Between the Lies by Michelle Adams

March 23, 2019 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I always love a good suspenseful thriller, and this novel was no exception. I find winter is the best time to read these types of books that I can’t put down. This one I read through in two days! The protagonist has suffered amnesia from a car accident and is trying to remember her life and all the people in it, but she comes to suspect that everyone – even her family – is lying to her. It was a bit creepy and definitely suspenseful, with a satisfying ending.

Thank you for my review e-copy through Net Galley!

Description via NG

In the vein of Allison Brennan, Michelle Adams’s Between the Lies is an addictive psychological thriller with twists that keep the reader guessing until the last page, in which a woman who’s lost her memory is back home with a family she doesn’t know—who are keeping secrets of their own.

The truth is hiding between the lies.

~~~

What would you do if you woke up and didn’t know who you were?

Chloe Daniels regains consciousness in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
She doesn’t recognise the strangers who call themselves family. She can’t even remember her own name.

What if your past remained a mystery?

As she slowly recovers, her parents and sister begin to share details of her life.
The successful career. The seaside home. The near-fatal car crash.
But Chloe senses they’re keeping dark secrets—and her determination to uncover the truth will have devastating consequences.

What if the people you should be able to trust are lying to you?

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

May 14, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Description

A young bride, a lonely single mother, and an amnesiac man of dubious origin lie at the heart of New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell’s next suspenseful drama that will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Paula Hawkins.

In a windswept British seaside town, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him inside.

Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. Their annual trip to the quaint seaside town is passing by uneventfully, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable—and it’s not just that he’s playing the role of protective older brother.

Two decades of secrets, a missing husband, and a man with no memory are at the heart of this brilliant new novel, filled with the “beautiful writing, believable characters, pacey narrative, and dark secrets” (London Daily Mail) that make Lisa Jewell so beloved by audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

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Yet another book that I had to read in a day as I couldn’t put it down! I love these suspenseful reads. This was well-plotted with lots of interesting characters and it moves around in time, giving you a piece of the story at a time.

If you like fast, fun, suspense, pick this one up!

Thank you for my e-copy!

The Twilight Wife by AJ Banner

February 5, 2017 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

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If you read me regularly, you know that I love suspenseful books, especially those where someone has to ask themselves: am I crazy??

This was a great read. I read it in one day when we were on our cruise in the Bahamas. It’s one of those “I just can’t stop reading!” novels. I had not read this author before but I will look for other titles by her. Someone needs to turn this one into a movie!

Thank you, Net Galley and Touchstone Books, for my review e-copy!

Description

From bestselling author A.J. Banner comes a dazzling new novel of psychological suspense in the vein of S.J. Watson’s Before I Go to Sleep and Mary Kubica’s The Good Girl that questions just how much we can trust the people around us.

Thirty-four-year-old marine biologist Kyra Winthrop remembers nothing about the diving accident that left her with a complex form of memory loss. With only brief flashes of the last few years of her life, her world has narrowed to a few close friendships on the island where she lives with her devoted husband, Jacob.

But all is not what it seems. Kyra begins to have visions—or are they memories?—of a rocky marriage, broken promises, and cryptic relationships with the island residents, whom she believes to be her friends.

As Kyra races to uncover her past, the truth becomes a terrifying nightmare. A twisty, immersive thriller, The Twilight Wife will keep readers enthralled through the final, shocking twist.

Review: BROKEN GRACE by E.C. Diskin

October 3, 2015October 2, 2015 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

This book was a Net Galley find a few weeks ago. Here’s the description from Net Galley:

On an icy winter’s day in southwest Michigan, Grace Abbot wakes up as the survivor of a car crash. But she’s left with a traumatic brain injury and a terrifying reality: she can’t remember anything.

Left in the care of her sister, Grace returns to the family’s secluded old farmhouse to recover—but within an hour of her return, the police arrive. Grace’s boyfriend has been murdered. Without any memory, Grace has no alibi.

With suspicion weighing heavily on her and flashes of memory returning, Grace searches for clues to her past. But with every glimpse, her anxiety grows. There is something about the house, her family, her childhood…perhaps the accident isn’t the only reason she can’t remember. Are the dark recesses of her mind hiding something even more sinister and terrifying than she could ever imagine?

Is someone willing to kill again to hide the truth?

If you know me, you know I love, love, love a thriller, especially a psychological one. As the amnesia slowly recedes Grace’s memories return and the tension builds. There were some twists here (some I saw coming, some not). Throughout I felt connected to poor Grace and hoped that she would get it all together (because really — just how much can one person handle??). Can’t say too much more without revealing plot elements and spoilers!

I received an e-copy for review through Net Galley from Thomas & Mercer — thank you!

YA Review: “Being Henry David” by Cal Armistead (releasing March, 2013)

November 13, 2012July 7, 2019 / drbethnolan / 3 Comments

It is my pleasure today to review “Being Henry David” by Cal Armistead, which I received as an ARC through Net Galley. I know Cal and her husband through my theater circle of friends, and when I heard she had written a book I couldn’t wait to read it!

“Being Henry David” is a rich blend of emotions, humor, and action as it tells the story of “Hank”, a teenager who finds himself in Penn Station with no memory of who he is or how he got there. His only clue is the tattered copy of “Walden” he is holding. Giving his name as “Henry Davidson” – borrowed from Thoreau – Hank escapes some tough characters in the city and arrives in Concord, Massachusetts in order to try to figure out who he is and what he is running from back home. Hank’s journey has him cross paths with a local historian and a friendly and attractive local high schooler as he slowly starts to remember who he is and what has happened to him.

I just loved this story! Of course, if you know me, you know I love anything that takes place near where I live. I love when I can read a book and it has places in it where I’ve frequently been. I also love, love, love the Concord authors and really enjoyed the tie-in to Thoreau and the Transcendentalists in this book – though it was not overdone or preachy. Mostly, though, I loved this story of a young man who is coming to grips with his actions and learning about forgiveness.

Grab yourself a copy of being Henry David and let me know how you like it – I promise to let Cal know!

I personally think it’d be a great read for high schoolers, especially reluctant readers.

Thanks, Net Galley and Albert Whitman Teen Press, for my copy!