REVIEW – Our Little Secret by Roz Nay

Published April 17, 2018 by St. Martin’s Press

“They say you never forget your first love. What they don’t say though, is that sometimes your first love won’t forget you”

Sometimes the biggest lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

Angela Petitjean says she has done nothing wrong. She doesn’t understand why she’s being questioned by police in regards to a missing woman. She tells the police again that she’s done nothing wrong and until she knows what’s going on she’s not going to speak with them.

But then a different Detective comes in. His name is Detective Novak. He tells Angela that they really need her help. For some reason, she feels like she can talk to him. Angela will talk to him but it is going to be on HER terms. She is going to start at the very beginning. Angela is actually desperate to tell her story. She believes that if Detective Novak listens to everything ….then it will give him the answers he is looking for.

She talks about when she first met HP. It was in Grade 10 and she had just started at Lakeside High. HP was the guy everyone wanted to be friends with. As the new girl, Angela got picked on quite a bit. But one day HP stepped in and rescued her. After that, no one picked on Angela anymore. And soon Angela and HP they were inseparable. They had no secrets…. they told each other everything.

“I know what real happiness looks like. I lived it with HP that summer, and the memories are burned into my mind.”

As she tells her story, Detective Novak keeps interrupting. He wants to know how she feels about Mr. Parker (HP) now. How close they are…..if she’s still in love with him. Angela starts to feel like Detective Novak is missing the point.

“If he spent more time actually listening, he’d be able to see the truth. Everything would become clear”

Does Angela know where the missing woman is? Is she protecting herself or someone else?

What is Angela hiding?

This was a really quick read at only 272 pages. I was still really intrigued by Angela’s story and anxious to find out what happened. The author kept me guessing and although I’m not entirely sure how I felt about the ending, I’m still really glad I read this novel.

Roz Nay has written an absorbing psychological suspense novel about first love, secrets, obsession, and revenge. This was a very good dark and twisted debut novel. I am really looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Goodreads Monday: May 28, 2018

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren’s Page Turners . To take part,  simply choose a random book from your TBR and show it off.  Be sure to check out Lauren’s blog too!!

Today the book I’m going to show off is :

Somebody’s Daughter by David Bell

 Expected publication: July 10, 2018 by Berkley Books

 

Goodreads Description:

In the pulse-racing new suspense novel from the bestselling and acclaimed author of Bring Her Home and Since She Went Away, the life of a little girl rests in the hands of the father who never even knew she existed…

When Michael Frazier’s ex-wife, Erica, shows up on his doorstep pleading for help, she drops a bombshell that threatens to rip his family apart: Erica’s nine-year-old daughter is missing–and Michael is the father. Unable to quickly determine if Erica is telling the truth, and unwilling to leave the little girl’s fate to chance, Michael has no choice but to follow the elusive trail of the child he has always wanted and never knew he had.

But finding Felicity comes at a price–the closer Michael gets to the truth, the further into jeopardy his marriage falls and the faster his family begins to unravel. As lies that span a decade bubble to the surface and the window for Felicity’s safe return closes, Michael will have just a few short days to decide who can be trusted and who is hiding the truth.

My Thoughts:

I’ve read a few of David Bell’s previous novels and really enjoyed them. As soon as I read the description for “Somebody’s Daughter”, I immediately added it to the list of My Most Anticipated Reads of 2018.

I can’t wait to get started!

Music Monday: Carly Simon & Marilyn Manson – You’re So Vain

Music Monday is a meme that was created by Drew from The Tattooed Book Geek. You pick a song and/or video and share it on Monday.

The song and video I am sharing today is:

Carly Simon – You’re So Vain

I love Carly Simon and I love this song. I also really enjoy Marilyn Manson’s cover so I thought I would attach both videos.

I hope you enjoy!!!

 

 

You’re So Vain Lyrics:

You walked into the party
Like you were walking on a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf, it was apricot
You had one eye on the mirror
And watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they’d be your partner
They’d be your partner, and

You’re so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain,
I’ll bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you?
Don’t you?

Oh, you had me several years ago
When I was still naive
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and

You’re so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain, you’re so vain
I’ll bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you?
Don’t you?

Well I hear you went to Saratoga
And your horse, naturally, won
Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Well, you’re where you should be all the time
And when you’re not, you’re with some underworld spy
Or the wife of a close friend,
Wife of a close friend, and

You’re so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You’re so vain, you’re so vain
I’ll bet you think this song is about you
Don’t you?
Don’t you?

Songwriters: Carly E. Simon

You’re So Vain lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management US, LLC

 

 

Have a great week ❤

REVIEW: Only Child by Rhiannon Navin

Published February 5,  by Mantle

 

 

“Zach’s story starts on the worst day of his life, and takes him on a journey no-one could have expected”

 

The book opens with six-year-old Zach, his teacher, and his classmates hiding in a closet. A gunman has entered the school and they can hear shots being fired. It was extremely intense; I could feel the anxiety of the characters. Zach tells us how they had just come in from recess and they were about to start math lessons when the noisy pop sounds started. And then Zach heard them yelling “lockdown, lockdown, lockdown! “ They had practice lockdown drills before and Zach thought it had been fun. “Lockdown meant don’t go outside like for the fire alarm, but stay inside and out of sight.”

But Zach knows this isn’t a practice drill. In the closet, he remains as still as he can. Even though the closet is small and stuffy. He can still hear the pop noises and screams coming from outside the closet.

 “Yesterday we did all the things we do every Tuesday because we didn’t know that today a gunman was going to come.”

Then it’s over. But in the chaos of the aftermath, so much is happening. Normal rules don’t apply. Zach is still scared. In the days that follow, for Zach, everything looks the same but nothing feels the same. While the adults around him try to cope, he finds his own way of coping. He has a “secret hideout”, a place he can read and lock up negative thoughts in his “brain safe”. But he still has nightmares where he hears the “pop noises” over and over.

Zack sees and hears so much of what is going on around him. The adults are all trying to cope in their own ways, ways that Zach doesn’t understand. The adults don’t see that Zach is there listening to everything they say and do.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with Zach. He was a wonderful narrator. His feelings were so honest though at times he seemed older than his years. In many ways, this child had better coping skills than the adults around him. And amidst all of the confusion and uncertainty, this six-year-old boy helps starts the long process of healing.

In my opinion, this was a well-written novel with many excellent characters. Though I’ve read other books about school shootings, this is the first I’ve read that is told from the perspective of a young child. I think it made it even more emotional.  It’s incredibly sad how timely this novel is.

An insightful and honest read about life, death, anger, guilt, forgiveness, and hope.

“Only Child” was an incredibly powerful read that will likely stay with me for a very long time. I’m certainly looking forward to reading more from Rhiannon Navin.

I’d like to thank Mantle Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.