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THOUGHTS ON BOOKS (#9): Bring Me Back / The Last Telegram

Bring Me Back
Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I devoured this book in one evening. I love psychological thrillers like this, ones that are entertaining, fast-paced, and keep you on edge the whole time.

So, Finn’s girlfriend Layla disappears one night on their way home from a ski trip. Was she kidnapped? Murdered? After a massive search that turns up nothing, Finn has no choice but to move on with his life. Fast-forward 12 years, and Finn is now engaged to Ellen, Layla’s sister. All is well until odd little trinkets from Layla’s past start showing up at Finn & Ellen’s house. What could it mean?

BRING ME BACK was a lot of fun to read. I think to fully enjoy it, you need to suspend disbelief to some extent, though the author did a great job making the implausible seem plausible. There were a couple of fantastic twists in this book. One reminded me of another thriller I loved, but then – BAM! – the author twists it again for another shocking surprise. This was a unique and addictive thriller that I’d highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free ARC of this book.

The Last Telegram
The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

An English silk factory makes for a unique setting in this lovely yet heartbreaking novel of World War II.

The main character is a young British woman named Lily whose plan to attend college in Switzerland is thwarted by the onset of the war. Instead, she begrudgingly agrees to learn silk weaving as an apprentice in her family’s mill, and grows to become quite savvy in the business. Supplying parachutes to soldiers becomes their mainstay. But at what cost?

Lily learns about love and friendship, survival and consequences, and dealing with the heaviness of guilt and the lightness that comes with forgiveness.

THE LAST TELEGRAM is a gripping and emotional read. The story alternates between Lily as an old woman telling her granddaughter about her past, and her days living, working, and surviving during WWII. It was part love story and part mystery. What were the secrets from her past that caused so much grief?

This is the second book by Liz Trenow that I’ve greatly enjoyed. I’d definitely recommend her novels to fans of historical fiction. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” ― James Baldwin

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DREAMS OF FALLING by Karen White {Review}


Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 5, 2018
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Rating: ★★★★

On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree’s trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping–including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.

But life can waylay the best of intentions….

Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads–and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.

Ivy, Larkin’s mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years–whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal–that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.

“We are made by those who have built and broken us.” Set in gorgeous South Carolina lowcountry, DREAMS OF FALLING is about the strongest friendships and the painful secrets that test their bonds.

This is a multi-generational story told in both the past and present. In the early 1950s, three friends, Ceecee, Margaret, and Bitty, hide their wishes in the trunk of a magical tree, but the outcome was nothing like they’d expected. Be very careful what you wish for! Keeping secrets, even with the best intentions, can be so harmful even many years down the road.

In present day, Larkin returns to Georgetown, South Carolina, after nearly a decade in New York. Her mother Ivy is badly injured, and Larkin believes she wants to tell her something – about the past, their ancestral home, and Larkin’s grandmother. She’s been kept in the dark for so long that learning the truth will finally be a reprieve…

DREAMS OF FALLING is beautifully written Southern fiction with a Gothic touch, and a bit of mystery and romance too. It took me a few chapters to really get into the flow of things, especially trying to keep characters straight (ages, relationships, etc.), but once I was familiar with everyone, the story flowed nicely. The ending is sure to tug at your heartstrings.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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THOUGHTS ON BOOKS (#8): Every Single Secret / Then She Was Gone (Audiobook) / The Storm King

Every Single Secret
Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Always us.” Daphne and Heath are an engaged couple, seemingly perfect for each other. Both have a dark, troubled past, and both are fine with keeping the secrets of their childhoods hidden from each other.

Their system works until Heath starts having terrible nightmares in which he becomes downright violent. Daphne begrudgingly agrees to go with Heath on a week-long retreat with an unorthodox psychologist. What could possibly go wrong in this remote mountain manor house cut off from the rest of the world? Daphne will soon find out…

EVERY SINGLE SECRET was a wonderfully creepy book that kept me on edge. The author did a great job creating suspense by gradually revealing these unsettling little tidbits, both in present day and also Daphne’s past. The ending was a whirlwind that I did not see coming!

I’ve read one other book by Emily Carpenter – Burying the Honeysuckle Girls – which I also enjoyed very much. She knows how to write compelling Southern Gothic Fiction.

Then She Was Gone
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, this was a brilliant and haunting and gut-wrenching thriller. To say it was gripping is an understatement! I listened to most of THEN SHE WAS GONE on audio, and I have to say first that narrator Helen Duff gave a stellar performance voicing the many characters in this book. Loved the audio. However, at about the 70% mark, I had to switch to the eBook so I could read FASTER!

Ten years after her teenage daughter Ellie disappeared, Laurel is still struggling with her loss. Not surprisingly, it took a heavy toll on Laurel’s life and relationships. Not long after new evidence is discovered that may lead to some sense of closure, she starts dating an intriguing man called Floyd, who has a precocious young daughter named Poppy. While Laurel is completely swept off her feet by Floyd, there’s something unsettling about Poppy that she can’t overlook…

This is the first book by Lisa Jewell that I’ve read, and I was totally riveted! Her characters and their reactions and interactions felt so real. I enjoyed how the mystery was more of a why/how situation and it kept me wondering how Laurel was going to fit all of the puzzle pieces together. The whole book was dark, emotional, and suspenseful, and yep, I’ll call it haunting again. Definitely a story that will stick with me now that it’s finished. Can’t wait to read more from Lisa Jewell!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Audiobook borrowed from the library.

The Storm King
The Storm King by Brendan Duffy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Storm King returns… Nate McHale left Greystone Lake 14 years ago, just after the disappearance of his high school girlfriend, Lucy. His sad and turbulent childhood led him and his small band of friends to punish those whom they felt had wronged them. But at what cost? How do your actions in the past ultimately affect other people? When human remains are found in the lake, Nate returns for the funeral only to find the tables have turned, and now someone is out for revenge on him and his band of vigilantes.

THE STORM KING is part coming of age story and part mystery/suspense. A rather complex mystery, at that. I do enjoy Brendan Duffy’s writing style — it’s descriptive and clever, and easily pulls the reader into the story. While the intertwining mysteries in this book had me curious, I felt like the plot moved too slowly and things were too drawn out. It was hard, too, because it was difficult for me to sympathize with any of the main characters or their motivations, which given Nate’s childhood tragedy, shouldn’t have been the case.

While this book didn’t grab me quite like his first, House of Echoes, I think readers who enjoy slow burn, atmospheric tales should give it a try. It definitely highlights the point that actions have consequences, even many years down the road.

“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” ― André Malraux