Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Flatiron and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. My honest opinion follows.

If you've read the synopsis of this book I'm betting that you're already intrigued. The main character is in a coma, her husband doesn't love her, and we may not be able to trust her! The excitement starts there, but it continues through this whole story. This is a must read for fans of thrillers, and twists.

I really had trouble figuring out the ending and all of the unexpected revelations of this story - and that was a treat! This had short chapters that made the story fly by. It bounced between Amber, our main character, being in a coma but experiencing locked-in syndrome, her life leading up to the coma, and diary entries. This was put together really well.

I didn't know who or what to trust during this story, but it was a great time trying to figure it out. There were lots of layers, but not so many that a reader would have trouble following the story. Uncovering all of the secrets in this book was a lot of fun.

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Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This debut novel is a story of a fierce friendship between to young women, Poornima and Savitha. They live in poverty in India during the early 2000's. Poornima's mother has died, her father makes saris, and has to hire another person to help after his wife's death. Enter Savitha. The two women are of similar age, teenagers, and the form a fast friendship. Savitha lives in even greater poverty than Poornima. But when Poornima's father begins to arrange Poornima's marriage she is afraid she will never see her best friend again. A horrible incident takes place and Savitha runs away. Poornima spends the following years searching the world for her friend.

I cannot say I loved this book, but I did become engrossed in the pages. The story was beautiful and horrific all at once. The friendship at the forefront of this story is intense. Poornima and Savitha both have horrible things happen to them which was quite difficult to read at times. Still, this book made me think of what one might endure to return to someone they deeply care about.

Human trafficking is a big part of this story. One of the girls even becomes involved with the trafficking. This was very eye opening to me. This is a topic that I've always knew to be a concern but have never learned much about. The abuse these women and girls experience is heartbreaking. Their naivety is disconcerting. Regardless, this is a book that will be tough to forget. I look forward to reading more books from Rao in the future.

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An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the book everyone has been talking about for the past month. It's Oprah's most recent book club selection -An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. In this story young newlyweds, Roy and Celeste, find themselves in a real life nightmare. Roy is arrested for a crime he didn't commit and their young relationship is tested beyond what either of them ever expected.

I didn't have the strong emotional connection to this book that I thought I would. It may be because of the hype that I built up my expectations for this book too much. Much of this is difficult to read in that we are viewing the worst, most painful parts of this couple's marriage. Reading about a failing relationship is nearly always uncomfortable.

I did enjoy the writing in this book. It was easy to get into the story and feel engaged. I appreciated the ending and felt that it was very realistic - much like the rest of this honest, heartbreaking tale.

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My Name Is Venus Black by Heather Lloyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

My Name is Venus Black is a book that will stick with me for a while, I think. Venus is 13 years old when she is arrested for a crime that happens in her house. She's a character that I can connect with easily. She's a good student, a teacher's pet. Before the crime is committed she is a girl who is never in trouble. Shortly after her arrest her 7 year old brother, Leo, is kidnapped.. Leo has some mental capacity issues that aren't named in this book. Set in the early 1980s there wasn't an autistic diagnosis given to him.

This tale could be one taken from the headlines. What happens to Venus, her brother, and the rest of their family is revealed in this book bit by bit. There is cast of characters that are flawed, memorable and unique in a variety of ways.

This was a bit of a slow burn, but with a layered plot and a varied cast of characters this book was original, interesting, and thrilling.

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Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagán
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review. My honest opinion follows.

Maggie and Adam have been married for decades. Their children are grown, they’re approaching retirement age, and he’s leaving her. Maggie is a natural worrier but the one thing she hasn’t worried about is happening suddenly – her husband is ending their marriage and there’s nothing she can do to stop it.

Readers follow Maggie through her divorce and attempts to rebuild her life after such a shattering upheaval. There are parts that are humorous but most of this book was sad to read. Perhaps it’s a good book for anyone going through a divorce. Maggie attempts to save the marriage, drinks too much, travels, meets a few new friends, and starts a new relationship. She was hard for me to relate too in a lot of ways which could be why I didn’t connect very well with this story.

This book didn’t wow me, but it was an easy to read story of a middle age woman going through what so many like her have gone through. I did like the last chapter especially where Maggie writes a letter on forgiveness. There was a good message along with an ending I wasn’t really expecting. I think, overall, this book will be forgettable to me. I doubt I’ll recollect most of this story a few months down the road.

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The French Girl by Lexie Elliott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Six young college students took a holiday to France. While there a local girl goes missing. Ten years later the friends learn the girl’s body is found. Was one of them responsible for her death? This book was a slow burn that needed a little more action for me to completely enjoy it.

The six friends are brought back together after a decade of becoming adults. The group dynamic is fragile. A lot of this story focused on how this group of old friends gets along – who slept with whom, both then and now? Who can get along long enough to get through dinner, and who can’t? Through all of the relationship dynamics there is a mystery at the forefront in everyone’s minds. What happened to Severine?

The pacing was too slow for me. There was a little action within the last couple of chapters but it was too little, too late. I needed more to happen early on. I was fairly please with the ending, and the writing was engaging enough. The story line seemed to have potential but was just a miss for me.

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Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing a copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Sylvie and Dan have been together for ten years, married for seven of them. They've got twin girls, a nice life, and they know each other so well that they can predict what the other is thinking or about to say. They're comfortable in their relationship, safe. When they receive physicals their health is good and their doctor reveals they could expect to live for another seventy years. This gives each of them pause as the reality of how many years together they may have starts to set in.

Fans of Sophie Kinsella are going to enjoy this one. Sylvie is a new character but is like the female leads that Kinsella creates. Sylvie is like Lucille Ball - funny, bighearted, well meaning, and often in silly situations. She intends to add some surprise to her marriage, but she gets unexpected surprises and not all of them are good.

This is the chick lit you're looking for! This is a lighthearted read that has a few surprises along the way. The characters are likable and relatable.

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