Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer #BookReview

It is early. A young man stands on a bridge and lets out a heart-wrenching scream. From deep in the woods, something screams back.

It sounds improbable. But this is how Isaac meets the egg.

The two are unlikely companions. But their chance encounter will transform Isaac’s life in ways he cannot yet imagine.

Maybe he will finally understand why he went there that morning. Maybe he will find a way to tell the truth.

Sometimes, to get out of the woods, you have to go into them.

The novel Isaac and the Egg is my latest book purchase. I read so many wonderful reviews about this novel when it came out that I had the title on my wishlist since it was pushlished and I felt it was time to read something more profound.

Unique and quirky are certainly the key words for this novel, but the best part is that it totally works. I know it sounds totally insane that a man encounters an egg in the woods and you’re probably wondering what the deal is. Did he find a real egg, his very own humpty dumpty or what? I can put you at ease, it’s the or what 😛. The situation is pretty simple: it’s some sort of never-seen-before creature and because of the initial sighting Isaac stuck to calling it Egg.

There is some magical realism in this novel but I was totally on board because it was put together and explained really well. I was totally fine with Egg, even though at times he sounded a wise creature and at other times he seemed like a toddler who can’t eat properly. He’s very very odd but lovely, he’s a bit of everything. The discrepancy felt a little unbalanced, but the further into the novel the more he was attuned to Isaac and he helps him with his grief in ways that no other person could. I felt it was good for Isaac that he starts to care for Egg too and I hoped he could deal with his loss eventually. He struggles, he falls but Egg is so weird and funny that it makes it all a little more bearable to read. I did wonder why one of Isaac’s rooms was locked though and what he was hiding, and where he was going sometimes. Isaac has a secret and I couldn’t figure out what it was, I was imagining the worst scenarios but it was something else entirely!

The novel is about dealing with one’s grief of course, it was sometimes a little confusing at first what is going on with Isaac but everything falls into place eventually and there was a special aha-moment  that was very satisfying. For such an unconventional novel I never expected to like it this much but everyone who has experienced loss will connect to it I think.

I bought a paperback copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay #BookReview

The crushing blow to the head. Hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend’s piercing scream…

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. With no trace of Ali after she is abducted, a cloud of suspicion hangs over him, though he is never charged. Trying to put his past behind him, Ryan changes his name and enters law school.

It’s on a summer trip to Italy that he gets the call: his missing car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. But inside the car are two dead men. The only trace of Ali is a cryptic note, the envelope in her handwriting stating If something happens to me…

Reeling from the news, Ryan sees the man who has haunted his nightmares since the night Ali was taken. But how could that be possible, so far from home? His search for answers leads him to England and France, but the truth may lie in the shape of two very different people back in the USA.

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If Something Happens to Me is an absolute binge-worthy novel. The novel is divided into three parts and the first part has three alternating storylines about a law student, a mob boss and his young son, and a new deputy sheriff in the town of Leavensworth. I guess nobody could have predicted that on Poppy McGee’s first day they would find a missing girl’s car with two bodies inside. The questions were really burning on my lips in this one. How was this all connected? Who were those people they found in the car? The chapters were short and compelling and Alex Finlay knows what he’s doing, my attention didn’t drop for even a slight second and he had me questioning in every chapter what was going on.

Ryan Richardson saw his girlfriend for the last time 5 years ago but with new evidence emerging (her car and a note in her handbag) there are people coming out of the woods. Ryan knew he hadn’t imagined Pinky guy when he was grabbed that night (the man lost two of his digits) when he suddenly sees him again but he’s certainly not going to let him get away a second time! It’s going to be a rollercoaster of the deadly kind!

Parts 2 and 3 blend the three storylines superbly in ways I had not imagined, and yet, there are still a lot more questions, about the cryptic note, the mystery man and who Poppy can trust in all of this. I had a field day trying to discern who was good and bad and if you are a little paranoid by nature you can eat your heart out at being suspicious. The sheriff, the FBI lady, the KBI lady (the foreign examiner in Kansas), or even Poppy’s own brother or father, who oh who knows more than they let on? I will only say I had someone in mind in Poppy’s entourage very early on, someone who seemed suspicious for me but that was just another brilliant red herring from the author and I completely fell for it.

Would I recommend this novel? Without a doubt. It’s a perfect fit for readers who enjoy C.L. Taylor or Claire Douglas. It’s grippingly unpredictable with a whole lot of tension. What could you want more? The only thing I’d maybe change is that the ending was wrapped up a bit too quickly.

I received a free ecopy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley. This is still my honest opinion.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng #BookReview

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn’t know what happened to her-only that her books have been banned-and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him.

Then one day, Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he will finally learn the truth about what happened to his mother, and what the future holds for them both.

Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change.

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I was in the mood to read something a bit more profound and moving so I picked up Our Missing Hearts. This is my first read by this author although I did watch Little Fires Everywhere. Now I’m not a fan of dystopia but the world in Our Missing Hearts looks and feels almost the same as ours. It makes it quite easy to imagine… and it’s scary that this could be a world I’d find myself living in. Can you imagine a world where libraries are half empty because of all the banned books? Even children’s books, because they’re a bad influence? I loved the cover already very much but given the relevance to the story, even more now.

The world building was based on a crisis and thanks to the introduction of the rules of PACT (Preservation of American Customs and Traditions) there came an end to it and they all slowly got out of the slump. The government then took it further and further though and unfortunately in this dystopian world Asian influences are blamed for everything.

There are hints dropped about the situation of the country and how it is to live under PACT but it isn’t until the second part that is explained how it got to the current situation. The realization was daunting, for Bird when he starts to comprehend more of the world he lives in but also for me as a reader. It’s pretty bad what has happened within only a few years.

Bird’s (Noah’s) mother left when he was 9. He didn’t understand then but this girl Sadie broadens his view of the world and he starts to notice more of what is happening around him. Sadie’s one of the children who were placed elsewhere because her parents had a bad influence on her. She’s a blessing because she’s so wise and sassy. Bird is going on a quest to find his mother but what happens if he finds her? What will she tell him? Where has she been all this time? What do the messages about missing hearts mean that he sees before they are removed? There’s a whole buildup to what she’s working on and when I found it I was definitely on their team, what a great idea.

I’m not going to lie, the ending felt a bit sad for me. I wanted the world to be a better place and happiness for Bird, for his mother, for Sadie. This novel is not meant to be a happy story though. Still, the third part, especially the ending remained a little disappointing. There is no information what the results were from the actions at the end of the novel and how they all fared.

Our Missing Hearts is completely different than The Handmaid’s Tale or Vox but I’d say it’s in the same genre. This novel is relevant today and an important cautionary tale.

I bought a copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

Falling by Emma Kavanagh #BookReview

A plane falls out of the sky. A woman is murdered. Four people all have something to hide.

Jim is a retired police officer, and worried father. His beloved daughter has disappeared and he knows something is wrong.

Tom has woken up to discover that his wife was on the plane and must break the news to their only son.

Cecilia had packed up and left her family. Now she has survived a tragedy, and sees no way out.

Freya is struggling to cope with the loss of her father. But as she delves into his past, she may not like what she finds.

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Falling is besides a backlist book also my fourth novel by this author (I rated Case 48: The Kidnapping of Isaiah Rae and The Missing Hours with four stars and The Killer On The Wall with three stars btw) so I was curious to find out how I’d feel about this one.

There are three different threads in this novel, one’s about a missing (presumed dead) woman so there is a police investigation going on, then there’s Cecilia who survived a plane crash and there’s Freya, daughter of the pilot who was flying the plane. A connection between two people on the same plane wasn’t hard to imagine but I didn’t know how the missing woman (a police officer) could have been involved so that certainly kept me curious. Unfortunately the first half of the book was quite boring for me and I even skim read parts of it. It did pick up and got a little more interesting in the second half though so the perseverance did pay off a little in the end.

Most of all I wish Cecilia hadn’t been so unsympathetic. She was extremely unlikeable to me. She’s not to be left alone with her young 3 year old son and was planning on leaving him and his father actually on the day of the crash (I have no idea why she doesn’t afterwards). She doesn’t have any motherly feelings and she’s not even very friendly towards her own husband. At the end I know there were reasons for this and it’s not that she’s a complete sociopath, but it didn’t make me very excited to read about her.

Every puzzle piece fits in the end so I can clearly see the plot idea the author had in mind, and I like her idea, there are good twists and it’s not all that predictable, but the key is to make the journey also interesting and she lost me a few times, especially in the beginning. Maybe I was impatient and not understanding enough for Cecilia but it is what it is. I do hope I’ll choose my next one wisely because none of the thrillers I read lately is wowing me and I’m leaving it open if it’s the books or my own fault.

I bought a paperback copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center #BookReview

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with her bare hands. But the truth is, she’s an elite bodyguard and she’s just been hired to protect a superstar actor from his stalker.

Jack Stapleton’s a Hollywood heartthrob – captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, rising out of the waves in clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity.

When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah – against her will and her better judgment – finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover.

Protecting Jack should be easy. But protecting her own heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done…

It’s finally happened, I read my first novel by Katherine Center. My fellow blog friend Nicki @ Secret Library Book Blog made me add this author and pick this one up because she wrote a raving review about it in the past.

I share the same opinion, this was a lovely book and I was immediately happy that it was a female security guard instead of the typical male protection detail (come on, I bet we all had someone similar to Kevin Costner as the bodyguard in mind before reading the synopsis and just by looking at the cover, I know I did).

Hannah is not to be underestimated, she might look like you and me but she’s definitely not. The only flaw I found is that she has a ridiculous (I stress the word ridiculous) fear of cows. That’s right, cows. Jack’s family lives on a ranch so of course there are cows. I know everyone has some irrational fear but that was the only thing that I found too much over the top because she loses all professionality right there and then while she’s sitting in a car. OK, let’s just let that one slide and focus on all the wonderful interactions between Hannah and Jack and his family. There’s also a stalker on the loose by the way to make it extra interesting but don’t let that distract too much from the feelings she starts to have for him. And when he looks into her eyes, is he really acting or might there be something real there in return? Whatever it is, Hannah cannot be falling for a client, it is forbidden and she’s a pro so she will do what is necessary.

Fake dating is a popular trope but it was done really well in The Bodyguard. I really enjoyed how the story developed, I was happy the ‘is he or isn’t he into her’ wasn’t drawn out too long but there was more to come after finding out the answer, and there were also a few interesting side plots involving Jack’s stalker, and Hannah’s ex.

All in all, a fun and cute story that you definitely don’t need to read if you want steamy scenes. I was happy to find there were none here. Instead I found some strong characters with a vulnerable side. Maybe all A-listers aren’t how they seem after all? Food for thought here.

I bought an ecopy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

The Couple on Cedar Close by Anna-Lou Weatherley #BookReview

One sunny August afternoon, the residents of Cedar Close throw their annual summer barbecue. Children play in the cherry-tree lined street, tables are laden with food, and the wine is flowing. For Laurie Mills, it’s her first time meeting the neighbours. And it’s the first time she discovers her husband Robert is having an affair.

Cedar Close has always been a nice place to live – a quiet suburban street where everyone looks out for one another and bad things don’t happen.

Until late one evening, when Robert Mills is found dead in his bedroom.

Downstairs, in their beautiful kitchen, his wife Laurie sits alone in the dark with her head in her hands.

She can’t remember the last few hours, but she knows she didn’t kill Robert.

The trouble is, no-one believes her…

I’m afraid I don’t have much to share about this novel. Laurie is suspected of murdering her (nearly ex-) husband but detective Dan Riley’s intuition tells him that there’s more than meets the eye here. Yes Laurie’s an unreliable narrator who doesn’t remember what happened between cooking a meal for them and finding him murdered but this wisp of a woman is believed to have murdered her husband and then to have called it in herself while she’s covered in his blood. Yeah, I’m finding this a little strange as well.

The writing was enjoyable to read but the murderer of Robert was so bloody obvious from the get go (and reading other reviews I’m not the only one of this opinion). Since everything is pretty much hinged on finding out the killer, it irritated me that they couldn’t see what was right under their noses. This wasn’t really a murder mystery for me and what kept me mostly interested was that I was waiting to see HOW they would catch the killer if they’d ever get there.

There are indeed two really evil people between these pages (and one of them is an incredible cheat), there’s some touching on domestic abuse, and the murderer is a total psychopath in the true sense of the word, lacking any morals or empathy. I still find it incredible how they can stay in the shadows like this and people in their vicinity are none the wiser.

I did enjoy following Dan Riley and his colleague Davis around, they’re a great team and I’m happy that the best and for me the most unexpected twist that really solidifies the case happened on their watch.

Overall a so and so novel which was readable but doesn’t really stand out. I expected more twists and especially not knowing whodunnit so early on. I’m not writing this author off just yet though because I see the potential there is with another less obvious plotline.

I bought a copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard #BookReview

Sadie’s looking for a fresh start. After missing out on an overdue promotion, she drunkenly re-opens a long-ignored dating app and, two days later, finds herself on a date with Jack. Except it isn’t a date.

Realizing that she mistakenly matched with Jack on a roommate-finding app, Sadie prepares to make a hasty exit, only to finally notice the gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone that Jack is advertising . . . and the unbelievably cheap rent.

Introverted Jack doesn’t know what to make of the talkative whirlwind in front of him. But he offers Sadie his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet, and Sadie, recognizing that her dreams of starting her own florist business might now finally be possible, accepts.

As Sadie’s presence starts to turn the brownstone into a real home, and Jack learns to come out of his shell, they both begin to wonder if this accidental roommate arrangement is the best deal they ever made.

Lease on Love was an impulse purchase at a second hand book store. I hadn’t heard of this author yet so I always see that as a bit of a risk, but it certainly paid off. This novel was exactly what I wanted and needed: I fell into a warm bath of friendship and some wonderful slow burning romance. I was also quite happy to find that the male character doesn’t have a role rescuing the damsel in distress this time, it’s all in perfect balance.

Let’s just say that the way to a girl’s heart is a brownstone with a colorful front door, a spacious kitchen, a bedroom with its own big bathroom and not in the least a nice back yard. The cute nerdy guy wearing a Lord of the Ring’s t-shirt – totally not her type – is a nice bonus for Sadie and he’s renting out a room at a price she can’t resist. Sadie loves gardening and her green fingers play a big role throughout the story. Jack is of course the perfect guy, understanding, caring and attentive (and it’ll come as no surprise that he’s also a perfect lover, other authors should take note) although he does come with some baggage too.

Sadie wears her heart on her sleeve, she’s so outgoing and her coming into his life makes him feel alive again. But can these two really be together or is it not worth the risk? She could lose this perfect low-budget place to live, he could lose another person in his life…

Lease on Love was a delight to read and highly addictive. Sadie and her 3 best friends (Gemma, Harley and Nick) are just the best bunch and a group of friends you want to join as a reader. Sadie and Jack might seem quite different but are exactly what the other one needs in order to grow and heal from their traumatic childhoods, Sadie coming from a toxic family that left her with very low self-esteem and Jack still grieving. They are soooo good for each other. There is a bit of unnecessary conflict at the end of the novel that made me feel sad for them both and did feel somewhat of an exaggeration but it couldn’t be all smooth sailing, right?

I’m a little surprised this novel doesn’t get a higher score on Goodreads. I’m telling you they’re so off the mark! This is the type of romance novel that I love to read and it ticks all my boxes. There’s no hesitation here, I’m definitely adding this author’s other books to my readlist asap.

I bought a second hand copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena #BookReview

You never know what’s happening on the other side of the wall.

Your neighbour told you that she didn’t want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn’t stand her crying.

Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You’ll have the baby monitor and you’ll take it in turns to go back every half hour.

Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She’s gone.

You’ve never had to call the police before. But now they’re in your home, and who knows what they’ll find there.

What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?

Yes yes I know I’m late to the party :-). Now The Couple Next Door was a series airing on Belgian tv and I thought to myself, I really want to see it but I better read the book first. Turns out that the tv series only has the same title but has nothing to do with said book. Oh well, at least I finally read my copy 🙂

The Couple Next Door was more suspenseful than I expected. I mean, I had a theory in my head when Cora was taken from her crib while her parents were having dinner and drinks with their next door neighbors. A child being taken at midnight while the parents happen to be away, it’s just too much of a coincidence for me so either one of them told someone about their plans or one of them had to have been involved. There was another theory that the police was investigating as well, where one or both of her parents hurt her and they were covering it up. A valid idea as well I guess, especially taking Anne’s past in consideration, but I still very much wanted to stick with my own tunnel vision :-).

Anne is definitely an unreliable narrator but the others have their own secrets as well so nobody could really be crossed out. I thought I knew where the plot would go but the nightmare just keeps growing bigger and bigger. There are great twists and I was gripped and dying to know how this would turn out. Would they find Cora and would she be alive? I loved the intricate plot and how they all betrayed each other. Well you might think there’s one or two innocent parties in all of the story but you might want to reconsider your thoughts about one of them by the end of the novel. Personally I felt it was a bit overkill in the end but if the goal was to shock and have an ending that lingers then that certainly had the desired effect.

The Couple Next Door is a riveting thriller. I already read two of this author’s other books and I can only confirm that they’re all worth reading. Hopefully I won’t keep from reading the next one for so long.

I bought a paperback copy of this novel. This is my honest opinion.

Meet Me When My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter #BookReview #Netgalley

What if your soulmate could only ever be the love of your afterlife?
The first time Emery’s heart stops, she is only five years old…

Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could quite literally stop at any moment. The people around her know what to do – if they act quickly enough there will be no lasting damage, and Emery’s heart can be restarted. But when this happens, she is briefly technically dead.

Each time Emery’s heart stops, she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they are dead, to help them say goodbye, before they move on entirely. He does not usually meet people more than once – but with Emery, he is able to make a connection, and he finds himself drawn to her.

As Emery’s life progresses, and she goes through ups and downs, she finds that a part of her is longing for those moments when her heart will stop – so that she can see Nick again.

This is the story of two fated lovers who long for each other, but are destined never to share more than a few fleeting moments – because if they were to be together, it would mean the end of Emery’s life.

Emery has a heart condition and for a number of reasons (shock, pain or excitement) her heart can fail at any given time. She dies countless of times throughout the story and it starts when she’s only 5 years old.  Every time she dies she sees the same person in the ‘in between’ and he’s becoming more and more important to her, he doesn’t judge her like all the others do.

As a reader I saw Emery grow up and deal with her condition. She was overly protected by her father and – in her mind at least – it caused her parents to break up. As a young woman she then tried to get far away, living to the extreme… going skydiving for one thing. Her ageing involves different approaches and goes with many ups and downs. Her death is always looming over her and how can it not affect her life and the reactions of the people around her? It’s a difficult journey, she can’t find a job she likes or a man she loves. And frankly, having a real relationship is something she’s not interested in, because how can she when she might leave someone behind? The only one who’s always there is the ‘guide’ she sees when she’s dying. She feels safe with him, she feels they were assigned to each other for a reason and she starts longing to see him again. It’s simple, she’s falling for him while it’s an impossible love.

All the while there’s someone near her who’s loved her from a distance since she was a young teenager. Good dependable Colin would do anything for her. I have to say that I felt for him all through the novel and I wish he wasn’t treated as second best. If it were up to me he wouldn’t be in love with her at all, then I’d find it easier to be in peace with her desire for Nick. Colin, of course, doesn’t know at all about the unfair competition, as far as he sees it there’s no man in her life and he keeps hoping she’ll love him back.

I thought the story would be more soul destroying but I was quite ok and I actually wouldn’t mind having a guide who puts you at ease at what is about to come. I did find it strange (and a little disappointing) that she doesn’t attempt to tell anyone about what happens when you die, and who you see, even if it could put someone who is important to her at ease.

Ultimately she’ll have to make a choice. Is her desire to live big enough or will she choose to die? The ending was quite bittersweet for me. I think she made the right choice but I’m not sure if it’s for the right reasons.

I can’t explain in more detail but whether you’ll love the book and give it 5 stars depends on who you’re actually rooting for and I was rooting for someone else. He just shouldn’t have been so damn likeable and sweet.

I received a free ecopy from the publisher via Netgalley to read and review. This is my honest opinion.

Black Lake Manor by Guy Morpuss #BookReview

A locked room. A brutal murder.
And a killer who can turn back time…

In the former mining town of Black Lake on the west coast of Canada, there is a story about a shipwreck. All those aboard died, except an unnamed man who staggered ashore. His descendants have a unique ability: once in their lives – and only once – they can unwind the events of the previous six hours.

More than two hundred years later, Ella Manning, marine biologist and part-time police constable, is attending a party at Black Lake Manor, the cliff-top mansion of the town’s divisive local billionaire. With a raging storm coming in from the Pacific, she and several other guests find themselves trapped. And when their host is discovered brutally murdered in a locked room, they turn to her to solve the crime.

Against the odds, Ella is sure she has identified the killer… but then time is unwound. With no memory of what she discovered before, her investigation begins again, with very different results. Someone is willing to use their gift to protect a killer, and everyone is a suspect…

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Of course I was drawn to reading this because of the locked room component. It was quite an  interesting concept but I was also a bit lost when reading about the logs of the door to Lincoln’s office being locked and unlocked because I wasn’t sure what that told me. There were repeated discussions about those specific times and a lot of attention drawn to it but I kept wondering if it wouldn’t be equally interesting to see who locked and unlocked their own bedroom door after 10 pm, it might rule out some people too who shouldn’t be wondering about?

Black Lake Manor has a fascinating mind-bending concept where some descendants of the Akath have the power to wind back time 6 hours. I enjoyed the story and I was even into the concept of hard light and ghost characters but there was just a bit too much of mythology and rituals involved for my taste and I didn’t feel Ella gained a lot with each unwinding of time. I was of course most of all interested in solving the murder mystery but so many other things were to be taken into account that it felt the story was focusing more on past legends than the present.

There was a lot I did like though, I really liked the three separate timelines, I loved that Ella had an octopus as a pet called Scarlett and how they interacted, I liked the lawyer character in the story most of all and Ella was a good character too, but the other characters weren’t all that interesting or developed.

The best surprise was at the end when I finally found out how and by whose hand Lincoln died. Big surprise there!

All in all an okay book but not one I think I’ll want to read again. It’s just a bit too much out of my box. I’m still debating whether Five Minds, his previous novel, would be more my style, the vote is still out.

I bought a hardback of this novel. This is my honest opinion.