Set in the 1930s in Greece during times of political turmoil, The Wildcat Behind Glass is narrated by an 8-year-old girl. I thought the book was very well written from this perspective and I think it is an excellent choice for young readers.

Mary is an enigmatic soul who stands vigil nightly in a London tube stop holding a sign that simply says “Come home Jim.” She is barely noticed until a video of her yelling at someone goes viral, creating interest in her story. Why wasn’t the great love between Mary and Jim enough to make him stay, had he left of his own volition? Or has something worse happened to Jim? Mary’s friends search for the answers and the closure they think she deserves. But is knowing always better than wondering?

I think this is the only book I've won through the Early Reviewers' program that I didn't finish. I wasn't gripped by either one of the novel's two main story lines and much of what I read just seemed cliché.

I truly enjoyed reading The Silence by Susan Allott. When Isla returns from London to her childhood home in Australia, she finds herself caught up in her parents' dysfunctional marriage as well as a missing persons case in which her father is a person of interest. Isla barely remembers their long-missing neighbor, Mandy, but is compelled to try to learn what happened to her. In dealing with her alcoholic father, she does quite a bit of soul-searching, having recently lost her live-in boyfriend due to her alcohol abuse. As Isla spends time with her estranged mother, she begins to come to terms with the truth about her childhood, realizing that things weren't always how they seemed to a young child. 4 out of 5 stars.

I forgot I won this book back in October through Early Reviewers — what I nice surprise to get a finished copy the other day! Promises of the Heart was a touching novel; I giggled some, I cried a (large) handful of times. Macey and Ben, a married couple unable to start a family, have their lives change considerably after rescuing an extraordinary dog. Once Harper, a precocious little girl from the foster system came into the picture, I couldn't put the book down! 4 stars.

I'm in agreement with others who have deemed I'd Give Anything a "beach read." While one twist caught me off guard; the main "whodunnit" plot line was completely obvious to me from the beginning. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable to follow (adult) Ginny's relationships as they began to unfold and bloom.

This was a cute enough book (with a few heartbreaking moments), but in retrospect, it kind of feels like a rehashed version of the Gilmore Girls (except that Riley isn't an awful, annoying teenager like Rory Gilmore). There's the single mother who was raised by a rich relative until becoming a pregnant teen, the irresponsible (also raised wealthy) baby daddy and his parents who deny their grandchild, etc. That said, it held my attention and was a quick read. 3 stars.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and I found myself very pleasantly surprised! This odd coming-of-age tale revolves around the almost fifty year old Calvin, whose life is in major upheaval after his mother's death. The zany plot and the quirky characters were very engaging - there were even some laugh out loud bits! I recommend this entertaining book to anyone who wants something truly out of the ordinary.

I truly enjoyed this atmospheric Southern Gothic mystery - I didn't want to put it down! It's no surprise to me that Lori Roy has been recognized a number of times by the Mystery Writers of America. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I always appreciate twists that I never saw coming - If Only I Could Tell You didn't disappoint in this regard. There are some truly heart-rending bits that had me reading through tears. All in all, I enjoyed the book even though I thought certain sections of the story felt longer than necessary and there were a few scenarios where I had trouble suspending my disbelief . 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I devoured this book in one sitting - I couldn't put it down! The novel is told in the voices of Sadie, who is searching for answers after her brother's death, and Henley, who is eager to escape to a place where her family's terrible reputation doesn't precede her. The Wolf Wants In novel captures the seamy underbelly of a small Midwestern town ravaged by the opioid crisis. I'll read more of Laura McHugh's writing. 4 stars.

I requested this book not realizing that it is Christian fiction, which is not my cup of tea. I gave it a shot anyway, but I couldn't get into it - it was just too precious.

Saving Meghan started out very promising - I couldn't figure out if Meghan was actually physically ill, if it was psychosomatic, or if it was Munchausen by Proxy - and that is what held my interest. What didn't work for me: The jump from medical thriller to a cat-and-mouse, murderous plot. Way too far-fetched for me. Also, Becky, Meghan's mother... UGH. (I give this one 2 stars for the first portion of the novel.)

It seems I'm in the minority here, but I didn't particularly like The Unbreakables. The characters were dull at best and obnoxious at worst. The sex scenes were meh and felt contrived. I'd consider this novel a failed attempt at empowering chick lit.

Even though the story frame was a bit clunky, I truly enjoyed this book. The Last Romantics is a well written look at the bonds between family members, warts and all. The characters, all realistically flawed, were very believable/relatable. As for the end of the novel - WOW. Just WOW. I highly recommend Tara Conklin's latest work.

I really wanted to love this book as Sandra Pankhurst's life story is extraordinary, but something about the author's writing style kept rubbing me the wrong way.

I also expected more to be written about Sandra's work experiences with her business, Specialized Trauma Cleaning (STC) Services.

While there are not enough stars in the universe for Sandra, I can only give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Obnoxious child with an even more obnoxious invisible friend? CHECK. Divorced dad/man-child? CHECK. Anal-retentive ex-wife/working mom? CHECK. Robotic, emotionally stunted girlfriend of aforementioned dad? CHECK. Obsessive, vain boyfriend of the mom? CHECK. What a mess! I'm pretty sure the author quite deliberately created completely unlikeable characters so that her readers would be chomping at the bit for them to kill each other. This one fell flat for me.

The Paris Wedding was a little too predictable and fluffy for me; it seems to scream "Hallmark Channel Movie!" I can recommend it for some easy-to-read chick lit for the beach. 3 out of 5 stars

Left is a beautifully written story about a woman coping with the onset of her husband's dementia. Dotted with touches of humor, and understandably sad at times, the novel made for a quick and enjoyable read.

This novel was a let down for me. I figured out the twist very early on. Now that I think about it it, I figured out Behind Closed Doors as well, but I found its plot much more satisfying.

What I most enjoyed about Curtis Sittenfeld's short story collection, You Think It, I'll Say It, is how realistically flawed her characters are. There's an undercurrent of brutal honesty that runs throughout the book that, for me, made it all the more relatable, even when the characters aren't particularly likeable.

Venus is a precocious 13-year-old who helps her dysfunctional mother and abusive step-father raise her younger autistic brother. When Venus is sentenced to 5.5 years in juvenile corrections for the crime she commits, she worries more for her sibling than for herself. The reader follows Venus as she grows into young adulthood and works to come to terms with her past while figuring out what to do after serving her time. She's a plucky character that you can't help rooting for. Highly recommended. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Other Mother is a fantastic novel! I didn't know who or what to believe with all of the twists the author crammed into the plot. I devoured this book and I highly recommend it. I'll definitely read more of Carol Goodman's work.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) by Lauren Graham was a bit disappointing to me in that I felt so much of the writing was stilted. Lauren, your fans love you - you needn't try so hard to be funny and cute. When I pick up a memoir, I am looking for more substance and less fluff. The book did make for a light, quick read, however. I don't know that I'd have enjoyed it as much as I did had I not been a fan of Gilmore Girls. 3 stars

I was hoping for something along the lines of A Man Called Ove, but alas, this was not the case. I failed to fall for any of novel's exasperating characters. I cannot recommend this book.

I was devouring The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall, gripped by its plot, in spite the few instances where I had to suspend my disbelief (more on this later,) until what felt like a rushed and contrived ending. I found it quite a shame that the author tried to quickly tie up all the loose ends and tidy a messy situation up with a tip of the Deus ex machina hat. I can only give TBKOP 3.5 stars because of this clunky ending, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the first four fifths (give or take) of the book.

(Not so) little things that didn't sit well with me: (Caution: these may be slight spoilers to some)
- Sadie, a high school student, is allowed by both her mother and her boyfriend’s mother to spend overnight visits/stay with them indefinitely
- Sadie was not removed from school, even after incidents of bullying, when the controversy at hand revolves around her father, a faculty member
- A handful of instances where certain stereotypes were so heavy-handed that they became caricatures

I'm willing to give Whittall's writing another chance since I enjoyed most of this novel.

While I enjoyed the diversity (of both the authors themselves as well as their stories) in this collection of essays, the writing felt uneven to me, which is why I'm giving the book 3 stars. The outstanding piece for me was written by Trey Ellis. If you only glance at this book, make sure to enjoy his contribution.

I understand that authors don't always want to connect the proverbial dots for their readers; sometimes readers want answers to the mysteries within a novel. While the ending of Everything We Lost left me feeling let down, it is not the main reason that I cannot recommend this novel. This could have been a better sci-fi book and/or mystery book, but I feel that the author was testing the waters of assorted genres and couldn't make a decision to go "all in" with any.

I won't even get started on my issues with Lucy, the book's shiftless main character.

This novel focuses on Izzie, the underachiever among his precocious siblings, who possesses more emotional intelligence than the sum of his collective clan. The way Izzie thoughtfully navigates day-to-day life after the loss of his father, the eccentricity of its characters, and the author’s unique blend of quirky humor and sensitivity make How to Behave in a Crowd a terrific book. I’ve never read anything like it; its uniqueness is refreshing.

Imagine that you’re in your late thirties and dating the love of your life when you learn that you’re pregnant. Imagine that your paramour panics as he’s never wanted to raise a family. You leave him and never look back, right? Wrong. You’re now a single mother in your early forties, you have stage four cancer, and your son asks to meet his father. This is where we find Karen, who is in the process of documenting her thoughts and recollections for her son, Jacob (Jake) to read as an adult. The author deftly takes us along Karen’s emotional journey as she faces meeting her former lover once again, along with dealing with her impending death.