“Divorce is a terrible thing, but sometimes to stay married is even more terrible.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: missing children, old photographs, new babies, manipulation and a strong maternal bond.

Read the chilling and completely heartwrenching story of a mother’s worst nightmare: her child being stolen—and what happens when he returns.
Six years ago

Megan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As the playground empties, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found. Her darling son is missing.

Six years later

After years of sleepless nights and endless days of missing her son, Megan finally gets the call she has been dreaming about. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away.

Megan is overjoyed—her son is finally coming home. She has kept Daniel’s room, with his Cookie Monster poster on the wall and a stack of Lego under the bed, in perfect shape to welcome him back. But when he returns, there is something different about Daniel…

According to the police, Daniel was kidnapped by his father. After his dad died in a fire, Daniel was finally able to escape. Desperate to find out the truth, Megan tries to talk to her little boy—but he barely answers her questions. Longing to help him heal, Megan tries everything—his favourite chocolate milkshake, a reunion with his best friend, a present for every birthday missed—but still, Daniel is distant.

And as they struggle to connect, Megan begins to suspect that there is more to the story. Soon, she fears that her son is hiding a secret. A secret that could destroy her family…

This book was so crazy!

In this story we follow a family of three: the mother Megan, the father Greg and the 6 year-old son Daniel. Megan was physically and mentally abused for years by her husband, so they got a divorce to live their separate lives. A few months after their separation, Megan goes to pick Daniel from school but soon finds out that Greg picked him up without permission first and they’re gone without a trace. Yes, Greg abducted his son! So for 6 years Daniel was missing… until one day he returned out of nowhere. His mother is thrilled he is back to her, and she tries to reconnect with him and integrate him in her new family. The weird thing is Daniel is not the same… and I’ll leave it at that!

I felt so sorry for the mother! I just can’t imagine what it was like to go through a grief process, wondering where your kid is or even if he is alive. Oh and the guilt she must have felt! And then trying to deal with his behavior after coming back and trying your best to make things work for everyone. Not an easy scenario, but she definitely had my sympathy.

I personally had no idea of what was going to happen by the end of the story, but I was pleased with how it turned out. It was insane, but well done!

This is a disturbing story about the maternal bond, manipulation and toxic parents. It was heartbreaking, but very entertaining. I highly recommend it!

“All I wanted was a friend.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: bullies, orphans, The Secret Garden, loneliness, trashed rooms, ruined homework, lost keys, handmade dolls, care givers, beautiful gardens, bacon sandwiches, thumps, a black raven, a single friend and a silent girl.

Parallel plotlines, one told in text and one in art, inform each other as a young girl unravels the mystery of a ghost next door.
Mary is an orphan at the Thornhill Institute for Children at the very moment that it’s closing down for good. But when a bully goes too far, Mary’s revenge will have a lasting effect on the bully, on Mary, and on Thornhill itself.

Years later, Ella moves to a new town where she has a perfect view of the dilapidated, abandoned Thornhill Institute. Determined to befriend the mysterious, evasive girl she sees there, Ella resolves to unravel Thornhill’s history and uncover its secrets.

Ella’s story is told through striking, bold art; Mary’s is told through diary entries. Each informs the other until the two eventually intersect to reveal the truth behind Thornhill’s shadowy past, once and for all. Strikingly told and masterfully illustrated, Pam Smy bends genres and expectations alike.

This was absolutely creepy and sad. And I loved it.

I absolutely loved how this book was presented. It was very different from what I’m used to reading without a doubt. I loved the illustrations (beautiful!), I loved how the story was told in a diary format, I loved the creepiness and gothic nature of it all!

But also, the whole story made me very sad. She was just a normal girl trying to survive there, trying to make friends. She just wanted someone to care, someone to understand her.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked this up, since I knew nothing about it. But I’m so glad I did. This was creepy and disturbing and chilling and atmospheric and sad and haunting… in the best way possible. This is a unique book, one I will never forget.

(PS: That last illustration though… chills!)

“This wasn’t about justice, Poe. It was never about justice.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: vengeance, suspensions, bullying, data analysts, burnt men and teamwork.

A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District’s prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless.

When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of.

Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant but socially awkward civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.

As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he’s ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive…

I stopped picking up detective thrillers a while ago because I started losing interest in them. I just don’t have the patience to pick up a super long series following the same detectives solving different cases. It’s just a matter of personal taste!

Now, with that being said, I saw this book and I was immediately intrigued by the title and the synopsis. At the time I didn’t know this was the first book in a series and I only found out about halfway through the book. Still, I read the entire thing and I enjoyed it to the point that I would continue reading this series.

Our main detective in this book is Washington Poe. He returned to work after being suspended for making a mistake during a previous investigation. He is now helping the team identify the “Immolation Man”, who kills his victims by burning them. He soon finds out that there is a connection between him and the killer. With the help of Tilly Bradshaw and Stephanie Flynn, Poe tries to unveil the mystery surrounding the “Immolation Man”!

There are many great things about this book, but what really stood out to me was the writing, the fast pace of the story, the crazy amount of surprises and twists, and of course, the characters! Poe is a great main character. I usually have a hard time connecting to the detectives in these kinds of books, but I had no trouble connecting to him as a character. He is full of wisdom, courage and strength. Another character I loved was Tilly, the data analyst!  She was fantastic and I was so happy Poe and her developed a true friendship. That was an incredible duo!

Just a heads up: if you’re going into this book for the title like I did, you are wasting your time. I was a little disappointed to find out the title has little to do with the content of the book. This story wasn’t what I was expecting, but I still liked it a lot in the end.

I’m impressed. For a detective thriller this was pretty good.

“If cellists have fan clubs, Jenny, I want to join yours.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: idols, karaoke, single mothers, cello, prestigious music schools, difficult roommates, concerts and sick grandmothers.

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

This was so cute!

I’m slowly diving into these Kpop books and I’m seriously having the time of my life. This romance story between an average girl and a Kpop idol was the perfect balance of fluff and seriousness. There’s a bit of a forbidden romance going on in this, so things get a little complicated since Jaewoo is famous and can’t start any scandals! Still, I really liked seeing them spend time and get to know each other with time.

I really liked the setting for the story and how they had to cross paths several times since they were both attending the same fancy music school in Seoul. I also liked how the author gave them very different musical skills, since Jenny is an elite cellist and Jaewoo’s classes are more “idol oriented”.

I liked all the characters in this, but I personally think the secondary plot with Jenny’s roommate and the other band member was kind of too much for me. The fact that the roommate had such a remarkable evolution in another character’s book was a little weird and took away the focus from the main characters. I love secondary characters and secondary plots, but this overshadowed the main story.

With that said, I still loved this story! It was a very light and fun read. Now that I’m down this rabbit hole, I want to find more YA K-pop books.

“I put my pen to the paper and began to write. I’d made so many wishes for so many couples quietly in my head as they drove away, but writing the words out made it seem more real, possible. For them, and maybe for me.

FOR YOU, I WISH FOR SECOND CHANCES.

I folded it shut, then put it on the wall before I could change my mind, right above Jilly’s. […] When I looked back at the wish wall from a distance, it was a sea of squares: I couldn’t even find mine among them. So many things we ask for, hope for, prayers put out into a world so wide: there was no way they could all be answered. But you had to keep asking. If you didn’t, nothing even had a chance of coming true.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: Lexi Navigator ringtones, wedding plans, emotional brides, romantic photoshoots, fresh flowers, dogs in bandanas, school shootings, dealing with grief, beach nights, first love, summer parties, coffee and pie, friendship, centerpieces, amazing families, coffee shops, blowing candles for wishes, the Conga, anagrams, writting novels, alien experts, a phone lady and a lot of dates.

As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen’s thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants.

Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself.

I was in the mood to read a nice fluffy cute love story, and my first thought was: Sarah Dessen. I have yet so much to explore from her world, and I thought the synopsis of Once and For All was exactly what I needed. I only read Along for the Ride from her, and I’m so glad I did because… there was a crossover moment from that book! When she talks about the boardwalk of Colby and “Pie and Coffee”, I couldn’t stop smiling! Then Auden and Eli were there eating pie and drinking coffee, and… oh boy, my heart was full!

Since I don’t have a lot of experience with other Sarah Dessen novels, I can’t compare this one to the others. But I thought it was a cute book! Along for the Ride is still my favorite though.

I found it interesting that it all revolved around wedding planners, and I loved to see the “backstage” of the whole wedding process. I also found Ambrose very interesting. It’s not very common (at least for me) to see a love interest so… Well, let’s just say he’s special! It was very refreshing for me!

I also loved her “family” dynamics! I really liked how Louna had her mother and William, and how they were close and interacted like a family. I also felt so bad for what happened to Ethan, and of course, for what Louna was going through. I don’t know why, but it affected me in a way I wasn’t expecting. I really felt her pain.

I think it’s beautifully written and it’s a great book for summer! I really need to read more books from Sarah Dessen.