Book Review: Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie @AmazonPub #LittleVoices #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #bookreviewer #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Thomas & Mercer

October 1st, 2019

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Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a paperback copy of this book to read and share my review with my followers.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

The voice in her head says he’s guilty. She knows he’s innocent.

Devon Burges is in the throes of a high-risk birth when she learns of her dear friend’s murder. The police quickly name another friend as the chief suspect, but Devon doesn’t buy it—and despite her difficult recovery, she decides to investigate.

Haunted by postpartum problems that manifest as a cruel voice in her head, Devon is barely getting by. Yet her instincts are still sharp, and she’s bent on proving her friend’s innocence.

But as Devon digs into the evidence, the voice in her head grows more insistent, the danger more intense. Each layer is darker, more disturbing, and she’s not sure she—or her baby—can survive what lies at the truth.

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MY REVIEW:

Devon is a new mom going through post-partum depression, that is causing her to hear voices in her head. Voices that tell her she is a bad mom. Despite the voices in her head she is determined to believe she is a good mom, all while helping uncover a murder mystery and prove her friend’s innocence. The police think her friend is guilty, but Devon doesn’t believe it.

I loved Devon’s character development in this novel. She was a likable character, and I felt so bad for her and all the negative voices in her head that she had to endure and battle. Imagine loving your young infant, and having voices tell you that you don’t. Despite this, she is a bad-ass lead character in this novel, and she is determined to find out the truth. Despite the fact that the main character was unreliable, her character was witty, charming, intelligent, and determined.

A great novel that was a joy to read. Make sure to check it out!

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MY REVIEW: 4/5 stars

Book Review: Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale @kerrylonsdale @AmazonPub #LastSummer #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Lake Union Publishing

PUBLICATION DATE: July 9th, 2019

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Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a beautiful paperback copy of this book to read and share my review with others.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Lifestyle journalist Ella Skye remembers every celebrity she interviewed, every politician she charmed between the sheets, and every socialite who eyed her with envy. The chance meeting with her husband, Damien; their rapid free fall into love; and their low-key, intimate wedding are all locked in her memory. But what she can’t remember is the tragic car accident that ripped her unborn child from her. Ella can’t even recall being pregnant.

Hoping to find the memories of a lost pregnancy that’s left her husband devastated and their home empty, Ella begins delving into her past when she’s assigned an exclusive story about Nathan Donovan, a retired celebrity adventurer who seems to know more about her than she does him. To unravel the mystery of her selective memory loss, Ella follows Nathan from the snow-capped Sierra Nevada to the frozen slopes of southeast Alaska. There she discovers the people she trusts most aren’t the only ones keeping secrets from her—she’s hiding them from herself. Ella quickly learns that some truths are best left forgotten.

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MY REVIEW:

Imagine waking up in the hospital having no idea what happened to bring you there in the first place. Your husband is there and you ask what is going on, and see that he is shocked that you cannot remember what happened. Well this is the situation that Ella finds herself in. She cannot remember the car accident, losing her baby, even the fact that she was pregnant. The last thing she does remember is preparing supper for herself and her husband Damien… which happens to be the night of the accident.

Suddenly, Ella finds her husband is acting strange around her – he appears distant, distracted, and is very vague with giving her any information. Ella cannot understand why he is acting like this and she needs answers, answers that will fill in the many gaps in her memory. Ella is asked to interview a man named Nathan Donovan, whom she previously interviewed about a year ago but has no memory of even meeting him.

This novel was gripping, edgy, twisty, and entertaining the whole way through. I enjoyed reading about Ella’s journey to regaining her memory and piecing all the puzzle pieces back together again for the full picture. The journey was happy and sad, exciting and frightening. A must read that you will love, to the shocking end!

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MY REVIEW: 5/5 stars

Blog Tour: I Wanted You to Know by Laura Pearson @AgoraBooksLDN @LauraPAuthor #IWantedYouToKnow #IWantedYouToKnowBlogTour #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #blogtour #partner #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Agora Books

PUBLICATION DATE: October 3rd, 2019

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Hi everyone and welcome to my stop on the exciting Blog Tour for Laura Pearson’s newest novel I Wanted You to Know! Thank you Agora Books for inviting me to be a part of this exciting tour and for gifting me a beautiful paperback copy of this book for me to read.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Dear Edie, I wanted you to know so many things. I wanted to tell you them in person, as you grew. But it wasn’t to be.

Jess never imagined she’d be navigating single motherhood, let alone while facing breast cancer. A life that should be just beginning is interrupted by worried looks, heavy conversations, and the possibility of leaving her daughter to grow up without her.

Propelled by a ticking clock, Jess knows what she has to do: tell her daughter everything. How to love, how to lose, how to forgive, and, most importantly, how to live when you never know how long you have.

From best-selling author Laura Pearson comes her most devastating book yet. Honest, heart-wrenching, and emotionally raw, I Wanted You To Know is a love letter to life: to all its heartache and beauty, to the people we have and lose, to the memories and moments that define us.

I Wanted You To Know is Laura Pearson’s third novel.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laura Pearson has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester. She spent a decade living in London and working as a copywriter and editor for QVC, Expedia, Net a Porter, EE, and The Ministry of Justice. Now, she lives in Leicestershire, where she writes novels, blogs about her experience of breast cancer (www.breastcancerandbaby.com), runs The Motherload Book Club, and tries to work out how to raise her two children.

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MY REVIEW:

If you haven’t read a book by Laura Pearson you are seriously missing out… seriously! You need to go read one of her novels, and be sure to grab this one, like right now!

I have loved Laura’s other novels and this book was no exception! The raw emotions in this novel that will take you on a heart-warming and heart-wrenching roller coaster of a ride right straight through to the very end! You’ll be flipping through the pages, reading chapter after chapter, completely hooked and immersed in the novel. Be sure to grab a box of tissues, or two! You will surely need them as you read this novel about a mother’s journey through her struggle with breast cancer, and having to raise her daughter on her own without knowing how much time she actually has left in the world to be a mom to her daughter.

You will love this story as you read the letters Jess writes to her young daughter, telling her everything she wants her daughter to know. You will feel many emotions, and this novel will have you feeling all the feels as you read along. A beautiful story, that will have you thinking of the novel long after you’ve finished reading. Well done Laura. I am looking forward to your next novel and cannot wait to read it!

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MY RATING: 5/5 stars

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FOLLOW US ON THE BLOG TOUR:

 

Book Review: In a Cottage in a Wood by Cass Green @HarperCollinsCa @HarperCollins @carolinesgreen #InACottageInAWood #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #partner #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Harper Collins

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Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an ARC of this book to read and share my review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Her dream home will become her worst nightmare…

A strange encounter
Neve comes across a troubled woman called Isabelle on Waterloo Bridge late one night. Isabelle forces a parcel into Neve’s hands and jumps to her death in the icy Thames below.

An unexpected gift
Two weeks later, as Neve’s wreck of a life in London collapses, an unexpected lifeline falls into her lap – a charming cottage in Cornwall left to her by Isabelle, the woman on the bridge. The solution to all her problems.

A twisted secret
But when Neve arrives, alone in the dark woods late one night, she finds a sinister-looking bungalow with bars across its windows. And her dream home quickly becomes her worst nightmare – a house hiding a twisted secret that will change her life forever…

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MY REVIEW:

This was a gripping novel that was hard to put down. Each chapter I read, left me wanting to read more and more to see what would happen next. Full of shocking twists and turns, and moments that will make you gasp, you will love reading this book! Neve was a likable character. Down on her luck, and living with her sister where she seems to have worn out her welcome, she is confused but thrilled to learn she has been given the gift of her very own house by a stranger.

Imagine moving into your dream home, and then weird, creepy things begin to happen. Not only are their bars on all the windows, but things get misplaced in and out of her home (which she doesn’t recall moving) and she finds things in her home (like a dead bird with it’s head cut off). Would you freak out? I know I certainly would! Not knowing what is going on, and living in literally the middle of nowhere with no vehicle to drive around, Neve has to reply on her neighbours when she needs something. Strange things keep happening that Neve cannot explain, and Neve wonders if she is going crazy.

Shocking revelations and truths that she didn’t even imagine come to light, that will rock your world! I didn’t see them coming, that’s for sure! A great ending that you leave you thinking of the book long after you’ve finished, I recommend this book to lovers of thrillers.

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MY RATING: 4/5 stars

Book Review: A Girl Named Anna by Lizzy Barber @ByLizzyBarber @HarperCollinsCa @HarperCollins #AGirlNamedAnna #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #partner #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Mira

PUBLICATION DATE: September 3rd, 2019

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Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an ARC copy of this book to read and share my review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

If your whole life is a lie, who can you trust?

Raised in a quiet rural community, Anna has always been taught that her Mamma’s rules are the only path to follow. But, on her eighteenth birthday, she defies her Mamma for the first time in her life, and goes to Astroland. She’s never been allowed to visit Florida’s biggest theme park, so why, when she arrives, does everything about it seem so familiar? And is there a connection to the mysterious letter she receives that same day—a letter addressing her by a different name?

Rosie has grown up in the shadow of the missing sister she barely remembers, her family fractured by years of searching without leads. Now, on the fifteenth anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, the media circus resumes as the funds dedicated to the search dry up, and Rosie vows to uncover the truth herself. But can she find the answer before it tears her family apart?

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MY REVIEW:

This book! Wow, where to begin! This book is so addictive, amazing, and all around edge of your seat thrills! I loved flipping through the chapters of this book, and reading about the life of Anna as she grew up with her Mamma, who is very over protective of her not-so-little-anymore daughter Anna. Why is Anna’s mom so against Anna going to Astroland? It is just an entertaining amusement park… and why does Astroland seem so familiar to Anna when she has never been here before?

Anna was a very likable character. She was witty, charming, endearing and loveable. I loved how she was determined in everything that she did, and how she wasn’t afraid to chase after what she wanted, despite the consequences. I also enjoyed Rosie’s character. Like Anna, Rosie was very likable, endearing, and fought for what she believed in. Rosie’s sister Emily had disappeared many years ago when she was just a little girl, seemingly without a trace, and despite all these years that have passed looking for her sister, Rosie is determined to keep looking for her long lost sister, believing that one say she will find her sister.

I enjoyed how the chapters alternated from Anna’s and Rosie’s POV to bring about the full story. A gripping story that you must add to your TBR right now!

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MY RATING: 5/5 stars

 

 

 

Blog Tour: The Flower Arranger by JJ Ellis @AgoraBooksLDN #TheFlowerArranger #TheFlowerArrangerBlogTour #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #blogtour #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Agora Books

PUBLICATION DATE: September 26th, 2019

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Hi there and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Flower Arranger by JJ Ellis. Thanks so much to Agora Books for inviting me on the blog tour and for the beautiful book and extra goodies to go along with the book.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

And now he knew what was wrong with the arrangement. It was the Ma… the negative space… There was only one thing beautiful enough to fill it and — finally — she was with him. Ready, if not willing, to play her role.

Holly Blain wants to cover real news. The entertainment beat — pop stars and teen trends — was not why she moved to Tokyo. When she meets Inspector Tetsu Tanaka, head of Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police’s Gaikoku-jin unit, it might just be her big break.

Tanaka isn’t so sure. Always one to do things by the book, he’s hesitant about bringing this headstrong reporter into his carefully controlled investigation.

But young women keep disappearing and Tanaka is given no choice. He and Blain must trust each other if they are to stop a tormented killer from bringing his twisted plan to its shocking conclusion.

Filled with twists and turns, this unforgettable thriller is JJ Ellis’ first novel.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

JJ Ellis was born and raised in Yorkshire in northern England although now lives near London. The author’s interest in Japan was sparked when a family member won a trip there by singing in Japanese at an exhibition in the UK. Several visits followed — to Tokyo and further flung places such as Ishigaki and Iriomote — as Ellis developed the idea for The Flower Arranger. Two more crime novels featuring the team of Tanaka and Blain are planned.

The Flower Arranger is JJ Ellis’ first novel.

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MY REVIEW:

I thought this was a brilliant first novel for new author JJ Ellis. A great twist on crime and thrillers, The Flower Arranger takes you into the unique mind of quite an artistic serial killer. Set in Japan, this book takes you on a whirlwind ride as you read through the chapters. With many twists and turns, this book will leave you wanting to read more as you fly through the chapters.

I enjoyed the two main characters in this novel, Holly Blain and Tetsu Tanaka. I enjoyed reading how they built a working relationship to work together to uncover the mystery of what was going on. Why are so many women disappearing? Who could be responsible? You will have to read the story to find out.

Be sure to add this novel to your TBR!

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MY RATING: 4/5 stars

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FOLLOW US ON THE BLOG TOUR:

Book Review: 29 Seconds by T.M. Logan @StMartinsPress @TMLoganAuthor @netgalley #29Seconds #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Press

PUBLICATION DATE: September 10th, 2019

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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of this book via NetGalley.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

“Give me one name. One person. And I will make them disappear.”

Sarah is a young professor struggling to prove herself in a workplace controlled by the charming and manipulative Alan Hawthorne, a renowned scholar and television host. The beloved professor rakes in million-dollar grants for the university where Sarah works—so his inappropriate treatment of female colleagues behind closed doors has gone unchallenged for years. And Sarah is his newest target.

When Hawthorne’s advances become threatening, she’s left with nowhere to turn. Until the night she witnesses an attempted kidnapping of a young child on her drive home, and impulsively jumps in to intervene. The child’s father turns out to be a successful businessman with dangerous connections—and her act of bravery has put this powerful man in her debt. He lives by his own brutal code, and all debts must be repaid. In the only way he knows how. The man gives Sarah a burner phone and an unbelievable offer. A once-in-a-lifetime deal that can make all her problems disappear.

No consequences. No traces. No chance of being found out. All it takes is a 29-second phone call.

Because everyone has a name to give. Don’t they? 

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MY REVIEW:

Wow what a suspensful thrill of a book that will take you on one heck of a ride! Full of dark secrets, deceit, betrayal and lies, this book is sure to be a big hit!

The novel starts off as 2 weeks earlier: The main female character Sarah gets into a taxi with a man she refers to as “him”. He is a co-worker and they have all been out together with friends, having a good time and drinking. Sarah and everyone else says how this man is different when he drinks and she was warned to never be alone with him, ever… especially when he drinks. Unfortunately, Sarah didn’t listen to the rules.

Sarah’s boss at work is Alan Hawthorne, and he can be a mean and manipulative man. He seems to enjoy manipulation and holding power over others, especially his employees who he often bullies to get them to do what he says, especially when they want a promotion in their job. he is ruthless and will stop at nothing to get his way. Alan’s character in the book was a very unlikable one. He was easy to despise.

I enjoyed reading about Sarah’s character. She was a hard worker, dedicated to her job, and appeared to know what she wanted in life. She is faced with a few hard decisions in life that she must decide what to do and in which direction to turn, and she struggled a bit with some of her decisions. She was in no way an innocent character as she had her faults as well, but she was not unlikable.

Overall this book took me on a wild ride as I swiped through the pages, often sitting on the edge of my seat as I read page after page. This book had me hooked and I loved it! Full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and an ending that was on point!

A definite must read to add to your TBR!

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MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center @StMartinsPress @katherinecenter #ThingsYouSaveInaFire #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #bookreviewer #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Press

PUBLICATION DATE: August 13th, 2019

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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC copy of this book to read and share my review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it’s an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated.

The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie’s old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren’t exactly thrilled to have a “lady” on the crew, even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the handsome rookie, who doesn’t seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can’t think about that. Because she doesn’t fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don’t date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping…but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she’s worked so hard to be taken seriously?

Katherine Center’s Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life, love, and the true meaning of courage.

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MY REVIEW: 

This book gave me all the feels! Wow, I am getting goosebumps even writing this! This books was seriously amazing, and if you haven’t read it yet you are seriously missing out!

I loved Cassie’s character. Her personality was magnetic – she was witty, brave, sarcastic (which I loved!), fun, and totally badass! She wasn’t afraid to work in a male-dominant field, and held her head high in the face of those that doubted her. She wasn’t afraid to fight for what she believed in, and didn’t let the fact that she was a female stop her from keeping up with the boys. She was fun loving, full of life, but she was sheltered too. She doesn’t fall in love. She doesn’t in fact hang out with friends, let alone have a boyfriend. She definitely doesn’t have time for that. But there must be a reason, right?

When she moves to Boston to help her ailing mother, she has to try to fit in with another firehouse full of males. Will she be able to win them over a second time, like she did in Texas? How will they take to having the first even female in the firehouse?

I loved Cassie’s journey in this novel and watching her grow as you read the chapters. She learned to open her mind and her heart, to stand up and be brave, and to take chances on those who may leave her heart-broken and alone. I loved following Cassie’s courageous journey, and I loved every page of this book! I knew I was hooked from the first few pages and the book definitely did not disappoint.

This book is about love, forgiveness, and letting go of the past and moving on.

This was the first novel by Katherine Center I have read and it definitely will NOT be my last. I need all of her other books, like now! I’ll be keeping an eye on future books she publishes as well, yes she is that good! Go check this book out now, you will not regret it!

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MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: When I Was White by Sarah Valentine @StMartinsPress #WhenIWasWhite #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #bookreviewer #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Press

PUBLICATION DATE: August 6th, 2019

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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a paperback ARC of this book to read and share my review with others.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

The stunning and provocative coming-of-age memoir about Sarah Valentine’s childhood as a white girl in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and her discovery that her father was a black man.

At the age of 27, Sarah Valentine discovered that she was not, in fact, the white girl she had always believed herself to be. She learned the truth of her paternity: that her father was a black man. And she learned the truth about her own identity: mixed race.

And so Sarah began the difficult and absorbing journey of changing her identity from white to black. In this memoir, Sarah details the story of the discovery of her identity, how she overcame depression to come to terms with this identity, and, perhaps most importantly, asks: why? Her entire family and community had conspired to maintain her white identity. The supreme discomfort her white family and community felt about addressing issues of race—her race—is a microcosm of race relationships in America.

A black woman who lived her formative years identifying as white, Sarah’s story is a kind of Rachel Dolezal in reverse, though her “passing” was less intentional than conspiracy. This memoir is an examination of the cost of being black in America, and how one woman threw off the racial identity she’d grown up with, in order to embrace a new one.

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MY REVIEW:

This novel was a compelling story that was interesting to read about the experiences of young Sarah Valentine as she grew into a woman and discovered her identity. Through all the trials and tribulations, and in the face of adversity, this novel grabs the readers attention as you flip the pages and learn more about the many obstacles and feelings  Sarah herself went through on this incredible journey of self-discovery.

Imagine growing up thinking you were white and finding out your father was a black man. That you in face were not white, but mixed race. Would you do everything you could to find out about your true parentage, which race would you identify with?

I enjoyed reading this memoir from beginning to end, and I am sure you will too.

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MY RATING: 4/5 stars

Book Review: The Truth Behind the Lie by Sara Lövestam @MinotaurBooks @sara_lovestam #TheTruthBehindtheLie #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Minotaur Books

PUBLICATION DATE: August 27th, 2019

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Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for gifting me a paperback copy to read and share my review with others.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

When a six-year-old girl disappears and calling the police isn’t an option, her desperate mother Pernilla turns to an unlikely source for help. She finds a cryptic ad online for a private investigator:
“Need help, but can’t contact the police?”

That’s where Kouplan comes in. He’s an Iranian refugee living in hiding. He and his brother were forced to leave Iran after their involvement with a radical newspaper hated by the regime was discovered. Kouplan’s brother disappeared, and he hasn’t seen him in four years. He makes a living as a P.I. working under the radar, waiting for the day he can legally apply for asylum.

Pernilla’s daughter has vanished without a trace, and Kouplan is an expert at living and working off the grid. He’s the perfect PI to help… but something in Pernilla’s story doesn’t add up. She might need help that he can’t offer…and a little girl’s life hangs in the balance.

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MY REVIEW:

It is every mother’s nightmare – your child disappears and is now missing. Who can you turn to for help? Who can you call for help when calling the police is not an option? This is the predicament Pernilla finds herself in. Her daughter Julia is missing but Pernilla cannot call the police for help. When Pernilla sees an ad offering private detective help, she emails him.

What unfolds is a whirlwind of a story that will leave you breathless and unable to put this book down and unable to stop reading. This novel is full of shocking twists and turns that you will not see coming, and will have to thinking about this book long after you have done reading the last page. I loved this book and I flew through it.

I enjoyed reading about Kaplan and Pernilla and the obstacles they have each gone through in their lives that make them who they are today. A gripping story of one mother’s search for her missing child, and the lengths a mother will go to so they can find the ones they love.

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MY RATING: 4/5 stars