Schoolgirl Missing By: Sue Fortin (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

The USA Today Bestselling Author
Her step-mum has a secret.
Her father in lying.

Everyone is watching.

Who do you believe?

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS GIRL?

When fourteen-year-old Poppy vanishes on a family boating trip, suspicion soon turns close to home – to the two people who should do everything to keep her safe, her parents, Kit and Neve. Can they really be responsible for their little girl’s disappearance?

Neve loves Poppy like her own daughter, but the truth is, she isn’t. And her very existence means Neve will never have a precious child to call her own. But would Neve harm her step-daughter simply to get her own way? In times like this Neve has always turned to her sister Megan to help. Megan will know what to do…

Kit would do anything to keep his family safe and happy. But his refusal to have another child has been causing a strain on his marriage. And he’s worried Neve’s mental state is growing increasingly unstable. But would he harm his own daughter just to prove he is in control?

As the frantic search for Poppy grows, Kit and Neve’s marriage is close to breaking point. And only one person can get what they want.

About Author:

Sue Fortin is an award winning USA Today and an Amazon best selling author, an international bestseller and has reached #1 in the Amazon UK Kindle chart and #3 in the US Kindle chart. Sue writes mystery, suspense and romance, sometimes combining all three.

Sue was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, before eventually settling in West Sussex where she now lives on the south coast with her husband and family.

  • Print Length:416 pages
  • Publisher:HarperCollins (January 10, 2019)
  • Publication Date:January 10, 2019

My Review:

Thank you The Fiction Café-Review and Sue Fortin for this arc. copy

WOW WOW I loved this book, once I started I could not put it down.  The story is centred around the disappearance of Poppy who vanished on a family boat trip leaving dad Kit and step-mum Neve devastated and very worried.   Prior to this incident, we get a glimpse into the life of our family and it soon becomes evident that not all is rosy in their garden. Not at all. This family had some secrets, and their lives were not at all perfect, Neve, had a lot of secrets that had her hiding and running from.   Kit doesn’t really help matters with his flat out refusal to have a second child, which Neve knew that from the beginning.  Neve turns to her Art instructor for support.  When I thought I had gotten what was happening there were more twist and turns that kept me reading until I thought I had who had taken Poppy, but no I was wrong again, so on to find out more.  Once I figured out who did it, I was amazed with what Kit had done to cover it all up just so that he could keep his family together.   This book’s ending will have you quessing a lot …   I am looking for Sue Fortin’s other books in hopes that I can read more of her novels.  I loved this one.

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Happy reading!!!

Milk and Honey By: Rupi Kaur (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

#1 New York Times bestseller Milk and Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity.

The book is divided into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.

About Author:

Rupi kaur is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of two collections of poetry. She started drawing at the age of five when her mother handed her a paintbrush and said–draw your heart out. Rupi views her life as an exploration of that artistic journey. After completing her degree in rhetoric studies she published her first collection of poems ‘milk and honey’ in 2014. The internationally acclaimed collection sold well over two million copies gracing the New York times bestseller list every week for over a year. It has since been translated into over thirty languages. Her long-awaited second collection ‘the sun and her flowers’ was published in 2017 and debuted as a #1 New York Times bestseller. Through this collection she continues to explore a variety of themes ranging from love, loss, trauma, healing, femininity, migration, and revolution. Rupi has performed her poetry across the world. Her illustrations, along with her design and art direction are warmly embraced and she hopes to continue this expression for years to come.

  • Paperback:208 pages
  • Publisher:Andrews McMeel Publishing; Reprint edition (October 6, 2015)

My Review:

I read the Sun and her Flowers and then I saw that she had Milk and Honey.  I requested it from my local library and finally it came available in my account. .  It’s a short book and some poetry that I really liked and then there was some that I thought didn’t really had any meaning.   This book had me hooked from the beginning to the end. Great book for anyone going through any sort of a rough time. Or even if you’re feeling great. Either way it’s empowering.    I am giving this a 5 star review.

Happy Reading everyone

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine By: Gail Honeyman (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

Beautifully written and incredibly funny, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is about the importance of friendship and human connection. I fell in love with Eleanor, an eccentric and regimented loner whose life beautifully unfolds after a chance encounter with a stranger; I think you will fall in love, too!” —Reese Witherspoon

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine. 

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fineis the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

The only way to survive is to open your heart.  

About Author:

Gail Honeyman is a graduate of the universities of Glasgow and Oxford. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine won the Costa First Novel Award and the British Book Awards Book of the Year, was short-listed for the Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize, the Desmond Elliot Award, and the Author’s Club Best First Novel, and was long-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. This is Honeyman’s debut novel and she lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

  • Hardcover:336 pages
  • Publisher:Pamela Dorman Books; First Edition edition (May 9, 2017)

My Review:

I liked it completely different than I expected, but in a refreshing way.

I did come to like and sympathise with Eleanor and the other characters in the book; but I found it a bit of a fairy tale and I wasn’t entirely convinced. The story of Eleanor’s coming to grips with her traumatising past, and overcoming it, seemed a bit too pat and simplistic. I fail to find the humor in a person who has been forever mentally messed up because they were abused and neglected. It’s not funny. It’s terribly sad.

It is well written, and I wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy reading it, but it is not the type of book I would normally choose.  I am giving it 4 stars and I will look into find outer books by this author.

 

The Wall by Joseph Hayes (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

Miguel Sanchez is a talented and dynamic attorney who has earned a reputation as a passionate crusader for immigration rights. His charisma and his accomplishments have made him a media darling and paved the way for his explosion onto the national political scene. But he is not who he purports to be. He is the nation’s most high-profile illegal immigrant, a secret known to almost no one other than his shadowy handlers. Together, they have an agenda – punish America for its past sins and undermine this country’s prosperity and way of life. Since childhood, Sanchez has been conditioned to believe in that cause and to do whatever it takes to see that mission through. Now he is on the cusp of acquiring the power to do exactly that.

Bobby Rivera is the son of Mexican parents who raised him in South Texas, where they were employed under temporary work visas. Although he grew up living in constant fear of the government and deportation, he loves America and the opportunities it has afforded him. He and Miguel share a past – a close friendship as teenagers that was marred by tragedy and dark secrets as well as Miguel’s sudden and unexplained disappearance.

Bobby’s peaceful life as a funeral director in San Antonio is thrown into turmoil when Miguel unexpectedly reenters his life. Bobby realizes that he is the only person outside Miguel’s circle who knows Miguel’s secret and his hidden agenda. Bobby’s loyalty to his old friend conflicts with his loyalty to his country, not to mention his conscience. Will this young man who has spent his entire life looking over his shoulder and running from trouble have the courage to confront it head-on? How far will Miguel go to protect his dark secret? Will the life of fame, fortune and accomplishment Miguel has achieved change his heart and cause him to embrace rather than attack his adoptive country?

The Wall is an intelligent, fast-paced thriller that combines page-turning suspense with a thought-provoking exploration of one of the most controversial, sensitive and far-reaching issues of our time – immigration. It examines the opportunities, fears and challenges of recent immigrants and their children. It portrays the changing complexion of America in a way that is sensitive and hopeful. It contrasts life on opposite sides of the border wall, but more importantly, it vividly depicts the walls that exist in the minds and hearts of those trying to assimilate and those who resist.

About Author:

Joseph Hayes is a native of Chicago, and grew up on the City’s South Side. He and his wife Susan left there in the 1980s in search of sunshine and warmer weather. They found both, and now split their time between The Woodlands, Texas and La Jolla, California.

After obtaining his law degree from Berkeley, Hayes practiced law in Chicago, San Diego and Houston. He also served for many years as the chief ethics officer for a Fortune 1000 company. He now focuses on his writing, specializing in novels that combine page-turning suspense, compelling characters and a thought-provoking exploration of issues that matter — both timely and timeless.

His latest work, The Wall, was released in October of 2018.

  • Print Length:  398 pages
  • Publisher:  Shadowpoint Publishing; 1 edition (October 9, 2018)
  • Publication Date:  October 9, 2018

My Review:

I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.
This is the first time I have ready anything by this author and I must say it was a great read.

Made me think of what’s going on with our country and the Government this novel hits very close to current events happening right now in the government.

Miguel Sanchez is an immigration attorney who wins a case before the Supreme Court on immigration. His background is rather unusual. Twenty years ago he was a different young man. This story takes you on the changes in his life and his friend, Bobby. It also shows what powerful men behind the man can make happen. Well worth the read.

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The Death of Mrs. Westaway By: Ruth Ware (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the centre of it.

About Author:

Ruth Ware grew up in Sussex, on the south coast of England. After graduating from Manchester University she moved to Paris, before settling in North London. She has worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language and a press officer. She is married with two small children, and In a Dark, Dark Wood is her début thriller.

My Review:

This book was so creepy. In a great way. I have read all of Ruth Ware’s  books.  And this book had me completely hooked from page one!

This book follows the story of Hal; She has no family, she lives alone in a decaying flat, she makes her money by tarot reading during the day, she’s mainly broke and she owes a lot of money to some loan sharks. When Hal receives a mysterious letter addressed to her- a letter concerning an inheritance- she is keen to find out more.

I have read all of Ruth Ware’s books and I am looking forward to reading her new Book, The Turn of the Key, which is scheduled to come out in August.   I am giving this 5 stars.  LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.

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Happy Readying

A simple Favor By: Darcey Bell (Reviewed By Rochelle)

About Book:

“Riveting and brilliantly structured, A Simple Favor is an edge-of-your seat domestic thriller about a missing wife and mother that relies on a rotating cast of unreliable narrators to ingeniously examine the cost of competitive mom-friends, the toll of ordinary marital discontent and the fallacy of the picture-perfect, suburban family.”—Kimberly McCreight, New York Timesbestselling author

She’s your best friend.

She knows all your secrets.

That’s why she’s so dangerous.

A single mother’s life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes in this chilling debut thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

It starts with a simple favor—an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another. When her best friend, Emily, asks Stephanie to pick up her son Nicky after school, she happily says yes. Nicky and her son, Miles, are classmates and best friends, and the five-year-olds love being together—just like she and Emily. A widow and stay-at-home mommy blogger living in woodsy suburban Connecticut, Stephanie was lonely until she met Emily, a sophisticated PR executive whose job in Manhattan demands so much of her time.

But Emily doesn’t come back. She doesn’t answer calls or return texts. Stephanie knows something is terribly wrong—Emily would never leave Nicky, no matter what the police say. Terrified, she reaches out to her blog readers for help. She also reaches out to Emily’s husband, the handsome, reticent Sean, offering emotional support. It’s the least she can do for her best friend. Then, she and Sean receive shocking news. Emily is dead. The nightmare of her disappearance is over.

Or is it? Because soon, Stephanie will begin to see that nothing—not friendship, love, or even an ordinary favor—is as simple as it seems.

A Simple Favor is a remarkable tale of psychological suspense—a clever and twisting free-fall of a ride filled with betrayals and reversals, twists and turns, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge. Darcey Bell masterfully ratchets up the tension in a taut, unsettling, and completely absorbing story that holds you in its grip until the final page.

About Author:

Darcey Bell is an American author and teacher. She was born in 1981 and grew up on a dairy farm in western Iowa. She teaches preschool in Chicago. A Simple Favor is her first novel.

  • Hardcover:304 pages
  • Publisher:Harper (March 21, 2017)

My Review: 

So I have heard a lot about this book, and was checking some of the reviews, and let me say I found that the reviews were not the best.  But I took the chance and bought the book.  I really found this book to be really good; I know that there are a lot of you who didn’t.

Stephanie and Emily are best friends. Emily asks a favor of Stephanie – to watch her son one afternoon and she’ll pick him up that evening… but Emily never comes back. This had me wondering how a mother could just leave here child.  But reading further into the book you found out that it was a plan to get money.   I found that Emily like to use people including here sister to get what she wanted.

There were some interesting concepts in here, but the way it was written, was a little different than I was used to. But the ending well I could say or hope that there will be a sequel as it just left you hanging.    I have seen that there is a movie on this and so I am now looking to rent that.  I have heard that there are mixed reviews on it also.  Over all I really enjoyed this book and I am giving it 4 Stars.

Happy reading everyone.

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Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be By: Rachel Hollis (Reviewed by Rochelle)

About Book:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Do you ever suspect that everyone else has life figured out and you don’t have a clue? If so, Rachel Hollis has something to tell you: that’s a lie.

As the founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Rachel Hollis developed an immense online community by sharing tips for better living while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own life. Now, in this challenging and inspiring new book, Rachel exposes the twenty lies and misconceptions that too often hold us back from living joyfully and productively, lies we’ve told ourselves so often we don’t even hear them anymore.

With painful honesty and fearless humor, Rachel unpacks and examines the falsehoods that once left her feeling overwhelmed and unworthy, and reveals the specific practical strategies that helped her move past them. In the process, she encourages, entertains, and even kicks a little butt, all to convince you to do whatever it takes to get real and become the joyous, confident woman you were meant to be.

With unflinching faith and rock-hard tenacity, Girl, Wash Your Face shows you how to live with passion and hustle–and how to give yourself grace without giving up.

 

About Author:

Rachel Hollis is a #1 New York Times best-selling author of Girl, Wash Your Face, a TV personality, top motivational speaker, top podcast host, CCO of the company she founded, and mother of four. Rachel was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the “Top 30 Entrepreneurs under 30” and she is deeply passionate about empowering women in business.

She’s become known as “the Tony Robbins for women” because of her motivational, high energy style and her unique ability to empower and embolden a female audience. Motivational, inspirational, and always approachable, Rachel’s tell-it-like-it-is attitude is a refreshing approach that allows her to authentically connect with audiences everywhere.

  • Hardcover:240 pages
  • Publisher:Thomas Nelson; paper back edition (February 6, 2018)

My Review:

I honestly believe this book can help every woman grow. Personally, it has helped me focus on the one person who is the LAST to get my attention and effort. Myself.  Sure some reviews say she’s a little bragadociaous, and I’d agree, but you’d be missing the point if that’s what you took away from the book.  There were some parts of this book, that I felt didn’t pertain to me, such as the child bearing chapter.

You’ll feel like you ARE her in this book. You are not alone, and while this book may not help you achieve personal goals- it’ll give you a sense of peace.  I think that there’s room for change in everyone, so take the challenge and check out this book.

Have a great New Year with reading!

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The Next Person You Meet in Heaven By: Mitch Albom Reviewed by: Rochelle

About the Book:

In this enchanting sequel to the number one bestseller The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom tells the story of Eddie’s heavenly reunion with Annie—the little girl he saved on earth—in an unforgettable novel of how our lives and losses intersect.

Fifteen years ago, in Mitch Albom’s beloved novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the world fell in love with Eddie, a grizzled war veteran- turned-amusement park mechanic who died saving the life of a young girl named Annie. Eddie’s journey to heaven taught him that every life matters. Now, in this magical sequel, Mitch Albom reveals Annie’s story.

The accident that killed Eddie left an indelible mark on Annie. It took her left hand, which needed to be surgically reattached. Injured, scarred, and unable to remember why, Annie’s life is forever changed by a guilt-ravaged mother who whisks her away from the world she knew. Bullied by her peers and haunted by something she cannot recall, Annie struggles to find acceptance as she grows. When, as a young woman, she reconnects with Paulo, her childhood love, she believes she has finally  found happiness.

As the novel opens, Annie is marrying Paulo. But when her wedding night day ends in an unimaginable accident, Annie finds herself on her own heavenly journey—and an inevitable reunion with Eddie, one of the five people who will show her how her life mattered in ways she could not have fathomed.

Poignant and beautiful, filled with unexpected twists, The Next Person You Meet in Heaven reminds us that not only does every life matter, but that every ending is also a beginning—we only need to open our eyes to see it.

About Author:

Mitchell David Albom is an author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have collectively sold over 35 million copies worldwide; have been published in forty-one territories and in forty-two languages around the world; and have been made into Emmy Award-winning and critically-acclaimed television movies.

Kindle Edition, 224 pages

Published October 9th 2018 by Harper

My Review:

Everyone wanted a sequel to one of the most beloved books, and Mitch Albom has delivered!

In The Five People You Meet In Heaven, we meet Eddie, a grizzly old war veteran – turned amusement park maintenance man who died saving the life of a young girl called Annie. Now it’s time for Annie’s story in this sequel.   I loved the first one and I loved this one.  I had read the “The Five People You Meet In Heave a long time ago, but Mitch did mention characters of the past book in the new one.  This is an awesome read.  I hope that there will be more from this author, I enjoy reading his books.  I am giving this 5 stars.

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Unnecessary Roughness: Inside the Trial and Final Days of Aaron Hernandez By: Jose Baez (Reviewed by: Rochelle)

About Book:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The revelatory inside story of the trial and final days of New England Patriots superstar Aaron Hernandez, by his attorney and New York Times bestselling author Jose Baez.

When renowned defense attorney Jose Baez received a request for representation from Aaron Hernandez, the disgraced Patriots tight-end was already serving a life sentence for murder. Defending him in a second, double-murder trial seemed like a lost cause–but Baez accepted the challenge, and their partnership culminated in a dramatic courtroom victory, a race to contest his first conviction, and ultimately a tragedy, when Aaron took his own life days after his acquittal.

This riveting, closely-observed account of Aaron’s life and final year is the only book based on countless intimate conversations with Aaron, and told from the perspective of a true insider. Written with the support of Hernandez’s fiancée, Unnecessary Roughness takes readers inside the high-profile trial, offering a dramatic retelling of the race to obtain key evidence that would exonerate Hernandez, and later play a critical role in appealing his first conviction.

With revelations about Aaron’s personal life that weren’t shared at trial, and an exploration of the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy diagnosis revealed by his autopsy, Jose Baez’s Unnecessary Roughness is a startling courtroom drama and an unexpected portrait of a fallen father, fiancé, and teammate.

 

About Author:

Jose Baez is one of the most sought-after attorneys in the country. After successfully defending Casey Anthony in what became one of the nation’s most high-profile trials, he took on the international case of Gary Giordano, which caught international headlines. Baez fought hard to successfully obtain Giordano’s release from a prison in Aruba where he had been held for several months. Baez continues to practice criminal defense law, handling cases throughout the country, especially those involving complex forensic issues for which Baez has shown strong interest and expertise.

Baez is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, extremely active in various charitable endeavors in the Hispanic community, and enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. He currently has offices in Orlando and Miami, Florida.

  • Hardcover:288 pages
  • Publisher:Hachette Books (August 21, 2018)

My Review: 

Not sure where to begin… I was so intrigued with every detail and word coming from Jose. I

couldn’t put this book down! Jose Baez really broke the case down and explained everything so well. It’s unbelievable to me how the prosecution could put this man on trial with no real evidence.    This was an excellent read and I still believe that he was innocent, and that there was no real evidence.

Second Star (A Neverland Transmissions Novel Book 1) By: J.M. Sullivan

About Book:

Wendy Darling worked her entire life to rise through the ranks of the prestigious Londonierre Brigade. Now as a Captain, she has everything she’s always wanted, including a ship and crew of her own. But when the Brigade receives a strange transmission from the legendary James Hooke, lost a hundred years earlier in uncharted space and presumed dead, Wendy is willing to risk it all to rescue her hero. She races to the planet known only as Neverland; her mission to find the long-lost crew and bring them home.

But there is more to Neverland than meets the eye, and more to Hooke than what was written in history books. When Wendy crash lands on the ominous planet, she quickly discovers Neverland’s dark secret; a malevolent being known as The Shadow that’s looking for a host body to escape its eternal prison. To fulfill her mission, Wendy must decide whether to trust the dashing Hooke or the mysterious Fleet mechanic who goes by the name of Pan–and she has to decide quickly…

Before the darkness consumes them all.

 

About Author:

Teacher by day, award-winning author by night, J.M. Sullivan is a fairy tale fanatic who loves taking classic stories and turning them on their head. She has a passion for the writing community and loves empowering and encouraging other authors.

Although known to dabble in adulting, J.M. is a big kid at heart who still believes in true love, magic, and most of all, the power of coffee. If you would like to connect with J.M., you can find her on social media @jmsullivanbooks — she’d love to hear from you.

My Review:

Loved this sci-fi take on Peter Pan and Neverland. It was great to see Wendy shine as a strong, female leader. I really enjoyed reading this, I haven’t read many sci-fi books, but I have to say that I am trying to read different types of novels and not stick to mystery or crime. I will be on the lookout for the second book to this. I feel the author did a great job in writing this. I am giving this; 5 stars.