The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Read 1/17/20 to 1/24/20)

This is the 3rd book I have read for my Quarterly Book Exchange. This has been on my TBR list for a while. It has had so much hype.

"The The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called "Le Cirque des Reves," and it is only open at night."  (Goodreads excerpt)

What patrons don't know is that behind the circus facade is a magical completion between Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood for this competition.  They are not informed of the rules, or the consequences, but both are expected to win by their instructors.  This competition has many unplanned consequences and changes the lives of so many.

I liked it, but the middle parts dragged for me – much like the games, so much time passed for so little movement. I love the imagery in the characters, I just wanted the action closer together. I enjoyed it and I understand why so many others have too.

Perfect Little Children by Sophia Hannah (Read 1/13/20 - 1/17/20)

I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley.  It will be published February 4, 2020

12 years ago Beth and her husband Dominic had a falling out with their best friends Flora and Lewis Braid.  It seems the women decided the close friendship must end.  While taking her son Ben to a football (I.e soccer) practice Beth drives by the Braid’s home on Wyddial Lane, very stalker style.  There she sees Flora get out of a car and get her two children Thomas and Emily out, BUT all three look exactly as they did 12 years ago.  Thomas and Emily are still 5 and 3!  This leads down a rabbit hole of events that lead to a shocking reason for Beth's sighting or Flora and the children.  

I LOVED this book, I got so caught up in the story and lost track of time.  I wanted to know so badly what happened that  I found myself staying up late I could read a page or two more.  I thought this book was on parr with the Girl on the Train or The woman in the Window, but the main character wasn’t the damaged one.  I absolutely loved it!  This is my first 5 Star read of the year!!!!

Ana Eva Mimi Adam by Marina Antropow Cramer (Read 1/9/20 to 1/12/20)

I received this book as an advanced reader copy from LibraryThing, it will be published February 13,2020.

This was a very short book for me, only 161 pages and yet it felt like it took forever to read.

This is a very dysfunctional family.  The story takes place at the end of Adam’s kindergarteners.  But there are a lot of flashbacks.  Anna’s husband died from cancer when Eva was 16, this event seems to have caused a trickle down effect.  Eva married Joe, and had Mimi.  Eva left Joe before Mimi was one.  There was some sort of incident with Eva and Mimi, where Eva beat Mimi once.  It takes most of the book to find out the detail and the premise is that this incident shaped the relationships of Ana, Eva and Mimi. 

I’m not sure how I feel about this one.  I mean it was good, but I also felt like there was no resolution, Eva and Mimi’s relationship wasn’t repaired.  They just were a little kinder at the end, maybe Cramer wanted to leave the reader to decide if the cracked door opened or not, but I felt unsatisfied at the ending.  This was a small book, and I kept reading because I kept hoping to see the relationship between Eva and Mimi repaired, but it never really happened.  I enjoyed the characters they were flawed, and I think if the book had been longer there could have been some real character growth.

One Day in December by Josie Silver (Read 1/2/20 to 1/8/20)

This was a Hello Sunshine past selection.
Laurie sees a beautiful boy at a bus stop, but as fate would have it they are unable to meet.  She spends the next year looking for him on every corner and in every bar and restaurant.  And when she finally does find him, he is the new boyfriend, Jack, of her best friend Sarah.  This chronicles the way a single missed meeting can shape your life, and the decisions made based on that missed connection.

This was very hallmark meets Bridget Jones.  Fun and lighthearted but with a deep romance at the heart of it.  I enjoyed, it wasn’t unputdownable, but I would recommend to my romance friends.

Regretting You By Colleen Hoover (Read 1/1/20 to 1/2/20)

This was the OUABC New Years Eve box selection.

Morgan Grants husband dies in a horrible car accident and secrets are revealed at this death that threatens to tear apart the relationship Morgan has with her 16 year old daughter Clara.  Clara is at that age where she is not an adult, but she isn't a child anymore.  And her father's death may be final push to bring her into the ugly horrid world of adults.

This was a great book, it started a little slow for me, but man once I got going it was hard  not to keep reading,   I was really angry with the characters at first, just wishing they would talk to each other, but in the end it was so engrossing I had trouble sleeping!

December 2019 Wrap Up

Well it seems December escaped me. And a good portion of January as well. So I’m going to do a December wrap up post and then catch up on January...and as alway I’ll try to vibe better in the future...but you know, no promises.

The Testaments By Margaret Atwood (Read 11/30/19 - 12/2/19)
I loved it! I could not put it down. I know some reviewers didn’t like the change in style, but I did. I liked the holes it filled and I felt like it wrapped things up some.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Read 12/2/19 - 12/4/19)
I can't believe I hadn't read this before! I have decided also that I may not be an Austin or a Bronte Fan, but I am a Dickens fan. I really enjoyed it.

The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan (Read 12/4/19 - 12/8/19)
So this is the OUABC Christmas box from last year, and I found it at the grocery store and picked it up. Felt like the right season. I loved it. I loved the characters, especially Stewart, he reminded me a lot of my Fiancé. And I love the drama and story line, it was dramatic and deep and yet fluffy too.

The Lost Book of Adan Moreau by Michale Zapata (Read 11/17/19 - 12/11/19)
I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. It will be published February 4, 2020.
This was an Ok book for me, I was interested enough to finish. It reminded me a lot of The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Which was a 3 star book to me. Which I know it mentions in the description, but it was very comparable I found.
I found the story moved a little slow at the beginning, picked up when we met Saul, but then began to drag again. It was only 272 pages but it felt at times like it was closer to 600.
There were some rambling parts, like the Dominicana’s Welsh doctor tells her a story from his childhood and going to work in the coal mines. I wasn’t sure what the point of including was. Also the lack of chapters bothered me.

 

A Royal Christmas Wish by Lizzie Shane (Read 12/11/19 - 12/15/19)
This was the OUABC Christmas Mini Box. I enjoyed this book, it was fun and magical, and perfect for the season. I felt like I was reading a hallmark movie, and I really hope they put it out as one!

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (Read 12/21/19 - 12/22/19)
This was the OUABC November selection. I sped through it obviously. The story kept me guessing and there were so many little twists! And creepy, so creepy! But sooo good too!

Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valarie (Read 12/26/19 - 12/28/19)
This was the OUABC December selection. It was ok, it was sarcastic and funny, but I didn't really like the characters and I didn't really like the story line. But the quips kept me invested.

The Best is Yet to Come” Lauren Bretanha (Read 11/22/19 to 11/27/19)

The book mostly jumps back and for the between present day Claire, and Claire 5 years ago when she she first met Bass. Sometimes we get chapters from Bass’s point of view, both present and 5 years earlier.
I really like the characters, my heart aches for their situation. Bass is so understanding I want to shake Claire, but I get the emotional walls she has built. It makes my heart hurt so deeply for them and for the baby. Claire is defiantly a classic example of self-fulfilling prophecy, she is so intent of not getting hurt or causing hurt that she wreaks it in so many unintended ways.
In understand that Claire’s self hatred and lack of confidence in her mothering skills is the heart of her character, and needed for her character growth, but at times it was all a little much. Jeez, they bring the baby home and she cries, so automatically the baby hates Claire. It is just a little over the top at times in my mind.
A really confusing part of the book, is that sometimes both parents are referred to as being dead, but sometimes it seems like it is only the Father that died. Then on page 204 it seems that her mother may have committed suicide. It was all cleared up by the end, but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was going on.
Parts of this book really hit me in the feels. I could see myself in Claire, and I could understand some of her decisions, I and also understand how a baby changes a marriage, and not all survive it.
I felt like this was very much a self fulfilling prophecy book. All of Clair’s worst nightmares come true, because of what choices and actions she takes to protect herself. I got really frustrated with how Claire refused to talk to Bass, I feel 100% that they issues with communication stemmed from her and I really wasn’t that sympathetic. I did feel bad for Bass though.
This was a harder book than I expected. It hit a lot of feels. My 1st marriage feel apart for many reasons, a few of them reflected her with trust and intimacy issues. I could really see both sides. There were some slow parts, but overall the book moved at a good pace. There were very few present choices that I could find, that took some reaching sometimes.