Crying in H Mart

 “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner
Published by Random House
 
I know, this is not the popular opinion, but I didn’t enjoy this one.  If you took out all the parts about food, the book would probably be half its size.  I understand that food played a part in the mother/daughter relationship, but I found it excessive.  I would have rather read more about their interactions than the ingredients in a dish or how to make it.  Sorry, I don’t recommend this one.
 
Finished 12/15/24 – 2/5 stars

Between Two Kingdoms

 
“Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted” by Suleika Jaouad
Published by Random House Audio
 
I enjoyed listening to this memoir read by the author.  First you find out about her life with symptoms that went undiagnosed, then her time fighting leukemia, and finally her quest to find out what life would hold after cancer.  There were parts I found a little self-centered, although understandable.  But there were many more parts that I found insightful and thought provoking.  Although it deals with sickness and dying (not the author), I didn’t find it depressing.  I would recommend it.
 
Side note – I had never heard of this author prior, but she became well known during her cancer fight for the articles she published in the NY Times as well a video journal she kept and published.  She’s also the wife of Jon Batiste, former band leader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
 
Finished 12/13/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#betweentwokingdoms #suleikajaouad #randomhouse #2024reads #genxreads

The Last to Vanish

 “The Last to Vanish” by Megan Miranda
Published by Marysue Rucci Books (Simon & Schuster)
 
This is my second book by Megan Miranda and I just know I’ll be reading more.  I really like her writing style.  In the last one I read (All the Missing Girls), each chapter went back a day in time, so it was essentially told backwards.  For this story, there have been multiple instances over the years of people going missing from a small tourist town in NC.  Each section of the book is focused on one event, starting with the newest one.  When looking into the most recent disappearance, they learn something about the next most recent one.  So each section may focus on just one event, but it also provides insight in to the one prior.  It continues like that until you come to the original disappearance and then all the pieces are revealed as to what happened to each person.  That description may make it sound like the book is confusing, but it’s not.  It’s just a different way to spread them out rather than focusing on all the disappearances at the same time.  I really enjoyed it.
 
I only have two negatives.  At one point one of the characters just goes “silent” for a little bit with no explanation.  It was like they were forgotten (although my brain kept asking “where is x?”) until they suddenly reappeared at just the right time.  The other is that there was a backstory thrown in at the last minute that I didn’t find necessary.  Yes, it added an extra twist to the story but to me it felt “forced” and didn’t need to be there.  It took away from the flow of the story.  But even with those two personal criticisms, I still really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.
 
Finished 12/8/24 – 4/5 stars
 
#thelasttovanish #meganmiranda #marysueruccibooks #simonandschuster #2024reads #genxreads

The Housemaid is Watching

 
“The Housemaid is Watching” by Frieda McFadden
Published by Poisoned Pen Press
 
I enjoyed this one but not as much as the first two in the series.  As Frieda herself wrote on page 323 – “The third in a series usually isn’t that great”.  It was your standard Frieda McFadden book with her making the reader question everyone’s intentions, continually thinking you know exactly what will happen (some you’ll be right about, others not so much), and plenty of little twists.  Unfortunately, I thought the final twist in the epilogue was one twist too many.  There was also a section with the daughter’s point of view that I wasn’t fond of.  I liked that we had the point of view of one of the kids but it just felt “off”.  Other than those 2 sections, I really enjoyed it.
 
Finished 12/4/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#thehousemaidiswatching #freidamcfadden #poisonedpenpress #genxreads #2024reads

Weyward

 
“Weyward” by Emelia Hart
Published by St. Martin’s Press
 
This is 3 generations (not consecutive) of women, each told in their own point of view.  In each story, there are abusive male characters and strong female characters.  I didn’t find it to be a feel-good book, but I can see where it would be empowering for some.  I can also see where it would be triggering for some due to the abuse and pregnancy issues (to be polite).  For me, the storyline was OK but the writing was better.  It was fairly slow moving but towards the end, each story became more intense and more of a page turner.  I do recommend it; I just don’t know that it was worth all the hype it received.
 
Finished 11/29/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#weyward
#emeliahart
#stmartinspress
#bookofthemonth
#2024reads

The Truth About Alice

 “The Truth About Alice” by Jennifer Mathieu
Published by Square Fish
 
There are differences in opinions as to what ages YA books are for….some say high school and others say post high school to mid-20s.  This book is definitely written for high schoolers.  Unfortunately, it’s probably banned (ugh!!) in many locations because there is mention of teen drinking, sex, abortion, and death.  But it also speaks to the rumor mill that is high school, bullying, peer pressure, the need to fit in, and the hurt of being left out.  I feel there are plenty of teenagers that would benefit from reading this book.
 
Finished 11/17/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#thetruthaboutalice
#jennifermathieu
#squarefish
#2024reads
#bookstagram

The Lake of Lost Girls

 “The Lake of Lost Girls” by Katherine Greene
Published by Crooked Lane Books
 
I definitely enjoyed this one!  This story is about the search for answers regarding 4 young ladies who went missing from their college in a small town about 24 years ago.  It’s told in dual timelines with multiple points of view, including a cold case podcast.  You’ll find yourself bouncing between multiple people that you suspect to be the abductor and won’t know for sure until the last 5-10 percent of the book.  The only issue I had was that on my Kindle it was hard to read some of the “pictures” like social media posts and a newspaper article because I couldn’t enlarge the font for those.  It definitely didn’t take away from the story, but I’d recommend the printed version because of it.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.
 
Finished 11/15/24 – 4/5 stars
 
#thelakeoflostgirls
#katherinegreene
#netgalley
#crookedlanebooks
#2024reads
#bookstagram