"Alone" by Megan E. Freeman

In Alone by Megan E. Freeman, Maddie is having a secret sleepover that turns into a disaster when she awakes and finds that she is all alone.  I mean really alone, no people anywhere!  Now what?  I liked this book a lot for the following reasons:

1. It is told in verse so goes fast!
2. The story moved along and does not go back and forth in time.
3. Always looked forward to getting back to it to find out what would happen next.
4. Maddie is a great character!
5. I loved George, her dog!
6. It has a good ending!

(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Lost in the Never Woods" by Aiden Thomas

I had high expectations for Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas and it lived up to them and then some!  Wendy and her brothers went into the woods one day and only Wendy came back.  After five years Wendy still has bad dreams and dreams of a boy.  One day she meets her dream boy.  He needs her help to rescue her brothers and other lost kids.

I liked this book very much!  The story flows along well and Wendy is a great character.  Plus it has good action and a great ending!  What more could you want?  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Walk On" by John Feinstein

The Walk On by John Feinstein is the first of The Triple Threat series about a high school freshman quarterback, Alex Myers.  There are two QBs ahead of him in the depth chart, the starter being the coach's son!  Alex is a very good passer though and the coach's son is not.

I thought this book was good and enjoyed the dynamics on the football team as well as the insight in play calling during games.  I liked Alex and his girlfriend who was a reporter for the school newspaper.  I thought the story line was good, although predictable.  The only thing I did not like was ending.  I would have liked to have seen how the Championship game played out!  (Karen's review, 4 stars) 

Gerard's review of 5/16/21:

In The Walk On by John Feinstein, Alex Myers is a very good Freshman quarterback.  He is starting at a new school and wants to play for the varsity football team.  The problem is that the quarterback they have is not only good, but also the coach's son!  I thought this book was good for a children's book.  It goes fast but is predictable.  It is light reading which is a break from normal.  (4 stars)

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"The Scent Keeper" by Erica Bauermeister

In The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister, Emmeline lives with her father on a remote island.  This is all she knows.  Then one day the unthinkable happens.  She wakes up and her father is gone!  How sill she survive?  I thought this book was good. I enjoyed the story and all the characters were brought out very well!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

SPOILER ALERT:  I especially liked when she went to school and interacted with other kids her age!   

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"One by One" by Ruth Ware is Really Good!

In One by One by Ruth Ware, a company decides to have a ski and bus meeting weekend.  Tensions are high going in and when a buyout is put on the table, tensions rise to a higher level!  Then the unthinkable happens.  They get snowed in, cut off from the outside world and one of their members is missing!  They have no phones, no electricity and food is low.  

I thought this book was really good!  The story was paced well.  From page to page I did not know what was coming next!  I enjoyed the characters and liked the ending very much!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"A Matter of Life and Death" by Phillip Margolin

A Matter of Life and Death by Phillip Margolin is about Robin, a defense attorney who represents two men charged with murder but who she believes to be innocent.  She feels a lot of pressure to not make any mistakes in defending them because their lives are on the line.  

This is a very good murder mystery novel because it's not just one case, but several.  It has lots of unsavory characters and moved along at a good pace.  The investigation was never boring and it had some action as well.  (Karen's review, 5/8/21, 4 stars)

Gerard's review:  

In A Matter of Life and Death by Phillip Margolin, Robin Lockwood is a young attorney who signs on to defend a homeless man charged with murder who she believes was framed.  I enjoyed this book because it went fast and had some good action.  It kept me guessing with lots of characters and the twists mad for good reading.  (5 stars)  

 

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"Good Girl, Bad Girl" by Michael Robotham

In Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham, Cyrus is a forensic psychologist.  He befriends a girl who was found hiding in a room in a house where a terrible crime took place.  It's been six years and they still cannot figure out who she is.  Cyrus is also called on to help find a killer of a young high school girl.  Can the no-name girl help solve this crime?

This book is good stuff.  The characters are brought out well and the story line has a good flow to it!  Cyrus is a great character as is "Angel Face" aka the No-name girl.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

 I forgot I read this before in 2019.  Didn't remember it.

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Must Read "The Red Address Book" by Sophia Lundberg

The Red Address Book by Sophia Lundberg is about Doris, a 96-yr.-old woman.  When Doris was a little girl, her father gave her an address book to write down the names of the people that came into her life.  As Doris tells her story, you find out about the people who were a part of her life.  Doris led quite a life including being a maid in Sweden, a model in Paris, and fleeing to Manhattan at the beginning of WWII!  This book was so good that I found it hard to put down.  Doris is a great character and the story is told very well!  Do not miss this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Good Sister" by Sally Hepworth

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth centers on Rose and Fern, twin sisters that are very different from each other.  Rose has Diabetes, mood swings and is very manipulative while Fern has sensory issues but a good heart.  They see the world very differently.  Rose wants a baby but her marriage is on the rocks.  Fern works in a library and comes up with a plan to make Rose happy.

I enjoyed this book because of Fern.  She is an interesting character and very likeable, unlike her twin, Rose.  I didn't like Rose much from the start.  I also enjoyed Rocco aka Wally, Fern's boyfriend.  Both Fern and Rocco seemed to be on the spectrum for Autism and were great together!  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories about families or people with Autism.    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

 Gerard's review 4/20/21:

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth centers on Rose and Fern, sisters who both look after each other.  Rose wants to have a baby in the worst way, but it does not look like it is going to happen.  Fern, being the good sister, decides to come up with a plan to make Rose happy.  What is that plan?  Will it work?  You will have to read the book to find out!  

Fern was a great character and drives this book in my opinion.  The book moved along well with a surprise ending.  I enjoyed The Mother-in-Law more, but this book is good too!  (4.5 stars) 

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"The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab, Addie runs into the forest to get away from a planned wedding.  She wants one thing in life--to cut off all ties to everyone and for no one to remember her.  Her wish is granted, but it comes with a cost.  You will have to read the book to find out what that is.  Life is good until one day a young man does remember her!  How can that be?

 I loved the original concept of this book!  I never read a book like this one before so enjoyed it a lot.  It is well written even though the story does go back and forth in years.  I also liked Addie very much.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"28 Summers" by Elin Hilderbrand is GREAT!

There are many different story lines in 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand, bu the main one is between Mallory and Jake.  Mallory is gifted a cottage by an aunt who passed away.  One weekend, her brother brings some of his guy friends with him to spend the weekend.  She is attracted to the one named Jake.  

I think this book is really, really good for several reasons:  (1) the writing, (2) lots of well developed characters, and (3) I never knew where this story was headed.  I LOVED IT!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

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"The Honey Bus--A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees" by Meredith May is Very Good!

I read The Honey Bus by Meredith May hoping to learn about bees because I am terrified of them and thought it might help if I understood them.  This book lived up to my expectations.  I did learn a lot about bees but also was interested in the author's story about her family.  I felt bad for Meredith throughout the book but her life did get better as she got older.  Learning about bees with her step grandfather helped her to find comfort and cope with her mother's neglect.  It shows how child abuse repeats through generations.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)  

Gerard's review 4/4/21:
The Honey Bus:  A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees By Meredith May is a true story.  Meredith's parents separated when she was only five.  Then she, her younger brother (Matthew), and her mother went to live with her grandparents.  Meredith's grandpa was a beekeeper and taught her all about bees.  This book is more than just bees though.  

Meredith tells personal stories about growing up which was my favorite part of the book.  It was interesting learning about bees, maybe more than you want to know; but the personal stories more than make up for that!  There are some fun and touching moments in this book too.  I liked it a lot and recommend it!  (5++ stars)

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"The Girl in Cabin 13" by A. J. Rivers

In The Girl in Cabin 13 by A. J. Rivers, Emma finds a dead body on her porch with her name written on his hand!  Emma, an FBI agent, is sent to da small town to find out why people are vanishing.  The secrets are many and no one is talking.  This was good!  Emma was a great lead character and action flowed throughout the book with a good ending.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars) 

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"Joint Custody" by Lauren and Jackie Logsted

Joint Custody by Lauren Baratz Logsted and Jackie Logsted is narrated by Gatz, a dog.  He gets adopted and heads for his forever home with a man.  When the man meets a woman, they become a pack of three and Gatz is happy.  Soon though, the man and woman split up and Gatz will try to get them back together.

I just did not get this book at all.  I thought the writing was bad and the story line did not work for me.  Even Gatz, the dog, was just okay.  I usually enjoy dog books, but this one is bad.  I advise you to skip this one.  (Gerard's review, 2 stars)

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"The Mother-In-Law" by Sally Hepworth

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth centers on Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana.  They are not exactly close.  When Diana is found dead, Lucy becomes a suspect.  Could she have done it?  I thought this book was very good.  I enjoyed both Lucy and Diana.  All the characters were well developed and the ending put this book over the top for me!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Umbrella Lady" by V. C. Andrews is Touching--We Both Liked This!

The Umbrella Lady by V. C. Andrews centers on a young girl named Saffron who is the narrator of the story.  She is left alone at a train stations that her dad took her to and then he just left her there telling her to wait for him.  As she waited, and waited, and waited, an old woman with an umbrella invited her to come home with her to wait for her father who never showed.  Saffron refers to her as the Umbrella Lady.   I really, really enjoyed Saffron.  The byplay between her and the Umbrella lady is great!  Also, Saffron's interaction with other kids when she finally went to public school was priceless!  I would have liked more action, but Saffron more than made up for that.  I look forward to the second book this fall.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen's review 4/6/2021:  In The Umbrella Lady by V. C. Andrews, after a fire burns her home and kills her mother, 8-yr.-old Saffron is abandoned by her father at the train station and found by the Umbrella lady.  Saffron thinks of the lady that way because she always carries an umbrella with her, even if it's sunny.  The lady takes her home but leaves a note for the dad who supposedly would be back to get Saffron after he bought a few things for their new home.  Saffron reluctantly goes home with the nice old lady, but expects her father to show up soon to get her.  Will he ever come back?  What will become of Saffran?  Are the dad and the Umbrella lady in cahoots?  Is the dad really sending letters or is the Umbrella lady making them up?  

This was a very good book!  I loved it and thought about it even when I wasn't reading it.  I was always eager to get back to it and was sad to see it end, but happy to see there will be a sequel.  I loved the growing relationship between Saffron and the Umbrella lady (Mazy Dazy).  Mazy had lots of wisdom quotes and was constantly introducing Saffron to new words.  Mazy was a former teacher and home schooled Saffron, challenging her to learn something new each day.  I also enjoyed Mazy's white cat, Mr. Pebbles the third.  I highly recommend this one, especially to any teachers, retirees or even teens.   (5 stars)

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"In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle is Wild!

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, Dannie is a numbers person and the numbers are working for her.  She works at a well-respected law firm and has a great boyfriend.  On her engagement night, it seems she fell asleep and is with another man and it's five years later.  How can this be?  When she wakes up, things are back to normal so she thinks it must have been a dream.  The man she dreamed about shows up in her life  4 1/2 years later.  What's going on?  

I think a woman would enjoy this book more than a guy; however, I give it 5 stars!  I loved the main character.  The book had good flow and kept me engaged throughout with a wild ending!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Exiles" by Christina Baker Kline is Good Historical Fiction

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline is historical fiction which I enjoy reading.  This novel takes place on a ship filled with women convicts headed to Australia in 1840.  I enjoyed this book.  The author does a very good job of character development.  It moved along at a good pace and held my interest throughout with a good ending.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

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"The Lost Boys" by Faye Kellerman was a Snoozer!

The Lost Boys by Faye Kellerman is one of the slowest, most boring and dissatisfying books I've ever read.  This is about several police investigations--(1) a 10 yr. old missing persons case, (2) a current missing person case involving Bertram, a man with Down Syndrome (3) a possible murder case related to Bertram.  As if three story lines aren't enough, there is also the drama with the detective's foster son's biological mom and dad, an assassin.  The primary story line is the cold case of three missing college boys who went camping together and never returned.  

First off, I kept dozing off while reading the first half of this book.  I felt like it kept leaving the main story to go down different rabbit trails.  The conversation seemed stilted between characters that seemed just blah to me.  I was ready to quit on this one but since I made it halfway and it started to pick up a bit, I decided to go ahead and finish.  That was a mistake because after continuing to plow on through, the ending was very unsatisfying.  Only one case was actually solved--the others just left you hanging.  Maybe it's just me, but I like a book that actually has an ending to it.  I would not recommend this one.  (Karen's review, 1 star)  

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