MARCH BOOK REVIEW | 2019

Happy Wednesday, friends!  I'm back today with my March book review and I'm happy to say that March was a pretty solid book month!

I have a couple of thrillers, a great mystery with a killer plot twist and two light-hearted and sweet chick lit novels for you today!  Each book is linked in the title above it's picture.

Just a reminder that I'm an audiobook girl so I'm also including my thoughts on the narrators.  (Hint:  4 out of the 5 I listened to this month were great.)

But let's go ahead and start with the first book I read in March.

THE REUNION

They were all there the day your sister went missing...Who is lying? Who is next?

Then:  In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom. Eleanor never came back.

Now:  The time has finally come to sell the family farm and Claire is organizing a reunion of her dearest friends, the same friends who were present the day her sister went missing. 

When another girl disappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. One of the group hides the darkest secret of them all…

I started the month off with The Reunion and it was so good!

  I love a good thriller with a twisty ending and this one was definitely a wild one! I loved how the author threw in clues about the bad guy/girl throughout the story but without revealing anything that would give it all away. We know about frightening voicemails but we don't get to hear what they say, scary notes we don't get to read, and then so many characters have the possibility to be the kidnapper...Ahhh! The author purposely drops suggestions that each character could be darker than they appear but just enough to where you have to stop and consider them as a suspect for a minute. And then you're like "no..." or "yes it's GOT to be this person!".  

Good luck with that.

By the end, you'll feel like you could see it being any one of them. Everyone will be a suspect for you at one point in the book.  But when the mystery is finally solved, the author drops back into all those little moments that left us going "BUT WHAT DID THE VOICEMAIL SAY?!" and ties it all up so well.  Very satisfying.

The ending was great albeit, disturbing.  I did have a couple of times where I had to stop listening and go "Ok, wait.  So if this happened then, then that happened because of that and ohhhhh, I get it now.  Whoa!"  I give it 4.5 stars.  The narration was also on point.  Consider this one recommended.

LEAVING TIME

For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe she was abandoned, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals. A scientist who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts.

As Jenna’s memories dovetail with the events in her mother’s journals, the story races to a mesmerizing finish. 

Oh em gee, girls.  OMG.  This one is a must-read!!  The story revolves around 13(?) year-old Jenna who is searching for her mom who disappeared when she was just a baby.  She now lives with her grandmother since her dad is in a mental institution.  She realizes she can't do it alone so she enlists the help of a shamed psychic and a gruff police detective turned private investigator.

This is one of those books where I don't want to give too much away because I could accidentally give you a hint that could take away that giant GASP you will surely have once you hit the major twist.  Seriously, it's a GOOD ONE!!!

Once I heard the twist, I literally stopped and backed it up a few times just so I could make sure I was fully understanding what just happened.  I kind of want to listen to the whole thing again knowing what I know now.  Stop what you're doing and add this one to your cart now!  READ THIS BOOK!!

THE CAFE BY THE SEA

The beloved author of The Bookshop on the Corner returns with a sparkling, sunny, soulful new novel perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand.

Years ago, Flora fled the quiet Scottish island where she grew up -- and she hasn't looked back. What would she have done on Mure? It's a place where everyone has known her all her life, where no one will let her forget the past. In bright, bustling London, she can be anonymous, ambitious... and hopelessly in love with her boss.

But when fate brings Flora back to the island, she's suddenly swept once more into life with her brothers -- all strapping, loud, and seemingly incapable of basic housework -- and her father. Yet even amid the chaos of their reunion, Flora discovers a passion for cooking -- and find herself restoring dusty little pink-fronted shop on the harbour: a café by the sea.

But with the seasons changing, Flora must come to terms with past mistakes -- and work out exactly where her future lies...

Ok, this one was super cute BUT, I'd skip the audio version unless you are really into thick Scottish accents.  I love a good British narrator but I'm not a fan of the Scottish ones.  They are just harder to understand and it can get a little distracting.  So I'd suggest reading this one instead of listening.

But the story is sweet!  Light, easy chick lit in a great setting.  Four stars!

FRIENDS LIKE THESE

We all know someone like Becca.

She has the job everyone wants, a designer wardrobe, a hot-shot lawyer boyfriend, holidays to exotic locations. And she flaunts her perfect life all over social media.

It drove her colleague Lizzie mad, but she couldn't stop looking. They were never really friends - and yet Lizzie knew everything about her.

Or did she?

When chance, and a terrible mistake, pulls Lizzie back into Becca's orbit years after they lost touch, she'll realise that you can't always believe what you see online... and that finding out the truth might be the worst thing you can do.

There's no such thing as a perfect life. Only a perfect lie.

A friend of mine texted me last month and told me I had to read this book.  She knows how much I love crazy, unexpected twists that you don't see coming and I most definitely did not see this one coming.  It's creepy, it's suspenseful and it's unexpected.  I could totally see this one being made into a movie.  You'll love it! Solid 4.8 stars!

THE BEST MEDICINE

I ended my March reading with a Kindle Unlimited pick.  I wanted something light and fluffy and this was a great choice!

Everyone in Bell Harbor thinks career-minded plastic surgeon Evelyn Rhoades needs a husband. Everyone, that is, except for Evelyn…sort of. Even if she did want a husband (which she doesn’t…most of the time), she’d never let something as intangible as fate determine who she marries. No, if she’s going to find someone to spend her life with, she’ll do it scientifically: with a carefully crafted list of criteria and an Internet dating site.

But when intoxicated, law-breaking Tyler Connelly crashes into her life by way of a stolen Jet Ski, unruly emotions defy common sense. Sure, he’s sexy, charming, and determined to win Evelyn’s affection, but all evidence points to him being the worst possible choice. He’s too young for her. Too irresponsible. Too underemployed. And, oh yeah, he’s her patient.

But Tyler knows firsthand how the best-laid plans can crumble under the weight of destiny. Now all he needs to do is to teach Evelyn that, in matters of the heart, love often supersedes logic.

This was actually book #2 in the Bell Harbor series.  I tried to listen to book #1 awhile back but the narrator made me want to rip my hair out.  Seriously.  I even put in my Goodreads review "Your ears will bleed."  haha  So I'll have to go back and actually READ Crazy Little Thing because the audio version is out.  Thankfully, you don't need to know anything about Book 1 to enjoy Book 2.

I just finished this one yesterday and ***sigh***.  I loved it.  It was everything I needed it to be.  I loved the setting in the quaint lake town of Bell Harbor.  I loved the characters.  Evie is beautiful, smart, successful and finally starting to consider finding a husband now that she's 35.  But when she meets Tyler, a gorgeous 27-year-old who comes off as a bad boy but secretly has a heart of pure gold, her huge list of "must-haves" in a man fly out the window.

You will fall in love with Tyler, you'll adore Evie, you'll cringe super hard at her online dating matches and you'll route for a happy ending with this couple.  This would make a fantastic summer (or spring!) read!

If you've got Kindle Unlimited, you can read and/or listen to it for FREE too!  And if you want to try KU, you can go HERE to get your first month free!  The rest of these books, I got from Audible which I still absolutely love.  It's easy, it's convenient and I get to keep the books forever.  (Try Audible now and get 2 free audiobooks of your choice!)  Audible has all the latest new releases along with every other audiobook there is while KU is more like Netflix for books.  You aren't going to find many of the really popular ones there but you'll definitely find some hidden gems. 

I've been an Audible member for YEARS AND YEAR AND YEARS.  I just can't quit it.  ;)  But going back to my March picks...the only one I wouldn't recommend listening to is The Cafe By the Sea.  Everything else was outstanding!

Does anyone else feel this way?  I saw someone reading Kristan Higgins "If You Only Knew" the other day at a doctor's appt and I wanted to go over and be like "We could totally be friends." That is one of my FAVORITE chick lit novels.  Also, I just went to link it and it's currently on sale for only $1.99 on Kindle right now!  You'll want to immediately read the follow-up, On Second Thought too.

And before I go, guess what came out yesterday?!! 

My favorite funny mamas at #imomsohard released their first book (and audiobook) and I'm starting it TODAY!!  I love those crazy women and am known to sit in bed with my laptop, put on my earbuds and stay up way too late watching their videos.  Unfortunately, I've yet to master the art of silently laughing without shaking the bed.  It's just too hard.  The hubs (who likes to go to sleep at a normal hour like a normal person) finds this quirk of mine exasperating.  (That's definitely the best word to describe how he feels about my night owl tendencies.  hahaha)  But it is what it is.  He snores so we call it even. 😉

Anyway, this might be a good one to choose as one of your free audiobooks if you try Audible! 

I'll be back with the review on this one soon! I probably won't be able to wait until next month to tell you what I think.

Remember that you can always find ALL of my book reviews in the Bookworm tab in my menu HERE.

What are you reading right now?  Give me some suggestions for April!  Warm weather is here and I plan to be sitting out by the pool in my little happy place with my Kindle as much as possible. (Yes, I do actually READ sometimes...😂) 

See you over in the Deals Group, friends!