Book Review: The Edelweiss Sisters

Historical fiction novels are typically a hit or miss for me. The Edelweiss Sisters by Kate Hewitt was one hundred percent a hit. I found it to be beautifully written, heartbreaking, but also there were a lot of happy moments throughout the novel, even through all of the devastation.

This book takes place in 1938 in Salzburg, when the Nazis are occupying Austria. Johanna, Birgit, and Lotte Eder have always lived quiet lives and kept to themselves. They help out their mother at home and help their father in his clock making shop. Their father hires Franz, a jewish man, to help him out in his shop. Johanna begins to fall in love with Franz, which puts the all in danger. Johanna and her sisters work together to get Franz to safety in Switzerland. By doing this they are risking everything. The three of them would die for each other, but now they are being tested to see if they are willing to die for what is right.

There was a lot of heartbreaking moments in this book, but it also showed the strength that people have when in dire situations. It also shows how when someone believes in something, how hard they will fight for it. These three sisters risked everything to help a man who they were still getting to know, but they ultimately knew it was the right thing to do. I found each of these characters to be incredibly strong, well written, and sympathetic. Like I mentioned earlier, historical fiction can be a hit or miss for me just because sometimes I find it to be a bit boring and I enjoy faster paced novels, but I really enjoyed this book. I have read other books by this author and this one is just so different from the others. I’ve enjoyed every book I have read by her, but this one I think may be my favorite so far.

I gave this book 3.5/5 stars. I would not hesitate to recommend this novel, especially if you enjoy historical fiction. This novel definitely left an impact on me and I thought about it for days after I read it. I look forward to reading more of Hewitt’s historical fiction novels in the future!

Book Review: The Broken Girls

If you have not read The Broken Girls by Simone St. James yet, do yourself a favor and read it. I randomly picked this book for my Book of the Month box and I am so glad that I did. It was such an interesting read with lots of twists and I could not stop reading this book.

In Vermont 1950 Idlewild hall was a boarding school for “troubled girls”. There are rumors that this boarding school is haunted. Four roommates end up kind of bonding over this story and their friendship continues to grow until one of them seems to just vanish. Now it is 2014 and Fiona Sheridan is a growing journalist. in 1994 her sisters body was found on the abandoned grounds of Idlewild Hall. Even though her sisters boyfriend at the time was arrested and convicted of her murder, Fiona cannot stop thinking about it and feeling as if things just don’t add up. As Fiona continues to look into it and the history of Idlewild Hall, secrets that were meant to stay hidden begin to surface.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the jumping between time periods. I felt that it added another element and made me want to keep reading even more. This novel was also told from multiple viewpoints, which I always think adds to the story. The characters were all strong and I was able to feel a connection with each of them. I read this book really quickly and could not put it down.

Overall I give this book 4/5 stars. Like I mentioned earlier, it had strong characters, an interesting plot, multiple viewpoints, and I enjoyed the jump between time periods. I can’t wait to read more books by this author. I imagine I’ll enjoy her other novels just as much as I enjoyed this one!

Book Review: My Daughter’s Mistake

My Daughter’s Mistake by Kate Hewitt is a novel that challenged how I think about different things and my judgement on people. As soon as I read what it was about I was immediately drawn in. This is my third book by Kate Hewitt and I look forward to reading more.

This book takes place in a small college town in New Hampshire. It is a safe place to live. Everyone seems to know each other, or at least know of each other. One day Jenna’s six year old daughter, Amy Rose, is hit by a car that is being driven by seventeen year old Maddie. Maddie’s mom, Ellen, a college professor insists the whole thing must be an accident because her daughter is super careful and never distracted while driving. Both mothers seem to be hiding something though, as well as Maddie.

I read this book in about a day. I thought all of the characters were well written and I liked that the novel was told from the perspective of both Jenna and Ellen. I do kind of wish that we got to see Maddie’s perspective of everything as well, but I get that the story was supposed to mainly be about the two mothers. I felt the character development throughout the novel was also well done. This book really reminded me of a lot of Jodi Picoult’s novels.

I gave this book 3/5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. My biggest issue is that there were a lot of typos and editing mistakes throughout the book and it did make it hard for me to get through the book at times because I felt like I was just constantly editing it in my head. Overall though, I felt it was a good read and I would recommend it to people who enjoy contemporary fiction and realistic fiction.

Book Review: Not a Happy Family

In February I read Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena. While it was not my favorite book, I still found it to be entertaining and a good thriller. It only took me about two days to read the book because I just wanted to know what happened.

Fred and Sheila Merton own a beautiful home in Brecken Hill in upstate New York. This neighborhood is extremely expensive and you have to be rich to live there. The Mertons are brutally murdered the night after having Easter dinner with their three adult children. Their children are devastated about what happened to their parents. Or are they? With the death of their parents each of them are set to inherit millions, so the question is, would one of them be willing to kill for the money?

If you are interested in true crime at all, you know that murdering for money is a common motive. I love true crime so I love reading a novel like this, where it all feels so real. Some of the characters did really get on my nerves, but I almost felt like they were supposed to. Not every character in this novel was supposed to be likable. Throughout the book I kept feeling like I figured out who the murderer was, but then something else would happen and I would have to rethink everything. I liked that it was not super easy to figure out, but at the same time was kind of predictable.

I gave this book 3/5 stars. It was not my favorite book or favorite thriller I have ever read, but I did enjoy it. Like I said earlier, some of the characters really got on my nerves. That was probably the biggest downfall for me honestly. Even though I do think you were supposed to dislike some of the characters. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book. I think people who like thrillers will really enjoy this book!

Book Review: Her Final Words

I am still at a loss of words for the book Her Final Words by Brianna Labuskes. It was a thriller, but it had other elements to it. I found the whole concept to be fascinating and really different from other books.

17 year old Eliza Cook seeks out FBI special agent Lucy Thorne to confess to a murder of a twelve year old boy. This seems like an open and shut case, but Lucy believes there is more to this. After Eliza confesses to the murder she refuses to share anymore details, or even talk. This forces Lucy to go to the scene of the crime, so she can uncover what really is going on in the small town Eliza has come from.

I love a book that is centered around a small town. This small town is not unlike others, there are a lot of secrets, people have a hard time accepting outsiders, and this one is also super religious. I really enjoyed this novel. It moved quickly, there were a lot of different elements to the story, and the characters were really strong. Like I mentioned earlier, I found this book to be really different from other books and I really liked that. As someone who reads a lot, sometimes books can all start to feel the same, but this one did not make me feel like that.

I gave this book 4/5 stars. I would highly recommend it. Especially to people who enjoy thrillers, or small town mysteries. I also enjoyed the authors writing style. I have read two books by Labuskes and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them and I look forward to reading more books by her!

February Reading Wrap-up

Today’s blog is going to be dedicated to my February reading wrap-up! I did not read as many books this month as I did in January, but I still managed to read quite a few. In the month of February I read 8 books. Here are the 8 books I read:

Every Last Secret by A.R. Torre
The Edelweiss Sisters by Kate Hewitt
One Year Gone by Avery Bishop
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
Girls of Glass by Brianna Labuskes
Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
Burned by Ellen Hopkins

This was not my best reading month ever, but I still think it was a pretty good one. None of these books were the best I ever read, but I did really enjoy pretty much all of them. My favorite book this month I would say is The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. I found it to be well written and an exciting thriller. I also really enjoyed Burned by Ellen Hopkins and I look forward to reading the sequel.

My least favorite I would say is Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. I think I can handle books that are more disturbing or dark, but this one was even too much for me at times. I also felt the book ended super abruptly and I wish there were a little bit more to the ending. This book actually slowed me down quite a bit because it was so dark I had to read it slowly because at times it just became too much.

Overall, I would recommend each book that I read this month. I did not regret reading any of them or feel that any of them were a waste of my time. I will do more thorough reviews of each of these books throughout the month, so be on the lookout for that! I am excited to see how many books I read this month and if any of them will become my new favorite!