A Divided Mind by M Billiter

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I find psychological thrillers, especially ones that link back to an actual mental illness diagnosis but I wanted just so much more from this book.

I'll start with the good. The premise and pacing of the book are good. It is compulsively readable and builds a nicely ominous sense of foreboding regarding Branson's journey from 'static' to 'shadow people'to....no spoilers. I appreciated that Tara was a fully formed mother character with her own poise and concerns and storylines that brought Branson's issues more into focus.

Things that I wanted but didn't quite get. With as much time is devoted to Tara, the mother, I was expecting her to take part in some kind of plot twist regarding Branson's mysterious mental issues. As a mother, I was with her in her concern for her son but since this is billed as a psychological thriller, I wanted something dark and twisty to come from her that never emerged.

I found some of the dialogue really improbable, especially between Tara and her younger daughter, Carson. The insights that were coming from a middle-school-age girl were incredibly improbable. I would have liked to have seen those come from the therapist

I get why the author chose not to give Trevor his own chapter until later in the book, but he was honestly the most interesting character and I wanted so much more of him starting back with the inciting incidents when Branson started manifesting his symptoms.

As my star review indicates, it's not a bad novel but, with a few enhancements, it had the potential to be so much better.

I received a copy of this book pre-publication in exchange for an honest review.

Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center

 I was surprised to receive a copy of Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center in some happy mail from St Martin's Press.  But I'm certainly glad that they chose me to be one of their reviewers.  The kit even included a lovely little woodfire scented candle which was a nice compliment to the book's subject matter.

I instantly liked the character of Cassie as she stood as a lone woman in her firefighting crew and ready to accept the awards of her peers.  She was such a no-nonsense force that I was ready to root for her from the start.  Center does a great job of building the circumstances that took her out of her comfortable, metropolitan existence in Austin, TX to her mother's home in quaint, rural Lillian, Mass. 

It's on the Lillian FD that I had my first eye roll of the book with the unfortunately predictable love interest that dropped into the picture and shattered everything that I loved about Cassie when the book started.  She kept her edge, for the most part, I was just hoping that she would truly break the mold of heroines and stay strong to her personal philosophy.

In the end, however, I ended up enjoying Cassie's journey and her gradual softening as her relationship between the person that she had been for a decade and the person that could let people become a part of her life bit by bit.  There is a believable progression throughout her journey that takes the reader along with her and you can see how she got from the beginning to the end of her story. 

Yeah, the epilogue is a little "tie it up with a pretty bow" for my taste but, overall, Katherine Center provided me with some excellent poolside reading material while my kiddos splashed the summer away. 

Pick this one up for your next vacation or to keep in your tote for waiting rooms and soccer practice.  It's a great distraction from the everyday without being crass or too deeply "chick lit"

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

I needed some light reading for bedtime/summertime after reading some really heavy novels lately and I found the perfect thing in Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes. It was the perfect balance of a fun easy read but with enough gravity to keep me engaged with the writing and the story.

Holmes did a great job of writing Evvie and her guilt over the final days of her husband's life without making her seem like a pathetic creature with nowhere to go.  I love that her best friend was one who got her out of the house at least once a week and showered her with love while she got through a tough time.

The introduction of Dean into the story made it seem obvious that it was a forced love connection but I adore that the author made the choice for them to really take their time with their relationship and really base it on mutual respect and healing from their respective pains before they moved the story into more of a love connection.  Well done there!

I would love to see more from this author.  I think she has a great voice in a space that is getting crowded with 'starting over' stories.  This one took the time and care to explore the intricacies and the ins and outs of how people grieve for different losses be they for a career or a loved one.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Random House Ballentine for allowing me to explore this novel in exchange for an honest review.

21 Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks

Want to read this one?  Too bad it isn't available in retail until November 2019 but, when it is...go out and get it immediately.  I feel privileged that I was selected to receive an advanced copy from Netgalley and St Martin's Press.

I fell in love with Matthew Dicks' writing when I read Memoirs of an Invisible Friend several years ago.  He has such a unique and almost childlike perspective on the world that makes you shift your view just a little. 

This book is written as a journal in lists which makes it compulsively readable.  My first session with this novel was a "one more chapter (month) then I'll go to bed, 2AM no regrets" experience. As Daniel grapples with being a business owner, a husband to a widowed wife and soon to be father, you could feel his panic and self-doubt blossom then subside throughout the course of his compulsive list making.

Yes, there are some repetitive lines and themes that removed a star for me, but it is so deeply human that I was willing to glaze over a few things to get to the heart of the book.  I can't want to see how the public receives this one.

2019 Halfway Point

Somehow I have already read 36 books on my goal of 50 for the year.  Aided, as always by the audiobooks available at my library and an excruciating commute every day.  Here are my top five of the year so far for your summer reading pleasure.

I can't say enough good things about this book!  It provides such an eye-opening world view from societies around the world and, more specifically, the impact that empowering women can have on the entire community.  This should be required reading for all!

I know, I know it seems like there is a distinctly feminine vibe to my list so far but hey guess what, I'm a girl!  This book felt personal on a deep level. Everything from the way she approaches sexuality to the ways that anything she does gets pulled back into a conversation about her weight, on every level, it's funny but true.  Read this PLEASE

This isn't just a book about a serial killer.  It's not a thriller or a mystery.  The underlying theme here is a sister's love (and also her resentment) toward her sister and what she can and should do to protect her.  How far that can be stretched gets taken to the limit.  It's a powerful story under the bizarre circumstance of their world.

Part of my quest to read the PBS Great American Read Top 100 most loved books in America, I found this gem.  I did this in audio format and am SO glad that I did as the narrator brought the beautiful journal of a preacher writing to his son to life.  This is full of spirit, heart and faith and the struggle that can exist to maintain those things.  No wonder it was a Pulitzer Prize Winner.

Want to read this one?  Too bad it isn't available in retail until November but, when it is...go out and get it immediately.  I fell in love with Matthew Dicks' writing when I read Memoirs of an Invisible Friend several years ago.  This book is written as a journal in lists which makes it compulsively readable.  Yes, there are some repetitive themes but it is so deeply human that you are willing to overlook it.  I can't want to see how the public receives this one.  Full review to come - watch this space.

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll

This sophomore novel from Jessica Knoll probably isn't something I would have picked up on my own but since I read Luckiest Girl Alive, the publisher reached out with a pre-production copy of The Favorite Sister.  During my beach vacation, it seemed like the perfect kind of distraction to my brain and it definitely fit the bill. 

Be aware going in there are a LOT of characters to keep track of as the set and cast of a fictional reality TV program convenes for a new season.  I found myself flipping back to make sure I knew which character description was in which plot twist.  Especially since a lot of them are similar in name (Jen and Jesse for example) it becomes a pretty tangled web pretty quickly.  Throw in that there are both real and contrived storylines happening all at once and there is just a lot going on there. 

Overall, though, the setting was well suited for the types of duplicitous actions the ladies went through and it exposes the unreality of reality programming.  I wish there were more actual solidarity and less backstabbing and conniving between the ladies just to make it a little more palatable but, in the end, it served its purpose of helping me soak up the sun and turn off my overloaded brain for a little while.

An Anonymous Girl By Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

After a lukewarm reaction to the first collaboration of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, I was hesitant to pick up the invitation extended to me by St Martin's Press for their Sophomore release, An Anonymous Girl. I must say that I enjoyed this novel more than I did "The Wife Between Us".  The structure of this narrative lent itself much better to the team approach to writing since there were very different voices between the two main characters that came through very well. 

The psychology behind the premise is compelling but if you are looking for something that will keep you on your toes with twists and turns, this one is fairly straightforward as far as the plot is concerned. 

Definitely pick it up for a light and fun read.