Safe Haven

Fiction by Patricia MacDonald.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is the twentieth book by Patricia MacDonald I've read within the past year. I think I am at the end of the library's stock here, which is very sad for me.

In this story, a girl called Dena has recently moved back to her old hometown to start a new life with her boyfriend Brian, a boy she'd crushed on in high school and had been excited to reconnect with at the tenth class reunion. But now that she is less than two months away from having her first baby with Brian, she's starting to feel less than sure she made the right choice.

This was an exciting thriller with a surprise ending!

I also read recently by this author: Mother's Day

The Apartment

An Audible Original
Fiction by K.L. Slater

https://www.audible.com

In this story, a young woman is enticed into a fancy London apartment that she can't afford, because the landlord says he gives discount rent to "special people" like her. Gee, does that sound suspicious? The story is interspersed with ostensible diary entries from the past that the author claims to be "based on truth." the story is convoluted and does not unravel properly.

I got this audiobook to listen to on a road trip but it was not a good choice. Unfortunately I was stuck in the car and continued to slog through, waiting for the story to get better. It did not.

I also read by this author and LIKED: The Mistake

Double Identity

Fiction by Margaret Peterson Haddix

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This book was in the kids' section of the library, but I'd call it more like a young adult story. It was an exciting novel for me to read as an adult as well.

Bethany is almost thirteen when her usually over-protective parents inexplicably fall apart, freak out, and dump her on an aunt she's never met. Her mom and dad then disappear, and Bethany doesn't know why. Her aunt doesn't want to talk about it but everyone is treating her strangely....

The answer to the mystery in this story was very surprising! I really liked this book.

Good Riddance

Fiction by Elanor Lipman

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Daphne's mother June left Daphne something strange in her will: a high school yearbook from 1968. The weird thing about the yearbook is that June was not in the graduating class of 1968; she was the yearbook adviser and a first-year teacher that year. And the yearbook is full of little notations about the students, made by June over the years as she attended every single reunion that the graduating class of 1968 held.

In a fit of annoyance at this strange legacy, Daphne decides to toss out the yearbook while "de-cluttering" one day.... but what happens if someone else finds it? What follows is a fun little story that I found really enjoyable.

The Other Mrs. Miller

Fiction by Allison Dickson.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

At the beginning of this story, privileged heiress Phoebe Miller is dissatisfied with her marriage and her life, but she seems unable to do anything about it. Plus there's someone watching her from a parked car outside her house every day, that she also isn't doing anything about. When she finally does something, however, it's the wrong thing.

This was a pretty good thriller; it was interesting and exciting. My only problem was how very far-fetched it got, but I guess it is supposed to be fiction...

Everything to Lose

Fiction by Andrew Gross

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

I've never read anything by this author, I don't think, although I've seen his name a lot. Recently he's been co-writing with (which I think means ghost-writing for) big-name author James Patterson.

This was an exciting thriller about a single mother who is tempted to do something (maybe) illegal to dig herself out of a financial hole. Her recent job loss and deadbeat ex make her feel she has no choice but to take a chance that she may regret. The characters were believable and the action was fast-paced.

I'll definitely look for more by Andrew Gross.

The Great Alone

Fiction by Kristin Hannah

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Leni is thirteen years old when her unstable father decides to uproot the family once again, this time to move to the wilds of Alaska. It's both a wonderful and a terrible thing for her, and of course it changes her life completely.

This is an amazing story and a vivid portrait of life in the Alaskan bush. Having lived in Alaska myself, albeit (thankfully) in the civilized part, I can relate to the crushing darkness of winter and the manic exuberance of summer pictured here. It's an awful place, and a beautiful place.

This was a really really good book!!

I also read recently by this author: The Nightingale