Synopsis:

In this startling group memoir, four friends—black and white, gay and straight, immigrant and American-born—use Toni Morrison’s novels as a springboard for intimate and revealing conversations about the problems of everyday racism and living whole in times of uncertainty. Tackling everything from first love and Soul Train to police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, the authors take up what it means to read challenging literature collaboratively and to learn in public as an act of individual reckoning and social resistance.

Framing their book club around collective secrets, the group bears witness to how Morrison’s works and words can propel us forward while we sit with uncomfortable questions about race, gender, and identity. How do we make space for black vulnerability in the face of white supremacy and internalized self-loathing? How do historical novels speak to us now about the delicate seams that hold black minds and bodies together?

This slim and brilliant confessional offers a radical vision for book clubs as sites of self-discovery and communal healing. The Toni Morrison Book Club insists that we find ourselves in fiction and think of Morrison as a spiritual guide to our most difficult thoughts and ideas about American literature and life.

Booktimistic Star Rating: 

Review:

Part group memoir, part ode to Toni Morrison but mostly a collection of intimate and insightful essays on identity, gender and race, The Toni Morrison Book Club is unlike any memoir I’ve read before. It’s also possibly a very underrated book. I’ve barely seen it around and I genuinely hope it eventually finds its audience and gets read and talked about by more people.

In this book four friends, (a White man and three Black women) pick four of Toni Morrison’s books namely, Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and A Mercy and talk about how Morrison’s words spoke to them through various life experiences, be it the good, bad or ugly. In their individual essays they examine African American history, contemplate current events and compare the two, asses the similarities, ponder over the changes, while also simultaneously taking into account Morrison’s impactful words, wishing and thinking, that if only more people read her books, understood and talked about the difficult, uncomfortable and important things she wrote about, maybe, maybe our world would have been less troubled.

The Toni Morrison Book Club also sheds light on several cultural tropes and racist terms, and on why they are wrong and why micro-aggression shouldn’t be confused for compliment. Examples include – “strong Black girl”, “exotic beauty”, “Black sass/aggression”, “Can I touch your pretty textured hair” and many more. As a reader, we gain plenty of perspective on the relevance of Morrison’s words in our present society. It’s also terrifying to realize that a considerable number of horrors portrayed in her books are still prevalent, certainly overlooked and glossed over but present nonetheless. Slavery might be illegal but not every person is truly free in the twenty first century.

Despite this being a non fiction, it is an excellent example of why fiction is paramount in our lives. The feeling of being wholly understood after reading something in a book is unparalleled and it makes the reader both bold and vulnerable. In The Toni Morrison Book Club, its four writers have bared out their souls, writing about uncomfortable intimate things, things they haven’t spoken aloud in years, but in here, having acquired the courage to do so after reading and being inspired by Morrison’s words.

Really, I learned a huge deal from this short 200 something page book and now am also motivated to read my first Morrison. And although I listened to this on audio, (highly recommended), I also plan on getting myself a physical copy in order to highlight and reread because along with everything, this is an extremely quotable book as well.

Just read this, even if you don’t read memoirs or nonfiction because there is plenty to gain and learn from its contents.

Disclaimer: A free ALC was provided by LibroFM in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The post The Toni Morrison Book Club – Book Review appeared first on Booktimistic.

Synopsis:

Kyuri is a heartbreakingly beautiful woman with a hard-won job at a “room salon,” an exclusive bar where she entertains businessmen while they drink. Though she prides herself on her cold, clear-eyed approach to life, an impulsive mistake with a client may come to threaten her livelihood.

Her roommate, Miho, is a talented artist who grew up in an orphanage but won a scholarship to study art in New York. Returning to Korea after college, she finds herself in a precarious relationship with the super-wealthy heir to one of Korea’s biggest companies.

Down the hall in their apartment building lives Ara, a hair stylist for whom two preoccupations sustain her: obsession with a boy-band pop star, and a best friend who is saving up for the extreme plastic surgery that is commonplace.

And Wonna, one floor below, is a newlywed trying to get pregnant with a child that she and her husband have no idea how they can afford to raise and educate in the cutthroat economy.

Together, their stories tell a gripping tale that’s seemingly unfamiliar, yet unmistakably universal in the way that their tentative friendships may have to be their saving grace.

Booktimistic Star Rating: 

Review:

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha is a character oriented literary fiction set in contemporary Korea. It explores the day to day lives of four Korean women, each extremely different from the other and tells their individual stories. It is raw and unsettling, sad and thought provoking but also insightful and enlightening. It mostly focuses on its characters and doesn’t really have a traditional storyline.The writing is simple and almost conversational. and the author does a great job of providing a glimpse at the difficulties and dilemmas faced by Korean women on a day to day basis.

For all its millions of people, Korea is the size of a fishbowl and someone is always looking down on someone else. That’s just the way it is in this country, and the reason why people ask a series of rapid-fire questions the minute they meet you. Which neighborhood do you live in? Where did you go to school? Where do you work? Do you know so-and-so? They pinpoint where you are on the national scale of status, then spit you out in a heartbeat.

Kyuri is a successful room salon girl who has had to undergo innumerable cosmetic procedures due to the ruthless competition in her field. Miho is an extremely talented artist who is in a complicated and toxic relationship with a frightfully wealthy man. Ara is a mute hairstylist who is obsessed with a K-pop band and its lead singer. Wonna is a woman with a tough past and a weak economic standing who mostly spends her day worrying about how she’ll provide for her yet to be born daughter. If I Had Your Face is a glimpse into the lives of these four women, their struggles and fears, dreams and desires.

Since my knowledge of Korean culture is minimal (yes, I need to read more Korean literature) nearly everything I read in here was new to me, be it the horrifying societal norms, harsh beauty standards, cosmetic surgery culture and room salon business or the prevalent misogyny, sexism, consumerism, classism and even the obsession with K-pop culture.

While I overall enjoyed If I Had Your Face, it left me wanting a lot more. A whole bunch of fascinating subjects were introduced but never expanded on. Several questions were left unanswered. Numerous incidents throughout the book had me wondering how they’ll be addressed, but they were just left, forgotten, without any reference. Why? For example, what happened after that salon restroom incident with Ara? What was the deal with Wonna’s husband? What happened after her baby came? Did Miho simply forgive and forget? Really, so many questions and no answers. It was a little frustrating. Every story felt incomplete, the conclusion was very abrupt, not to mention vague and I did not buy how it all came together at the end. You know what, I’d happily read a sequel if the author writes one.

So, yes, it was a good enough read but not very satisfying, because while it started really strong the abrupt conclusion and lack of answers left me hanging, wanting much more.

I would live your life so much better than you, if I had your face.

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Synopsis:

Two wildly different women–one a grifter, the other an heiress–are brought together by the scam of a lifetime in a page-turner from the New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear.

Nina once bought into the idea that her fancy liberal arts degree would lead to a fulfilling career. When that dream crashed, she turned to stealing from rich kids in L.A. alongside her wily Irish boyfriend, Lachlan. Nina learned from the best: Her mother was the original con artist, hustling to give her daughter a decent childhood despite their wayward life. But when her mom gets sick, Nina puts everything on the line to help her, even if it means running her most audacious, dangerous scam yet.

Vanessa is a privileged young heiress who wanted to make her mark in the world. Instead she becomes an Instagram influencer–traveling the globe, receiving free clothes and products, and posing for pictures in exotic locales. But behind the covetable façade is a life marked by tragedy. After a broken engagement, Vanessa retreats to her family’s sprawling mountain estate, Stonehaven: A mansion of dark secrets not just from Vanessa’s past, but from that of a lost and troubled girl named Nina.

Nina, Vanessa, and Lachlan’s paths collide here, on the cold shores of Lake Tahoe, where their intertwined lives give way to a winter of aspiration and desire, duplicity and revenge.

This dazzling, twisty, mesmerizing novel showcases acclaimed author Janelle Brown at her best, as two brilliant, damaged women try to survive the greatest game of deceit and destruction they will ever play.

Booktimistic Star Rating: 

Review:

Nothing is ever as pure as it seems at first glance; there is always something more complicated to be found when you peel back the unmarred surface of pretty things.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown is a deliciously entertaining, character driven, slow burn, psychological suspense story, full of drama, deceit, greed, backstabbing and lies galore.

If you’ve read its premise you might be misled into thinking that this is an action packed heist thriller involving the scam of a lifetime. Well, it’s not. Yes, a scam is involved but it’s not the one you’re expecting. And I wouldn’t really put it in the thriller category, it’s more like a literary mystery.

The enticing cover caught my attention at first, but after reading the exquisitely written prologue I was instantly pulled into the story and found myself turning pages until the very end. Almost 500 pages of delicious nonstop entertainment with the most unexpected conclusion.

The plot naturally is extremely fascinating – a broke grifter, a lonely Instagram influencer, and a master con artist are all brought together at the picturesque setting of Lake Tahoe. A sprawling old mansion nearly overflowing with precious antiques is the common denominator. There are gripping backstories that reveal complex and messy history between the characters involving lost dreams and forbidden first loves, dysfunctional family dynamics and plenty of mind games. A few clever twists are placed aptly within the story, most of which I did not see coming.

Caption-and-comment culture in all its brevity leaves out the middle ground, where most of life is found.

Additionally, in between we get some thought provoking and compelling commentary on social media, disparity between the glamorous online life and the ordinary real one, the gaping vast gap between the exorbitantly wealthy and those struggling to barely meet ends. Some reviewers have complained about its length and lack of action, but frankly non of it bothered me and I savored every moment of this beautifully written smart story.

It’s easiest to judge from a distance. That’s why the Internet has turned us all into armchair critics, experts at the cold dissection of gesture and syllable, sneering self-righteously from the safety of our screens. There, we can feel good about ourselves, validated that our flaws aren’t as bad as theirs, unchallenged in our superiority.

Did you know Nicole Kidman is to star and produce a series adaptation of this for Amazon? I cannot wait!

Recommended if you enjoy character driven literary suspense brimming with deceit and betrayal that makes you second guess everyone and everything.  Also, if you like listening to audiobooks, this one is excellently narrated by Julia Whelan, Lauren Fortgang & Hillary Huber.

Disclaimer: A free ebook and audiobook was provided by Random House and Libro.fm in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The post Pretty Things – Book Review appeared first on Booktimistic.

Synopsis:

Mira Jacob’s touching, often humorous, and utterly unique graphic memoir takes readers on her journey as a first-generation American. At an increasingly fraught time for immigrants and their families, Good Talk delves into the difficult conversations about race, sex, love, and family that seem to be unavoidable these days.

Inspired by her popular BuzzFeed piece “37 Difficult Questions from My Mixed-Raced Son,” here are Jacob’s responses to her six-year-old, Zakir, who asks if the new president hates brown boys like him; uncomfortable relationship advice from her parents, who came to the United States from India one month into their arranged marriage; and the imaginary therapy sessions she has with celebrities from Bill Murray to Madonna. Jacob also investigates her own past, from her memories of being the only non-white fifth grader to win a Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest to how it felt to be a brown-skinned New Yorker on 9/11. As earnest and moving as they are sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, these are the stories that have formed one American life.

Booktimistic Star Rating:

Review:

Brutally honest and thought provoking, deeply poignant yet surprisingly humorous, Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob is one of the best books I’ve read this year and it has found its way into my list of favorites. In case you need a little background, Mira Jacob is an American, her parents are Indian immigrants, she married a Jewish man and they have a mixed race son Zakir, here referred to as Z. This is her memoir.

Good Talk is exactly what the title claims, that is, good rather excellent talk and a memoir in conversations. The book begins with Mira reasoning with Z over his obsession with Michael Jackson while simultaneously trying to answer his seemingly innocent but deeply relevant questions on race and skin color and later on the political environment post 9/11 up until Trump’s election as President of the United States.

Mira takes us all the way back to the story of her parent’s arranged marriage in India, their trip to USA and the adjustments that came with it. She talks about her experience of being a brown girl in America, her utter confusion on being deemed ugly in India because of her dark skin, her baffling dating experience and the indirect racism she has encountered and also the various discriminations she has faced at work. There are conversations on how worried her parents got after realizing that she probably won’t marry an Indian, or even an Indian American, and more on how her Jewish in-laws to be would also have preferred her to be Jewish.

We think our hearts break only from endings—the love gone, the rooms empty, the future unhappening as we stand ready to step into it—but what about how they can shatter in the face of what is possible?

One very upsetting and frustrating conversation is when she tries explaining to Z why his paternal grandparents are Trump supporters. Mira can be seen struggling, because really how can one justify all of those obvious racist undertones in Trump’s campaign to a young kid! And then there was also that one incident where she was mistaken as the help at a party at her in-laws place.

Also, this isn’t a traditional graphic novel, as in real pictures are superimposed with artwork and the same faces are used repeatedly, but in my opinion it’s a rather creative take on a graphic novel and works wonderfully with the content.

Good Talk is messy and complex, it is tender and honest to a fault, extremely satirical and particularly witty at times, but at the end of it all it is completely, desperately human. It’s one woman’s story about love and belonging and trying to find her place in a beautifully complicated world, while also attempting to honestly answer the multitude of questions asked by her inquisitive young son.

Trust me when I say this book is sheer brilliance, one that I’ll be recommending and gifting frequently. I am pretty sure POC readers, especially those residing in US will find much to relate. A lot of what bothers Mira as a mother, bothers me too, and there are lines in here that I can literally quote as my feelings for my son, who is also going to grow up as a brown man in America.

If I had to pick my favorite lines from this book, they would certainly be these –

Here is the thing, though, the real, true thing I still have trouble admitting: I can’t protect you from everything. I can’t protect you from becoming a brown man in America. I can’t protect you from spending a lifetime caught between the beautiful dream of a diverse nation and the complicated reality of one.

Even now, just writing that down, I want to say something that will make it okay, or even make it make sense, but I can’t.

And this is maybe the part I worry about the most, how the weight of that will twist you into someone you don’t want to be, or worse, make you ashamed of your own heart. I hope you will remember that you have nothing to be ashamed of. I hope you will remember that your heart is a good one, and that your capacity to feel love, in all its complexity, is a gift.

I’ve also read that this book is to be developed into a TV series and cannot wait for it. Again, if you haven’t read this yet, please do, it’s a masterpiece, and I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: A free finished copy was provided by Random House. All opinions are my own.

The post Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations – Book Review appeared first on Booktimistic.

Synopsis:

As an etiquette coach, Margot teaches her clients to fit in. But she’s never faced a client like Bianca, an aging movie star who gained fame—and notoriety—through a campaign of shock and awe. Schooling Bianca on the fine art of behaving like a proper diplomat’s wife requires intensive lessons, forcing Margot to move into the monastery turned mansion owned by the actress’s intensely private son. Like his incredible home, Alec’s stony exterior hides secret depths Margot would love to explore. But will he trust her enough to let her in?

Sunshine has always been the good-time sister, abandoning jobs to chase after guys who used her, then threw her away. No more. She refuses to be “that girl” again. This time, she’ll finish college, dedicate herself to her job as a nanny, and she 100 percent will not screw up her life again by falling for the wrong guy. Especially not the tempting single dad who also happens to be her boss.

Master storyteller Susan Mallery weaves threads of family drama, humor, romance and a wish-you-were-there setting into one of the most satisfying books of the year!

Booktimistic Star Rating:

Review:

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery is an ideal example of what I love in a light summer contemporary fiction – charming characters, plenty of humor, family drama, just the right amount of romance and most importantly a satisfying and happy ending. The author certainly knows how to tell a story and with easily flowing simple words she manages to keep her readers engaged, leaving them completely content towards the end.

The plot revolves around two fraternal twin sisters Sunshine and Margot who are poles apart in both looks and temperament but share a deep sibling bond. Margot is the practical sister, prim, proper and with a no nonsense attitude, she excels at her job as an etiquette coach. But her most recent client Bianca, baffles her. Bianca is an aging movie star who has had a glamorous and very scandalous youth. Now that she’s marrying a European diplomat she needs Margot to coach her to follow the rules of decorum in order to move among the political elite and be the dignified wife. Teaching Bianca self-control and the proprieties of aristocracy is much more demanding than anything Margot has ever handled before, but what’s even more challenging is trying not to fall for Bianca’s eccentric yet gorgeous son Alec.

Sunshine on the other hand is a dreamer and a romantic to the extent of being gullible. She has abandoned her life and job one too many times chasing after guys only to be dumped mercilessly every time. Now at thirty one, she’s had enough and hence has decided to be in control of her life. She enrolls herself in college to get a degree in child psychology, meanwhile working as a nanny for a sweet eight year old boy, Connor. Now if only she could keep her heart safe from the tempting single dad Declan, her boss aka Connor’s dad!

The plot isn’t elaborate as you can tell, but I believe it doesn’t need to be for stories like this. The focus is on sibling relationship, human connection, overcoming the pain in past and moving on, in giving life a second chance and thereby getting one ourselves. The characters were all relatable and realistic, flawed in their quirks and vulnerabilities and very human, as were the backstories associated with the two sisters and their respective love interests. Bianca, was an exception though, I wouldn’t really say she was relatable per se, but nonetheless a delight to read about. The romance is a sweet one, but it does get steamy towards the end. The conclusion was well done, not rushed, not totally unbelievable even if a bit cheesy, but I was satisfied. Although I would have loved an epilogue with a wedding maybe!

Yes, the story is predictable but it doesn’t make it any less endearing. I am all for intense literary reads, but sometimes, particularly in summer I long for a simple, sweet, predictable yet extremely satisfying story, exactly like this one which is just so good for the soul.

I’ll recommend it if you’re on the lookout for a light breezy heartwarming story that’ll be perfect to flip through on a long hot summer afternoon, especially if combined with a tall glass of iced tea.

Disclaimer: A free finished was provided by Harlequin Books and TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Synopsis:

Four women learn their boss (a man who’s always been surrounded by rumors about how he treats women) is next in line to be CEO—what will happen when they decide enough is enough?

Sloane, Ardie, Grace, and Rosalita are four women who have worked at Truviv, Inc., for years. The sudden death of Truviv’s CEO means their boss, Ames, will likely take over the entire company. Ames is a complicated man, a man they’ve all known for a long time, a man who’s always been surrounded by…whispers. Whispers that have always been ignored by those in charge. But the world has changed, and the women are watching Ames’s latest promotion differently. This time, they’ve decided enough is enough.

Sloane and her colleagues set in motion a catastrophic shift within every floor and department of the Truviv offices. All four women’s lives—as women, colleagues, mothers, wives, friends, even adversaries—will change dramatically as a result.

Booktimistic Star Rating: 

Review:

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker is a relevant and timely novel that addresses multiple social issues primarily focusing on corporate politics, struggles of being a working woman in a male dominated world and how rumors even those innocuous little ones can prove to be lethal.

The story is set in the legal department at Truviv Inc., a Fortune 100 company based in Dallas, Texas and revolves around four women lawyers gregarious Sloane Glover, poised Ardie Valdez, rational Grace Stanton and a fresh new-hire Katherine Bell. After the unfortunate sudden death of their company’s CEO, there are whispers circulating through the office that Ames Garrett, the General Counsel might get promoted to occupy the recently vacated top position. Everyone knows he’s arrogant and ruthless. But there’ve also been other whispers about Ames, particularly about how he emotionally manipulates women who work with/under him.

But for Sloane Grover it’s not just a whisper, she knows this for a fact and in spite of being extremely adept at her job, she has suffered professionally due to an early affair with Ames. When the new girl Katherine confesses about Ames’ inappropriate behavior, Sloane can’t just sit by and watch him become the next CEO. She is determined to expose him for what he really is. As a first step she adds his name to an anonymous spreadsheet circulating within the city named BAD Men List, aka “Beware of Asshole Dallas Men,” that lists male names and their respective wrongdoings. What follows is a shocking chain of events that includes another death (possibly murder!), a lawsuit, and an almost media uproar.

This is a well crafted and interesting whodunit. The author masterfully blends thriller elements with a plethora of social issues like discrimination at work, unrealistic expectations of perfection from women, challenges of new motherhood, entitlement, exploitation and a lot more. There’s also plenty on female friendship, how women support each other and how usually they emerge stronger and better after facing the callous corporate culture, but how sometimes they also get frustrated and depressed.

But it has a few shortcomings as well that I’d like to pinpoint. First, the writing style felt a bit queer. I later realized that the narration is third person by women in general and not by a specific character, and this felt rather odd and confusing at times. It hence took me a while to get into the storytelling and the story as well because the first half of the book is painfully slow and boring! And yet, the second half and particularly how everything wrapped up towards the end won me over completely and I was satisfied with what I read.

On the whole this story is a combination of suspense and women’s fiction that both entertains and educates. However, if you start with this and want to put it down, I’ll encourage you to keep pushing because the end will be totally worth dragging through the first half of the book.

Disclaimer: A free paperback ARC was provided by Macmillan in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Synopsis:

One of Madeline Cullen’s happiest childhood memories is of working with her Aunt Maddie in the quaint and cozy Printed Letter Bookshop. But by the time Madeline inherits the shop nearly twenty years later, family troubles and her own bitter losses have hardened Madeline’s heart toward her once-treasured aunt—and the now struggling bookshop left in her care.

While Madeline intends to sell the shop as quickly as possible, the Printed Letter’s two employees have other ideas. Reeling from a recent divorce, Janet finds sanctuary within the books and within the decadent window displays she creates. Claire, though quieter than the acerbic Janet, feels equally drawn to the daily rhythms of the shop and its loyal clientele, finding a renewed purpose within its walls. When Madeline’s professional life takes an unexpected turn, and when a handsome gardener upends all her preconceived notions, she questions her plans and her heart. She begins to envision a new path for herself and for her aunt’s beloved shop—provided the women’s best combined efforts are not too little, too late.

The Printed Letter Bookshop is a captivating story of good books, a testament to the beauty of new beginnings, and a sweet reminder of the power of friendship.

Booktimistic Star Rating:

Review:

As a self proclaimed book lover, I am stating the obvious when I say I love books, but what I like even more is reading books about books and bookshops. The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay is delightful story about books and a bookshop also encompassing hope, friendship, forgiveness and second chances. It’s about finding joy in things we love, letting go of the past and embracing life’s uncertainty.

At the heart of the story is a quaint small-town independent bookshop – The Printed Letter, that Madeline Cullen inherits from her aunt. A successful Chicago lawyer and about to be made partner at her current firm, Madeline does not have the time or inclination to continue running the barely thriving bookshop. In fact, the inheritance came as a shock to her. Almost two decades back, after an unfortunate turn of events strained her dad’s relationship with his sister, Madeline cut off ties too with her once-beloved aunt. But then why was her dad so full of regret at her aunt’s funeral? Did she make a mistake without knowing the whole story? How will she find out what actually happened all those years ago, when no one wants to talk about it?

While Madeline is struggling with her thoughts about her aunt and the bookshop, several miles away across town, two women, Janet and Claire are also wondering about The Printed Letter Bookshop’s fate. Janet is a fifty something recent divorcee, and one of the two employees at the the bookshop. She lost her closest friend and confidante with Maddie’s death. Both her kids keep her at an arm’s length siding with their father since after the divorce. Maddie’s death has been hard on her and she desperately wants to save the shop and thereby her friend’s lifework and legacy.

Claire, the other employee has recently moved to town and feels like she’s still settling in. The Printed Letter is the only place that makes her happy, she likes being in control and now with the uncertainty associated with the shop, she feels all control slipping out. After all, what is it that she can do?

The The Printed Letter Bookshop is what brings these three women together, and as they get to know and help each other, a strong bond of friendship forms between them, Madeline’s aunt Maddie being the common thread. Days turn into weeks and the goal of getting the shop ready to be sold transforms into saving the shop. Alongside we also see the transformations occurring in the lives of the three women. This story isn’t plot elaborate but rather character oriented. Over its course we see, every character growing in their own way towards overcoming fears, accepting the whims of fate and letting go of what one can’t control.

One thing that particularly delighted me about this book was the innumerable quotes and bookish references throughout. I had so much fun trying to figure out which books were being referenced. The author thoughtfully lists all of the books mentioned directly/indirectly in the story towards the end. After having finished reading this, I spent another hour browsing about the books I hadn’t heard of, and adding a bunch of books to my TBR. How often does that happen!

A cozy, charming read, The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay is an ode to independent bookshops and book lovers and I’ll recommend this if you’re looking for an endearing, feel-good story to curl up with. I am definitely going to keep an eye out for the author’s future releases and meanwhile will be checking out her previous works.

Disclaimer: An ARC was provided by Thomas Nelson and TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Synopsis:

For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover–movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.

Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora–and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted–not even those closest to Cora.

Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe–even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.

Booktimistic Star Rating: 

Review:

I think stories inspired by true crime cases are more menacing than those that are simply an author’s imagination. One of the reasons why I was truly unsettled by this chilling thriller called Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf is because it is inspired by the disturbing 2014 case of Slender Man, where two young girls lure another into the woods and stab her nineteen times, just to impress (that’s right) the urban myth known as Slender Man. If you’re not familiar with the case, and intend to read this, I’d recommend looking up the case details after finishing up this book, not before.

Before She Was Found opens with three twelve year olds, Cora, Violet and Jordyn sneaking out to an abandoned train track at midnight during one of their sleepovers. Things turn ugly pretty quickly and when the police find them a couple of hours later, Cora has been brutally stabbed, Violet is in deep shock and barely speaks a word, while Jordyn is completely unscathed but is unwilling to share what happened.

As the story unfolds, we realize how different the three girls are. Jordyn is the popular mean girl, Violet is the new girl who has recently relocated from New Mexico and is still finding her place whereas Cora is the misfit, whose best friend moved away a while ago and she is lonely and desperate to find a new friend. What brought these three girls together? Why would they have a sleepover when they are not even friends? And most importantly, what prompted the dangerous endeavor of sneaking out at midnight to a deserted train track?

The format of this book is pretty unique. There are multiple point of views, journal entries, text messages, chat room conversations and police interviews, all combined together to give a comprehensive look into the overall plot. I believe the author did a wonderful job of blending together these various formats and giving the story a more realistic feel.

This story is much more than a simple police investigation. Of course, the crux of it is unveiling what led to the sinister crime and finding out the culprit, but underneath it all there’s plenty of family drama, emotional dilemmas, blame games, pranks and tricks and above all the dangers of the necessary evil that is the Internet. I think along with writing a gripping thriller, the author has managed to convey a very important message of how destructive Internet can be, particularly to adolescents, sometimes even leading to dire consequences.

Oh, and finally let me tell you a bit about the ending (no spoilers, of course). It was very unexpected, but in a good way. I could never have seen that coming. Yes, there’s a satisfaction to guessing plot twists but when the author manages to pull off something you never imagined, there’s a contentedness in that as well and Heather Gudenkauf completely took me by surprise with that ending.

Before She Was Found is a sinister story, brutal and menacing with quite a few cringeworthy and very visual scenes that bothered me. And yet it’s an exceptionally well done thriller that also takes into account some important social issues. Read it, if you’re on the lookout for a quick, gritty suspense inspired by true events.

Disclaimer: A free finished copy was provided by Park Row and TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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