"Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate (Historical Fiction)

In Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, Avery Stafford has it all.  She was born into a wealthy family, a very good career and soon to be married to a handsome man.  A chance encounter with a member of her family cast light on a hidden secret that if gets out, her family name could be ruined!

I thought this book was very good.  I was into it from page 1 and loved the characters.  It is based on a true story.  If you get a chance, read this one--so far it is my book of the month!
(Gerard's review, 6/24/17, 5++ stars)

Karen's review, 7/8/17 (4 stars):
In Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, there is a mystery connection between two old ladies who are in a nursing home and the granddaughter of one of them who stirs up an old family secret.  The part of this book about the Tennessee Children's Home Society run by Georgia Tann and its evil practices between the 1930s and 1950s was interesting, captivating, and very disturbing.  I really liked Rill, one of the main characters who told that part of the story from her point of view.

This is a sad story with a happy ending that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading about families.  The story is told from two different points of view and jumped back and forth between two story lines which eventually came together.  I think people with rough childhoods would find this book encouraging.  This was a complex book that dragged for me in parts during the one story line so that is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.      

Karen also read The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate and liked that one as well.

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"Scar Island" by Dan Gemeinhart

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, my favorite children’s author, is about boys at Slabhenge Reformatory School for troubled boys located on an island and run with torture techniques. Jonathan is the new boy sentenced to 10 weeks which is longer than usual because of the bad thing he did. Jonathan is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and believes he deserves to be there, unlike the others. A couple boys befriend him and eventually he even wins over the bully who bosses everyone around when all the grownups running the place meet an unfortunate death.

This book is dark but not as dark as Lord of the Flies although there are some similarities. I liked this book because of the exploration of group dynamics, the interaction and growth among the boys, and also because of the suspense. I even got to like that huge rat that Jonathan mistook for a cat. Jonathan is a great character who I admired because he was so kind and compassionate throughout the book. I would recommend this book to boys, but don’t think too many girls would enjoy it since there are no girls in it. I liked both this author’s other books better: The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, because they seemed more believable and not as dark as this one.

SPOILER ALERT – STOP NOW IF YOU INTEND TO READ THIS BOOK. I really liked the librarian and his pet rat. I thought that was a cool surprise and liked how the librarian encouraged Jonathan to take a book every time he came. I was surprised Colin didn’t stay with him when he left the others. There were a few things I felt were farfetched: (1) How all the grownups got electrocuted and died at once; (2) that the boys would put the dead bodies in the freezer where the food would be, yuck!; (3) that the first thing they did wasn’t to all join in to destroy the sinner’s sorrow torture device that they all hated; (4) I didn’t understand why Sebastian got so mad at Colin when he left since at the beginning he announce the boys to go wherever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. When Colin took some chocolates saying they were just Sebastian’s, I was surprised the other boys didn’t back him up and (5) how the majority just followed whatever Sebastian said, letting him take the lead instead of following Colin or Jonathan, who were smarter and nicer, especially at the end.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


Gerard read this first 1-9-17, here's his review, 4.5 stars:
In Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, Jonathan is the new boy at Slabhenge.  It is a reform school for boys who are troubled to say the least.  Now Jonathan is there and he is happy to be there.  But soon he will have to make decisions that will affect him and his fellow boys.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  It has good action and the end has a good twist.  I liked this author's first two books better, The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, but this one is not bad at all!

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 Bunker Diary" by Kevin Brooks

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks is about six people who are taken and put in an underground bunker.  Why?  They do not know.  It is told by a young boy who was the first to be put in the bunker.  I found it interesting how they all got along and as time went by, their reactions to their circumstances.  This is a fast YA read that I enjoyed.
(Gerard's review, 5 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. Happy Reading!

"The Never List" by Koethi Zan is a Real Page Turner! (UPDATED)

I'll Never do that!

The Never List by Koethi Zan is about three college girls who were kept chained up in a college professor's basement and one in a box!  This book grabbed a hold of me from page one!  The plot is really good and I loved the interaction throughout the book among the three girls.  The last few chapters when all the twists take place were so good I did not want to stop reading.  Put this on your to read list--you will be glad you did! 
(Gerard's review posted 8/20/13, 5+ stars) 


The Never List by Koethi Zan got my attention right away with two girls making a list of things they would NEVER do to stay safe. It is told from Sarah's view point who was held captive in a basement of a psycho college professor along with her best friend, Jennifer, and two other girls, Tracy and Christine. The professor was arrested when Sarah escaped but ten years later is up for parole. When the girls meet years later to work together to make sure he is not released, they wind up in dangerous situations and realize the professor is even a bigger monster than they thought.


This psychological thriller is very creepy but at least not gory in spite of references to torture and a very dark world of human trafficking. It explores the extent people will go for self preservation and the depravity of humanity. Although the main character, Sarah, is likeable and I couldn't help but root for her in her quest to find her friend's dead body, it didn't seem very believable that she would do that. I enjoyed some of the dialogue which lightened things up some. There are some tense moments and I had to keep reading to see how she escaped and learn what happened. The ending was shocking! To me this is a cross between a thriller and a cozy mystery novel.
(Karen's review posted 8/17/13)

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!

"What Comes Next" by John Katzenbach

What Comes Next by John Katzenbach is an outstanding and remarkable book!  Jennifer wants to escape her mom and her small town by running away, but her plan is foiled when a man and woman kidnap her off the street.  Jennifer is now number four and the kidnappers set up a website people can watch while they torture her!  There was one witness to the kidnapping, an old professor who is near death and speaks to his dead family members. 

I liked reading Jennifer's thoughts while going through this experience and the people watching it online.  This is an outstanding read that was very hard to put down!  I couldn't help but think to myself, "Would I be watching this if it were real?"  Would you?  What comes next is you reading this gripping novel--you will love the powerful ending!
(Gerard'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!

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