Book Review: The Woman Outside My Door by Rachel Ryan @SimonSchusterCA @simonschuster @netgalley #thewomanoutsidemydoor #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Canada

PUBLICATION DATE: November 24th, 2020

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Happy Publication Day to Rachel Ryan and The Woman Outside My Door. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC of this title via NetGalley.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

All children have imaginary friends, Georgina tells herself. It’s perfectly normal, and they all grow out of it in the end. But when her seven-year-old son, Cody, tells her about New Granny, the new friend he’s met in the park, Georgina is instantly suspicious. Something—call it maternal instinct—tells her he isn’t making it up.

But maybe Georgina is losing her mind. It wouldn’t be the first time, after all. And with her own mother’s recent death leaving her bereft and trying to cope with life as a busy working mom, it’s no wonder she’s feeling paranoid that Cody has invented a “New Granny” to replace his beloved grandmother.

Her husband, Bren, becomes the voice of reason, assuring Georgina that it’s just a game, the product of their son’s overactive imagination. But what if Cody’s imaginary friend is not so imaginary after all?

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MY REVIEW:

Riveting, captivating, pulse-pounding. When Georgina is at the park with her son Cody and two of his friends, they suddenly emerge from behind some bushes and Cody proceeds to tell his mom that he was speaking with an old lady in the bushes and said she gives him candy. He says she is new granny. Perplexed about what is going on, Georgina isn’t sure what to do. Does her son have an over-active imagination, is she losing her mind? Georgina’s mother passed away a year ago so maybe Cody is missing his granny and has a new make-believe granny? Even creepier is the fact that Cody insists that this new granny is not only real, but is in fact his real new granny.

What unfolds is an interesting and intriguing story that will leave you guessing what is going on. With Rachel herself being an unreliable character we as a reader are unsure what and who to believe. What makes Rachel such a great unreliable character is that she herself has a lot going on in her life – her mother passed away a year ago, her husband lies to her, he had a one-night-stand with his ex, which he lied about in many ways, and now he doesn’t believe her stories and isn’t concerned with Cody and his “new granny” idea. Her husband tries to convince her that she needs to seek professional help saying that he is concerned with her mental health. Can her mental health be deteriorating again.. if there is some truth to what she believes might be going on, who can she trust to help her when everyone seems convinced that she is the wrong who is wrong?

An interesting story that will keep you flipping the pages as the story unfolds. You’ll love this book!

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MY RATING: 4/5 stars

Book Review: Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent @SimonSchusterCA @simonschuster @netgalley #littlecruelties #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster Canada

PUBLICATION DATE: November 24th, 2020

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Happy Publication Day to Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC of this book via NetGalley.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Three brothers are at the funeral. One lies in the coffin.

Will, Brian and Luke grow up competing for their mother’s unequal love. As men, the competition continues – for status, money, fame, women ..

They each betray each other, over and over, until one of them is dead.

But which brother killed him?

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MY REVIEW:

I loved the storyline of this book and the way in which it was written. It was fast paced, and gave you glimmers into the past piece by piece, as you slowly begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I find the way it was written leaves you wanting to know more, and flipping through the pages to get some more information about the brothers and their dynamics between one another and what makes them who they are today.

3 brothers all with secrets, lies and betrayals. They all have something to hide and they have all competed for their mother’s love and approval since they were little boys. I enjoyed how the story was told from alternating timelines, often jumping from year to year in random order. When 3 brothers who pretty much feuded and fought with one another their entire lives, and two of them are present at the third brother’s funeral, you wonder which brother is in the coffin and which of the other two brothers is responsible for his death. A complex and interesting story.

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MY RATING: 3/5 stars

Book Review: When Villains Rise (Market of Monsters #3) by Rebecca Schaeffer @RaincoastBooks @HMHKids @HMHCo @HMHteen @netgalley #whenvillainsrise #netgalley #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksokthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: HMH Books for Young Readers

PUBLICATION DATE: September 8th, 2020

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Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book via NetGalley and for also sending me a beautiful finished hardcover copy of this book.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Dexter meets Victoria Schwab in this dark and compelling fantasy about a girl who is determined to take down the black market once and for all in the conclusion to the trilogy that started with the critically acclaimed Not Even Bones.

Nita finally has Fabricio, the boy who betrayed her to the black market, within her grasp. But when proof that Kovit’s a zannie—a monster who eats pain in order to survive—is leaked to the world, Nita must reevalute her plans.
 
With enemies closing in on all sides, the only way out is for Nita and Kovit to take on the most dangerous man in the world: Fabricio’s father. He protects the secrets of the monsters who run the black market. Stealing those secrets could be the one thing that stands between Nita and Kovit and certain death in the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with the critically acclaimed Not Even Bones.

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MY REVIEW:

I absolutely LOVE this series and fell in love with the main character Nita from the first novel, Not Even Bones. She is a strong female character, full of life and fight, so much personality, and not afraid to voice her opinion or fight for those she loves and for what she believes in. She is full of determination, not afraid to get her hands dirty when she needs to, and is a fun character to read and follow along. Then there is Kovit, a mean and nasty Zannie, who you will eventually come to love (or perhaps still despise) as you read through this series of books and follow along on his adventures as well. We are introduced to both characters in the first novel, and all three novels in this series follows them along on their life and adventures. I enjoyed how this last novel delved deep into Kovit’s life growing up, and it gives us some insight into what he went through as a young child and young man, to help mold and shape him in to the man and person he is today.

I don’t want to give too much away in this novel for those of you who are new to this series and have yet to read and first two novels in the series, however I can say that if you haven’t read this series yet you are truly missing out on a great series! You need to go and grab your copy of this series today, you will love the unique storyline and the unique  characters throughout the series. 

Well done Rebecca! I loved this series and I am looking forward to seeing what you come out with next!

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MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: Trial By Fire by Scott James @StMartinsPress @netgalley #TrialByFire #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Press

PUBLICATION DATE: October 27th, 2020

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Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for the eArC of this novel via NetGalley.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

In only 90 seconds, a fire in the Station nightclub killed 100 people and injured hundreds more. It would take nearly 20 years to find out why–and who was really at fault.

All it took for a hundred people to die during a show by the hair metal band Great White was a sudden burst from two giant sparklers that ignited the acoustical foam lining the Station nightclub. But who was at fault? And who would pay? This being Rhode Island, the two questions wouldn’t necessarily have the same answer.

Within 24 hours the governor of Rhode Island and the local police commissioner were calling for criminal charges, although the investigation had barely begun, no real evidence had been gathered, and many of the victims hadn’t been identified. Though many parties could be held responsible, fingers pointed quickly at the two brothers who owned the club. But were they really to blame? Bestselling author and three-time Emmy Award-winning reporter Scott James investigates all the central figures, including the band’s manager and lead singer, the fire inspector, the maker of the acoustical foam, as well as the brothers. Drawing on firsthand accounts, interviews with many involved, and court documents, James explores the rush to judgment about what happened that left the victims and their families, whose stories he also tells, desperate for justice.

Trial By Fire is the heart-wrenching story of the fire’s aftermath because while the fire, one of America’s deadliest, lasted fewer than two minutes, the search for the truth would take twenty years.

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MY REVIEW:

A gripping, heart-wrenching story that will have you flipping the pages and hooked, wanting to know more. I remember vaguely hearing about this fire and when I found out that a book had been written about it I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of this book. The story is told from many different point of views which I enjoyed, as it gives many different accounts of various people’s experiences of that night in the nightclub. I cannot imagine what it was like for those inside the nightclub, and their panic to get out alive, as they struggle to find an escape route from the club and make it out into the safety of the night outside. I felt as though I was experiencing the fatal night with them as we read their account of what happened.

We are introduced to several different people in this story and often it was difficult to read the heart-wrenching accounts of what happened. It takes you inside the nightclub and you feel as though you are there with them, experiencing what they are experiencing. I enjoyed reading the facts as well, and following along as the investigation and interviews unfolded.

A book that I highly recommend.

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MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: The Girl Who Wasn’t There by Penny Joelson @SourcebooksFire @pennyjoelson @netgalley #firereads #thegirlwhowasntthere #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire

PUBLICATION DATE: November 3rd, 2020

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Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for the paperback ARC of this title and for the eARC via NetGalley.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

I know what I saw.

Nothing ever happens on Kasia’s street. And Kasia would know. Her illness keeps her home for days at a time, with little to do but watch the world from her bedroom window. So when she witnesses what looks like a kidnapping, she’s not sure she can believe her own eyes…

So she sets out to find the only other witness. The girl in the window across the street. The girl who was also watching when things went down.

But what Kasia discovers shocks her more than the kidnapping itself.

There is no girl. 

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MY REVIEW:

Thrilling, addictive, mysterious. I loved how this book kept me guessing. At times I believed what Kasia saw – that she did indeed see a girl in the window across the street. But other times I began to doubt what Kasia saw, or rather what she thinks she seen. Maybe it was a trick of the shadows and the light? After all, if there is a girl in that window from time to time, why do the owners of the house insist there is no one else there? The whole mystery vibe intrigued me in the novel and I loved that.

I enjoyed reading about Kasia and her story. The illness that suddenly appeared in her life and one that kept her home for days at a time. Some days were better than others. Some days she was able to walk around her home and go downstairs and join her family, other times she was bedridden for days at a time. It was interesting to read about the sudden illness that Kasia was experiencing in her life. She had a great personality as a main character. She was witty, determined to fight for what she believed in, she did not give up. She was loving, caring, and strong willed.

An interesting novel that I recommend.

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MY RATING: 3/5 stars

Blog Tour: We Hear Voices by Evie Green @BerkleyPub @penguinrandom @netgalley #netgalley #WeHearVoices #WeHearVoicesBlogTour #blogtour #bookblogger #bookblog #bookreview #bookreviewer #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLICATION DATE: December 1st, 2020

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Thank you to the publisher for inviting me to be part of the blog tour and for the eARC of this book via NetGalley.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

An eerie debut about a little boy who recovers from a sickness and inherits an imaginary friend who makes him do violent things…

Kids have imaginary friends. Rachel knows this. So when her young son, Billy, miraculously recovers from a horrible flu that has proven fatal for many, she thinks nothing of Delfy, his new invisible friend. After all, her family is healthy and that’s all that matters.

But soon Delfy is telling Billy what to do, and the boy is acting up and lashing out in ways he never has before. As Delfy’s influence is growing stranger and more sinister by the day, and rising tensions threaten to tear Rachel’s family apart, she clings to one purpose: to protect her children at any cost–even from themselves.

We Hear Voices is a mischievously gripping near-future horror novel that tests the fragility of family and the terrifying gray area between fear and love.

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MY REVIEW:

Wow this novel was addictive and had me hooked! There were so many twists and shocks that kept me entertained and wanting to read more to see what would happen next. Disturbing, dark, and thrilling, this novel will have you gasping until you turn the final page!

Rachel and her family were lovely people. When Rachel’s middle child and only son Billy catches the pandemic known as the flu, she fears she is going to lose him like many others in the world who contract the flu. However, just when he is on the brink of death Billy miraculously comes back to life, to much the surprise and happiness of his family. However, Billy seems to be different since recovering from the fly. He now has an imaginary friend by the name of Delfy. Not only that, but he randomly does some creepy and disturbing things – asking strange and disturbing questions, some questions children his age do no ask, as well as taking a sudden interest in things that never seemed to interest him before. Happy to have her child happy and healthy again, Rachel is willing to look past all the red flags and the fact that he has a new imaginary friend. Afterall, she does have her son back.

What unfolds is a series of strange happening. It leaves you immersed into the story as you are eager to see what exactly is going on here, and why Billy doesn’t appear to be the only one to have such an imaginary friend.

There are many intriguing and interesting characters in this novel and it is quite easy to follow along and read their individual stories and what they all have to do with one another.

Overall a great book that I recommend.

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MY RATING: 4/5 stars