Show Us Your Books: February Edition

It's time again for my favorite link-up of the month! This month's reads were all courtesy of Netgalley. A quick note about Netgalley though- they change up the archive dates on a whim and never let you know. As a slow reader, I write the archive dates down to keep track. I read in order of the soonest archive date initially listed and review in the same order.And then sometimes I go back to post the review, only to find that it has already been archived. You have to keep checking to make sure they didn't move it up which is kind of a pain. Anyone else experience this? Just curious. Anyway- onward with this month's reading! 

Missing Pieces- Heather Gudenkauf: 4 Stars

Overall, I liked the pace of this book. I had a good idea of "whodunit" about halfway through, which would normally make me give a lower rating, however there were enough additions and twists to keep me on my toes and second guess myself, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Another aspect that kept me guessing and added a layer of mystery were the emails featuring the nursery rhyme with a twist. They were dark and creepy and definitely made me nervous for Sarah, even though she shook them off. I didn't particularly like Sarah because her questions came across as accusations rather than morbid curiosity or concern, and her timing seemed very inappropriate and inconsiderate considering the nature of her trip there. Also, her motives were insincere. She wanted to know for herself, not to clear anyone's name or find justice. I also didn't love her relationship with Jack. They certainly didn't act or talk like they were married for 20 years. They didn't seem to have sort of intimacy, trust, or comfort in one another. What DID Sarah know about his past? And why would he shut down every single time she tried to talk to him about... well, anything really? They just came across as very awkward. (view spoiler)

The Girl in the Maze-  R.K. Jackson: 2 Stars

I wanted to love this book, and it started off promising, but I lost some interest along the way. There were a lot of extraneous characters introduced in the beginning that served no real purpose and just confused me with all of the names. Also, there were a lot of ideas that seemed unfinished. I got a serious chill factor from certain imagery, but the stories and questions associated with them were never explained.

I loved the descriptions of Shell Heap in the beginning. The lush forests, the pristine dunes, the village where the people lived- I saw it and felt like I was there. I also really liked learning about the Geechee people and some aspects of their culture and wish there was more of that. I was surprised by the ending though, which is why I'm giving it two stars.

The Passenger- Lisa Lutz: 4 Stars

Everything I could possibly ask for in a psychological thriller!
It had me guessing until the very last sentence. And I still don't know what to think of Blue!

Lutz spends a good bit of time introducing us to Tanya and had me asking questions from early on, but I instantly liked Tanya. Even though she picks up and runs as soon as her husband dies, you can tell she's pretty new to all this by the sheer number of mistakes she makes, which make her all the more likable. I really like the emails between "Jo" and "Ryan" as well, as they gave tiny snippets of what the big secret from her past might be. A fast-paced, well-thought-out, page-turner that certainly kept me on my toes!

(I still don't really know why it's titled The Passenger though. )


Anything For You- Kristan Higgins: 4 Stars

First of all, I've only read one other work by Higgins, The Best Man, and that was a long time ago. I remembered some of the characters and were happy to see them here again.

I really liked how Higgins started with the proposal and then took us into the past leading up to that point, and then brought us back to the present. It instantly drew me into the story. It also made me realize why Jessica declined and seemed so flippant about the whole situation. I instantly despised her attitude, but once I saw how they got to that point, I actually felt for her and even began to genuinely like her.

I loved Connor from the beginning. His fumbling attempts to try to win her over, even though she had said no to him, were endearing. Though he tried to go on a few (unsuccessful) dates, he kept her in his periphery. He cared about her enough to take things slowly, and even attempted to "fix" the one thing that Jessica kept using as an excuse as to why they couldn't be together.

Also, I also thought that Connor's sister and her husband were hilarious, and a breath of fresh air from the back and forth between Connor and Jessica's on-again, off-again relationship.

The Restaurant Critic's Wife- Elizabeth La Ban: 3 stars

I liked the story for the most part, but I felt like the reader was beaten over the head with the idea that Lila was bored, deprived of friendships and normal adult socialization, and wanted to get back to work, at least part time. Also, the side story with Lila and Sebastian and Lila and Tom didn't really pan out; they seemed underdeveloped and a bit forced.