Recently Read - Book Review

Happy Monday loves! Hope you had a great weekend. Ours was pretty laidback especially since it rained almost all day yesterday! Saturday, I spent the day shopping with my mom and Sunday we pretty much just cleaned the house and meal prepped for the week. Nothing too exciting!

This book review is all over the map as far as genres go! I wanted to branch out from reading all mystery/thrillers and I certainly have done that with this list. I'll be honest, now that I can't read on my commute, I'm not getting through books quite as quickly as before but I try to squeeze in 15-30 minutes at night before bed.

1.) An Unwanted Guest: This was the book that I started reading right while we were in the process of moving back to Maryland from Boston so it took me a bit to finish but it was VERY good. The plot revolves around several different characters who all book a weekend away at a remote hotel. They come from all different walks of life but they have one thing in comment--they all have something to hide. The snowstorm leaves them totally stranded in this hotel and after one guest is shockingly murdered, secrets are exposed and everyone is on edge. This was definitely a thriller to the max and I was surprised by the ending! It will keep you on the edge of your seat though I will say I found it hard to keep up with all of the characters at times. Rating 4/5

2.) Educated: Everyone at my office was passing this book around and by the time it was my turn it was incredibly hyped up! I have to say that it absolutely did not disappoint. This is a memoir and true story of a young woman growing up in a strict Mormon household where her and her siblings are all home-schooled by their mother and their eccentric father. It tells the story of a life totally secluded from the rest of society and overcoming obstacles as she tries to re-integrate and receive the higher education she so desires. This book was pretty heart-wrenching and it's hard to believe how young the author is given how much she endured growing up. If you read Glass Castle, I found it to be very similar in theme. It's definitely a very powerful story of resilience and I would recommend that everyone read this book! Rating: 5/5

3.) The Clockmaker's Daughter: Okay, where do I even start with this book? Let me start by saying that Kate Morton is probably my all-time favorite author. If you haven't read anything by her, The Forgotten Garden is one of my favorite books of all time and I also loved The Secret Keeper. This book, however, I'm very conflicted about. I generally loved the story but the whole middle part of the book the author added in SO many characters and different narrators (almost unnecessarily) which made it very confusing to follow. Overall, I think the first portion and last portion of the book were GREAT and the story really came together in the end. If you're a big fan of historical fiction and books like Atonement, I do think you would enjoy this one but just prepare to be a little confused at some points! It was refreshing to read her books again. I have had The Lake House in my nightstand for over a year and now I plan to finally read that one very soon! Rating 3.5/5

4.) The Perfect Stranger: This book I flew right threw! After a little break from the thriller/mystery genre, it was nice to return with such a great story. Leah and her roommate Emmy move to a remote mountain town in Pennsylvania both seemingly running away from their past lives in bustling Boston. Not long after their move to this quiet town, everything is turned upside down when a young woman is brutally murdered and shortly after, Emmy disappears. Leah and local Deputy, Kyle, try to put all the pieces together in hopes of locating Emmy before it's too late. In doing so, Leah begins to wonder--did she really know Emmy at all? Did Emmy even exist? Y'all this story was GOOD. The twists were all very unexpected and the tension totally builds throughout the whole book. I haven't heard a ton about this book and I'm not sure why--it's amazing! If you liked Girl on the Train or All the Missing Girls, I think you would LOVE this one. Rating 5/5.

Hope y'all enjoyed this book review! What books have y'all read lately?!