Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Reading Recap

First up on my list is  Class Mom .  I was coming off of several thrillers/mysteries and wanted something a whole lot "lighter" and Class Mom fit the bill.



"Jen Dixon is not your typical Kansas City kindergarten class mom--or mom in general. Jen already has two college-age daughters by two different (probably) musicians, and it's her second time around the class mom block with five-year-old Max--this time with a husband and father by her side. Though her best friend and PTA President sees her as the-wisest-candidate for the job (or oldest), not all of the other parents agree.

From recording parents' response times to her emails about helping in the classroom, to requesting contributions of-special-brownies for curriculum night, not all of Jen's methods win approval from the other moms. Throw in an old flame from Jen's past, a hyper-sensitive -allergy mom,-a surprisingly sexy kindergarten teacher, and an impossible-to-please Real Housewife-wannabe, causing problems at every turn, and the job really becomes much more than she signed up for."

Did it blow me out of the water? No.  Could I put it down?  Also no. 

It was exactly what I was looking for in terms of something light and fun and I found myself rooting for Jen and laughing out loud at several parts.  I didn't realize that it was the first in a series and I've bookmarked the others for reading later. 



After reading Verity I decided to check out another Colleen Hoover book and opted for Reminders of Him...


"After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.

The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing."

While I enjoyed it it didn't blow me out of the water.  It felt a little "too perfect" at the end and while I did enjoy the story of redemption I think I was waiting for a twist or something and it just felt kind of predictable.  That said - if you enjoy Colleen Hoover and enjoy a "lifetime-esque" plot/romance I think you'd love it!


The Mother-In-Law was a favorite for me last month...


"From the moment Lucy met her husband's mother, Diana, she was kept at arm's length. Diana was exquisitely polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.
The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation.
Who could possibly want Diana dead?
Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?

With Lucy's secrets getting deeper and her relationship with her mother-in-law growing more complex as the pages turn"

I really enjoyed that this book was written from both Diana and Lucy's perspectives.  I liked reading the intentions behind one of their actions and then the others response.  The suspense built well throughout the book and I didn't see the ending coming which was a plus.  


The Family Upstairs was A LOT in the best possible way :) 


"Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

The can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets"

There were multiple points of view, multiple time periods, multiple murders, and multiple mysteries.  While I did find it a bit hard to follow at times (I was listening on audible) and I sometimes had to pause to figure out whose storyline I was following it all came together at the end (but not in a "tie a bow on it perfect" kind of way) and I found myself thinking about it days after I finished.  If you like twisty, darker books this one is for you!


Y'all know that I LOVE historical fiction so when I saw someone raving about The Song of Achilles I pretty much immediately aded it to my audible.  


"Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice."

Self-admittedly I've never been super into Greek mythology but I was intrigued from the first few pages and I wasn't prepared for how much I would care about the characters.   As someone who didn't already know the story of Achilles I for sure felt like I was going in blind and while I did feel like it drug along in places (lots of battles, lots of names, etc) the ending just about did me in!

I'm just about done with  Confessions of a Domestic Failure and it is HILARIOUS, painfully relatable and super touching all at the same time.  

6 comments :

  1. Looks like a great list! I read The Mother N'Law last year and was also shocked at the ending! Happy Twosday!

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  2. Such good reads this month! Song of Achilles is such a great read - you may want to check out Circe next. It dragged towards the end (she is immortal after all!) but the ending was strong. Happy reading!

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  3. So many great reads in this review!! Class Mom is ALWAYS one of my faves!

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  4. Class Mom inspired me to be a little more fun with my PTO emails. 🤣

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