The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

 

“The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany” by Lori Nelson Spielman
Published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House
 
Over 200 years ago a curse was put on the family so that the 2^nd daughter would not find love.  Generations of the family have had 2^nd daughters unmarried and alone – is the curse real or is it a mental acceptance of fate making it so?  Three 2^nd daughters make a trip to Italy to try and break the curse once and for all.  So of course there is romance and family drama within the story.  I found it to be quite a sweet story of self-reflection, self-love, and family-love.
 
Finished 7/27/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#starcrossedsistersoftuscany #lorinelsonspielman #berkley #penguinrandomhouse #bookofthemonth #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews #genxreads #bookstagram

The Perfect Sister

 

“The Perfect Sister” by Stephanie DeCarolis
Published by Bantam Books / Random House
 
When Alex’s sister goes missing, she goes searching for her in the Hamptons.  During that search we learn about their poor dysfunctional family and meet a new rich dysfunctional family.  Not one normal, run of the mill, character in this book.  But everyone is given their own point of view chapters so that you can get to know them each better, and dislike them even more.  Well, except the sisters… they are somewhat likable characters.  The book is definitely full of twists and turns – just when you think you figured it out, something happens or is said to change your mind.  It’s all pretty far-fetched, but the author keeps you pulled along at a pretty good pace. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a good read.  And in the author’s acknowledgments there is mention of movie and TV rights so maybe there’s more to come.
 
Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam Books, and Random House for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.
 
Finished 7/17/24 – 3/4 stars
 
#theperfectsister #stephaniedecarolis #bantambooks #randomhouse #netgalley #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews

The Guncle

 
“The Guncle” by Steven Rowley
Published by Putnam
 
I picked this up for a funny beach read but it was so much more than that.  Yes, I laughed…often.  But I also cried a couple times.  It’s a wonderful mix of emotions.  And the characters are absolutely fabulous – I liked every one of them for different reasons with GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) being my favorite.  Every child should have a GUP to spend the summer with when they need a break from reality.
 
Finished 7/11/24 – 5/5 stars
 
#theguncle #stevenrowley #putnam #5starreads #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews

The Bookseller's Secret

 
“The Bookseller’s Secret” by Michelle Gable
Published by Graydon House
 
This is historical fiction told in two different timelines - the 1940s and present-day England (with a little time in the USA thrown in there).  The 40s follows the life of author Nancy Mitford and the present day follows the life of a fictional author researching Mitford.  I thought both storylines were good, however, it felt like Ms. Gable tried to throw in too many unnecessary facts regarding minor characters and sometimes even Mitford.  I found them somewhat distracting at times, taking away from the story.  Overall, it was a good read though.
 
Finished 7/10/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#thebooksellerssecret #michellegable #graydonhouse #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews

The Coworker

 

“The Coworker” by Freida McFadden
Published by Sourcebooks
 
This is my 4^th book by this author, and I think it’s my least favorite.  I didn’t predict the main twist but once that was out in the open, I guessed most of the rest.  Overall, I didn’t find it very believable and I completely hated the ending.  Up until then, I thought it was a pretty good read though.
 
Finished 7/8/24 – 3/5 stars
 
#thecoworker #friedamcfadden #sourcebooks #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews

A Good Neighborhood

 

“A Good Neighborhood” by Therese Anne Fowler
Published by St. Martin’s Press
 
A good novel will have you feeling some type of emotion.  This one just made me so angry!  I knew from the beginning something bad was going to happen, I just didn’t know what.  I knew fairly early on that I didn’t like the stepfather, I just didn’t realize how much that would be true.  I also knew I wasn’t a big fan of the teen-age daughter, and yep, she made me angry too.  And once I saw the end coming, I had tears forming in my eyes.  And not just because I was sad…. but because I was so mad.  If reading this book doesn’t make you angry and want to scream, there’s something terribly wrong with you because this is NOT a feel-good kind of book…. but I recommend it anyway.
 
Finished 7/7/24 – 4/5 stars
 
#agoodneighborhood #thereseannefowler #stmartinspress #bookofthemonth #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews

The Lost Story

 

“The Lost Story” by Meg Shaffer
Published by Ballantine Books
 
This book was out of my comfort zone because I don’t read fantasy and not much YA, which I feel like this is (although characters are older most of the time).  But when it was described to be like Narnia, with humans in a fantasy world, I thought I’d give it a try.  I’m really glad a did – I read it in less than 24 hours!  The story itself was great but it also has “storyteller” chapters with a narrator like a fairytale and some of those chapters made me chuckle out loud – such fun!  It’s not like books I normally recommend and don’t know that it’s everyone’s cup of tea, but I hope everyone will give it a try and let it bring out their inner child’s imagination.  And bonus, there’s a recipe for an apple cake at the back that sounds delicious.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the complimentary copy of this book.  As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.
 
Finished 7/5/24 – 4/5 stars (publication date 7/16/24)
 
#theloststory #megshaffer #ballantinebooks #netgalley #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews

Dirt Creek

 

“Dirt Creek” by Hayley Scrivenor
Published by Flatiron Books
 
This is a sad and heartbreaking novel, but I truly enjoyed it anyway.  The story takes place in a small rural town in Australia where a young girl has gone missing.  From the first chapter you know she died but you then go back a few days prior to when she doesn’t return home from school and follow the investigation.  It’s told from multiple points of view, one being the collective “we”, representing the town’s children as a whole.  Reading those chapters took a little getting used to because initially I was trying to figure out who the “we” specifically was, which was distracting from the story.  Once I stopped trying to assign those chapters to an actual person it was fine.  Overall, I think it was a really good book that I recommend others read.  Just know, there isn’t anything uplifting – it’s not a “feel good” book.
 
This is the author’s debut novel. I just learned she has another one coming out at the end of this month that I’ve now added to my ever growing TBR list.
 
Finished 7/4 – 4/5 stars
 
#dirtcreek #hayleyscrivenor #flatironbooks #2024reads #lynnsbookreviews