contemporary fiction – Page 3 – Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner

The story of Avery, the marriage therapist, and her clients Marissa and Matthew is bone-chillingly good. Avery is practicing therapy in what she calls her ten-step plan and has been very successful at it. She is also hiding secrets about her past and dealing with some unscrupulous people who are determined to destroy her career if not her life. Marissa contacts Avery for help when she realizes that her marriage is going downhill fast and she wants to save it. The best thing that someone could have told me before I read this book is that all is not as it seems. There are layers of deception that are peeled away slowly and methodically. The plot is so well written that it immediately pulled me into Avery’s troubles as well as Marissa and Matthew’s. The characters were totally well-fleshed out and very complex. Just when I thought I knew them well, there was another revelation about their past. This was the kind of book that was entertaining as well as thought-provoking. I enjoyed the read, but it also made me think about how well we actually know someone. Polly, Marissa’s helper in her store, was irritating at first, then more irritating and ultimately understandable. There were a lot of nuances and red herrings throughout the book that made the ending mostly a surprise for me, something I really enjoy in books since I’m such a mystery buff. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy great plots, fantastic characterization and pondering what an outcome will be.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

*Because of content, I would give this book a hard PG-13 rating.*

*Bio and photo from the author’s website* http://www.greerhendricks.com

*Photo and Bio are from the author’s page on Amazon* Sarah Hendricks on Amazon

Sarah is the mother of three boys, which explains why she wrote part of her debut novel at Chuck E. Cheese. Seriously. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter, and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true. Please visit www.sarahpekkanen.com

This book will release on March 8, 2022, but it is available for pre-order now. Purchase Links:

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC for me to read and review. This complicated book had me enthralled and giving the characters advice because I got so involved in the story.

I read this book for a few hours and then had to put it down to think about what I had read. It is a book with a message, actually, to be accurate, with a lot of messages that made me reflect on my own choices and relationships. It is the story of Barb and John who have been married almost fifty years when John has a debilitating stroke. Their marriage was already broken, but Barb went though the motions until she was ready to just end it. They have two daughters, Juliet and Sadie. Juliet is Barb’s favorite and Sadie was John’s fave. Juliet is a successful architect, married to a Brit and with two daughters. Sadie is an artistic free spirit who rushes home to help take care of her father, leaving her life in NYC behind. This is the story of a fractured family that does not communicate or easily forgive. With the themes of sibling rivalry, infertility, lack of forgiveness and lack of communication, Higgins did a stellar job of drawing me into the lives of these four broken people. They all have wounds from the past and an uncertain future, much like everyone else I know plus myself. Thus, I related to the story and really enjoyed it, as their poor choices in the past were revealed as well as their current dilemmas. To me, John, with his stroke and inability to communicate clearly, represented the whole problem with the family. They were all lost in the condition of being too paralyzed by the past to grab hold of the future, until finally they realize their paralysis and start to do something about it. There was no fluff in this book; it was all meaningful, and deeply thought-provoking. It is contemporary fiction and domestic drama with Higgins’s humor thrown in to lighten the somber mood. I loved this book and highly recommend it as a novel of reflection and hope for the future.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkeley Publishing via a Goodreads contest. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Not a completely clean read because of the topics discussed in the book, but well worth the read and very worthy to be chosen as a Book Club favorite

Information above was found at www.kristanhiggins.com

Available now! Here are links where you can purchase this book:

Many, many thanks to #BerkleyPub for sending me the ARC to read and review! And thanks to Goodreads for their reader contests!

Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner

Tag: contemporary fiction

Review of THE GOLDEN COUPLE by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

This book will release on March 8, 2022, but it is available for pre-order now. Purchase Links:

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC for me to read and review. This complicated book had me enthralled and giving the characters advice because I got so involved in the story.

Review of ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW by Kristan Higgins