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Book Review: The Mother-In-Law @SallyHepworth @MacMillanUSA @StMartinsPress #TheMotherInLaw #Netgalley

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian USA for my advance copy of this book. I am so terribly sorry my reviewed has been delayed, but I’m here with it now!

I just want to note that my husband was reading a magazine where The Mother-In-Law is featured as a book to read this summer…he made sure to let me know about this book because I had to go out and get it to read it…I let him know I already read it and he was right, I did love it!

Lucy meets Ollie, falls in love, and hopes to gain a mother since her own mother died when she was young. Lucy gets everything except a mother…from the get go Diana, Ollie’s mother, does not like Lucy and makes no qualms about it.

They have a strained relationship. When Lucy births her first child, Diana puts priority in helping a refugee instead of being there for her family…so you get the idea of the type of person Diana is. Yes, I loved hating her as I read this book.

A weird thing happens though…toward the end of the book I absolutely love and respect the relationship that Diana and Lucy have. Is it a good one? No. It is one that is oddly filled with trust and some respect. Yes.

Overall this story tells a tale of a mother who has all the means in the world, but refuses to help her own children. She has a charity where she works with refugees from other countries and that is where her passion and assistance lay. This starts to cause a rut between her and her children and well…you just need to read it.

The ending. Thank you, thank you, thank you for creating an ending where we see a little into the future with what happens with everyone. I will tell you, you may think you know who killed who (yes, someone dies), but you will not have pegged who did it. Or why they did it.

This is a wonderful 4 star read. It’s a page turning mystery that you won’t be able to put down until you know who did it. Plus, the strained relationship is a train wreck you can’t help but keep watching. Pick this book up, you’ll be glad you did!

Title: The Mother-In-Law

Author: Sally Hepworth

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: April 23, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday comes courtesy once again of Lauren’s Page Turners. Every Monday I will randomly pick a book on my Goodreads to read shelf and pair it with the cover image and Goodreads description. This week I picked another favorite number of mine, 72, and went the book that was there.

Quick Goodreads Stats

354: To Read Shelf

62: Read Shelf

6: Read 2019 Shelf

My Pick This Week

Charter Storm by Mary Searcy Bixby & Tom R. Davis

Released: September 18, 2018

Current Goodreads Rating: 2.64 stars (25 ratings, 18 reviews)

Goodreads Summary

Public education in the United States faces an unprecedented crisis. The explosive growth of charter schools over the last two decades has shaken the status quo to its core. At stake are the future of public schools and how they will continue to educate our nation’s youth.
Clashes over money and ideologies have led to a struggle between the public education establishment and those at the forefront of educational reform. The conflict is being waged in the court of public opinion, as well as in courtrooms throughout the country. While the outcome is impossible to predict, both sides are preparing for a fight of David versus Goliath proportions. Collaboration is critical to the success of both.
Educational experts Dr. Tom R. Davis and Mary Searcy Bixby have spent their entire careers improving public education—Mary in charter schools and Tom in traditional public education. In Charter Storm, they use their combined knowledge and research of over 120 individual interviews over five years to teach you about—
• essential insights those new to the charter school movement need for their schools to survive and thrive
• how aggressive educational establishment pushback threatens to sweep away the most vulnerable
• key issues authorizers must know to effectively oversee their organizations
• the overwhelming challenges the educational establishment faces today and how it can effectively navigate the changing local and national educational landscape
• why active participation and support of charter school associations are essential to each charter school and the educational reform movement’s long-term success
• what every charter school parent needs to know to create and support an exceptional educational experience for his or her children

My Thoughts

I won this on Goodreads through a giveaway. The reviews have me a little skeptical on this one.

I plan on reading this book. We just put our children in a charter school this year and I am curious to see what this book as to say. I also won this book for free so, no harm, no foul. I am a public school teacher myself so I am curious to see the charter school realm explained in this book. I will let you all know what I think about this when I get around to it!

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