The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

 

Jodi Picoult has been one of my favorite authors for as long as I can remember. Every time I read her books I fly through them and find myself depressed when it’s coming to an end. Her unique and captivating voice as an author is unrivaled. The Book of Two Ways was captivating from the very start. By the time that I was 3/4 of the way through the book, I was trying to force myself to slow down so that I could savor every page and make it last just a little longer. If that’s not a sign of an amazing book, I don’t know what is! 

The novel starts with the protagonist, Dawn Edelstien, onboard a commercial flight when the passengers are told to prepare for a crash landing. She miraculously survives the crash but is unable to forget the images that flashed through her mind. It wasn’t her husband or daughter, it was her first love, a man she hasn’t seen in over a decade.

From here the book splits into two possible futures that unravel side by side. In one scenario, she returns home to her family, in the other, she does the unthinkable and flies to Egypt to seek out the man with whom she left a piece of her heart. 

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

 

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight is a thriller/mystery that is full of surprises. The secrets unravel slowly as you get deeper and deeper into the story and the story definitely keeps you on your toes! 

When Lizzie Kitsakis was in law school she imagined herself being a federal prosecutor. Her current job at a corporate law firm is not what she ever wanted, but she and her husband need the money, so she made the sacrifice. 

One night she gets a call from an old friend from law school who she hasn’t spoken to in years. He begs her to help him as he’s been arrested under suspicion of murdering his wife. Despite the fact that taking on his case is the last thing that Lizzie wants, she is persuaded by both her friend and a partner at her law firm to take the case. The more that Lizzie discovers about the case, the less certain she becomes of her friend’s innocence, 

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

 

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves is truly one that got better with each chapter! It told from the point of view of both Annika and Jonathan and alternates between 2001 and 1991. 

It starts with the protagonist, Annika, running into her first love in a grocery store. The one who got away ten years ago. Upon reuniting with Jonathan, Annika is determined to prove to him that she is different than the girl he used to know.

Annika is different than most people. She likes to be alone. Most people make her feel uncomfortable. She always seems to say and do the wrong thing. This is why she’s confused when Jonathan keeps showing interest in her and continuing to find and seek her out at chess club. She knows that letting him go was the biggest mistake she’s ever made, so she’s determined to make sure she takes advantage of this second chance the universe has given her. 

I cannot suggest this book highly enough. This is definitely one to add to your “To Be Read” pile!

 

Since this book came out, I feel like I saw it everywhere. I have had Untamed by Glennon Doyle on my “TBR” list forever and just finally got around to reading it. Actually, for this one, I listened to the audiobook! I loved that she did the narration herself! 

I went into this with no idea what to expect. Doyle is an author and motivational speaker. I found this book to be full of interesting quips, although as a whole. Untamed is best described as a motivational, self-help, feminist manifesto. I enjoyed her voice and perspective, but overfall it seemed to me that it went on for just a little bit too long. It started to feel redundant at times. 

 

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is different than anything else she’s ever written. 

It tells the story of a rock ’n’ roll band in the late 70s and is written in such a way that you question whether it is in fact, non-fiction. It is told in an oral history format and reads like a series of interviews and stories by the band members themselves. 

This novel takes us on the road with a legendary rock band. We travel with them through their formative years and experience their rising fame and success alongside them. Not only do we get to follow their professional success, but we also have the chance to have an inside look at what was going on behind the scenes. Daisy Jones & The Six truly takes you behind the curtain and allows you to experience the music industry as you never have before. I highly recommend this story to music fans out there!

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

 

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a great mystery/thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed! It takes place in multiple timelines, switching from the present day to the past. This story also contains three narrators. 

The present-day story takes place in England and tells the story of Libby Jones, a girl who was orphaned and subsequently adopted as an infant. On her 25th birthday, she receives a letter from a solicitor. She has anticipated the arrival of this letter, but the content of the envelope leaves her speechless. According to the solicitor, her late parents have left her a mansion in Chelsea, one of London's poshest neighborhoods. Although the house is in less than pristine condition, Libby knows that her life of living paycheck to paycheck is about to change. 

When we learn about the mansion's past and the tragic downfall of the wealthy family who once lived there. 

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

 

I picked up Dark Matter not knowing what to expect. To say that I am mind-blown is an UNDERSTATEMENT. This book reminds me of the movie "Inception" in the sense that it makes your mind think of things that you have never imagined before. It is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller that will make your headache as you try to grapple with the concepts that Blake Crouch has put together. 

Dark Matter begins with Jason Dessen, a man who is relatively content with his life. He has a wife and a son and although he sometimes thinks about the "what if" scenarios that could have arisen had he and his wife chosen to pursue their own careers instead of settling down and raising a family, he is happy with the life that he has created for himself. 

One night while walking home after meeting a friend for a drink, Jason is abducted by a masked and armed man. The questions the abductor asks are unusual. He questions him about his life and his family and whether or not he is happy.

Soon after, Jason wakes up in an unfamiliar location strapped to a gurney and surrounded by strangers wearing hazmat suits. He quickly realizes that he has awoken in a parallel universe where life as he knew it doesn't exist. In this "new life" he is an acclaimed scientist who has accomplished something novel that was thought to be impossible. How does he get back to his old life? What led him here? Did he take the right path?

I am not usually a sci-fi reader but I am SO happy that I read Dark Matter!

One of my favorite quotes from the book is "it's terrifying when you consider that every thought we have, every choice we could make, branches into a new world."

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

 

I started reading Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson yesterday afternoon and was unable to put it down until I finished. Needless to say, my night was devoted to devouring this book. If you love a good psychological thriller or murder mystery I cannot recommend this book enough. Swanson's book is a fast-paced page-turner that keeps you on your toes. The twist in the last tenth of the book definitely left me with my mouth agape. I definitely did not see that coming and still cannot stop thinking about that plot twist. 

Before She Knew Him tells the story of Hen and her husband Lloyd who have just moved into a new neighborhood outside of Boston, Massachusetts. A seemingly ordinary dinner at their neighbor's house turns troublesome when Hen spots a fencing trophy that she is nearly positive is the exact trophy that went missing after a murder a few years ago. 

Lloyd and the police are hesitant to believe Hen's claims, especially since she has a history of false accusations that arose during a manic episode of her bipolar disorder. Hen is determined to make sure that her neighbor is caught and apprehended and will stop at nothing. 

This is definitely my favorite Peter Swanson book so far and has me yearning to read more. I hope they live up to the standard that Before She Knew Him has set!

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

 

I’m honestly having trouble finding the words to write about this book. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver is haunting. It's uncomfortable. It's tragic. And it's disturbing. 

It is told from the perspective of Eva Khatchadourian, a woman who was never sure about motherhood to begin with. Eva is the mother of Kevin, a boy who murdered nine people just days before his 16th birthday. We Need to Talk About Kevin is written through a series of letters from Eva to her estranged husband, Franklin. Through her letters, Eva details her life starting from before Kevin's birth to the present day. This book causes the reader to ponder the topic of nature versus nurture, and question which aspects of both led Kevin to turn out the way that he did.

Although this book is not for the faint of heart, I thought it was well written and compelling. 

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

I really enjoyed In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. It’s the sort of book that reminds me of a romantic comedy. I quickly devoured the story from front to back within a few hours. I would highly recommend it! 

It tells the story of Dannie Cohen, a woman best described as a “planner”. She has her whole life figured out from her dream job to when she will get married. Her plans seem to be coming to fruition as she and her boyfriend get engaged the same night she interviews for her dream job at a prestigious law firm. 

Everything is working out perfectly until she has a dream in which she finds herself engaged to another man. The dream takes place 5 years in the future and feels like more than just a dream. Despite the fact that she doesn’t believe in “visions”, the dream leads Dannie to question everything. As years go on, Dannie finds herself unable to forget the dream. 

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!