#4stars – Donna's Reading Chair

Book Review: Into The Water @PaulaHWrites #IntoTheWater #Thriller #PsychologicalThriller #PaulaHawkins #Mystery #4stars @PenguinBooks @PenguinUKBooks @riverheadbooks

Thank you to my work colleague for lending me this book! I hate saying this now as I don’t want you all to be jealous of the great reads I get passed through the work place! I just want to highlight my FAVORITE part of this book as I referred back to it A LOT. I wish many books had this and I do know that not every edition of this book has this page…

There were a lot of people to remember in this book. Each chapter was from a different viewpoint of a character. Each chapter I flipped back to that page above so I kept everything straight. Game. Changer.

The reader’s digest summary is that Nel Abbott is discovered dead in the drowning pool. It is believed she killed herself, but the family is not quite buying it. She has been writing all about the drowning pool and the women that have died in those waters. The locals do NOT want her writing anything. They kept warning her to stop. Nel’s daughter’s best friend happens to be one of the victims, but Nel just can’t keep her nose out of what is going on.

This story was suspenseful and had me thinking something different each chapter. I thought there was some crazy secret love affair going on with how 2 sets of characters were acting and turns out…nope…but there were multiple love affairs in the book. I just completely made one up in my head, haha. People do crazy things when they’re in love. People do crazy things to protect their family. What happens in this book is a wild, fun ride. Again, it was super easy to follow thanks to the cheat sheet in the beginning. This would be a difficult story to follow without it!

This is my first book by Hawkins and I am excited to read more from her! The characters were unique and I disliked quite a few, but that the book that much more interesting!

This is a solid 4 star read. It is a suspenseful, mind racing thriller that will have you wanting more and more until all your questions are answered. And yes, all your questions will be answered!! The ending was unexpected yet great! Have you read Hawkins work before? Am I crazy for being so late onto her fan train???

Title: Into The Water

Author: Paula Hawkins

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Release Date: May 2, 2017

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: Little Lovely Things

Thank you to Maureen Joyce Connolly for the advance copy of Lovely Little Things…I know…this book was released April 2, 2019 and here we are in May. I am behind on posting and writing reviews, I told you, that class sucked up all my time! Yikes! Better late than never, right?

TRIGGER WARNING. This book was difficult for me to read. I usually don’t find books a challenge to read because of their content, but this one hit. me. hard. If you cannot handle a child’s death or kidnapping, do not read any further.

This story is about a married couple with a woman who may be a little off her rocker. We aren’t really sure what is going on with her. One day she drives into the city and has a sudden attack. She gets gravely ill and pulls her car (barely) over to a gas station and makes it into the bathroom. She leaves her car running with her two small children in the back as it’s in the midst of summer.

She comes out of the bathroom and her car is gone.

A tale of a family on the brink of disaster, a Lakota Indian man with a strong intuition, and gypsies is what this story is based around. The mother, Claire, ends up befriending Jay, the Lakota Indian, and he ends up being the one who is able to give the police the only clues/leads they are able to get.

The story is told between the perspective of Claire (the mother), Jay (the Lakota Indian), and Moira (one of the gypsies who took the car with the girls inside). It offers a unique perspective on a mother’s worst nightmare and the reasoning behind stealing a child.

Once I got past my own reservations, it was a quick, fast paced read. The kidnapping takes place in 1991 and goes through to present day. Trust me when I say it is worth reading. I had tears in my eyes throughout the book. For a debut novel, Connolly did a wonderful job telling this tale.

I am going to give this book 4 stars. It was gripping with a great plot. The ending…you guys know how picky I am with my endings…it melted my heart, I loved it. The last half of the book I couldn’t put it down, I just had to know what happened, because as the reader, you know what is going on more than the characters. I found myself yelling at the book! Eventually they listened to me, haha. If you come across this book, grab it! If you’re in a book club, this would be a great read for your group!

Title: Little Lovely Things

Author: Maureen Joyce Connolly

Publisher: Sourcebook Landmarks

Release Date: April 2, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Book Review: An Anonymous Girl

This review was previous published over at Book In The Bag Blog where I guest write a review every Thursday! I wanted to start 2019 off with a bang and what better way than with my review of An Anonymous Girl??

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! This book officially comes out on January 8, 2019, pre-order it today!

As soon as I heard Hendricks and Pekkanen were penning another novel I could not wait to get my hands on it. The Wife Between Us blew me away (by the way, go get that book NOW if you haven’t read it) and I could not wait to see what else could come out of their 2 minds. I was not let down.

The story is about a young woman who ends up in a research study to make some extra money. The research is all about morals and ethics and is put together by a professor at a local, well known university, who should probably have her own morals and ethics checked out.

This psychological thriller is told by Jessica, the young woman, and Dr. Shields, the professor. They alternate chapters so it gives us a unique perspective and keeps up guessing throughout the novel. Just when you think this is going to be a predictable read, it’s not. There are not many twists and turns but enough to keep you interested. As we get further in to the book the characters grow and show us sides to them you just cannot predict to see. The book really picks up in the second half after the stage has been fully set.

I will say I was a little let down with the ending. I expected it to end with some big bang and it just fell flat for me. It felt rushed at the end and it just, ended. I did not get the closure I would have liked; however, it does let you know what happens with the relationship Jessica and Dr. Shields have. I would have like just a little bit more at the end to satisfy myself.

I am giving this book 4 stars. It keeps you going and guessing. I did think I had the book figured out before I got to the halfway point. That’s where the book really picks up and has left you with enough little pieces you have to read to see how they all fit together. I will say, Greer and Pekkanen sure do have some twisted minds! I hope they collaborate yet again, these ladies know how to throw you for a loop! Have you read either of their books?? Let me know if you’ve read either book or if you’re looking forward to this one!

Title: An Anonymous Girl

Author: Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: January 8, 2019

ISBN: 1250133734

Quick Link To Amazon Here