"Jar Of Hearts" by Jennifer Hillier

This is the story of three best friends: one who was murdered, one who went to prison, and one who's been searching for the truth all these years . . .

When she was sixteen years old, Angela Wong—one of the most popular girls in school—disappeared without a trace. Nobody ever suspected that her best friend, Georgina Shaw, now an executive and rising star at her Seattle pharmaceutical company, was involved in any way. Certainly not Kaiser Brody, who was close with both girls back in high school.

But fourteen years later, Angela Wong's remains are discovered in the woods near Geo's childhood home. And Kaiser—now a detective with Seattle PD—finally learns the truth: Angela was a victim of Calvin James. The same Calvin James who murdered at least three other women.

To the authorities, Calvin is a serial killer. But to Geo, he's something else entirely. Back in high school, Calvin was Geo's first love. Turbulent and often volatile, their relationship bordered on obsession from the moment they met right up until the night Angela was killed.

For fourteen years, Geo knew what happened to Angela and told no one. For fourteen years, she carried the secret of Angela's death until Geo was arrested and sent to prison.

While everyone thinks they finally know the truth, there are dark secrets buried deep. And what happened that fateful night is more complex and more chilling than anyone really knows. Now the obsessive past catches up with the deadly present when new bodies begin to turn up, killed in the exact same manner as Angela Wong.

How far will someone go to bury her secrets and hide her grief? How long can you get away with a lie? How long can you live with it? ~taken from Goodreads

You have been warned! Pre-order this book now because in June this book will be flying off shelves at your local bookstore! 

This was my first time reading a book by author Jennifer Hillier, but it certainly will not be my last. I have already added other books of hers to my list. But, I'm getting ahead of myself... let me explain to you why this book was AMAZING!

This story revolves around 3 (former) best friends. Georgina (Geo) and Kaiser are now both grown adults, but no longer friends. They drifted apart in their late teen years when Angela, the final piece to their teen trio of BFFs, went missing. Now Geo is headed to prison for her part in killing Angela all those years ago and Kaiser is the one who arrested her. Though Geo is in prison, Kaiser just can't shake his detective instinct that there is more to this story than what he has been told.

The story alternates between past and present and also from third person point of view of both Geo and Kaiser. The characters are very well developed, easy to relate to, and despite the horrific event of murder, both characters are very likable. 

We get glimpses into the past and are slowly given clues on how these teens' life were before the murder and what lead up to it. I loved reading the parts of Geo's life in prison. Even the small, seemingly insignificant characters in the story are so well developed and interesting. The story flows seamlessly and little plot twists dropped throughout kept me guessing up until the end!

You all know I hate ruining a good story, so I won't give any spoilers away! I will tell you it's a 5 star read! Hands down one of my favorite books of 2018 so far! I can't wait to read other books from this author.

Jennifer Hillier's "Jar Of Hearts" is set to be released on June 12, 2018 here in the United States. Like I mentioned before, pre-order it now!  You'll want this book in your hands to gobble up the second it's released! 

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press (I received both the egalley and printed ARC) to read and give my honest review. 

Happy Reading!

Stephanie Garber's "Legendary (Caraval #2)

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more―and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about―maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun. ~taken from Amazon

I finished this book a week ago and I still can't stop thinking about it!!!! It's perfection. When I started this read I was honestly worried and concerned that the second book in the series just wouldn't live up to the amazingness of the first book, Caraval, but I am so glad I was wrong!

This review will be short and without spoilers. This is a fascinating young adult fantasy series that I can't get enough of. The world and characters that Garber has created suck the reader in and keep them engaged throughout the entire book. 

The characters are simple and yet complex at the same time. In this book we get the story from the point of view of Tessa (Book 1 was from Scarlett's POV).I wish I was as good at writing as Garber so I could explain to you the feeling of reading this book. I guess "purely magical" will suffice the feelings I experienced. Like the first book, Stephanie Garber's talent (besides inventing this imaginary world and complex game in her head and perfectly translating it onto paper) is her way to create a plot twist. She is a genius at misleading the reader and surprising them in the next chapter or two with a twist no one ever saw coming but her. 

All in all, this book is a 5 star read for me. Pre-order it now. If you haven't read the first book yet, DO IT NOW! You will not be disappointed! Legendary is due to be released here in the USA on May 29, 2018. 

Thanks to Flat Iron Books and Netgalley for allowing me an egalley to read and give my honest review. 

Happy Reading! 

Sara Shepard's "The Elizas"

When debut novelist Eliza Fontaine is found at the bottom of a hotel pool, her family at first assumes that it’s just another failed suicide attempt. But Eliza swears she was pushed, and her rescuer is the only witness.

Desperate to find out who attacked her, Eliza takes it upon herself to investigate. But as the publication date for her novel draws closer, Eliza finds more questions than answers. Like why are her editor, agent, and family mixing up events from her novel with events from her life? Her novel is completely fictional, isn’t it?

The deeper Eliza goes into her investigation while struggling with memory loss, the closer her life starts to resemble her novel until the line between reality and fiction starts to blur and she can no longer tell where her protagonist’s life ends and hers begins. ~Taken from Goodreads

I was very excited to read this new novel by Sara Shepard! I fell in love with the Pretty Little Liars series. This new novel, "The Elizas" is geared more towards the adult audience, as opposed to her previous novels in the Young Adult genre. 

My full review will be added to this post closer to the release date of April 17, 2018. For the meantime, I will tell you I really enjoyed this read! 

This thriller was easy to get into from the start. The cast of characters are interesting, diverse and relatable. Mysteries and plot twists kept coming and I stayed engaged throughout the story. I honestly didn't see the end coming! 

If you are looking for a vacation read, this is a must! I think Sara Shepard did a great job transitioning to adult fiction. I look forward to her next novel! 

Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for allowing me a free copy to read and give my honest review! It was a 4 star read for me! Look for my complete review next month and pre-order this new novel now! 

Happy Reading! 

"Other People's Houses" by Abbi Waxman

At any given moment in other people's houses, you can find...repressed hopes and dreams...moments of unexpected joy...someone making love on the floor to a man who is most definitely not her husband...

*record scratch*

As the longtime local carpool mom, Frances Bloom is sometimes an unwilling witness to her neighbors' private lives. She knows her cousin is hiding her desire for another baby from her spouse, Bill Horton's wife is mysteriously missing, and now this...

This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed! It was a hilarious, realistic, and brutally honest look into modern day family life. I am in awe of how author, Abbi Waxman, managed to spin the everyday mundane happenings of child rearing, grocery shopping, and marriage into such a delightful story. 

This book is about a group of neighbors whose lives are detailed after the main character, Frances, heads to one of her carpool kids' houses for a forgotten school item and walks in on her neighbor, Anne, having an affair on the living room floor. This effects not only the life of Anne and her family, but every family whose child rides in the carpool also.

This story follows the lives of 4 families that live on the same block and have daily interactions with one another. Some are friends out of mutual interests, other just because their children play together. I loved this book because it shows that everyone's life is anything but boring. It's always interesting to know whats happening in other people's houses. 

While everyone in this story has some kind of insecurity and marriage problem of their own, I feel the way the characters dealt with their issues were a real to life and completely relatable to most families today. Its a book that shows that not every family is perfect, no matter how they look to others on the outside, and that everyone has their own way of dealing with all the minor or major crisis's that appear daily in family life.

***Side note- I imagined the main character of this book as Katie Otto from ABC's sitcom "American Housewife". She is just funny as hell and takes on life with such sarcasm! ***

"Other People's Houses" is due to be released here in the U.S. on April 3, 2018 so pre-order it now! I give it 5 stars!

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read and give my honest review.  

Happy Reading! 

Maureen Lindley's "The Beloveds"

An exploration of domestic derangement, as sinister as Daphne Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, that plumbs the depths of sibling rivalry with wit and menace.

Oh, to be a Beloved—one of those lucky people for whom nothing ever goes wrong. Everything falls into their laps without effort: happiness, beauty, good fortune, allure.

Betty Stash is not a Beloved—but her little sister, the delightful Gloria, is. She’s the one with the golden curls and sunny disposition and captivating smile, the one whose best friend used to be Betty’s, the one whose husband should have been Betty’s. And then, to everyone’s surprise, Gloria inherits the family manse—a vast, gorgeous pile of ancient stone, imposing timbers, and lush gardens—that was never meant to be hers.

Losing what Betty considers her rightful inheritance is the final indignity. As she single-mindedly pursues her plan to see the estate returned to her in all its glory, her determined and increasingly unhinged behavior—aided by poisonous mushrooms, talking walls, and a phantom dog—escalates to the point of no return. The Beloveds will have you wondering if there’s a length to which an envious sister won’t go. ~taken from Goodreads

This book... I am all one for a dark, twisted thriller. Betty is a character I thought I would really like. I will admit I had high hopes for this book. It was a premise I hadn't seen before and it seemed interesting. I was wrong. 

This book is slow moving from the get-go and gets even slower in the second half. All of Betty's hatred for her sister, both past and present, are presented to the reader in the first half and primarily takes place in her thoughts and memories. As Betty drinks more and more,her thoughts get even more bizarre and evil. She goes from a selfish, scorned sister to a truly evil human being- all over a house she believes is alive and wants to have as her own.

There are very good parts to this novel that I really did enjoy. The way the author writes about Betty's time working in the art gallery had a melodic, magical element to it. Descriptions of the house and the grounds surrounding it were descriptive and enjoyable. The author does have some fine writing skills.

The biggest problem I had with "The Beloveds" was the complete lack of closure at the end. I got no satisfaction for finishing this long, mostly boring read. The book just ends and left me wondering "what just happened", and I mean this literally. Nothing at all happens. It left me wondering  if there a sequel. If there is a sequel do I really want to read it? I felt like I had wasted my time with a story that the author didn't finish writing.

This is a book I could have really liked, had the author, in my opinion, spent more time on story development and completion. It was a 2 star read for me.  

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for allowing me the opportunity to read and give my honest review. 

"The Beloveds" is due to be released here in the U.S. on April 3, 2018.

Happy Reading!

"I Was Anastasia" by Ariel Lawhon

Russia, July 17, 1918 Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed. 

Germany, February 17, 1920 A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal in Berlin. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless, horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious woman claims to be the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia.

Her detractors, convinced that the young woman is only after the immense Romanov fortune, insist on calling her by a different name: Anna Anderson. 

As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre, old enemies and new threats are awakened. ~description taken from Goodreads

For those unfamiliar with the controversy that surrounded the basis of this novel this book will be very interesting. It is a bizarre and fascinating story. I found this fictional version entertaining, but it was difficult to follow. I had to really focus and stay alert. My memory had to be spectacular. I bookmarked and highlighted quite a bit so I could go back and reference. 

This story is told in reverse. There are conversations that happen and the reader is left to guess who characters are and how they play out in the story. I have read books similar to this format with no issues, so I honestly am not sure why this was such a struggle for me.

This novel follows two characters. Anastasia's story is told chronologically from start to finish while Anna's story is told in reverse, making it very difficult to understand where in the story I was and how exactly the two connect. Perhaps I was just waiting too hard for the connection to happen that I was distracted from the story?

Overall, the descriptions and characters were decent and the story line is entertaining. If you have read other non-fiction books about the Romanovs and know the outcome of this debate (no spoilers) than this book probably isn't for you. I felt I got more satisfaction reading nonfiction or simply researching online and looking at pictures of the women. 

This book is set to be released March 27, 2018 here in the US. If historical fiction based on real history excites you, then add this book to your TBR list! It was a solid 3 star read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me an egalley to read and give my honest review. 

Happy Reading!

"The Last Mrs. Parrish" by Liv Constantine

Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted.

To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn't have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces. 

With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent. 


So this was such a fun read! It will probably be a short review, so that I don't ruin any surprises!

It's fun, to me, to read about the lives of the 1%. The clothing, the houses, the nannies, and the special clubs and societies that make up their daily lives. Amber, the main character, envies these lives and has devised a plan to be the next and last Mrs Parrish. She is a sociopath and has no morals what so ever. The lengths she went to to secure her spot was jaw dropping.

I loved that there were only 3 main characters- homewrecker, wife and husband. I didn't get confused about who was who and were they belonged in the story. The story flows effortlessly and kept me engaged. Plot twists left me surprised and wondering how exactly this story would end. I was not disappointed!


I give this a 4.5 star read! The Last Mrs Parrish is available at your local bookstore, online retailer or library so you should definitely read it! Let me know what you thought once you're done!

Happy Reading!