My Dark Vanessa

Wow, Kate Elizabeth Russell wrote a powerful, uncomfortable debut that's difficult to forget. It was the wonderful talent of narrator Grace Gummer who read & portrayed Vanessa at 15 with such naïve youthfulness, and then jaded bitterness in her 30's.

To say that My Dark Vanessa is thought provoking is an understatement. It's such a scary scenario because we see how easily teenagers can fall prey to a master manipulator. Getting a glimpse into the insidious way a teacher grooms his student is a difficult lesson to take.

⚠️Contains spoilers.
I wish the announcement that Strane dies didn't happen at the half way point in the book. I thought it should have been left for the end. My interest unfortunately plummeted then and I wondered, what could be left? There was a lot of repetition of Vanessa's thoughts and feelings. But, that could have been her trying to convince herself it wasn't abuse.
Oh, I need to vent about her mother! How could she NOT tell the officials on Strane?!?!!? Why would she not take her daughter home immediately from the school, and why did she let her go through with that "apology"? She knew what was going on. Ugh, Vanessa needed someone to help, and it should have been her mother.

➡️End of spoilers.

While explicit and disturbing, the raw honest way we hear Vanessa tell her troubling story makes this awesome audio.

If you've read or listened to My Dark Vanessa, what did you think about her mother's reaction / inaction?

🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋🦋🤎🦋🤎🦋

Until next time,

~Kara

Things my Mother told me

 

"I think of the things I have never told my mother. I know there are some things she can never tell me either."

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After her breakup, Anjali tries to lose herself in others, and everything reminds her of Jack. Good memories are mixed with bad. She searches for comfort in family and friends.

Several times I felt that author Tanya Atapattu really got the feelings of heartbreak down. That is exactly what a breakup is like.

Atapattu's writing style is casual with humourous bits. There's a big of steam , which may be alarming. But it works to further illustrate the differences between Anjali, a modern woman living in Bristol, and her old fashioned Sri Lankan mother.

I enjoyed hearing how Anjali felt on her trips to Sri Lanka, and those memories of her childhood with immigrant parents trying to fit in.

This novel explores themes of mental illness, sexuality, discrimination, and traditional vs modern world values.

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When Anjali finds out that Jack, her boyfriend of ten years, has been cheating on her, it throws her world into chaos. Heartbroken, she fills the emptiness by embarking on a series of flings that her traditional Sri Lankan mother would (mostly) disapprove of.

Yet she can no longer avoid her mother or Shanthi, her distant older sister. And so begins her real journey, one that will make Anjali confront a past she's been desperate to forget. But maybe the past can also be the bridge to her future . . .

Set in Bristol and Sri Lanka, Things My Mother Told Me is a warm, moving and funny story about love, loss, family, cultural divides and the voices we hear in our heads. It will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

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Although not a new release, I surprisingly don't recall hearing about it on Bookstagram. It's a backlist to check out, because I think it would appeal to so many of you!

I received Things my Mother told me in an Instagram giveaway, 🙏🏻thank you @bookwormdownunder !

Until next time,

~Kara

A Mother's Lie

From the intriguing prologue, to the satisfying epilogue, A Mother's Lie is the kind of read that keeps me up, reading just a few more pages than intended.

Beth is the successful type who appears to have it all with her lucrative hedge fund company. But Beth is really in a race against her past, always looking over her shoulder. She ensures her 15 year-old daughter Dana's hidden pocket in her school uniform vest contains a backup phone & cash. When her ex-husband comes to her quite undone, things go off the rails fast. Her grifter parents bring alllll the drama. Just wow. 🤯 You hear about families like this, and author Sarah Zettel created a believable unbelievable one.
It's told from both Beth and Dana's points of view, which is ideal.
The pace of this thriller was good, with enough continually happening to keep me invested.
This was my second book by Sarah Zettel, the first being The Other Sister. For those who have also read both books, what did you think, how does A Mother's Lie compare?

👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦👩‍👦🤥👩‍👦🤥

I received A Mother's Lie in an Instagram giveaway, 🙏🏻thank you teatime_with_a_book! 🍵📚

Until next time,

~Kara

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine

 

💋What a fun audio book this was to listen to in February. Drama, adventure, and a wee bit o' romance 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine had everything I like. Along with 17 year-old Alaine, I even learned more about the interesting Haitian culture. Listeners hear about how Alaine, who lives in Miami, got suspended and sent to Haiti through her diary entries, emails, postcards, and letters. Alaine is a smart & sassy wannabe reporter, with a distant journalist mother who she equal parts emulates and is frustrated with.

This fantastic debut novel was co-written by sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite, and narrated by the skilled Bahni Turpin. I was captivated by Turpin's portrayal of the characters and all those accents and dialects. I looked forward to hearing each diary entry "The Life and Times of Alaine Beauparlant."
All of which makes this awesome audio.

💝Happy Valentine's Day!💖

🇭🇹🥰📒🧳✈️🚢❤️🏝️☀️😘🥥🌺😍🌴🌹

I received Dear Haiti, Love Alaine in an Instagram giveaway, 🙏🏻thank you Jynell @thisreadingnurse.🤗

The Other Mrs.

We hear a lot about how Bookstagram made me do it. I discovered that myself by becoming interested in some thrillers fondly featured by so many of you. Since reading some truly thrilling books, I get it, and have added this genre to my favourites.

In The Other Mrs., we see a couple in a troubled marriage and a troubled teen, "forced" together in a creepy house in a small island town. Add mysterious deaths, disturbing personalities, and of course twists, and you've got this mystery thriller.
Truthfully, there were some unbelievable moments, repetitive thoughts, and an odd fascination with bangs, but overall, an easy escape read. I appreciate those, when I need a break from strong emotion.

This was my first Mary Kubica book, and I'd be interested in knowing from fans, what's your favorite of hers?

All the best dramatic stories are brought to the big screen, and I can't wait to see what Netflix does with this.

I received The Other Mrs. in an Instagram giveaway. Thank you @jessicamap and @wherethereadergrows!

Until next time,

Kara

An American Marriage

Celestial and Roy are young, newly married, and beginning their careers when their lives are forever changed. When Roy is wrongfully convicted and sent to prison for 12 years, we see what happens to a couple in such a scary situation.

Wonderfully narrated by Eisa Davis and Sean Crisden, I was completely interested in the characters and the story. Told from the main characters points of view, we get to experience how they each felt, which was plenty of frustration. Celestial and Roy's letters to each other were also a great addition in this book, revealing the truth about how feelings change over time.
Jones gives lovely in depth descriptions, like the way Andre described Celestial's singing: "...She is a Scotch and Marlboro's alto. Even when she was a little girl, her voice was like the middle of the night. When she gives a song, it isn't entertaining, rather it sounds like she is telling secrets that are not hers to reveal."
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I could easily put myself in Celestial's shoes as well as Roy's. The race-based injustice that is so prevalent is a theme throughout An American Marriage, as well as love and loyalty in marriage.
Ultimately, this story makes you wonder "would I wait?"
It's the dramatic circumstances and strong characters that come across in the skilled narration that makes this awesome audio.

Until next time,

Kara

Sticks and Stones

             

New poetry book is a tool on anyone's journey toward acceptance and healing.

In Sticks and Stones, DeVries paints a poetic picture of rising above toxicity, love found and love lost, and delves into what it means to find strength in the human spirit. Through poetry, the reader finds a voice of strength and the rebuilding of one's heart a home with all the sticks and stones thrown upon it.

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For anyone who has felt the pain of unrequited love, you will certainly identify with Chelsea's poetry.

She writes about what it's like when you find a connection, fall fast, but the feelings aren't returned. There's no heartache like unreciprocated love. Chelsea expresses herself beautifully over the confusion & turmoil she went through, showing sometimes anger, sometimes sadness, and eventually, discovery.

With her love of the Lord and herself, Chelsea shows readers that it's through such experiences, however emotionally draining they may be, that we learn & grow. I have respect for such talent for poetry to help one get through such hurt. Such a lovely, deep form of catharsis this collection of poetry & prose is.

Thank you Chelsea tscphiles for my copy of Sticks and Stones.

Until next time,

Kara