Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars.
This was crazy, weird, and convoluted. I read it in one sitting but also forgot it pretty quickly. Recommended to those who love mystery!
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I discovered Isabel Klee on instagram just a few weeks ago. And, of course, I fell down a rabbit hole and had to watch all the videos of all her fosters. Her ability to tell their story with so much love and so much humanity made it impossible not to keep scrolling for more. This is how I knew she would be an excellent writer. And I was not wrong. This is the story of Klee’s twenties in NYC. The detours she takes, the mistakes she makes, the friends who save her and love her. The men who love her, the men who betray her. The dogs she loves and the dogs who love her back. There’s so much heart and soul in this book. Everything is shared with tenderness, generosity and kindness. This book reminds us that we don’t have to be perfect to be loved. It reminds us that loving a being that’s been hurt can be hard but also oh so worth the work. It reminds us that we can do the hard work of healing ourselves and others. And, more than anything, it reminds us that dogs are such a gift and we are so very lucky to get to love them. You will laugh and cry through this beautiful memoir and find yourself rooting for Isabel and every single rescue who was lucky to be fostered by her, deeply loved and given to forever homes with gratitude. And of course, Simon. Simon who is the kindest dog and shares Isabel’s extraordinary caring heart. The world is a better place because it has Isabel and Simon (and Jacob!) in it. with gratitude to netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Famous podcasters and best friends Benny Abbott and Joy Moore have been telling other people how to get out of life threatening situations for a living. Until the morning Benny shows up at Joy’s house to find her and her husband missing. The house is a mess and they left their dog behind. Benny is determined to figure out what happened as we roll back and forth in time to get the full story of how they got here and what exactly happened, all while the police are determined to figure out if Benny is the one who’s responsible. The audio for this one is super fun, and really plays off the podcast plot. Fantastic narrators Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins make it even harder for you to stop. Once I started, I listened to it until it was over because there was no way I was taking a break. with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
On my goodness Helen Laser does an incredible job with the audio of this book. From the moment I started listening to it, her voice took a hold on me and would not let me go. I could not stop listening. I felt completely wrapped up in the story and in the trance of Catharine’s world. This is an excellent, excellent audio. Catharine’s life looks ordinary. She’s worked incredibly hard to make it appear so. And, of course, with a single email from a journalist, it starts unraveling. It turns out Catherine grew up in a cult. Her dad was the leader. It turns out there are a lot of unanswered questions. It turns out this journalist is interested in finding out the answers. And Catharine may not be able to stop her life and all her secrets from unraveling. I listened to this in one swallow. with gratitude to netgalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
you can always always always count on Katherine Center to give us a story that makes us laugh and makes our heart full. This story was no exception. I thought the dialogue was even funnier than usual. Even though it also felt like the main character took a bit longer to get with the program that she should. But it’s impossible to read a Center book and not smile your way through it. It’s impossible to not have her books heal you a little (or a lot) bit! with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
This is a lovely story that will ease your heart. It’s like a cozy cup of tea. It’s about Shelby who buys an inn to fulfill her husband’s dying wish, only to find out the inn is in dire state and rumored to be haunted. Shelby is in the process of coming to terms with who she is and how she’s been trying to come back to herself finally after living a full life in denial. She’s new in town. She has no idea how to fix or rescue the inn. She is trying to honor her husband and also step into her own. Can she do both at the same time? Is it possible to look back and look forward? Is it possible to do something for others and also yourself at the same time? Loved this sweet story. the audio was phenomenal. highly recommended. with gratitude to netgalley and Brilliance Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
3.5 stars for me. I think people like watching others unravel more than I do. I don’t find it as interesting. This is about a family that’s unraveling. The mom decides she wants to have an open marriage and literally couldn’t give two shits about the kids. The dad is upset about the mom but also not really stepping it up, just too busy being upset and thinking about what this means for him. And the kids, well each kid is also in their own unraveling journey. Going so far that it’s ridiculous and melodramatic in service of trying not to be gritty. Crazy.
I love Amy Jo Burns’ books and Wait for Me was no exception. This is the story of Marijohn who was left in a gas station as a baby, raised by the owner Gus, who is obsessed with and swears that famous folk singer Elle Harlow who has been missing for twenty years, was last seen at his gas station and left Marijohn there. But then a meteor crashes into the earth and unearths things that had been buried for twenty years. And nothing is the same again. I loved reading the story of these two women even though the story felt a little too slow for me at times and I didn’t connect with all the music lyrics. I bet this one will be incredible on audio. With gratitude to netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Unlike most of the reviews that appear to be in one extreme or another, I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it is touching and meaningful. I think it needed an editor. I think it reminds us that people are each suffering in their own ways. I think it was preachier than it needed to be. I think it has religious undertones that appear to be a bit more opinionated around choices we make than it maybe comes across at first. I also think it was too long.  Let’s take stock of progress I made last week and what I hope to do this week. Big Goal: My goal for January is to work on prepping meals. I’ve made some reasonable progress on it. I’ve looked up options a little and I think I will be starting with a combo of three things: single sheetpan, grain bowl, or soup. This allows me to do simple things that can cook with minimal prep while I am busy and allows me to eat a lot of vegetables. I started with some ideas this week so we’ll see how well I do. My hope is to do a bunch of prep/cooking while I am in class on Mondays. Let’s see how it goes.
This was a tough week and I felt really sad, angry and overwhelmed about the world. I noticed I was beating myself up a lot about not getting everything done so I am trying to pay attention to kindness people give me, and to all that I *am* doing so that I can be kinder to myself. Ok that’s it for now. I won’t officially start January until next week, so it’s a three-week month for me. So we’ll see how far I manage to get.
3.5 stars. I thought this was interesting but also it felt familiar and sort of predictable I think. I love Niven and her writing is light and easy. It was a good January book!
I’m a big fan of McAllister. I find that her stories are always different and keep me interested the whole time and this one is no exception. This is the story of a mom who is in Texas to pick up her daughter from camp. They are spending a night together at an AirBnB until they are scheduled to go camping for a few days. The next morning, her daughter is gone. The kidnappers ask for her to put herself at risk and break the law in exchange for getting her daughter back. There were many parts of this where others might feel it’s unbelievable or too much or too coincidental. But I didn’t care. The ending felt a bit too neat, but I didn’t care. I just enjoyed being lost inside the world McAllister built. Even if this one was way way too scary to this mom of teenagers. with gratitude to netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review |
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