My Most Anticipated Reads of 2019

 

There are so many books that I am looking forward to reading this year. There are still many books I want to read from last year, and the year before that and …well you get the picture.  My TBR is out of control. I REALLY tried to trim it down but didn’t have much luck.

 

So here they are (in no particular order) :

(Click on the book image to read the description on Goodreads)

After the End by Clare Mackintosh

Expected publication: June 25, 2019 by Sphere

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

Expected publication: August 13, 2019 by St. Martin’s Press

The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda

Expected publication: May 21, 2019 by Graydon House

Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood

Expected publication: August 6, 2019 by St. Martin’s Press

The Liar’s Child by Carla Buckley

Expected publication: March 12th 2019 by Ballantine Books

Beautiful Bad by Annie Ward

Expected publication: March 5th 2019 by Park Row

Saving Meghan: A Novel by D.J. Palmer

Expected publication: April 9, 2019 by St. Martin’s Press

The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine

Expected publication: May 7th 2019 by Harper

Call Me Star Girl by Louise Beech

Expected publication: April 18, 2019 by Orenda

Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare

Published March 5, 2019 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Her One Mistake by Heidi Perks

Published January 8, 2019 by Gallery Books

The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts

Expected publication: January 24th 2019 by Raven Books

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Expected publication: July 30th, 2019 by William Morrow

Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak

Expected publication: May 21st, 2019 by Little, Brown and Company

Looker by Laura Sims

Published January 8th, 2019 by Scribner

Before She Knew Him by Richard Swanson

Expected publication: March 5th, 2019 by William Morrow

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins

Expected publication: February 5th, 2019 by Touchstone

Well, I’m going to stop myself there. However, I know there are going to be many more great reads this year.

I hope that 2019 is an excellent year for everyone, filled with fantastic reads. I’d love to hear what you are most looking forward to reading and if any of these books are on your list too.

Happy New Year and HAPPY READING!!

 

REVIEW – The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

Expected publication: January 2019 by Gallery Books

 

“The Night Olivia Fell” had an intense beginning that pulled me right in. I had to keep reading. I HAD to find out what happened…

Abi Knight is a devoted single mother to teenage daughter, Olivia. Abi and her daughter have a great relationship. One word Abi would give to describe Olivia is…sensible. Olivia does well in school,  she doesn’t drink or party, and she does what she’s asked.  But Abi admits that lately, Olivia has been different, very moody and distracted.

Then one night the phone rings and Abi is suddenly living her worst nightmare.

“This is Portage Point hospital. It’s about your daughter, Olivia. I’m afraid there’s been an accident”.

Abi drives to the hospital …hoping and praying that Olivia will be alright.  “Please, please be okay.”  But then she sees the pity in the doctor’s eyes.  He explains that Olivia has permanent and irreversible brain damage. Life support is keeping her body alive. Abi tells the doctor that Olivia spoke about donating her organs. But the doctor tells Abi that they can’t turn off life support due to Olivia’s condition. Abi is confused…what condition?

We then hear from Olivia. We learn about her life and the time leading up to the night she fell. Olivia had been feeling like her mother was controlling her life. She also felt like her mother was keeping things from her.

On a school visit to the University of Washington, Olivia sees someone who stops her in her tracks….

And she knows instantly that her life will never be the same

Abi had only wanted the best for her daughter.  It appears Olivia had a life her mother knew nothing about. But what was Olivia doing up on that bridge in the middle of the night? Was it an accident or was it something else entirely?

“Whether you help me or not, I’m going to find out what happened to my daughter.”

Abi wants to prove to the police that it wasn’t an accident. But how will she do that? And could she be putting herself in danger by trying to find out exactly what happened?

This story is told from both Olivia and Abi’s point of view which I really liked. The relationship between mother and daughter was moving and believable. As a single mother with a daughter close in age to Olivia, I could relate to some of the things they were dealing with. I thought all of the characters were very well-developed. The book was engaging and easy to follow, and I read it in just a couple of sittings.

“The Night Olivia Fell” was a well written and addictive domestic suspense novel. I’m excited to read more from Christina McDonald.

I’d like to thank Gallery Books for a copy of this novel.  All opinions are my own.

Throwback Thursday – When We Were Sisters by Emilie Richards

Throwback Thursday is a meme created by Renee at It’s Book Talk to share old favorite books rather than just the new shiny ones. This is a great idea to bring back to life some much-loved books. Please feel free to join in.

My choice for this week is: 

 

When We Were Sisters by Emilie Richards

 

Published May 31, 2016 by Mira

 

Goodreads Description:

As children in foster care, Cecilia and Robin vowed they would be the sisters each had never had. Now superstar singer-songwriter Cecilia lives life on the edge, but when Robin is nearly killed in an accident, Cecilia drops everything to be with her. 

Robin set aside her career as a successful photojournalist to create the loving family she always yearned for. But gazing through a wide-angle lens at both past and future, she sees that her marriage is disintegrating. Her attorney husband is rarely home. She and the children need Kris’s love and attention, but does Kris need them? 

When Cecilia asks Robin to be the still photographer for a documentary on foster care, Robin agrees, even though Kris will be forced to take charge for the months she’s away. She gambles that he’ll prove to them both that their children—and their marriage—are a priority in his life. 

Cecilia herself needs more than time with her sister. A lifetime of lies has finally caught up with her. She wants a chance to tell the real story of their childhood and free herself from the nightmares that still haunt her. 

As the documentary unfolds, memories will be tested and the meaning of family redefined, but the love two young girls forged into bonds of sisterhood will help them move forward as the women they were always meant to be.

 

My Thoughts:

The story pulled me in right away and held my interest throughout the entire novel.

Cecilia and Robin met in a foster home when Robin was nine and Cecilia was thirteen. Right away they clicked, they filled the need for the love that they both lacked in their lives. Their relationship grew and they have grown even closer over the years. They are, “true sisters, joined at the hip and the heart”. Now years later, these sisters are taking an emotional journey together back to their childhoods.

Both sisters are at a point in their lives where they realize that there may still be some demons they need to face from their past.

They will be working on a documentary about Cecilia’s personal life growing up in the foster care system and her subsequent rise to fame. Cecilia wants Robin with her, on this journey as her photographer and for emotional support.

This story is about much more than the making of a documentary.

“Love and loyalty made them sisters. Secrets could still destroy them.”

The author knows her stuff. Although it’s a fictional story I still learned a lot about how the foster system works (and doesn’t work) for foster children, both then and now.

Although some of the subject matter is sensitive and hard to read at times, the author does a great job of helping the reader understand the experience and feel for the characters, without going overboard on the details.

A wonderful story about secrets, family, love, loss, strength, and forgiveness.

 

REVIEW – A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Published: October 2nd, 2018 by Ballantine Books

As soon as I see that a new Jodi Picoult book is going to be released, I can’t wait to read it. But as much as I wanted to drag out this novel and make it last, I couldn’t stop reading. I had to find out how it all began…and how it all came together in the end. This novel is written in a way I wasn’t sure I would like. But I actually really enjoyed how the story was told. The book begins at five pm and moves backward in time with each chapter one hour earlier than the previous chapter.

“The Center” was formerly known as The Center for Women and Reproductive Health. Due to the restrictions designed to make these centers disappear, The Center is now the last clinic of its kind in Mississippi. Though it’s been through many battles the fluorescent orange building is still standing, offering services and support to those who come through its doors. It is a safe space…until the day a distraught and desperate man barges into the building, opens fire, and takes everyone inside hostage.

We learn the stories and hear from a variety of people inside The Center. What brought these people together on this fateful day?

Fifteen-year-old Wren doesn’t think today is a good day to die.

Hugh McElroy is a hostage negotiator and has dealt with all types of hostage takers. Some are drunk or high, some are on a political mission, and some are depressed and determined to take others with them. But this hostage situation is very different. In fact, Hugh should have stepped down and let someone else take over.

Dr. Louie Ward is a fifty-four-year-old ob-gyn. He decided to become an ob-gyn, in honor of his mother. Dr. Ward attended mass faithfully but also became an abortion provider. He wanted women to feel that they were not alone. He knows the protestors don’t realize just how many people they know have actually visited places like The Center ……”Wipe away the stigma and all you were left with was your neighbour, your teacher, your grocery clerk, your landlady.”  

George Goddard knew he hadn’t been the best husband, but he was determined he would be the best father possible. “It was why, this morning, he had driven all this way to The Center, the last standing abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi”.

Three hours away in another part of Mississippi is seventeen year old, Beth.  She is terrified and alone and has just found out that she’s being accused of a horrible crime.

Those are just a few of the characters we meet in this story. Just like in real life, we have people with many different views. I thought the characters were well-developed, their stories intriguing and heart-breaking. They are all very different yet have more in common than they would have ever thought possible.

As I mentioned earlier, the way this story is told is a bit different. But in the end, I thought it was the perfect way to tell this story. I’m sure this novel will spark debates and there will be a variety of opinions. I understand it may not be for everyone. Regardless of opinion, I feel that many people will still find this book interesting and thought-provoking.

I have been reading Jodi Picoult’s books for years. Her books bring important issues to the forefront, using ordinary people’s stories. In my opinion, “A Spark of Light” is another incredible and unique novel.  This story will stay with me for a very long time.

“It stood to reason that both life and death began with a spark of light”

 

I’d like to thank Ballantine Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel.