The Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle was a book I read back in June for a blog tour, then didn't put it into a quartet. You can find the tour stop for this thriller here.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins was ultimately not what I wanted and/or needed from this series. It was hard for me to go from reading stories about a strong heroine like Katniss Everdeen to a problematic dude in President Snow. I understand this was supposed to be a "Why is that guy the way he is?" exploration into his younger years, and this definitely is that. It was an intriguing angle to see the earlier days of the Hunger Games and to learn about how they evolved. Again though, this wasn't the narrative I craved with the opportunity to return to this world.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover was an incredibly powerful read. What I thought I was reading going in was not what I read at all in the best of ways. This is an amazingly honest and emotional exploration of an unhealthy relationship. The book centers on Lily. Lily is a florist in Boston. In real-time, she meets Ryle. He's a charming doctor that she is intrigued by, but there are also some problematic tendencies he has. Lily is working with and through these with him as best she can. Lily has also never forgotten her first love, Atlas. Their connection was a unique one, and he was very much her protector. Their relationship is explored as Lily's past is revisited. I don't want to tell you too much because the power in this one is in the emotion and the journey through Lily's relationships and life. This was a book I read in a day because I was so drawn in. This was also one that made me feel so many feels in its honest, authentic portrayal of issues.
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel was just a beautiful piece of writing. Y'all this author has this way of writing that is a true master class of how to create vivid, incredible narratives. I could rave on and on about this. That said, it's also hard to explain the plot and offer my review. At its core, this is about a woman named Vincent. It's about her relationship with her brother and where she finds love. This is also about the dynamics of power. There were so many layers of this story, and it's one I almost need to read again and really take it all end to understand all the inner-workings of the character and story. Once more, Emily St. John Mandel is a master of memorizing stories. If she's the author, count me in indefinitely.
Onto the next ones!
