And I can see the pain in your eyes: DARLING GIRLS.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes the strongest familial bonds aren't forged by blood

Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are sisters. Maybe not on a family tree, but in their eyes and hearts. They spent several years together at the same foster home under the care of Miss Fairchild. To an outsider, it looked like a perfect place: Wild Meadows Farm, a lovely house in the countryside. But Miss Fairchild could be erratic and even downright cruel. Then something terrible happened, and they never saw Miss Fairchild again. Now the police have come calling: bones have been found under their childhood home, and they want to know what Jessica, Norah, and Alicia may know. It's time to face Wild Meadows again.

This is a page-turner of a story. I found it very hard to put down. Hepworth makes it quite easy to get caught up in Jessica, Norah, and Alicia's story! GIRLS is packed with exciting twists and turns as we follow the story of Miss Fairchild and her wards. Is she a kind woman just looking to help kids have a better life? Or is there a more sinister side to Miss F?

Hepworth weaves the narrative through the eyes of each sister. There's anxious, overprotective, Jessica, now married and running a successful organizing business. She still plays the role of older sister/mama bear to the group. Norah is still the wild child, quick to fly off the handle at a moment's notice. Now Jessica can (usually) rescue Norah using her money or influence, whereas Norah typically wound up locked in the basement by Miss Fairchild as a kid. And then there's Alicia, who gravitated to the role of social worker as an adult. She just wants to protect kids from suffering from what she experienced, but she's too scared to make any changes or big steps in her own life.

We learn about each woman through flashbacks to their past at Wild Meadows, as well as the present-day story. Their stories are interspersed by an eerie interview of an unnamed character with a therapist. All of these devices function well to create drama, slowly release information, and effectively build suspense.

GIRLS deftly explores family dynamics, the various sides of motherhood, and found family. I loved how close the three foster sisters are, as well as how it explores both the negatives and positives of the foster care system. Being a thriller, it has quite a dark side, and it's filled with a ton of Sally Hepworth-patented surprises. It gets a little rushed near closing and everything ties up a little easily, but there's a good "what!!??" moment as well. I wouldn't say there's a ton of character development here, but it's worth it for all the shock and awe. 4+ stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in return for an unbiased review. Look for DARLING GIRLS on 4/23/2024!


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Might as well jump in head first, lay it all on the line: A GAME OF LIES.

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

A thriller filled with secrets, lies, and reality show craziness!

Seven contestants living in the remote Welsh mountains for two weeks--subjected to challenges and public votes and the elements. What could go wrong, right? "Exposure" is typical reality TV, but Detective Ffion Morgan wasn't expecting such a show to be filmed practically in her backyard. When the show's producer, Miles, turns the table on his seven players and reveals that he will expose their greatest secret on live TV unless they are the last one standing, ratings soar. But soon a contestant is missing, which was not part of Miles' script. And when a murder hits the "Exposure" cast and crew, things take an even more dramatic turn. Most of the suspects were on camera or have an alibi; can Ffion untangle the group's secrets before the killer strikes again?

I loved the first book in this series. Ffion is one of my favorite characters-a flawed but brilliant detective with an acerbic wit. The story begins with her being called out by her boss for not being a team player. That may sum up our Ffion perfectly, but she's loyal and she won't quit on a case. You don't need to read the first book to enjoy this one, but I do recommend it, especially as you'll enjoy the personal dynamics more. With a person missing, Ffion must call upon DS Leo Brady from the first book, but the two have a... history... together.

The "locked reality show" concept in the Welsh mountains works great here. We have a small cast of characters. You get to know your reality show players, the small crew, and Ffion and her family. There are limited suspects, but we soon learn there are plenty of people the group wouldn't mind dead. Nothing heightens emotions like being on camera, false pretenses, and the public revelation of secrets. Clare Mackintosh has a way of writing books that just keep you guessing--I was genuinely surprised at the whodunnit.

Adding to the well-plotted story is Ffion's well-written character, as we delve into complex dynamics with her family, Leo, and work colleagues. Ffion must work with someone new on her force, Georgina Kent, as well as deal with Leo coming back into her life. I just adore prickly Ffion. She's so smart and hides her insecurities by forging ahead without thinking things through at times. Mackintosh writes her vulnerabilities so well, and I sure hope there will be a book #3. (And I hope it features Ffion's smelly, lovable dog, Dave!)

Overall, this is an excellent mystery--exciting and atmospheric with a complex, thoughtful lead detective. 4.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Love...with a limit

Ever since she was a kid, Daphne has received notes with a name and a time period... they correlate to her relationships and how long they will last. Her first youthful romance lasted a week. One in Paris lasted three days. And the one with Hugo, who eventually became her best friend, lasted three months. When you know how long your relationship has, you only put in so much effort. Daphne finds herself not forming any attachments. Then she receives "the note"--one with a name but no date. It simply says Jake, and Daphne realizes this means he must be the one. He seems nearly perfect; but as their relationship progresses, and Daphne knows she has more information than Jake, she starts to question if this truly is forever.

This is a slightly weird book, though I always like the hook in Serle's books. The notes angle is fun. It's hard to get into the story, as the POV flips between present-day with Daphne and Jake and then randomly jumps back to all of Daphne's time-limited relationships. While we learn more about Daphne and her past this way, this slows the book's momentum and interest in Daphne's current life. It takes a surprising and unexpected turn partway through, and I'm not sure if I liked it. She was an interesting character, but no one I felt particularly attached to. Same with Hugo, who features prominently. I think I felt the most for Jake.

DATES explores the ideas of finding the right person and believing in yourself. It's more serious than a typical romance, with several sad subplots. I wish I was more invested in the characters, but I still enjoyed it. 3.5 stars.



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Lonely makes a heart ruthless: CITY IN RUINS.

City in Ruins by Don Winslow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fitting end (and goodbye) to a wonderful series and author

I love this series because it introduced me to Don Winslow and his amazing books. Seems fitting that CITY IN RUINS is supposed to be Winslow's last book. I am grateful that I still have a lot of his backlist to catch up on.

RUINS is third in the Danny Ryan trilogy. This is one time where you really have to read the first two books for the third to make sense. Everything comes full circle and the sheer amount of names and story continuity will be too confusing without the first two. Plus, they are excellent.

By now, Danny is in Las Vegas, overseeing his growing empire, and facing a Government investigation into the gambling industry. Worried about how this will affect his Vegas legacy, Danny acts on a variety of fronts, including buying a hotel on the Vegas strip right out from a competitor. This sets off a chain of events that darken back to Danny's brutal and violent days in the Irish mob.

This wasn't my favorite of the three books; it seemed to lack some of the depth and emotional complexity of the others, but it's still quite good. Danny's Vegas journey brings him across many of his (former) Irish mob counterparts--meaning we see and hear from many familiar faces from the earlier books. There's a decent side plot involving a missing mobster from an earlier book (which I didn't care too much about).

The best part, as always, is Danny. He's such a rich character with so many sides. Ryan does a strong job of portraying his struggle to stay on the right side, away from his violent past, while wanting to stay on top of the gambling world. It's Danny's personality, his inner thoughts, and the Greek tragedy parallels in this series that keep me coming back. This is a nuanced, detailed, and fitting end to a wonderful series. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and William Morrow in return for an unbiased review.

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The years go by like days: BYE, BABY.

Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Went in expecting more thrills...

Lovering's latest is billed as a thriller, but I'd deem this more women's fiction, as it focuses mainly on a friendship between two women. Billie and Cassie became fast friends in childhood, forming a tight bond that lasted into adulthood. But lately they've drifted apart, especially with Cassie's marriage--one that propelled her into a wealthier part of society. She's now a mom, too, and a fairly well-known influencer. Billie can't help but feel resentful of Cassie and her seemingly perfect life, most of which she only knows about via Instagram stories. However, Billie upends this perfection when she "accidentally" steals Cassie's baby daughter during a party, terrifying Cassie.

BYE, BABY is a close examination of friendship and delves into a lot of issues: classism, Alzheimer's, social media, and more. A lot to cover, it seems, and yet I kept waiting for more to happen, wondering when that huge reveal or twist would happen. While the book does (slowly) build up to the story of what truly bonded Cassie and Billie in their teen years, there are no huge surprises here. Instead, we learn why each woman is the way they are. Billie, at first not particularly likable, grows more sympathetic as you learn about her childhood, while perfect Cassie becomes less likable as you see her ongoing quest for wealth and social media followers. She lives her entire life online, Billie seems to be saying, yet she cannot even take care of her daughter? Doesn't she deserve this? The book would be more interesting if it really delved deep into this topic, or any one of its many topics, but it stays surface level, lightly covering Cassie and Billie's toxic friendship and never going much deeper. It ended, and I still found myself wanting and waiting for more.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Press in return for an unbiased review.

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Can I handle the seasons of my life: I PROMISE IT WON'T ALWAYS HURT LIKE THIS.

I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This: 18 Assurances on Grief by Clare Mackintosh


It doesn't feel right to rate Clare Mackintosh's non-fiction book about grief, as much of it focuses on the death of her young son, but this is a poignant read and very helpful. Mackintosh wrote it after a tweet about the anniversary of the death of her five-month-old son, Alex, went viral. The book is part memoir/part self-help, with 18 chapters that walk through dealing with grief--with the ultimate promise that we can all make progress with grief, on our own time, at our own pace. She uses stories from her own life, especially losing Alex, as examples. The result is a sad story, but also a hopeful one, and I think many who have been through a loss would find this helpful; I did.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks in return for an unbiased review.

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Looks like I'm taking the hard way home: HERE WE GO AGAIN.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was magical. Leave it to Alison Cochrun to make a book about a dying man insanely romantic.

HERE WE GO AGAIN is a perfect story about queer (found) families and finding love when you need it most. Teachers Logan and Rosemary take their beloved beloved gay high school teacher, Joe, on one last cross country trip. Logan and Rosemary are former childhood best friends turned enemies but must unite to help Joe, who is dying from cancer.

The story hits first loves and enemies to lovers wonderfully, with a perfect simmering burn between Rosemary and Logan. We have Logan, who is well-known on the lesbian circuit for "liking" and then leaving girls. For Logan, whose mom left in her childhood, she fears forming any strong attachments. Rosemary is a wonderful and renowned teacher who has perfected hiding her anxiety from others. All the characters pop off the page--none more than Joe, an amazing gay teaching icon who has provided guidance and care for so many students, but holds a special place in his heart for his "girls," both of whom needed a little extra care coming out in their small town. Joe helped motherless Logan find herself and mentored Rosemary's writing.

Once he convinced the two to join him on the trip from Washington (state) to Maine, we get a story filled with humor and sadness, hi-jinx and pain. Along with Joe's lovable pup, the trio sets forth across the country, encountering national monuments and flat tires alike. There is a bathtub scene that will make you swoon and a drag show moment that will make you cheer. The build up between Rosemary and Logan is amazing, but it's just as good watching the two of them learning from (and about) Joe.

This story touches so beautifully on anxiety, ADHD, found family, and the importance of teachers and gay adults in younger lives. There are some moments that made me laugh out loud and others that made me cry. I fell head over heels for these characters. AGAIN is crazy emotional for a variety of reasons yet funny and heartfelt without being schmaltzy. I cannot recommend this lovely book enough.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Atria Books in return for an unbiased review. Look for HERE WE GO AGAIN on 04/02/2024!!

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