"Baby Please Don't Go" by Frank Freudberg

Image from Amazon

Baby Please Don’t Go by Frank Freudberg is about Lock, a recovering alcoholic who gets a job as a social worker but made a huge mistake when he got personally involved with Natalie, a mother under investigation in one of his cases. Lock is a decent guy that wants his own family and really likes kids. Natalie is a greedy liar, a slut and master manipulator who got Lock to help her frame her husband Witt so that she could keep full custody of her two little girls.

I liked Lock for the most part but Natalie really was a piece of work. I was really disappointed when Lock’s friend died because he was my favorite character. Witt, Natalie and her sleezy attorney, Jeremy Freel were unbelievable! This was just a heartbreaking story because Lock really was trying so hard to go straight and be a good family man, but Natalie didn’t want any part of that. I did not understand why Natalie didn’t love her little boy and why she treated Lock so cruelly. The ending was just slapped on with no logical build up to it at all so I felt a bit cheated. The people in this book were so different from anyone I know that I couldn’t relate to them at all.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

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!

"Keepsake" by Kristina Riggle - A Novel about Hoarding

Keepsake by Kristina Riggle is an interesting read about how hoarding affected the whole family.  Trish and Mary are sisters but different as night and day.  Trish is a hoarder to such an extent that social services came to her house threatening to remove her 7-yr. old son from his home if she didn’t get the house cleaned up—clutter and junk was everywhere!  Trish’s older son left home and lives at his girlfriend’s house because he couldn’t stand all the clutter.  On the other hand, Mary is a single neat freak whose best friend is a good book.  Trish realizes she can’t clean it up by herself so reluctantly accepts help from her family. 

I found it interesting that often people become hoarders after having a traumatic experience that sets them off.  The sisters in this book lost touch after their mother died but through cleaning out the house, got to rebuild their relationship.  My dad had a lot of clutter in his house after my mom died with one narrow path to walk so I could identify with Mary in this book.  If you know a hoarder or are a hoarder, I think you would enjoy this book. It includes discussion questions in the back so could be an interesting book club read.

 (Karen's review

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. Happy Reading!

"Necessary Lies" by Diane Chamberlain--Good Book Club Read!

This is my favorite of hers yet!

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain is an interesting read about Jane, a good person, but not so good a social worker. Recently married to a pediatrician, Jane insists on becoming a social worker against her husband’s wishes and soon discovers they should not have gotten married. She constantly is at odds with her supervisor over the rules and procedures that conflict with what she believes is the right thing to do. Jane is so dedicated to helping her clients that she puts her marriage and her job at risk. This book addresses several issues: marriage, teenage pregnancy, poverty, sterilization, and can social work.

I loved this book! I felt bad for Robert, Jane’s husband. I enjoyed getting to know Jane’s clients and trying to figure out who the fathers were, and where and when “Ivy and Mary was here” was carved into a closet. This book tugged at my heart but I was relieved when it had a happy ending.  I thought it was really cool how the author included the epilogue as part of the story! This book is both thought provoking and gripping. I highly recommend this one and think it would be a great read for a book club.

Other books I liked by this author:
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes
The Midwife's Confession

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. Happy Reading!