"Hope Restored" by Jonathan and Jennifer Barratt

Hope Restored by Jonathan and Jennifer Barratt is a collection of short true stories of different women or children who have been rescued from abuse and sexual slavery by Project Rescue workers.  This booklet was very enlightening for me. It tells about giving people hope and a new direction for their lives through the power of God.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

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"Fly Away" by Kristin Hannah

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah is about how Kate's death affects her husband, her three children and her long time best friend, Tully.  When Kate dies of Cancer, her husband is overwhelmed, the 8-yr.-old boys handle their grief differently and Marah, her teenage daughter flips out and makes some really bad choices that lead to trouble.  Through memories and flashbacks the reader gets to know about Kate's and Tully's friendship.

I liked this well-written book because the characters were so vulnerable and although it dealt with grief, depression, addiction and domestic violence, it gives a person hope showing that the past is the past and we can make good choices to give us a better future.  Loved the ending!  I've enjoyed several of Kristin Hannah's books and this is no exception--I recommend it.

This book is sort of the opposite of Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson in which it was the father who was dying of Cancer and the focus was on the months before he died.  However, in Fly Away, it is the mother who dies of Cancer and the focus is on what happens to those who love her after her death.  Both have teen daughters who are main characters in the books.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)     

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"Always Watching" by Chevy Stevens

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens is about a Psychiatrist, Nadine, whose bad childhood memories are stirred up when she gets a patient who left the same commune she was in, although it has a new name and advertises as a spiritual retreat place. Nadine feels the need to report what happened to her in the commune and hope the cops will arrest the leaders and get “The River of Life Spiritual Center” shut down to keep others from being hurt. Nadine also has a teenage daughter who ran away, got into drugs, and lives on the streets. All Nadine wants is for her daughter, Lisa, to be happy and longs for her to come back home. Her biggest fear is that the cult-like commune will get her daughter comes true.

I liked this book okay, but not as much as I liked this author’s other books. It just moved a little slow for my taste and was pretty predictable. Mostly was sad with what I thought was an unrealistic ending. It has a lot of flashbacks showing the memories Nadine had buried from her past. Nadine’s relationship with her daughter was heartbreaking. The last quarter of the book has the most action and suspense which I liked the most.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

See my reviews of her other books:
That Night - great, both liked!
Those Girls - both liked
Never Knowing - great! (In both of our top favorites for 2011)
Still Missing - both liked! (One of Gerard's top favorites in 2011)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Neighbor" by Lisa Gardner--Who Is the Real Monster?

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner is a mystery told from multiple points of view about a wife and cat who turn up missing. She has a husband who works second shift and a 4-yr-old daughter who was the last person to see her mother before she disappeared. Both husband and wife had bad childhoods but love their daughter very much and want to give her a good family. The cops are clueless as to what happened to the wife but have lots of suspects.  The husband and wife are both good liars and very good at keeping secrets.

This book kept me guessing right to the unexpected ending but I felt really bad for the neighbor. It deals with family secrets, marriage issues, prejudice, computers and sexual abuse.  This book is an eye opener to the problems pedophiles face. The plot is similar to Gone Girl; however, I liked both the main characters in this and didn’t like either of the main characters in Gone Girl. This book doesn’t have near as much swearing as Gone Girl does either. I liked it!
 (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's Review, 5++ stars:
In The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner, a husband comes home and finds that his wife and cat are missing.  The rest of the house is normal and his young 4-yr.-old daughter is fine.  The police are on it and have plenty of suspects including the husband, but no body.  This is a real page turner!  The author keeps dropping tidbits that change the focus every so often to different possible suspects, but there's really no evidence.  I really enjoyed it a lot and was blown away by the ending!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock" by Matthew Quick

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick is a really good quick read YA novel! It's Leonard Peacock's 18th birthday and he has something special in mind. He plans to kill his former best friend, and then himself!

I enjoyed this book very much, it has a good story line that kept me turning the pages. I finished it in just two days! I liked the ending too. If you are looking for a good quick read, this is it.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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