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
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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

Like Mother, Like Mother

 

“Like Mother, Like Mother” by Susan Rieger
Published by Random House
 
This is a family drama of 3 generations of women, all dysfunctional.  I had a few issues with the stories and characters themselves but overall, it was a good book.  One odd aspect, rather than a lot of character self-reflection, other loved ones did character dissections of them.  Because of the lack of self-reflection, there was no true change from generation to generation of a certain “trait”.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.
 
Side note – I’ve been sick and just getting out of a reading slump.  Both of those might issues have affected my review.
 
Finished 11/9 – 3/5 stars
 
#likemotherlikemother
#susanrieger
#randomhouse
#netgalley
#2024reads
#bookstagram

The Great Gimmelmans

 

“The Great Gimmelmans” by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Published by Level Best Books

 

The story itself is good – I definitely enjoyed it.  It starts out with a little Schitt’s Creek vibe but then turns into a more intense version of We’re The Millers as the family drives around in their RV committing crimes after the stock market crash caused them to lose all their money.  It’s told in the point of view of the middle child – a 12-year-old boy who grows up a lot faster than any tween should have to.  There were many times I had to remind myself that he was just a young boy.  It takes place in the 80s so as a Gen Xer who went through her teens and early 20s during that time, I initially found some of the 80s references fun.  But truly, in the long run they were just too excessive and became a distraction from the story itself.  I think the book would probably have been a 4-star read (and shorter) had there been less unnecessary 80s references and song lyrics, putting more focus on the characters and storyline.  Again, I did like it….I just got annoyed by the 80s overkill.  As long as you don’t think that will bother you, I would recommend it.

 

Thank you to Lee Matthew Goldberg for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.

 

Finished 10/6/24 – 3/5 stars

 

#thegreatgimmelmans #leematthewgoldberg #levelbestbooks #2024reads #genxreads #bookstagram

 

 

“The Woman in Me” by Britney Spears
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
 
Although I like some of her songs, I wouldn’t call myself a fan but was very curious to hear what Britney had to say.  Obviously, the book is just one sided, but I believe the majority of what she is saying and believe she is entitled to every feeling she has.  I honestly think if she had been properly diagnosed and treated for post-partum once her 2^nd son was born, her life would have been completely different.  Instead, her family took advantage of her, didn’t get her to medical/mental assistance she needed, and mis-treated her in various ways.  Unfortunately, in too many cases the abused go back to the abusers and she’ll get wrapped up in her family’s unhealthy ways again.  I hope not though.  No one deserves to be controlled in the ways she was.    
 
Side note – I’m very glad Michelle Williams narrated it.  Britney read the intro and I could not have listened to 6 hours of her non-singing voice.
 
Finished 10/4/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#thewomaninme #britneyspears #simonandschuster #audiobooks #2024reads #genxreads

The Truth About the Accident

 “The Truth About the Accident” by Nicole Trope
Published by Grand Central Publishing
 
I’m honestly not 100% sure how I feel about this book.  The way it’s written is great, but I didn’t like a single character.  Not one.  It’s hard to love a book when you continually want to throw it across the room in frustration of the characters’ actions or lack thereof.  It’s the story of a hit and run of a pedestrian crossing a busy street on a rainy day in Australia.  It’s told in multiple points of view – all women with some form of relationship with the man who has been hit and now lays unconscious in a hospital room.  Throughout the book you are kept wondering if one of them was driving the car that hit him.  You do finally find out at the end just what happened, but no spoilers here.  You’ll have to read it if you really want to know.
 
Finished 9/29/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#thetruthabouttheaccident #nicoletrope #grandcentralpublishing #2024reads #genxreads

Night Road

“Night Road” by Kristin Hannah
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin
 
This is my first Kristin Hannah book that isn’t historical fiction, and I loved it just as much as the others I’ve read.  I was definitely engrossed in the storyline because it actually brought tears to my eyes a few times and I don’t cry easily at books.  I’m guessing that is partly because I have 2 young adult daughters that I recently helped guide through those teen years, so it hit a little too close to home at times.  Overall, I would say it is a story of choices and consequences (both for children and parents alike), trauma and healing, friendships, and above all, family and the love that binds us.  I highly recommend this one. It may be heart wrenching at times but it is also loaded with many other emotions and feel good moments.
 
Finished 9/22/24 – 5/5 stars
 
#nightroad #kristinhannah #stmartinsgriffin #5starreads #2024reads #genxreads #bookstagram