I’m so happy this one was a good one!

Anna Andrews is a journalist and news anchor for BCC News. When there is report of a woman who has been found dead in a small town nearby Anna is on the case, but soon realizes she might be more connected to the situation than just as an investigator. Detective Jack Harper also finds himself knee-deep in his own investigation as this little town has not seen a murder in years. Who is a suspect? And who might be next?

***

Wow. This book is so creepy.

I love a good horror/twisty novel, but I will say there are only a few scenes from the many books I’ve read that will haunt me and one of those is in this novel!

I don’t want to say much more, but I am giving this book my first 5 star of the year because of how well Feeney crafted this plot. There are three POVs, which muddles the already unreliable narrators, and multiple characters who could be in on the situation. My biggest applause for Feeney is in the way she hides and then specifically chooses to reveal certain details about characters or the plot that is so intentional and precise. You never know who to really suspect or who to trust until she has fully laid out all the information for you. There were times I was like “did she make a mistake in saying this? Or leaving this out?” No she did not. All will be revealed in due time.

I will say there was one aspect of this novel I wasn’t a fan of, but I understand where she was going with it once she explained everything. They still was not my favorite parts to read, but I get it (just prefer not to have it).

If you want to read an author that makes you question any and everything than Alice Feeney is for you! Plus, check my other Alice Feeney five star review down below!

HAPPY READING 🙂

Rock, Paper, Scissors review: https://brookeandbinding.wordpress.com/2021/10/03/rock-paper-scissors-by-alice-feeney/

Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Suspense/Crime/Horror

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

My Rating: 4 Stars

Here’s why

I don’t remember where I first heard of this novel, but I got it from the library the other day, as I did not get it for my birthday, and really enjoyed it!

Helen has had a lot of heartache over the past few years. Now, life is looking up. Her architect husband is renovating their beautiful house and they have a baby on the way after quite a few losses. At a prenatal class nearby, she meets Rachel – a soon-to-be single mom who intrigues and kind of unsettles Helen with her lack of rule following and intoxicating energy. But the more she is around Rachel the more she begins to question if their meeting really was by chance or if there is something sinister going on in her lovely neighborhood of Greenwich Park.

***

This book just came out January 2022 and so far it has pretty high reviews – me included!

I will say, I am so glad I read this when I wasn’t pregnant haha but it was cool to feel extra connected to the characters because I have just recently given birth so I was right on track with everything they were feeling and going through. However, I will say, the book is more than just this element. There are flashbacks, POV shifts, and a criminal case occurring that make you keep turning the pages.

I am giving this book 4 stars because of the plot, writing, and my overall enjoyment of it. I wish I could’ve just sat and read this in bigger chunks than I did to really soak up the story more, but alas…children haha

I will definitely be looking out for more Katherine Faulkner reads in the future and I think you should, too!

HAPPY READING 🙂

Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Suspense

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Here’s why

This was my December 2021 Book of the Month selection and I finally got around to reading it! Plus it always helps when you have people recommend a read to you – thanks Leah!

Travis Wren has a unique ability. He can see memories of someone just by touching an item they once owned or used. He calls it an afterimage. He has used this gifting to help solve missing persons cases in the past and is now trying to find Maggie St. James, a renown children’s author who disappeared seven years prior.

Theo lives in a town called Pastoral, a place tucked away in the woods of Northern California. One day he ventures passed their boundaries and finds an abandoned truck owned by Travis Wren. Where is Travis? What happened to him? And what other secrets lie beyond their borders?

***

This book is very, very unique.

I have not read Shea Ernshaw before, but she had a very distinctive voice as a writer. Even when you experience both Pastoral and the “outside world,” the writing even feels different between the two places! It’s a very captivating read that has really sweet yet dark characters and a plot that will keep you hooked.

I am giving this book 3.5 stars because of it’s ability to captivate the reader, but I do wish the epilogue was drawn out more! I feel like she was rushed to tie it with a little bow and be done with it, even though it’s only 351 pages; but it was still a nice read nonetheless.

I read half of this in one sitting – because I finally had the time to do it! – and was glad I could get a big chunk done to stay in the “mood” of the book. It is dark, broody, and everything you love in a magical realism novel and more.

This book will definitely stay with me, and I’m sure it will haunt you, too!

HAPPY READING 🙂

Genre: Magical Realism/Suspense/Fantasy/Horror