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Book Reviews

Sometimes I Lie.

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My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

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Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it’s the truth?

4/5 Stars!

Ok first off I do have to admit you guys, I stopped and restarted this book twice. I know, I know but I’m sorry, the beginning was slow and a little hard to get into.

Trust me when I tell you to stick with it! Just like some shows that start out slow, once the characters developed a little more and things started to take shape and the pace picked up, I could not put this book down.

The twists and turns started coming in full force and I was loving it! My mind was defiantly spinning and talk about an unreliable narrator which is my absolute favorite kind!

I won’t give anything away, and I would honestly say go in blind with this one because the surprises will be well worth it to figure out on your own.

Sometimes I Lie is an intriguing physiological thriller with some crazy characters thrown in the mix and it’s defiantly a book that you won’t want to put down.

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Book Reviews

The Golden Couple.

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The Golden Couple is the next electrifying novel from Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo behind You Are Not Alone, An Anonymous Girl, and The Wife Between Us.

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If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal–she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault–and almost absorb the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death.

Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple–until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair things, both because she loves her husband and for the sake of their 8-year-old son. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods.

When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.

4/5 Stars!


**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review**

Wow, this is my first review in a year! That’s saying something. 

This duo is one of my favorites for physiological thrillers, Hendricks and Pekkanen always have great characters and such smart writing. The Golden Couple was no exception. 

A little slower than their other books, I still felt engaged the whole time. Especially with Avery and Marissa’s point of view. I also loved the difference between them. Avery, a  sharp witted and aggressive therapist and Marissa, a fragile and soft spoken boutique owner. They ended up making fabulous characters. 

If you love domestic thrillers with a twist than The Golden Couple will be you’re cup of tea! You won’t know who to trust and you will most definitely be manipulated a time or two but it will so be worth a read! 

Plus, try going in blind with this one! I did and it made the twists all the more better, so I tried not to give anything away.

Purchase Now

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Book Reviews

The Night Swim.

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In this new thriller from the author of The Escape Room, a podcast host covering a controversial trial in a small town becomes obsessed with a brutal crime that took place there years before.

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Goodreads.

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

5/5 Controversial Stars!

**Thank you to Negalley and the publisher for a copy to review.**

Let me start out this review by saying that The Night Swim is such a powerful read. I mean wow, Megan Goldin did a wonderful job with such a controversial topic and all I mainly want to say is bravo!

My favorite thing about The Night Swim is how half of it is written as a podcast episode, because if you didn’t already know I am a HUGE true crime podcast junkie. I listen to them weekly, so to read a book that has that type of vibe was so my cup of tea!

Rachel Krall is our podcast host, her new season is following a live trial in Neapolis. It’s a rape trial. An Olympic college swimmer is accused of raping a high school girl with a bright future ahead of her. While Rachel is on her way to Neapolis, she receives a mysterious note wedged in between her windshield wipers from the sister of a young girl who drowned in Neapolis twenty-five years earlier.

Hannah Stills doesn’t think her sisters death was an accidental drowning though and she needs Rachel’s help.

We are thrown into a rough story to get through. We are met with what society thinks is right and wrong when it comes to rape charges and sexual assault. I would be lying if I said The Night Swim wasn’t a tough read. It’s extremely tough, but there’s an important message in here and it makes you think about the way you view what you think is right and what’s wrong.

With that being said, I promise once you start The Night Swim, you will be hooked. Megan Goldin’s writing is fantastic, she will hook you and reel you in until it’s over. And when it is over, you will be thinking about it long after you’ve finished.

You will be captivated, and it’s so worth your time!

“This is Rachel Krall on Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts YOU in the jury box.”

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Book Reviews

Behind The Red Door.

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Goodreads.

When Fern Douglas sees the news about Astrid Sullivan, a thirty-four-year-old missing woman from Maine, she is positive that she knows her. Fern’s husband is sure it’s because of Astrid’s famous kidnapping—and equally famous return—twenty years ago, but Fern has no memory of that, even though it happened an hour outside her New Hampshire hometown. And when Astrid appears in Fern’s recurring nightmare, one in which a girl reaches out to her, pleading, Fern fears that it’s not a dream at all, but a memory.

Back home in New Hampshire, Fern purchases a copy of Astrid’s recently published memoir—which may have provoked her original kidnapper to abduct her again—and as she reads through its chapters and visits the people and places within it, she discovers more evidence that she has an unsettling connection to the missing woman. As Fern’s search becomes increasingly desperate, she hopes to remember her past so she can save Astrid in the present…before it’s too late.

Featuring Megan Collins’s signature “dark, tense, and completely absorbing” (Booklist) prose and plenty of shocking twists and turns, Behind the Red Door is an arresting thriller that will haunt you long after you turn the last page.

3.5/5 Stars!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review**

Bravo, Megan Collins! You defiantly made a fragile character come to life.

I’m not going to lie, it took me a bit to get into Behind The Red Door. I would pick it up and put it down multiple times. About 30% in though, Collins started to hook me.

Fern Douglas is probably the most delicate character I have read about in a long time. Her backstory was gripping and had my attention. Her memories and her nightmares were fascinating and I had to figure out what her connection was with Astrid Sullivan who was kidnapped once again on her 20 year anniversary of being returned the first time.

I loved watching Fern grow, she became brave and outspoken. Determined and strong and she was defiantly the reason why I kept going all the way until the end. The characters were defiantly a strong reason to read Behind The Red Door.

I do have to warn you though, it didn’t take me long at all to figure out what the ending would be like. The suspense and the shock was just not there for me and that did take my rating down quite a bit.

Although it wasn’t my favorite, I did enjoy reading it. I liked Fern and her husband and all the other characters that came a long the way. They were defiantly interesting!

Purchase Now!

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Lifestyle Posts

My Top 3 Netflix Shows.

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I have finally found a routine to where I can get my show watching in after becoming a mom. Feeding time! My favorite time of day to watch one of my shows is in the morning when little man and I first wake up.

Make a bottle, make a cup of coffee and cuddle on the couch with one of my shows! Because I don’t know about the rest of you, but when my husband is home…the living room tv becomes his (sigh).

I don’t watch a ton of tv, but when I do it’s usually on Netflix so here are my top 3 shows I love watching on there currently.

Sweet Magnolias

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Lifelong friends, small southern town, drama, love. I am totally obsessed with this show! Currently it only has one season so I am slowly devouring it. I mean margarita girls nights every week? I seriously feel like I am in Serenity with these ladies. Highly recommend watching! So far I have lots of my family and friends hooked as well!

The Office

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I mean The Office is just a total go-to show for both my husband and I. We love it, and even though we have seen most episodes over and over again, the other day we were watching it and were laughing so hard because we heard a great line that we’ve missed before. It just never gets old and I love it!

Workin’ Moms

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Oh my goodness, this show is just too funny! These moms crack me up and it really shows how crazy trying to be a mom, working a full time job and trying to be a wife and just a human being in general is like. CRAZY! Workin’ Moms is a wild and funny ride and I love watching this show. 

Those are my current obsession’s right now! Although two shows I do want to start watching are Outer Banks and Dead to Me. Have you watched either of those? What do you think of them?

Who else loves some or one of the shows I am currently watching? Let me know in the comments!

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Book Reviews

The Wife Who Knew Too Much.

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From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It’s Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.

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Goodreads.

Tabitha Girard had her heart broken years ago by Connor Ford. He was preppy and handsome. She was a pool girl at his country club. Their affair should have been a summer fling. But it meant everything to Tabitha.

Years later, Connor comes back into Tabitha’s life—older, richer, and desperately unhappy. He married for money, a wealthy, neurotic, controlling woman whom he never loved. He has always loved Tabitha.

When Connor’s wife Nina takes her own life, he’s free. He can finally be with Tabitha. Nina’s home, Windswept, can be theirs. It seems to be a perfect ending to a fairy tale romance that began so many years ago. But then, Tabitha finds a diary. “I’m writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death,” it begins. “If I die unexpectedly, it was foul play, and Connor was behind it. Connor—and her.”

Who is Connor Ford? Why did he marry Nina? Is Tabitha his true love, or a convenient affair? As the police investigate Nina’s death, is she a convenient suspect?

As Tabitha is drawn deeper into the dark glamour of a life she is ill-prepared for, it becomes clear to her that what a wife knows can kill her.

3.5/5 Stars!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review.**

Wealth, lies, betrayal and love.

All the means for a perfect murder!

The Wife Who Knew Too Much was an extremely twisty read. It had drama, first time crazy love and a mystery that did keep me hanging on until the end to find out what happened.

An easy read that was defiantly fast-paced and did surprise me a time or two. I do have to say though, I could not for the life of me get into the characters and I promise I really did try!

The main characters Tabitha and Connor especially put a damper on my reading, and I was hoping it might get better towards the middle but they both become even more frustrating as the book went on. There was a lot of head shaking and eye rolling.

That being said though, I did like the plot and The Wife Who Knew Too Much had just enough juicy mystery and emotion to bring me all the way to the end of it. It defiantly is a decent read that does keep you engaged and I think it would appeal to most!

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Book Reviews

Irresistible (Cloverleigh Farms, #1)

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Goodreads.

I’m a full-time single dad to three daughters and CFO at Cloverleigh Farms. I don’t have time to fall in love—I’m too busy trying to run a business, keep the red socks out of the white laundry, and get the damn pillowcases on without owing a dollar to the swear jar.

Sure, Frannie Sawyer is beautiful and sweet, but she’s twenty-seven, the boss’s daughter, and my new part-time nanny—which means she’s completely off-limits. It’s bad enough I can’t stop fantasizing about her, what kind of jerk would I be if I acted on the impulse to kiss her?

(Exactly the kind of jerk you’re thinking.)

Actually, I’m worse than that—because I didn’t stop with a kiss, and now I can’t stay away. She makes me feel like myself again. She reminds me what it’s like to want something just for me. She’s everything I ever needed, but nothing I ever imagined.

I’m a former Marine. I should have had the strength to resist her from the start.

But I didn’t. And now I have to choose between the life I want and the life she deserves.

Even if it means giving her up.

4/5 Sweet Stars!

Melanie Harlow knows how to write a cute ass romance with some serious steamy moments!

“I could feel it, he wanted me the way I wanted him.”

Irresistible has it all, a hot as sin single dad, a sweet as can be heroine, and the three cutest little girls you will ever read about. Oh and if that didn’t sell you already, then just know Mack and Frannie work together AND she is his nanny.

Just a tiny bit of taboo to add in the mix.

Yes that’s right, this sweet romance spices up real quick and I could not get enough of it. I was rooting for Mack and Frannie during this whole entire story. It did get a little frustrating at times and I might have yelled at my Kindle a couple times to tell Mack to get it together and stop being silly and thankfully he ended up figuring it out!

You could feel the heart put into this book and if you love romance then you will fall head over heels for Cloverleigh Farms which I really wish was real because I live in Michigan where this story took place and I would LOVE to visit. Not only that though, you will fall for these characters and you just won’t want to let them go!

Irresistible is so worth a read, you won’t regret it.

Purchase Now.

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Lifestyle Posts

What Makes Me Happy!

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Lately I’ve found myself counting my blessings, especially in these hard times.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the bad. 

In the sadness, it can drown you.

So I thought, why not share a little sunshine.

Just a little bit of positivity and instead of focusing on the sad, talk about what makes me happy in life!

My son giving me his little baby toothy grin and pretty much every other thing his sweet little soul does.

My husbands laugh. When he kisses my forehead and of course when he makes me my morning coffee (that’s my type, that’s my type)

Just my whole family makes me so happy.

Petting dogs and giving them some lovin’ because yes, they are all good puppies.

Taking long walks.

A real good iced coffee.

Comfort food that feeds the soul.

Getting lost in a good book.

Nights out with my friends once in a while.

Curling up with a glass of wine and a good movie at night.

Laying on the beach.

Taking some “me time” and strolling through the stores I like (most likely with that iced coffee in hand)

Going to concerts and singing and dancing my heart out.

Watching The Office for the millionth time with my hubby.

A clean house.

The smell of fresh cut grass on a warm day.

A road trip with the windows down and country music on the radio.

I defiantly live a simple life and I love it that way.

I’ve learned along the way that you really only need your family and a few close friends to truly be happy.

And I hope we are all starting to learn that life really is too short to be anything but happy despite everything else.

So with that being said I would love to know, what makes you happy?

Spread some positivity in the comments below!

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Book Reviews

What Lies Between Us.

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Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.

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Goodreads.

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

4/5 Crazy Wild Stars!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review**

What in the world did I just read!? Like seriously!! WHAT THE HECK!

What Lies Between Us was a doozy! My mind is still trying to process it all while I’m writing this review. I don’t think I have ever read a more crazy book, honestly. But you know what? I loved it!

This book actually kept me up late quite a few times just trying to get to the end. Plus, I would be lying if I didn’t say it also kept me up because it’s pretty disturbing at times and scared me just a wee bit 😉 ! I won’t touch on any of the plot though because I feel like I would give too much away and just keep going on and on.

I will say though…if you love dysfunctional characters, mess with your mind thrillers, edge of your seat, intense, jaw on the floor, what did I just read books then What Lies Between Us is just what you are looking for.

I’m such a fan of John Marrs and I feel like with each book it seems to be getting better and better! I’m so glad I got my hands on this one and I promise you will be happy and most likely majorly stunned once you read What Lies Between Us and you won’t regret it!

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Book Reviews

Only One Life.

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A reunion between an estranged mother and daughter opens a world of secrets in a poignant novel by the bestselling author of Magnolia Nights.

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Goodreads.

Julia Martin grew up wealthy, but it wasn’t until she met her husband, Jack, that she knew true happiness. He made her feel worthy and loved. Their marriage was also an escape from her sister’s bullying, her father’s scrutiny, and her chilly and enigmatic mother. But when tragedy strikes on the night she gives birth, Julia’s happiness is shattered. She has no choice but to return home to her family’s South Carolina mansion, where the grief and guilt buried in her mother’s past await her.

As a young woman trapped in a bitter marriage, Julia’s mother, Iris, once needed her own means of escape. In Lily, she found a best friend. In the flower shop they opened, she discovered independence. Then came a transgression—unforgivable, unforgettable, and unresolved—that changed Iris’s life forever.

Now, in Iris’s most desperate hour, her only hope is to regain the trust of the daughter she loves—and to share the secrets of the heart that could rebuild a family’s broken bonds.

5/5 Emotional Stars!

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review**

From the first chapter I was invested in Only One Life.

I love a good southern book full of sweet tea, small towns and drama. That’s what I was expecting and what I got while reading Only One Life but I was not prepared for the emotions my heart would go through as well.

We follow an estranged mother and daughter and I think my favorite part was how it was split up into three parts. We have Julia’s life after being disowned from her family for marrying a man beneath her who she lived a simple, happy life with.

Then we have Iris’s story, Julia’s mother. Her story truly broke my heart and I haven’t read about a strong female character like Iris in a long, long time. Iris carries the weight of the world on her shoulders and you can’t help but feel just down right sad for her.

Although their separate lives are so interesting, I think my favorite is when they are brought together again. Ashley Farley wrote a beautiful book full of family, secrets, lies and friendship.

This was my first book I have read by Farley, but from the emotions I felt once I finished Only One Life, I will defiantly be reading more from her!

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