Darlene

The Nitty Gritty…

The House in the Pines was a Reese’s Book Club Pick but that isn’t why I wanted to listen to it. I thought it sounded intriguing and the cover definitely caught my attention. Our main character Maya has a secret drug habit that she’s hiding from her boyfriend and is still struggling with an incident that happened in her childhood. Then Maya sees an online video that makes her determined to find out what really happened all those years ago. Heading to her hometown and her mother’s house Maya begins to uncover the secrets of her past in the hopes of saving her future. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Marisol Ramirez and while I haven’t listened to her before I would again. She has a nice voice and is really easy to listen to. I’ve seen mixed reviews for this one but it was one I really enjoyed listening to.

Summary from Penguin Random House

ABOUT THE HOUSE IN THE PINES

An instant New York Times bestseller!

“This is an absolute, can’t-put-it-down thriller…It’s truly a wild ride that had me flying through chapter after chapter—which I think is the perfect way to kick off your year of reading.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Jan ’23 Pick)

Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed….

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin….

Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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The Nitty Gritty…

I decided to listen to this novel because it sounded very intriguing with everyone in a tiny Alaskan town living in a single high-rise building. We’ve got a detective stranded in the town because of a snow storm, a severed hand and foot that’s washed ashore, and a host of interesting characters living in the building. People who have something to hide and a detective determined to find out what those secrets are. The audio is a little over eight hours and is narrated by Aspen Vincent, Shannon Tyo, and Anna Caputo. I haven’t listened to any of these narrators but I thought they did a fabulous job bringing this story alive. I would recommend this book for anyone looking to relax and enjoy a few hours listening or reading. I really enjoyed it!

Summary from Penguin Random House

ABOUT CITY UNDER ONE ROOF

A stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone lives in a single high-rise building, in this gripping debut by an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter.

When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.

After a blizzard causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native village.

Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their secrets before she unravels?

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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The Nitty Gritty…

I really enjoyed Someone Else’s Shoes! I’ve read a few of Moye’s novels and enjoyed them and this one was no different. I thought it was just going to be a light and fluffy read but it turned out to be more for me. It’s a novel of how swiftly life can change and the struggles that come with that but also how people from different walks of life can come together to be the best of friends. I listened to the audio which is about twelve and a half hours and is narrated by Daisy Ridley who was fantastic. For me this was a great listen and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves women’s fiction.

Summary from Penguin Random House

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

“Very few authors have the power to make you laugh on one page and cry on the next. Moyes is one of them.” —The New York Times

A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You and The Giver of Stars

Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes?

Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope–she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.

That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag–she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change—and that thing is herself.

Full of Jojo Moyes’ signature humor, brilliant storytelling, and warmth, Someone Else’s Shoes is a story about how just one little thing can suddenly change everything.

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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