Advance Reader Copy – Donna's Reading Chair

Book Review: Faking It

Thank you to Netgally and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for my advance copy of Faking It in exchange for my honest review! (This is a LATE review, I have previously read this one and am just catching up on writing reviews…my apologies to the publishers!)

Faking It is the perfect lighthearted, fun read if you’re looking for something not so serious. We meet Hannah Thompson, who is a relatable mother and wife, trying to juggle it all. She is working on publishing her first novel, a work of erotica, while trying to hide that from her kids because…well…she doesn’t want them to know what she’s been (tastefully) writing.

What I loved most about this book was how supportive her husband was. That is ALWAYS appreciated when I read novels, especially with moms. Being a mother myself, if my husband wasn’t supportive between everything I do I would absolutely lose it.

Hannah decides to take on an alter ego and write a little more on the naught side and finds herself about to be the guest speaker at a sex convention. The research she does with her friends was just hilarious. I could see myself in her shoes!

4 stars. If you’re a fan of chick lit, you’ll enjoy this one!

Title: Faking It

Author: Rebecca Smith

Genre(s): Fiction, Romance

Publisher: Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter

Release Date: August 7, 2020

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: The Night Before @Wendy_Walker @netgalley #thriller #suspense

Thank you to Netgally and St. Martin’s Press for my advance copy of The Night Before in exchange for my honest review! (Oops, I’ve had this book for 2 years…I am so, so sorry it took me THIS long to read it, I wish I picked it up sooner!!!!!)

Wow. The Night Before opens up with a bang. Laura is plagued by a murder from her high school years that she is adamant she didn’t commit (even though not everyone may truly believe her).

Laura moves from New York City after a sudden breakup into her sister’s home, in her hometown. She thought she left everything behind and finds herself back here. Laura decides to jump back into dating and her sister, Rosie, thinks it is a bad idea.

Walker takes us through an alternating timeline, Laura in therapy, Laura on her date, and her sister after her date. There were twists and turns and a shocker I did not see coming. When I stopped and reflected on the book, I smiled. It was just THAT good.

I loved the alternating timelines. We hear from Laura in realtime on her date (which was in the past) and then immediately get thrown into the present with Rosie and what is going on there. This kept me hooked and kept me up past my bedtime!!!

4 stars. SOLID read, great thriller. I never saw one specific part of the book coming…it was a total shock. I love how the book ended and everything came into place. My heart broke a little for Laura, but in the end, I am happy with how things turned out for her!

Title: The Night Before

Author: Wendy Walker

Genre(s): Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: May 14, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: 29 Seconds @TMLoganAuthor @Netgalley @bonnierbooks_uk #Thriller #Suspense #LifeChanging

Thank you to Netgalley for my advance reader copy of 29 Seconds in exchange for my honest review! This book is scheduled to be released TOMORROW, September 10, 2019 (in the US…yes, UK readers this has been out for you for a year now you lucky ducks)!

29 Seconds changes Sarah’s life. She’s a kinda single mom (her husband has ran off to find himself…with another woman) with 2 small children balancing her career and home life. Her father is around to help her out at the drop of a hat and she couldn’t make it without him. Her work life…

Her boss is an @$$hat. She’s trying to make it as a permanent employee at the university she works at. The only way she can guarantee herself to climb up the ladder is to get into her boss’ pants. Yeah, he’s that kind of scum bag.

This books hits us with a little bit of drama as she witnesses a little girl almost get kidnapped. What unravels after that will have you savoring every page of this book. It becomes an unstoppable ride that will have your heart pounding until you know the outcome.

This kept me on the edge of my seat. There was a lot of suspense built up. Plans were drawn up and failed. What was going to happen?!? I can’t say much because I’ll give the whole book away. I was pleasantly happy with the ending with finding out all that happens. I felt the ending was a tad bit rushed, but it didn’t take away from the story.

Solid 4 star read. There’s no doubt that this is a well written thriller. It kept you in suspense and had you trying to figure out the mystery of everything. It was such a clever plan…there’s no way you could guess it unless you have psychic powers. If you did read this and you guessed how everything unfolded, you’re lying…and guide me to the winning lottery numbers, haha. Great thriller to put on your bookshelf tomorrow!

Title: 29 Seconds

Author: T.M. Logan

Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery

Publisher: twenty7

Release Date: September 10, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Pretty Guilty Women @Gina_LaManna @Sourcebooks #ARC #Thriller #Mystery #BookWorm #MomsWhoRead #ReadMe #PageTurner

Thank you to Sourcebooks for my advance reader copy of Pretty Guilty Women in exchange for my honest review! This book is scheduled to be released TOMORROW, September 3, 2019!

Pretty Guilty Women is the story of 4 old college friends who stopped talking to each other. One of the girls is getting married and decides to get the gang back together despite everyone not talking for years (I mean, one of the girls did make out with another girl’s boyfriend so, there’s reasons why they don’t all talk). They all meet up at this lavish resort and spa and get along as best they can. Someone ends up murdered…four women end up confessing they did it…what is going on?

Right away we know someone is murdered because the book opens up with the detective questioning one of the women. It alternates between the police questioning and the past week everyone spent at the resort and spa. The story is told from the perspective of Emily, Kate, Lulu, and Ginger. They are all old college friends except for Lulu, she’s a relative attending the wedding that the girls meet at the bar. Whitney, the bride, is the reason why all the girls are together and hanging out at the hotel, but is too busy with wedding preparations to hang out.

Talk about suspense. So we know that someone is killed. We have a small sneak peek at who it possibly could be in the prologue; however, it’s so vague it leaves your brain racking all of the possibilities. I. Never. Saw. It. Coming.

Just when you think you have it all figured out…you don’t. There’s enough twisting and turning from the police questioning to the girls’ time at the resort that you can’t help but just sit there and keep turning the page. This book became an addiction for me. I kept wanting more. I carried this book around with me until I finished it because if I found myself with even 2 minutes to spare, I had my nose in the book.

This was such a creatively written book, 5 stars from me. Yeah, 5 stars. Why? It kept me craving more. The ending…you know I’m a stickler…there’s a one year later AND epilogue. It’s like a double bonus…I see what happens over the course of a year after the event takes place AND I get more…it’s my dream ending for EVERY book. I can say that this book satisfied everything and more. I closed the book feeling complete. You will not regret picking this book up…good thing it’s released tomorrow so you can get your hands on it quickly!!

Title: Pretty Guilty Women

Author: Gina LaManna

Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Release Date: September 3, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: The Truth Behind The Lie @Netgalley #SwedishLit #Crime #Kidnapping #Mystery

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advance reader copy of The Truth Behind The Lie! This book is scheduled to be released TOMORROW!

This book was a little weird. It was just ok. Pernilla hires a private investigator to try and find her daughter that has been kidnapped. She refuses to consult with the police and Kouplan, our PI, is desperate for money so he takes the case. What she doesn’t realize is that Kouplan is in the country illegally and has never investigated anything before.

I am never one who can predict books easily, but I had this whole book figured out from the beginning. It’s highly predictable and left little to be desired for since I essentially figured everything out early on…I just kept reading for confirm my thoughts were correct. It didn’t make reading this one very enjoyable.

There’s not much more I can say about this book without giving too much away. It’s quite a tale of Kouplan trying to locate Pernilla’s missing daughter. From the beginning things feel off and not quite right. Kouplan almost doesn’t know if he should investigating the case or not. Eventually all comes to light at the end…

This was a 3 star read for me. I don’t think I would recommend this to any of my friends as they usually are able to predict books MUCH better than I am. If I could predict this one…that’s saying something! I was so disappointed in this one! Have you read any books that disappointed you lately because you were able to figure it out so easily??

Title: The Truth Behind The Lie

Author: Sara Lövestam

Genre(s): Mystery, Crime, Swedish Lit

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: August 27, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Things You Save In A Fire @katherinecenter @StMartinsPress #5stars #MustRead

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advance reader copy of Things You Save In A Fire. I am now a HUGE Katherine Center fan! This book was absolutely amazing!

I laughed, I cried, and at times I held my breath through this tale. It’s a true feel good story where a woman conquers and achieves something in a male dominated field. I was so proud of Cassie as a female firefighter she held her own and did what she had to do to prove herself…and she’s a damn good firefighter.

Enough about that. Her mother (with whom she has a strained relationship) has asked her to live with her for a year as she’s having some medical issues. Her father guilts in to going and so she ends up moving from Texas to Massachuettes to help her mother.

What ends up happening is Cassie herself grows a lot as a person. She ends up repairing her relationship with her mother and ends up finding love as well. She has never been in a committed relationship (and she’s 30), but she finds herself fighting love and her mother helps her to see what life is really all about.

This reminded me of a Hallmark movie. I know this book won’t be for everyone, but if you enjoy feel good stories with some romance and a happy ending…pick this book up now. I loved it, but I love these kinds of stories. The growth that Cassie has in this novel is unreal. Towards the end the book got a little cheesy and far fetched, but again in all things Hallmark, it’s totally acceptable and appreciated. If you’re looking for a more realistic tale, this may not be for you.

5 star read. I could not put this book down. It stirred up every emotion in me. There’s a FANTASTIC epilogue at the end so we can see a few years into the future. Everything about this book just makes me so freakin’ happy. I want to hug this book and relive it over and over again. Maybe because I love a kick ass female lead, or maybe it’s because of the amazing writing, either way if you love this kind of book, pick it up TODAY because guess what…IT’S RELEASE DAY!!!!

Title: Things You Save In A Fire

Author: Katherine Center

Genre(s): Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fiction

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: August 13, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: The Third Mrs. Durst @MsAnnAguirre @midnightinkbook @Netgalley #Psychopath #Mystery #Crazy

Thank you to Netgalley and Midnight Ink for my advance copy of The Third Mrs. Durst! I would also like to wish this book a very HAPPY PUBLISHING DAY! It is out today!

Can I just say if you are looking for a book that stars a crazy twisted psychopath, this is THE book for you. Do not read any further, just go out and get this book because…oh my goodness…the star of the show is one of the craziest and most calculating crazy, psychotic people I have ever read as the protagonist. Woah.

This book is a thrilling mystery. There weren’t any big twists or surprises, but you may find yourself holding your breath as you wait to see what happens. Marlena (our psychopath, I mean, protagonist) runs away from home at 17 to try and better her life. Her mother is an addict and many times there isn’t even food on the table. She feels bad for abandoning her siblings, but like her older sister did before her, she has to break out before she winds up pregnant and addicted to drugs herself.

Marlena meets a man at a fast food restaurant who puts her in to modeling. This takes her from homeless to having money in a flash. Eventually after a few years she runs in to Mr. Durst and they start a relationship…yes, she becomes the third wife.

Fair warning, there is domestic violence throughout this book. Mr. Durst is a disgusting, vile, oxygen thief of a person. You can’t help but hate him. Why Marlena decided to stick with a man that she knew had these tendencies…well…it will be revealed. “Some people just need killing.”

This book isn’t for everyone. It is a darker, slower burn. Personally, I found it jumped around a little bit and lost me in places. I did read an advance copy so I’m not sure if that had anything to do with it. I love what Marlena did and how she handled herself. If you’re looking for a typical thriller or maybe even character development, this isn’t for you. If you are looking for a twisted, revengeful, crazy mind…read on!

Title: The Third Mrs. Durst

Author: Ann Aguirre

Genre(s): Mystery

Publisher: Midnight Ink

Release Date: August 8, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Lost You @HaylenBeck @stuartneville @CrownPublishing @Netgalley #Thriller #Surrogacy #Kidnapping #4stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for my advance copy of Lost You by Haylen Beck! This book was released YESTERDAY, so you’re able to run out and get yourself a copy TODAY!

I dove in to this book knowing nothing…and honestly, I loved that aspect. I knew it was a thriller and I absolutely loved the surprise roller coaster ride this book took me on, so don’t expect much of a description on this book from me.

The main subject in this book is surrogacy. At first I thought this book took place almost like a dystopian place, where (paid) surrogacy is illegal. I became curious and so I googled the subject…much to my surprise surrogacy is NOT legal in all 50 states! This book highlights a couple living in New York (where it’s illegal to have paid surrogacy) going through an agency to obtain their own baby. They use the surrogate’s egg, husband’s sperm. Oh what a tale that unfolds!

The opening paragraph is a sneak peek at the ending…it doesn’t spoil ANYTHING for the reader, just makes you more curious once we start to meet the characters! At first I thought they had given the ending away and when I went back to reread it, oooooo, what a move…WHAT. A. MOVE. I couldn’t put this book down after that realization!!

Fantastic 4 star read. This was a fantastic, fast paced thriller with secrets and twists and turns throughout. The only thing that bothered me throughout the book was that NO ONE took into consideration the fact that this was the husband’s baby too. I would have to research more to see what all entails in this kind of situation, but man, what an eye opening read about the issue of surrogacy. I could absolutely see this kind of situation happening…never mess with a parent and their child! Hooked yet? Get this book NOW!

Title: Lost You

Author: Haylen Beck

Genre(s): Thriller, Kidnapping Thriller

Publisher: Crown Publishing

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Ellie & The Harpmaker @HazelPriorBooks @BerkleyPub @penguinrandom #OutToday #Contemporary #Fiction @Netgalley

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for my advance reader copy of Ellie and the Harpmaker in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie is an Exmoor housewife who finds herself inside the barn of the Exmoor harpmaker, Dan. She falls in love with the harp and Dan ends up giving her one as a gift. What?! I know…crazy! Ellie takes it home and is immediately told to return it by her husband. She ends up leaving it at his barn and comes back to visit it to practice and take harp lessons from his girlfriend.

Some things to note…Ellie’s husband is a drunk, Dan cannot read social cues and is not of the societal norm, and Ellie is in love…with the harp. I wouldn’t classify this book as a romance as there is nothing all that romantic about it. This takes on a tale of everything that happens BEFORE a romance blossoms.

The book is told to us by Dan and Ellie. There are parts in this book where I am yelling at Ellie because this woman…oh, she gave me heartburn. If I were her friend Christina I’d be yelling at her. I felt nothing but compassion for Dan. Oh how I wanted to hug him and take him home with me, haha. I felt really bad for him towards the last part of the book…you’ll see why when you pick it up (and then even MORE at the end).

Ellie is such an amazing friend to Dan. I think my favorite part of reading this book was watching how she treated Dan. She almost became like his protector until everything went falling by the wayside. This book was beautifully written. It has an Eleanor Oliphant vibe to it as well.

This book is released TODAY. Stop reading all the reviews and go out and take a chance on the harpmaker of Exmoor! If you wind up craving sandwiches and coffee after you read this, don’t blame me, blame the author! 😉

Title: Ellie And The Harpmaker

Author: Hazel Prior

Genre(s): Chick Lit, Contemporary

Publisher: Berkley Publishing

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: The Turn Of The Key @RuthWareWriter @simonschuster @Netgalley #5stars #Amazing #BestBookThisYear #BookWorm

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for access to this book in exchange for my honest review. I have previously read The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware so I was ecstatic when I was approved for an advance reader copy of The Turn Of The Key!

Letters. This book is one big letter written by Rowan Caine, a nanny accused of murder, to Mr. Wrexham, a lawyer she hopes will take on her case. Rowan takes us step by step on how she was hired and what happened during her time as nanny at the Heatherbrae House in Scotland.

Is she unreliable? Ware wrote this to have the reader going back and forth wondering if Rowan is really innocent as she claims. Is she just going crazy? What really is going on? I don’t want to reveal too much more because the less I describe, the better it is for you the reader.

Side note: I couldn’t read this at night, there are some pretty scary parts. There are definitely some creepy parts. This is a TRUE psychological thriller…I have not read one this spooky in a LONG time. Talk about a modern ghost story, this one is chilling to the core. I was flipping through the pages wanting to seek vengeance on who could kill an innocent child as Rowan told us all she knows.

This ending. THIS ENDING!!!!!! This book made my head spin and kept me up at night thinking what could be going on. I never, NEVER suspected the ending…and I loved every second of it. It is not a let down and it’s a shock that will make you gasp out loud. There’s more than meets the eye with The Turn Of The Key. This was the best book I have read all year and will be hard to top!

This book is being released TOMORROW, Tuesday, August 6th. It is available for pre-order now! Don’t walk, RUN to the store to grab your copy!!!!

Title: The Turn Of The Key

Author: Ruth Ware

Genre(s): Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon