Tag: domestic violence

REVIEW: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

REVIEW: The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Last summer, Alice returned from Egypt to news that her best friend, Brooke, and her boyfriend, Steve, had “fallen in love” while Alice was out of the country. In her rage and heartbreak, Alice decides to pull an Agatha Christie and disappear. When she returns, her whole town has turned against her for the stunt. She ends up on house arrest.

Back at school in October, Alice is a social outcast. No one will have anything to do with her – except Iris, the tutor Alice’s parents have hired to help her catch up at school. But Iris is only doing it for the money.

But when Brooke goes missing after a Halloween party, and Iris and Alice are among the last people to have seen her before she disappeared,  they team up to look for clues, asking “What would Agatha Christie do?”

Review

This was exceptionally good – a perfect read for me! I loved Alice and Iris. Their individual journeys were engaging and dovetailed nicely with the mystery. I cared about the girls and loved seeing them start to lean on each other. The rest of the crew that helps with the case was great too – I’d love to see more of them.

The mystery is excellent! The pacing was perfect. There were no slow spots and plenty of twists. I loved it! This will be one of my favorite books of 2022.

By the end, I was thinking, “Please be a series. Please be a series.” There are a couple other events the characters could dig into, so I have my fingers crossed. Amazon has the Kindle version listed as book 1, so here’s hoping. I am here for anything these creators want to put out starring these characters.

Mystery fans should run right out and pick this one up. It’s outstanding! (Language, references to sex and domestic violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++*

♥♥♥♥♥+++ = Best of the best

REVIEW: The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

REVIEW: The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Ten years ago, Liam destroyed Daisy’s fragile teenage heart when he stood her up for the prom and disappeared from her life. Good riddance!

But now he’s back. Just when her family is pressuring her with yet another fix up. And her ex is still hooking up with her ex-boss. Introducting Liam as her fiancé, in the heat of the moment, was… temporary insanity.

If Liam wants the chance to inherit the business that has been in his family for generations, he has two months to get married. If not, his brother will raze it to the ground. Even though Daisy hates him, maybe she’d be willing to take this pretend engagement to the next level.

Liam and Daisy are both getting something out of this fake relationship. Thanks to their upbringing, each of them has significant relationship baggage that keeps them from making a real commitment to anyone. And they both are perfectly fine keeping this fake relationship purely business. But what happens when their feelings about each other become all too real?

Review

This was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters, both alone and together. Their work, their families, and their history were fascinating. And I was absolutely invested in seeing how they pulled things off. But I would have liked a little more time spent on dealing with the last “secret” Liam was keeping. (It was pretty obvious in the reading, but I expected it to have a bigger punch in the reveal.) After waiting so long for it to be revealed, I wanted a meatier scene or response for it. The ending, though, was supremely satisfying.

This is the first book I have read by the author even though this is the second book in the series. I don’t feel like I was missing anything having not read the first book. I do have book 3, The Singles Table, on my wish list though. It sounds fantastic!

This was fun and funny and sexy with a happy ending – everything a reader could want from a romcom. I love fake relationship stories, and this is a great example of the trope. Don’t miss this one! (Language, sex TW: domestic violence, child abuse/neglect, abandonment)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.