MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.....

 

Book Review: His Other Woman by Louise Voss

 

His Other Woman by Louise Voss

What would you do if the love of your life forgot you… and met someone else?

I waved my husband goodbye at the airport, and he vanished without a trace. I sat awake, night after night, looking at photos of our family. I knew he would never leave us.

And then I found him.

Now he lives with the younger, beautiful woman he thinks he loves. And he doesn’t even recognise me.

Who will he choose? Can I forgive him? And will I ever be able to look into his eyes without thinking of his other woman?

From the bestselling author Louise Voss comes a heartbreakingly emotional story about family and forgiveness, that will make you cry and hold on tight to the ones you love. Perfect for fans of Nicole Trope, Kerry Fisher and The Silent Daughter.

My thoughts 

When a book can keep me awake into the wee hours of the morning, tell yourself we have a winner. 

I loved everything about this book, especially the twist at the end. I really couldn't believe what happened. The main characters especially the husband Liam will have you feeling very sad at some points. My heart truly went out to him in the end. Katya (the other woman), well I had her back until... (I won't say much here cause I want persons to read this). 

   What I can say is that this story was a really touching and believable tale of marriage and how even the strongest of marriages can have turmoil.

Great story. 

This was a great find on Netgalley.

Book Review; Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.

 

SUCH A FUN AGE BY KILEY REID 

A striking and surprising debut novel from an exhilarating new voice, Such a Fun Age is a page-turning and big-hearted story about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both.

Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone family, and the complicated reality of being a grown up. It is a searing debut for our times.

My Thoughts

This book is very popular, and I was motivated to read it. While the writing was good, the story really picked up in the second half of the book. This was a very different take on race relations in the United States. It was very different to previous books I read with the same theme.

While I read this book, I disliked each of the characters at some point. First, Emira Tucker, the babysitter I felt that she was presented as a bit naïve and I daresay weak. While I get that she did not want to make a big deal about the altercation in the store etc. In her interaction with Alix Chamberlain, I felt almost that she let Alix take advantage of her. 

Alix was a complex character, I believe that she was so obsessed by what happened in the past that she in trying to prove that she was not racist  used her privilege and wealth to buy her affection. I think what was most interesting was the relationship with her daughter Briar. 

 

Kelley Copeland, the blast from the past (you will understand this if you read the book) and Emira's boyfriend came off as genuine in the beginning but he was also, like Alix trying to prove in a different way that he was not racist as well. 

What made this book interesting to me is that their interaction and the outcome of this was odd yet believable. I could see that readers may either really love this book on one hand and on the other really dislike it. In all I think this was a good read. 

Book Review: Baby Factory by Suleiman Ocheni

 

Baby Factory by Suleiman Ocheni

Having lived a fairly sheltered life, Aleeza is oblivious to the emotional turmoil and volatility of normal human existence... However, this changes and does so all at once.

She is shunted out of her comfort zone when she innocuously discovers inconsistencies surrounding the birth of her daughter. This is the catalyst that forces her to embark on a journey filled with daring thrills fraught with danger.

Along the way, circumstances make it so that she has to accept help from a blast from her not so distant past. Feelings she thought she had laid to rest scratch their way to the surface, further complicating the dumpster fire that has become her life.

This story follows Aleeza as she confronts a host of conflicting sentiments and fights to save her daughter, all while navigating the intricate web of relationships in her life.

Will she allow herself to be overcome by her new reality, or will she summon the courage she needs to turn her life around and welcome happiness back in?

My thoughts 

This was a very good find on Netgalley.

The title of this novel drew me to request it a while back on Netgalley and it did not disappoint. Aleeza a young Nigerian woman living her life in Britain, just gave birth to a baby girl she named Remy. However, as Remy is immediately pronounced dead due to sepsis Aleeza demands to see her baby's dead body for confirmation. Her grief his halted as she realizes that the dead baby presented to her does not have a birthmark and therefore is not hers. Aleeza is convinced that someone in the hospital stole her baby. Of course this is difficult to prove.

Meanwhile Remy's father, Aleeza's ex, Richard is shocked to know that he was about to be a father. Aleeza told him nothing about the pregnancy. In trying to deal with the shock and his feelings about Aleeza the chain of events that follow is quite exciting.

I like the premise of the story. I knew nothing about Baby Factories prior to reading this topic was very interesting to me. I love Aleeza's determination throughout the story. I think the lengths she went to in quest to find her baby was really impacting. A mother's love is really something else indeed. The relationship between Aleeza and Richard was quite turbulent and romantic at the same time.

What was really good though was the ending. That was a shocker indeed.

Book Review: THE GUEST LIST by LUCY FOLEY

 

THE GUEST LIST by LUCY FOLEY

A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding fit for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed reading this. I listened on audio and read along with the book. The audio book added to the experience and the mystery of the story. I was really surprised at the ending. So if you have not read this yet keep an open mind.

I did not know what to expect with this book at first because while reading I said to myself, ok here we go a wedding on an eerie island but apart from the mystery surrounding the wedding guests the book had so much more meaning than that. All I have to say is the groom has many issues stemming from his troubled past, the bride Jules as well. 

My favorite character was the plus one Hannah, somehow reading about Hannah made me want to learn more amount her story, like the author could do a whole book about her life. Like before she met her husband Charlie (who I think more could have been done with, I think he faded in the book). Olivia was also really good. Her actions when you read the book, and for those who would have read it before, you will realize was so justified.

This book was the type that makes you read on towards the end because you just want to know what happens. Loved it. 

BLOGGING UPDATES & BETWEEN THE PAGES BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

 

Hi Readers,

December 2021 is finally here. This year was such a busy year for me. Trini Girl Reads  has been progressing nicely, my Bookstagram has over (700 ) followers which is really good since I only started last year. Somewhere around the middle of the year my momentum for the blog waned. This was due to a number of factors especially work obligations, studying etc. 

I received a number of review requests from authors who are probably saying to themselves that this blogger is not reading or reviewing my book. This is something that I try to do in a timely manner once I agreed to read. My plan for December is to read books sent by authors and clear my very long Netgalley shelf. 

As 2021 closes, these are my reading plans. So authors if you sent me a copy of your book look out once I enjoyed it, it will be featured here on Trini Girl Reads. I only review books that I liked. 

In other exciting news. I have started a book club called "Between the Pages" on Good Reads. I hope to get as many people as I can to join and participate in the discussions as this promises to be a new and exciting bookish experience. 

So readers, I am back (from my brief hiatus) and committed to sharing my passion for reading with the world.

What are your bookish plans for the end of the year??

CLICK THE LINK JOIN MY BOOK CLUB

Between the Pages Book Club
6 members
My name is Francica a.k.a. Trini Girl Reads. Welcome to my book club. This book club is designed for the diverse reader. I read everything from, psychological thrillers, YA, short stories, Romance, Historical Fiction. Activities to expect: ✔ BOTM picks ✔Book Recommendations ✔TBR Lists ✔Readathons ✔Buddy Reads ✔Challenges and so much more If these things interest you. Feel free to Join the Club

Books we've read

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A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

 

Synopsis 

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

My thoughts 
5 ⭐

Finally!!!

So if you have been following me on Goodreads or if you have been reading my blog Trini Girl Reads you may have noticed that I have been literally reading this book for the entire year don't ask me why. Anyways this second installment of A Song of Fire and Ice was lit.... I absolutely loved it.

I was one of those who bought this book series after watching the HBO series, but you know what? I am glad that I read the books because now I understand a little more of the background of the story.

In the TV series for example, I didn't really care for Sansa's character but after reading this I think I get her a little more. Absolutely love Daenerys just like in the series. The mother of dragons just makes me excited lol.... I can't wait to read the third book. Hopefully I wont take that long to read it. I must say it takes a writer with a special imagination to pull off a story like A Song of Fire and Ice..