Picking up the Pieces

 Fiction by Amanda Prowse.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Nora and Kiki are sisters, but they are not very close. Not only are they separated by a twelve-year age gap, they were raised almost completely apart because of their parents' tragic death when Kiki was only a baby. Nora grew up in boarding schools while Kiki was raised by their grandmother, and each sister felt that the other one had the better situation. Instead, it turns out that both girls are struggling.

Now Nora is on the brink of divorce from her Army husband in Cyprus, and Kiki is back in England fighting major depressive disorder. Can the two sisters find their way back to each other and heal the relationship?

This was a very good story by an author I had not heard of. I will definitely look for more of her books.

Wreck

 Fiction by Catherine Newman 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the sequel to Sandwich, which I read fairly recently. It was shorter, but similar to that book with strong believable characters and honest emotions, but not tons of actual plot. It also made made me vaguely sad, like its predecessor.

One thing I really liked about this sequel is that it showed how the relationship between Rachel, the protagonist, and her daughter Willa had grown closer; in the other book the child had been in a sulky-teenaged-I-prefer-dad stage that was heartbreaking for the mother. I loved seeing that.

Too Old For This

 Fiction by Samantha Downing

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Lottie Moore is an elderly woman who just wants to take it easy and be left alone in her old age. Unfortunately, when you have a criminal past, it can be difficult to truly relax. Complications can keep arising...

This book was surprisingly great fun! (Which you wouldn't expect, given that the protagonist is an old lady who happens to be a serial killer.)

I also read by this author: My Lovely Wife

The Soulmate Equation

 Fiction by Christina Lauren

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Jess Davis is doing fine at the beginning of this book. She has her loving grandparents, her daughter Juno, her best friend Fizzy, and her work-from-home consulting job. She's not really looking for love... but then she meets River Pena.

River is a hot guy who frequents Jess's local coffee shop and happens to own a company called GenteticAlly. This company claims they have discovered how to scientifically find your true soulmate! Will Jess and River find true love? Don't answer that; it's not the point. This book is good enough to make the reader (almost!) forget the predictable nature of romance novels.

This was a fun little straight romance, something this author team does very well.

I also read by this author: Something Wilder

The Knockout Queen

 Fiction by Rufi Thorpe

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This story is about Bunny Lampert, an amazing girl who is tall and strong, beautiful and rich, but also insecure and nearly friendless. But Bunny does have one real friend, a boy named Michael who lives next door, relying on the tenuous goodwill of his aunt. Michael is fascinated by Bunny and cares deeply about being a good friend to her, but he is also quite preoccupied with staying safely in the closet in order to keep his place to live.

This is an incredibly good character story that makes the reader truly invested in both Bunny and Michael. I loved it, but it also was pretty heartbreaking.

I also read by this author: Margo's Got Money Troubles

The Rest of Her Life

 Fiction by Laura Moriarty

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

At the beginning of this book, 18-year-old Kara accidentally hits a pedestrian on her way home from the last day of her senior year of high school. The victim, a girl named Bethany who is two years behind Kara at the same school, is killed instantly. Also instantly, Kara's life is forever changed.

The story is told from the perspective of Kara's mother Leigh, and the focus is on the relationships in the family, and the relationships between the family and the small town they live in. It's a very good character story that gives the reader a lot to think about.

I also read by this author: The Chaperone

Soulmate

Fiction by Sally Hepworth

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Pippa and Gabe live with their two little daughters on the Australian coast in a house with a breathtaking view. Unfortunately, they also live right next to cliff which is a popular spot for suicide jumpers. In the year or so they've been living there, seven people have come to the cliff's edge, and seven times Gabe has patiently talked them out of killing themselves. 

Gabe is incredibly good-looking, sensitive, kind, and full of fun, and it seems everyone longs to be his friend. In contrast, Pippa sees herself as kind of pedestrian, a caretaking type who prefers staying the background of life. But it's Pippa who earns the money for the family and who carefully monitors Gabe's emotions and keeps him stable.

But then the eighth person comes to the cliff's edge, the person who will succeed in jumping. This event really throws Pippa and Gabe, and exposes the cracks in their marriage that have been brewing for years.

This was a great story, as I would expect from Sally Hepworth!

I also read by this author: Darling Girls

Rachel Weiss's Group Chat

 Fiction by Lauren Applebaum

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

At the beginning of this book, Rachel Weiss wakes up on New Year's Day with a hangover from the night before, a strange guy in her bed, and a new determination to generally try to be more responsible this year. After all, she'll be thirty soon. Maybe it's time to think about trying to settle down with a nice Jewish boy like her mother wants her to.

But then it turns out that what her mother actually wants is for Rachel to marry the rich young man whose parents just moved in next door! Christopher Butkus, as he is unfortunately named, is everything Mrs. Weiss wants for her daughter Rachel, regardless of whatever it is that Rachel wants. 

Told through narrative and the titular group chap (with Rachel and her friends Sumira, Eva, and Amy), this story is funny and has good characters. It's a straight romance done well.

Margo's Got Money Troubles

 Fiction by Rufi Thorpe

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

There is a movie out right now based on this book and I saw the trailer. It seemed to be about a young woman (Margo, obviously) struggling to take care of her new baby on her own. The only "support" she has is her mother, who insists that the baby (her grandchild!) hates her and won't stop crying, so she absolutely cannot babysit at all. Margo loses her job, and her roommates are moving out which doubles her rent... hence the aforementioned money troubles.

I don't know about the movie but the book is really good. The titular character Margo writes in an interesting mix of first and third person. The characters were well written and completely believable. I enjoyed this book a lot and will likely look for more by this author.

Same as it Ever Was

 Fiction by Claire Lombardo

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Julia Ames is a woman in her fifties who is pretty sure she mostly has her life together. Her relationship with her husband Mark is loving and stable, her grown son Ben is slightly distant but quite successful, and she's relatively close to her high-energy, emotional teenaged daughter Alma. She feels she can at least say she's done better with her children than her own toxic single mother, from whom she is estranged.

But then she sees Helen in the grocery store, and is immediately catapulted back in time to when she was a clinically depressed young mother of an intense little toddler. Helen had been a friend and lifeline back then, but somehow things had gone horribly wrong. Julia and Helen haven't spoken in almost eighteen years. 

The story is told in two timelines: First, the current Julia manages her almost empty nest, and decides whether to try once again to reconnect with her mother. Second, the reader is taken back in time to see what really happened with Helen, and how it has affected Julia's life.

This was a really thought-provoking book, and the author does a great job of exploring the ups and downs of parenting, especially the endless never-enough-ness-feeling of motherhood. I loved the characters and the book was extremely well written, but it was also kind of depressing. I didn't like the ending.

Don't Let Me Go

Audible Original Fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde

https://www.audible.com

In a small apartment building there is a collection of disconnected people: Billy used to a Broadway dancer, but now he hasn't left his apartment in ten years. Rayleen is a former foster kid and current nail technician who avoids relationships like the plague. They are on the first floor. Upstairs are shy Felipe, grouchy Mr. Lafferty, and old Mrs. Hinman.

But in the basement apartment is the person who will somehow bring them together: Nine-year-old Grace lives there with her mother Eileen, a former addict who just might be falling off the wagon in a big way. Grace has a big voice and an even bigger heart, and she will inspire these lonely people to somehow form a community together.

This was a lovely and heart-warming story from an author I adore. Seriously, I could hang out with Catherine Ryan Hyde's characters all day!

I also read recently by this author: Where We Belong

I also listened to recently from Audible Originals: Roadkill

Just the Nicest Couple

 Fiction by Mary Kubica

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Lily and Christian are the titular Nice Couple in this story. They are young professionals looking to start a family soon, but at the beginning of this story something happens that threatens them. The reader begins to see that under their nice exteriors, Lily and Christian are willing to do anything to preserve their reputations, even if it's not so nice.

This book was okay but too slow for a thriller. It did have a surprise twist at the end.

I also read by this author: Local Woman Missing

What Happens Next

Fiction by Christina Suzann Nelson

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Faith Byrne is a mother of two teenaged daughters who is still reeling from her unexpected divorce at the beginning of this story. A former investigative reporter, Faith does a podcast about people who recover from tragedy called “What Happens Next.” Now she has been contacted by someone from her past about featuring a cold case disappearance, and there are some surprises in store.

I really liked this book and will look for more by this author. 

Where We Belong

Audible Original Fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde 

https://www.audible.com

Fourteen year old Angie and her family are about one step away from homelessness. It’s just Angie and her mom and her little sister Sophie; since Angie’s dad died eight years ago they have been struggling. After getting evicted from their home, they have worn out their welcome at every friend and relative in town. Sophie is a non verbal (but also VERY non quiet!) autistic child of six, and her disability makes trouble for them everywhere they go. 

Everyone is strongly suggesting institutionalizing Sophie, but Angie can’t bear that option. Can Angie and her family figure out how to live and stay together? Then an unlikely possibility presents itself, and strangely enough it begins with a dog.

This was a lovely character story, and the audio narration was wonderful as well. 

I also read recently by this author: Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe

I also listened to recently from Audible Originals: Reset

Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe

Fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde

https://www.amazon.com

Addie is sixty-something year old working a night shift security guard job and attending five AA meetings a week. But even though she’s eight years sober, she’s really never dealt with what was underneath her addiction. 

Her new sponsor assigns her to redo her moral inventory, and she starts to really uncover some things. But then she kind of falls apart. Fortunately, although she is a chronic loner, Addie has a couple of good friends to help her through.

This was a really good character story. 

I also read recently by this author: Michael Without Apology

The Housemaid

Fiction by Freida McFadden

https://www.amazon.com

Millie needs a job badly, and she takes one as a housekeeper/ nanny for the Winchesters, only to regret it soon after. Nina Winchester is capital-C crazy and her child is a class-A brat. But Andrew Winchester is pretty darn hot, and it seems like he might be falling for Millie…

This book started out a little tedious but got interesting about halfway through. The ending was a surprise! There are a couple of sequels; I might give them a try. 

I also read by this author: The Coworker

The Summer that Changed Everything

Fiction by Brenda Novak

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Fifteen years ago, Lucy’s dad was convicted of three terrible murders in their beachside hometown. Only seventeen and ostracized by her neighbors, Lucy changed her name and left town for good. But now she’s coming back to try to prove her father’s innocence…

This was an okay story but a little far fetched. 

The Stranger in Her House

Fiction by John Marrs

https://www.audible.com

This was a very exciting story that kept making turns I didn't expect. Most of the characters were rather terrible people but you couldn't help being sympathetic to some of them anyways.

I also read by this author: You Killed Me First

All The Lies

 Amazon Prime Kindle Fiction by Nicola Sanders

https://www.amazon.com

Amy used to be a dance teacher, but now she is only Jason's wife. Since their marriage, Jason has taken control of every aspect of Amy's life, watching her every minute and trying to catch her deceiving him. She had foolishly signed over all of her money to him to "invest" for her; now she has no resources and no way out. Even her mother takes Jason's side in their arguments, refusing to believe that Amy is being abused.

When her mother offers her a ticket to a cruise ship vacation, Amy is desperate to take it and try to get away. Her mother means for the trip to be for both Amy and Jason, but Amy tells her husband that she'll be traveling with her mom and is relieved when he believes her. Or does he? 

This was an exciting story with several surprises! (And one over-the-top twist at the end that I don't 100% buy.)

I also read by this author: Don't Let Her Stay

I also read (FREE!) from Amazon Prime Kindle: The Sideways Life of Denny Voss

Everyone is Watching

 Fiction by Heather Gudenkauf

https://www.audible.com

Five people are competing in a reality show called "One Lucky Winner," each hoping to win a prize of ten million dollars. But this competition is long on hype and short on details; no one knows what exactly the competitors will be required to do or how they have been chosen. And the challenges will be streamed live at unexpected times, not recorded and aired on a schedule. 

Supposedly these things are meant to make the show different and exciting, but also they serve to keep everyone guessing and the contestants off-balance. But it quickly becomes clear that there is something strange going on behind the scenes....

This was a fast-paced an exciting story, but the plot was WAY over the top. I couldn't help but think it stretched the reader's willing suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. And I felt like the characters were less likeable and believable than they could have been. Still, it was pretty fun to read.

I also read by this author: This is How I Lied