2021 Book Review

by The Avid Reader

The Book 
of Magic 
By Alice Hoffman
If you can get past the first few chapters which review the well known characters made famous by Hoffman’s earlier books in the series (including the film Practical Magic), and you like magical realism this book is an enjoyable read with an excellent mystery tied in.  Will the Owens Family be able to remove the curse of love once and for all?

The Night She 
Disappeared
By Lisa Jewell
Set in a quaint English town this mystery will keep you engaged and guessing from the beginning. 19 year old Tallulah goes missing leaving her young son in her mother Kim’s care.  Everyone thinks she has run off or is dead but her mother knows this can't be the case.  Then a newcomer to town who aslo happens to be a mystery writer starts snooping around following the story and discovers a web of connections.

The Golden Girl 
By Elin Hilderbrand
If you enjoy a light mystery you will love The Golden Girl.  The story centers on a famous author and her family on Nantucket.  After Vivi is hit by a car the local police chief investigates the murder while Vivi watches from the great beyond as her three young adult children struggle with life. The story is unique and engaging.

The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave
When her newish husband Owen goes missing, Hannah must put together the mystery of where he went and why he left her alone with his teenage daughter.  As Hannah discovers a hidden past, she also forges a relationship with Baily that changes both their lives forever. The story is suspenseful and engaging. *This was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.

Rock Paper 
Scissors
By Alice Feeney
Adam and Amelia, a married couple whose marriage is on the rocks, travel to a converted chapel at Blackwater Loch in the Scottish Highlands. There is the spooky, abandoned place they are staying, the stranger in the cottage, the snowstorm that traps them there, the psychological tug of war between husband and wife, and years of tension about to burst. Plus the amazing plot twists will completely blindside you.  This is one of the best mysteries of the year.

A Slow Fire 
Burning
By Paula Hawkins
When a young man is found gruesomely murdered in a London houseboat, it triggers questions about three women who knew him. Laura is the troubled one-night-stand last seen in the victim’s home. Carla is his grief-stricken aunt, already mourning the recent death of yet another family member. And Miriam is the nosy neighbor clearly keeping secrets from the police. Three women with separate connections to the victim. Three women who are – for different reasons – simmering with resentment. Expertly written and suspenseful, you will be engrossed in the lives of these odd characters and their motivations.

 Malibu Rising
by Taylor Jenkins Reed
Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva. If you want to be transported to the Malibu of another era, and learn the backstory of an iconic family, this book is for you. It is unlike any other book as it shifts from varying perspectives and keeps your interest from beginning to end. 


​The Night Swim
By Megan Goldin
After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help. As Rachel delves into the mystery of what happened to Jenny twenty years ago, she is also covering a modern rape trial, and a small  town’s inability to find justice. If you love true crime podcasts, this is your next read.


The Push
By Ashley Audrain
Motherhood is not as simple as one would think in this psychological drama. Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter–she doesn’t behave like most children do. Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.  Then Sam is born and everything changes. The Push will have you asking yourself, what would you do?