- Rain City Lights

 Rain City Lights

by Marissa Harrison

Set in Seattle in 1981, Monti, an impoverished child being raised by her drug-addicted mother, is busy and disturbed with her own problems. Her mother was a singer, but she lost her job and turned into prostitution to pay for her drug and rent. 

 Monti’s only hope was her next-door neighbor Sasha since the age of 7, they shared so much with each other despite their parent’s dissatisfaction with this friendship, since Monti was black, and Sasha was white.

They shared their love of music and their relationship grew stronger and intimate.

As their feeling towards each other grow they become fearful to admit their desire and they pull away. With all the danger and murder in the city during the summer of 91, they both are being pushed to different paths, Monti starts a job in law enforcement, while Sasha turns to his drugs and playing music and concerts. with all this, they get away from each other until they meet again 8 years later and thrown back into the cold case of a serial killer and the feeling they both tried to bury.

I enjoyed Harrison’s choice of side characters and all their blunders. She did a great job interweaving the storyline and rich characters. main characters were perfectly crafted through flashbacks and moving the story forward. The surprising changes made the story more tempting.

This book touches so many ongoing issues and I think I like to see it turning into a movie.

Trigger warnings: gender inequality, sexual assault, violence, child abuse, drug use, and the use of racist language.

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- The Paris Library

 

The Paris Library

By Janet Skeslien Charles

I am sorely thrilled for this book to be released today.⁣  

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The story is a dual timeline one is Odeli in 1939 to 1944 and the other one is Lily in 1983-1989.⁣

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It's 1939 in Paris and Odeli is excited about her new job at American Library in Paris, her passion for books and written words helps her to gain trust and credibility at work and this became her permanent job through the years Nazi Occupation in Paris. How Odeli and other staff at the library went above and beyond to some of their patrons and help deliver books to Jewish subscribers who were no longer allowed by Nazi’s to use the library.⁣

Linking the past to the present, we get to know Lily. Set in Froid Montana, Lily is a student who is interviewing her French neighbor Odile. And this charming story continues when these two strike up a friendship and Odeli helps Lily learn French and go through tough times in her life. She tries teaching to learn from her mistakes and Lily wants to know everything about Odeli’s past.⁣

Both timelines were masterfully interweaved with each other and were equally enjoyable. Odeli’s character is amiable, mature, and strong. ⁣

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I really enjoyed reading all the author's well-researched notes. It makes a great impression when a book's characters are real people and knowing that the storyline is based on a true story.it was exceedingly inspiring knowing that the author was a manager at the American Library in Paris herself. And the fact that she had a chance to talk to some of the characters' family members. Doing research on my own using the author's note I was fascinated by the accuracy of this novel reflecting the history.⁣

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All things considered, I very much enjoyed reading this novel and will recommend it to fans of historical fiction.

Many thanks to @atriaBooks {Partner} and Janet Skeslien Charles, for giving me a chance to read and review this amazing book.

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- Of Magpies and Men

 

Of Magpies and Men

By Ode Ray

The story opens in a harbor in Italy, where a boat carrying 2 dead bodies cashed into. Benedict Grant, who is apparently an insignificant detective, is the one investigating this case.

 

We get to know more about benedict’s past in the following chapters, how he lost his mother to terminal cancer and he was an unhappy person despite being rich and having a supposedly great life.

 Marie is another character we get to know about, who is a nurse living in a trailer on a travelers site in Marseille, with his 7-year-old son. It is tough for Marie as she is financially struggling to bring up her asthmatic son. All she wants is to buy a house in a decent neighborhood with less pollution for her son to breathe easily and for them to live happily.

Marie and Benedict get to know each other when his mom dies, as they connect the story goes back and forth between Marseille and London.

Both characters have their own life struggles, and they are both trying to find a way to get what they want in life. 

the story also alternates between these characters' past and present where we are trying to find the reason behind the dead bodies.

I enjoyed the characters and how Ode masterfully weaves these three different stories and brings it all together. This book is filled with drama, grief, love, and dry humor that was brilliantly penned. It is a very well-written debut novel, a page-turner and on top of that, the author's first published work.

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- Big Souls Make Big Promises

 

Big Souls Make Big Promises

By Shauna Cuch

 

This book was not at all what I expected, I finished it in one sitting, yet it took me days to write this review.

I was never interested in learning about people living a polygamist life, never understood why people chose to have polygamy relationships. It was very interesting to read Shauna’s story.

 

Shauna’s story shows that no matter what situation you live in, you have the power to make changes once you believe in yourself and confident.

Growing up in a polygamy home, experiencing two polygamy marriages, and mother of 6 she was able to manage a catering business and receives so many awards. She of course didn’t give up when she lost her business and everything she owned.

Married again and facing complexities in this relationship again she found out that there is a pattern in all these.

 Wanting to know more and wanting to help his husband with his past traumas, she learns about Family Constellation. using her discovery of this healing method she not only healed her husband but herself and her children from wounds from a polygamous life.

 I was not really interested in the healing method; however, I admired the author for sharing her story and for her strength in overcoming all the obstacles in her life.

 I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My rating is 3.5 ⭐

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- Last Call

 Last Call

by Elon Green

I enjoy a true crime disregarding my reading mood. This book broke my heart knowing it is a true story and it has really happened.

I was distraught learning about this story, and it would be my number one must-read recommendation.

The story is about the murders of a number of gay men in NYC late ’80s, early ’90s. men whose lives were not appreciated and valued because they were gay. we get to know about the investigation into the crimes and how there was no news or social media covering this important event just because these men were gay.

I adored how the author treats these men not only as victims but real individuals with their personal life, family, and other details that made me feel more connected to these families. The story is well researched, and it is being narrated from different angles. 

I found it difficult to read some of the crime scene discussion and my heart aches for these men and what their families went through for years.

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- The Broken Miracle

 The Broken Miracle

by J.D. Netto

I am not sure how to explain my thoughts about this book. We all have some kind of problems in our lives, and we mostly let our lives center around these challenges. Since I have finished The Broken Miracle, I truly see things differently.

The story is about Paul Cardell who was born with a broken heart, and all the challenges that he faced growing up. With only half of his heart is functioning, he experienced frequent surgeries and overcame all the difficulties. He believed his broken heart cannot stop him from doing what he loves.

Despite all these challenges and his physical limitations, he comes to be a Famous Pianist and a recording artist. Music helped him beat the obstacle one by one and face his life’s challenges.

This book comes with tears, knowing the story is based on a true story made it even more interesting and emotional for me.

J.D. Netto did a great job writing this amazing and unique story. The narrative is heartbreaking and magnificent at the same time. It is a heartbreaking story with so many bright moments.

I can't wait to read the second book.

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- Every Last Secret

 

Every Last Secret

by A.R. Torre

Cat Winthrop has everything one can ask for in life. She has built a perfect marriage and life with her husband, William.

Everything in their life is absolutely perfect until Dr. Neena and her husband move to their next-door home after William hires Neena.

Neena starts acting differently after a while, set her goal to have William for herself. She is a life coach and she does all she can to bring up all the negative ideas of living with Cat for William and makes herself part of their lives by becoming William’s running buddy, texting him all the time.

Little Neena knows that Cat will not let anyone ruin this beautiful life they built together with William.

This book has so many unlikeable characters, yet I couldn’t stop reading it. It is a fun fast-paced story. A beautifully written thriller and a page-turner. 

The author did a great job with details and storyline, and her choice of characters was brilliant. There were times I thought these women can't be more disgusting, but each chapter proved me wrong. This was the first book with so many unlikeable and despicable characters that I actually couldn't stop reading until it was finished.

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- If I Disappear

 

If I Disappear

by Eliza Jane Brazier

The story has an unconventional narrative. It is told by Sera to the readers as if they are Rachel. Sera is obsessed with the true-crime podcast “Murder She spoke” that Rachel hosts. 

Rachel goes missing, right at the time of podcast episodes covering missing women. Sera decides she can look into this matter, she believes Rachel has shared all necessary tips and tricks for her to solve this mystery.

The author did a great job with the unusual narrative, I enjoyed her writing style very much. The storyline was interesting, the writing was descriptive, and the author draws a beautiful, detailed picture of the countryside. The characters were also unique, it took me sometimes to connect with them though.

If you just read it as a strange story of a podcaster missing this might be the story for you. If I Disappear is a heart-pounding and twisty read, however, the ending left me wanting more