Month: May 2017

He Said/She Said

Author: Erin Kelly
390 pages in Paperback

To Be Published: June 6, 2017
Dates Read: May 10-29, 2017

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Book Summary from Amazon:

In the summer of 1999, Kit and Laura travel to a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun. Kit is an eclipse chaser; Laura has never seen one before. Young and in love, they are certain this will be the first of many they’ll share.

But in the hushed moments after the shadow passes, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows that she saw something terrible. The man denies it. It is her word against his.

The victim seems grateful. Months later, she turns up on their doorstep like a lonely stray. But as her gratitude takes a twisted turn, Laura begins to wonder—did she trust the wrong person?

15 years later, Kit and Laura married are living under new names and completely off the digital grid: no Facebook, only rudimentary cell phones, not in any directories. But as the truth catches up to them, they realize they can no longer keep the past in the past.

From Erin Kelly, queen of the killer twist, He Said/She Said is a gripping tale of the lies we tell to save ourselves, the truths we cannot admit, and how far we will go to make others believe our side of the story.

My Review:

The premise of He Said/She Said intrigued me, so I was excited when I received my ARC in the mail.  I made sure to fit it in and have it read by the release date on June 6th.  The two narrators are Kit and Laura and we get both of their perspectives of what happened.  We also go back and forth in time starting in 1999 at an eclipse festival and fast forward to 2015.  As the description says, Laura stumbles across a sexual assault and from there everything changes for Laura and Kit.  The fallout from the events of that festival changes everyone’s lives who are involved.

The description of He Said/She Said really had me wondering what was going to happen in this novel.  Why would Kit and Laura go to such extremes to stay hidden away from a sexual assault victim?  This curiosity is what pulled me into the novel and kept me reading. I wanted to know how it was going to end!

He Said/She Said is a book that very slowly builds itself up to the fast paced ending.  I will admit, I had difficulty with it until the halfway mark.  I did debate stopping it, but some earlier reviews I read stated that it is worth it to keep reading, which ended up being true for me.

There are twists throughout the novel.  I continually changed my mind on who to believe.  This novel is truly a ‘he said/she said’ situation and I found myself having no clue who to believe.  He Said/She Said is being marketed with #WhoDoYouBelieve and even after reading it I am still blown away by the ending.  You continue to guess and have doubts up to that final shocking paragraph! Even with the slow beginning Erin Kelly had a purpose with her writing throughout the novel. I never saw the twists that she wrote coming and when you think you have it figured out, she goes and throws another twist at you.

I give He Said/She Said 3.5 stars as I did struggle for half of the novel.  If you are struggling with it, keep going as it will be worth it in the end.

He Said/She Said is recommended.

**Thank you to Minotaur Books for my ARC copy and my solar eclipse glasses to use during the solar eclipse on 8/21!

 

 

Memorial Day: Remembering Jerry D. Reed

Today is Memorial Day here in the USA, a day we remember those who died fighting for our country.  I had an uncle, Jerry D. Reed who served and died during the Vietnam War. Though I never knew him, today I choose to remember him and also dedicate my site to him today.

This is my Uncle Jerry in boot camp in 1968. He served in the USMC.
This picture is from the Virtual Vietnam Veteran’s Wall that First Sergeant James Erwin posted. Thank you for sharing this picture! My uncle’s information on that site is here.


In 2010 I took a tour with Trafalgar Tours and part of that tour included Washington DC.  I had never been to DC and part of the day was going to be at the Vietnam Wall Memorial. I told my tour group about my uncle.  The whole group was excited to help me find my uncle’s name on the wall.

Everyone was so excited when we found his name.  I am just 5’1 and his name was much higher than I could reach to do the rubbing, so my group helped me out to get the rubbing of his name. It was a great group effort.

Thank you to my group for getting me the rubbing!  They were all so happy to help me.

Me with the rubbing of my uncle’s name at the wall.


Our tour also took us to Arlington National Cemetery. As beautiful as it is, it is a reminder of how terrible war has been and continues to be.

We also were able to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and in any weather by Tomb Guard sentinels. Sentinels, all volunteers, are considered to be the best of the elite 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Take some time and remember what today is all about: Remembering those who served our country and paid the ultimate sacrifice.  Happy Memorial Day!

[Top]

Standalone Sunday: Alas, Babylon

Standalone Sunday was started by Megan over at Bookslayer Reads.

What is Standalone Sunday?

Each Sunday bloggers feature a standalone book (one that is not part of a series) that they loved or would recommend. The standalone can also be one you want to read. There is so much focus on books that are part of a series that standalone books seem to be forgotten. They can be just as great as book series!

Without further ado, here is my selection for Standalone Sunday:

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

Book Description from Goodreads:

“Alas, Babylon…”

Those fateful words heralded the end. In seconds, the unthinkable nightmare of nuclear war ravaged America. For millions it was instant death; for tens of millions more, it was a living nightmare of hunger, sickness and brutality. Overnight, a thousand years of civilization was stripped away, leaving only maked passions behind.

But for one small Florida town, spared against all odds, the struggle was just beginning. ALAS, BABYLON is the classic story of a handful of men and women of all ages and races, who found the strength and courage to join together to push back the darkness.

The classic apocalyptic novel that stunned the nation with its vivid portrayal of a small town’s survival after nuclear holocaust devastates the country.


I first had to read Alas, Babylon in high school. I believe it was tenth grade English.  I remember really enjoying it.  Years later I found myself thinking about the book, but all I could remember about it was a town in Florida and it was the end of the world.  I can’t remember how I found out the title, but I did.

I listened to the audiobook several years ago and enjoyed it again. The narrator had an extremely familiar voice and then I saw that the narrator is actor Will Patton! If you look him up, you will see he is ‘that guy’! He is an actor who has been in just about everything.  He was the perfect narrator for the audiobook.

Alas, Babylon was first published in 1959, and despite its age it is still a good book.  I recommend it.

[Top]