Recent Reads

I am on a reading hiatus because of Ramadan.. spending more time reading the Quran, praying etc. But these are some my March reads.

     

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

Synopsis - There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.
When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.
Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.

Thoughts - This is my second book by Sally Hepworth. My first book by her was The Mother in Law and I had thoroughly enjoyed it. I equally enjoyed this one. I can't really say anything without giving things away but the I loved Fern. I listened to this one as an audio book and the narrator was brilliant, really brought the characters to life. I would highly recommend this one.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Synopsis - Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.
They’re polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.
Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Thoughts - This is my second book by Ms. Henry as well. I previously read her People We Meet on Vacation. I had found it super cute and this one is equally cute. I found myself smiling all the time, a giggle would escape my lips just as often. It had emotion bits too.. dealing with trauma, death of a parent. I would highly recommend this one.

 

The House in the Woods by Mark Dawson

Synopsis - On Christmas Eve, DCI Mackenzie Jones is called to a shooting at a remote farmhouse. Ralph Mallender believes his father lies dead inside. When three more bodies are discovered, it’s clear a festive family gathering has turned into a gruesome tragedy.
At first it seems like an open and shut case: a murder suicide committed by Ralph’s volatile brother Cameron. Then new evidence makes Mack suspect the man who reported the crime is in fact the perpetrator.
But Mack isn’t the only one with a stake in the case. Private investigator Atticus Priest has been hired to get Ralph acquitted. That means unearthing any weaknesses in Mack’s evidence.
Atticus has weaknesses of his own. Mack knows all about them because they share a past - both professionally and personally. This time round, however, they aren’t on the same side. And as Atticus picks at the loose ends of the case, everything starts to unravel in a way neither of them could ever have predicted.

Thoughts - I'm sorry but this was a dud. The twists were very few and not exactly very shocking. But I kept powering through waiting for the big reveal in the end.. and while, yes, I didn't see it coming it just wasn't worth the almost 500 pages long book. 

 

The Ones We Choose by Julie Clark

Synopsis - The powerful forces of science and family collide when geneticist Paige Robson finds her world in upheaval: Her eight-year-old son Miles is struggling to fit in at his new school and begins asking questions about his biological father that Paige can’t answer—until fate thrusts the anonymous donor she used into their lives.
Paige’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel as the truth of Miles’s paternity threatens to destroy everything she has grown to cherish. As Paige slowly opens herself up—by befriending an eccentric mother, confronting her own deeply buried vulnerabilities, and trying to make sense of her absent father’s unexpected return—she realizes breakthroughs aren’t only for the lab. But when tragedy strikes, Paige must face the consequences of sharing a secret only she knows.

Thoughts - I had this book on my bookshelf for quite sometime now and it was just never captivating enough. I was so wrong. This was really good. When you don't have a dad it's because he died or is a deadbeat. But you have something. When you are the product of a sperm donor you have nothing but questions and that is the thing that is causing Miles to struggle. And it is a difficult situation for all parties involved. The book dealt with family dynamics, finding connections and then there was the shocking twist that I did not see coming. I highly recommend this one as well, just keep a box of tissues nearby. 

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