[61] Forget Me Twice by Carina Taylor
Fiction / Romance, saw in Hoopla, Audio

TW: assault

Synopsis: Meyer’s ex-husband Archie crashes his plane and ends up in the hospital with amnesia, and believes they’re still married. His doctor insists he recover in familiar surroundings—meaning he moves back in with Meyer. Unable to tell him the truth without risking his recovery, she’s forced to play along while he showers her with affection and tries to mend their “marriage” (she told him they had a fight).

Review: Wow, what a complete trainwreck. I obviously read this book because it has a plane on the cover and I thought it might be about a pilot. Let’s talk about the actual “plot” before I get to that though. The premise is simple—pretend to be married until he remembers then kick him out again. The story remained too simple though. Simple, superficial, and extremely surface level. There is nothing deep about these characters. Nothing to make you root for them to get back together. We don’t get their history, or much into why they are divorced. They’re completely immature and insufferable. It was a bit infuriating. The writing is questionable (do we really need a long description of peeing in the woods? what’s with the assault drive-by?) and there’s a bit of an ethics dilemma with the doctor that is brushed over. The whole story was just BAD.

Okay, now onto the flying stuff (next 3 paragraphs). I don’t want to be esoteric (but I am), but would it have hurt the author to research aviation a bit more? The plane stuff was so unrealistic it made me stabby. Like he crashed in someone’s yard and no one got badly hurt including Archie? There’s no way he just plopped down in a yard in a suburban neighborhood without doing a lot more property damage. Just the glide in would have caused so much destruction. And it just happened to be the yard of someone he knew? Then the plane was there a week and the homeowner had a party outside—with the plane still there? Then Archie hired to have it hauled away and the NTSB hadn’t already taken it? Or interviewed him? Yeah… doubtful.

Then it turns out he is 25 and owns this plane. I was like, what does this bro do to OWN a plane at that age. it was finally explained he’s in finance. The realistic part of the crash is that it was a Cirrus (LOL, won’t get into the stereotyping of Cirrus pilots). BUT THE PLANE ON THE COVER IS NOT A CIRRUS. Details, I know (and I know author’s have little say in cover art). Then it turns out he crashed from was fuel starvation, which his mechanic tells him just saying “you ran out of gas.” Again, where is the NTSB and FAA?!

And the most annoying part is how much Meyer keeps saying “I knew when he became a pilot he would crash a plane.” Girl, what?! Then you think maybe that will be the root of their divorce and maybe some substance there. Nope, she is just terrified of flying.

Recommend? What do you think? Hell no.

[62] Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, because it’s Emily Henry, Kindle

Synopsis: When aspiring author Alice Scott and brooding Pulitzer winner Hayden Anderson are both invited to write the biography of reclusive heiress Margaret Ives, they find themselves stuck on a remote island in Georgia competing for the job. Margaret gives each of them only part of her story—and a strict NDA keeps them from sharing notes. As they try to unravel the mystery of Margaret’s past, a simmering attraction develops.

Review: So this has the beautiful Emily Henry writing that a lot of us love, but it’s missing the romance and banter her other stories often have. This is billed as a romance but it felt more like a slow burn… mystery? Kind of trying to give The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes but missing the mark? The story within the story bored me. It didn’t get “juicy” until the end, and even then it was a bit ho hum. I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters in it. It was like reading a family tree. Alice and Hayden were actually interesting characters and I wanted more time with them. I wanted their romance to actually develop. And I wanted Henry to actually tell us what the heck was wrong with Alice’s sister as a kid instead of just alluding to it all the time.

All that said, it was really well written and I didn’t hate it even though it sounds like it! LOL.

Recommend? Sure

[63] She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica
Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic, saw in “Available Now” on Libby, Audio

Synopsis: Divorced mom and hospital nurse Meghan Michaels tries to keep a healthy emotional distance from her patients, until a young woman named Caitlin is brought in after a mysterious fall from a bridge. When a witness suggests Caitlin may have been pushed, Meghan finds herself pulled into the girl’s life and her family’s secrets. But as the investigation deepens, Meghan realizes too late that getting involved may have put her and her daughter in serious danger.

Review: Ahh this book. I felt like it was going in so many different directions. The intro starts with the kidnapping of her daughter and that isn’t revisited until 60% into the book. You’re just in suspense, waiting for it to happen or wondering if she imagined it. So it kept me listening, but felt like cheap bait. The twist after that was really good. I figured it out right before it was revealed and liked how sneaky it was. But then the ending was obvious. That’s all very vague but I don’t want to spoil anything in case you decide to listen, which I don’t recommend. This book is just too all over the place.

Recommend? No

[58] Between the Pines (Black Springs Ranch #1) by Amber Palmer
Romance / Western, saw on Kindle U, Kindle

Synopsis: After Josie Hayes catches her boyfriend cheating on her, she flees Texas for Tennessee, to spend time at her family’s cabin. She never quite makes it to the cabin though—she stops at the bar in town and ends up having a spontaneous week-long fling with the bartender, Lincoln Carter. Despite her feelings for him, she can’t imagine how their relationship will ever work out geographically, so she leaves early one morning before he’s awake. A year later, she’s built a new life—only to find Lincoln back in it, working at her father’s summer horse training program.

Review: I really liked how this book broke from the typical slow-burn romance formula and dove right into a passionate connection between the characters (similar to Sawyer, another cowboy romance I read LOL), and I didn’t even roll my eyes at Lincoln showing back up in her life. But after that, it felt so predictable, ho hum, and obvious. I think this is the book that finally got me off my cowboy romance kick. They’re all starting to blend together!

Recommend? No

[59] Swan Song (Nantucket #4) by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction / Women, 4th in series, Audio

Synopsis: Just days from retirement, longtime Nantucket police chief Ed Kapenash is pulled back into duty when a $22 million home goes up in flames, and the homeowners’ personal concierge mysteriously vanishes. With personal ties to the missing woman and the flashy newcomers behind the chaos, Ed must delay his exit and piece together the tangled lives of island residents.

Review: This was peak rich-people-behaving-badly—think over-the-top parties, fake charity pledges, and petty drama on the pickleball court. It was entertaining, and I loved seeing familiar characters from past books (though you don’t need to have read them to enjoy/understand this one). I was really into it, until the ending, which was so cheesy it took it from a 5-star to 4-star read.

Recommend? Sure

[60] The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin
Fiction / Women, saw in “Available Now” on Libby, Audio

TW: Suicide, death of a parent

Synopsis: Lainey, Tyson, Summer, and Hannah meet their freshman year of college and form a deep bond that lasts throughout college. After the heartbreaking loss of Summer to suicide at the end of their senior year, Lainey, Tyson, and Hannah make a pact to always be there for one another. A decade later, when Hannah’s life is upended, they reunite, each facing personal struggles of their own. They decide to take a trip together—each choosing a meaningful destination—as a way to escape, reconnect, and honor Summer’s memory.

Review: Ha, this book is so ridiculous and bad, I had to stick with it to see what the hell happened and if it made ANY sense (spoiler: no). The characters are all unlikable, and despite being out of college for ten years, they’re very immature and have poor decision making skills. Hannah is devastated her fiancé cheated on her (understandable) and that she may never start a family. Lainey has daddy issues she deals with by acting wild, drinking too much, and sleeping with random men. And then there’s Tyson… who seems to be a standup guy but dumps his girlfriend and quits his job to go on this trip?! Without spoiling too much, the ending makes NO sense. The plot makes NO SENSE. This book is just a big ole NO.

Oh! Almost forgot. I really disliked the way the narrators did the other characters’ voices. For example, Lainey’s narrator made Hannah sound extremely whiny, and the women did a horrible job with the man and vice versa.

Recommend? No

[55] My Favorite Bad Decision (The Favorites #1) by Elizabeth O’Roark
Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, saw on Kindle U, Kindle

Synopsis: When Kit shows up for a group climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, the last person she expects to see is Miller West—her sister’s “one who got away” ex from ten years ago that Kit couldn’t stand. Kit is beyond annoyed. But as the days go on, she finds it harder to despise him when he keeps showing up for her… which is the exact opposite of her boyfriend back in the states.

Review: What a strange, strange story—one that tries too hard to be profound and layered. Kit could be interesting in the sense that her story is a chance to peer into how the 1% live—she’s the ultra-privileged daughter of a model and a media mogul. She works for her father but dreams of being a doctor, and even made it pretty far in med school but dropped out (for a mysterious reason that’s revealed later). So she’s smart. She’s also sassy and her and Miller banter back and forth, which is fun. But I just was not buying this connection they made 10 years ago. The story didn’t sell it to me. And this isn’t even letting the fact that he dated and slept with her sister bother me (which a lot of people on Goodreads couldn’t get past). And her status and the ridiculous things her family and boyfriend did (remember, she has a boyfriend!) became less amusing and more “is anyone really like this?” Meh.

Recommend? No

[56] The Perfect Couple (Nantucket #3) by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, third in series, Audio

Synopsis: The body of the to-be maid of honor is found in the harbor just hours before a high-society wedding in Nantucket. The entire wedding party is under suspicion. As the police interview the wedding party and guests, many secrets unravel.

Review: More rich people behaving badly—exactly what I expect from Hilderbrand. This was entertaining, even though I guessed what happened about a third from the end. And you could totally read this as a standalone.

I have some complaints though. I feel like Hildebrand hates women. Maybe that’s too harsh. She writes them of superficial caricatures of how I know real women to behave. Who knows though, maybe this is how women behave in Nantucket, where all her books are set.

Complaint 2: are we still calling women “chunky” in 2018? Maybe. It just rubs wrong.

Complaint 3: this one is on me—the bride develops a lisp while wedding planning and I listened to this on audio, and it made me bonkers. I am an asshole.

Recommend? Sure! Despite my complaints is an easy summer read

[57] The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Fiction / Literary, Green Light from Knox on The Popcast, audio

Synopsis: When Sara returns home from a trip, she’s detained by a government agency that claims her dreams predict she’ll harm her husband. Sent to a mysterious facility with other women flagged as future criminals, she must navigate shifting rules and mounting uncertainty. As her confinement stretches on, she becomes more rebellious and tries to take what little control of her fate she can.

Review: This is really well written and interesting but it made me feel anxious and upset. The idea that she is being held for something she never did just feels like… something that could actually happen, KWIM? And that all this data is being collected from multiple sources to score your risk factor… also feels like something that could happen soon. It made me feel uneasy. And a book that makes me feel things, even if I don’t want to, is a good book! I’m just leaning more toward good feelings now (which is why I am also struggling with Careless People). I am reading to escape and I did not with this book.

Recommend? Yes if you’re in the mood!