Book Review: The Nanny

Photo of the book taken by Me

Title:  The Nanny
Author:  Gilly Macmillan
Pages:  382
Publication Date:  2019
Version:  Hardcover
Genre:  Adult Fiction, Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew conjures a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another.

When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…

In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie."

My Review:
Let me just say this....WOW!!!  This book had me hooked from page one and I stayed hooked until the very last page of the book.  I was so into this book I found myself actually getting invested in the characters and trying to yell at them through the pages, especially Jo, who should have opened her darn eyes to things WAY sooner.  I felt like screaming, how stupid are you?!  (And to be honest I DID scream it at the book, haha)  This book had more twists and turns than a water park slide.  It was full of unexpected and just kept adding to the deep secrets that plagued this family.  I read half of the book in just one day and then found myself aching to read more every day after that whenever I could.  The plot was amazing and the characters so realistic and so easy to invest in and relate to.  By far, this is one of the best books I have read this year so far.  I feel like I absolutely cannot go into any details other that this or I will give away too much of the book.  I highly recommend this book for anyone that likes mystery, family secrets, and dynamics of characters that is nothing like they seem.  This book takes place outside of the US, so that was a new thing for me.  Typically I then am not a huge fan of the book, but this one was very well written and easy to understand and take away the plot from.  Love, love, love!!!!

5 out of 5 Stars!!!! 

Book Review: Big Little Lies

Photo of the book taken by me.

Title:  Big Little Lies
Author:  Liane Moriarty
Pages:  458
Publication Date:  2014
Version:  Hardcover
Genre:  Adult Fiction, Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"From the author of Truly Madly Guilty and The Husband s Secret comes a novel about the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

A murder... A tragic accident... Or just parents behaving badly? What s indisputable is that someone is dead.

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She s funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mum Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at different crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the little lies that can turn lethal."

My Review:
All I can say about this book is this......WONDERFUL!!!!  This book was written like no other mystery book I have ever read, but that made it all the better for me.  How was it different you may wonder?  Well, it was written from the angle of it telling the story from the beginning of the mystery, but then at the end of some chapters was snippets of interviews from after the mystery and them trying to figure out who killed who.  It sounds like it could be confusing, but really it was not confusing at all and it had me wanting to read on to see what would happen next in the "past' part of the book, but also wanting to read on to discover who really got murdered and how and by whom.  The plot was perfectly set up and executed!  The characters were also the most amazing characters I have seen in a very long time in any book.  They were a lovable group with so many "family secrets" in each ones family dynamics and lives.  You wanted to read on to see what would happen next to these wonderful characters.  I also found myself forming a sort of bond with them all, I felt bad, good, and angry right along with them.  I loved how there was SO much going on in this book, yet it never got confusing or to be too much.  Instead it kept me hooked and wanting to read on.  I would highly recommend this book to any and everyone I know!!!!

5 out of 5 Stars!!!!

Book Review: Beach Season

Photo taken of the book by me.

Title:  Beach Season
Author:  Lisa Jackson
Pages:  470
Publication Date:  2012
Version:  Paperback
Genre:  Adult Fiction, Romance

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Golden sand, pounding surf, a sense of endless possibility--and four unforgettable stories of love, friendship, and second chances. . .

The Brass Ring by Lisa Jackson

It's a beautiful June day, perfect for a wedding--until Shawna learns that her fiancé, Parker, has been involved in a car crash. Though his injuries heal, his memories of her are gone. Yet Shawna won't stop reaching to reclaim the love they once shared. . .

June's Lace by Cathy Lamb

June MacKenzie is done--with her high-pressure legal career, her difficult soon-to-be-ex, and the stress of city living. In her studio on the Oregon coast, she creates beautiful lace wedding dresses, with no intention of ever wearing one again herself. Then songwriter Reece rents the house next door, and sets out to change her mind. . .

Second Chance Sweethearts by Holly Chamberlin

Thea Foss is putting a bad marriage behind her in the pretty vacation town of Ogunquit, Maine. What's past is past. . ..Until her first love wanders into the local diner, reminding Thea of the person she once was, and the life it's not too late to claim. . .

Carolina Summer by Rosalind Noonan

Jane Doyle needs to get out of New York--the farther the better. She's headed toward Florida, but thanks to a storm along North Carolina's Outer Banks, she finds herself stranded in a beautiful, remote town that soon feels a lot like home. And thanks to the local sheriff, she finds herself staying longer than she planned--and feeling less lost at sea than ever. . . "

My Review:
This book contained 4 romance books.  I did enjoy them all, but I enjoyed the first one the best I would say.  All had good plots that kept me reading on and all had great characters.  I just really enjoyed the first one in the book, "June's Lace", the absolute best.  These were all shorter books, so I don't want to go into too much detail because I do not like to give spoilers.  So I will keep this super short and sweet and just say this...I would recommend this read and even better if you would be ever so lucky as to be able to read it while on a beach in the sun (which I was not as I live in WI and it's winter, lol).  If you are looking for some shorter romance stories that still have all the components of a longer romance novel, definitely check this book out!

4 out of 5 Stars!

Book Review: Beneath the Bonfire

Photo of the book taken by me

Title:  Beneath the Bonfire
Author:  Nickolas Butler
Pages:  253
Publication Date:  2015
Version:  Hardcover
Genre:  Adult Fiction Short Stories

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Young couples gather to participate in an annual "chainsaw party," cutting down trees for firewood in anticipation of the winter. A group of men spend a weekend hunting for mushrooms in the wilderness where they grew up and where some still find themselves trapped. An aging environmentalist takes out his frustration and anger on a singular, unsuspecting target. One woman helps another get revenge against a man whose crime extends far beyond him to an entire community. Together, the ten stories in this dazzling, surprising collection evoke a landscape that will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has traveled the back roads and blue highways of America, and they completely capture the memorable characters who call it home. "

My Review:
Short and sweet review for this book.  I am not a huge fan of short stories as it is, but this one peaked my interest and just sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a shot.  Now, did I make it through?...Yes...Did I enjoy it?...No.  I think for me the stories just didn't seem to have the "get up and go" that I like to have in a book or story.  I felt like they took a long time to get to any significant point in the story and then it was over.  This was a very repetitive and boring read for me.  I found some of the stories simply were too wordy for my taste.  I just don't feel the need for a paragraph long sentence for something that a sentence would do for.  Would not recommend this book.  May be for some, but was not for me at all.

1 out of 5 Stars!

Book Review: Killing Cupid

Photo of the book taken by me

Title:  Killing Cupid
Author:  Laura Levine
Pages:  261
Publication Date:  2014
Version:  Hardcover
Genre:  Adult Fiction/Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
""I'm crazy about Laura Levine's mystery series. Her books are so outrageously funny, they always make me laugh out loud." --Joanne FlukeLove is in the air as freelance writer Jaine Austen begins a new job at the Dates of Joy matchmaking service.  .  .

When Jaine lands a job writing web copy and brochures for matchmaker Joy Amoroso, she's excited for a chance to help the lovelorn--until she realizes Joy is a ruthless taskmaster who screams at her employees for the smallest infractions, pads her website with pictures of professional models posing as clients, and offers up convincing but empty promises of love.  So it's no surprise when the chiseling cupid turns up dead at a Valentine's Day mixer. Now, finding the culprit may prove harder than spotting that elusive caramel praline in a box of chocolates.  .  ."

My Review:
I chose this book to fit into the month of February for a challenge I had to read a book dealing with a Holiday in February.  I later realized that it was a book in the middle of a series written by the author.  This can go one of two ways, but in this case it went the way of a great book that may have been in the middle of a series, but I was able to follow with ease none the less.  Anything that did refer to something in a previous book was given a short explanation to understand for any new reader, but wasn't given such a detailed one that any old reader would be upset or inconvenienced by the add in.  This was a great stand alone mystery or, I would think, a great add on if you had read the rest of the series ahead of it.  I love authors like that, it makes me more willing to pick up other books in the series to read too.

In this book Jaine is in need of a job to combat the pile of bills that are waiting to be paid, so she starts working for this dating agency.  I love that she is not the "typical" character you read about.  Jaine is easy to relate to in her love of food, love of her cat Prozac, her need to solve mysteries, and just her overall personality that comes off as fun and loving.  Easily a character I would love to befriend in real life.  :)  The plot took a bit to get to the murder mystery part, but the book is written in such a way that you don't even really notice or care because it is full of other components to keep you reading on in the beginning.  To give you an idea of how hooked I really was on this book....I finished it in a little over a day!  I just couldn't seem to put it down for long before I was itching to continue on reading.  I loved the humor in this book along with the development of the characters throughout the book.  I absolutely loved how Jaine always gave what she thought was Prozacs comments too on what she was doing.  This just made me laugh because I do that same thing with my own cats.  Haha!!  Loved this book from start to finish and it had a heck of a finish I tell you!!!!  I usually have it down before the end on who I think did it, but this book had me guessing until the very end.  I definitely will not hesitate to read another book by Levine in the future!  

5 out of 5 Stars!!!