The Trespasser- Tana French 

Goodness gracious, I love Tana French. Every one of her books is a page turner and I can’t help but get giddy picking up her newest book because I know it will be unique.

The Trespasser is a story of the Irish Murder Squad detective Antoinette Conway. Like all of French’s novels, she has us following a highlight case of a detective’s career. Detective Conway is the only female detective in the Murder Squad. Due to a previous disagreement with another detective, she feels shes been labeled as the black sheep of the squad. Feeling out of place has taken its share on Conway and she is feeling less and less useful on the squad. When a case comes in that feels slightly fishy, she latches onto it and it turns her life upside down.

449 pages long and addicting as ever. It took me awhile longer to finish this book (5 days) but it is well worth the commitment!

I give The Trespasser a 4 out of five because Antoinette Conway may be one of my favorite characters of all time. Tana French really knows how to bring these complex characters to life.

Please comment with your thoughts once you’ve read the book!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

In A Dark, Dark Wood- Ruth Ware 

 

For a reason that is beyond me, I thought it would be a good idea to start reading Ruth Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood on Halloween Eve. I had heard that it was a creepy book and thought “hey, it’s almost Halloween, I’ll get in the spirit!”. That was a mistake…

We’ve all been invited to wedding events where we’ve thought to ourselves that it was a strange request for one reason or another. Nora gets invited to a bachelorette party by a childhood friend that she hasn’t spoken to in ten years since the “incident”. She decides that it might be nice to see her old friend Clare and possibly reconnect so she takes the leap and RSVPs yes. When she arrives at the party in the middle of the secluded woods in a house with  gigantic outer glass walls with Clare’s oddly manic friend Flo, she becomes even more paranoid about the real reason why she was invited. From there on her past comes back to haunt her in the form of her old friend.

In A Dark, Dark Wood is 308 pages long and is impossible to put down. I literally started it Sunday afternoon and finished it later that night.

Ruth Ware does an impeccable job of bringing these characters to life and magnifying how uncomfortable certain personalities can make you feel. Throughout the book I found myself feeling the tension as though I was in the room with them. I rate this book a 4 out 5 for making it impossible for me to sleep.

Please comment with your thoughts once you’ve read the book!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Party of One- Dave Holmes

 

I’m not usually a fan of biographies. They don’t usually hold my attention long enough to keep me reading the whole way through.

But Dave Holmes has written an autobiography that is not only hilariously honest but also incredibly endearing. Party of One: A Memoir in 21 Songs is Dave Holmes story of growing up a young, gay male in the 80’s. While I am not: 1. gay or 2. male, I found this story to be truly inspiring about finding yourself when you feel like no one understands you. Holmes’ snarky and honest voice shines throughout the book.

Party of One is 272 pages and as I mentioned before, it takes me a little longer to read biographies so it took me 10 days. I want to emphasize that this doesn’t mean I didn’t thoroughly enjoy this book, because I did! I’m just a little slower at reading this type of book!

I happily give Party of One a 3 out of 5 for bringing a smile to my face and a new fondness of Dave Holmes.

Please leave your comments with your thoughts on this novel!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

P.S. I received this book from Blogging for Books for review.

Behind Closed Doors- B.A. Paris

First of all, huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me this book!

Fair warning, this book is not for the faint of heart! I consider myself a tough cookie when it comes to hearing about abuse but this was tough for me to swallow. That being said, if you aren’t squirmish, this is a MUST read!

Jack and Grace are the perfect couple. They are everything a young couple in love would like to be. Wealthy, healthy and happy. The only problem is that it’s all a lie.

293 pages of heart pounding adrenaline make up this book. I literally couldn’t put it down and flew through it in one day.

I give Behind Closed Doors a 4 out of 5 for its gripping, unforgettable unraveling of a story.

Please comment with your thoughts once you’ve read this book!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Pretty Baby-Mary Kubica

Hold on to your hats, folks, Mary Kubica has done it again! I’m late to jump on the bandwagon but now that I’m here, I’m all in.

Heidi is a good person. She spends her life helping people in the hopes of making the world a better place. So when she sees a young lady and her baby on the street in the rain she has a difficult time letting it go. Heidi can’t stop thinking about helping these two young people to the point of obsession. When she decides to bring them home with her, her husband objects profusely. Heidi’s obsession starts to affect not only her family but her own mental state.

At 379 pages, Pretty Baby had me white-knuckling my paperback copy on the regular. It took me 4 days to finish this thrilling novel.

I give Pretty Baby 4 out of 5 for it’s chilling characters. I highly recommend this book!

Please comment with your thoughts on this book.

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

A Dark Lure- Loreth Anne White

Being the fishing fanatic I am, I was instantly interested in reading a novel with “lure” in the title. After reading the description of the novel I was all in.

Olivia West, formerly know as Sarah Baker, is now a manager at the Broken Bar Ranch. Olivia/Sarah was the only victim of the Watt Lake Killer to survive. Not only does she suffer from PTSD she has also completely secluded herself from other people. She has made a new life for herself at Broken Bar and done her best to move on from the traumatic experiences she’s suffered. When similarities of her kidnapping appear at the ranch her flashbacks and anxiety overwhelm her. Is it all in her head, or could the Watt Lake Killer have found her?

This novel reads at 408 pages and took me five days to read. The story definately has some twists but not what I’d call unexpected.

I did enjoy this novel and would give it a 3 of 5.

Please comment with your thoughts once you’ve read the novel!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

Brain On Fire-Susannah Cahalan

I had the honor of meeting Susannah Cahalan in 2013 and was lucky to hear her story first hand. This is one of my favorite  books because it is beautiful in its own right. Our brain is a magnificent, complex organ and when it turns on us it changes everything.

Susannah was 24 when she first felt like something was wrong. She had a good job at The New York Post as a writer and was in her first serious relationship, least to say things were on the right track. When she woke up in the hospital, chained to a bed with “flight risk” on her arm, she knew something bad had happened.

This book truly is a must-read. It is upsetting and scary but being aware of our own bodies is incredibly important.

252 pages of nonstop mystery makes this story fly by. It took me two days to read this book.

I give Brain On Fire 4.5 out of 5 for being brutally honest, wonderfully written and most of all, informative to all.

Please comment with your thoughts after reading this novel!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

The Husband’s Secret- Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty has become quite popular for her addicting stories. This is the first of her many books I’ve read and I can absolutely say it will not be my last.

Cecilia Fitzpatrick loves her husband. She has a happy life with three wonderful daughters. She is successful in her career and feels like she has an almost perfect life. While cleaning her home she stumbles upon an envelope with “For my wife, Cecilia Fitzpatrick. To be opened in the event of my death” written on the front. Cecilia assumes this letter will be a romantic gesture to her when her husband passes but becomes enthralled with opening it prior to his departure on earth due to their recent lack of intimacy. When she brings the letter up to her husband he starts acting strange and asks her not to open it. What is her husband hiding from her and how will it affect those around her?

The Husband’s Secret is 445 pages long and I was able to tackle it within 4 days.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me interested with its rich character details and gives you a deep look into marriage, love and death. I give this novel a 3.5.

After reading please comment with your thoughts!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey