Jenn

This was a great read and an interesting, relevant assortment of issues. The characters dealt with realistic situations and had to make choices about whether they would follow the faith heroically, or if they would give in in some way to the pressures of modern society. Their struggles and those of their priest were presented as real struggles – very human.

The priest's trip to Rome was especially moving for me. Something about those encounters filled my heart with hope and love.

This was a very atmospheric and absorbing story that drew you in line by line like Chloe was drawn into Clara's life. The way in which this story is told was very well done, bringing the reader into their privileged, pampered world where gaslighting is artfully weaved around bald-faced admissions of wrongdoing, but then twisted to undermine their subtle horror. And just when you reach the end and it feels that the world is righting itself, one final twist....

I would say that this book was a solid 4 stars until the first timeline break in the narrative. The pacing was great and I was invested in the case. Once the timeline changes, I felt like I was having to start over with my relationship to the characters and the pacing slowed down quite a bit. We lingered more on the interpersonal relationships between characters in the town and I was almost ready to give up. However, I kept reading through and the last quarter of the book picked up and I was again invested in the characters and eager to see what happened next.

I am not a huge mystery/thriller reader to begin with, so take my review with a grain of salt. Also, I prefer fast-paced narratives, and the ideal mystery/thriller reader may really like to linger in a really immersive, atmospheric setting.

The writing was good, and while I had a bit of a suspicion of the final bad guy, the way it played out was not something I was anticipating at all.

I love that this cookbook reads with just the same personality and humor as Jessica's videos as ApplesauceandADHD on FB, IG, TikTok, etc. The recipes sound delicious and actually do-able without spending an entire day in the kitchen trying to master complicated recipes. I'm excited to try some of these in my own kitchen (and wondering if I can make some no-bake bars before I go to bed tonight)!

I have long been a fan of Tom Clancy, and in particular the Jack Ryan books. I am grateful that authors like Grant Blackwood and Mark Greaney are taking on the task of continuing the stories in the Jack Ryan universe.

However, there is a difference in the writing. Tom Clancy would always have 50 different balls in the air at once, with extremely complex story lines which would take the entire length of the book to reveal exactly how they were interwoven. It was very detailed, skillful storytelling.

This book has one plotline and follows only the perspective of Jack Ryan, Jr. While it was an interesting and entertaining story, it lacked the complexity that I am used to in a Tom Clancy novel. Events for the main character seemed a little too easy. It didn't show more of how he puzzled through the tracking of the bad guys, etc. I would have like a little more struggle, or conflict, throughout to make it more believable. There are also some significant supporting characters who are not defined as well as they should be.