Review: And Again by Jessica Chiarella

And Again

by Jessica Chiarella

Publisher: Touchstone

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Would you live your life differently if you were given a second chance? Hannah, David, Connie, and Linda—four terminally ill patients—have been selected for the SUBlife pilot program, which will grant them brand-new, genetically perfect bodies that are exact copies of their former selves—without a single imperfection. Blemishes, scars, freckles, and wrinkles have all disappeared, their fingerprints are different, their vision is impeccable, and most importantly, their illnesses have been cured.

But the fresh start they’ve been given is anything but perfect. Without their old bodies, their new physical identities have been lost. Hannah, an artistic prodigy, has to relearn how to hold a brush; David, a Congressman, grapples with his old habits; Connie, an actress whose stunning looks are restored after a protracted illness, tries to navigate an industry obsessed with physical beauty; and Linda, who spent eight years paralyzed after a car accident, now struggles to reconnect with a family that seems to have built a new life without her. As each tries to re-enter their previous lives and relationships they are faced with the how much of your identity rests not just in your mind, but in your heart, your body?

Kritters Thoughts:  Four people were all dealing with something that made their lives debilitating until the SUBlife program came into their lives.  Hannah, David, Connie and Linda were barely living with cancer, paralysis and AIDS and this program gave each of them a new body to live in and a big life do over.  How will they all react to this reset?

I love a book that allows each character to tell their story from their point of view.  The author gave each Hannah, David, Connie and Linda chapters throughout the book that were fantastically labeled!  I always wonder going into these books if I will favor one and dislike another, but thankfully I actually enjoyed each of their journeys and loved reading each person's point of view.  There are some sexy scenes, so if you are sensitive to that kind of reading, I would be aware before going in.  

I feel like this book is sort of dystopian with a program where you can get a new body that has been aged to match your current age and matches your DNA, but not full dystopian with a full new world order, so if you have hesitated diving into this genre, this book could be one to read before trying others.  

I always love to look up an author after I finish and I was sad to see there was only one other book published in 2021 (that I haven't read) and then nothing else.  I hope there is something in the works! 

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Touchstone.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Girl on Trial by Kathleen Fine

Girl on Trial

by Kathleen Fine

Publisher: CamCat Books

Pages: 336

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads: Does doing one bad thing make you a bad person?

Sixteen-year-old Emily Keller, known by the media as Keller the Killer, is accused of causing the deaths of four family members, including young children. Emily is one of the youngest females to be accused of a crime so heinous, making this the nation’s biggest trial of the year. But what really happened that fateful night―and who’s responsible―is anything but straightforward.

Living in a trailer park in Baltimore with her twin brother and alcoholic mother, Emily’s life hasn’t been easy. She’s had to grow up fast, and like any teen, has made questionable decisions in a desperate attempt to fit in with her peers. Will her mistakes amount to a guilty verdict and a life in prison? It’s up to the jury to decide.

Kritters Thoughts:  Before I dive into my review, I want to give some content warnings, this book has some tough scenes to read that involve inappropriate relationships, drugs, and alcohol.  While I don't have kids this age in my house, I could see if you do that this may be difficult for you to read and I do have them in my life and this made me think twice about making sure that I and the other adults in their lives are aware of what they are doing and who with!  

Emily Keller is sixteen years old and she did some things and some things were done to her and because of a sequence of events she finds herself in a courtroom with murder being spoken.  The book bounces between her trial and going back in time to before the main event and up to it.  Thankfully the book is clearly edited, so the reader knows when and where they are and can easily follow the timelines.  

This was not an easy read and I had to stop a few moments to gather myself because I felt so much for Emily for the childhood and life that she was building and how hard it was with what she was given.  Her childhood was so different from mine and I couldn't imagine trying to start life the way she did.  I wish she had the opportunity for more attentive parents that could possibly have interjected and prevented her from so many of the events and it was hard to watch the dominos fall knowing that she would end up in a courtroom.  

A hard, difficult read where when I finished I knew I needed to switch genres and read something completely different, but I was glad I read it.  A debut novel that I would encourage to read, but with the content warnings given above.  I hope Kathleen Fine has another idea up her sleeve, because the way she pulled this story together was so good and I would love to read another by her.  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2023 Challenge: 6 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Partner in Crime Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Second Home by Christina Clancy

The Second Home

by Christina Clancy 

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 341

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Some places never leave you...

After a disastrous summer spent at her family’s home on Cape Cod when she is seventeen, Ann Gordon is very happy to never visit Wellfleet again. If only she’d stayed in Wisconsin, she might never have met Anthony Shaw, and she would have held onto the future she’d so carefully planned for herself. Instead, Ann ends up harboring a devastating secret that strains her relationship with her parents, sends her sister Poppy to every corner of the world chasing waves (and her next fling), and leaves her adopted brother Michael estranged from the family.

Now, fifteen years later, her parents have died, and Ann and Poppy are left to decide the fate of the beach house that’s been in the Gordon family for generations. For Ann, the once-beloved house is forever tainted with bad memories. And while Poppy loves the old saltbox on Drummer Cove, owning a house means settling, and she’s not sure she’s ready to stay in one place.

Just when the sisters decide to sell, Michael re-enters their lives with a legitimate claim to a third of the estate. He wants the house. But more than that, he wants to set the record straight about what happened that long-ago summer that changed all of their lives forever. As the siblings reunite after years apart, their old secrets and lies, longings and losses, are pulled to the surface. Is the house the one thing that can still bring them together––or will it tear them apart, once and for all?

Kritters Thoughts:  Three siblings enjoyed a few summers on the Cape at a family home until one summer when a few events splintered the family and they were all forever changed.  The parents of this family have passed and the three siblings must now reconcile to make big decisions about the original family home and The Second Home.  

I may say this often on this blog, but it is the truth, I love it when authors put multiple points of view in one book and I love it even more when it is clearly edited, so the reader knows who is taking the lead in each chapter to tell their side of things!  Ann, Poppy and Michael each get moments to tell the story and I loved seeing the events unfold through each of their eyes.  Without spoiling too much, this book definitely has some hard scenes to read, but I think the author did such a great job taking these characters through some stuff and out the other side!  

This was another book that has been on my shelves for a long time and I was excited to dive deep into the TBR and read this one and hope to read her other backlist - Shoulder Season very soon!

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St. Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Distant Sons by Tim Johnston

Distant Sons

by Tim Johnston 

Publisher: Algonquin

Pages: 400

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads: What if?

What if Sean Courtland’s old Chevy truck had broken down somewhere else? What if he’d never met Denise Givens, a waitress at a local tavern in the Wisconsin town where he lands? Or Dan Young, another young man like Sean drifting through, having fled Minnesota for reasons unknown? Instead, together Sean and Dan pick up carpentry and plumbing work for an old man named Marion Devereaux, and Sean gets drawn into the lives of Denise and her father—and of the townspeople, all haunted by the disappearance of three young boys decades ago, in the 1970s.

As the paths of these characters converge, observing them all is Detective Corinne Viegas, a woman whose drive to seek justice comes from her father's own failure to find those boys and the violence once done to her sister. And over the course of just a few weeks, an irreversible chain of events is set in motion that culminates in shattering violence, and the revelation of long-buried truths.

Kritters Thoughts:   In 2018, Sean Courtland has truck problems which find him a small Wisconsin town where he is able to find work to keep him there for a bit.  From there dominos start falling and many events happen from there.  At the same time, woven throughout the book are storylines that happen in 1975, 76, and 77, where young boys go missing and there are no clues to their whereabouts.  This one had a large cast of characters, some of whom show up in both timelines, so I took notes to keep everyone straight!  

Sean Courtland is our main character and he is a young man who has lived a life already and has maybe been through a thing or two.  When he ends up in this small town in Wisconsin, he is able to find a job at the Devereaux home helping him with some construction.  Then another encounter with a woman at a bar puts him on the radar of the local PD.  And another with Dan Young will change the course of his life.  

While I enjoyed this book, for me it took a while for the action to begin and it was hard for me to keep the motivation to keep reading.  The character development of Sean Courtland was a large part of my continuing to read because I wanted to find out where his story would go and where he would end up.  So if you are a reader who likes the slow burn where the author builds up the setting and the characters then this book is just for you.       

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2023 Challenge: 7 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Algonquin books.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Ignorance by Michele Roberts

Ignorance

by Michele Roberts

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 240

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  After every war, there are stories that are locked away like bluebottles in drawers and kept silent. But sometimes the past can return: in the smell of carbolic soap, in whispers darting through a village after mass, in the colour of an undelivered letter.

Jeanne Nerin and Marie-Angèle Baudry grow up, side by side yet apart, in the village of Ste Madeleine. Marie-Angèle is the daughter of the grocer, inflated with ideas of her own piety and rightful place in society. Jeanne's mother washes clothes for a living. She used to be a Jew until this became too dangerous. Jeanne does not think twice about grasping the slender chances life throws at her. Marie-Angèle does not grasp; she aspires to a future of comfort and influence.

When war falls out of the sky, along with it tumbles a new, grown-up world. The village must think on its feet, play its part in a game for which no one knows the rules. Not even the dubious hero with 'business contacts' who sweeps Marie-Angèle off her feet. Not even the reclusive artist living alone with his sensual, red canvases. In these uncertain times, the enemy may be hiding in your garden shed and the truth is all too easily buried under a pyramid of recriminations.

Kritters Thoughts:  A unique historical fiction book that is told through multiple women as they try to survive World War II and its impact on the French people. While more than two women take turns telling this story, there are two main women who have very different lives and survive the war in very different ways. Without spoiling, it was so hard to read one woman's and think she was thriving and then see events happening in the other and see another side of the coin. They both were doing what they could to endure the war and it was heartbreaking to read it all. Without quotation marks and dates, this book was hard to read as I didn't quite know easily that these women were sharing their stories, but were at different moments in time during the war. Each woman had an experience and without even stepping foot in a concentration camp, this book was hard to read to see what women went through at this time. This book was stark both in its physical editing and the description of the time and place.

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs

The Hamilton Affair

by Elizabeth Cobbs

Publisher: Arcade Publishing

Pages: 408

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Hamilton was a bastard son, raised on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. He went to America to pursue his education. Along the way he became one of the American Revolution’s most dashing—and unlikely—heroes. Adored by Washington, hated by Jefferson, Hamilton was a lightning rod: the most controversial leader of the American Revolution.

She was the well-to-do daughter of one of New York’s most exalted families—feisty, adventurous, and loyal to a fault. When she met Alexander, she fell head over heels. She pursued him despite his illegitimacy, and loved him despite his infidelity. In 1816 (two centuries ago), she shamed Congress into supporting his seven orphaned children. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton started New York’s first orphanage. The only “founding mother” to truly embrace public service, she raised 160 children in addition to her own.

Kritters Thoughts:  Due to the little thing called the broadway show, Hamilton, I knew this story before opening the book, but I was excited to dive into a book based on this founding father's life because the book is always better!  I may have timed my reading to finish right before a trip to New York where I was hoping to see the show!  and I did!

What surprised me about this book was the set up.  I loved that we saw both Alexandria and Eliza as children and see their lives parallel until they meet.  Even though I knew the affair was coming, reading it and really seeing the ins and outs of it and the coverage being more detailed made me really think about Alexander Hamilton.  AND to read his reaction and how he didn't think about his family and instead was more concerned about the perception of himself - wow.  

I think this book is a great read for those who may have seen the show and know every word or maybe haven't seen it yet and just enjoy a historical fiction read.  This book complimented my new york trip and I loved that I timed my read with seeing the show and seeing the story in another art form was just great.   

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Arcade Publshing.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey

Faking Christmas

by Kerry Winfrey 

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 286

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Laurel Grant is playing house for the holidays--complete with a fake husband and kids--in this delightful, cozy rom-com by Kerry Winfrey.

Laurel Grant works as the social media manager for Buckeye State of Mind, an Ohio tourism magazine and website. She is most definitely not an owner of a farm...but one tiny misunderstanding leads her boss, Gilbert, to think she owns her twin sister Holly's farm just outside of Columbus. Laurel only handles the social media for the farm, but she's happy to keep her little white lie going if it means not getting fired.

And keep it going she must when Gilbert, recently dumped by his wife, invites himself over for the farm's big holiday dinner (as advertised on Meadow Rise Farm's Instagram, thanks to Laurel herself). Laurel immediately goes into panic mode to figure out how she can trick Gilbert into thinking she's basically the Martha Stewart of rural Ohio and keep her job in the process.

Laurel and Holly come up with a plan--all Laurel has to do is pretend to own the farm for one dinner. But when Laurel shows up at the farm, an unwelcome guest is there: Max Beckett, her nemesis since Holly's wedding. The annoyingly attractive man she hates will be posing as Laurel's husband just for the evening, but when a snowstorm traps them all for the entire weekend, Laurel is going to have to figure out how to survive with her job and dignity intact. Whatever the case, this promises to be the most eventful Christmas in ages...

Kritters Thoughts:  One of those Christmas books that has some romance, but what made me love this one more than most was the focus on Laurel's job and how much her job meant to her.  Laurel currently works at a magazine that focuses on living in Ohio and she loves handling the social media and writing a few articles, but she may not have secure the job in the most honest of ways having her boss believe that she lives that ideal country life on a farm making the perfect homemade meals when in fact she is living in an apartment with a roommate and can't cook and is single as can be.  When extenuating circumstances has them holed up in her twin's home (who lives that ideal life) she ends up having to live the lie while in front of an arch nemesis!  

With some enemies to lovers with a side of Christmas, this book was a fun ride.  This book had the romance formula intact, but I loved the inclusion of Laurel's boss and a job in jeopardy made the antics that much better.  I read this book before the holiday season began and it made me want to start pulling out the decor and maybe even start listening to some holiday music.  It also made me want to go find some more holiday reads and dive in! 

My first Kerry Winfrey romance and I was excited to learn that she has a backlist that I can dive into and enjoy some more fun easy romance stories.  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2023 Challenge: 6 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.