Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in February 2024. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: The Guest
Author: BA Paris
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, 2/20/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I hadn’t read BA Paris’s books before but I’d heard good things. The Guest was a quick read and it had me turning pages! This book is basically about 3 couples. Iris and Gabriel come home from a trip and find Laure staying in their house. Her husband Pierre has admitted to an affair and a child and he is unreachable by Gabriel who tries to help. Meanwhile, a new couple has moved to the neighborhood bringing their gardener along.
“Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and again: sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris’ clothes, even rearranging the furniture. Laure has walked out on her husband―and their good friend―Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure’s mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll. Iris and Gabriel’s only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known.”
As all the characters become intertwined, you begin to imagine nothing will be explained, but in the epilogue it all is revealed.
Title: The Teacher
Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Hollywood Upstairs Press, 2/6/24
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Sounded good
My Rating: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and wanted to read more by her, though they tend to get mixed reviews. I saw someone compare this one to the first season of Cruel Summer, and I immediately added it on Libby. To my surprise, it was available quickly! This is about Eve and Nate, who are married and teachers at the same school. Addie is a troubled teen who recently lost her father and became close to an older teacher, who then lost his job.
“Eve has a good life. She gets up each day, gets a kiss from her husband Nate, and heads off to teach math at the local high school. All is as it should be. Except…Last year, Caseham High was rocked by a scandal involving a student-teacher affair, with one student, Addie, at its center. But Eve knows there is far more to these ugly rumors than meets the eye. Addie can’t be trusted. She lies. She hurts people. She destroys lives. At least, that’s what everyone says. But nobody knows the real Addie. Nobody knows the secrets that could destroy her. And Addie will do anything to keep it quiet.”
These characters were all a mess. The book includes adult-teen relationships, infidelity, and bullying, with a twist at the end that surprised me. The story tended to repeat things, so I definitely did not get lost with the audio! It was a fast paced listen and I will likely read more from this author.
Title: After I Do
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Washington Square Press, 7/1/14
Source: Amazon (2021)
Why I Read It: Backlist Read / Laid Back Lit Prompt
My Rating: 4 Stars
I picked up After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid for the “a book published in 2004 or 2014” prompt in the Laid Back Lit Book Club monthly challenge. I had purchased this one a few years back. It is about a married couple, Lauren and Ryan, who have hit a rut in their marriage and have to do something to improve their happiness. They decide to take a year off from their marriage.
“When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes. Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?”
Having married my husband young like the characters in this book, I found the descriptions of their meeting and development of their relationship through to its break down to be a bit depressing! I also would have suggested counseling, but I guess that doesn’t lead to a good story. I appreciated the writing and the way Lauren’s family supported her throughout the story.
Title: My Name Was Eden
Author: Eleanor Barker White
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: William Morrow, 2/27/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
I was intrigued by the synopsis of this one, but unfortunately the book proved too strange for me to love. This is about Lucy, the mom of Eden. When Eden nearly drowns, she insists that she is actually Eli – Lucy had vanishing twin syndrome and Eli was never born.
“When her daughter Eden came home from the hospital, Lucy was profoundly relieved. Eden had survived a drowning incident and had no apparent brain damage, no serious injuries, not even a scratch on her. Lucy fervently welcomed having a second chance at being the good mother she should have been before her teenager’s accident. Until Eden tells her that Eden isn’t her name. Until she starts calling herself Eli. The name Lucy had reserved for Eden’s unborn twin. Don’t worry, says the doctor. Eden is completely fine, says her husband. Of course I’m fine, Eden says, with that strange new smile of hers. I didn’t die. I’m here. But Lucy knows something’s very wrong with Eden. She’s not her maddening, complicated teenage girl anymore—this straight-backed, even tempered, steady-eyed child in her house is someone else entirely. Eden, it seems, is the twin who disappeared…”
The story is made up of Lucy and her marriage difficulties, stories of Lucy’s childhood, and stories of Eden’s best friend Charlie and her boyfriend. I wasn’t sure what the meaning of the book was – I think everyone was just gaslighting each other?
Title: Drawing Deena
Author: Hena Khan
Genre: Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2/6/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Drawing Deena by Hena Khan is a sweet middle grade novel that addresses anxiety in young people and shows how Deena learns about finding herself through art. Deena is a young artist who dreams of making art her career. Her Pakistani-American family has some money concerns which Deena can’t help but feel worried about. She is able to use her skills to help her mother with her custom clothing business, but she also feels tension caused by her cousin and a friend around whether or not she should be on social media. Deena’s anxiety leads to her feeling nauseous each morning and after feeling sick at school, she realizes she needs to confide in her family about how she is feeling.
“Deena’s never given a name to the familiar knot in her stomach that appears when her parents argue about money, when it’s time to go to school, or when she struggles to find the right words. She manages to make it through each day with the help of her friends and the art she loves to make. While her parents’ money troubles cause more and more stress, Deena wonders if she can use her artistic talents to ease their burden. She creates a logo and social media account to promote her mom’s home-based business selling clothes from Pakistan to the local community. With her cousin and friends modeling the outfits and lending their social media know-how, business picks up. But the success and attention make Deena’s cousin and best friend, Parisa, start to act funny. Suddenly Deena’s latest creative outlet becomes another thing that makes her feel nauseated and unsure of herself. After Deena reaches a breaking point, both she and her mother learn the importance of asking for help and that, with the right support, Deena can create something truly beautiful.”
Through her mom’s business, Deena meets an artist who encourages her to look at different artists and to learn more about herself through art. This book would have been helpful for me in junior high!
Title: The Other Woman
Author: Sandie Jones
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 8/21/18
Source: Goodreads Win (2020)
Why I Read It: Backlist Book 24 in 24 Challenge
My Rating: 4 Stars
The 4th book I checked off my backlist book list was The Other Woman by Sadie Jones. This got the most comments in my original post from those who either loved it (a few) or hated it (the most). This book reminded me of something else – maybe The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth? but I’m not sure what! This was about Emily, who basically ignores all red flags and marries Adam. His mother Pammie is the other woman who tries to scare Emily away from her son. Pammie is a great villain who gaslights Emily and manipulates Adam, but her efforts only make Emily more determined to make her marriage work.
“HE LOVES YOU: Adam adores Emily. Emily thinks Adam’s perfect, the man she thought she’d never meet.
BUT SHE LOVES YOU NOT: Lurking in the shadows is a rival, a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves.
AND SHE’LL STOP AT NOTHING: Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever.”
I guessed the twist and didn’t really understand the reasons behind the character’s’ motivations. Overall I didn’t love this one fully but I definitely didn’t hate it!
Title: Let Me Hear a Rhyme
Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books, 5/21/19
Source: Library Audio, Purchased (2020)
Why I Read It: Backlist Book 24 in 24 Challenge
My Rating: 4 Stars
Taking place in the 90’s in Brooklyn, this book brought back a lot of hip hop memories. When Steph is murdered, his best friends Quadir and Jarrell, and his sister Jasmine try to get his music promoted.
“Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean that Quadir and Jarrell are cool letting their best friend Steph’s music lie forgotten under his bed after he’s murdered—not when his rhymes could turn any Bed Stuy corner into a party. With the help of Steph’s younger sister Jasmine, they come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: the Architect. Soon, everyone wants a piece of him. When his demo catches the attention of a hotheaded music label rep, the trio must prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave. As the pressure of keeping their secret grows, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine are forced to confront the truth about what happened to Steph. Only, each has something to hide. And with everything riding on Steph’s fame, they need to decide what they stand for or lose all that they’ve worked so hard to hold on to—including each other.”
I enjoyed the friendships in this book as well as the nostalgia. I think I would have loved it more if I had been a part of the hip hop culture described in this one!
Title: Subculture Vulture
Author: Moshe Kasher
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Random House, 1/30/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded up to 4)
This memoir is written in 6 parts, each describing the history of the subculture the author was a part of, as well as his own personal connection to each.
“After bottoming out, being institutionalized, and getting sober all by the tender age of fifteen, Moshe Kasher found himself asking: ‘What’s next?’ Over the ensuing decades, he discovered the answer: a lot. There was his time as a boy-king of Alcoholics Anonymous, a kind of pubescent proselytizer for other teens getting and staying sober. He was a rave promoter turned DJ turned sober ecstasy dealer in San Francisco’s techno warehouse party scene of the 1990s. For fifteen years he worked as a psychedelic security guard at Burning Man, fishing hippies out of hidden chambers they’d constructed to try to sneak into the event. As a child of deaf parents, Kasher became deeply immersed in deaf culture and sign language interpretation, translating everything from end-of-life care to horny deaf clients’ attempts to hire sex workers. He reconnects and tries to make peace with his ultra-Hasidic Jewish upbringing after the death of his father before finally settling into the comedy scene where he now makes his living. Each of these scenes gets a gonzo historiographical rundown before Kasher enters the narrative and tells the story of the lives he has spent careening from one to the next.”
I enjoyed and was interested in three out of the six parts – AA, Judaism, and deaf culture. I was less interested in the parts about raves, Burning Man, and comedy. I thought this was an interesting style for a memoir.
Title: Search History
Author: Amy Taylor
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: The Dial Press, 11/7/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book was a little strange, a character driven book about Ana, who internet stalks her new boyfriend.
“After Ana flees to Melbourne in the wake of a breakup, all she has to show for herself is an unfulfilling job and one particularly questionable dating app experience. Then she meets Evan: the old-fashioned way, at a bar. Charming, kind, and responsible, Evan is a complete deviation from her usual type. Ana tries to let their relationship unfold IRL, but she can’t resist the urge to find him online. When she discovers that his previous girlfriend died in a hit-and-run, Ana begins to worry that she’s living in the shadow of his lost love. The more Ana learns about Evan’s past, the more questions she has: Was his last relationship as perfect as it looks online? And why won’t he talk about it? Perceptive and original, full of both pathos and humor, Search History explores the uncertainties of twenty-first-century romance. Ana’s journey down the internet rabbit hole of modern dating asks the question: Which is our ‘true’ self—the one we should to the world online, or the one we keep to ourselves?”
I think the point of the book was to show that you can’t get a full story from social media. I liked this well enough, but it wasn’t a favorite.
Title: The Mystery Guest
Author: Nita Prose
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Ballantine Books, 11/28/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is the second book in the Molly the Maid series and while I listened to the first one, I read this one in print. Molly has been promoted to head maid and when a mystery writer dies at an event at the hotel, more about Molly’s childhood is revealed.
“Molly Gray is not like anyone else. With her flair for cleaning and proper etiquette, she has risen through the ranks of the glorious five-star Regency Grand Hotel to become the esteemed Head Maid. But just as her life reaches a pinnacle state of perfection, her world is turned upside down when J. D. Grimthorpe, the world-renowned mystery author, drops dead—very dead—on the hotel’s tearoom floor. When Detective Stark, Molly’s old foe, investigates the author’s unexpected demise, it becomes clear that this death was murder most foul. Suspects abound, and everyone wants to know: Who killed J. D. Grimthorpe? Was it Lily, the new Maid-in-Training? Or was it Serena, the author’s secretary? Could Mr. Preston, the hotel’s beloved doorman, be hiding something? And is Molly really as innocent as she seems? As the high-profile death threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation, Molly knows she alone holds the key to unlocking the killer’s identity. But that key is buried deep in her past, as long ago, she knew J. D. Grimthorpe. Molly begins to comb her memory for clues, revisiting her childhood and the mysterious Grimthorpe mansion where she and her dearly departed Gran once worked side by side. With the entire hotel under investigation, Molly must solve the mystery posthaste. Because if there’s one thing she knows for sure, it’s that secrets don’t stay buried forever.”
I thought this was a bit darker than Molly’s first book, with some references to difficult topics. I also found the mystery reveal a bit unsatisfying. I still enjoyed Molly and her quirks. I did wonder if this book is meant to take place in the UK – everyone is very formal!
Title: The Writing Retreat
Author: Julia Bartz
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio / Print, 2/21/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz was a book waiting on my read soon shelf that I decided to listen to this month. It is about a writing retreat held at a mansion belonging to a famous horror writer. Alex is a writer who is invited to attend, along with her friend Wren, who she has had a falling out with. The retreat becomes a contest to write a publishable novel.
“Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement. But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she must discover the truth—or suffer the same fate.”
What was weird about this book was that it devolved into a live horror novel for the participants, mixed together with the history of the mansion. I definitely felt lost on the historical connection to the present and even wondered if some of the events that occurred were in Alex’s imagination. I appreciated the audio narrator’s ability to use various accents for the many characters in the story. This book reminded me a lot of Nine Perfect Strangers!
Title: Pulling Her Resources
Author: Mia Sivan
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Self Published, 1/29/24
Source: PR for Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
As a foray into a more steamy romance, this seemed a good start for me, as the spicy scenes were less often than I expected (and some of the characters’ explicit thoughts just made me giggle!) This is a stand alone book about Dafna, who decides to have a one night stand with Erez but soon ends up working with him as he is evaluating her workplace for an investor. Both Dafna and Erez are divorced and have teenage children.
“In Tel Aviv’s high-stakes business world, Dafna works in a startup teetering on the brink of financial doom. Divorced for six years and starved for passion, she goes on a wild one-night stand with a hot, much younger bartender. But then, the tattooed barman strolls into her startup. Surprise! Turns out he is Erez Ben Ami, the CPA assigned to go over their books with a fine-tooth comb. Erez is a single dad, with a young brother to support. His boss offers him a dream position, but there’s a catch: first, review a new, promising startup and make it as favorable as possible. His future is on the line, and he must suppress his feelings for Dafna, keeping his hands and other parts to himself. Dafna can’t stop wanting Erez, he is the man who made her get over her ex-husband. They spend hours together, and soon, they’re using the office desks for more than emails. Erez is falling for Dafna, she is the woman he has always looked for. When he suspects shady dealings within her company, he finds himself at a loss. Investigating it can cost him his dream job, as well as the love of his life.”
Dafna is the same age as me, so that was fun to read! If you work in finance you will especially enjoy the workplace setting of this one. I enjoyed that this is set in Tel Aviv. I thought some of the grammar was a bit off and found myself translating to Hebrew in my head, since some of the syntax worked in Hebrew better than in English.
There you have it, the rest of my February reading! This post included 12 of the books I read in February. 9 of these books were in print and 3 were audio. Genres included thriller, romance, contemporary, memoir, mystery, and rom com. 1 was YA, 1 was middle grade, and 10 were adult reads.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?