The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

I had this book on my "To Read" list for so long, and I cannot believe that such a gem of a novel has been sitting in my TBR pile! This book was nothing short of fantastic!

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine (pen name of 2 sisters who co-wrote this book) tells the story of Amber Patterson, a woman desperate to do whatever it takes to become one of the "elite". Amber has spent her life detesting those who grew up with the privileged life she always longed before, and she is determined to secure this lifestyle for herself. Her plan is simple... befriend Daphne Parrish and slowly infiltrate her life until she is able to push Daphne out of the way and secure Mr. Parrish for herself.

My favorite part of the book was the change in character perspectives in the second half. It was reminiscent of Gone Girl in the best way possible. I found myself unable to put this book down and greatly look forward to reading anything else Liv Constantine publishes!

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

A Good Neighborhood tells the story of two very different families living next door to one another in Oak Knoll, a "good" neighborhood in North Carolina. Valerie Alston-Holt is a widow and a professor of ecology raising her biracial teenage son on her own. All is peaceful until the Whitman family moves next door. The two families become at odds with one another initially over the treatment of a historic Oaktree and soon after over the budding romantic relationship between their teenage children.

For the first half of this book, I really, really, really enjoyed it. Fowler did an amazing job with the character development of each of the main characters in the novel. The last quarter of the book took a wild turn that had me reeling, and yet... the ending fell short. In fact, I couldn't have been more upset, disturbed, or let down by the ending. I felt as though this book was so strong and compelling and the ending was much too abrupt and unsatisfying.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

The Grace Year is set in a dystopian universe in which it is widely believed that girls possess magic so powerful they must be banished for this 16th year. The story follows Tierney Jones, a feisty 16-year-old, as she embarks on her Grace Year. She finds that the biggest threat isn't the poachers who lurk in the woods awaiting their chance to kill, nor is it the struggle of foraging for their own food and shelter -- it's each other. 

This book sparked such intense thoughts within me about the underlying meaning and Liggett's message on the way our modern society encourages and forces women to be pit against one another and that female success is only possible if others fail. I loved the way this book enforced the power of females coming together and how strong they are when they unite. The true definition of synergy. 

I went into this book completely blind and was really blown away by it! It's a mixture between The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale. I was really impressed by the whole dystopian universe that Kim Liggett created. I found myself thinking of the book any time I wasn't reading it as I was so deeply immersed in the lives of the characters, particularly the protagonist, Tierney. I'm so glad that I read this book as it's definitely one of my 2020 favorites so far!