liane moriarty

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

~ SamanthaWho ~ 8 Comments

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane MoriartyI could not put down Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty! I’ve read (and loved!) many of Moriarty’s books so I had high hopes for this one and I’m happy to say that the book lived up to my expectations.

Liane Moriarty is a brilliant writer who weaves stories with these wild plot twists and bizarre characters. Her books are really fun, but at the same time they share difficult and relatable situations. I especially admire the way Moriarty slowly peels back the layers of each story, giving enough detail to engage and withholding enough to keep you hooked. She is definitely an auto-buy author for me!

This book centers around an ordinary BBQ on an ordinary afternoon with 6 adults and 3 children. Somehow this typical BBQ turns into a nightmare for these families and readers are led on a fast-paced journey to get to the bottom of it all.

Truly Madly GuiltyI was fascinated by the relationship between Erika and Clementine, who are now adults and have been friends since childhood. They don’t seem to particularly like each other, but their shared history is a strong bond. It’s a relationship that feels almost like a strained sisterhood, and in a way, it is. Erika grew up with a hoarding mother and was quickly taken under the wing of Clementine’s family.

Truly Madly Guilty is filled with wacky characters, witty dialogue, and unexpected twists!

Must-reads for Memorial Day Weekend

~ SamanthaWho ~ 4 Comments

Memorial Day Weekend readsWhether you’re heading out for a beach getaway this Memorial Day or enjoying a stay-cation buried under the covers, I’ve got a list of great reads for the holiday weekend!

Eligible

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld is a modern remaking of the classic Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, with a play on the hit reality TV show The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. A bit cheesy and slightly raunchy, the comical tone of this book is completely entertaining and I was amused by the outlandish characters and their bizarre behavior. Filled with delightful surprises, this is a definitely a fun read!

I Let You Go

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh is one of the rare mystery novels that I want to re-read because the plot twist is absolutely fantastic and I really connected with the characters. The story begins on a rainy afternoon when a woman is walking her young son home from school. When he runs ahead to get out of the cold, a car hits him out of nowhere. The child dies on impact and the car speeds off without a trace. Right from the start, with this dark and eerie prologue, this book consumed me and I can tell you that that the plot twist is EXCELLENT.

A Hundred Summers

I’m a huge fan of Beatriz Williams and am constantly recommending her books to friends and family. This is a book that I recommend to both my bookworm friends and self-proclaimed non-reader friends and they have all loved it! A Hundred Summers begins when Lily Dane leaves New York City and comes face to face with her ex-best friend, Budgie, and ex-fiancé Nick in Seaview, Rhode Island. The story switches between 1938 and 1931 as we try to discover how Lily’s world turned upside down. I adored these characters and I hope you do too!

Big Little Lies

Liane Moriarty writes wonderful stories that combine the lightness of a beach read with the twists and turns of a gripping story. Her novel, Big Little Lies, follows three women whose children attend the same school. As readers we learn from interview clips that something bad happened at a school event and I couldn’t put the book down until I found out what it was. Catch up on this one before the new HBO series based on the book airs staring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, and Alexander Skarsgård!

The One That Got Away

I just started this debut novel by Leigh Himes and I’m totally hooked by the fast pace and engaging characters. With a similar tone as Freaky Friday (anyone else a fan of the Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis movie?), the story is one of a switched identity. When Abbey wakes up from a fall down the Nordstrom escalator, she finds that she is married to a man who isn’t her husband. Abbey is overworked and underappreciated as she juggles parenting her children, managing their house budget, and handling her job. In this alternative world, Abbey is the wife of a successful congressional candidate, a man who she had met and turned down years before, and now she realizes the life she may have had if she had chosen differently….

Happy reading! xoxo

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty

~ SamanthaWho ~ 1 Comment

The Hypnotist's Love StoryPublished a few years ago, The Hypnotist’s Love Story is another great book by Liane Moriarty. Always fun and engaging, Moriarty does a fantastic job of transforming ordinary life and complicated relationships into stories worth reading. A quick read, it’s easy to get swept away with this book for a cozy afternoon on the couch.

This story focuses on Ellen, a kind-hearted hypnotherapist, and her new relationship with Patrick. A widow, Patrick comes not only with emotional baggage and a cute 8-year-old son, but with a stalker as well. Saskia, Patrick’s ex-girlfriend, cannot let go of their relationship and continues to follow Patrick’s every move as he begins to date Ellen. The Hypnotist’s Love Story switches between scenes from both Ellen and Saskia’s perspectives and we see their intense fascination with one another. As Ellen and Patrick become more serious, it’s clear that Saskia’s little obsession cannot continue on and something must be done…

I really enjoyed this story! The characters are interesting, their interactions are both realistic and amusing, and once again (I’ve read a few of her novels) I found myself completely absorbed in another book by Moriarty.