LaReyna

Loved this continuation of The Cure, I was concerned it would lose its thunder but not at all.

Ash is now on the run in search of The Consortium and is picked up by what she believes to be trusted individuals. She enters a location in the woods called The Bastille but quickly finds out things are not as they appear. Veer, the commander of The Bastille, feigns allegiance to The Consortium and Ash quickly has to battle for her life. With a surprise friend she is able to escape The Bastille and finds herself having to enter the Arc once again to save Kel her younger brother. This time she has friends on the outside that are prepared to go to battle and create an uprising!

I can't wait to read the next story, the action was really packed into this story and I loved every minute!

I gave this book three stars because the pace of the story was extremely slow and it took me longer than usual to finish but the ending was its saving grace.

Ellis is a green journalist who is trying to make a name for himself at the Philadelphia Examiner. When he stumbles upon two boys sitting on their porch with a “For Sale” sign he snaps a photo. Little does Ellis know but this photo will forever change the course of his career and of his fellow co-worker Lilly. When Ellis is asked to do an article about the children for sale he realizes his photos have been accidentally destroyed, his boss says no worries just go take another. When Ellis arrives at the home of the boys the house is vacant, he meets Ruby from down the street and an idea strikes him. He'll pay Ruby's mom to take a photo of both her children with the “For Sale” sign, no harm no foul. Unfortunately for Ruby and her brother Calvin life will never be the same after this. Ellis and Lilly are thrust into a story of children lost and a mother's never ending love. Ruby and Calvin need to be saved and Ellis and Lilly are the only two who know the true story and how to save them.

I loved the ending of this story, and loved that although this story is fiction the idea comes from a famous photo of a mother standing with her four children who are for sale. I felt the story dragged and I lost interest with the character development, it was thorough but played no real part in the bulk of the story. This book took me almost a month to complete and was overall a very easy read, love what the author was aiming for but felt it fell short.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing! Thrilling! This story is so good and had so many “wow” moments!

Emily and Kristen have been friends since they met at Northwestern. Emily and Kristen are so different and yet immediately become kindred spirits. When Emily and Kristen are on vacation in Chile it ends in a horrible murder....but this isn't the first time blood is on their hands.

This story delves deep into what manipulation and gaslighting can lead to. I loved every minute and would recommend it in a heartbeat!

If Hunger Games and Divergent were to have a baby it would be The Cure Chronicles.

Ashen Spencer lives in Sector 8 of the Mire with her younger brother Kel and her mother. All the adults in the Mire have died due to the Blight, a biochemical disaster that only strikes those who are 18 and older. When Ashen's 17th birthday arrives she is sent to the ARC where she'll work to get The Cure in hopes of making a better life for her family before her 18th birthday.

The ARC is the hub of their city where you'll only find the wealthy and those who are devout to the Directorate who control all that goes on. Soon enough Ash realizes that the propaganda videos shown in The Mire are not anywhere close the reality of the situation. With the help of an old friend Finn, Ash decides that she has to change things if she wants her mom and brother to live.

I loved this book, and am glad my book club genre this month was Dystopian. I can't wait to read the next book!

I truly wanted to love this story but boy did it take some time to finish.

This is a twist on the beloved Beauty and the Beast story we all know and love. We get the same characters we loved but also some new characters that give us a broader look into Belle's life and background.
I felt there was just too much going on and I felt as though the chapters dragged on. This book was nearly 500 pages and absolutely could have been cut in half and had the same impact.
If you love this classic Disney love story you may not love the way this twist affects the story.

Wow, what a fantastic thrilling book. I usually don't cringe at pain and death but man oh man the descriptions in this book made the hairs on my arms stand at attention!

Darby is heading home Christmas Eve during the biggest snow storm to hit Colorado, she received a text from her sister that her mother was not doing good. Darby was hesitant to go home due to the rocky relationship they had but it was her mother and she knew she needed to make amends. Darby has to pull over to the nearest rest stop to get out of the snow storm, little does she know she has walked into the most dangerous and crazy night of her life.

Five perfect strangers are stranded for the night in the middle of a huge snow storm and little do they know that their lives are about to bechanged forever. The tension and thrill in this book was palpable and was not easy to figure out who was holding secrets. I highly recommend this book to those who love a thrill ride! I can't wait to see the movie on Hulu...but I'm not holding high hopes!

Reminders of Him is a great story and so very touching. Kenna is newly out of prison after serving 5 years for the death of her boyfriend Scotty. While in prison Kenna gives birth to their daughter Diem who is now in the care of Scotty's parents Patrick and Grace. Once Kenna returns to Scotty's hometown in hopes of obtaining forgiveness for her actions she finds out that Patrick and Grace still hold a lot of anger towards her and it may not be easy to see her daughter. Kenna meets Ledger, Scotty's best friend, and together they forge a bond stronger than Kenna could imagine. Ledger guides her to finally find the answers she needs and to hopefully be a moving part in Diem's life.

I gave this book 4 stars only because I felt that the middle of the book dragged. I think that we could have done without all the back and forth between Kenna and Ledger. Overall this book hits right in the feels and I recommend to any Colleen Hoover fan.

Holly Jackson did a great job with this story, I gave it only four stars because I felt the ending was a little to whimsical for me.

Pip is in her senior year and has to pick a topic for her senior capstone project; she decides she's going to dig into the 5 year old murder of Andie Bell and try to prove the murderers innocence. Sal Singh was Andie's boyfriend at the time and had a very inconsistent alibi and shortly thereafter is found dead by suicide in the woods with a letter claiming his guilt, but Pip doesn't think he was guilty but set-up.

Along with Sal's younger brother Ravi, Pip sets out to look into every aspect of the original investigation. She soon finds out that Andie held many secrets and those closest to her as well. When someone isn't happy with her digging around again she finds herself in dangers path.

I love the characters in this book and totally got Nancy Drew vibes. I definitely recommend this book to those who love a good who done it!

Wow!! My first Colleen Hoover book and what a great one. Five stars to this great work of fiction!!

Lowen Ashleigh is a writer asked to complete a popular series penned by Verity Crawford who had a tragic accident and is no longer functioning at the mental capacity of an adult. Lowen moves into Verity's home at the behest of Verity's husband Jeremy where dark family secrets come to light.

Man the suspense was palpable in this book! I held my breathe so many times waiting to see what happened. In true romantic fashion there's forbidden love and tragic loss. The end was the most epic twist I've read in a while and I highly recommend this book!

This was a quick read and a great book; I give it four stars.

This is the story of two sisters Korede and Ayoola who have a strong but strained bond. As the older sister, Korede feels obligated to protect Ayoola at all costs, even if that means cleaning up her murderous messes. Ayoola is oblivious to her actions and knows her beauty provides what she needs in life and uses Korede's love to her advantage. When Ayoola sets her sights on the doctor Korede works with Korede must decide if loyalty to her sister is worth his life.

There really isn't a way to rate a memoir in my opinion as they are a writers life story, but five stars is what I will give because everybody deserves to know they matter.

Elizabeth Gilpin was sent to what can only be described as a teen conversion camp for those deemed “rebellious”. Her journey began at 14 when she was sent to live in the Appalachian mountains because her parents felt she was not controllable. The time spent on the mountain was rigorous and humiliating and made me sick to think that adults would subject children to such horrid conditions to change their lives and mold them to the good children the parents sought. Elizabeth had to eat her own vomit, deal with her devastating fear of the dark, and go days on end eating freeze dried rice and beans.

After her time on the mountain she was sent to Carlbrook School where she was left to be taught how to become a better person. She endured, along with countless other teens, months and months of workshops that were meant to humiliate and mock them. The ideals of this school are disgusting and they did so much more harm then I think they even realize. I'm glad to see that his school was shut down but to think that schools/organizations still thrive out there where they think belittling a person is therapy is beyond absurd.

I felt so sad for Elizabeth and so angry at her parents for not listening. I'm so glad I took the time to read this memoir and I hope that with Elizabeth's story others who have been subjected to such awful treatment find their voice.

What a fantastic heart warming story. I was able to relate to Maggie, the main character, and I think that totally made this a wonderful book for me to read.

At just 16 Maggie Dawes finds herself shipped away to her Aunt Linda's in Ocracoke NC to stay for the next nine months! Maggie is miserable until she meets kind hearted and intelligent Bryce. The two form a strong bond and a beautiful love story ensues.

Of course though it wouldn't be a Nicholas Sparks book without some tears. Maggie, some 20+ years later is a famous photographer dealing with a major health issue. She worries she'll never get to tell her story until she hires Mark her new assistant/gallery worker. They form a strong bond over the Christmas holiday and we find out just how much Maggie needed to tell her story.

I absolutely loved this story and am glad it's my first finished book of 2022!!

I have not read R.L. Stine in quite some time but this was a fun read for sure. I give it four stars!

Fear Street strikes again and Cory is obsessed with the new girl at school Anna Corwin who is mysterious and completely infatuated with Cory. When Cory starts to fall behind in gymnastics and friendships he realizes this girl has a huge hold on him. He finally confronts the family on Fear Street and stumbles upon a disastrous reality the Corwin's are living. A fun quick read worth your time!

This was a quick decision read and it was cute. If you love sweet little stories of love and family I recommend.

I tried so hard to like this story but it fell so flat and I absolutely detested the whiny main character. I give this book 2 stars.

We find Joy who is running her own successful nail polish business thrown back to her home town of Spruce City after the sudden and unexpected death of her Nana. Her Nana runs the Hart and Soul B&B one of five in this small town and now Joy is thrust into the owner and manager of said B&B. She arrives right before Thanksgiving and is reunited with her mother and the every present and nosy Izzy who runs the B&B with Nana.

As is usual with this type of story Joy decides to make major changes in her life after meeting Will Drake the lawyer for Nana's estate. I really really tried to get over the bratty behavior of Joy but I just could not. I know her character meant well but all the fussing and whining about how she now has to run another successful company was just too much. The story was predictable and really lacked substance.

I truly would have given this book one star but I love Christmas and the idea of a small town so I gave one extra star for setting.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ what a thrilling book!!

I'm so glad I took the recommendation for this book. The first page sucked me in and I was not disappointed. I never knew what's to expect and had such a fun time deciding who the guilty party was.

This story is about Quincy Carpenter and her terrifying night at Pine Cottage when some of her closest friends were slaughtered leaving her as the only survivor. Quincy attempts to lead a normal life with the help of her friend Coop (police officer Cooper) who rescued her that terrifying night, her loving boyfriend Jeff, and her fellow Final Girl Lisa who also experienced a horrific night of murder and mayhem. One day Samantha Boyd,the third Final Girl, arrives into Quincy's life only to make Quincy come face to face with those awful skeletons in her closet.

This book kept me on my toes and I highly recommend this read to all my fellow thriller lovers.

I struggled getting through the book. I don't know if it was solely based on the fact that I had already seen the movie and expected more or just that the story was super lackluster.

The action was all of maybe two chapters and was not very intense. I wish I would have loved this book but I just didn't. The science took up so much of this book and I just could not appreciate all the charts. I'm intelligent but not a scientist or biologist so I was bored! The characters were completely different than the movie too and that was interesting but that's about it. The ending was horrible and I guess expected since the action was a let down.

Two ⭐️⭐️ only because I do love the movie

I was a little unsure of how I felt about this book but overall the surprise ending saved it for me and I give it three stars.

Autumn Carpenter is young, smart, and holds very deep dark secrets. Autumn lives with her loving boyfriend Ben whom she is still on the fence about in regards to her true feelings for him, she just can't seem to get past his sister Marnie who detest Autumn. When Autumn lands her dream job as a nanny for her favorite Instaface blogger Daphne she thinks she's set for life as Daphne and her husband Graham are the adoptive parents of her daughter whom she gave up at birth. Unfortunately for Autumn things are never as they seem and she is thrown into a scandal she's not sure she can work her way out of.

I enjoyed Autumn's story but felt that the end was rushed, I enjoyed the twist for sure but felt I was left with more questions than answers.

Wow!! What a rollercoaster of emotions in this book, from happy to sad to very very angry!! I give this book 5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

warning: this book deals with abuse, sexual assault, and extreme violence

This is the story of Emma and Gracie, two sisters trying to survive their abusive father. After his untimely death Emma and Gracie set out with their friend Brianna to live on the streets and make their own mark on the world far from their abusive past. The story unfolds into twists and turns that the sisters encounter as they try to escape their childhood demons.

When things go terribly wrong and Emma is on the wrong side of the law she has nothing to lose and ties up all loose ends. This book is gritty and emotional and I rooted for Emma and Gracie the entire time. Highly recommend!!

4 Stars for this book!

I'm not going to lie, at first I was very disgusted with the character of Ellis and just how selfish she was but she redeemed herself and when we got the full story I fell in love with the story. For this reason I only gave this book 4 stars.

This is the story of a guilt ridden mother and her abducted daughter. Ellis is the mother of three in a marriage that is falling apart. One day as she takes her twin boys and her newborn daughter to the pond after seeing her husband kiss another woman she inadvertently leaves her newborn in her car seat in the parking lot. When she realizes her mistake she immediately turns around but it's too late and her baby is gone. Ellis can't take the guilt of leaving her child and finally leaves her family completely with no phone or contact with them (do you see why I hated her?). Eventually Ellis finds herself in need of a friend and she finds that in a local park ranger Keith. With this new friendship Ellis is finally able to see the error of her ways an come to grips with her new reality.

While we get Ellis's story we are introduced to seven year old Daughter of Raven who is being raised “off the grid” in a lovely log cabin on acres and acres of forest. She is being raised to be one with nature and has not had any doing with the “outside” world. She eventually stumbles upon some boys on her land and they befriend her. She decides to fight for her right to go to school and we see Raven blossom into an intelligent and witty woman...albeit with many irrational concerns due to her abductor whom she knows as mom. When she finally is told the true story of her background Raven makes the hardest decision and forges forward with her new found family.

I'm glad that I picked this book to read and I would recommend.

I read this book from NetGalley and have to say I'm so glad I was asked to review it. Wow, what a gripping story with such well developed characters. I thought I had everything figured out but in the end things were not as they seemed.

This is the story of two sisters Tully and Rachel who are coming to grips with their father Stephen marrying Heather a younger woman. Their mother Pam has severe dementia at a young age and can no longer recognize the family. Each character holds a secret that has caused severe damage to their lives. Tully is a kleptomaniac, Rachel uses food to mask a past pain, Heather is a poor girl from an abusive background trying to make something of herself, and Pam has divulged a very scary secret about their father Stephen.

This book really kept me guessing and once we knew the truth I was blown away. I will recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good dysfunctional family story! Please be aware there may be some triggers as this book deals with assault and domestic violence.

What a gripping true story. I can't fathom the pain the Knoteck girls felt but I sure can understand how crazy their lives were.

This is the true story of Michelle (Shelly) Knoteck and her husband Dave. Shelly was wired very different than most and from an early age it was apparent she had issues. Shelly and Dave collectively killed three individuals and abused and tortured their own daughters. The manipulation Shelly used was insane to read and quite sad to see how quickly narcissistic people can make their victims feel loyal to them. Definitely worth reading!

What an exceptional story, I was completely thrown off by the end and devoured this book so quickly.

I give this book 5 well deserved stars!

This is the story of Bronwyn (Wyn's) who is 17 and goes missing after the tragic death of her best friend Taylor. Her mother Jessica a year later gets mysteries text messages from her daughter informing her that she has been abducted by a cop and needs her moms help. Jessica gets her Wyn's father Joe involved who works for the towns police department. Little does Jessica know that in small towns secrets are of the upmost importance.

The characters in this story are so well developed that I felt so saddened when we finally find out the truth about Wyn's disappearance. The ending is a huge twist and shows that the love of a parent can ultimately bring the truth to light.

This is the second book in the Edge of Collapse series and it was better than the first and I'm so glad that I continued on. Four stars for this one!

This book tells the story of Noah and Milo who are the husband and son of Hannah from the first book in the series. When the EMP hits Noah and Milo are at the ski lodge for their annual Christmas trip, they find themselves stuck on the chair lifts with four others when things go dark. No one below realizes they are all stuck and they have to find a way to get down from the lifts that are 20ft in the air. From this event we meet Quinn a spunky, brave and intelligent teenager that becomes a part of Noah and Milo's life after the EMP his.

They are able to return to their home town only to find that things have turned to chaos. The locals are dependent on the local food pantry to provide shelter and food. Pastor Bishop runs the pantry and does his best to be fair to all. When Quinn's mother Octavia and her boyfriend decide they no longer want to abide by the rules so they can barter for their next score all hell breaks loose and a massacre ensues. I'm so glad the author split the two stories up for the story line/character set up. I'm looking forward to book three and then onward to finish the series!

I'm a fan of thrillers/suspense/mystery novels and this one was good. Not great but worth the read. I gave this book 3 stars only because I felt I had so many unanswered questions. I get that may be what the author wanted so that we keep reading on, but with this many unanswered questions it got frustrating. With that said I think that the premise is quite interesting, especially in a world where we highly rely on all things electronic.

This story is set in the Michigan mountains in the dead of winter. Hannah has been held captive by a psychopath name Pike for five years and is now, she believes, eight months pregnant. When the EMP hits all his electronic security systems are dead and she is able to escape along with Pike's massive dog whom Hannah dubs Ghost. Along their route back to where she hopes home still is she encounters lone survivor Liam who is aware of the EMP unlike Hannah and is attempting to make it somewhere...an unanswered question.

Once Pike returns to check on Hannah and realizes she's gone along with his dog the chase begins. Liam decides he cannot leave Hannah to defend herself and takes up the journey with her and Ghost to her hometown. From here we get lots of action, tons of death, and the scariness of complete and utter anarchy with the world being “dead”. I'm sucked in and will continue the series...I hope character story lines begin to evolve!