Pub Day 4/7/20 #pubday #partner

*thank you to Simon & Schuster, Grand Central Publishing, St. Martin’s Press, Algonquin, Riverhead Books, Random House, Atria Books, Harper Perennial, Flatiron, William Morrow, Graydon House and Sourcebooks for these gifted books.

Happy Pub Dayyyyy!! Y’all have no idea how many times I tried to take this book pic. Getting books + multiple pets is harder than it looks 🤣⁣

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Thank you tagged publishers for these gifted books! {partner}⁣

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Today is one of the biggest #pubday this year, and I’m so excited to share these with you guys today. This stack features some of my faves I’ve read recently, and I love how many genres make up today’s #newbooktuesday⁣

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If you’re looking for Historical Fiction:⁣

*HOW MUCH OF THESE HILLS IS GOLD⁣

*A HUNDRED SUNS⁣

*THE GERMAN HEIRESS⁣

*THE ENGINEER’S WIFE⁣

*CONJURE WOMEN⁣

*TRUTHS I NEVER TOLD YOU⁣

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If you’re looking for a mystery or thriller:⁣

*A MOTHER’S LIE⁣

*STRIKE ME DOWN⁣

*SOMETHING SHE’S NOT TELLING US⁣

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If you’re looking for a book that brings the emotions from laughing out loud to tears:⁣

*THE ROXY LETTERS⁣

*THE LOVE STORY OF MISSY CARMICHAEL⁣

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If you’re looking for a cute rom com:⁣

*IT SOUNDED BETTER IN MY HEAD⁣

*YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER⁣

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If you’re looking for a story to bring about hope, love and, kindness:⁣

*AFTERLIFE⁣

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If you’re looking for a great resource to parenting advice:⁣

*YOU CAN’T F*CK UP YOUR KIDS

⁣ ⁣★If any of these sound good, hit up your local bookstores for online orders, or check them out on audio. @librofm is my personal fave, and you can use my code LAURALOVES at checkout to get 3 for the price of 1! →What are some of the hardest book pics for you to take? Let me know if any of these are on your hopefuls list!⁣ ⁣

Review: The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry (4/7/20) #bookreview @simonbooks #theroxyletters #partner

*thank you Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own

Title: The Roxy Letters

About the author: (from author’s bio site)

Genre: Women’s Fiction; Coming-of-Age

Publish Date: April 7, 2020

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★★★

The Roxy Letters was everything I hoped it would be! It was such a fun, quirky read, and I adored main character Roxy so much. From her hilarious antics of working as the Deli Maid at Whole Foods to her burgeoning friendship with eccentric Artemis.

There were so many laugh out loud moments.. including Princess and her Pea.. the sushi..and the pink python panties.

Loved it and it definitely made me escape the past few days!

About the Book:

Meet Roxy. She’s a sometimes vegan, always broke artist with a heart the size of Texas and an ex living in her spare bedroom. Her life is messy, but with the help of a few good friends and by the grace of the goddess Venus she’ll discover that good sex, true love, and her life’s purpose are all closer than she realizes.

Bridget Jones penned a diary; Roxy writes letters. Specifically: she writes letters to her hapless, rent-avoidant ex-boyfriend—and current roommate—Everett. This charming and funny twenty-something is under-employed (and under-romanced), and she’s decidedly fed up with the indignities she endures as a deli maid at Whole Foods (the original), and the dismaying speed at which her beloved Austin is becoming corporatized. When a new Lululemon pops up at the intersection of Sixth and Lamar where the old Waterloo Video used to be, Roxy can stay silent no longer.

As her letters to Everett become less about overdue rent and more about the state of her life, Roxy realizes she’s ready to be the heroine of her own story. She decides to team up with her two best friends to save Austin—and rescue Roxy’s love life—in whatever way they can. But can this spunky, unforgettable millennial keep Austin weird, avoid arrest, and find romance—and even creative inspiration—in the process?

Praise:

“Naughty, effervescent fun. A novel abounding in dauschunds, tweakers, real fulfillment centers, aisles of strange beer, and shrines to Venus (they work!). Roxy rocks Austin. And rights the world.”
—Joy Williams, author of The Visiting Privilege 

“Bawdy, frank and laugh-out-loud funny, The Roxy Letters brings to antic life all the hilarity and peppy horrors of being rootless and questing in your twenties.”
—Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Be Frank With Me

 “Tom Robbins meets Bridget Jones’ Diary, eccentric, fun, delicious, for the thinking woman who loves her vagina.”
—Rufi Thorpe, author of Dear Fang, with Love

“Roxy’s life, from its wildly risqué escapades to its numerous crises du jour, is a total blast. Lowry’s debut is the racy, funny page-turner we could use in these times.”—J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of The Great Midwest  

Review: Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel #partner @BerkleyPub #bookreview #darlingrosegold #debut 3/17/20 pub date

*Thank you Berkley Pub for the free copy for review. All opinions are my own

Title: Darling Rose Gold

About the author:

Genre: mystery/thriller

Publish Date: March 17, 2020

Publisher: Berkley

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★★★

It may have been a week to remember, but this book was so good to escape with each day, and I was fully captivated by the story of Rose Gold and her Mom Patty.⁣

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I was so fascinated by the Münchausen syndrome storyline. I went in completely blind and I’m so glad that I waited to read this one this past week. Just the crazy kind of story to let my mind escape for a bit.⁣

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About the Book:

Mothers never forget. Daughters never forgive. 
  
For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold. 

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar. 

After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes. 

Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she’s forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score. 

Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling… 

And she’s waited such a long time for her mother to come home. 

Praise:

Review: A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler #bookreview @stmartinspress #partner #agoodneighborhood 3/10/20 pub day

*thank you St Martin’s Press and Goodreads for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Title: A Good Neighborhood

About the author: (from Amazon)

Genre: Fiction

Publish Date: March 10, 2020

Publisher: St Martin’s Press; Macmillan

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★★★

*It’s been days later since I finished reading this, and I’m still processing all of my emotions and maybe had a bit of a book hangover..

It’s heartbreaking and frustrating, and it definitely brought the emotions. I think this one is best to go into blindly, but while the first half was a 3 for me, that last half deserves all the stars.⁣

About the Book:

“A feast of a read… I finished A Good Neighborhood in a single sitting. Yes, it’s that good.” ―Jodi Picoult, #1New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light

In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son, Xavier, who’s headed to college in the fall. All is well until the Whitmans―a family with new money and a secretly troubled teenage daughter―raze the house and trees next door to build themselves a showplace.

With little in common except a property line, these two families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie’s yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers. 

A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today―what does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don’t see eye to eye?―as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.

Praise:

Review: Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald #behindeverylie #bookreview @GalleryBooks #partner 2/4/20 pub date

*thank you Gallery Books for the gifted copy for review

Title: Behind Every Lie

About the author: (credit to Amazon)

Genre: Mystery/thriller

Publish Date: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Gallery Books; Simon & Schuster

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★☆☆

3.5 stars! The Night Olivia Fell was one of my favorite 5 star reads last year, so I was very excited to get my hands on Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald.

As Eva wakes up covered in blood, she has been struck by lightning and the events leading up to her Mother’s death are foggy. That plot alone will grab your attention, and I will say the very first page definitely did just that.

However, there were so many twists and turns, to the point that it broke away my engagement with the storyline because it was just to the point of stretching. I wanted to love this book, but overall it was just an okay read for me. I would still recommend for a quick and compelling read, but just know that you may end up with whiplash from all the twists and turns!

About the Book:

Product Description

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Night Olivia Fell—an “emotionally charged mystery” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author)—comes a thrilling new suspense novel about the insidious nature of family secrets…and their deadly potential.

If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?

Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.

Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.

Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, Christina McDonald has crafted another “complex, emotionally intense” (Publishers Weekly) domestic thriller. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell’s I Found You and Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her, Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.

Praise:

“Behind Every Lie is a deep, suspenseful novel packed with family secrets. Christina McDonald has a true gift for creating characters that are so well-developed, it feels like you know them. An outstanding achievement!”

– Samantha Downing, author of the #1 International Bestseller My Lovely Wife

“In Behind Every Lie, Christina McDonald brilliantly intertwines page-turning suspense with jaw-dropping family secrets. An emotionally-charged domestic thriller that is sure to please!”  

– Wendy Walker, national bestselling author of The Night Before

Review: The Vineyards of Champagne #bookreview #TheVineyardsofChampagne #historicalfiction @BerkleyPub #promo

*Thank you Berkley Publishing for this gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own

Title: The Vineyards of Champagne

About the author:

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publish Date: January 21, 2020

Publisher: Berkley

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★★☆

I’m always so fascinated at discovering the historical facts I’d never known while reading Historical Fiction. It’s one of my favorite things about this genre, not to mention the love stories woven throughout.

While reading The Vineyards of Champagne I once again learned something new with the hidden caves beneath the vineyards throughout France, that served as a place to hide women and children during the Great War.

I binge read this book and really loved the second chance at love for main character Rosalyn after losing her husband. I also really loved the epistolary style writing as she discovered letters from the past.

The champagne vineyards played a main part as well, and I loved that it was the center of this historical fiction love story but also themes of grief and finding yourself again.

About the Book:

Beneath the cover of France’s most exquisite vineyards, a city of women defy an army during World War I, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Carousel of Provence…. 

Deep within the labyrinth of caves that lies below the lush, rolling vineyards of the Champagne region, an underground city of women and children hums with life. Forced to take shelter from the unrelenting onslaught of German shellfire above, the bravest and most defiant women venture out to pluck sweet grapes for the harvest. But wine is not the only secret preserved in the cool, dark cellars… 

In present day, Rosalyn Acosta travels to Champagne to select vintages for her Napa-based employer. Rosalyn doesn’t much care for champagne–or France, for that matter. Since the untimely death of her young husband, Rosalyn finds it a challenge to enjoy anything at all. But as she reads through a precious cache of WWI letters and retraces the lives lived in the limestone tunnels, Rosalyn will unravel a mystery hidden for decades…and find a way to savor her own life again.

Praise:

“A beautifully captivating story of wartime tenacity and tenderness that celebrates the sweetest bonds of human relationships and the courage to love again after loss. So exquisitely rich in detail, you’ll feel bubbles on your tongue.”—Susan Meissner, bestselling author ofThe Last Year of the War

“Blackwell moves effortlessly between present-day France and the battlefields of WWI… The allure of the decades-old mystery of missing letters juxtaposed against the history of the caves of Champagne makes for a satisfying page-turner.”— Publishers Weekly

“Blackwell’s exquisite talent at interweaving the past with the present is on full display in her latest…telling the universal story of grief, loss, and human resilience.”— Booklist

Review: No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez #bookreview #NoBadDeed

*thank you William Morrow for this gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own

Title: No Bad Deed

About the author: (credit to Amazon)

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publish Date: February 18, 2020

Publisher: William Morrow

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★★★

What a ride.. I may have whiplash! I am loooooving the 2020 thrillers this year and it’s only February. This was most definitely a binge-worthy read, and I think my head is still spinning from it all.

By far the most twisty stories that I have read lately, and I’ve read some unpredictable books recently. If you’re looking for a fast paced psychological thriller, then you definitely need to add No Bad Deed to the top of your list! I loved how engaging this book was, from start to finish, and the plot was so well done.

About the book:

“A twisty, jet-fueled thriller… Don’t miss it!” – Lisa Gardner

Packed with the electrifying pacing and pulse-pounding suspense of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner, a thrilling debut about a mother desperate to find the connections between her missing husband and a deadly stalker who knows too much about her own dark family history.

Driving home one rainy night, Cassie Larkin sees a man and woman fighting on the side of the road. After calling 911, the veterinarian makes a split-second decision that will throw her sedate suburban life into chaos. Against all reason and advice, she gets out of her minivan and chases after the violent man, trying to help his victim. When Cassie physically tries to stop him, he suddenly turns on her and spits out an ominous threat: “Let her die, and I’ll let you live.”

A veterinarian trained to heal, Cassie can’t let the woman die. But while she’s examining the unconscious victim, the attacker steals her car. Now he has her name. Her address. And he knows about her children. Though they warn her to be careful, the police assure her that the perpetrator—a criminal named Carver Sweet—won’t get near her. Cassie isn’t so sure. 

The next day—Halloween—her husband disappears while trick-or-treating with their six-year-old daughter. Are these disturbing events a coincidence or the beginning of a horrifying nightmare? Her husband has been growing distant—is it possible he’s become involved with another woman? Is Cassie’s confrontation with the road-side attacker connected to her husband’s disappearance? With all these questions swirling in her mind Cassie can trust no one, maybe not even herself. The only thing she knows for sure is that she can’t sit back while the people she loves are in danger.

As she desperately searches for answers, Cassie discovers that nothing is as random as it seems, and that she is more than willing to fight—to go the most terrifying extremes—to save her family and her marriage.

Praise:

“A sensational debut – compelling, hypnotic, full of suspense and quiet menace.  Don’t miss it!” – Lee Child

“The kind of twisty, jet-fueled thriller that explodes on page one and has you happily abandoning work, sleep, and life as you race to the stunning end. Don’t miss it!” – Lisa Gardner

“[A] propulsive debut… Chavez peoples her tale with credible, flawed individuals, presenting even the multiple antagonists with harrowing backstories and convincing psychological motives… Chavez is in full command of plot and pacing… Domestic thriller fans will be well satisfied.” – Publishers Weekly

Review: The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler #bookreview @stmartinspress #review

*thank you St Martin’s Press for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own

Title: The Look-Alike

About the author: (credit to Goodreads)

Genre: mystery/thriller

Publish Date: January 28, 2020

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★

★★★½

After coming off a few heavier reads, this was just the book I needed! What a fast paced thrill ride! I loved the short chapters and this goose chase of finding out who killed the college student all those years ago. I spent most of this book trying to figure out if Sienna Scott’s mother really had a mental psychosis where she thought someone was after her or if they really were.

I would definitely recommend this one, my only flaw being that it was a bit rushed at the end, but if you’re looking for a lighter thriller, this one is for you!

About the Book:

From Erica Spindler, the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes The Look-Alike, a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago―but does anyone else believe her?

Sienna Scott grew up in the dark shadow of her mother’s paranoid delusions. Now, she’s returned home to confront her past and the unsolved murder that altered the course of her life. 

In her mother’s shuttered house, an old fear that has haunted Sienna for years rears its ugly head―that it was she who had been the killer’s target that night. And now, with it, a new fear―that the killer not only intended to remedy his past mistake―he’s already begun. But are these fears any different from the ones that torment her mother?

As the walls close in, the line between truth and lie, reality and delusion disintegrate. Has Sienna’s worst nightmare come true? Or will she unmask a killer and finally prove she may be her mother’s look-alike, but she’s not her clone?

Praise:

Review: Dead To Her by Sarah Pinborough #bookreview @WmMorrowBooks #DeadToHer #partner

*Thank you William Morrow for this gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own

Title: Dead To Her

About the author: (credit to goodreads)

Genre: mystery/thriller

Publish Date: February 11, 2020

Publisher: William Morrow; Harper Collins

Purchase here

What I Loved/Thought: ★★★½

This was definitely a twisty page turner! But it’s hard to review some thrillers like this because you really want to go in blind with them.

There was a full cast of characters that were hard to find anything to like about them, and you never knew what their motivations were, but it also reminded me of a real housewife drama I love to watch.

Overall this was a captivating read and I feel like I need to read Behind Her Eyes now.

About the Book:

For fans of Liane Moriarty, Liv Constantine and Lisa Jewell, a twisty psychological thriller about a savvy second wife who will do almost anything to come out on top from the New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes.

Being the second wife can be murder . . .

“”Once a cheat, always a cheat,”” they say. Marcie Maddox has worked hard to get where she is after the illicit affair that started her new life a few years ago. But her world of country clubs, yachts and sumptuous houses in Savannah, Georgia, isn’t easy to maintain, no matter how hard she tries. Nor is keeping her husband, Jason, truly interested. 

So, when Jason’s boss brings home a hot new wife from his trip to London, the young Mrs William Radford IV isn’t quite the souvenir everyone expected. Sexy, drop-dead gorgeous and black–Keisha quickly usurps Marcie’s place as the beautiful second wife. But when Marcie sees the extra spark in the room when Keisha and Jason are together and their obvious, magnetic attraction, the gloves come off. 

Revenge is best served cold, but in the steamy Savannah heat, blood runs so hot that this summer it might just boil over into murder. 

Praise:

“A dark, electrifying page-turner with a corker of an ending. Sarah Pinborough is about to become your new obsession.”

— “Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author”

Review: Dear Edward #dearedward @randomhouse #gifted

*Thank you Dial Press and Penguin Random House for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own

Title: Dear Edward

About the author: (credit to Goodreads)

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publish Date: January 7, 2020

Publisher: The Dial Press; Penguin Random House

Purchase here

What I Loved/ Thought: ★★★★☆

What a great story! So well written, and I really felt each passenger on flight 2977. I was wondering how that part would play out, and if I would feel a connection at all, and I have to say that the author really did a great job of that.

I’m writing this review, and still processing my feels on this book, but it’s so powerful, and I really enjoyed the alternating timelines. I felt engaged with what was going on, and needed to see how things would pan out for Edward. 

As the reader gets into the meat of the story, it really struck a chord with me as we see the struggles that Edward is now dealing with, and although he is very closed off, my heart also breaks for what he has suffered and been through at the age of 12. I just can’t even imagine.

I think the only thing holding me back from a 5 star read is that I felt things were kind of abrupt with the final plane scenes. Maybe that’s the thriller chaser in me, but I wanted the action. Overall this was a perfect choice for our book club pick, and I’m excited for the last discussion!

About the Book:

What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live? 

One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them are a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured veteran returning from Afghanistan, a business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. Halfway across the country, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor.

Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a part of himself has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery—one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do you find the strength to put one foot in front of the other? How do you learn to feel safe again? How do you find meaning in your life?

Dear Edward is at once a transcendent coming-of-age story, a multidimensional portrait of an unforgettable cast of characters, and a breathtaking illustration of all the ways a broken heart learns to love again.

Praise: