2021 Book Reviews

Lisa Jewell is amazing! Her latest, The Night She Disappeared, is her best yet! Talk about suspenseful and keeping this reader guessing until the end. I literally could not stop listening. Loved it!

The story opens with Tallulah heading out on a date with her boyfriend Zack while her mother looks after their son. However Tallulah and Zack never return. They’ve seemingly disappeared without a trace. They were last seen at a house party near some woods which they call the Dark Place. A year passes by and there are still no clues as to what happened to them. Things change when Sophie, a writer and girlfriend to the head teacher at the boarding school happens to make a discovery. She finds a note on a tree that only says Dig Here. Ok, very creepy. This is where the cold case starts to unravel. Who is doing this and more importantly why now?

I listened to the audio which really heightened the suspenseful tone of the novel. It’s narrated by Joanne Froggatt who I have listened to before and she is brilliant. As a fan of Lisa Jewell this one comes highly recommended!

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

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Kiersten Modglin is a new author to me but this will definitely not be the last book I listen to by her. I was totally pulled into this story of a very dysfunctional family and finished it in a day.

Loren is a single mom to her young daughter when she meets Jack. He seems to be all she’s looking for in a man and father to her daughter. So she marries him. Tragedy strikes when Jack’s father passes away, and Loren trying to be the good wife invites Jack’s mother Coralee to stay with them for a bit until she gets back on her feet.

Oh my this is the mistake of a lifetime. Right off things seem wrong with Coralee. Worse yet she seems to be doling everything in her power to cause trouble between Loren and Jack. As things escalate Loren wonders if any of them are safe from this woman.

I listened to the audio of course. It was narrated by Tim Paige and Christa Lewis and they are both new to me. However I really enjoyed listening to them and wouldn’t hesitate to again in the future. If you love psychological thrillers as I do this one was great!

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T.J. Newman is a former bookseller turned flight attendant. Falling is her debut novel and I thought it an interesting side note that her novel was turned down over forty times before she found a publisher. Now it’s a hit and it’s a really good thriller!

Think about this … you just got on your flight with one hundred and forty-three other people. It should be an uneventful flight to New York. Yet it won’t be because behind the scenes the pilot learns that his family has been kidnapped and he has to make the decision to either save his family or crash the plane. As another side note this is precisely why I don’t like flying. It terrifies me for so many reasons and one is that a high-jacker is aboard. That being said, my fear of flying made this an even more pulse-pounding story for me.

I listened to this audio in a day. My heart was racing and while I found a few things a little unbelievable it didn’t matter one bit. I might as well have had a seat on the plane. Narrated by Steven Weber, who was awesome, this eight and half hour audio is well worth a listen! Or, of course, a read if you prefer. Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers – I loved it!

Personal copy

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If I could say one thing about Anthony Doerr’s newest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land, it would be to say it was epic in its storytelling. I loved All the Light We Cannot See so I really wanted to listen to this one too. It didn’t disappoint but it is a different book than his previous and it hits on several different genres like science fiction, fantasy, and more. As I said, epic.

I’ll admit to it taking me a bit to get a handle on the different time periods and storylines. There are five characters: Anna, Seymour, Omeir, Zeno, and Konstance, my favorite. There are distinct storylines ranging from Anna and Omeir struggling through a war to Konstance living on a space ship. Then there was Zeno who fought in the war and Seymour with more issues than I can count. Surprisingly though by the end of the novel the reader will find these stories entwine with each other. While at times I found the story somewhat disjointed I was never bored.

This beautifully written novel truly shines in audio. It is fifteen hours of pure storytelling that pulls you into different worlds. It is narrated by Marin Ireland and Simon Jones. The two are extremely talented and brought this story alive for me!

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

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I’ve read a few of Lucinda Berry’s books. I like how she brings awareness to serious issues, while delivering on a good psychological thriller! That being said there are many triggers in this book for those who are sensitive to them. There is child abuse, cutting, eating disorders and others. I think it’s important to let readers know that because while I’m able to read these types of books I understand that others struggle with them.

Emily and Elizabeth are twins. Sadly they were kept locked in a bedroom by their sadistic mother until one day they are thankfully placed with a loving foster family. The damage has been done though and coming back from some terrors is impossible. Now they’re adults and one day Elizabeth wakes up in the hospital with her last memory being of Emily on the bathroom floor. She learns that she’s in a mental health facility after trying to take her life. So begins Elizabeth’s journey to understand what happened to Emily and to learn more about herself. Sometimes though those memories have the power to destroy the fragile existence you’re surviving on.

The audiobook was really good. I found that Kate Marcin, the narrator, portrayed the emotions of the characters very well. She was easy to listen and this almost seven hour audio went by quickly. I also liked the twist at the end. I didn’t expect it but I’ll say it was a good one!

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I am likely one of the few who hasn’t read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but it is on my shelf now and I hope to read it soon. Right off I’ll say I loved Miss Benson’s Beetle. This novel made me feel so many emotions and I love that in a book. This book alone instantly made me a fan of Rachel Joyce.

Miss Benson is a character and I loved reading about her and her adventures. Margery Benson is an unmarried schoolteacher who is wondering if her life will ever be anything but a struggle. She is frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that she finally hits her breaking point. Her solution is to quit her job, leave her struggles behind, and head outs across the world to Caledonia to find a golden beetle that may or may not even exist.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Margery meets Enid Pretty who ends up being her assistant. Enid is as different from Margery as one can get as she parades around in a tight pink suit and pom-pom sandals. I can just picture it! Of course the two clash and bicker but along the way they learn a lot from each other, most importantly the value of friendship.

This was actually a book I read but I’d love to one day go back and listen to the audio. I’ve heard it’s really well done and I know I would have loved it in audio. Miss Benson’s Beetle is another to make my favorites list this year!

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