Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 12/16/2024 + 2730 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I'll keep this review simple. Lawrence Block writes page turners.

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Nancy L. (NancyAZ) reviewed on 11/10/2024 + 95 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

In the 1960's Robert Nichols moved his family to Sellerstown NC to serve as pastor at a local church. Their life there was fine for a time and then a powerful member of the community (not even a member of the church) began to harass, threaten, and initiate violent attacks on Nichols and his family.
This is a true story by one of the now-grown children. The story in and of itself is sad and horrific. The writing is poor. The description of the events that the family endured over 7 years went on and on and other parts of the story were totally unnecessary. It angered me that Robert and his wife would allow their children to stay in a place where threats and fear and dynamite bombs and other atrocities became their way of life. ... No one in the church or in the town did anything to stop this man. It is a story of forgiveness which is always a good thing but I think after one or two bombings the family should have been out of there!

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Elizabeth R. (esjro) - , reviewed on 11/10/2024 + 962 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I started this book after dinner and stayed up until after 2 AM to finish it. This is the scariest book I have read in a long time. It is scary from the first sentence and only lets up about halfway through but then gets scary again. I don't want to say anything else so as not to give anything away, but this is a masterwork in suspense and misdirection.

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Melissa B. (dragoneyes) - , reviewed on 12/30/2024 + 849 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

A gritty, beautiful story that surrounds a son whose father is a drug dealer and his mother a drug user. It is a heartbreaking tale that brings you closer to the main character. I did enjoy most of the book but at times it became overly descriptive and I found myself skimming pages. The ending was crazy and not what I had expected. Look forward to reading more by this author.

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Cheryl (boomerbooklover) - reviewed on 12/27/2024 + 443 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Interesting biography of the Churchill family, including personal tidbits not usually found in histories. For example, Winston's father died of syphilis, after which his mother remarried twice, both times to men younger than Winston. Winston and his brother were rare in the family as men who married once, remained faithful to their wives, and raised families. Other family members were eccentric, to say the least. A good read; more interesting than I expected.

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Marcia C. reviewed on 12/9/2024 + 674 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

A very, very clever thriller that keeps you guessing right till the end. The cons pulled by the main character and *on* her were fascinating and intricate. A great read with a lot of psychological twists and almost no violence.

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Laura P. (hemmputnam) reviewed on 11/26/2024 + 1160 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I think it's important to note that this book was originally published in 1944. I'm thrilled to see that it has been rereleased, but today's reader should be warned that it's not exactly a contemporary view of nursing school and hospital work. I grew up reading my mom's books from this series and fully enjoyed the trip down memory lane this story provided.

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Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 11/22/2024 + 658 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I'm very new to time travel novels. The three I previously loved (Come Back to Me and Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund and For a Lifetime by Gabrielle Meyer) included significant events and big, bold drama.

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young is different; quieter, a character study of relationships including marriage, motherhood, and matriarchal lineage. And I loved every page.

Set in North Carolina, this story includes magical realism, romance, mystery, nostalgia, secrets, sacrifice, family tradition, and a red door. The emotions were completely genuine which made the actions feel believable as well. As a reader who doesn't enjoy fantasy or scifi stories, I was pleasantly shocked by how much I loved this novel.

This was my first book by this author. I have no interest in her YA fantasy backlist, but I'm looking forward to reading her next book, A Sea of Unspoken Things, very soon.

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Linda Y. (LindaKay) reviewed on 11/20/2024 + 6 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Clean cut mystery story line with interesting facts about the postal service added. I read all 3 books in the series and wished there were more. Taken place in a small town with a murder of one of the residents and the newly arrived postmaster gets involved in solving the murder. Feel comfortable having my teenage granddaughter reading it.

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Nada A. reviewed on 11/17/2024 + 1403 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a love story with a bit of historical fiction, magical realism, and a mafia involvement. The story moves back and forth between Augusta as a teenager and Augusta turning 80. The story of the past is one of healing and of heartbreak. The story of the present is a feel-good love story. This book does not have the strength of The Matchmaker's Secret or The Two Family House, but a sweet story nevertheless.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/11/the-love-elixir-of-augusta-stern.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

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Rachel G. (roach808) - reviewed on 11/27/2024 + 176 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Though this was written in 2007, there was a lot that really rang true for me still today as we just passed the 2024 Presidential Election.

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Robyn H. (byrd1956) reviewed on 12/9/2024 + 45 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Although I've never read the first book in this trilogy, I think the second and this one can be read as a stand-alone. I would still read The Housemaid, even after the other two. The Housemaid is Watching sucked me in and both my husband and I kept speculating about what was going on âbehind the scenes'. We were surprised in the end.

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Gordon S. (literal-giraffe) reviewed on 11/26/2024 + 4 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

A lurid road trip through an apocalyptic Wisconsin that weaponizes lust and plagues our protagonist with the guilt and shame of her extremist faith. It's simultaneously a scathing condemnation of religious extremism and a nuanced exploration of her guilt and shame through a defiant sexual awakening that fills these pages with effectively pitch-black satire.

This is a dark, dark book, with a likable cast of characters, a very good dog, and a brilliantly realized, thematically powerhouse final act that razes all expectations with the wrath of a cruel and punishing God. I may not necessarily agree with all of Leede's ideas, but I was impressed, shocked, and utterly destroyed by the way she brings them to life.

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Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed on 11/9/2024 + 713 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Dollycas's Thoughts

Harvest Ohio is celebrating Christmas in a big way with a lifesize Candy Land game on the village square right next to the animals in the live nativity scene. Bailey King's candy-making factory is also having its grand opening, which includes tours and treats for visitors. Her parents are coming to town for the holidays too.

The game, the factory, and all the shops are big hits but then one of Bailey's new employees dies outside of the factory in what appears to be a tragic accident. Bailey's fiancé and recently appointed county sheriff Aiden Brody, is investigating to find out what happened. Of course, Bailey is doing a little investigating too. The young Amish man was mixed up in some terrible things but that doesn't stop Bailey from working to get him justice.

_____

In this 9th Amish Candy Shop Mystery Bailey is busier than ever now that her candy-making factory is open so planning her wedding to Aidan is the last thing on her mind. But then her parents come to town and her mother and Aiden's mother double down on getting a date set and the nuptials done as quickly as possible. Bailey also spends a lot of time taking care of her future mother-in-law's pig, Jethro. Margot Rawlings, the local community organizer, expects Bailey to be at her beck and call for anything she needs as well. Again Bailey has the patience of a saint and does her best to handle everything thrown at her. The woman needs to learn to say "No!" but she has too big of a heart for that. All the characters Ms. Flower has created for this series are so well-developed but still have room to grow. I feel I could make myself right at home in Harvest because I know all the prominent Amish and Englishers well and my way around the town.

Ms. Flower introduces another Amish family and a wedding planner in this story. Cleverly crafted and well-described, they were easy to add to the Harvest landscape. Swissmen Candyworks was described perfectly too, inside and out, as was the Candy Land game on the town square.

The mysteries put forth in this book are complicated. In addition, to the death, now a confirmed murder, someone is robbing local businesses. Could these crimes be connected? Bailey needs to know what happened to her employee but someone isn't happy about her sleuthing. Aiden wants her to leave everything to him and his deputies but we all know that isn't going to happen. It is always fun to tag along with Bailey, usually accompanied by Jethro, as they follow the clues and talk to suspects. The showdown was very entertaining as I thought I had it all figured out but the conclusion was as complex as the mysteries themselves.

Gingerbread Danger is a charming whodunit full of sweet treats and genuine characters joined by a dastardly few. I loved the Candy Land tie-in. What a fun way to ring in the holiday! The entire Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series is excellent and I highly recommend them all.

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Fred G. (fr3edy) reviewed on 12/29/2024 + 4 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Worth reading in anticipation of the new Trump regime. The new powers grea Ted by scotus to executive branch increases the risks outlined in this well researched work severafold

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Lenka S. reviewed on 1/3/2025 + 833 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I feel cheated by the publisher notes and the hyper buzz surrounding this book. This was nothing more than a 300 page pity party that I would have declined attending had I known what I was getting myself into. The author is just a super spoiled whiney ungrateful hypocritical brat throwing endless strings of temper-tantrums. She is a "Karen" in (and out of) a hospital gown. While openly admitting flirting with the unsuspecting doctor trying to help her. She is more vain then Greek God Narcissus, (self described as more beautiful hen Roman goddess). While slamming her early physicians for missing the correct diagnosis, she fails to give proper credence to her failure to discuss all her symptoms, and follow up when new issues rise. Kinda hard to diagnose without a complete picture being drawn, which only she had the information and could do. It sounds to me that her physicians, while not perfect, were able to move toward a diagnosis as she shared more of her real symptoms. From my viewpoint, they seemed to realize when they were in over their heads and referred her to appropriate specialists: hard to fault them for that. No Doctor is infallible, but the majority does the best they can. Im not saying all Dr are perfect in most cases, as in her own, they seem to have done all the correct steps to identify and correct her problems. Her doctor's office tantrum told us volumes about her character. Her chart identifying her as "emotional fragile, noncompliaient" is very short form of the harpy from hell attitude lets loose where ever she goes. Shrieking at your cardiologist at first meeting that u will absolutely not take the only drug that he has to save your life because it will (maybe) make you fat, turn your neck thick and make your face heart shaped. And that the Dr shout take it and become a fatso him self! ... is not the best way to communicate with anyone, much less with a specialist that is trying to keep you from DEATH.

It's so much easier to point fingers and absolve yourself of any personal responsibility for your own life. She is ungrateful to the whole establishment for saving her. She wants everyone to pat her on the back at congratulate her for believing in her victimhood status. Not as a patient w transplant. But as a person whose life was ruined by the gift of another persons death. Not once has she considered that someone had to die so she can live. She resents that, and every Dr that had pushed this hell on her. She wants her before life back. Which is not possible. So she rages against her husband, Dr and everyone. Resentful bitter on top of all her other unpleasant Karen attributes. So she starts emotional and self harm black mail, I will stop medicating and kill this heart, and then you people will appreciate how hard my life is then. WOW

Hopefully the one lesson readers of this worthless book will come away with is the need to self educate and learn everything you possibly can while maneuvering through the quagmire of the healthcare system. Because it is a maze and not everyone is privileged enough to afford all that she has. Getting transplant and all this extra stuff cost a lot of $$. And dont get me started on Chemo. And if you assume I am being unfair and judging the author from a position of good health, be assured that isn't the case. I have multitude of serious issues. Close family have or died of cancer. Illness and death is ever more prevalent and the author wrongly assumes that she is alone and that her suffering is unique. But what Karens like her accomplish is that Dr get burnt out syndrome and they leave the profession, because they are tired of being treated like shit and on top dealing with hospital paperwork and insurance nonsense.

Lastly I want to say shame on Mehmet Oz, MD...the latest to attach himself to Oprah like lost baby...for tagging this book as "spectacular". His credibility is now in the toilet as far as I'm concerned. Its 500min of listening to a self entitled brat I wish I could get back.

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Donna C. (g-ma) reviewed on 12/11/2024 + 3161 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I wouldn't exactly say this is in the Christian genre

This will go in my top 20 for the year, it's a very different story from anything I've read so far and that is unique nowadays

This showed up on my home page where it shows books that are listed and I took a chance for something different, boy am I glad I did, it is very good writing all the way through

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