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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As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved every page of this book and need to get Susan Meissner's backlist added to my library. This will be one of my favorite reads for 2018, I have no doubt. I just couldn't put it down.

The Brights are tobacco farmers. The father, Thomas, has an opportunity to move his family to Philadelphia and become an undertaker. It's a tough decision to make, but after the loss of their infant son he and his wife decide it will be a good decision for their family. This story is told from the points of view of the mother, Pauline, and their three young daughters.

I love historical fiction and that's what drew me to this story to begin with. Men are leaving to go fight overseas in the Great War. Shortly after their arrival in Philadelphia the Spanish Flu begins to kill people in unthinkable numbers. The story of this family is really what kept me turning the pages long past bedtime.

Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction, memorable characters, or getting lost in a great story.

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White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for a copy of this book to review.

Two sisters, Hana and Emi, are living in Korea during the second World War. They spend days at the beach with their mother, a haenyeo, learning to dive for food in the sea. One day while they’re at the beach a Japanese soldier comes and takes Hana away. Decades later, near the end of her life, Emi still has not been able to find the sister she lost that day.

This historical fiction tale is told in alternating points of view – Hana in the 1940’s and Emi in the 2010’s. Heartbreaking, yet important, readers are going to encounter some tough subject matter. The subject of sex slavery during WWII is the main focus.

This was hard to put down. The chapters are sometimes long, sometimes sweeping, but always engaging.

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Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Thank you to BookishFirst and Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Anatomy of a Scandal takes a deep look into the marriage of a prominent politician and his wife. Originally meeting in college, the couple face a scandal together two decades later. This courtroom drama has a couple of surprises along the way and is told from several points of view

This book was not one I enjoyed but I think a lot of other readers will like this for the reasons I did not. I am an American reader and this book takes place within the British government. This is a subject that I’m not familiar with. I felt lost at times and am sure I missed various references because of cultural differences. The government and court system are prominent in this book and I wish I had a better grasp of how they worked.

It took me a while to get through this book. There are several story lines that come together nicely but I was through the first half of the book before I started to see how the story could come together.

Trigger warning: rape


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The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. My honest opinion follows.

Mary Pickford and Frances Marion were the "It Girls" of Hollywood a century ago. Staring in silent movies they helped build and shape the industry that is so familiar today but so fresh and uncharted when they began their work in southern California so long ago.

This historical fiction tale follows the intertwined lives of Mary and Frances - one a beloved starlet, the other a notorious writer. They were best friends, women who came from nothing and built a fortune. They grow into adulthood together, reach fame together, and struggle to maintain their friendship. This sweeping story may seem to jump from point to point at times but the lives of Mary and Frances were fully lived and not easy to encompass in one book. Readers shouldn't expect full biographies but rather an E! True Hollywood Story type of overview.

This book may be about two women who were in their prime a hundred years ago but all they endured will seem current and relative still today. Scandals in Hollywood are taking over today's headlines, and this story shows the treatment of women in the movie industry is nothing new. Fans of historical fiction, movie history, or strong female characters won't want to miss this book.

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