Y'all, the first three of these were books that absolutely live up to the hype I'd heard about them. They were ones that I was so captivated by. It's always refreshing when I get an especially good quartet like this!
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is another book that people have been recommending to me for ages, and I finally read it for my online book club. First of all, why the heck did I wait so long? This one was so good y'all! This focuses on the Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky, specifically Cussy Carter. In addition to being a librarian, Cussy is one of Kentucky's "blue" people. The story is about her work as a librarian, but it's moreso about how she navigates the world, particularly because so many people see her as different. This is absolutely a heartbreaker of a story, but it's also so worth reading given its depth of emotion!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid was just another masterful storytelling experience by this author. Y'all, she just does such a good job at building stories with multiple complex characters. This is the story of four siblings in the eighties. They gather in Malibu for their sister's end of summer blowout bash. Here's the thing though, they each have something they're carrying, and by something, I mean, some pretty big secrets. These secrets are ones that have the potential to impact another family member pretty significantly. As the night goes on, the party gets wilder, and the secrets start to ooze out, too. This was one I could not put down and breezed through because it was such good drama. I needed to know what happened! If y'all aren't reading this author, you are missing out. This is another gem of a read!
Verity by Colleen Hoover is a book I've been hearing/seeing everywhere, so I decided to check it out. Y'all, what a damn ride. There are twists, and there are TWISTS. And this was a TWIST OF TWISTS. Lowen is a struggling writer who accepts a job from the husband of a well-known author. Lowen is tasked with finishing the books in his wife's series as she is currently in a coma. What Lowen finds isn't just the unfinished books, but the author's personal journals. And y'all, WHOA. I really don't want to give much more than this because this is truly one where the thrills (and chills) are. I will also offer the caveat that there are intense books, and then there's this. It is truly like nothing I've read, and just WHOA. You truly need to buckle up and be ready for one wild ride.
The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty was just a really interesting book. Honestly, it just went in so many different directions. It was so many genres in one and so many things happening. Sophie has inherited a house which is a lot, but it's even more given it's the house owned by an aunt of her ex-boyfriend. It's also a lot given it's on an island whose notoriety comes in the unsolved Munro Baby Mystery. Sophie moves to the island and becomes re-engaged with her ex's family and people who each feel a certain kind of way about her inheritance. Additionally, she wants to know more about this mystery that connects to her home. At times, this read like a thriller (and definitely some unexpected twists), at others, it was a family drama, and others it was a love story. Given all the dimensions, it's definitely one that kept me reading.
Onto the next ones!
