REVIEW: It Ends at Midnight by Harriet Tyce

Title: It Ends at Midnight
Author: Harriet Tyce
Narrator: George Weightman; Lucy Paterson; Samara MacLaren
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Publication Date: February 2023
Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: It's New Year's Eve, and the stage is set for a lavish party in one of Edinburgh's best postcodes. It's a moment for old friends to set the past to rights - and move on. And yet, the celebration fails to materialize.

Because someone at this party is going to die.

Midnight approaches and the countdown begins…and it seems one of the guests doesn't want a resolution.

They want revenge.

But there are many present at the party who might have reasons for seeking revenge, and just as many who have spent their lives trying to outrun it. So who is the killer, and who is the victim?

Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Lucy Foley, It Ends at Midnight will haunt readers long after its stunning finale as it questions what we are willing to say – and believe – to ensure our own peace of mind.

My Thoughts: There is a lot to unpack with this story and when the characters are not likeable, it puts the reader in a precarious position of trying to decide whether anyone is redeemable or should the author just kill them all off. The characters I was prepared to not like turned out to be redeemable after all. This book is an excellent example of how lies can destroy everything around us and we are responsible for not blindly accepting what we are told as truth without verifying it for ourselves.

Sylvie and Tess have been friends since they were schoolgirls. Through Sylvie, Tess met her husband Marcus. Nearly twenty years after their wedding and many years of not speaking to each other, Sylvie and Tess reconnect where Sylvie learns that Tess may have a brain tumor and Marcus has left her. Tess also wants Sylvie’s assistance in putting the past right. There are secrets galore both of these women are keeping and Sylvie, especially, stands to lose everything if the past is revealed.

This story packs quite a punch as it begins with two people falling to their death at a New Year’s Eve party in Edinburgh. The reader knows almost immediately that it’s a man and a woman, but the identity is not revealed until the last twenty minutes of the story. This story requires a lot of patience on the part of the reader as there are many twists and turns, both past and present, leading up to these deaths.

I was able to figure out fairly quickly the intentions of one of the characters but I couldn’t figure out if Tess or Sylvie or both of them were lying and shouldn’t be trusted. I was not able to figure out who died until it was revealed and it left me not only surprised but sad at the waste of life and the damage that secrets can cause.

The plotting was tight and kept me engaged in the story. As more of the past was revealed, the actions of both Tess and Sylvie shocked me. There are some quite graphic and gruesome scenes so reader be warned, if you go with the audiobook format, you might be in for a shock. The narration was performed exceptionally well and illustrated the personalities and emotions of the characters flawlessly. This was my first Harriet Tyce book and I will be looking for more of her work.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this to be a fantastic story that gives the reader a very edgy and twisty plot, with characters that are multi-layered and not easy to relate to. Readers who don’t mind the absence of a happy ending will find this story riveting.

Thank you to the publisher, HighBridge Audio who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Abby Page by P.A. Laver

Title: Abby Page
Author: P.A. Laver
Publisher: P.A. Laver
Publication Date: August 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction

Description: Those we love will guide us long after they have gone…

Abby Page, a married mid-30s Gen Y has just had her world turned upside down. Her husband of twelve years has unexpectedly left her for another man – and she has just been made redundant from her ten year position as a senior bookkeeper.

Could it get any worse?

Unfortunately, yes, but help is on its way. Barbara, her mother, has turned up to provide maternal advice in her hour of need. Just one small problem, Barbara passed away two years ago – but now she’s back and talking to Abby from the hall mirror.

Abby would be the first to admit that she was never the perfect daughter. She’s always been too mouthy, too honest, too tall, and has a bump on her nose. And lately she’s developed a really shitty attitude.

But Abby’s bubble of ignorant bliss has burst. The world is not as she thought. From complacency and conformity she is now experiencing the cruel realities of being on her own and unemployed.

Abby Page is willing to tell you her story, warts and all. There could just be a lesson or two in here on how to survive and even thrive in a world of deceit and treachery – and all with a little help from dead people. And then there’s that other thing. Fancy discovering the joys of sex at 35!

My Thoughts: If you are the type of reader that wants to know absolutely nothing about a book before reading, this book will provide some moments of laughter, surprise, tears and a really good story about a woman recovering from divorce and starting over at 35. If you are like me, however, and want to know a little bit about the book and depend on the back cover blurbs, you may go into this book expecting something that the book does not provide. It’s not always a bad thing as unexpected surprises can often turn into blessings. I went into this book expecting a chick-lit story about a woman who after her husband leaves her for another man begins talking to her dead mother in the mirror. I thought that Abby’s dead mother would talk her into all sorts of exciting adventures to get her out of her shell and back into her life. I expected fun and frivolity which is what I come to expect with chick-lit. The dead mother in the mirror is there and though I enjoyed the conversations she and Abby have, it wasn’t central to the story at all.

Instead, Abby is an introverted woman who has spent the last dozen years living the life of a wife and worker. Her dreams haven’t quite turned out the way she expected. She thought that she and her boyfriend, Rodney, would marry and she would have children and life would just flow down the happy tranquil river. Instead, a dozen years later, Rodney dumps her for another man and leaves her high and dry trying to work out how she will be able to afford the mortgage and make ends meet. To add insult to injury, she is terminated by her employer and bookkeeping jobs are harder to find than she expects.

I admired Abby’s strength of will and determination. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she gets busy trying to sort out her finances and secure another position. Even when it appears that there are forces at work to ensure Abby fails, she doesn’t cower, run or admit defeat. She eventually secures a job with a small company that appears to employ just her and her boss. Abby is so busy learning her new job and trying to survive there isn’t much time left at the end of the day for conversations with her deceased mother or adventures.

This author is new to me so I was also taken by surprise at the deft twists and turns this plot unfolds. Just when I start to get comfortable with Abby’s surroundings and situations, the author tosses in an unexpected event that had me wondering how it all would play out. Fortunately, the conclusion was satisfying, without unnecessary cliffhangers.

The author did a fantastic job creating characters that change and grow in realistic situations and life events. The story is well structured and told completely from Abby’s perspective. Though this story was not what I was expecting, I found it to be easy to read and understand. The supporting characters added depth to the story and were interesting.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I enjoyed this story immensely and felt a range of many emotions while reading. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy women’s fiction as well as readers who like stories that surprise you with characters who find strength and survive what life throws at them.

Thank you to the author, P.A. Laver, for the invitation to read and review.

REVIEW: The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

Title: The Cheat Sheet (The Cheat Sheet #1)
Author: Sarah Adams
Narrator: Renee Dorian, Teddy Hamilton
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: December 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Is it ever too late to leave the friend-zone?

Hi, my name is Bree Camden, and I’m hopelessly in love with my best friend and star quarterback Nathan Donelson (so is half of America, judging by the tabloids and how much the guy dates). The first step is admitting, right? Except, I can never admit it to him because he clearly doesn’t see me that way, and the last thing I want is for things to get weird between us.

Nothing but good old-fashioned, no-touching-the-sexiest-man-alive, platonic friendship for us! Everything is exactly how I like it! Yes. Good. (I’m not crying, I’m just peeling an onion.)

Our friendship is going swimmingly until I accidentally spill my beans to a reporter over too much tequila, and now the world seems to think me and Nathan belong together. Oh, and did I mention we have to date publicly for three weeks until after the Super Bowl because we signed a contract with...oops, forgot I can’t tell anyone about that!

Bottom line is, now my best friend is smudging all the lines and acting very un-platonic, and I’m just trying to keep my body from bursting into flames every time he touches me.

How am I going to make it through three weeks of fake dating Nathan without anything changing between us? Especially when it almost-sort-a-kinda seems like he’s fighting for a completely different outcome?

Send help.
XO Bree

My Thoughts: I really wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book as I have never been interested in sports romance. I don’t know why but the idea of one or both of the main characters being athletes have never appealed to me. However, upon learning that Teddy Hamilton was one of the narrators of the story, I didn’t seem to care as much because he is a brilliant narrator that brings the characters and the story to life in vivid display.

Secondly, it doesn’t take long for the reader to fall for both Bree and Nathan. These two characters are too adorable and the only annoying thing about them is that it took them this long to figure out they are crazy for one another and belong together. Really, how wonderful is it to be in love with your best friend and they feel the same? Of course, you need to communicate that with each other and they communicate it loud and clear to their inner monologues, but it takes them a while to get with the program. However, I forgave them because they are adorable.

This is the first book in a series and I’m still on the fence about whether I want to commit to another series. If you saw how many titles I have sitting on my Kindle and iPod, you would totally understand my hesitation. This book is my first by author Sarah Adams. I don’t understand why I haven’t picked up anything by her before as she has a fresh voice and humor that comes through so eloquently.

I also loved meeting all the secondary characters and Nathan’s teammates were hysterical. Let’s just say that when I think of pedicures and football players in the same sentence in the future, I will burst out laughing all over again. Additionally, I liked that this story had depth and substance between the characters outside of the bedroom. When done well, the heightened anticipation of what is simmering between the main characters can be much better than just tossing everything out and jumping between the sheets.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this is a great story to choose if you are looking for something that will increase your heart rate and tickle your funny bone. I highly recommend it to all readers of the contemporary romance and romantic comedy genres because it gives the reader all the warm fuzzies we look for in this genre.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Lies We Tell Mothers by Suzy K. Quinn

Title: Lies We Tell Mothers
Author: Suzy K. Quinn
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: August 2019
Genre: Memoir
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: Bestselling author of the Bad Mother books Suzy K Quinn reveals the truth behind the lies we tell mothers, one sleepless night at a time.

Suzy and Demi were carefree twenty-somethings. They had fun! They didn’t have responsibilities! And then they decided to have a baby. Goodbye lazy weekends, hello sleepless nights, arguments and an addiction to industrial-strength hot chocolate.

In the midst of this major life change, Suzy discovered that most parenting advice should be taken with a pinch of salt—or ten.

For example:

#1 Lie—Just go with your mother’s instinct. But what if your instinct is telling you to hide under the stairs?

#10 Lie—Your new baby will tell you what it needs. Not if it can’t talk it won’t.

#23 Lie—You should never bribe your children. You will ALWAYS bribe your children.

Follow Suzy on the ultimate make-over—from nervous-wreck new mother to happy families. In this hilarious and refreshingly honest account for parents who prefer the realistic to the utopian, Suzy debunks the myths and takes us all along for the (bumpy) ride.

My Thoughts: Funny and insightful journey of bestselling author Suzy Quinn’s experience into motherhood. The ups and downs are revealed with full disclosure balanced with copious amounts of hot chocolate and whether the author feels she is doing a good job.

I love this author’s voice and her humor is fantastic. I laughed at the parts where Suzy and Demi struggle not only to cope with the challenges of their lives irrevocably changing forever and Suzy’s intake of hot chocolate which appears to be turning into an addiction and empathizing with the struggles of breastfeeding, permanent body changes and dealing with home issues like mold and moving to a new location entirely.

Just when Suzy and Demi have their lives situated into a semblance of normal routine, it’s time to have another baby! The lies mothers are told continue, but ultimately Suzy and Demi get a grasp on managing and come out happy families in the end.

My Final Verdict: I’m not usually a fan of non-fiction or memoirs, but this one was fantastic! This is the first time I have read this author and she is one to be on the lookout for. Her humor had me laughing, almost guffawing until tears rolled down my cheeks. Becoming a parent isn’t a decision one should make lightly and Suzy and Demi find out the hard way. I highly recommend this book to parents for the advice and non-parents for the entertainment.

Thank you to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Right Here Waiting for You by Rebecca Pugh

Title: Right Here Waiting for You
Author: Rebecca Pugh
Publisher: Harper Collins UK / HQ Digital
Publication Date: May 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN |

Description: We used to be best friends…

Magda used to be the girl everyone wanted to be – most likely to achieve her every wish. That is until suddenly her perfect life seems to be anything but! Sophia has never regretted her life, sure it isn’t perfect, but being a single mum to a daughter she loves is pretty great. Perhaps she never moved away from home, or got to live out her dreams, but what she has right now isn’t so bad.

That is until an invitation to their school reunion arrives, throwing both their lives into a spin – because these two used to be friends and it might finally be time to face up to that one big mistake that happened all those years ago…

My Thoughts: Right Here Waiting for You by new to me author Rebecca Pugh was an amazing story about friendship, betrayal, forgiveness and acceptance. I found both Sophia and Magda easy to relate to and though I tried really hard to not like Magda, I couldn’t. I admired her determination, spirit, and courage to go home knowing she will likely be met with a hostile welcome. I also admired her willingness to show remorse and apologize without peppering it with a lot of excuses. She takes complete responsibility for the relationships she damaged, not with just her best friend, Sophia, but also with her father.

I also liked Sophia. I understood her anger at Magda, as I certainly felt the same way about her myself. I also liked that she wasn’t hateful and bitter and was willing to take a chance on forgiveness not just to Magda, but also to Tom, her daughter’s father, without being a pushover.

The blossoming romance between Sophia and Michael was a treat to witness too. I was happy to see that there wasn’t a lot of wasted time and big misunderstanding drama to slog through before these two confessed their feelings for one another.

My only disappointment with this story was not having enough closure for Magda. I was happy that she had the courage to address her nightmare of a marriage to Greg, but I was left wondering what would happen down the road.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story took me through all the emotions and I will be looking for more of this author’s work. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy stories about imperfect people trying to correct their mistakes of the past and not dwell in negativity and bitterness.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Collins UK / HQ Digital, who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Love Connection by Camilla Isley

Title: First Comes Love (First Comes Love #0.5)
Author: Camilla Isley
Narrator: Audra Cook
Publisher: Pink Bloom Press
Publication Date: March 2023
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Have you ever wondered what might have been?

Gemma Dawson is at the airport, staring at two plane tickets to two different cities. Two different weddings. Two possible futures. She’s at a crossroads.

Be maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding or crash her ex’s?

Gemma’s decision, unknown to her, hinges on a delayed flight and a chance meeting. Now her life is about to go down two parallel tracks—will Gemma fly toward a life with her first love or a future with a man she’s not even met yet?

Love Connection is a feel-good Romantic Comedy about one woman, life’s infinite possibilities, and the destiny that lies beyond two different choices.

My Thoughts: This was such a fun feel-good story about a woman whose life splits and begins running on parallel tracks based on which choice she makes. Go to her best friend’s wedding in Chicago where she is the maid of honor or go to California and crash her ex’s wedding. This story gives the reader a front row seat to see how each decision plays out. I absolutely loved it and both scenarios were interesting to see.

This author drafts interesting stories with characters that are so easy to relate to. I liked Gemma immediately and empathized with her situation. She and Jake were each other’s first love but unfortunately things ended badly and now he’s getting married. I understood her need to stop his wedding, but she made a commitment to her best friend to be maid of honor at her wedding which is happening on the same day.

Both choice scenarios played our realistically and I loved that there was no absolute right choice as both came with challenges, repercussions and rewards. I honestly couldn’t decide how I would have chosen in Gemma’s place.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a charming and entertaining read. I highly recommend this story to readers of chick-lit and romantic comedies as well as people who often wonder what would’ve happened had they chosen this over that.

REVIEW: Homecoming by Isabel Ashdown

Title: Homecoming
Author: Isabel Ashdown
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: November 2022
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Welcome to The Starlings... sun, sea and neighbors to die for.

Security, a sparkling sea view and the best kind of neighbors - The Starlings gated community has it all. Here, doors are left open, children run free, and at the heart of it all is the entrepreneurial Gold Family, who first dreamed up this aspirational vision of 'Dorset's Safest Community'. To the outside world the popular family appears glitteringly blessed... until an idyllic party takes a dark turn and one of their number is found slumped at the foot of the clocktower. Who knows what really happened? And what answers are harbored within the old building, the former Highcap Mother and Baby Home?

My Thoughts: Homecoming by new to me author Isabel Ashdown offered an intriguing story filled with lies, betrayal and deception but unfortunately fell flat for me. I became increasingly frustrated that absolutely nothing of noteworthy importance happened until well past the 50% mark. Instead there were a lot of innuendo and red herrings and I admit, it worked to keep me holding onto hope that something big was about to happen.

When events started to occur, it brought my anticipation level back up, but the ending fell flat for me. The list of suspects were numerous and this story could have gone in a lot of different directions, but the ending felt rushed and didn’t make sense.

I thought the author did a very good job with character building, giving the reader a lot of characters that were easy to empathize with and relate to as well as characters the reader immediately dislikes upon meeting. I also enjoyed the detail the author put into creating this master planned community. I had an excellent visual in my mind’s eye while reading and would have enjoyed being part of a beautiful community like this one. She also gives enough detail of what transpired so many years ago on this property to give the reader a lot of apprehension about the place.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I was disappointed with the direction and outcome of this story, but I enjoyed the author’s skill at character and locale building and am open to reading more of her work. Readers who don’t mind how long a story takes to get going or less than jaw dropping conclusions will likely enjoy this one.