Young Raymond finds himself a friend in Ms. G, a blind elderly neighbor who suddenly needs his help. A man named Luis Velez used to show up to help Ms. G, but she hasn’t seen him in awhile. She is worried about Luis and she about a half a can of soup away from going hungry when Raymond stops to help her.

Raymond is a mixed race teenage step kid looking for a place to belong. He is also questioning who he is and who he wants to become. I think that many teens could relate to Raymond, making it a great read for young adults. He is also kind to a fault. Almost too kind, I noted. It was hard to believe that any seventeen year old boy would be as emotionally intelligent as Raymond.

The relationship with Raymond and Ms. G is so delightful. It was lovely to read about a young boy taking so much interest in the well being of an elderly blind woman. However, Raymond’s mother calls his friendship with 92 year old Mildred, “icky and weird”. It was easy to see how Raymond could feel like an outcast by his own family, with his mother giving him such a harsh observation of his choices.

Raymond’s adventures in finding Luis Velez for Ms. G take him to many different “Luis'” before he stumbles upon the right one. This part of the story had a parable feel to it. Almost every Luis offered up the reason why he wished he could have been the one who was helping and elderly lady – but each giving excuses why he couldn’t. It was interesting to see how the Luis’ all started to fit into Raymond’s life.

This novel is both charming and eye opening. It would be great for a book club or even for a classroom read. In fact, the text feels like it was written for a younger audience.

In the words of Raymond’s wise librarian, “The world is terrible and wonderful at the same time. One doesn’t negate the other, but wonderful keeps us in the game.” This is the theme of Have you Seen Luis? Kindness. Wonder. Those are the things that remind us that everything is worth it.

Thank you to Little Bird Publicity and Amazon Publishing for the ARC of Have You Seen Luis Velez? in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐






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The social commentary in The Farm is excellently done. With great tact, all sides of race and class were represented. This would be a great book for a book club!

The Farm is one of those books that are difficult to review. Though well written and timely, it is not at at what I expected out of the book. In fact, if it would have been marketed to me in a different way, I would have most likely enjoyed the book more.

Golden Oaks is a place where young women go to “grow” babies for women who are absurdly rich. The story follows a few of the girls who are hosts at Golden Oaks. But, a lot of the story centers around the creator of the facility. There is also a decent amount of story line for Ate, Jane’s cousin. While this was interesting, it wasn’t what I thought The Farm was going to be about.

Golden Oaks felt more like a prison when I was reading than it did a spa like facility. In fact, I found myself comparing it to Orange Is the New Black in some ways. I thought that the description of Golden Oaks would have felt more luxe and less prison.

Mae, the creator of Golden Oaks, treats the hosts like commodities – not people. They are referred to by number, they are lied to and manipulated, their freedom is heavily restricted, and they are often left in the dark about what is going on with their own bodies. I don’t know how the facility can legally get away with this sort of violation of rights. I understand how they can with the hosts who may be illegal immigrants or poor, but some of the hosts are from well to do families. I am surprised that no kind of legal action was brought up on the part of the facility at any point.

Also, I noted the coincidence of the hosts calling Golden Oaks The Farm and Mae called the Golden Oaks project: Project MacDonald. It was just a little too on the nose for my taste and felt a bit tacky.

The characters were not exceptionally developed; but, enough so that I was mildly invested in what happened to them. That was my feeling throughout the entire book, actually – a sort of luke warm interest.

I think that I would recommend this book to some people. Depending on their taste in books and what they are looking for. It wasn’t a bad read. It just wasn’t exceptional.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC of The Farm in exchange for an honest review.

Lillian is determined to have a future with Nate. OK. Determined is an understatement.

I listened to the audio of The Perfect Girlfriend. It was so fun to hear a posh voice say the most insane and terrifying things. The narrator, Lillian, is out of her bat shit mind. She goes to drastic lengths to try to convince her ex boyfriend, Nathan, that they are made to be together forever. It was a RIDE listening to the things that Lillian will do to get what she wants and what she thinks she deserves. To make things even more interesting, Lillian also has her sights set on making one of her old school mates pay for being such a mean girl to her in high school!

I think that the end carried on for a bit too long. But it was nothing to keep it from being a twisty romp through the mind of a complete nut job. Here for it.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Darby is driving to visit her dying mother and she gets caught in a nasty blizzard. Forced to stop at the first rest stop she sees, she soon finds herself among fellow stranded strangers. Hoping to get just one little signal on her dying cell phone, Darby goes out in the snowstorm and she comes across a horrific discovery! She finds a little girl trapped inside of a van – inside of a dog cage.

Which one of the strangers at the rest stop is holding this little one hostage in a cage? Is Darby brave enough to help her? How will she find out who the kidnapper is? Who can she trust??

This book was so fast paced, I was holding my breath. The details are so vivid that I was there with Darby! The characters are developed so outstandingly, that after the first few pages, I was able to separate them with ease. They are all so well written that I felt like I actually knew them. Detail after detail had me gripping the book closer with my eyes wide. I was IN this story! If you can’t handle gore, step away. This would not be the book for you.

Darby is one bad bitch. I would choose to be stranded at a rest stop with her any day. I don’t want to give too much away about the other characters. They develop so much through the book that I don’t want to give anything away.

This book is an edge of your seat, deliciously dark ride. Strap in.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐




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Annie’s mother was murdered when she was three years old. Her Aunt has been her caretaker since then. Now, Annie is all grown up and preparing for her wedding. With her wedding to Scott days away, Annie goes missing!

There were a few good points to the novel. The small town setting felt very Steel Magnolias with the hair salon and the town gossip. Laurel and Clary’s stories were interesting and kept me going to the end of the book.

I found myself DESPERATE to know more about almost all of the characters in this book. There was a huge lack of character development. Some of the characters did get more attention, and that made them more interesting in the story. Annie wasn’t developed enough for me to care about what happened to her. And the parts that included Annie had her so unlike able, it was hard to care anyway. I wasn’t buying it from most of the people that they were that concerned with her disappearance either. Most seemed more involved with their own lives and their own problems.

Kenny was one of the more like able characters, but it was off-putting how his girlfriend was not given a voice, neither was she named until the end of the book. I didn’t understand why Annie needed Kenny to be a secret friend to her. I wasn’t buying it. Even more off-putting was that Scott, Annie’s fiance, has no voice as well. We are only told about Scott. We never get to know him at all. We don’t know how he feels, we don’t know what he thinks. Nothing. We only see his actions through the descriptions that other characters give. I thought that was a strange choice.

The reveal of where Annie went was a letdown. It was kind of lame. It didn’t feel satisfying.

I also think that the blurb on the back is misleading. It makes it sound like this will be a thriller. But it doesn’t read like that at all.

This could have been a better book if there were more meat to the characters and if the entire novel itself had more development.

Thank you to Little Bird Publicity and Lake Union Publishing for a review copy of Only Ever Her in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: ⭐⭐

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At first, you think that Little Lovely Things is going to be a thriller. Two little girls stolen at a gas station and a mother and father desperate to find them. But, this book will surprise you. It is not only gritty and heart pounding. It is solemn and heartbreaking. It is also hopeful. A good book will take you on a journey. And that, Little Lovely Things will do.

Claire, mom of little Lily and Andrea, becomes so sick and struck with guilt and grief that she is wilting away to skin and bones. A metaphor for her loss. Her husband, Glen, decides to push his grief away and focus on feeling emasculated by his wife in order to cope with his loss. The novel brings you to a marriage going through a real crisis and what happens to relationships when we are forced to deal with unimaginable circumstances.

The book is filled with other interesting, dynamic characters. There are glimpses of cultures that were not well known to me and I was eager to learn about the people that became part of the story. From Gypsies to Native Americans, a little bit of the outskirts of America become a forefront.

Jay, a recovering alcoholic Native American with a pure heart is so damaged but so like able.
And Moira, a gypsy girl with a hard past, becomes someone that you beg to make the right decisions. Little Bird keeps you hopeful with her feisty attitude and strong will. Howard, well, let’s just say, we all need a Howard in our lives. And of course, Gretchie, the Boston Terrier who brought levity when it was desperately needed. Everyone needs a Gretchie, too!

Even though the book felt very character driven, there were moments where the description of the surroundings appealed so well to my imagination that I was there with them. I could smell the pines and feel the cold lake water and I could imagine the claustrophobic feel of a closed in trunk.

Have you ever screamed at a character? This will happen when you read Little Lovely Things. There were so many near brushes with answers that it was head spinning!

Little Lovely Things is the kind of book that, when you finish, you have to just stop for a second and savor what you have just been through. It was a force.

Thank you to Smith Publicity and Sourcebooks Landmark for a review copy of Little Lovely Things in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Anna wakes up to find her house broken into and her husband and daughter missing. In a panic, she dials 911. She then calls her father and sister. And soon they all join her in a race to find Nick and Josie.

The Family Lie is fast paced, edge of your seat action from page one. I was easily able to put myself there with the characters in their race to rescue Josie. The twists and turns had me guessing until the end. The main characters in the story were well written. I was able to connect with them and care about what happened to them. The passion that Nick had for his family was palpable.

Although the main characters were pleasant to read, I found that there were way too many additional characters in the story. I had a lot of trouble keeping up with who was who and how they were connected. The connections were sometimes confusing and hard to place.

There were a few problematic areas that need pointing out. The first: “…whacking the energy out of Jodie when the little lady cannot sleep…” Whacking feels like a poor choice of words here. It feels too abusive.
The second: Anna is afraid at one point that a man is about to put his hand between her legs and she “…doesn’t even care because it might mellow him.” This is NOT how any woman would react. Unless the woman has a past of sexual abuse or is a sex worker. Anna was neither of these things, so it would be very out of character for her to let a man put his hands between her legs, just so that he will calm down. This is a disturbing use of sexual assault with the woman accepting it.

The cover is nice. But, I don’t think it reflects the content of the book well enough.

Despite a few hiccups, I would definitely recommend The Family Lie to a fellow reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital ARC of The Family Lie in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐


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I joined Scribd on the advice of a Booktuber that I frequently watch. I was eager to listen to Sadie on audio book, so I jumped at the 30 day free trial. For the going rate of only $8.00 a month for unlimited audio books, I thought I might just keep it after the 30 days. It was such a great deal.

I quickly added Sadie to my saved titles and began listening right away. The sound quality was great. And it was nice how Scribd worked smoothly between my devices. I could move from my laptop to my phone to my tablet and not miss a word. But, that’s where the likes end.

Scribd may say that they offer unlimited audio books for the month. But, that claim is somewhat misleading. What you actually will find out, is that almost every book you search for will be “unavailable” for weeks. Sometimes the book won’t even be available at all during the current month you have paid for. Long story short – I literally listened to ONE book. All the other NINE that I searched were either not even on Scribd or were “unavailable”. And “unavailable” suspiciously until my free trial was over.

Don’t waste your $8.00 on Scribd. There are much better Audio book services out there. Heck, the library even had one that Scribd did not!

My Rating: Zero Stars! Feels like a scam.

Beautiful Bad took me to The Balkans. It took me to the war in Iraq. It took me inside the minds of two very damaged people. This was not just a thriller. Annie Ward’s writing style was so engrossing. I truly went on a journey with Maddie and Ian.

Maddie’s been in a bad accident. One that has left one side of her face a mangled mess. She hasn’t been herself since, and decides to seek writing therapy to help her cope with her anxiety. Maddie also misses her long time friend, Jo, who she hasn’t seen in years. To top it off, Maddie’s husband Ian suffers from PTSD, and she sometimes finds herself afraid of him. Afraid for herself and her son.

I really enjoyed traveling with Maddie and Ian through their lives. I was there. With them. Every step. The writing was beautiful and quick witted.

The reveals throughout the story were well done and seamlessly placed.

Get ready to meet Maddie, yall. She is NOT what you expect!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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