Girlfriends, that is the theme of this summer’s reading list. And it is not necessarily about the books. It is because of the black and white photo of three young girls that reminded me of myself and my two best friends.
All three of us are all grown now, but those precious summers when we were teenagers are some of the sweetest memories of my childhood. We are so different from each other that striking a lasting friendship that span decades seem unlikely when we were twelve.
Our tastes in books alone made our local librarian wonder – Sci-fi & Fantasy; Romances, Historical & Contemporary; and Mystery & Thrillers. It is sad that she had passed away because we could not tell her that the three of us are still friends after all these years while living in three different states to boot!
Perhaps, it is the books that bound us together. They might be from different genres, but we persevered to read them because we wanted to discuss the books we are all reading. And yes, today, our personal favorites are still the same genre we liked when we were teens. But, we also read what the other ones read. We don’t have a book club that meets once a month. But, between text messages, Face Time and phone calls, we do discuss our books.
And, if you’re wondering if we still see each other in person, the answer is YES! Visits and cruises with all our families plus our once a year “girl time” in New York City, we remain the three tweens who met a long time ago.
In honor of these three girls of long ago, I give you The New Dark (The Dark Times Trilogy Book 1)
The New Dark
by Lorraine Thomson
(The Dark Times Trilogy Book 1)
Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA
A coming-of-age story in a dystopian world, “The New Dark” is the first book in “The Dark Times” trilogy. The story follows Sorrel who lost everything when her home was destroyed, her mother dying, and her brother & boyfriend were snatched by a group of marauding mutants.
Sorrel goes after her brother and boyfriend. In her journey, she figures out that everything is not black and white. That people are good or bad based on the individual and not based on what race or group they belong.
A thrilling read, though there is not enough adrenaline rush to make your heart palpitate. This is YA after all, and “Fast & Furious” it is not. Nevertheless, it is exciting, and you can’t read fast enough to turn the pages.
“The New Dark (The Dark Times Trilogy Book 1)
Go to The New Dark Description to read the synopsis.
The Hellion
by Christi Caldwell
Wicked Wallflowers Book 1
Historical Romance
Book 1 in the Wicked Wallflowers series, “The Hellion
In the grand tradition of Regency romances, the young woman (Cleopatra) needs to find a husband. And an unexpected beau (Adair Thorne) presents himself. But, the tradition ends there. “The Hellion
A fun read! Adair and Cleopatra are just adorable, though sometimes you just want to wring their necks. Nevertheless, they never fail to amuse. “The Hellion
Go to The Hellion Description to read the synopsis.
Sometimes I Lie: A Novel
by Alice Feeney
Mystery & Thrillers
Alright, I have only one word for this book, WOW! And yes, it is all in capital! A great debut novel. It is hard to put down once you started. And yes, I was late writing this review. It got buried under other books and just found it. Now, I feel I lost out because I could have enjoyed this months ago.
This is one of those books that you can’t really write a review without revealing the plot. So, I will just say that this is a must read. If you are going to read just one book this summer, “Sometimes I Lie: A Novel
Go to Sometimes I Lie Description to read the synopsis.
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The New Dark
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The Hellion
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Sometimes I Lie
The New Dark Description
She thought she knew who she was and where she came from. Then her home was destroyed. Her little brother gone. Her boyfriend taken. She owed her own survival to a mutant – the very forces behind the destruction that has ripped her life apart. Now Sorrel will never be the same again. There is no “Before”, there is only “Now”. Because now there’s no internet, no TV, no power grid. Food is scarce, and the world’s a hostile place. But Sorrel lives a quiet life in the tiny settlement of Amat. It’s all she’s ever known … Until a gang of marauding mutants destroys the village, snatching her brother Eli, and David, the boy she loves. Sorrel sets out after them, embarking on a journey fraught with danger, spurred on by the thought of Eli and David out there somewhere, desperate for her help … THE NEW DARK is the first book in a scintillating new YA trilogy.
The Hellion Description
USA Today bestselling author Christi Caldwell’s Wicked Wallflowers series burns hot as two rivals meet in the flesh and feel the heat…
Adair Thorne has just watched his gaming-hell dream disappear into a blaze of fire and ash, and he’s certain that his competitors, the Killorans, are behind it. His fury and passion burn even hotter when he meets Cleopatra Killoran, a tart-mouthed vixen who mocks him at every turn. If she were anyone else but the enemy, she’d ignite a desire in him that would be impossible to control.
No one can make Cleopatra do anything. That said, she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her siblings―even if that means being sponsored by their rivals for a season in order to land a noble husband. But she will not allow her head to be turned by the infuriating and darkly handsome Adair Thorne.
There’s only one thing that threatens the rules of the game: Cleopatra’s secret. It could unravel the families’ tenuous truce and shatter the unpredictably sinful romance mounting between the hellion…and a scoundrel who could pass for the devil himself.
Sometimes I Lie Description
“Boldly plotted, tightly knotted—a provocative true-or-false thriller that deepens and darkens to its ink-black finale. Marvelous.” —AJ Finn, author of The Woman in the Window
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it’s the truth?
