Losing the Light Review

March 17, 2016Leave a comment

A book about a wine-filled excursion to France? Sign me up. What I loved about this novel was that it doesn’t take place in the part of France we hear about so often, Paris, but rather the coastal town of Nantes with escapes to the glamorous Cap Ferrat. It was a completely new setting for me, one which satisfied my wanderlust every time I picked it up.

Losing the Light tells the story of two college students, Brooke and Sophie, who study abroad for a year. Brooke is sent away after an affair with a college professor her school needs to pretend didn’t happen, and Sophie is longing for a place where she isn’t just known as just the pretty girl. At a mixer when they arrive, Brooke meets Veronique, who soon introduces both girls to her handsome cousin Alex. And that’s where the trouble starts.

Dunlop easily portrays Brooke as an insecure and jealous woman who falls for Alex quickly and is seduced by his good looks and charm. Several get-togethers have the girls alone with Alex and while Brooke is pining for him, her friendship with Sophie is tested when her paranoia seems to take over. I just had a wish for more tension throughout, all to set the stage for what we learn in the opening chapter about how everything ends.

This book would be perfect to throw in your beach bag or grab for a quick read over spring break where you can get lost in a world countries away and think back on your 20s as a time you thoght the whole world was at your feet.

You can read more about Andrea here. Thank you to BookSparks for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Mapmaker’s Children Review

February 11, 2016Leave a comment

Lately I have been drawn to books that mix a storyline from the past along with one from the present, like Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline and What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman. Even better if there is a connection that ties the two together. In Sarah McCoy’s The Mapmaker’s Children, she does that beautifully.

The historical side tells the story of Sarah Brown, daughter of abolitionist John Brown, who was executed for aiding slaves through the Underground Railroad. Sarah’s artistic talent lends itself to the cause, as she’s able to create detailed maps to assist the slaves in finding freedom. Knowing she will forever be unable to bear children, she risks her life to fight for what she believes is right.

Fast-forward to the present where we meet Eden Anderson, a former PR executive who moves to New Charleston and discovers a porcelain doll head in her pantry. She becomes angry and bitter after struggling with infertility in a new town where she knows no one. That is, until her 11-year-old neighbor appears and helps become a detective as to why that doll is in her house.

Sarah McCoy truly has a way with words and as the chapters alternate between past and present, you oftentimes believe you are reading separate books because of how distinct the writing is. I learned so much about the Brown family and saw the Civil War through their eyes. It’s amazing how much we can take for granted now, just having a warm house in winter and food on our table, things that families had to fight for during hard times.

The newly released paperback version of this book is perfect for book clubs as it already has preprinted questions and a discussion with Sarah about her research into this story and music she listened to while writing. I am eager to go back and read the author’s first novel, The Baker’s Daughter, knowing how much I enjoyed this one. Be sure to check out Sarah’s bio on the Penguin Random House page.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. Thank you for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

All the Winters After Review

January 21, 2016February 7, 2016Leave a comment

This beautiful and haunting novel has already secured a spot on my best books of the year list. It’s not just words written on paper, but a multilayered story of a family and their grief over time.

Kachemak Winkel lost his family 20 years earlier in a plane crash. His aunt Snag and grandmother Lettie are still living in Alaska while he fled the cruel winters to lose himself in Austin, Texas. When he returns home to check on the family’s homestead, he discovers a frightened woman who has been seeking shelter there for 10 years.

As Kache begins to untangle his family history, we learn that this woman’s background isn’t so simple, either.

The setting is chilling and the story is full of hope and promise. Thank you to Sourcebooks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars.

White Collar Girl Review

January 13, 2016Leave a comment

There’s so much I liked about this novel and related to. It tells the fictional story of Jordan Walsh, a female reporter starting at the Chicago Tribune in the 1950s. All she wants is to be taken seriously as a reporter amidst all the men. She does whatever she can to report on the real news stories, not the society ones they assign to her. It was fascinating to see this perspective considering how different times are now with reporting. As a journalism major, I was intrigued to learn how it used to be in newsrooms where women had to fight just to be treated with respect. And growing up in Chicago, I also enjoyed the bits of history during that time period.

This is a must read novel for historical fiction fans and a great intro to the genre for those who enjoy women’s and contemporary fiction. If you need a suggestion for your book club, this will also prompt lots of discussion.

I look forward to reading Renee Rosen’s earlier novels. Thanks to Goodreads and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shelter Review

January 11, 2016Leave a comment

[amazon text=&asin=1250075610]If there was ever a book with the lesson of “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” this is it. And no, I am not referring to this book’s cover, although I love it and think it’s a perfect representation of the story.

We have Kyung, a Korean-American professor, his Irish wife, Gillian, and their young son, Ethan. After spending beyond their means, they come to realize they can no longer afford their house. Meanwhile, in the wealthier section of their town lives Kyung’s parents, Jin and Mae. After a violent incident at Jin and Mae’s home, they have nowhere to go but Kyung’s home.

But as bits begin to unravel and secrets beg to be told, the reader realizes that one perfect young family and one wealthy family are not truly who they seem.

Is “shelter” truly a place to call home or just a structure with which to seek refuge? You’ll have to decide for yourself after finishing this compulsively readable book.

Thanks to Picador USA and Jung Yun for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Available for preorder now. Publishes March 15, 2016