Tag: Book Review

Anatomy Of An ALIBI by Ashley Elston

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Things are rarely as they appear – Sheila

Camille Bayliss has a charmed life – the hotshot lawyer husband, a supportive family, and a beautiful home. Ben jokes that as fast as he is making the money, his wife is out spending it.

Aubrey Price works at Doug’s Tavern as a bartender, doing ok for herself. She lives in a low-income housing area with four roommates. Haunted by a tragic past.

When Camille shows up at the Tavern one night, accusing Aubrey of sleeping with her husband, Aubrey is taken aback. Ben (upon seeing a photo) has been in the tavern, but Aubrey has had nothing to do with him. When she learns who Camille’s husband is – the Ben Bayliss, the lawyer who put away the man who killed her parents during a hit and run – Aubrey starts to wonder what he is doing snooping around an old case.

Together, the women devise a plan to find out what Ben is up to. For twelve hours, they will switch places. But when Ben is found murdered the next morning, both women need an alibi – and only one of them has it.



Last year, about this time, I read another book by this author, First Lie Wins, and really enjoyed it. I didn’t even catch that this was the same author until the last couple of days. Once again, Ashley Elston has created a good twisty read that kept me guessing.

A great read while I am in Florida, this one kept me turning the pages and kept me guessing right tot he big reveal.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Yes
Where Read: Fort Myers Florida

Bookclub Worthy: Yes! There are a few characters in this book that would be fun to unpack. You also have your two (sometimes three) protagonists and are discussing whether they are they likeable? How are these women alike and not alike –
Food thoughts for book club would be anywhere from fast food/bar food/grilled cheese (Aubrey) to classy salads and wine (Camille)

Run For The Hills by Kevin Wilson

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Madeline (Mad) Hill and her mom have run the farm in Coalfield, Tennessee, for the past twenty years since her father left. While selling fruits, vegetables, and meats to the locals and tourists was not the most exciting life, it was always safe and predictable.

That is – until Rueben arrives. Reuben (Rube) Hill claims that Mad’s father is also his father, a father who left him thirty years ago. Reuben had hired a detective to find his dads wearabouts and in the process also found three half-siblings, one of them being Mad. Rube invites Mad to join him to find their other half-siblings and, eventually (hopefully), their father as well, to find out why he left and never once reached out to them.

And so it begins, Mad packs a bag and off she goes with Rube in search of siblings she did not know who had – and a father who it becomes increasingly clear.. has a bit of a pattern.

This book was a Bookies Book Club pick for our February read, and honestly, the synopsis gives you the feel of adventure – and well, I guess I didn’t know what to expect.

While the book was interesting – everything came together a bit too easily – and therefore unrealistically. Don’t get me started on the youngest of the four….

There was enough going on to keep me reading, but in the end, it just felt like a really long car ride.

My one takeaway as I pondered this book after I closed the last page was that this was really about family – even family you did not know you had… and while yes, that car ride was long… in between the lines this motley crew was learning about each other and building something together that they didn’t have before, and that – that was kind of cool.

If it sounds like I have mixed emotions about this one – I do. It makes me think the author wanted it to be just the way I interpreted it – a long ride…. but it was making a family at the same time.

Rated: 2.75 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: Maybe, it sounds like he has good titles out there

Themes: abandonment, family

Book Club Worthy – I missed this review because I was in Florida – it sounded like the average overall was 2.5 for my book club – but I would not write it off as a selection for that reason.
Topics for discussion that would be interesting, of course is family – and what in today’s world does that include? Was this book realistic? Would you ever hop in a car with someone you barely knew, even if they were a long-lost relative? What about the dad and how the book ended? What message was the author trying to get across to us as readers?
The food part of your book group could be fun – gas station treats for sure, and also grilled cheese sandwiches 🙂

She Left Us by Callista Arden

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“Thirteen Reasons Why vibes”… in a good way. ~ Sheila

Thirteen years after Grace’s sister disappears from their family home, a car is found in a nearby ravine with what looks to be Zoe’s remains, showing that she died shortly after she left.

As Detectives Calder and Morales connect with the family, they find some disturbing information. While Zoe left the home all those years ago, a police report of a missing person was never filed, and the family never made any attempt to locate her – in fact, by the looks of the family home, they erased her. Her room has been remodeled, her personal items gone.

Zoe’s parents are distraught by the news of their oldest daughter, but describe an unruly child who came and went as she pleased, sneaking out at all hours, drugs and alcohol… in their mind, Zoe had left long before she left.

But Zoe’s younger sister, Grace, remembers a kinder, gentler version of her sister – and when a tape shows us that Zoe has left a message for Grace, Zoe tells the story of what happened and why she left.

Is what Zoe is sharing true? Zoe always had a knack for telling a great story… and was Zoey’s accident just that? Or was it suicide… or…

Was it murder?

My daughter-in-law put this one on my radar, and I tossed it in with the tote of books I brought to Florida. While Florida has been in a bit of a CHILL this week, outdoor time has been minimal, and reading has been a welcome thing.

This book gave me vibes of 13 Reasons Why (have you read this? It’s so good – better than the tv series). Briefly, Thirteen Reasons Why is about a girl who commits suicide but has mailed a set of 13 tapes to her classmate Clay, about why she did it. As the book goes on, you see what led to Hannah’s decision.)

What She Left Us takes from 13 Reasons Why is the tape left behind that tells Zoe’s side of what brought her to the decision to leave, unfolding a tale of neglect, verbal abuse, feelings of unworthiness, but again – is it true? As this is Zoe’s story.

Engaging read. As I dug into the characters, the book mostly focused on Grace’s reactions to what she is hearing and what she can remember of their childhood, and a rewrite of her own history.

While there are a few loose ends that I tend to pick at, overall a good, fast read that you will not want to put down.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would

Themes: death, sex (minimal and not descriptive), mental abuse

Book Club Worthy – Mmmm hmmm. I can see this as a good and possibly deep discussion on mental abuse, what we thought happened early on, and what actually happened. What could have easily changed the narrative?

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

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“I could handle a few more Storms”…. ” ~ Sheila

Alice Storm has spent five years apart from her family and the Storm family’s wealth. Removing herself from a toxic situation was probably the best decision she ever made, making (and paying) her own way.

Yet, when the call comes in from her mother about her billionaire father’s untimely passing, Alice finds herself returning to Storm Island, spending time with the siblings she has spoken to since she left, and finding herself once again entangled in one of her father’s manipulating games in an all-or-nothing family task for the inheritance that she never wanted.

Nothing, when it comes to the name Storm, is easy.

I read this one as we traveled to Florida earlier this week. As usual, I stockpiled a tote of books to bring along – many titles I have had for a while but had not had the opportunity to read.

It’s amazing the reading you can complete when traveling by RV for 3 1/2 days…

This was an enjoyable book. I liked Alice, and I liked her integrity. Toss in a mixed bag of family –

Greta – the oldest sister who has always felt it was her duty to hold everything together (to a fault), her mother’s right hand, and always seeking approval.

Sam – the only son. He should have been the leader and the next in line to take over as the CEO of Storm INC, but Sam is a spoiled rich adult who never put in the time to be his father’s successor and now struggles with secrets of his own and a wife and two kids expecting him to step up.

Emily – the youngest of the Storms, who is free-spirited and lives by her own rules, also does not break away from the family safety net.

And Elizabeth Storm, the mother of the four siblings, is icy and cold, never showing emotions.

Together, this reuniting of a broken, messed-up family forced into an inheritance game left in the father’s will, where they all have tasks to accomplish in one week, and if anyone fails, they all fail…

For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even the sideline romance between Alice and Jack Dean, her father’s second-in-command.


My only gripe- the ending was … weird. I was left with questions that IMO would lead to another book, but a search online says nope… this is a stand-alone.

Still check it out for yourself.

Rated: 4 out of 5
Read Author Before: I don’t think so
Read Author Again: probably

Themes: Inheritance, Black sheep, romance

Book Club Worthy – Yes. The siblings and their vast differences, and all with a secret of their own makes for good discussion. Even Elizabeth, the icy mom, is worth diagnosing if she becomes under the family’s name, and of course, this controlling, now passed away father that literally holds the purse strings to most of their desires – is it worth losing who you are, who you want to be for a large financial prize?

The First Witch Of Boston by Andrea Catalano

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I love historical fiction – and what an opportunity to get to know a bit about Margaret Jones. ~ Sheila

It’s 1646, and Thomas and Margaret Jones have left their life in London to escape suspicion of Margaret’s vast knowledge of herbal remedies. Moving to Boston, Thomas finds plenty of work with his skills of carpentry, and Margaret, in no time, is the one to call if you are having a baby or need a remedy for what is ailing you. She is whip smart on creating the perfect combination of herbs.

But soon, Margaret’s fiery personality and sharp tongue once again catch up with them, leading to townfolk using the word “cunning” when describing her, and men telling Thomas that he needed to control his wife. In this Puritan community, words and actions that seem to heal beyond what one would call normal processes lead to rumblings of witchcraft… words that you do not want in any way associated with you, as witchcraft means death.

When an upper-class young widow sets her eyes on Thomas, it’s all too easy to add her voice to the rumblings, adding fuel to a fire that, try as Margaret may, she can not put out.

I received this book through our Bookish Secret Santa Exchange. Loving historical fiction – and fascinated by the trials, this was a great pick! I dug into this as the first book I read while we traveled by RV to Florida these past few days.

Absolutely engaging, the historical fiction telling of Thomas and Margaret is one not to miss if this is a genre you enjoy. While in all historical fiction, the author is taking liberties to fill in the unknown, this book is inspired by actual diary entries and court records of Margaret, being the first woman to be executed for witchcraft in Boston.

I enjoyed the read immensely, still dumbfounded that women with skill could be accused and killed under the label of witch, and all of those innocent lives taken, Margaret being one of the early ones.

A few of my friends and I went to Salem in October of 2022 and toured where women were kept and learned more of this time in our history.

Rated: 4.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: I would

Themes: Witchcraft, Rape

Book Club Worthy – Absolutely. This would be a great discussion book – to review this time in our history, topics to dig deeper into surrounding the history of the witch trials, what traits a woman had to be accused, etc…

Family Of Liars by E Lockhart

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“Money – isn’t everything. ~ Sheila

**While this is a prequel to We Were Liars, it is important to read that book first, as this one contains information that would ruin the absolutely devastating beauty of the first book.

Carrie Sinclair, the oldest of the four Sinclair sisters, is haunted by her past. The wealthy and privileged family she is a part of’s lies and secrets did not start with the sisters’ teenage children… but long before Cadence, Johnny, Miren, and Gat were born.

As Carrie looks back at her own teenage years on Beechwood Island, playing the same games that their children played, and living by those same raised bar Singlair standards… secrets come to light of addiction, a boy, betrayal, and mistakes.

They…. have always been liars.

Recently, finding the We Were Liars mini series on Amazon Prime Video, I had a renewed interest in this book that I read over 11 years ago. I had seriously forgotten how good this book was! Of course, coming fresh off the video series, I didn’t need to read the book again, but I was thrilled to find out that a prequel had also been written.

I jumped on that bandwagon quickly, and here we are.

Family of Liars continues from where We Were Liars ends, but is not future writing – but writing of the past. Told from the point of view of Carrie, the oldest of the Sinclair sisters, she is recounting the tragic secrets of her own past with the family on Beechwood Island. We go back to the 80’s when Carrie, Penny, and Bess were around the same age as their children were in We Were Liars.

What I appreciate about this book is that you are getting more to the story, and it really explains a lot about these – dare I say uptight sisters that are trying to live up to the high standards of being a Sinclair… but also… wanting to be teens doing all the crazy things that teens do. Privilege comes with a price.

Secrets are revealed in this book, and while not as good as the first book (honestly, few sequels/prequels are), it does what most prequels do – give you a little more to the story and allow you to hang out a little longer in a fictional world with characters you have enjoyed.

Rated: 3 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Yes

Themes: secrets, betrayal, loss, murder

Book Club Worthy – If your book club has read the first book, absolutely! What a fun way to revisit. I don’t think my own book club has ever read a book that had a sequel/prequel that we also read together, but that seems like it would be a cool thing to do. So much to discuss in a continuing story, at the same time being able to revisit themes from the first book and how they tie together.

People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

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Just great snarky fun unfolding in a unique, engaging style ~ Sheila

When Poppy and Alex meet during a shared car ride home from college, they have nothing in common. Poppy is a free spirit, adventurous and daring – loving to push the narrative a little farther than perhaps she should… and Alex is most content to stay at home with a book, keeping his circle of influence small and comfortable.

Somehow, this odd match works, and they become the best of friends, taking an annual one-week vacation together where Poppy’s wild child persona pushes Alex to be a little more out of his shell, which they fondly refer to as “Vacation Alex“. This fun tradition continues with the friends for 10 years until a disastrous trip to Croatia creates a rift between the two of them, and they both agree that this will be their last trip together.

Two years later, Poppy is in a rut and can’t stop thinking of her once-best friend. She reaches out to Alex, convincing him to take one last trip together to see if they can bring back the magic they once had together, mixing the intoxicating combination of Poppy’s spirit with Alex’s need for stability.

What could possibly go wrong?

Full disclosure.. I have kind of been stocking people’s first book of the year selections and cherry – picking the ones I would like to give a try. This one looked fun, so in I went.

I love the layout of this read… it’s common in books today to have a present-time narrative as well as a narrative of the past… what’s unique ( and fun!) about People We Meet On Vacation, Is that this back and forth narrative takes us through Poppy and Alex’s past vacations – starting with the ride from college when they met, to their annual tradition sharing with us their bond together, leading up to the fateful trip that reveals to us the readers, what went down… all the while alternating with present time in their current trip.

It works.

I loved Vacation, Alex. The way Poppy draws out this playful alternative person, where they play act with strangers, pretend to be married with a hilarious back story of how they met to get perks at hotels and restaurants, and let go of all the inhibitions that you can when you are in a place that no one knows you, and most likely you will never see them again.

Highly enjoyable read. I didn’t know until I had started this book that it was also going to be a Netflix movie. Double Score!!!! My timing was kind of perfect, as the movie released on January 9th, and I finished the book on this day as well, and treated myself to a follow-up with the movie last night.
The actors playing the roles of Poppy and Alex were perfect. They capture Poppy’s snarky, fun personality and her sense of adventure, as well as Alex’s more laid-back personality.

Highly recommend the book – and the movie.
It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy both.

Rated: 4.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: Yes
Read Author Again: Yes

Themes: friendship, romance, nothing triggering

Book Club Worthy – Yes. Discussion can be centered around friendships, if men and women can just be close friends or best friends, and if anyone has (or had) this kind of relationship with the opposite sex… also, vacation is a fun topic, and if you do act differently when not around people you know – do we let go of inhibitions?
Of course – vacation food pairings… the options are endless!

We Were Liars on Amazon Prime

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In May of 2014, I read the book We Were Liars by E Lockhart, and it blew me away. CRAZY good book! I raved about it in my review at that time, and well…

A lot has happened in my life personally since 2014, as well as a WHOLE LOTTA BOOKS… so, as I suspect most readers do as well…
I forgot about it.

Over the recent holiday weeks, I had a little extra time and noticed that We Were Liars was a mini-series on Prime Video. I thought I had read the book, didn’t check here to verify, and actually, I am so glad I didn’t. 🙂 I remembered very little other than that our teenage protagonist, Cadence, had returned to the Island near Martha Stewart’s Vineyard for the summer as she had done every summer since she was young, but this time was different, as something had happened the previous year. There was an accident, and Cadence could not remember the details other than that she was found in the water and sent to the hospital.
Now, back to where it all happened, spending time with her cousins and friends who were there every summer as well, and holding some secrets to what went down… Cadence is slowly piecing it together.

Crazy what you can forget. I was blown away as this came together, and two MEGA recommendations for you.

1) If you have not read this book – We Were Liars, get it. Read it. Do it now. I’ll wait.
2) If you have read this book, ABSOLUTELY watch the Prime Video series under the same title.

SO SO GOOD. And I can’t stop thinking about it.

I didn’t know until recently that there was a second book, written as a prequel – Family Of Liars, which I just started listening to on audio yesterday.

Stay tuned… 😉

Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

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Delightfully insane… ~ Sheila

House hunting wars go to a new level in the suburbs of Washington DC for Margo and Ian Miyake. After 18 months of house searching and 11 failed bidding wars, Margo is feeling her dreams of the white picket fence and the tire swing in the back yard to raise their future children slipping from her grasp. Will they ever catch a break?

Then, just as she is about to give up, Margo gets a hot tip about a house that will be listed in the upcoming weeks… sworn to secrecy, Margo can not believe her luck – this house checks off all the boxes (including the tire swing!). But how will they beat out the other interested buyers… what can be done differently than what they have done before?

While Ian, an EPA Lawyer, is more level-headed and realistic, Margo has become obsessed with the house – HER HOUSE, and will stop at quite literally nothing to be sure that when the dust clears, it is her… err… their name on the title.
After all, what’s too much when it comes to your dreams?


Honestly, you are getting a mixed bag of nuts on this one. When the book started – I loved it. It was just fun to watch Margo slowly lose it over the pressures of securing a home and then finding the holy grail. Months of trying and failing will do that to a person, and in the start, Margo’s wild antics are humorous, and for most of the book, I am all in.

Deeper in – the book takes a pretty dark turn – totally changing the feel of the book for me. Maybe it was because it was unexpected (I mean – I’ve read some pretty creepy psychological thrillers), maybe I was looking for something lighter – but it left things a little wonky in the end. Some things in the book felt unnecessary and did not add to the book; in fact, IMO, took away. I’m a little sad about this, as 3/4 of the way through the book, I thought I had hit on another 5-star read.

And the moral of this story – be careful what you wish for.

Rated: 3.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No – this is a debut author
Read Author Again: unsure

Themes: unhinged, infidelity, Going TOO FAR

Book Club Worthy – As much as I have mixed feelings about this, I think a good book club discussion could happen. Who hasn’t gone to great measures to get something they really wanted – even to the point of being a big unhinged ;P

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (First Book of 2026!)

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What an absolutely beautiful book that will stay with me forever~ Sheila

When a mysterious older gentleman moves to Golden, Georgia, little is known about him other than that he goes by the name Theo.
When in a coffee shop one morning, where 92 framed sketches of various residents are on display, Theo comes up with the idea to purchase each of these portraits and gift them to their “rightful owners” – the person in the frame. And what a wide variety of people! An accountant, a custodian, a landlord, a bookstore owner, a street musician, a one armed mixolist, a young girl, and a homeless woman, just to name a few.
As Theo sets out on his mission, each sketched person is invited to meet. All Theo asks in return is that they sit with him and tell him about themselves… stories are told, long-lasting hurts are shared, treasured memories revealed, and in the process, lives are changed.

This is my planned first book of 2026. Only recently did this book draw my attention – and in an even shorter time, when a friend posted about this book on social media, the deal was sealed. Not only did I need to read this, but the timing, the beginning of a New Year, seemed to be perfect.

Having just finished this book yesterday afternoon, I am fresh from the words and all the feels. As I think about this today, I honestly don’t know if I can name another recent book that I have read that left me feeling this emotional, inspired, and with chills.

What a perfect book to start the year with. Beautifully and thoughtfully written. May we all take each day as a gift and a chance to quietly make a difference in a positive way. May we all long for Heaven the way that Theo does – and may we be the type of people that bring a little bit of Heaven to earth.

Absolutely read this book.

Rated: 5 out of 5
Read Author Before: No
Read Author Again: Maybe – this feels so good I kind of don’t want to touch it 🙂

Themes: Faith, Hope, Spiritualness, Selflessness, Kindness

Book Club Worthy – YES, and if I have anything to say about it – it absolutely will be. There is so, so much that would make for great discussion here.