Genuine Fraud

"The presentation of self in everyday life." ~ pg. 44

How many times can someone reinvent themselves? Plenty. Turns out all you need is skill, disguises, and a willingness to commit a murder, or two. Genuine Fraud focuses on two main characters. Imogen is a runaway heiress; Jule is a social chameleon. They form an intense friendship that is told chronologically backwards.

Orphan like Annie ✔︎
Temper like Jane Eyre ✔︎
Money hungry like Pip ✔︎
Talented like Mr. Ripley ✔︎
Criminally sexy like Letty ✔︎
Ambitious like Becky Sharp ✔︎

It has been a couple weeks and I still cannot summarize what I read in Genuine Fraud. I have no words other than author E. Lockhart did it again. I have the same WAYMENT-HUH-WHAT-JUST-HAPPENED feeling as when I finished her other novel, We Were Liars. I was a little bit more prepared this time because I know what E. Lockhart is capable of in her writing. Also I picked up early on that it was a modern version of The Talented Mr. Ripley and a sprinkling of other characters that I mention above. Sound twisted enough? It is!

Title: Genuine Fraud
Author: e. lockhart
Published: September 2017
Pages: 272
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

The Changeling

"An apologetic mastermind." ~ pg. 205

A box of books stamped IMPROBABILIA and recurring dreams are all Apollo Kagwa's father left when he disappeared. Now that Apollo is a father himself, anxiety and parental obsession kicks in. The dreams return and his wife, Emma, starts acting weird. It becomes clear this is more than postpartum depression; something more troubling is going on. Before Apollo can seek help, Emma vanishes.

Desperate to find his missing wife and child, Apollo is taken through the underworld. This is where it turns WTF. He goes on a journey through a forgotten island, a graveyard, a forest, stomping grounds of immigrant legends and a place from his past. What a whirlwind of discovery!

"It's not a baby." ~ pg. 143

I love it when I get an aha! moment while reading a book. It is that feeling of figuring out what the fuck is going on after piecing together clues, characters and plot lines. This aha! moment kicked in rather late for me in The Changeling. I was not confused; the story was just really well-paced. Even though it is a retelling of a classic fairy tale, this novel is still thrilling as ever. High five, Victor Lavalle.

Thank goodness for the good judgment of my bookhearts. I wouldn't have looked twice at this novel had it not been for a good rating by Read in Colour. It is so not a genre I normally read. But there are some people that I trust their recommendations no matter what. Thus, I borrowed The Changeling from my public library and got to reading! Now it's your turn. TAG—you're it!

Title: The Changeling
Author: Victor Lavalle
Published: June 2017
Pages: 431
Edition: Hardcover
Challenge: Popsugar—A Bestseller from a Genre I Don't Normally Read
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

Series Sunday: Haunted

(Michael Bennett #10) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

"I recognized the connections between the cases—drugs, young people, dealers with no conscience." ~ pg. 191

My Series Sunday pick is Haunted, the tenth book in the Michael Bennett series by James Patterson. Detectives need vacations too. He packs up the family and settles on a small town in Maine, based on a former partner's referral. But his vacation turns into work when local kids start disappearing and bodies turn up in the woods.

Oh, how I miss these Bennett kids in between books! And of course, wise old Father Seamus and the lovely Mary Catherine (which I gave a side-eye to in Haunted. I hope she isn't hiding something to be revealed later in the series.). This novel focuses on one of the kids in particular: Brian. He had been caught selling drugs. I guess all ten children cannot be picture-perfect. Breaks my fiction heart!

"It felt like I had a hole in my heart." ~ pg. 118

I am new to this co-author, James O. Born. What a good first impression! Some of the language was out-of-the-norm for a Patterson novel but it worked. The story still flowed. Instead of building up to suspense in his customary short chapters, there were quick jabs that came out of nowhere! This surprise element kept me turning the pages until I was finished reading.

I hope to read more of James O. Born's work in a future collaboration with good 'ole James Patterson. Must I wait months and months for the next book? This series just keeps getting better!

Title: Haunted

Author: James Patterson & James O. Born

Published: September 2017

Pages: 319

Edition: eBook
Challenge: Keeping Up with Patterson

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Revision. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"I woke up hot that morning. Came out of a sound sleep with my face tingling and my nightgown stuck to my body."

~ The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore

One of Us Is Lying

"Because we're living in a telenovela." ~ pg. 201

People go far to protect secrets. But so far as to commit murder? Five students walk into detention. Four students walk out alive; one is dead. Everyone is a suspect. One of them is lying.

The Brain, Bronwyn, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. The Beauty, Addy, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. The Criminal, Nate, is on probation for drug dealing. The Athlete, Cooper, is an all-star baseball pitcher headed for the draft. The Outcast is Simon; he created a gossip app focused on his classmates. Simon was found dead on Monday. Blind item posts about all of the other students were scheduled to be posted online Tuesday. Someone killed Simon to be sure that post did not publish.

Don't let the genre fool you. This book is one of the better YA mysteries. Some reviewers compare One of Us Is Lying to Pretty Little Liars. I cannot agree or disagree because I didn't watch that show. But if it has anything to do with young people and not knowing who is telling the truth...then yes. The author expertly wrote a story where the narrators were unreliable yet seemed honest. I truly didn't know which one was lying. So I felt compelled to read nonstop until the very end. And wow!

P.S. Don't you love it when the cover so fits the book?

Bookhearts, I recommend One of Us Is Lying. Perfect quick read on a chilly day indoors.

Title: One of Us Is Lying
Author: Karen M. McManus
Published: May 2017
Pages: 360
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare

"Adulthood is all about waiting to take your pants off." ~ pg. 30

Born a "cynical, suspicious, forty-five-year-old divorcée" to a polygamist and subway singer, Gabourey was special. You know Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe from her breakout role on Precious, Empire and The Big C. She always seemed like the coolest girl ever to be friends with. Comedy with no effort. A contagious smile. Foodie. Hard worker. All-around fun. So of course I wanted to read her memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare.

Gabourey tells her truths in this revealing book. She discusses heavy topics such as her eating disorder, panic attacks and depression. She is very candid about working in a phone-hoe factory and reactions to social media comments. Not only is This Is Just My Face a funny recollection of Gabby's life, but it is also full of lessons. I learned never to marry for a green card; it just ain't worth it. Believe in psychics...sometimes. Finally someone else wishes for special sarcasm font. And to MYOB: Mind Your Own Body.

"You came into the world by yourself, and the next person's lungs don't help you breathe." ~ pg. 34

I am glad this book was written in chronological order as a memoir rather than a collection of essays. Otherwise, it would have been less clear to see how the universe worked in Gabby's favor and how certain situations led to change. I encourage my bookhearts to read this unconventional rise to fame, good health and happiness.

To the author herself: Kudos for writing your own story!

Title: This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare
Author: Gabourey Sidibe
Published: May 2017
Pages: 188
Edition: eBook
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

The Stolen Marriage

"The tears. The regret. The terrible grinding guilt." ~ 9%

1944 Hickory, North Carolina. A 23-year-old named Tess DeMello marries a stranger in a small town. Yes, this is a historical romance. But there is also racial tension and hardships from the aftermath of World War II. Her husband, Henry Kraft, hides money, keeps secrets and shows no interest in consummating their marriage. It is a loveless relationship.

Everyone in Hickory respects Henry but not new wife, Tess. She is an outsider and blamed for a terrible accident. Then a sudden polio epidemic strikes the town and Tess, having earned a nursing degree, begins to work at the hospital. Tess saves lives while her own may be in jeopardy thanks to her husband's mysterious behavior.

"You can tell a lot about a person by the way a child takes to them." ~ 62%

Tess begins her story with a crisis and grew stronger rest of the book. This is something all of us can relate to. Sometimes it takes a huge boulder in the road for us to stand on two feet and make the most of our current situation. We have no choice but to be strong. And then, like Tess, we cannot undo anything so might as well move forward. This makes the main character so relatable and likable.

I look forward to Diane Chamberlain's compelling new novels. When it is time for a new release, I am sure to spend hours reading a good book; The Stolen Marriage is no exception. It is a historical romance that would be perfect for a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. It is a research-heavy book and the author clearly did her homework. I so respect that.

Happy Pub Day, Diane Chamberlain! The Stolen Marriage is now available.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: The Stolen Marriage
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Published: October 2017
Pages: 384
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤