Book Review: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

One of my co-workers lent me this book so I have to her to thank for this thrilling read!

The story revolves around Ellie, a 15 year old girl who goes missing. Her mother Laurel has never given up hope, even as she loses her family (and can’t understand why). Her husband leaves her and her other 2 children grow up, leave home, and rarely interact with her. I guess when you lose your “golden child” and shut down, people move on around you.

Ten years go by and Laurel meets a new man who has a young daughter, Poppy. Laurel starts to see herself with this man and adores his little girl. She is still trying to find ways to get her children to talk to her, but nothing works. I really don’t think Laurel truly understands what her actions do.

The story is told in alternating time lines and points of view. I don’t want to get into too much detail because it will give away a little more of the story. But I will say this…I usually can never figure out books and I had this book figured out from the very beginning.

I know a lot of people rave and rave about this book, but I felt it was entirely too predictable and the family drama was dull. Laurel became a crap mother (who truly wished it was her other daughter that went missing) and there you have it. But the way the story is laid out, it’s like, could it be any more obvious (said in my best Joey from Friends voice).

3 stars. I thought this was just ok. It didn’t do anything for me and the fact that as I kept reading I knew exactly what was happening concerned me. I promise you I had never read this book before, this was just a rare instance in where I felt the writing didn’t lead me anywhere but to exactly what was coming next. Maybe I’m just becoming that good…nah. Haha. If I had not figured out this book, it would have easily been a 5 star read, but the reading just fed right into the next step and I didn’t get enjoyment out of that. Oh well, on to the next one!

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Title: Then She Was Gone

Author: Lisa Jewell

Genre(s): Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

Publisher: Atria Books

Release Date: July 27, 2017

Find it here on Goodreads

12 Books Recommended By 12 People

Have you seen the social media posts going around where you ask 12 of your friends to give you a book recommendation to read this year?? Well…I did it!!

Here’s the recommendations I received…

Have I started any of them yet? No…haha. Prince Harry’s book just came out, you can’t blame me yet!!

I did get Push from the library so it is in my possession!!

Are you doing this challenge? What do you think of the 12 books that were recommended?

Book Review: The Guilt Trip

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books for my advance copy of The Guilt Trip in exchange for my honest review!

This book started a little rough for me. I find it confusing when a lot of characters are introduced at once. For this one we met 3 couples right away; 1 is getting married and the other 2 couples are great friends. I couldn’t keep who was with who straight until halfway through the book, but I know that’s a me thing!

The couples fly to Portugal for a wedding. No one seems to be a fan of the future wife (the brother of the soon to husband is here and sets off a cheating rumor). Is she crazy? Is she hiding something?

There is a lot of speculation of cheating in this one. Something just seems off in general. Sandie Jones does a FANTASTIC job of creating doubt in the reader’s mind. Just when you think, ah this is what is happening you think, ehhh maybe not?

This becomes unputdownable halfway through. You need answers! Is the wedding going on?! Is the future wife cheating on her soon-to-be husband?! Is a child’s paternity going to be questioned within the circle of friends?! Whaaaaaaat?!?

The ending was fast paced and in your face. That epilogue. That short, little epilogue and your mind is blown. Wow. It tied everything together and then I kicked myself, haha.

4 stars. SOLID read, great thriller. I didn’t anticipate the ending, but it was great and I’m left satisfied with how everything turned out!! You won’t regret reading this one!

Title: The Guilt Trip

Author: Sandie Jones

Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: May 21, 2021

Find it here on Goodreads

A Saturday Ramble…I’m back…really! #OwningUp #BookBlog #Blogger #Books

Remember that post saying hey, I’m back? Then I kinda really wasn’t? Yeah…I think I jumped the gun. But seriously, I have my 2020 calendar printed out and I have blogs typed up and scheduled to post.

I AM BACK!

I did promise myself a few things that have helped me get here…

1) I am not going to go crazy over YOUR posts. You heard me right…YOUR posts. What I mean is, I would read all your posts and go CRAZY with my TBR pile. I would put my books on hold because all the books you were talking about sounded awesome…and they were awesome. I started to feel like I would be out of the loop if I wasn’t reading all these latest releases right now. I realize now, who cares? If I just read all the books everyone else is talking about then I’m not sharing any different books with the world and isn’t that the point of a book blog? To find great, different books? Sure, there will always be new releases I’m dying to read and that I will, but I am determined to shrink down the amount of books I have now stashed around the house and dwindle them down…and then buy more, hahahaha. I am going to promise myself to keep the books you all talk about on my TBR list and then get to them eventually. Seriously…it has taken a load off!

2) I am not going to kill myself over my blog content. There are times when I read a lot and times when I read a little. It’s called life. I wanted a post EVERY DAY. That isn’t going to happen anymore. Sure, it’s something to strive for and if it happens, great. If I go a day or two without a post, awesome. I’m not going to look at my stats anymore.

3) I’m going to dedicated a night, one day a week, where it’s me and my computer and work on the blog. I will use the app to give myself some ideas for blogs and read your posts, but my giving myself one dedicated night where that is all I do, phew, I feel good now. I get done what I get done and that’s that. I am behind on writing NINE reviews from last year…and I will get to them when I get to them. It was ten but I managed to sneak one in before this post.

4) I am not going to worry about reading books my co-workers give me right away. Before I would let them take place of books I had on deck. Now they go below deck and I read them after the ones I had planned to read. I always keep the book I’m reading and the next book I want to read on my stand and these books would plop right above the book I planned. You don’t realize how sometimes this can take the wind out of motivation to read. It’s crazy. And guess what…no one cares if I bring the book in 5 days or 20 days. We just pass them along in a big circle and they make it back to the original person in a few months. Why am I stressing? Stress no more!

It is amazing how sometimes so simple as a blog can make you feel so overwhelmed. I love reading and I love the book blogging world. To be fair, I was thrown back in to the middle of my work year with no warning and it took awhile to figure things out and get things to the way I wanted them to be…all the while I was like…books, blog, books, blog. Now that I’m settled back in, I’m ready. Truly ready after sitting down with myself and setting some new rules/boundaries. Side note: my Netgalley shelf is out of control and I am determined to shrink it. Talk about a whoops…haha…no more requesting until I get through it…now THAT is some motivation!! Haha.

Have you set any rules up for yourself or gone through something similar with your blog?

Coming Soon: Tell Me Goodnight

Super stoked! I am part of Kelsey Kingsley’s advance reader team and at 1:00am this beauty was in my inbox! Her last book gave me all the feels so I cannot wait for this one! In fact, I’m putting the current book I’m reading on pause just for this! Are there any certain authors you’ll pause a current read for to read their book? Let me know!! I will have this reviewed as soon as I finish!