Book Review: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Posted on 05/13/2023 by Lenn

Title: The Unhoneymooners

Author: Christina Lauren

Publication Date: May 14, 2019

Number of Pages: 400

Format: Trade Paperback

Publisher: Piatkus

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Romantic Comedy, New Adult

Synopsis:

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of… lucky. Continue reading →

Book Review: Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks

Posted on 05/12/2023 by Lenn

Title: Two By Two

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Publication Date: October 4, 2016

Number of Pages: 482

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Publisher: Vision

Genre: Drama, Romance, Chick Lit

Synopsis:

At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear…and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding–one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Kurim Case: A Terrifyingly True Story of Child Abuse, Cults, and Cannibalism by Ryan Green

Posted on 05/11/2023 by Lenn

Title: The Kurim Case: A Terrifyingly True Story of Child Abuse, Cults, and Cannibalism

Author: Ryen Green

Publication Date: June 29, 2016

Number of Pages: 103

Format: Ebook

Publisher: Ryan Green Publishing

Genre: Horror, True Crime, Non-Fiction

Synopsis:

In May of 2007, in a small, quiet town in the South Moravia region of the Czech Republic, a technical glitch – a simple, accidental crossing of signals – revealed just such a case, and an entire nation watched transfixed with horror as the grisly extent of the perversion of the maternal instinct was revealed. Two small brothers named Jakub and Ondrej, nine and seven years old respectively, were revealed to have suffered confinement, mutilation, psychological brutality, and cannibalism at the hands of several people – foremost among them ‘their own mother and her sister’.

The ensuing investigation and trial captivated the country as a web of secrecy and manipulation was laid bare. That entire nation’s attention was transfixed as the disappearance of a teenage girl revealed a daring case of concealed identity and international intrigue, culminating in a thousand-mile chase in the depths of a Scandinavian winter.

The allegations that were levelled would keep any parent of a young child awake at night. A secretive cult operating in close proximity to children: stealing, forging medical records, and possibly attempting to create a new messiah was in full swing. All the while its members appeared, on the surface, to be models of excellent caregivers.

This is the story of the infamous ‘Kuřim Case’, an investigation that engrossed the public and media of a whole country for two years. It is a story of intense cruelty and sadism, inflicted on the most vulnerable members of society.

If you are especially sensitive to accounts of the suffering of children, you may find it advisable not to read any farther.

If, however, you seek to understand the darker side of human nature by coming face to face with it, then this book is written for you. Scroll up and click on the ‘Buy Now’ button at the top of this page, and begin looking into the remarkable story behind ‘The Kuřim Case’. Continue reading →

Stuff I’ve Been Reading Lately #33

Posted on 05/08/2023 by Lenn

BOOKS READ:

Monster Vol. 2 by Naoki Urisawa
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Summer House by James Patterson & Brendan DuBois
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Horrid Henry & the Secret Club by Francesca Simon
Ritualistic Human Sacrifice by C.V. Hunt

BOOKS BOUGHT:

Outsider by Stephen King
Misery by Stephen King
The Lost Boy by David Pelzer
The Push by Ashley Audraine
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas
The Whole Truth by Cara Hunter
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Continue reading →

Book Review: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Posted on 04/28/2023 by Lenn

Title: The Poet X

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Publication Date: March 6, 2018

Number of Pages: 368

Format: Audiobook

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Poetry, Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Summer House by James Patterson & Brendan DuBois

Posted on 04/27/2023 by Lenn

Title: The Summer House

Author: James Patterson, Brendan DuBois

Publication Date: June 8, 2020

Number of Pages: 429

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Century

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Military

Synopsis:

For seven unsuspecting victims, death comes in the dark . . .

Once a luxurious getaway for a wealthy Southern family, the Summer House has long since fallen into disrepair. Its fall from grace is complete when it becomes the scene of a horrific mass murder.

Shocking evidence points to four Army Rangers recently returned from Afghanistan. The Army sends Major Jeremiah Cook, a war veteran and former NYPD cop, to investigate.

As Cook and his team struggle to put together pieces of evidence that just won’t fit, powerful forces rally against them to try to ensure that damning secrets are buried along with the victims. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Posted on 04/26/2023 by Lenn

Title: The Silent Patient

Author: Alex Michaelides

Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Number of Pages: 368

Format: Mass Market Paperback

Publisher: Celadon Books

Genre: Thriller, Psychological, Mystery

Synopsis:

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband―and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations―a search for the truth that threatens to consume him…. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo #4) by Rick Riordan

Posted on 04/25/2023 by Lenn

Title: The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo 4)

Author: Rick Riordan

Publication Date: September 24, 2019

Number of Pages: 439

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Genre: Fantasy, Middle-Grade

Synopsis:

In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying.

It’s not easy being Apollo, especially when you’ve been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo’s aid to survive the onslaught.

Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler . . . someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced. Continue reading →

Book Review: Finding Me by Viola Davis

Posted on 04/19/2023 by Lenn

Title: Finding Me

Author: Viola Davis

Publication Date: April 26, 2022

Number of Pages: 304

Format: Audiobook

Publisher: HarperOne

Genre: Non-fiction, memoir

Synopsis:

In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever.

This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.

As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be . . . you.

Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.
Continue reading →

Book Review: I’m a Therapist, and My Patient is a Vegan Terrorist: 6 Deadly Social Media Influencers (Dr. Harper, #3)

Posted on 04/02/2023 by Lenn

Title: I’m a Therapist, and My Patient is a Vegan Terrorist: 6 Deadly Social Media Influencers (Dr. Harper, #3)

Author: Anonymous

Publication Date: March 8, 2020

Number of Pages: 192

Format: E-book

Publisher: Independent

Genre: Thriller, Splatterpunk, Horror, Extreme Horror

Synopsis:

The Explosive Conclusion to the Dr. Harper Therapy series

I’m a therapist, and I’ve worked with the wildest internet celebrities… A vigilante who treated humans as factory farm animals. A germaphobe who warned of the next major plague. My own best friend. A rapist who got cancelled online — and in real life. A psychic medium with a disturbing prediction.

And the last patient I ever worked with: The one who asked me to take them off life support.

It all started with a big social media festival on a little island. We were promised endless days of sunshine, beach bonfires under the stars, and a chance to party with the world’s most renowned influencers.

Instead, we were lucky if we made it out in one piece.
Continue reading →