Pretty Baby

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Pretty Baby

By: Mary Kubica

Published:July 28th 2015

380 Pages

About The Book:

She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head...

Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.

Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.

My Thoughts

I picked up this book based solely on reading the jacket. I had never heard of this author, or the story. Coincidentally, I had already purchased The Good Girl by this same author, but had not read it yet. It comes after this story, anyway. 

I was not reading a ton when I picked this book up, and it was one that I could not stop reading. It is utterly dark and creepy. It has a Girl on the Train feel to it, and almost as creepy as Gone Girl. It starts off innocent enough with Heidi seeing this teenager and her baby at the train station and then wanting to save them. But once they come into her home..... it is crazy and twisted. If you like thrillers, you will want to read this book. I had to take a week off from reading after I finished this one because I got so worked up over it. In a good way :) 

5 stars!

Come Away With Me

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Come Away With Me

Karma Brown

Published:August 25, 2015

368 Pages

About The Book:
One minute, Tegan Lawson has everything she could hope for: an adoring husband, Gabe, and a baby on the way. The next, a patch of black ice causes a devastating accident that will change her life in ways she never could have imagined.

Tegan is consumed by grief, not to mention her anger toward Gabe, who was driving on the night of the crash. But just when she thinks she's hit rock bottom, Gabe reminds her of their Jar of Spontaneity, a collection of their dream destinations and experiences, and so begins an adventure of a lifetime.

From the bustling markets of Thailand to the flavors of Italy to the ocean waves in Hawaii, Tegan and Gabe embark on a journey to escape the tragedy and search for forgiveness. But they soon learn that grief follows you no matter how far away you run, and that acceptance comes when you least expect it.

Heartbreaking, hopeful and utterly transporting, Come Away with Me is an unforgettable debut and a luminous celebration of the strength of the human spirit. 

My Thoughts

I found this book based on a recommendation from another blogger. This book really surprised me. I felt like I was kind of reading and reading and reading, and getting more and more irritated with Tegan. I get, she just went though and awful misfortune, but at the same time I wanted to yell at her to get up and get on with life! I don't usually get like that over a book, but this one really struck a nerve.  At one point I felt so frustrated, I was thinking I wouldn't be finishing it. But then I decided to power though. OH.MY.GOD! I am so glad that I did. I blinked, and in an instant my feelings about this book were entirely different and I could not stop reading. This was a book that kept me up way past my bed time. 5 stars for this one, and anyone who reads it will not be disappointed!! Karma Brown, I can't wait to read more of your stuff!

Find Her

Find Her
By: Lisa Gardner
Published:February 9th 2016 by Dutton
416 Pages

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About the book:
Flora Dane is a victim. 

Seven years ago, carefree college student Flora was kidnapped while on spring break. For 472 days, Flora learned just how much one person can endure.

Flora Dane is a survivor.

Miraculously alive after her ordeal, Flora has spent the past five years reacquainting herself with the rhythms of normal life, working with her FBI victim advocate, Samuel Keynes. She has a mother who’s never stopped loving her, a brother who is scared of the person she’s become, and a bedroom wall covered with photos of other girls who’ve never made it home.

Flora Dane is reckless. 

. . . or is she? When Boston detective D. D. Warren is called to the scene of a crime—a dead man and the bound, naked woman who killed him—she learns that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society. Is Flora a victim or a vigilante? And with her firsthand knowledge of criminal behavior, could she hold the key to rescuing a missing college student whose abduction has rocked Boston? When Flora herself disappears, D.D. realizes a far more sinister predator is out there. One who’s determined that this time, Flora Dane will never escape. And now it is all up to D. D. Warren to find her.

My Thoughts:

Lisa  Gardner has done it again! After months in a serious reading funk, this has pulled me out of it! While I'd heard this book started off slow, I felt like she got right to the point. Flora is trying to save others from going through what she went through for over a year at the hands of her kidnapper. She is someone who is going to go to extremes to make sure others don't go through what she did.

While I didn't feel like this book was necessarily slow to begin, there was a definite build up to the story. About half way through, I was becoming a little bit confused because there seemed to be several characters and I was having a hard time keeping them straight. However, by the end, I was on the edge of my seat and so the number of characters didn't even matter! I was crazily trying to find time to pick up where I'd left off so I could crack this mystery and find out who done it! I ditched lunch with co-workers a couple times so I could read while I ate. I took the book with me to my son's little league game and was able to finish while the first game was wrapping up. I was so lost in this book, that when I got to the end I let out a long, loud sigh and felt a bunch of eyes on me, like I was a crazy person. That's what I call getting lost in a book!

As a big fan of the D.D Warren series, I was very excited to hear a new installment was coming out. I was wondering how Lisa would top the last one. Sometimes it seems like there's no way an author can top the last one without becoming formulated and predictable. She surpassed my expectations and not once did this book feel formulated, and it certainly wasn't predictable! This book gets 5 stars from me.