A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho
Author: Cristina Moracho
Published: February 28, 2017
384 Pages
Reviewed By:Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Can the right kind of boy get away with killing the wrong kind of girl?
Fin and Betty’s close friendship survived Fin’s ninth-grade move from their coastal Maine town to Manhattan. Calls, letters, and summer visits continued to bind them together, and in the fall of their senior year, they both applied to NYU, planning to reunite for good as roommates.
Then Betty disappears. Her ex-boyfriend Calder admits to drowning her, but his confession is thrown out, and soon the entire town believes he was coerced and Betty has simply run away. Fin knows the truth, and she returns to Williston for one final summer, determined to get justice for her friend, even if it means putting her loved ones—and herself—at risk.
But Williston is a town full of secrets, where a delicate framework holds everything together, and Fin is not the only one with an agenda. How much is she willing to damage to get her revenge and learn the truth about Betty’s disappearance, which is more complicated than she ever imagined—and infinitely more devastating?
Kim’s Review:
I wanted so badly to love this book . . . c’mon, look at that cover! I wanted a great mystery with a little conspiracy thrown in, but what I got was a predictable story mixed with teenage drama. I understand Fin’s passion and her need to discover the truth, but sadly, adding Serena into the story brings Fin down to a self-righteous teenager who thinks she knows everything and that everyone else knows nothing. The story had so much potential, but then predictability sets in and amateur philosophizing starts. The mystery was solved halfway through the book and the rest was a lot of unnecessary junk. Honestly, had the book followed the town’s drug use as the main storyline, it would have been so much better. I enjoyed reading the book, but I can’t give it any higher than 3 stars. This is not a book for teens, due to some very adult content. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an easy read with a little intrigue.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Author: Chris Bohjalian
Published: March 13, 2018
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 10-23, 2018
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She’s a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, already counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police—she’s a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home—Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it’s too late to come clean—or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did?
Jessica’s Review:
The Flight Attendant was the first book I have read by Chris Bohjalian and it will not be my last! It genuinely surprised me how much I enjoyed it as Cassandra (Cassie) is not likeable at all! She is very much the unreliable narrator who finds herself in a unique situation in a country that is oppressive to women: She wakes up and the man lying next to her is dead and she has no idea what happened!
Cassie is unlikeable for several reasons: she is a very promiscuous alcoholic who often blacks out. She really lives up the flight attendant lifestyle!
Unreliable narrator stories are hit or miss for me, but The Flight Attendant was a hit! I was drawn into the story from the beginning and never lost my interest in it. We also have multiple narrators, and you know those are some of my favorite kinds of novels! Despite not liking her, I really wanted to know what was going to happen to Cassie! There was even a moment that happened that I was not expecting and my mouth dropped as I was listening to the novel while I was washing dishes. Then we had the Epilogue, which was a great ending! I will be reading Chris Bohjalian again!
The Flight Attendant is recommended.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: September 4, 2018
311 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: September 3-13, 2018
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him.
When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.
Jessica’s Review:
Sadie is very unique and I mean this in a good way. You can really see how society is changing with the way books are now being written; and Sadie is the perfect example of this change. We have two narrators: Sadie and a podcaster.
Sadie is a YA novel as in the character is YA in age (Young Adult) but for me she was more of a NA(New Adult) character with the themes in the novel. This one is definitely NOT for younger YA readers. It deals with difficult subject matter: abuse, murder, and revenge.
The narrations go back and forth between Sadie and podcaster West McCray. He gets pulled into Sadie’s story and really does want to find her. Without West McCray Sadie would have just been ‘another missing girl’. As West is determined to find her, we the reader also want to find her! Sadie’s pov is not an easy one to read as she has had a very difficult life. Sadie believes she knows who murdered her sister and relentlessly tries to find him at all costs.
For most of the novel I thought it was going to be a 4 or 4.5 star read for me until it got to a certain point and then I had different feelings! It’s hard to say too much about Sadie without giving spoilers.
There is also a ‘real’ podcast that enhances the read! You can search for The Girls podcast on Apple Podcast. If you are an Android user, don’t feel left out: You can get The Girls via Google Podcasts. This was how I was able to access the podcast. There are six episodes then a Courtney Summers interview. I recommend reading the novel and then listen to the podcast when each ‘episode’ finishes in the novel. The audio podcast really adds to this experience. A great job was done with the podcast to make it feel ‘real’. If this is the future of books, bring it on!
Sadie is highly recommended. Thank you to Wednesday Books for the copy I was sent!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK (Releases on October 1st in the UK)
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