Tag: Book Review

Dolly All The Time by Annabel Monaghan

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Dolly Brick is someone who sees the glass as half full. She looks at the bright side of things… through her mom leaving when she was 12, through a relationship that was a poor choice but left her with an amazing son, through her coming back home to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to assist her dad with the The Brick Fish House, the family owned seafood market and fish shop – and as it turns out, saving their family home as well.

When a $50,000 bill is placed in front of them for a mandatory new roof on the family home, the family is at a loss for how they will come up with the money.

Dolly, while taking her bike to make shrimp deliveries, finds the local rich and hot boy, Stewart Whitfield, with a flat tire on his car and no idea how to fix it other than making a phone call for assistance. Dolly stops to help him, being a very capable woman who loves to problem solve, and in no time, the tire has been changed. The two exchange pleasantries, growing up in this very town, and Dolly learns that Stewart has recently gone through a very public, humiliating breakup when his fiancée was caught cheating on him with a baseball player. She also learns he does not seem to be the superficial rich guy she always imagined he was.

Then, soon after their encounter, Stewart presents Dolly with an offer. If she woudl pretend to be dating him, it would take the “poor Stewart” public pressure away – giving the impression that Stewarart has also moved on.
And – he’s willing to pay.

Would this be the answer to Dolly’s family’s money problems? With a chance to go to the high-end parties, a new wardrobe, rubbing shoulders with the elite, AND getting the roof repaired…

What could possibly go wrong?

While a rom-com style of book is not a “go to” for me…. I really did enjoy this predictable read. Sometimes, it’s nice to know where you are going in a book and just enjoy the ride there.

I liked Dolly. A LOT. She’s kind, funny, lighthearted, goes with the flow, and a strong female. And I liked Steward too, he’s like the rich kid with morals. The two together worked, and while yes, you can say –

It comes together too easily

things move too quickly
It’s pretty predictable

It’s also – Pretty Darn GOOD

A perfect summer read – would love to see this become a movie.

Rated: 3.75
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would
Where Read: Audio around the house


Bookclub Worthy: Light choice – but could be
Discussion Topics: Random meet-ups, you could discuss how you met your partner (there’s got to be some good stories there), writing style – is this a genre you enjoy – why or why not

Food for discussion –This would be fun to set up a little “Seafood” variety, as the family owns a fish shop. Think: Lobster Rolls, Crabcakes, Shrimp appetizers,
Home Baking is also in the book – Dolly loves to bake -a home-baked dessert would be a nice add-on (think blueberry muffins, flaky biscuits to go with a chowder) – the topic is comfort for family and also a good discussion point on how food can be comforting
Dolly prefers Tea over Coffee – Earl Grey if you have it
Spicy Margaritas


The Final Target by Nora Roberts

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)5 Comments

Damn, Nora… that was good. ~ Sheila

Arden Bowie has worked part-time in a bookstore for years and is so excited to not only have written her first book, but also to have her first book signing. While the attendance is a lot of supportive friends and family, there are also many people unknown to Arden as well. Definitely what you could call a successful event.

Dustin, an inspiring writer himself, is among those in attendance. Arden sees him as she once was, eager to put words to paper and during the signing offers him some advice on finding a mentor or a writing group.

Then Dustin shows up at Arden’s next signing.

And the next.

Each time Dustin inquires about getting together and talking about writing and giving him tips, Arden politely declines. Her life is full of helping her best friend Zoey with her wedding planning and her move to Oregon, and Arden does not have time for anything extra. But Dustin’s continuous showing up wherever Arden is leads to a quick cup of coffee together – Arden, hoping this will be enough to get him to move on.

But for Dustin, it’s not enough. Angry with Arden for constantly blowing him off, when clearly there is a connection there, yet he sees her having time to go out to dinner with friends… is infuriating. Dustin decided enough is enough, and he shows up unannounced one night at Arden’s home, busting in and assaulting her; Arden barely escapes with her life.

Now Dustin is in jail for 5 years. Arden has to make decisions about what is next for her life and how to feel safe knowing the clock is ticking the days down to Dustin’s release…

And she is not the only one counting down the days….

So… sidebar. I won a grant for $400 to use towards Honey Bee/ Butterfly/Bird-friendly Minnesota Native plants… thus the picture above. 🙂

This is the audio I listened to during my hours of prepping the ground, adding black dirt, planting, and mulching.
And – it was an excellent choice.

Admittedly, I have some old fan favorites of Nora Roberts. The Three Sisters trilogy will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart – as well as one of my all-time favorite characters (Mia) in a book. It’s not often that years later I can talk about a book and remember the characters’ names – but that trilogy – I can talk about it like I read it yesterday

Anyhoo – I digress.

I don’t read a lot of Roberts anymore; however, this title and synopsis had my attention. Can Nora Roberts write a psychological thriller? Turns out – yeah, she can.

You had me at bookstore would be a true statement…you had me at an author stalker as well.

This book was fabulous; while not a romance reader by any means, the light romance that happens in this book is perfect. Not giving too much away – I loved Arden’s strong character while at the same time being able to be vulnerable (rightfully so) after her attack. These characters are people who I want as my friends- my neighbors (NOT Dustin)

There is so so so much to love about this book – but you do not need to take my word for it – read it. And let me know.

And please please please let it be a movie.

Rated: 5 out of 5 – I really liked it!
Read Author Before: Of course
Read Author Again: Of course
Where Read: Audio working in my yard


Bookclub Worthy: YES Please! I think the amazing evolution of Nora Robert – her complete diversity in what she writes under her name as well as her pen name are discussion worthy – AND so is this book.
Topics of discussion – Dustin’s craziness, if we have ever known someone like that that just does not get reality, Arden’s strength, the home she makes for herself, the awesome neighbors
Hard topics – the attack, mental health, recovery

Food for discussion – Cafe food (Sandwiches – good ones), Coffee, wine, Fun bakery items, fresh baked bread, pastas…) Good ol home cooking.

Kissing The Sky by Lisa Patton (Bookies Book Club Pick)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)4 Comments

Groovy. ~ Sheila

It’s 1969, and Suzannah is home from college but counting the days to fall when she can return to school. Her childhood home has vivid memories of her strict father not allowing music in the home and forcing her brother to enlist in the Vietnam War to make him a man.

Not much has changed in her home. Having not heard from her brother in two months, Suzannah fears the worst for him, and hates her father for making him go to war.

But things take a turn when her once best friend shows up. Livy is adventurous, free-spirited, and beautiful. Everything that Suzannah is not. When Livy invites Suzannah to come with her to attend a three-day concert upstate New York, Suzannah is hesitant, knowing her father woudl never approve – but the anger she holds for her brother being forced into the war gives her the fight she needs to say yes, and she leaves with Livy with not a word to her parents as to where she is going.

Woodstock is way outside Suzannah’s comfort zone, but her love for music, the overall friendliness of starngers, the insane amount of people gathered together soon melts away Suzannah’s reserved nature. Meeting a cute boy, struggling with Livy’s self-centered nature – all leads to a long overdue growth and memories that will last a lifetime.

We chose this book for Book Club (the above photos are of the foods we had) – The semi truck represents the flatbed of granola that was brought to Woodstock to help feed the masses when the food ran out, as does the brown rice and vegetables. The candy cigarettes, Skittles, and tic tacs- well, you know what they represent, and that was just fun 🙂

For myself, I adored this book. The storyline goes from the present time; Suzannah is a Grandma at the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, attending with her teenage granddaughter.

Told by Suzannah to her granddaughter, the book goes from the present time to Suzannah’s memories. Well put together.

I learned a lot about Woodstock and of course, wanted to deep dive into learning more after having read this book. What an incredible event.

Bookies Book Club (for the most part) also gave this book high ratings, with an average of 4.5 out of 5. We had a great discussion about the music and even had a little sing-along to Blowin’ in the Wind by Bob Dylan thanks to one of our talented Book Club members.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rated: 5 out of 5 (me) 4.5 out of 5 Bookies
Read Author Before: no
Read Author Again: Yes!
Where Read: Audio – home, traveling…


Bookclub Worthy: YES Please! This is a great book for a book club – so many opportunities to dress the occasion ( some of us did), food such as the granola, the hot dogs, no-name cola, drugs (candy!), Brown Rice with Veggies…
There is so much to unpack with this book – talking about the music – do you know someone who attended – would you have attended – musicians making their debut, the storyline, Suzannah’s character as well as Livy’s.


A Good Family by Matt Goldman

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

Does anyone else just crave a good read? Found it. ~Sheila

Katie Kuhlmann’has it all. She lives in a wonderful Country Club neighborhood with close friends close by, a text away from taking a walk, grabbing a coffee, or even going skiing. She has a great job working as a food scientist for General Mills. She has two great kids who are fun and good-natured. And a hard-working husband she adores.
Or…
She did.

Her husband Jack has become… distracted. And honestly – weird. He disappears to the basement to work on spreadsheets for his business and disappears from the kids entirely, and they can’t find him. Talking to him doesn’t work; he claims job stress and then disappears again – literally.

It’s the most bizarre thing.

Things just get stranger when Adam “Bagman” Ross, a guy both Katie and Jack knew from college, shows up on their doorsteps, hoping to be able to stay. Jack is quick to say yes while Katie is unnerved by soemone who they had not kept in touch with now living close to their children.

Things continue to unravel for the Kuhlmanns as Katie works to keep up appearances with her neighborhood friends and not let on that she suspects Jack is lying to her, and creating a wall between them that Katie does not have the energy – or honestly, the want- to tear down.

I’m going to be honest here. Picking up a BOOK this time of year is unusual for me. Not that I don’t try – but a book usually is carried from one location to the other…. outdoors to the patio, indoors to the recliner, to the nightstand… and rarely gets opened.
I mean well…

This time of year I am mostly audio-something I can listen to while I garden, mow the lawn, bake bread, cook, clean….

BUT… something happened here. I bought this book at the recent Words By The Water Event in Brainerd, MN, where Matt Goldman was one of the authors speaking. We have had him before, and he is delightful, and it was fun to hang out with him after the event with the other authors and catch up a bit. I had read Matt before with my book club years ago, but the book was more traditional thriller than this more psychological one.

This book – called to me, sitting in a pile of other unread books… I just wanted to pick it up… and when I did… I didn’t want to put it down.


Matt’s characters jumped off the page. Katie was someone I wanted to hang out with…. and the friends circles of who really was a friend and who really was not – as well as where the $%#$&*! did Jack keep disappearing to, kept me turning the pages.

I dug in over this past weekend and stayed up until midnight last night to finish. Whatever magic beans were in this book – it worked.

And now… another of his books is calling to me…. stay tuned

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: yes
Read Author Again: Yes!
Where Read: Home


Bookclub Worthy: yes – it’s twisty enough to bring up good conversation.

Leveling up for Bookclub – Food in the book includes hot chocolate, pizza, going out for drinks (Mistletoe Manhattan anyone?), and of course Katie works for General Mills…. Breakfast for Book Club? 😛

Have fun!

RODHAM by Curtis Sittenfeld

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

Insightful! ~Sheila

In 1971, Hillary Rodham had big dreams and big expectations for herself. She is attending YALE and a part of the Women’s Rights Activists. Already, she has political aspirations, and when she meets Bill Clinton, who has many of the same dreams and goals as herself, and well, he fits the bill. (Pun intended)

The two become an item – and to the naked eye, this couple looks as though they have found their like partner in life. The two often seen together debating over politics, challenging each other emotionally, and great partners physically. And while Hillary follows Bill upon his request to come to Arkansas – AND even though Bill proposes several times to Hillary…

She turns him down.

His struggle with infidelity weighs on her even though she does love him. Perhaps, she thinks, in time this will pass, and he will come back to her – breaking her own heart – she leaves him.

And so, Author Curtis Sittenfeld weaves a fictional tale of two famous people. Weaving in sprinkles of fact with cups of fiction – creating an engaging tale of the pash not taken.

So – admittedly… I did not read this synopsis. Going in, I thought this was a non-fiction read about Bill and Hillary, and while I do not have a political bone in my body, I grabbed this from a little free library in Florida.

So… this will get a little embarrassing…

Because of my lack of reading the synopsis – I actually shared a part of the story with a friend I was volunteering with a few weeks ago – saying I did not know Bill Clinton had married before Hillary, and my friend saying that they did not know that either. As I shared the book details, I started to realize that what I was saying didn’t add up… so I looked up more on the book and ate a little crow of now knowing what the heck I was talking about 🙂

Anyhoo – way to go, Curtis! The book was engaging, and while I admit I did not enjoy it quite as much once I realized it was mostly a fictional alternate universe, I still enjoyed the background story and learning a little more of the TRUE statements on young Hillary… a powerhouse even in her youth.

Rated: 3 out of 5 (it was trending higher until I realized it was fiction) 🙂
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Yes
Where Read: picked up in Florida, where we were staying, but read in Minnesota

Bookclub Worthy: Good question. I’m not sure – while the book is about the political drive, its not political, which is good for bigger book clubs like mine. While the alternative world is interesting, I’m not sure how much a book club ( at least the one I am in) woudl find discussion worthy. AND – like the book itself, I could be totally wrong.

This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)3 Comments

I don’t know what it is about me and podcast books… but I love them. ~Sheila

Benny and Joy have been best friends for so long that they may as well just say forever. Their podcast “This Story Might Save Your Life is one of the highest rated in the world as Benny and Joy share outrageous (but true!) stories ripped from the headlines of near-death scenarios and question each other on what you have done. With Joy’s husband, Xander, as the podcast manager, they have gone beyond their wildest dreams.

Yet one morning, when Benny shows up at Joy and Xander’s home to record, he finds the house empty with no sign of where the couple went. More peculiar is that Joy’s beloved dog is found wandering the streets, and Benny knows Joy would never have left him – not willingly.

As Benny tried to find clues in a memoir that Joy was writing, the clock was ticking – the many fans were making public opinions, and the police were looking for foul play, and looking at Benny.

But even the most devoted fans would not see the reality of what happened coming – or the secrets that are about to be revealed.


I have to say – SOOOOOO much fun on audio. This is one of the books that I enjoyed the play of the podcasts and how well Benny and Joy played to the audience, that I have to question if I would have loved it this much if I had read the book.

It was just – fun. I know I said that already. Right from the start, I was all in. I love Julia Whelenas as a narrator, and Sean Patrick Hopkins was fantastic as well. The book kept me guessing and well…

you know… I really liked it 🙂

Rated: 4,5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: If it’s like this, you bet!
Where Read: Home

Bookclub Worthy: I think so! While the end has a bit of predictability, it is fun getting there. A discussion could be held on the popularity of podcasts yay or nay. DO you listen, and if so, to what and why? (Funny enough – I like to read about them, but I do not listen to them)

House of Glass By Sarah Pekkanen

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

“Sharp and shattering” ~ Sheila

When a young Nanny plunged to her death from a 3rd floor window of the Barklay home where she worked… speculation abounded.
Was it an accident?
Was it suicide?
Or was she pushed?
All three are probable – but which is true?

Nine-year-old Rose Barklay was in the garden with her grandmother when they heard the sound of breaking glass. Traumatized by what she saw, already dealing with the stress of her parents’ pending divorce and custody battle, Rose has stopped speaking.

Stella Hudson is a Best Interest Attorney, hired to serve as counsel in determining which parent, Rose, will be best suited to live with. Having her own childhood trauma makes Stella particularly good at her job, as she knows how important these decisions are.

But Stella is in for a particularly tough time surrounding the circumstances of the nanny’s unsolved case, and once she passes through the security gate of Ian and Beth Barklay’s historical DC home, she realizes that this family is even more troubled than she anticipated. The entire home does not have one piece of glass in it – not the windows, not the dishes, not the picture frames… nothing. Stemming from Beth’s own trauma of the incident, rendering her with Nelophobia.

As Stella digs in, she is discovering secrets that the Barclay family is desperate to hide, leaving what happened to the nanny wide open on possibilities – was it the Nanny’s boyfriend, who was bitter about a possible breakup? Or was it the father? The mother? The Grandmother? Or even Rose herself?
Is the person she is there to protect – the one who should be protected from?

Sarah and I, Book Expo in New York, 2011

So here is why I LOVE Sarah Pekkanen. WAY back in 2010 – I entered a drawing she was hosting and WON my trip to New York City ot the Book Expo that year. She paid my flight, and my hotel – AND we toured Simon and Schuster together. (IF you are a long-time reader of mine, you know this is where I SQUUUUUEEE)

Moving forward, Sarah was one of the authors who said yes to the first year we hosted Wine and Words – the author event in Central Minnesota. She has been here twice now and was also a sweet advocate during the loss of my son in 2015.

Back in 2010, Sarah was writing a different style of book, more contemporary fiction. The Opposite of Me was my first read of hers. Then I read Skipping a Beat and These Girls. (All of which grace my library shelves to this day) AND – I can go on and on – enter Sarah’s name in the search bar here, and you will find all of my reviews.

What is cool is that in more recent years she has become more of the psychological thriller type of writer, and it is soooo fun to say I knew her when…. 🙂


House of Glass was crazy good. There is so much going on – and as you dig in, you find that everyone has a secret ….everyone has a motive that could make them the cause of the Nanny’s fall. And while all this is going on – you are also learning Stella’s back story and her own unresolved trauma…. enough so that you wonder if perhaps Stella will show up in a future Pekkanen book….

Inquiring minds want to know!

Overall – a good creepy thriller… I had no idea who did it – there were so many ways this could have gone and any one of them would have been legit.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: You Bet
Where Read: Georgia – on our way home from Florida by RV

Bookclub Worthy: Yes! There is a lot of detective work we can flesh out – almost building your own crime scene board…. the “Who did it and the motives” A whole glass-free meeting would be fun as well… pulling food items such as Pizza and Nachos ( comfort foods during meetings between Stella and Rose) – also Tea, Wine

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)Leave a comment

A fun adventure of women with the same name ~ Sheila

When thirty-year-old Sarah Jones relocated to Minneapolis after breaking off her engagement, she had no idea what she was in for.

When she is invited to join a group of women all with the same name – The Sarah Jones Project (TSJP), she thinks, why not – this can be a fun way to meet people, all sharing a very common name.

What starts as a meet-up, organized by the youngest of the group, the seventeen-year-old Sarah Jones, sharing stories of receiving mail that was not theirs, wrong numbers, bill collectors looking for A Sarah Jones – but not you, and a cool project they plan together that gives them media coverage, takes a different turn when one of their name sakes is found dead under mysterious circumstances.

With a mix of ages, skills, backgrounds, and talents, the Sarah’s work together as a team to piece together what is happening before the killer moves on to another potential victim.

So- Kathleen West was one of our authors at Wine and Words in 2025 – the local Author Event that I secured authors for – now going on its 14th year. I purchased this book from Kathleen; however, this is not my copy. I did not bring it to Florida with me, and when I cruised through all the books I did bring with me, my friend DeAnna lent me her copy.

The beginning was a bit rough… all the Sarah Jones’ were a little much to wrap my head around. Thankfully (and brilliantly), our Author came up with the system that they communicated in person as well as by text, by using their age to identify themselves. So the Sarah who organized the group was known as 17. And our main protagonist, our Sarah Jones, a personal trainer who had moved to Minneapolis, was known as 30. Then you have:

27: A grad student and nanny who worked for one of the other Sarah’s

39 and 44: Both Teachers

69: A retired Lawyer who runs a Blog

Honestly, once you get the rhythm, it’s kind of fun.

A fairly quick, easy read – perfect for my days in the sun.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: Maybe
Where Read: Fort Myers, Florida

Book Club Worthy – I think a little light for a Book Club pick, but at the same time, you could have a lot of fun discussing the Sarah’s – the whole who-done-it theme. The name game as well – what is the most common name combination – how does your name rank as common or unusual…

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

In a world filled with Artificial Intelligence, everything seems possible as well as impossible. ~ Sheila

When the self-driving minivan of the Cassidy-Shaw family is in an accident that results in the fatalities of an elderly couple in the other vehicle, the family is shaken.
17-year-old Charlie was behind the wheel when he grabbed the wheel to avoid a potential collision. His father, Noah, a lawyer, was in the passenger seat, working on an email, his mother, Lorelei, an AI expert in her field, was working on her laptop in the back seat, and his two younger sisters, Alice and Izzy, also in the back seat, were on their phones.

Following the tragedy, the family retreats to a rental house on the Chesapeake Bay to be together in the aftermath of this tragedy as they sort through what happened. As the police investigate, there seems to be more secrets going on in the family than meets the eye –

Noah, as the adult in the passenger seat, would be responsible for Charlie’s driving and should have paid more attention.
Loralei’s behavior since the accident is questionable – she seems like she is hiding something – or is it just the stress of the situation

And the girls, Izzy and Alice, seem off both with their own things they are not saying.

—suspicions within the family are heightened by the sudden appearance on the bay of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenage daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.

I first heard of this book when a friend chose it for her first book of the year. I looked up the synopsis, thought it sounded interesting, and filed that in the “To Be Read” section of my brain.
Currently on vacation in Florida, and listening to audiobooks as I walk the dogs several times a day – I moved forward with this one, and I am glad I did.

First up – LOVED the narration. This book flowed, and it was one I could not wait to continue every chance I had to see what was going to happen.

The book is fascinating on many levels -you have the whole auto-driven car and the human responsibilities that go with it. You have a 17-year-old behind the wheel -but not driving, until it seems there may be a reason to take over. And you have a family all distracted by their devices in one way or another, and honestly, on a car trip, in today’s day and age, there is nothing unusual about that.

The book brings to the forefront the reality that in a world of advanced technology, moral responsibility often gets lost, forcing the characters, as well as the readers, to grapple with who is truly at fault.

What Author Bruce Holsinger brings to this book is a brilliant take at todays world in a sad but believable situation.

Don’t be turned off by the hard synopsis. While the car accident is the setting for this book, there is so much more to the story.

Rated: 4.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Most likely
Where Read: Fort Myers, Florida

Book Club Worthy – Absolutely! There is so much to talk about here. AI is a hot topic for this book as well as the unpacking of each of the family members’ roles in what happened… Conversations about responsibility, the use of money to make things “go away,” are all good topics for discussion.

Food themes – as the majority of the book is set while the family is on the beach – hot dogs, take out, grilling – and of course, leveling up if you want to go with the taco bar from the party

I Don’t Forgive You by Aggie Thompson

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

In a world filled with so much falseness… this is crazy possible. ` Sheila

Mark and Allie Ross have moved to a classy DC suburb with their 6-year-old son, Cole. The neighbors are close to one another, and when the couple is invited to a neighborhood party, Allie is desperate to make a good impression.

She does anything but.

When Rob Avery, a dad at the party, flirts with Allie, it all seems harmless – until Allie finds he follows her to the bathroom and attempts to assault her, calling her by an old nickname she hasn’t been called since high school – “Lexi”. While nothing happens, the next day, this dad is found dead.

Soon, the police are at Allie’s door – eye witnesses had seen her at the party with Rob, and evidence shows that Allie has a Tinder account, has social media posts of herself in provocative positions, and there is a record of texts between her and Rob.

The truth is – Allie has done none of these things. But proving her innocence against a full-on hacking of all of her devices proves to be an uphill battle.

Allie’s reputation, both professionally and personally, is at stake. Even Mark, her biggest cheerleader, is starting to look at her differently, and Allie is starting to feel a little foggy on details herself, starting to forget commitments she has made. As the situation escalates, Allie must reach back into a past that she never wanted to remember.

What is so crazy great and spooky at the same time about this book is how easily this could happen. In this world of AI that can take your photo and put you anywhere – doing anything... You can see how this could happen.

The story is written well – a nice flow from introducing us to our main protagonist and flowing right into the neighborhood party to the murder. I like that we get right to it and not the rest of the book is figuring out what the heck is going on 😀

Author Aggie Thompson does a nice job in this debut book….Often I find gaps and loose threads in books that bother me or feel unnecessary or false to the storyline… I have none of that here. Just good creepy fun.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: Yes
Where Read: Fort Myers, Florida

Any triggers – attempted assault

Bookclub Worthy: yes! What a great discussion this can be about social media and how false things are easily acceptable now. You also have what happened to Allie and how and how you as a spouse or significant other woudl react if this were happening to your partner, and all evidence points to it being real.

Food suggestions: You have the party, so really anything you would bring to a neighborhood gathering works.