The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

 The Last House on the Street

by Diane Chamberlain

Synopsis

When Kayla Carter's husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It's clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area...and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla's elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it's clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.

Expected Publication Date: January 11, 2022

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Last House on the Street is a wonderfully written story about love and loss. With dual timelines each told from a different person's perspective, we are thrown into two separate worlds that are connected, yet worlds apart.

In one perspective we follow Kayla in 2010. She and her daughter move into a house that her husband died in while building it. In the other we have Ellie in 1965 as a young girl who is trying to make a difference in the world by volunteering with the SCOPE project. Throughout the story we experience a piece of each woman's life as she navigates through her own trials and tribulations until finally their two worlds collide.

This book is wonderfully written. The story captivates you as it breaks your heart and teaches you about true healing.

My favorite point of view was Ellie's. While both were good, I found Ellie's brought out the heartbreak and emotion in me much stronger than Kayla's did.

This is my first Diane Chamberlain novel and I can't wait to read more.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins REVIEW

Reckless Girls

by Rachel Hawkins

🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

Synopsis

When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.

Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.

But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.

When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.

Expected Publication Date: January 4, 2022

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Reckless Girls takes us on a thrilling island adventure where fun is a must and secrets are buried deep.

This was such a fun thriller. It did start off a little slow but once I hit the halfway point I was hooked. I really enjoyed the characters having an entire island to themselves. It helped create the eerie feeling that you would get from being stranded on an island away from civilization with total strangers. There was some back and forth between timelines which I thought was pretty good. I found the back stories of the characters to be interesting. I liked what they added to the story.

The characters were just fine for me. There wasn't anyone who I particularly gravitated towards. They all played their roles well and it was just fine.

If you're looking for a beach thriller I'd absolutely give this one a shot.

When You Get The Chance by Emma Lord REVIEW

When You Get The Chance

by Emma Lord

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Synopsis

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.

There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?

Review

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an advanced review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As a baby Millie was given to her father to raise by himself. She has never met her mother nor does she know who she is. After a disagreement with her dad, Millie decides to find her mom as a way to get what she wants. When things don't go exactly as planned Millie is taken on a journey to understanding herself, her parents and the parts of love that sometimes mean letting go.

What a truly wonderful story! It wasn't long before I was drawn into the dramatic life of Millie Price. She is incredibly charming with a heart full of sass. Her story is as heartwarming as it is entertaining.

While I personally wouldn't consider this a romance, even though it does have a romance in it, I would recommend it to those who enjoy their romance as a side (but totally fitting) story rather than the main plot point. Combining musical theatre, family drama, enemies to lovers romance, and adorable friendships this book has something for everyone.

Expected Publication Date: January 4th 2022