What She Witnessed

What She Witnessed by Cole Baxter

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

From the first pages of the book, I felt nothing but pity for Kelly. Her life went down the hill the day her husband passed away. But the sudden death of the husband was only the beginning of the horror of a life that Kelly will live throughout the novel.

Although I liked the idea of the plot, there was something about Kelly’s character that bothered me to the core. My compassion for her has changed about halfway through the novel as I found her character whiny and cross. The plot itself had great potential, but it took a long time to develop and unfortunately didn’t stand up to the thrilling synopsis.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.



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The New Neighbor

The New Neighbor by Carter Wilson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A single day has changed his life forever. The day he lost his wife – he won the Powerball. Life can be funny that way. Followed by grief and memories of his previous life, he packs his small family and moves states away. New home – new life. But the history of the new house begins to hunt him. And while trying to resolve the mystery left behind by the previous owners, he builds up the courage to reveal his own dark secret to his family.

The plot twist was good, and I would have loved the story so much more if the novel kept the full focus on the first story, as I do not find the secondary storyline very intriguing. Although both stories are connected, and the substory was a great explanation of the events that took place, I wish it didn’t take as much space in the novel as it did and gave that extra pages to the main story which had my full attention. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press publisher for a free ad advanced copy of the novel.



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214 Palmer Street

214 Palmer Street by Karen McQuestion

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A secret that bonds three childhood friends forever. The years pass, and the still water is moved by an outsider who, not knowingly, is about to uncover a decades-long cold case.

I didn’t see that coming, an interesting plot twist. But let me start from the beginning. Leading characters – wonderful, loved the short number of the characters that all played a significant role in the novel. Plot – predictable but well build. In an ocean of new thriller novels, it is hard to find an idea that stands out, and the author did a good job keeping the reader intrigued with current and past events. Now, the ending – yet again, pleasantly surprised. So tired of “and they lived happily ever after” endings, thank you Ms. McQuestion for staying away from his part, AND not ending the novel after the major plot twist. It was refreshing to learn of the post twist life of the characters. I am impressed by the writing and the idea of the novel. All in all, this was plenty entertaining read and it moved at a quick pace. Thank you, NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel.



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Little Women

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ll try and be what he loves to call me, ‘a little woman,’ and not be rough and wild; but do my duty here instead of wanting to be somewhere else.

I do not know why it took me so long to read this novel, but I finally did it. And what a lovely read this was!

March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, are bonded for life by the love of their close-knit family. The bond between the sisters is unbreakable. Although each sister is a completely opposite version of one another, with individual goals and plans for the future, one thing always keeps them together – their family. Although the March family is poor, the lack of money does not make nor break their future plans. The lives of four sisters are full of love, personal achievements, despair, grief, and hope. I was pleasantly surprised by their closeness, love for one another, lack of jealousy, and simple quality to love life as it is. Besides the close friendship, the sisters share a very unique bond with a boy next door, which has created a very close bond between the five characters.

A phenomenal read. The novel was written in a way that the reader is able to feel each emotion and relive each moment of the sister’s lives with them as they were right there in the middle of the novel living as a part of March’s family.



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Last Dance on the Starlight Pier

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I jumped into the world of Evie Grace Devlin without knowing what to expect. And what an engaging ride it was.

Working childhood, rough upbringing, loveless mother. Young Evie managed to get herself out of her mother’s grip and built a better life for herself. Her first stop turned out to be good, but it ended on a bumpy note, making young Evie turn back to the life she tried so hard to escape. However, before she managed to make a move, her life gave her another chance to start anew… And what a delightful life it was… until yet another consequence shattered her world.

Taking place during the great depression, we see the people of entertainment try to survive and stay afloat. Although the initial idea of the plot was compelling, I didn’t feel the “book spark”. I expected something BIG to happen, and when it did – I didn’t find it thrilling, mostly due to the novel being “busy”. There were too many details to keep track of too many characters (my biggest pet peeve), too many sub-stories, and too many relationships. Nevertheless, this novel prompted me to look more into the novels with great depression storylines in them.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC.



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