Book Review -- "The Suspect"

Do you ever have one of those days where everything is just a little off?  

Come on, I know you do!

Well, today is one of those days, proven by the fact that I just managed to type OVER my last blog post this evening, thus deleting it forever.  

Buh-bye.

In my previous post, which sadly just made its way into cyberspace, I laid out my 2019 reading plan, which I will not try to recreate.  The important thing to note is that I plan to focus on five books each month.  One "advance reader copy," one audio book, one book from my DHS library, a devotional, and a Bible study book.  

Somehow, I am ahead of the game already this year, and have completed one ARC and a DHS library book this month.  Bring on the snow days, Mother Nature, so I can keep this up!

At any rate, here is my latest book review for a superb work of fiction, just released today.  Get your hands on it HERE, HERE, or wherever books are sold.  It has been featured on allllll the book lists for 2019, and for good reason.  Psychological thrillers are my jam, and this one is worthy of all the praise. 

The Suspect by Fiona Barton

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

“Ah, but we are all stars of our own reality shows now, sir. Didn't you know?”

In this latest dark and twisting psychological thriller, two families experience their worst nightmare when their teenage daughters embark on a journey to Thailand that goes horribly awry.  After the girls fail to phone home to learn the results of their A-level exams, their parents realize something is terribly wrong and that the girls are in danger.

Alex O'Connor has planned this trip down to the moment in her meticulous itinerary.  With the intention of taking a "gap year," for which she has been scrimping and saving for, Alex can not wait to visit all the sights and scenery that Thailand has to offer.  After her best friend backs out of the trip, Rosie Shaw appears on the scene, begging Alex to take her along as a replacement.  It is not long into the journey when Alex realizes she and Rosie have very different plans for this trip, as Rosie has no intentions of following Alex's schedule.

Told in alternating points of view from "The Reporter" Kate Waters, "The Mother" Lesley O'Connor, and "The Detective" Bob Sparks, as well as posts and emails from Alex herself, readers go on an unforgettable journey into the sinister underbelly of Thailand as these three unravel the mystery of the missing girls.  Kate Waters has a secret of her own, though, which involves her son's own journey to Thailand more than two years prior.  Could he be connected to this story, and will that damage Kate's professional reputation if he is?

I absolutely devoured this book, finishing the good majority of it in just two days.  Each twist and turn in the story was as unexpected as the last, down to the final page.  Kudos to Fiona Barton for a job well done!

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Want to read along with me?  Here are the five I'm currently enjoying (or not):

1.  "The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena -- Since I have already finished one ARC for this month, I decided to read this one.  It is fairly short, has great reviews, and came recommended by a trusted book-lovin' friend.

2.  "Next Year in Havana" by Chanel Cleeton -- I'm a few hours into this one, and I can't decide how I feel about it just yet.  For one, I bet I would love it more if it was a book in my pretty little hands.  Maybe I'm just not made for audio fiction.

3.  "Once Upon a River" by Diane Setterfield -- I recently signed on to participate in the Goodreads online book club, Book Club for Introverts, and I am loving it!  I have never been a part of a book club, and I have found it so nice to chat with others about the chapters in this beautifully told story.  I would never have picked this book myself, and I have been so pleasantly surprised!

4.  "Everyday Holy: Finding a Big God in the Little Moments" by Melanie Shankle -- Melanie is my spirit animal, and her devotions get each of my days off to a bright start!

5.  "Understanding Your Blessings in Christ: Ephesians" by Elizabeth George -- I'm down to my final lesson in this awesome, awesome book.  Bummer!

Book Review -- "The Red Address Book"

Well, it's the first day of a brand-new year.  Hip, hip, horray!

2018 was a very weird year.  Much like 2017.  And, well, 2016.

If our method of ringing in the new year is any indication of what 2019 will be like, well it is sure to be a weird one, too.  

Our little family's NYE tradition is to devour crab legs and shrimp like it's our job.  We started this a few years back, and it seemed like a tradition that perfectly suited our crew, and it has stuck.  Every NYE, I boil a huge mess of crab legs, shrimp, sausage, corn on the cobb, and potatoes, and we feast like kings all night long.

That part of our NYE celebration was on-point.  It was the next bit that followed that makes me question where we are in life.  For the next few hours following our delicious meal, we opted to lounge in the living room watching a marathon of Dr. Pimple Popper, until we finally retired to bed at about 11PM.  

If I'm lying, I'm dying.  I don't even know what else I can say about it, except to say we've definitely set the bar pretty high for future Hobgood family NYE celebrations.

All that NYE madness aside, I did manage to squeeze one last book in for 2018, and it was AMAZING.  

As I've previously mentioned, I am a Goodreads geek.  I love to set an annual reading goal for myself, which is typically 30 books per year.  This year I was able to surpass my goal just a bit by reading 31.

My top five favorites this year were:

1.  "The Au Pair" by Emma Rous
2.  "The Red Address Book" by Sofia Lundberg
3.  "Educated" by Tara Westover
4.  "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult
5.  "All We Ever Wanted" by Emily Giffin

I've read some pretty great ones this year, but I think if I had to choose -- those would be my faves for the year.  A great mix of mystery and suspense, historical and realistic fiction, feel-good chic-lit, and a memoir.

My TBR ("To Be Read" for all you non-geeks) pile for 2019 is growing by the day, and I can't wait to dive right in this week to get this year's nerdy party started.

Read below for a review of my recently finished book.  It is FANTASTIC, and you're going to want to get your hands on this one when it is released this week!

The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Special thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.  

"I wish you enough.  Enough sun to light up your days, enough rain that you appreciate the sun.  Enough joy to strengthen your soul, enough pain that you can appreciate life's small moments of happiness.  And enough friends that you can manage a farewell now and then."

Doris, 96 years young, has come to grips with the fact that she is finally at the end of her years.  While she has lived a life filled-to-the-brim with experience and excitement, there are so many details of her life that she has yet to share with those closest to her, namely her great-niece Jenny.

Through a series of entries in her decades-old red address book, a gift from her father, Doris relives the past of those who have come and gone in her long life -- both those whose memories cause her great sadness, and those who cause her immense joy.  Doris decides to put pen to paper, and preserves her past in a series of stories that she leaves behind for Jenny to read.

From her Stockholm apartment where Doris now lives, to glimpses of her past in both Paris and America, this novel paints the portrait of a life lived to the fullest -- through both good times and bad.

While this book has been published in 28 countries around the world, it will be making its American debut this week.  I can't recommend this book enough, and it is the perfect one to curl up with this winter.  Readers will not be able to put it down until the last page is turned.  It's THAT enchanting!

Pre-order today on Amazon or Barnes & Noble before its January 8th release!

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Next on my list for review in January -- "An Improbable Pairing" by Gary Dickson, as well as "The Memory Book" by Lara Avery!