Peeking Between the Pages

...escape into the pages of a good book

You First by Caroline Kepnes

by

Version 1.0.0

I am such a huge fan of this series and Caroline Kepnes. I have loved each and every book, as well as the television series. You First is a fascinating look into Joe’s past—a way for us to see how he gets started on his psychopathic path.

As a note, this review does not contain spoilers, but it really helps to have read the other books so you have an idea of what I’m going on about. We delve far back, all the way to when Joe is only seventeen. As is his pattern later on, he sees a girl and becomes unhinged in his obsession with her, and of course, he cares about her way more than she cares about him. As the story unfolds, we see how events eventually take him from obsession to something far worse. It’s the beginning of the way the rest of his life will go. 

I really enjoyed this look into Joe’s beginnings. It features the same never-ending internal monologue, and I love that. I would have liked a bit more about his years prior just to see how he grew up, but it was still a great read. There were also many references to Sex and the City, of which I’m a huge fan, so they didn’t bother me, but they might be distracting to some. 

I listened to the audiobook because, for me, that is the only way to experience this series. I feel narrator Santino Fontana brings Joe alive each and every time in a way I couldn’t get from a physical copy. He truly makes you feel like you’re right inside Joe’s messed-up mind with him. As always, a phenomenal job by Santino Fontana!

I highly recommend You First to anyone who has been as invested in this series as I have. But if you’ve never delved into the You series before—what are you waiting for??? It’s fantastic and an absolute favorite of mine!

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Share this post!
Share

Love on the Shelf by Sheila Roberts

by

Sheila Roberts has always been an author I go to when I’m looking for a comfort read—a book I can escape into for a few hours. Love on the Shelf was exactly that book. I’m a sucker for any book that involves a bookstore and a romance, so this was the perfect read for me.

Alice and her mom run a bookstore together that leans heavily on the romance side of books, and they love to cater to their clientele. Alice is one of those booksellers who knows what her customers like and can always find the right book for them at the right time. The only thing Alice has a hard time with is finding love for herself, and she’s pretty much given up on the idea of a happily ever after. Then we’ve got Parker, a sports broadcaster, who has a huge chip on his shoulder where women are concerned. He’s gotten burned one too many times and now spends a lot of his time bashing the whole romance idea, saying it causes women to have much too high expectations of men. All of this leads to a clash between Alice and Parker, and that’s where the fun begins. The banter between these two was so fun. As the story unfolds, Alice finds out she is much stronger than she thought, and Parker discovers he still has a heart after all.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this story is that it was a nice, clean, enemies to lovers romance. It was cute and sweet, and sometimes that really hits the spot. I really liked Alice and her mom, and loved the idea of being able to own and run a bookstore with your mom. Recommended for those who enjoy a little romance in their reading—it’s a great read while you’re sitting out by the pool this summer!

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Share this post!
Share

My Brilliant AI Boyfriend by Stella Hayward

by

This book hooked me in right from the beginning and never let go. It is an absolutely wonderful story that has fabulous characters and had me laughing out loud more than once. 

Ava is what you think of when you picture a mad scientist. She likes to be alone working in her lab which goes far to explain her total lack of social skills. She also has a huge problem controlling what comes out of her mouth and basically tells it how it is with no filter whatsoever. 

So for Ava to venture out of her lab is a stretch but her best friend Rani convinces her to present her work at a big competition. I have to take a minute to talk about Rani as well. She’s awesome and the friendship between the two was great. They are both fiercely loyal to each other and Rani is just as funny as Ava but in a different way. Anyhow this is how Ava finds herself staying at an actual castle with lots of people who make her uncomfortable and maybe even staying in a haunted room with a ghost or two roaming about. 

It all turns out to be life changing for Ava especially the part where she finds out her AI program decided to create himself an actual human form based on what Ava would want in a man. He’s gorgeous and smart which makes sense since it’s Ava’s program and his one purpose is only to ask Ava on a date. Hold on though because we have Forrest as well who is a pure gorgeous human man. However Ava and Forrest immediately get off on the wrong foot when she spills wine on him. Did I mention that Ava has no social skills and therefore handles the situation badly. As the competition moves forward a Ava is faced with dealing with real life and all the emotions that come with it. Does she pick Hal, the perfect creation who really should be perfect for her, or does she throw caution to the wind and go for the messy real life hunk of man who is Forrest?

This story is so fun and sweet. I adored Ava and her quirky ways and pretty much any time she talked I laughed. Behind it all though is real life emotion and how hard it can be for some to come out of their shells to experience life. I loved how she wanted her AI to be a good force in the world and to help people. To see her find love was just icing on the cake. 

My Brilliant AI Boyfriend is pure escapism and I loved it. It is the perfect book to curl up with in your favorite reading spot and enjoy!

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Previously published on The Gloss.

Share this post!
Share

The Forgotten Midwife by Laura Anthony

by

Laura Anthony’s first historical fiction novel, The Women on Platform Two, earned five stars from me and she’s done it again. The Forgotten Midwife is another five star read for me. I fell into this novel and felt such a multitude of emotions wash over me with each page. When I reached the end and closed the book I knew I had read something special. 

This story is told in dual timelines. In 2025 we have Riley who is getting married and wishing she had more family other than her grandmother who has dementia. On a visit  with her grandmother she has some moments of lucidity and gives Riley a birth certificate of a baby born in Ireland. Everything about it screams that this must be her mother’s birth certificate. Realizing she needs to find out who her mother’s family was, Riley and her fiancé travel to Ireland. Riley finds out so much more than she expected and the revelations have the power to change her life forever. 

 Based on true historical events we go back to 1950’s Ireland and meet Margaret, who because of family obligations, is sent to work in a home for fallen girls. Margaret knows nothing about being a midwife and the conditions and treatment of these girls horrifies her. She is determined to care for these girls with compassion and she sets out to do just that. My heart broke for these girls and the many who were simply lost to this system. They had nobody and were mistreated because they had dared to become pregnant. It’s horrifying to think that homes like this were still in operation in the 1960’s when I was born and even later. Margaret was a truly remarkable woman with a strength and resilience that was inspiring. 

I don’t want to say too much as this is truly a novel worth reading. So many women were forced into lives where they had no voice and no hope. The Forgotten Midwife is my favorite book this year and it is one that will stay with me for a very long time. I can’t recommend this one enough and I think we’ll be seeing it on a lot of bookclub lists with so many topics for discussion. It released on May 12 so grab yourself a copy and I’m sure you’ll be transported to another time and place just as I was. Highly recommended. 

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Share this post!
Share

Go Gentle by Maria Semple (Audiobook)

by

I love delving into a novel from Maria Semple. Where’d You Go, Bernadette was a favorite of mine and so many others.  She returns with Go Gentle which is not only one I enjoyed, but also one that was picked for Oprah’s Book Club. It’s such a great pick for book club discussions with themes like divorce, single mom and single life, romance, and mid-life issues. 

Adora Hazzard (love her name) is a Stoic philosopher, divorced, and a single mom.  She is living in New York where a group of older women are living on the same floor of an apartment building and have dubbed themselves a ‘coven.’  The goal is that these women will support each other into old age. I loved this idea of women supporting women instead of looking for the next romance. However when Adora meets a handsome man at the ballet she manages to get herself sucked into not only a steamy romance but also an art heist and all kinds of chaos ensues. 

I really liked Adora and really never knew what she might do next. I loved the part of forming the coven of like minded women and her job as a Stoic philosopher since I knew nothing about that. I did find the story somewhat disjointed with all that was going in but I still really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook which is read by Saskia Maarleveld who is one of my favorite narrators. She brings so much emotion and feeling to her storytelling and adds that ‘something’ that makes a book so much better. 

All in all this was a good listen for me. There are a lot of themes in this novel that may be triggering for some so take care. Recommended for those who enjoy women’s fiction mixed with a thriller/mystery vibe. 

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Share this post!
Share

One Second Away by Rick Mofina

by

One Second Away is a fast paced and suspenseful thriller and is exactly what I look for when I read one of Rick Mofina’s books. What could be more tense than a ten-year-old boy gone missing, his mother mad with worry, a murder, and cyber attacks linking it all. This was such a rollercoaster of a ride and I flew through the pages!

Jessie drops her son Dylan off at the airport. He’s travelling by himself to visit his father and grandparents. While Jessie is apprehensive, Dylan did travel alone just a month ago. Hours later though Dylan’s grandmother phones in hysterics to say that Dylan has gone missing. The airline says an elderly couple looking like Dylan’s grandparents picked him up but they insist it wasn’t them and Dylan’s AirTag shows him still being at the airport. Where has he gone and who took him?  With Jessie being a cybersecurity expert and her ex-husband a prominent journalist suspicions fall on them but Jessie is determined to uncover every clue to find her son and she has the resources to do so.  Meanwhile in Toronto there is a subway crash that kills and injures many. As the story unfolds we learn that there are many sinister forces at work and seemingly unrelated events are coming together in a much bigger, scarier conspiracy. 

Wow this was one of those books that gripped me from page one and didn’t slow down until the last page. More than once I thought I had things figured out only to find pages later I didn’t. One Second Away is a tense, action packed thriller and showcases Rick Mofina at his best. Highly recommended!

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Share this post!
Share