Meadowbrook Lane ReadsALot

  This book was so unexpected to me!  I really had no idea what I thought it would be about (again I never read the back of the book first…just got it strictly from hearing good things about it).  It was really, really good. Pulled me in right away.  The story follows Kit who flies to New Zealand in search of her older sister who was supposedly killed in a train crash years ago. She was believed to be dead although no body was ever found.  Kit and her mom had accepted this…until one night on the news there is a story about a fire at a nightclub in New Zealand. There, staring into the camera, is the spitting image of Kit’s sister Josie.  This is a pretty amazing story of  messed up families, forgiveness, love, and honestly so much more.  Definitely would recommend.  4.5 of 5

 I had no idea what this book would be about. Never read the back of it; got it strictly because I saw someone else had read it and thought it was good.  It was surprising to me that it ended up being a bit of a historical fiction,  WWII book!  I do generally really enjoy those :).   This book was SO different though from any I’ve read before.  The whole story was letters back and forth between an array of characters. I will say that at first this was a bit hard to follow as you learned who all of the different characters ever were.  The main character’s name is Juliet who is a writer in London. Her next book is about the German Occupation of the island of Guernsey after she receives a letter from a member of this “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society” and begins corresponding with not only that member, but multiple. These people start to become very good friends of hers, and not just people giving her info on what comes to be her next book topic. She decides to physically go ther

Even though this book was a thriller. It was honestly so different from anything else I have read before.  Having lost both her job and her boyfriend, the main character, Jules Larsen answers a job posting for an  apartment sitter  for an upscale apartment in The Bartholomew after the death of its occupant. It is explained to her that tenants cannot let an apartment sit empty for more than a month's time, so as to deter burglars, and that she will live in the apartment until the family determines what they want to do with the unit.  While staying in this creepy, yet incredible, building Jules learns that other people, predominantly sitters, have gone missing in The Bartholomew and that the sitter before her was very likely abducted for unknown reasons. She feels that she finds evidence to support this, so Jules flees The Bartholomew, upon which point she is hit by a car and hospitalized. She initially tries to explain what has happened to the hospital staff, only to discover that s

  Well, again, you just can’t go wrong with an Elin Hilderbrand book.  Her Beach reads always pull me in two of the stories almost immediately. With each one taking place on Nantucket I feel like I know the island now and the people on it – lol. This particular book is a little bit different from past ones that I have read because the story is mostly told from “Vivi” —who was killed by a hit and run, while she herself was out on a run. She has three grown children (Willa, Carson and Leo) so the story’s premise is watching the lives of these three kids and their relationships with each other as siblings and then also with others around them following this tragedy. There are some hidden truths that come to light for Vivi‘s family to sort out and mistakes both past and present for them to try to move forward from.  And who did run Vivi down?  From the beginning, one of Leo’s best friends—basically a second son to Vivi—was the one suspected.  Was it him?? 4.2 out of 5    Good “beach read”.

  Holy cats was this one amazingly good. A can’t put it down, need to see what happens next, kind of book for me. I will say that instantly in my mind if reflecting on it, it has a complete cross between Behind Closed Doors and The Last Mrs Parrish.  A very wealthy housewife hires the recently out of prison,   Millie, for housework and light cooking, some childcare. It’s a “live-in” position… which is actually perfect for Millie since she finds herself homeless at the time.  Nina, the wife, once in awhile seems nice enough, and at other times totally psychotic. The husband is very successful and drop dead gorgeous. There are many secrets (and crazy twists and turns!!) this house holds…. A million perfect worth the read.  For a “thriller” type this was darn near a perfect 5 star for me!!!

  Loved this one.  The main character in the book is Hannah, who recently  moved back to LA after jumping from city to city the last couple of years since college trying to find that perfect fit and always coming up empty.  She is staying, for the moment, at her best friend Gabby’s house (and her husband Mark’s) in the guest room.  Soon after arriving they decide to get a group to all go out to celebrate her return to the city. She has to make a choice at the end of the night—does she stay out and hang with her old HS boyfriend Ethan who is there and see if they have a future, or does she go home with Gabby as planned and if they are meant to be together in the future, to just figure that somehow it’ll work itself out.  From this point in the book it’s like the parallel universes of how things transpire based on the one split decision—-so two stories continue through the book based on that one choice.  It’s such an intriguing book to me…and concept really. How one seemingly small choic