Happy Monday, book nerds!
How was everyone’s weekend? Anything new or exciting happen for y’all? Hit me up with that good news below!
As for my good news? I actually had a really solid weekend!
On Thursday (yeah, it’s not the weekend, but roll with it), our Peloton arrived. That’s right, hubby and I took the plunge. I did my first EVER cycling class that night and finished 3rd overall in the class!! Yes it was a beginner’s class, but I’m celebrating the small stuff! I’m very excited to have a beautiful machine to work out some of my daily stress on and can’t wait to see how it transforms our lives!
Beyond our exercise news, we also did a drive-by surprise birthday for my sister-in-law, a fish fry & socially-distanced game night with my family, and my Stars won their game today (Sunday) in OT!! So I’m riding high at the moment!!
Now I’m just wrapping up my weekend with some blog posts including this new round of MINI REVIEW MONDAY. Scroll on down to get a look at what I’ve been reading lately!
FIRST UP? THE GUEST LIST! Click the links for the full synopsis below!
Goodreads/Amazon/Interabang Books ⬅️ my local indie!
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Title & Author: The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: June 2, 2020
Publisher: William Morrow
Series Details: Standalone
Page Count: 330 pages
Rating : 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS
Not only was this an April BOTM selection, but it was also June’s joint selection for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine book club! So basically, you’ve been seeing this one a lot over the past few months.
I was fortunate enough to snag the audiobook thanks to the ALC program with Libro.fm, and I highly recommend giving this one a listen because the full-cast narration truly brings the story to life. Especially with those accents.
But what’s it about, you ask? This murderous thriller is basically Crash meets And Then There Were None.
Set off the west coast of Ireland on a desolate island, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭
centers around the wedding of golden couple: Will & Jules. This semi-famous couple have invited their closest friends & family to spend the night leading up to their nuptials on the island. But little do they know that their guests are bringing decades-old secrets & connections that will lead to a wedding no one will soon forget. In fact, it will be the last wedding some of them ever attend.
Jumping between 6 POVs — or POIs, as is the case — 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 delivers an engaging mystery that builds & builds until the final 100+ pages where the secrets — and reveals — truly start to fly. And while the main whodunit seemed obvious to me, Foley trickled in so many other interconnected twists and turns, I’m confident at least one of them will catch even the most perceptive sleuths off guard.
In addition to twists, this dark story addressed a lot of heavy issues, so please note the following TWs before diving into this addictive read.
TW: cutting/self-harm, depression, bullying, abortion, death of a loved one, murder, suicide, revenge porn
NEXT UP? YOU WERE THERE TOO! Click the links for the full synopsis below!
Goodreads/Amazon/Interabang Books ⬅️ my local indie!
You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
Title & Author: You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Series Details: Standalone
Page Count: 320 pages
Rating : 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS
Thanks so much to Berkley for providing me an earc via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
“𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 — 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”
We all have dreams, right? Sometimes they’re incredibly detailed and sometimes they’re rather forgettable. Sometimes they’re recurring and sometimes they’re a one-off.
All pretty normal. But what if you had vivid dreams for more than a decade that all featured the same mystery dream man?
And what if one day while shopping in a grocery store you came face-to-face with the very man that’s spent 10 years in your reveries?
Enter Oliver (the dream man), a philanthropic nomad & writer, who discovers his life is entwined with Mia’s (the dreamer) in more ways than one.
Mia, a contemporary painter & design consultant, has been married to Harrison for the better part of a decade, and all of their lives are about to be uprooted as dreams, realities, and nightmares begin to blur.
I thought I knew what I was getting into when I started this novel, but Oakley weaves a beautiful story full of surprises & twists that veered far from what I ever envisioned. I thought I was getting a will-they-won’t they romance or some lighthearted spins on a second-chance romance, but what I got was a story that put my emotions through the ringer. Whether it’s through magic & whimsy or a better understanding of time & science, Oakley crafts a narrative that is unlike most of the stories we see in this genre. And for its originality alone, I believe it’s worth the read.
If you’re a fan of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐝 or 𝐈𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, this adult fiction novel could be the read for you!
Please note that while I feel it’s best to go into this book blind, because some of those punches hit deep in the feels, I’d suggest checking out the trigger warnings below before diving into this one.
TW: miscarriages (graphic depictions of one and discussions of previous miscarriages), gun violence, death of a loved one, emotional cheating, abusive relationship, physical abuse, depression & guilt
Woot! We’ve reached the end of another “Mini” Review Monday! Please let me know if you enjoyed the books featured in this week’s installment! Have you read either of these 2020 releases? Are either of them on your never-ending TBRs? Let me know below!
And, as always: Happy Reading!
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