Tag: book-reviews

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

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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…

I Don’t Forgive You by Aggie Thompson

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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.

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?

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… 😉