This book was a fun read. If the shows ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Succession’ had a baby the result would be this book. The book was a easy read and I finished it in under a week. I’ve been on a bestseller novel kick and although this isn’t a bestseller I decided to give it a whirl (it is by the same author who wrote ‘Pretty Little Liars’ so I thought it was worth giving it a try). ‘The Heiresses’ has all the glitz and the glam of old money set in the perfect backdrop: New York City. I always enjoy reading books set in NYC and this one brought me back to my party girl days with references to the Boom Boom Room and Soho House. Don’t worry, I’ve a retired party girl and have entered my sober curious phase but that discussion is for another day. The book is a glimpse in the lives of the elite and what you come to realize is there lives aren’t quite as charmed as one would expect. This book had everything: love, loss, drama, mystery, affairs and so much more. I could totally see this book being adapted into a movie or mini series. 

Here’s my review: 

The Saybrooks is a household name whose diamond empire can be traced all the way back to WW2. The Saybrooks are the epitome of high society and from the outside appear to have it all. However, there is a decades-old family curse that has plagued them. 

Tragedy strikes again when the when thirty-four-year-old Poppy flings herself from the window of her TriBeCa office. However, was it truly suicide or could there be more to the story? In the aftermath of the tragedy the remaining heiresses: Aster, Natasha and Rowan try to uncover the truth before it’s too late.

Overall I liked this book and Sara Shepard certainly had me guessing. I could have never guessed the actual plot mostly because it was so outlandish and unrealistic. I do appreciate novels where the mystery is cleverly shrouded in more realistic and practical endings. Also, I did feel like there were too many characters to keep track of – it was quite overwhelming and easy to get them mixed up. The book ended in a very huge cliff-hanger and as this book was written in 2014 I would have expected a sequel release by now so Sara Shepard kind of left me in the lurch…will there be a book drop of ‘The Heiresses 2’???!! Sara, give the people what they want!

I was excited to read a book by Freida McFadden because I read somewhere that Dr. McFadden is a practicing physician who specializes in brain injuries so I was curious to see how she would weave her expertise of the human mind into her novels. 

Never Lie by Freida McFadden was a book I could not put down. It’s giving haunted house vibes from the very beginning. At first glance I thought this book was going to be annoyingly predictable but I was quite wrong. I could not have guessed the ending if I tried. It was truly unexpected. The book starts off well, reels you in, but takes a turn for the worst. I thought there were many inconsistencies in this book for the whole purpose of creating suspense. I just don’t think the author really thought it through or maybe she thought the readers wouldn’t notice? I mean, I’m no Ernest Hemingway but I can spot a hole in a plot when I see one. I also didn’t love quite love the ending but that’s because I like a happy ending and you don’t really get that in this book.

I’ll do my best to provide a summary without giving anything away:

Tricia and Ethan are newlyweds searching for the house of their dreams. They visit a sprawling estate once belonged to renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Adrienne Hale, who disappeared 4 years prior without a trace. Tricia and Ethan get trapped at the estate during a violent winter storm and they conveniently have no cell phone service. 

To pass the time Tricia decides to read a book but finds a secret room filled audio transcripts from all of Dr. Hales work with her patients. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance until the truth is ultimately revealed. 

Never Lie by Freida McFadden is a captivating psychological thriller that has twists and turns galore. The foreshadowing and details in the beginning simply did not make sense once the plot was revealed which is a bit odd to me and left a bad taste in my mouth. To sum it up, the book was repetitive, full of plot holes, very far-fetched, and once the big reveal came, none of the events that happened previously made any sense. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I can’t say I am sold on Freida McFadden. I had originally planned to read the Locked Door next and had even reserved it from the Greenpoint Library but I have since canceled my request. Maybe her other books are more thought out? I might give her another chance but not anytime soon.

Would I read this again? Sure, it wasn’t the worst book in the world but there are better books to read such as the Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I will be doing a book review on that book soon so stay tuned!

I truly loved this book but I will caveat that by saying I also have friends that didn’t particularly enjoy it so I think this book will surely divide readers. One reason I loved the book is as a New Yorker (I think after living here for 16 years I can call myself a New Yorker, right?) I felt as if the book truly captured the essence of New York. I think part of the magic of New York is you never know what awaits you around the corner. One seemingly casual night could easily turn into an orgy or a warehouse party in Brooklyn (not that I have ever found myself at an orgy but it’s a highly plausible possibility). I also found the complexities of the characters to represent New York. The author delved into the lives of the main characters, Cleo and Frank, plus the ensemble cast and wrote about their flaws so beautifully. This book touches on alcoholism and mental health issues but also captures the beauty and vulnerability in every human. You end of loving the characters despite their imperfections. To me ‘Cleopatra and Frankenstein’ really incapsulated New York and if you’ve never lived here I’m not sure you’d appreciate the book as much as I did. 

The book is highly readable and very captivating.The characters are absorbing and painfully relatable. I also loved Coco Mellors’ sense of humor and wit. One of my favorite passages is below from the point-of-view of one of the characters:

I need to make money. I need to write today. I need to clean the bath-room. I need to eat something. I need to quit sugar. I need to cut my hair. I need to call Verizon. I need to savor the moment. I need to find the library card. I need to learn to meditate. I need to try harder. I need to get that stain out. I need to find better health insurance. I need to discover my signature scent. I need to strengthen and tone. I need to be present in the moment. I need to learn French. I need to be easier on myself. I need to buy organizational storage units. I need to call back. I need to develop a relationship with a God of my understanding. I need to buy eye cream. I need to live up to my potential. I need to lie back down.

Do you see what I mean? Coco Mellors prose is hilarious and so relatable. 

I came across this review from the Literary Edit before I read the book and I could not have said it better:

A charming debut from Mellors, Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a beautifully written tale that is atmospheric, rich with nuance and offers readers a wonderful dose of escapism. It’s a story that starts with a classic meet cute: two strangers meet in an elevator as they’re both trying to escape a party on the cusp of the new year. Cleo – an ethereal yet difficult artists who hails from England is in her early twenties, while Frank, a successful media mogul is in his forties.

Promise lingers in the air as they ring in the new year, and a whirlwind romance, soon evolves into a marriage, meaning that Cleo’s expiring student visa and the borrowed time on which she’s living in NYC is quickly resolved.

What follows is an exploration of love and life set against a gritty and glamorous New York backdrop as we meet a growing cast of characters, each of whom have a part to play in the complexity of Cleo and Frank’s relationship.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein offers a shrewd take on the muddle and messiness of modern relationships; and Mellor does a great job of painting a fragmented world full of choice and chaos, and the search for true happiness. A love letter to New York, to the chaos of finding one’s feet, to the intricacies of waning relationships and to what it is to be human, Cleopatra and Frankenstein will no doubt cultivate a legion of loyal fans waiting for Mellors’ next move.

I actually find it hard to believe that this is Coco Mellors debut novel but was not at all surprised to find that it had been nominated for Best Fiction and Best Debut Novel in 2022. As divisive as this books seems to be, I loved everything about this book. The characters, the dialogue, the wild nights, the drugs, the fights. I loved how truly New York the book felt.

I tend to avoid books about history and war stories – there is enough discord in real life and I read to escape it, not live it even more. However, ‘The Women’ is a #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times so I thought I should at least give it a whirl.

I figured I’d read a few pages and probably just toss it aside and move onto my next emotional support hardcover… boy was I wrong. I found it captivating from the first page and could not put it down. Let me try to find the right words to properly describe the tumultuous journey I just experienced through, and with, the main character, Frankie. At the risk of giving away the story, I will keep this summary short:

‘The Women’ tells a coming of age story of a young woman named Frankie and her experiences during and after the Vietnam War. Through Frankie’s eyes, we see the bravery of the men and women who served in the war and learn about the challenges they faced when they returned home to an unwelcoming America.

The first part of the book takes us to Vietnam, showing the bravery, cruelty and horrors of the war. The second part of the book is just as captivating, as we follow Frankie’s return home. As gruesome as the first half of the book was depicting Frankie in Vietnam, the second has was equally distressing as we watch Frankie struggle to grapple with her former life as a middle-class conservative young woman. The storyline is woven with humor, love, hope, pain and anguish. There were times where I wanted to reach into the book and give Frankie a big hug; other times I wanted to give her a good shake and knock some sense into her. 

‘The Women’ gives a new perspective on the Vietnam War, helping readers to better appreciate the sacrifices of our veterans. It’s a story about courage, struggle, and hope.

‘The Women’ is novel of horrors, betrayal and pain. But it’s also about love, courage, friendship and hope. I laughed, I cried and I kept on reading mesmerized by the characters and the stories. I definitely recommend this book. It was nice change of pace and not too complex for my tired mom brain. The author writes: “This book has been a true labor of love, years in the making. I first conceived of it in 1997, but as a young writer, I wasn’t ready to tackle such an important and complex subject. I didn’t feel I had the skill or the maturity to achieve my vision. It has taken me decades to circle back to the Vietnam War era.” I’m no literary expert but I think she knocked it out of the park!

The first book I’ve read in probably years is ‘Verity.’ Yes, I finally jumped on the Colleen Hoover bandwagon and I get the hype, she did not disappoint. It is an absolute masterpiece in thriller fiction. I could not put ‘Verity’ down. There was so many plot twists. It was a page turner up until the very end. The book was haunting, thrilling, and unbelievably captivating. The story careens to a jaw-dropping conclusion that will keep you ruminating, discussing, and debating. I absolutely loved it. I even gave it to my mother to read and she enjoyed it as well (and she’s in her 60’s so I guess it suits all ages). 

I don’t want to give away any of the story so I will just give you a quick synopsis: 

The main character, Lowen Ashleigh, accepts a job offer that seems too good to be true (a large sum of money and prestige). She’s hired by Jeremy Crawford (a total dreamboat who I immediately fell in love with) to complete the series of his wife’s books. It’s all quite secretive and mysterious. What happened to Jeremy’s wife, Verity? Why isn’t she able to complete the book series herself?

Tasked with sorting through Verity’s office to gather outlines, notes, and pages for the upcoming series, Lowen stumbles across Verity’s autobiography that has shocking and disturbing details of her life. This autobiography spares no details including sexcapades and murders. 

Lowen is torn between showing Jeremy the manuscript and keeping it hidden from him. She doesn’t want to devastate him, however, she begins to develop feelings for him and realizes the benefit of him reading about his nut job of a wife. 

This book had it all: mystery, sex, twists and turns. I totally get why it’s a New York Times Bestseller, USA Today bestseller, The Globe and Mail Bestseller, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller.  This book was originally released in 2018 and it continues to be one of the most-discussed psychological thrillers ever written (apparently there is even a Facebook discussion group devoted to the book). Are you convinced yet? Run, don’t walk to the book store (or better yet the library so we can save the planet for our minis)!

I’m going to try to start a blog series about the books that I’m reading. Ideally I’d like to commit to reading 1 book per month but I’m lucky if I can get 1 podcast in per month these days so that might not be the most realistic goal (and please don’t hold me to it). These posts won’t be as long as my usual posts. Simply mini reviews/commentary on the latest book I’ve read. 

Now please don’t expect anything cerebral or highbrow (unless you consider Gone Girl academic). I’m not about to read War and Peace or anything. My tired little brain is looking for some easy reads that are captivating and fun. 

After a year postpartum I started reading again. I really missed it – I love that feeling of getting lost in a good book. Additionally, I didn’t want my son to see my on my phone all the time. Every time I had the compulsion to reach for my phone I instead made an effort to reach for the latest book I was reading (I didn’t always succeed, sometimes unbeknownst to me my hands simply latched on to my phone – they seem to have a mind of their own). Sometimes when Zoe is independently playing and I’m reading my book I will actually read out loud so as to expose him to the vocabulary. 

I frequent the local library pretty often; I take Zoe there for story time and usually grab a few books for him as I’m constantly shuffling the books we keep at home. Since I’m already there almost weekly I decided to start checking out some books for myself as well. The public library is a great resource for books if you’re like me and not much of a collector (I think Marie Condo would approve of my new minimalistic approach). 

There are a few things I’ve noticed now that I have started reading. First, my screen time has gone down which is wonderful. Scrolling Instagram is doing nothing for me. It’s actually probably killing my brain cells. Second, I’ve been reading before going to bed (as opposed to watching tv or scrolling on my phone) and lately I’ve been able to fall asleep much quicker. Sometimes I struggle with falling asleep and will take a Gaba vitamin to help me fall asleep but lately I haven’t needed to. Third, it feels nice that I’m able to do something for myself. It’s about as close to self care as I’m going to get during my son’s waking hours. 

I’m sure you’re aware of the many benefits of reading and a quick google search yields so many results. But if you need further convincing I will highlight a few reasons why you should get to your local library or bookstore asap and read with me!

• Improve memory and concentration – reading can help improve your memory. Studies have shown that people who read regularly can better recall information when needed. Say no more, my mommy brain could use this! We live in an age where we have tons of distractions. we can’t even have a fluid creative flow in our thoughts without a distraction. A text. An email. A co-worker. A call. We can’t even follow our thoughts. We can’t even follow our distractions. I can very much relate to this. I will be washing dishes when I hear my phone chime. I go to read/reply to the tex but then hear Zoe whine and leave the dishes and phone behind. I think we could all use some help in the concentration department 

• Stress and anxiety reduction – studies have shown that reading can help reduce stress levels. The reason being is that when you read, your body relaxes and your mind is preoccupied with the story therefore reducing stress and anxiety levels

• Improve your sleep quality – reading before bed can help improve your sleep because, as mentioned above, reading helps relax your body and mind. I’ve certainly noticed a difference in my sleep and I take my beauty sleep very seriously 

• Vocabulary expansion – when you develop the habit of reading you expand your vocabulary by introducing your self to new words and concepts. Maybe this will help me say ‘umm’ and ‘like’ less 

• Reading teaches you new things – books are an excellent way to learn new information. From science to history you can learn about any topic that interests you. Now I personally won’t be able to give you summary of the fall of the great Ottoman Empire, those are not the types of books I’m interested in

• Improves your writing skills – reading has been known to improve your writing skills because when you read you are exposed to different styles of writing. That’s an important skillset for me as a blogger. While you may think that’s not a useful skill set for you just think about how many emails you send out per day/week/month. I’m sure you could benefit from this skill as well

• Reading gives you a sense of accomplishment – reading provides a sense of accomplishment because you have completed something that is challenging and rewarding. If reading your monthly horoscope forecast fills you with a sense of accomplishment, imagine what a book can do?

And this is a mommy blog after all so I’d also like to encourage your to please read with your little mini me. Doctors recommend that parents read with their children beginning as early as infancy. Reading with your children builds happy associations with books and will therefore increase the likelihood that your kids will find reading enjoyable in the future. Reading at home boosts school performance. It also increases vocabulary, builds communication skills, and raises self-esteem. I remember when Zoe was a newborn, I would read to him while he sat in his Babybjorn Bouncer. Now he loves reading and will sit with me in our reading corner daily. Oftentimes when he’s independently playing I find him flipping through the pages of his books. I hope he will continue to share my love for books. I’m also secretly looking forward to the day when I can read him some of my childhood favorites such as the Harry Potter series. 

I hope that I have been able to convince you to read a bit more. If you’re pressed for time, perhaps you can devote a few minutes daily to a blog… I would, of course, highly recommend The Mommy Archives but I’m clearly biased.