Contemporary – Page 22 – Jill's Book Blog

Review: The Unhoneymooners

Title: The Unhoneymooners
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.
Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.
Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of… lucky.

Review:

Olive Torres has always had bad luck, but her twin sister Ami is the luckiest person in the world. Ami is getting married to her dream guy and is getting her wedding practically for free because of all the sweepstakes she won. However, Ami’s lucky streak runs out when everyone who ate the seafood buffet at her wedding gets sick with food poisoning. Olive and Ami’s new brother-in-law Ethan are the only two who didn’t eat the buffet and didn’t get sick. Since Olive and Ethan are the only ones who didn’t get sick, Ami insists that they use the Hawaiian honeymoon that she had won so that it doesn’t go to waste. The problem is that Olive and Ethan have hated each other since the moment they met. They plan to do their own things on the vacation, until they run into people they know and end up pretending that they just got married. Olive and Ethan pretend to be newly weds on the trip, and as they get closer and closer, Olive begins to wonder if her luck is finally changing for the better.

This was such a fun romance. I wish I had read it sooner. It had laugh out loud moments, and also some awkward moments. There was love and devastating heartbreak, but I really enjoyed it.

This story features some of my favourite romance tropes: fake dating/engagement/marriage and enemies to lovers. These two tropes give lots of space for tense moments and there was loads of tension throughout this story. The story was very well plotted and everything happened for a reason.

The Unhoneymooners is a fun romcom!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book.

Blog Tour Review: Anne of West Philly

Title: Anne of West Philly
Author: Ivy Noelle Weir, Myisha Haynes (illustrator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Contemporary
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 1, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Anne of Green Gables with a twist: in this follow-up to Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and The Secret Garden on 81st Street, this full-color graphic novel moves Anne Shirley to modern-day West Philadelphia, where where she finds new friends, new rivals, and a new family.
When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert decide to foster a teenage girl for the first time, their lives are changed forever. Their redheaded foster daughter, Anne Shirley, is in search of an exciting life and has decided that West Philly is where she’s going to find it. Armed with a big personality and unstoppable creativity, Anne takes her new home by storm as she joins the robotics club, makes new friends in Diana and Gilbert, experiences first love, and turns the ordinary into the extraordinary. But as Anne starts to get comfortable, she discovers one thing she wasn’t looking for: a family.

Review:

Anne Shirley moves in with her new foster family, siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. This is their first time with a teenage girl as their foster child. Anne has a big personality, which contrasts with Marilla’s and Matthew’s quiet demeanors. Anne makes new friends, joins the robotics club, and takes this quiet West Philadelphia neighbourhood by storm.

This is a fun, modern adaptation of Anne of Green Gables. Anne had a spunky personality, which made her stand out from the crowd. It took a while, but she eventually wins over everyone’s hearts.

Most of the events from the original story were updated in a way that made sense for today’s world. The only part that I didn’t think fit in as well was the part where Anne gives Diana the cordial. In the original story, Anne accidentally gives her friend cherry cordial which makes them drunk, so that couldn’t be in a children’s book today. In this modern version, they eat too many chocolates with liquor that make Diana sick. I don’t think those chocolates would make her drunk like the liquor did in the original story, so it felt a little forced to me. Other than that part, I think this modern adaptation was true to the feel of the original story.

Anne of West Philly is a great, modern graphic novel adaptation of Anne of Green Gables.

Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and TBR and Beyond Book Tours for providing a copy of this book.

Where to buy:

About the author:

Ivy Noelle Weir is a writer of comics and prose. She is the co-creator of the Dwayne McDuffie Award-winning graphic novel Archival Quality (Oni Press), the upcoming The Secret Garden on 81st Street (Little, Brown for Young Readers), and her writing has appeared in anthologies such as Princeless: Girls Rock (Action Lab Entertainment) and Dead Beats (A Wave Blue World). She lives in the greater Boston area with her husband and their two tiny, weird dogs.

Tour schedule:

February 28th
Jill’s Book Blog – Review
Book Notes by Athina – Promotional Post
Books with Michelle – Top 5 Reasons to Read Anne of West Philly & Mood Board

March 1st
Beneath A Thousand Skies – Review
Lily’s Cozy Blog – Review & Tik Tok
Rampant Reading Reviews – Review

March 2nd
Stuck in Fiction – Promotional Post
Not In Jersey – Review
Kerri McBookNerd – Top 5 Reasons to Read Anne of West Philly

March 3rd
Nine Bookish Lives – Promotional Post
Just a Gal and Her Books – Review

March 4th
dinipandareads – Review
The Book View – Review
Justice For Readers – Review

March 5th
The Book Dutchesses – Promotional Post
Oyinda Loves Books – Review
Kait Plus Books – Mood Board

March 6th
The Nutty Bookworm Reads Alot – Review
The Human Curveball – Review
PopTheButterfly Reads – Review

Have you read Anne of West Philly? What did you think of it?

Review: One True Loves (Happily Ever Afters #2)

Title: One True Loves (Happily Ever Afters #2)
Author: Elise Bryant
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 4, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lenore Bennett has always been a force. A star artist and style icon at her high school, she’s a master in the subtle art of not giving a . . . well, you know what. But now that graduation is here, she’s a little less sure.
She’s heading to NYU in the fall with a scarlet U (for “undeclared”) written across her chest. Her parents always remind her that Black kids don’t have the luxury of figuring it out as they go—they have to be 110 percent prepared. But it’s a lot of pressure to be her ancestors’ wildest dreams when Lenore’s not even sure what her dreams are yet.
When her family embarks on a post-graduation Mediterranean cruise, her friend Tessa is sure Lenore’s in for a whirlwind romance. But Lenore knows that doesn’t happen in real life. At least not to girls like her.
Then she meets Alex Lee. After their parents bond over the Cupid Shuffle, she ends up stuck with him for the remainder of the cruise. He’s a hopeless romantic and a golden boy with a ten-year plan. In short, he’s irritating as hell.
But as they get to know each other during the picturesque stops across Europe, he may be able to help her find something else she’s been looking for, even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself: love.

Review:

Lenore Bennett was a star artist at her school, trying all different forms of art. She’s set to go to NYU to study art history in the fall, but now she’s questioning if that’s the right major for her. After having her heart broken at prom, Lenore has given up on love. But when her and her family go on a Mediterranean cruise, she meets Alex Lee. They get off to a rocky start but their parents become close friends so they spend a lot of time together. Lenore wonders if she could find her one true love in Alex, but she’s wary of getting her heart broken again.

This book is the sequel to Happily Ever Afters. Most of it takes place during Lenore’s family vacation. This was a clever way of telling another character’s story while she is away from her best friend Tessa, the main character of Happily Ever Afters.

I like that the romances in these stories aren’t always an ideal relationship. Both Tessa and Lenore dated boys who made questionable comments, but they brushed them off at the time. A boy that Lenore dated made a racist comment to her, but she pretended like it didn’t happen. It’s easy to brush off a comment that makes you uncomfortable, to avoid a confrontation, especially if you care for the person. However, it’s important to stand up for yourself and remove yourself from any toxic situation or relationship. This is a side of high school relationships that I don’t see portrayed often in books, so I appreciated that it was addressed in this series.

One True Loves is the perfect summer romance story!

Thank you HCC Frenzy for providing a copy of this book.

Other books in the series:

Happily Ever Afters

Have you read One True Loves? What did you think of it?

Review: A Song of Secrets (Hana Trio #1)

Title: A Song of Secrets (Hana Trio #1)
Author: Jayci Lee
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 25, 2022
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Her secret tore them apart.
Will his secret reunite them?
World-renowned cellist Angie Han is desperate to save her trio’s chamber music society. So when she discovers that her ex Joshua Shin is the anonymous composer setting the classical music world on fire, she asks for his help. The sexy musician agrees to an uneasy truce to protect his secret success. But when their passion reignites, Angie’s own secrets may be exposed. Will Joshua ever trust her again? And will what’s keeping them apart ever lead them to happily-ever-after?

Review:

Angie Han is a world-renowned cellist who is trying to save her chamber music society after they were shut down for so long during the pandemic. While listening to classical music on the radio one night, she recognizes the piece by an anonymous new composer as her ex-boyfriend Joshua Shin. She approaches him to write a piece for their season premiere performance, and he asks her to perform her music for his ill grandfather in return. They start to question why they separated in the first place as they spend more time together. They must figure out if they will stay together once their performances are done.

This book is set in the (hopefully) near future, after the pandemic is over. I appreciated the way that this story showed how the pandemic affected arts industries. The music society that Angie belongs to is in danger of closing because they couldn’t perform during the pandemic. The arts industries have been affected, among other industries, since there weren’t performances, gallery showings, or other events during the pandemic. Hopefully the arts performances and events will be able to come back when the world opens up again.

This story was short and sweet. Angie and Joshua were so great together that I had to question why they broke up. The reason was supposed to be that Angie’s father made her choose between Joshua or her family, but it wasn’t clear why he made that ultimatum. She had to choose her family, but I didn’t think it was a believable or concrete ultimatum for her dad to make. Other than that one part, the plot and characters were well developed in this short romance.

A Song of Secrets is a cute romance!

Thank you Harlequin for providing a copy of this book.

Review: XOXO

Title: XOXO
Author: Axie Oh
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Format: Audiobook
Release Date: July 13, 2021
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.
Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.
When a relationship means throwing Jenny’s life off the path she’s spent years mapping out, she’ll have to decide once and for all just how much she’s willing to risk for love.

Review:

Jenny, a cello prodigy, has dreams to attend a prestigious music conservatory after high school. One night at her uncle’s karaoke bar in Los Angeles, she meets a boy named Jaewoo, who she allows to pull out of her comfort zone for the night. Then, he disappears without a trace. Three months later, Jenny and her mom have to travel to South Korea to stay with her sick grandmother. Jenny signs up to attend an arts academy that also trains K-pop artists. Jaewoo is a student there, and he’s a member of one of the biggest up-and-coming K-pop bands called XOXO. Jenny has finally achieved her dream of attending a music school that can propel her career, but she’s never liked someone as much as she likes Jaewoo. A relationship could derail his K-pop career too. They have to decide if they’re willing to risk everything for love.

I’m not a huge fan of K-pop music, but I love novels about K-pop singers. The K-pop industry is so rigid and strict that it makes a tense setting for a romance novel. There are many rules that the singers have to follow, both while training to be a singer and when they finally become stars. This one showed more of the fun side, though there were some serious moments. The students weren’t allowed to be in a romantic relationship with each other, because that would ruin their clean image. Some rules like that can be life changing, but the stakes weren’t quite that high in this novel.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and I loved it. I appreciated hearing the Korean names and words, rather than reading them. When I’ve read novels with words of other languages, I never know how to pronounce them. It was helpful to hear these words. I also appreciated that the narrator did different voices for the different characters so I could differentiate them. This was a very well done audiobook!

XOXO is a fun K-pop novel!

Review: Nick and Charlie (Solitaire #1.5)

Title: Nick and Charlie (Solitaire #1.5)
Author: Alice Oseman
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Novella
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Source: Library
Format: Ebook
Release Date: July 16, 2015
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A short novella based on the beloved characters from the graphic novel Heartstopper and Alice Oseman’s debut novel Solitaire, which was praised as ‘The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age’ by The Times.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
CHARLIE: “I have been going out with Nick Nelson for two years. He likes rugby, Formula 1, dogs, the Marvel universe, the sound felt-tips make on paper, rain and drawing on shoes. He also likes me.”
NICK: “Things me and Charlie Spring do together include: Watch films. Sit in the same room on different laptops. Text each other from different rooms. Make out. Make food. Make drinks. Get drunk. Talk. Argue. Laugh. Maybe we’re kind of boring. But that’s fine with us.”
Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple – that they’re inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question – they’re ‘Nick and Charlie’ for God’s sake!
But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever …

Review:

Nick and Charlie have been the perfect couple for two years. Now that the school year is ending, and Nick will be heading off to university in September, they can feel things changing. After another couple at their school breaks up because they don’t want to have a long distance relationship next year, Charlie thinks that’s what him and Nick should do too, even though neither of them want to break up. A misunderstanding separates them, leaving them questioning if they should be together.

These characters are so lovable. I can see why there have been many stories written about them. Nick and Charlie love each other so much, but they have a hard time communicating, like many people. This was one of those stories that made me want to shout at the characters to just talk it out. Luckily this is a short story so it doesn’t take long for their problems to be resolved.

Though this is a novella, it has a complete story arc. Sometimes, novellas or short stories within a series feel like they’re lacking the plot that the full length stories have. There was a clear problem (Nick and Charlie wondering if they should stay together when Nick goes off to university) and a solution at the end. This story made me love the characters even more.

Nick and Charlie is an adorable novella!

Other books in the series:

Solitaire
This Winter

Have you read Nick and Charlie? What did you think of it?

Review: Happily Ever Afters (Happily Ever Afters #1)

Title: Happily Ever Afters (Happily Ever Afters #1)
Author: Elise Bryant
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: January 5, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances.
Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She’s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she’s a true leading lady is in her own writing—in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader.
When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she’s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just…gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she’s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa’s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming.
But as Tessa checks off each item off Caroline’s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about—including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She’s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?

Review:

Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson is a romance writer, but she’s never experienced a true romance herself or seen herself in the pages of published romance novels. When she moves to Long Beach and starts attending an arts high school, Tessa experiences one of the worst things a writer can have: writer’s block. Her friend from her old town has the perfect solution. She suggests that Tessa find her own romance to give her inspiration to write. Luckily, one of the students in her class looks like the dreamy main character in one of her stories. However, as Tessa spends more time with that guy, she starts to turn into a different person, lying to everyone around her. Her neighbour, Sam, is someone who she’s never afraid to be herself with, but he isn’t her type. Tessa has to figure out what her real love story is so she can get her writing groove back.

I loved this book so much. I could relate to Tessa. I also loved to write as a teen. I didn’t know much about writing back then so I wouldn’t have been able to do a program like Tessa did, though I would love it now!

Tessa experienced some realistic relationship problems in this story. There were a lot of red flags with one of the guys that Tessa liked. I recognized these red flags right away, but Tessa tried to brush them off. I would have and did try to ignore some of the problematic things that friends or boyfriends did, so that I could still be with them, but now I realize that was harmful to myself. I loved that this aspect of problematic and toxic relationships was explored in this book, because I wish I had learned that lesson sooner in life.

Happily Ever Afters is a great YA romance! I can’t wait to read the sequel!

Other books in the series:

One True Loves

Have you read Happily Ever Afters? What did you think of it?

Review: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

Title: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
Author: Ashley Winstead
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: August 3, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Six friends.
One college reunion.
One unsolved murder.
Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has been invited back to her university for a reunion and she is obsessed with dazzling everyone with her beauty and success. This time when they see her, it has to be perfect because she is perfect. Not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather Shelby’s murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she’d been closest to since freshman year.
But there’s more at stake than the delicious envy of her peers—not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone can let Heather’s murder go unsolved. In fact, someone has orchestrated the whole weekend to trap the real killer. As the weekend unfolds and they get closer to the truth, the group finds there was more than murder hidden amongst them on campus.
Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is an addictive, propulsive millennial thriller you won’t be able to put down.

Review:

Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller returns to Duquette University for their reunion. She wants everyone to see how confident and beautiful she is, not the ordinary girl she had been in school. However, when she’s reunited with her friends, they’re confronted by the brother of their friend Heather. Heather was murdered during their senior year. Though all evidence pointed to Heather’s boyfriend at the time, there wasn’t enough evidence for a conviction. The group of six remaining friends must figure out all the secrets and lies that were told that fateful night to determine who really killed Heather.

This story was intense and emotional. Everyone had dark secrets and had betrayed someone at some point in the past. The story was told through alternating timelines. Jessica told her own narrative in the present, but she was unreliable because of her secrets and her inability to remember the night Heather was killed. The chapters alternated between the present and their time in school, to show exactly what they were doing back then.

There are some potential triggers in this story. There was murder, rape, homophobia, abuse, and affairs. I think these topics were addressed and punished appropriately, for the most part. Though this was an emotionally charged story, it was an intense and intricate plot.

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife is an intense thriller!

Review: All Her Little Secrets

Title: All Her Little Secrets
Author: Wanda M. Morris
Genre: Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this fast-paced thriller, Wanda M. Morris crafts a twisty mystery about a black lawyer who gets in over her head after the sudden death of her boss. A debut perfect for fans of Attica Locke, Alyssa Cole, Harlan Coben, and Celeste Ng, with shades of How to Get Away with Murder and John Grisham’s The Firm.
Everyone has something to hide…
Ellice Littlejohn seemingly has it all: an Ivy League law degree, a well-paying job as a corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta, great friends, and a “for fun” relationship with a rich, charming executive—her white boss, Michael.
But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice goes to meet Michael… and finds him dead with a gunshot to his head.
And then she walks away like nothing has happened. Why? Ellice has been keeping a cache of dark secrets, including a small-town past and a kid brother who’s spent time on the other side of the law. She can’t be thrust into the spotlight—again.
But instead of grieving this tragedy, people are gossiping, the police are getting suspicious, and Ellice, the company’s lone black attorney, is promoted to replace Michael. While the opportunity is a dream-come-true, Ellice just can’t shake the feeling that something is off.
When she uncovers shady dealings inside the company, Ellice is trapped in an impossible ethical and moral dilemma. Suddenly, Ellice’s past and present lives collide as she launches into a pulse-pounding race to protect the brother she tried to save years ago and stop a conspiracy far more sinister than she could have ever imagined…

Review:

Ellice Littlejohn has worked hard to become a corporate lawyer in Atlanta, but she has secrets. When she goes to her office to meet her boss, who she’s also having an affair with, she finds him dead in his office. Ellice doesn’t want to be brought into any investigation because her past would be uncovered, so she leaves and pretends she didn’t see anything. However, when Ellice gets promoted to replace her boss, the spotlight is put on her. She finds some documents that point to some shady business, and puts her in an ethical dilemma. The investigation becomes personal when parts of Ellice’s past is brought into question. Ellice has to face her history coming back to haunt her, while trying to save herself.

This was a fast paced thriller! I was hooked on it right from the first page. This was one of those books that I didn’t want to rush through because, even though I wanted to know who did it, I also didn’t want it to be over. It was a wild ride!

There was a lot of discussion of racism, white supremacy, and misogyny. Ellice was the only Black executive at the office, and she was only one of two women in the executive department. It was clear early on in the story that the other executives were treating Ellice differently because she was a Black woman. There was a deeper conspiracy at play, but that dynamic represents many offices in the world. I appreciated that racism was addressed in this novel, because I haven’t seen it in many contemporary thrillers.

All Her Little Secrets is a thrilling debut!

Review: The Maid

Title: The Maid
Author: Nita Prose
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary
Publisher: Viking
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: January 4, 2022
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.

Review:

Molly Gray is a twenty-five-year-old maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She often struggles to read social cues, but she is meticulous about cleaning. One morning, she walks into a suite to find the wealthy Charles Black dead. Because of the unusual way that Molly behaves, misreading social cues and taking everything to have a literal meaning, she is targeted as the main suspect in the murder of Mr. Black. Molly must find support in some surprising friends to untangle the mystery that she has become involved in.

I knew this story was going to be great before I read it, and it didn’t disappoint! It is told in an unusual style. Molly is an unreliable narrator because she misunderstands a lot. She doesn’t recognize when other people are sarcastic or lying to her, though it was obvious most of the time. The narrative would go back and forth throughout time, depending on what needed to be told in the moment. This was an unconventional style, but it left clues for the reader and filled in gaps in time where they were needed.

The story was fast paced and very difficult to put down. I was certain that I knew what had happened, but I was still excited to read the story. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. This story had a great ending that was surprising yet made sense.

The Maid is an amazing debut mystery!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir, Amber Padilla (illustrator)

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero, Bre Indigo (illustrator)

Where to buy:

About the author:

Tour schedule:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Serendipity edited by Marissa Meyer

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Other books in the series:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee

Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper, Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman

Other books in the series:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

One True Loves by Elise Bryant

Serendipity by Marissa Meyer

Other books in the series:

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

What to read next:

Lucky by Marissa Stapley

Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey