Now that I’m done, I can say it; What the heck was this? A person who was an editor and writer once told me that readers have to be able to like, empathize, or at least understand a character in order to be able to enjoy a book. In this book NONE of the characters are likeable, and what’s more they are all verbally abusive to one another; mother to child, child to father, sister to sister. Set in India, the mother keeps her teenage daughters locked in their rooms for most of their lives, supposedly to keep them safe, but then says things to them like “Your days are numbered” and “I wish you were dead”. And the book starts off with one of the daughters being approached by a man in town, and there is this whole back and forth between the two where he goes after her, then she goes after him, then he drives her home and……nothing. Nothing more is said about the relationship or what happened. I could not wait for this book to be done and then felt like I needed to wash.

I don’t think I have ever said this before, but this book has WAY too much going on! Lots of people getting murdered. Some are connected and some are not. Then there is the theft that is a separate issue altogether. I was able to keep up for a while, but feeling like aa person running behind a car, I soon fell behind. I have read and enjoyed Baldacci before but was overwhelmed by this one.

Always nice to visit Dream Harbor, but I felt like I couldn't relax while reading this book. I was constantly braced for a heartbreaking conversation with a child. Overall, it's handled sweetly, but not my cup of tea.

A great exploration of the attention economy throughout history. It was a little slow in the first half, but that could just be my extremely deteriorated attention span. Last two chapters on the current state of affairs are excellent.

Full disclosure: I am a Stephen King fan. But as I read this I was a little disappointed in the first half as I found it predictable. But I should have had faith in King, because the second half delivered what I was waiting for. A young man hitches a ride from his college to the hospital where his mother has been taken. When it comes to choosing a ride, do you use your head and logic, or do you listen to your instinct? King will help you look at this a whole new way.

A very emotional book about family, reminding us that no family is perfect. I loved every character and empathized with them through their pain and heartache. A powerful debut, can't wait to read more from this author.

This story about a woman dealing with the intense love of her children who have now left home, along with going through menopause will bring out all of your emotions. It is a funny yet serious look at love of family and the need to be oneself. Will especially be enjoyed by those also dealing with aging parents.

The trouble I had with this book is that I did it as an audiobook. There were just too many characters, and sometimes the characters were referred to differently depending upon who was speaking about them. Add to that the challenges of the language of 1826 and I was not able to enjoy the book or really follow what was going on.

Adorable nerdy romance. I cannot wait for more from this author.

I could not wait for this book to be over. It is an autobiographical novel about the author’s experience growing up gay into young adulthood. The trouble is that it reads like a list of her sexual exploits beginning when she was 9 years old. And what little story there is revolves entirely around the fat that she is gay, as if that is the determining factor in every event that happens.