Review: The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter

This book has been high up on my TBR list for the better part of a year. I have been so excited to read it since I was part of the cover reveal last year and since then I received the coolest book package for this one and it only brought my eagerness to a fever pitch! One of the things that appealed to me so much about this one was its relevance and relatability especially for me as a mom.

Thanks to social media and over the top reality tv, the desire to create the ‘perfect photo op’ is at an all time high. When I had my son, I spent many a midnight hour scrolling mindlessly through Instagram and Facebook at all the perfectly curated baby boutique ads and of course all the tediously arranged and carefully coordinated nurseries and first birthday shoots. To be perfectly honest, I had a massive Pinterest board going for my son’s first birthday party before he was even six months old.

While I loved seeing all the perfect pictures of all the baby and family things, there was a large part of me that was aware that a snapshot isn’t a true picture of all going on. So, after reading this summary, I knew that I would find something I could relate to in some way. Plus I was eager to read a fresh new thriller!

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Review: The Hunting Wives by May Cobb

When I first saw this one as a Book of the Month pick….I couldn’t click the ‘make my book of the month’ button fast enough. Not only is the cover eye catching and memorable, but the description sounded tantalizing. I have been on the look out for a really good domestic thriller lately, something in the vein of Samantha Downing and this one sounded perfect!

I am sure many of you have seen this book on a number of ‘hot releases’ or ‘most anticipated’ lists this spring and all the buzz made me equally excited and wary. I mean clearly I bought into the hype since I couldn’t get my hands on this one fast enough, however there was part of me that worried that I wouldn’t love it.

The last domestic thriller I read that was getting all the buzz I did not like at all so there was part of me that tried not to hype this one too much in my mind because if I didn’t like it, I didn’t want to feel fully let down. I would say this book fell firmly in the good category for me. I mean I didn’t love it in the way that I hoped but I was content with the book and how things played out.

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Review: The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon (Audible Edition)

I read my first Jennifer McMahon book when I was on vacation a few years ago. The Winter People was so good and I immediately went out and bought more of her books! She has such a unique voice and I love the gothic/creepy vibe so much and I love that she is from Vermont and sets all of her books there. I can feel her pride and love for Vermont in all the books I have read by her.

When I saw this book was coming out, I couldn’t wait. It sounded eerie and I loved that mysterious cover so much. I haven’t listened to any of her books before so I thought this would be a great book to start with. My book club even picked it as our May read and we were all super excited to read and discuss it.

For me personally, I don’t think this book was as strong as some of her others but overall it was a haunting ghost story with a creepy connection to the past. I also loved the narrators. The historic narrator wasn’t my favorite at first (she was really wispy) but within a few chapters I started to really enjoy her soothing voice, but the modern narrator was great!

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Review: Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

If you have followed my blog for a while you will know that I love mysteries. I went through a big mystery/thriller phase a while back and then took a break and read more historical fiction/romance but lately I’ve been reading more thrillers and I was super excited to see this book from Mary Kubica in my review queue.

One of my favorite shows on ID Discovery Channel was Disappeared and all I could think of when I was watching the show was, people just don’t disappear, someone knows something. And when I saw that this was practically the tagline for this book, I was super excited to read it! I haven’t read anything by Kubica before but I certainly know the name so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one.

If you are a thriller/mystery reader you will most likely have this one on your radar. Kubica has written some well loved and popular thrillers many of which have been best sellers so I felt confident that this book would be solid with a seasoned writer like Kubica. If you are looking for a fast paced read this spring, look no further! This one was excellent!

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Special Feature: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Say hello to one of the hottest new releases of the spring/summer reading lists! I am so excited to read this one for a number of reasons but the top reason is humor. I don’t come from a big family so when I married my husband it was a little overwhelming (he has a BIG family) but it was also so much fun! He has 10 aunts and uncles and let me just tell you how quick that rumor mill works.

It’s one of the things I love best about his family, the funny and meddling family members. So I always get excited for books like this where the family is almost a character all unto-themselves! When I saw this book, not only did I laugh at the title, but the cover art is eye catching and totally gave me all the summer rom-com vibes. I was a little surprised to see that it’s more of a comedy thriller but hey even better, something different! I am absolutely ready for it!

I have this one on my TBR for later this spring/summer so be watching for my review in the future but it is out now and gaining a ton of attention! If you love books about big families, cultural representation, charm, and comedy, oh ya and some thriller aspects, then look no further! This is going to be a hot book this summer and one you are going to want to read TODAY!

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