Secret Lives by Diane Chamberlain

Although, Secret Lives by Diane Chamberlain didn't captivate me from page one, by the end of the book I was completely enthralled. Secret Lives tells the story of A-list actress Eden Riley's decision to learn more about her mother in an effort to write a film about her life. This quest forces her confront her past and explore the secret life her mother lived that she knew nothing about. By reading the diary her mother kept from the age of thirteen, Eden learns about the hardship and tragedy that her mother endured throughout her short life. 

Although I predicted the plot twist early on, that didn't stop me from enjoying the book immensely. Chamberlain's prose never fails to captivate me and draw me in eagerly to the lives of her characters. I always hate completing one of her novels because the characters become so real that it's almost like losing a friend. (That's how you know I'm a huge nerd who gets way into books).

The Escape Artist by Diane Chamberlain

So sometimes I tell myself that I should read other authors, and then I read another Diane Chamberlain novel and I remember why I just want to read every book she's ever written!

The Escape Artist is one of Chamberlain's earlier novels, written in 1998 and tells the story of Susanna Miller, a mother who loses legal custody of her eleven-month-old son. Like any mother, she refuses to let anyone take her baby away from her. Susanna ignores the court order dictating she give up her son to his father and his new wife and instead changes her name, changes her appearance, and runs away to give both her and her a son a new start. The hardest part about leaving her old life behind is not having the chance to tell Linc, her lifelong friend and lover, about her plans to leave. 

I could not put this book down. I found myself instantly immersed into the lives of Susanna (who changes her name to Kimberly) and sympathizing with her plight. Chamberlain's beautiful prose never seems to fail to create compelling characters and moving stories. I can't wait to read even more of her work. 

The Shadow Wife by Diane Chamberlain

NOBODY HAS EVER TOLD ME HOW MUCH I HAVE BEEN MISSING BY NOT READING DIANE CHAMBERLAIN! SHE IS THE BEST!

With that said, I just finished reading The Shadow Wife (also known as Cypress Point) by Diane Chamberlain and I have so much love to express for this amazing author!

The Shadow Wife begins in 1937 on a hippie commune in Big Sur when a doctor, Caralynn Shire saves the life of a newborn baby girl. 

Thirty years later, that baby, Joelle, is now a grown social worker dealing with the fact that her best friend, Mara, is living in a nursing home after suffering from brain damage. Joelle also finds herself pregnant with Mara's husband, Liam's, baby.

The current lives of both Caralynn and Joelle are told simultaneously until they reunited 30 years later. 

Chamberlain uses beautiful prose to tell emotional stories filled with likeable characters! I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more!

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Chevy Stevens' Still Missing is a mystery/thriller that tells of the abduction of 32 year old relator, Annie O'Sullivan. The horrifying and disturbing twist that becomes exposed at the end of the novel is a haunting one that will leave your mouth agape.

The story is told to the reader through a series of therapy sessions, letting the reader know immediately that Annie escapes captivity. Throughout the sessions we discover the horrible conditions that O'Sullivan was forced to live in with her captor who she refers to as, "The Freak". 

Still Missing accurately addresses the fact that everything does not simply go "back to normal" after someone returns from such a horrific situation. The final twist comes when Annie finds out who it was that wanted her abducted and their reasoning behind it.

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

I loved The Good Girl by Mary Kubica! It tells the story of Mia Dennett, the daughter of an incredibly wealthy judge and the black sheep of her family, who is kidnapped one night by the man she went home with from a bar. 

The Good Girl wasn't as fast paced as many other thrillers of its kind, however I still found it to be a compelling page turner. I really enjoyed that the story was told out of order and through the point of view of three different characters. It kept me interested whereas otherwise I may have been bored with the fact that the plot wasn't progressing as quickly as I am accustomed to.

Although I don't think this book should have been marketing as, "the next Gone Girl," I did enjoy it and would recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers!

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last Word tells the story of high schooler Samantha McAllister and her secret battle with Purely-Obsessional Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Tamara Ireland Stone delves into the stream of uncontrollable dark thoughts that Samantha is unable to turn off, and the compulsions that Samantha finds herself unable to avoid doing. Unable to ever feel truly happy despite her popularity and seemingly perfect life, Samantha's life changes when she meets Caroline, a new friend who shows her Poet's Corner, a hidden room and club of misfits who share poetry with one another. 

I loved how Sam was able to find solace through art (writing in her case) as so many are able to do in their lives. Although not necessarily the most realistic story, Stone tackled a lot of difficult concepts without holding back and told a beautiful story. Additionally the poetry included in this book was beautiful and I definitely didn't expect Stone's surprising twist towards the end of the book!

Quotes:

• "After you left I sat in silence. Missing you in a way I didn't quiet understand. Wondering if you'd come back."
• "I didn't go there look for you. I went looking for me...but now, here you are, and somehow, in finding you, I think I've found myself"
• "Everyone's got something. Some people are just better actors than others."
• "Look around at the people in your life, one by one, choosing to hold on to the ones who make you stronger and better, and letting go of the ones who don't."
• "Embrace who you are and surround yourself with people who do the same"

Poems:

Over You 

It only took two hundred and forty days

     seven hours

     twenty-six minutes

     and eighteen seconds

But I can finally say it:

     I'm over you.

I no longer think about

     the way your hips move when you walk

     the way your lips move when you read

     the way you always took your glove off

     before you held my hand so you could feel me.

I've completely forgotten about

     texts in the middle of the night, saying you love me, miss me

     inside jokes no one else thinks are funny

     songs that made you want to pull your car over and kiss me immediately.

I can't remember

     how your voice sounds

     how your mouth tastes

     how your bedroom looks when the sun first comes up.

I can't recall

     exactly what you said that day

     what I was wearing

     how long it took me to start crying.

It only took two hundred and forty days

     seven hours

     twenty-six minutes

     and eighteen seconds

     to wipe you from my memory

But if you said you wanted me again today

     or tomorrow

     or two hundred and forty days

     seven hours

     and eighteen minutes from now,

I'm sure it would all come back to me.

Untitled

I like it when you're here.

Everything is quiet.

     Peaceful.

          So silent, I almost feel sane.

You take my mind off my mind.

Stay.

     Just one more page.

Please?

Untitled

I'm not allowed to want you,

And you're not allowed to want me.

So I'll just wait here patiently,

Hoping you'll break the rules.

          

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson

I was immediately intrigued upon hearing about The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson, which is probably fitting seeing as I was a psychology major during my undergrad years at UCLA. 

People use the word "psychopath" flippantly in every day life to excuse the somewhat offbeat things that others do. But what is a psychopath? I turned to Ronson and The Psychopath Test to find out more. The statistics mentioned in the overview are baffling: "They say one out of every hundred people in a psychopath. You probably passed one on the street today." How is that possible? It's a statistic that's difficult to wrap your mind around. It's a fact that suggests that many of the people we interact with on a day-to-day basis could very well be psychopaths. 

I found Ronson's personal experience in The Psychopath Test to be fascinating. He tells what he has recently learned about psychopaths and how at a chemical level their brains are wired differently. It is a condition that is incurable causing their brains to be unable to experience empathy, leaving them to be "manipulative, deceitful, charming, seductive, and delusional."

During the course of the novel, Ronson meets an influential and well respected psychologist who strongly believes that many of the business leaders and politicians in our world are in fact high-functioning psychopaths who have managed to use their condition in order to succeed in the professional world. 

I found The Psychopath Test to be a fascinating read and loved accompanying Ronson on his "journey through the madness industry".


Quotes

• "There is no evidence that we've been placed on this planet to be especially happy or especially normal. And in fact our unhappiness and our strangeness, our anxieties and compulsions, those least fashionable aspects of our personalities, are quite often what lead us to do rather interesting things."
• "Feeling no remorse must be a blessing when all you have are your memories"
• "If you're beginning to feel worried that you may be a psychopath, if you recognize some of these traits in yourself, if you're feeling a creeping anxiety about it, that means you are not one."

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is definitely a tear jerker. The story takes place in France during World War II. It tells of the Nazi occupation of France and the way that this impacted the women and children who were left behind while their husbands and fathers went to war. The Nightingale is the often untold story of what happens on the home front. It is a story of fear, loss, love, survival, and strength. 

Vianne and Isabelle are two very different sisters who do their best to survive during wartime. Vianne tries to maintain a sense of normalcy for her daughter, Sophie, while her husband is at war (and eventually put into a Nazi war camp). Her life is upended as Nazi soldiers move into her home, her best friend is taken away because she is Jewish, and food becomes scarcely available. At the same time, she struggles to deal with her rebellious younger sister, Isabelle, who, despite her good intentions, always seems intent on causing havoc. 

Isabelle is intent on joining the resistance and risks her life in order to save many who would have otherwise been killed. Vianne, too, ends up saving the lives of many through her selfless and brave acts.

The Nightingale is both tragic and moving. It really makes you think about what so many families had to endure during the years of the war. The fear that became such a normal part of their lives is a heartbreaking reality that we too often forget. Both women in this story are inspirational, and represent the many war heroes that are too often forgotten. 

Despite the fact that I do not usually read historical fiction, I absolutely loved The Nightingale and think that Hannah did an amazing job of capturing the essence of the time period and creating moving and multidimensional characters. 

Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock

Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock tells the story of an 8 year old girl, Carrie, and her younger sister, Emma, and the tragic and horrifying home life they both have to endure. This book is not for the faint hearted as it's theme revolves greatly around child and familial abuse and neglect.

After the brutal murder of her kind-hearted father, Carrie has difficulty keeping up in school, making friends, and staying out of trouble. Her mother's new husband is both physically and mentally abusive and her mother is often neglectful. Carrie's only salvation is her brave and daring younger sister for whom she would do anything. 

The plot twist at the end really hit me hard. I had a ton of speculations, but I definitely didn't guess the ending. It was even more heartbreaking than anything I could have imagined. The final message definitely stayed with me long after I closed the book.

Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult

Where There's Smoke is a short story written by one of my all time favorite authors Jodi Picoult. Where There's Smoke is a prequel to Leaving Time, a full length novel by Picoult. Larger Than Life is another prequel to Leaving Time as well. Prior to reading Where There's Smoke I had completed both of the other two.

Where There's Smoke introduces Serenity Jones, a primary character in Leaving Time. Jones is a psychic medium who now stars on her own cable TV show where she contacts the deceased love ones. Jones is different because where many other psychics are merely reading body language clues or taking guesses she possesses a true psychic ability and has since she was only four years old.  

I love the way that Picoult develops her characters and her verbiage is excellent as always. If you are a Picoult fan you will not be disappointed with this one!

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

I just finished reading You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz. This novel tells the story of Grace Reinhart Sachs, a therapist and the author of a book in which she encourages women to trust their instincts and first impressions of the men in their lives. Grace believes that the signs of trouble in a marriage or relationship often reveal themselves early on. Grace leads a seemingly perfect life and has a wonderful marriage with a man she is madly in love with, but her life begins to unravel when a mother at her son's school is found brutally murdered. 

I have to say that I found You Should Have Known to be very predictable and anticlimactic. Despite the fact that Korelitz is a beautiful writer, the story lacked a certain amount of depth necessary to captivate the reader and as a result I often found myself bored. I truly didn't find the characters interesting and although the story line had potential, I didn't feel that it was well executed overall. 

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

I have to say that I was sadly disappointed with Requiem, the third installment in the Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver. Had I not been determined to finish the series, I would have put the book down long before the ending. I really enjoyed Delirium and it felt like the series just went downhill from there. 

I felt like Lena and Alex completely lost whatever it was that they had between them and that it was unlikely that Alex, after risking his life and almost dying to save Lena, would be so hostile and abrasive. Additionally, I really didn't like the way that Lena led Julian on when it was clear that she only wanted to be with Alex. I found my mind wandering during a large part of the book which is a BIG sign that I'm not enjoying what I'm reading. I also thought that the ending was a HUGE letdown that didn't do the series any justice. 

Quotes I Liked:

• "You can't love, not fully, unless you are loved in return"
• "How can someone have the power to shatter you to dust - and also to make you feel so whole?"'
• "There are some losses we never get over"
• "He is no longer mine to lose, but the grief is there, a gnawing sense of disbelief"
• "People do terrible things, sometimes for the best reasons"

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

**DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT YET COMPLETED DELIRIUM by LAUREN OLIVER**

So naturally as soon as I finished reading Delirium the first thing I did was go and download Pandemonium, it's sequel. This book by Lauren Oliver continues the story of Lena after her escape into the Wilds. Lena has to learn to leave her past behind her and create a new identity and a new life for herself as an Invalid. 

Although at times I found myself a bit bored (the writing was quite slow) the story overall is riveting and keeps you turning the pages! The book is told in alternating chapter of "then" (when Lena first arrived in the Wilds) and "now" (Lena's present life as a part of the Resistance).

Once again I will mention the beautiful prose that Lauren Oliver uses allowing the book to truly captivate the reader and delve them into this dystopian universe. I have to say that I was never truly surprised by any of the events that unfolded, and I felt as if I was waiting for them to happen throughout the entire book (not trying to give away any spoilers here!) With that said, however, I think that Oliver did a wonderful job of continuing this series.

...and now onto read the final book in the series! 

Quotes I liked:

• "Anger is useful only to a certain point. After that, it becomes rage, and rage will make you careless."
• "There is no before. There is only now and what comes next."
• "That is what hatred is. It will feed you and at the same time turn you to rot."
• "Stupid how the mind will try to distract itself"
• "It's amazing how close I have been, all this time, to my old life. And yet the distance that divides me from it is vast"
• "I didn't realize then what a privilege that was: to be bored with your best friend; to have time to waste"

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium is written by Lauren Oliver, the author of Before I Fall. Delirium tells the story of an alternative reality where love has been made illegal. Love is considered a disease known as "amor deliria nervosa" that can be cured by an operation performed on the brain. The society depicted requires every member to be "cured" as soon as they turn 18. Oliver tells the story of Lena, a member of this dystopian society, who is eagerly awaiting her "procedure," but this all changes when she meets Alex.  

While reading Delirium I was constantly reminded of a book I read when I was in middle school: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Both tell the stories of parallel universes, dystopian societies that require all members to receive a "cure". Both begin with the protagonist wholeheartedly believing in the values that their society perpetuates and both have their views drastically changed when meeting a love interest. 

Although I found Delirium to be particularly slow in the beginning, I found myself liking the book and as soon as I finished I went to purchase the sequel. Oliver is able to create a realistic alternate reality that causes you to think about the love that exists in your life. The ending was a bit of a let down, but I'm sure that the next book in the series Pandemonium  will fix that!



Some of my favorite quotes:

• "You can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes"
• "Love: it will kill you and save you, both"
• "It's so strange how life works: You want something and you wait and wait and feel like it's taking forever to come. Then it happens and it's over and all you want to do is curl back up in that moment before things changed."
• "[Love is] the deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't"
• "It's amazing how words can do that, just shred your insides apart."
• "Hearts are fragile things. That's why you have to be so careful"
• "And now I know why they invented words for love, why they had to: It's the only thing that can come close to describing what I feel in that moment, the baffling mixture of pain and pleasure and fear and joy, all running sharply through me at once"
• "Take it from me: If you hear the past speaking to you, feel it tugging up your back and running it's fingers up your spine, the best thing to do - the only thing - is run"
• "The past is nothing but a weight. It will build inside of you like a stone"

Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak by Writers Famous & Obscure

Definitely not a novel, but Six Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak is something I have been wanting to read for a while! It took me about 20 minutes to finish this book cover-to-cover but I really did enjoy it!

I've listed by favorite "memoirs" below:

• Not always perfect. But so worthwhile - Lauren Anderson
• Unrequited love is just another addiction - Amanda Faith Moore
• Hearts never look both ways first - Tanya Jarrett
• I loved the idea of you - Audrey Adu-Appiah
• I thought we had more time - Joe Hill
• Waiting to forget your name again - Cybele Paschke
• Arrived with hope, left with heartache. - Kacey Barron
• Romance remembered often better than experienced - Jean Feingold
• Still have hope. Maybe he'll change - Ariel Leve
• Love almost always leads to heartbreak - Raoul Felder, Esq.
• Tried men. Tried women. Like cats. - Dona Bumgarner
• Good as friends, disasters as lovers - Shani Friedman
• More complicated than movies let on - Erin McIntosh
• Love, unreturned is still worth feeling - Lisa Stanton
• I love you but fuck you. - Dean Haspiel
• She owns my heart, always will. - Scott Lynn
• Love makes the world go stupid. -David Sandler
• Now I hate hearing that song - T'Anna Holst
• In hindsight, I'd still choose you - Natana Gill
• Romantic comedies screwed me for life - Daniela Medina

Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin

As soon as I finished reading Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter I was desperate for more psychological thrillers. I read lists upon lists of recommendations and one book that kept popping up was Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin. 

This book is nothing if not a page turner! I finished it in barely over 12 hours 

Black-Eyed Susans tells the story of Tessa (formerly known as Tessie) who was found in a field still alive surrounded by the remains of other girls covered in Black-Eyed Susans (flowers for those who aren't familiar.) The story is narrated primarily by Tessa (present day) and young Tessie (after the discovery).

Heaberlin slowly provides bits of information sure to leave you guessing and wondering who the "monster" really is. Is the man on death row the killer or is the real killer still on the prowl?

I don't want to give too much information but I definitely enjoyed this book! No, it wasn't quite as twisted or enticing as Pretty Girls or a Gillian Flynn novel, however it was definitely worth the read! 

Room by Emma Donoghue

I have been waiting to read Room by Emma Donoghue for what seems like forever. Usually when I have so many expectations built up for a story I end up disappointed, but not with Room.

For those who don't know, Room tells the story of Jack who was born and grew up in an eleven by eleven foot room that he believes is the entire world. To his Ma, though, Room is the place where she has been held prisoner by Old Nick for the past seven years.

This book is the emotional and heartbreaking story of Ma and Jack and their escape from Room where they have spent so many years. Many parts of the novel are disturbing and horrifying. The entire book is told through the perspective of five-year old Jack.

I don't want to give any more away, but I would definitely recommend reading!

Four Seconds to Lose by K.A. Tucker

I just finished reading Four Seconds to Lose which is the third book in the Ten Tiny Breaths series by K.A. Tucker. These books, however, can all be read as stand-alone novels as they all tell the individual stories of several different characters. It is fun, though, to note the appearance of beloved characters from previous books as you read.


Four Seconds to Lose was my absolute favorite book in the series by far! Where I found the other stories to be slow and predictable, Four Seconds to Lose managed to keep me on my toes. I quickly felt myself become connected to the characters in the story and was disappointed to see it end (as I always am when I read a good book!)

For those who have read the others in the series, Four Seconds to Lose tells the story of Cain and shows a side of him that is quite endearing. I highly recommend this novel even if you are not a fan of the others in this series as it is a great stand alone book as well!

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

I originally picked up Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter after seeing it on the New York Times' Best Seller List for quite some time. I love psychological thrillers and I had heard this book was likened to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train (both of which I was totally enamored with) so I was really excited to start reading!

I was not disappointed, although a quick disclaimer that this book is not for the fainthearted! This book was absolutely phenomenal, but I also don't think I have ever read a book that has had me feeling so queasy or left me with such unease. If you're anything like me this book will leave you with tears in your eyes and chills running up and down your spine.

Pretty Girls is one of those books where the mystery becomes more and more intricate with every page. The descriptions are graphic and every detail is poignant! I found myself going back and rereading certain sections to make sure I picked up on every single word. I love books where you can tell that the author spent time making sure every single question is answered and that every piece of information fits together, and this book is definitely one of them. I didn't sleep for 2 days until I finished this book because it was that engrossing (and horrifying).


READ, READ, READ!!!

Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt

I just finished reading Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt. I've been looking forward to this one for a long time! For those of you who don't know, this is the true story of an inspiring and brave transgender girl, her family, and her identical twin brother and the journey that had to underwent in order to ensure that their daughter was treated fairly.

This is a beautiful story about being true to yourself and how important it is to stand up for what you believe in. I greatly appreciated how informative and inspirational this book is. It does a wonderful job of explaining the struggles that the family endured and that many transgender children have to experience on a daily basis. I do wish, however, that the narration was told more through the perspective of Nicole and her brother rather than the perspective of the parents. I would have been more interested to hear about the experiences that the family went through, through the voices of the teens. Nevertheless, this story was very powerful and moving.