In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

I personally love Ruth Ware's writing style. Her characters are deep but flawed and I love them for that.

This book followed Leonora (Lee, Leo, Nora) as she attends a pre-wedding Hen party for Clare, a girl she hasn't seen in ten years. But something goes horribly wrong.

The story splits into alternating time periods at one point, which I actually liked. There have been stories in the past who did the jump back and forth and only confused me. This one I was able to follow with no problems. I think it made the mystery stronger, actually.

The cast of characters for this one was fun, quirky. I had feelings about all of them, which is good, but not many of them gave me the creepy this-could-be-the-culprit vibe. Either way, loved the mystery and the storytelling on this one.

I'd recommend this one mystery fans. Five smiles.

NYPD Red #4 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp

Unlike the Women's Murder Club series, which I seem to be growing less fond of, this series seems to be reeling me in. I enjoy the characters immensely (Zach you are too smart to not put up boundaries with Kylie, ugh) and the story lines are always intense. If you aren't familiar with NYPD Red, the concept is basically that a detective squad was set up specifically to deal with the rich and famous crowd in New York. Red is for high profile cases only, basically.

This book brings in a character who I adored! She is a con artist and an adorable old lady. I would read this book again for her alone.

Four smiles for a great thriller that kept me reading and a cute little old con artist who talks to her husbands ashes.

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel

Goodreads tells me this is the seventh book featuring Louise Rick. That makes sense since I noticed there seemed to be a background and depth to this character that I was missing out on. However, it didn't affect the story. Instead, it made me curious to know more. This can be read alone without reading the previous six.

This book was one of those stories where you are riveted to the plot, dying to know what comes next, but completely disgusted with the story at the same time. The situation unfolded into things that made me cringe. I hated how the title "forgotten girls" became relevant. Don't get me wrong, it was skillfully written and I fully appreciate the book. Her ability to weave stories that are so real they disgust you is actually a talent and I applaud her for that.

Overall, I'd recommend this one if you like detective novels. Four smiles.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

This book has been billed as "Indiana Jones in space" and...yes!

Basically we are dealing with a future when humans are exploring the planet Gaia. There are some exploring there (illegally, I may add) in hopes of stealing technology to bring back to earth. Still others are exploring to learn more about the Undying, who left an encoded message for humans.

The characters of Jules and Amelia were simply awesome. They are developed and explained in a way that helps you imagine them. I loved the idea and I loved the twist.

4 smiles and a wink for the ending I wasn't expecting. Highly recommended.

16th Seduction by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

16th book in the Women's Murder Club series

I'm going to keep this review simple. I'm wishy-washy on the women's murder club. When it first started I wasn't completely sold on the characters. As it developed and Lindsay changed I liked it more. I started to come around. This book lost something for me. I can't explain it but I know it had something to do with Claire and Lindsay's relationship. They have always been one of my favorite parts and this time it fell flat.

3 smiles and, honestly, I'm not sure I'll bother with reading book 17.

Exposed by Lisa Scottoline

Technically this is the fifth book in the series featuring Mary DiNunzio and Bennie Rosato. However, I think I've only read one other book in this series. I'm confident in saying you can absolutely read this one alone without missing a beat.

This book follows two female lawyers, partners, who find themselves on opposite sides of a case. It's high stakes and interesting, two adjectives I often associate with Scottoline's writing. I expect to be entertained and on the edge of my seat when I read her books. I was not disappointed.

If you're looking for fast-paced stories, give this one a go.

4 Smiles

Blacklist by Alyson Noel

Beautiful Idols #2

Told you I'd have to dive into the sequel soon (and I just learned it's a trilogy, so that will have to happen).

This books picks up where Unrivaled left off and gives you more of the mystery. By the end of the book the characters are more developed and closer together but not closer to the answer. I don't have the most popular opinion here, you can read other reviews to see what I mean, but I think this was actually better than the first book. The characters felt more real this time around, they're coming into themselves and I like that. The side story with Mateo I could've done without, but that may be important in the conclusion book, I'm not sure yet.

I will read the third one and I give this one four smiles.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

A companion novel to The Giver

First I want to say that if you're expecting a SEQUEL to The Giver, like with the same characters, you're NOT going to get it. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about what you will get. This book has the same kind of dystopian what's-going-on-with-this-world feel to it that The Giver had. You have SO MANY QUESTIONS about this world and you fall right into it.

The book, similar to The Giver, doesn't give you all the answers and doesn't end with a satisfying conclusion. I'm nervous that the third book will take me to yet another dystopian society with different characters and no resolution, but I guess there's only one way to find out.

Overall, this is a book that sticks with you and makes you think. I like that.
Four smiles.

Unrivaled by Alyson Noel

Beautiful Idols #1

Teens in LA compete in the high intensity world of the rich and famous for a highly coveted spot promoting clubs and get more than they bargained for in the process.

This book has a great mystery element to it without losing any of it's YA contemporary feel. I liked that. It doesn't have a satisfying ending, so you'll see the second one pop up on my blog here pretty quickly. I found myself liking these characters and their personalities a lot, more than I was even expecting to.

When it comes to the rating, I have to influence the smiles UP because I devoured this book. It's long but I kept picking it back up and reading more. You have to appreciate a book you can't put down. I then have to drop the smiles DOWN because I had to suspend my disbelief in the character's ages. Look, I get that kids get into things they shouldn't (hello, I went to college) BUT I found it really difficult to believe clubs and club owners would serve them alcohol and let them work serving alcohol. The business could get in so much trouble and it's hard to believe a club owner would take that risk. I digress, the point is that I landed on four smiles.

Give it a shot and tell me what you think!

The Store by James Patterson

This book is about a store that sells everything. They know everything. They are creepy and involved in everything. It's realistic with the path we're walking with major companies (ahem: Amazon) and just slightly outside of what we're already seeing.

That being said, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. I found it a little predictable and similar to a lot of things I've read or seen before. I did rate it three smiles, but honestly I think that's rounding up. I love James Patterson and if you want to find something of his to read I'll give you recommendations (JESTER) but I don't think this one will be on the list. Sorry James.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Lara Jean writes love letters to boys. Except they're not really for the boys, they're for Lara Jean. She writes them and then keeps them in a hat box from her mother. It's a great plan until the letters inadvertently get sent out to the boys. Now what?

This book went in a different direction that I expected but I loved it. Yes, it had some cliche characters, I suppose. Yes, it had some tropes that have been done before. But, honestly, I just loved it. I think this was the first book all summer that I devoured in one day, and that deserves some love and respect.

Give it a go, feel like a kid again. It's a good one.

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

The book begins when a group of four siblings visits the traveling psychic and learns the dates of their deaths.  What an interesting premise!  Can you imagine what you would do if you knew the date you were supposed to die?  In this book we get to follow the four siblings as each of them grow up and deal with this day from their past in a different way.

This book is WONDERFUL. The premise is fantastic and the book itself moves quickly. I enjoyed every minute of it and recommend it highly to everyone out there looking for a good book.