5 Good Books: Volume 25

Here are a few books I read and enjoyed recently!

My Name is Lucy Barton: This is a #1 New York Times Bestseller by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. It is about to be a Broadway play. Lucy is in the hospital recovering from an operation and her mother, who she hasn’t spoken to in years, comes to stay with her. They talk about her childhood and you learn about her family life then and now. It is a beautifully written book about childhood, marriage, and motherhood.

Wedding Night: Lotti thinks her boyfriend is about to propose…but instead he proposes that they go on a trip together. They break up and she immediately gets back together with an ex and they decide to get married. Her sister Fliss tries everything to stop them. It is a fun and funny light read.

Searching for Sylvie Lee: Sylvie is a beautiful and brilliant daughter. She goes to the Netherlands to visit her sick grandmother, starts a romantic relationship with her second cousin, and then goes missing. Her younger sister Amy travels there to try to find her and find out what happened. Sylvie’s secrets and family secrets start to unravel. It’s as much about the immigrant experience and expectations as it is a mystery.

She Was the Quiet One (c/o): I loved the Private series when I was in high school. This book reminded me of the series, but it was darker. Rose and her twin sister Bel are at a prestigious boarding school. Bel becomes friends with a mean group of students and they haze Rose and her roommate. Rose goes to the dorm mother and Bel goes to the dorm father and things get very dark.

The Last Time I Saw You: I read this book in one weekend when I was at a spa in Connecticut after finishing the first draft of my manuscript. The authors are sisters who use the pen name Liv Constantine. They wrote another one of my recent favorite books, The Last Mrs. Parrish. Dr. Kate English is extremely wealthy, has a gorgeous husband and young daughter, and a great career. Everything changes when her mother Lily is murdered and her childhood best friend who she hasn’t seen in years Blaire comes to the funeral. Lily starts getting anonymous texts, dead mice mailed to her, and thinks she is being followed. There are a lot of twists and turns.