beckybeckysreadingjourneycom

Book Review – The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams
Genre: Historical Fiction

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Golden Hour! This book comes out on July 9, 2019.

The story takes place between WWI and WWII and follows the lives of Elfriede and Lulu. The women are from two different times and are connected but don’t know it.

Historical Fiction is my favorite genre and I really enjoyed the book overall but I did feel like there were parts of this book that moved a little slow for me. With that being said, there were some twists at the end that I didn’t see coming which I thoroughly enjoyed!

This was the first book I have ever read by Beatrix Williams. I’m not sure it was her best book, but I will definitely give some of her other books a try!

I rated this book a 3.5/5 stars.

Book Review – Miracle Creek

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
Genre: Mystery

Miracle Creek is a legal thriller involving a Korean family and a single mother who has been accused of killing her autistic son.

Pak and Young Yoo operate a pressurized oxygen chamber that is used for therapeutic purposes on different patients. During one of the therapy sessions, the oxygen chamber explodes and two people are killed. The trial explores everyone who was there the day of the explosion and uncovers secrets and lies of those individuals.

For me, this book makes you think about the lengths someone would go to in order to protect those that they love. This was such a great story and was impossible to put down. It kept me guessing up until the end as to who was behind the explosion. I can confidently say that this has become my favorite Mystery book of 2019 so far!! I can’t recommend this book enough and if you haven’t read it I would highly suggest you go and get it.

In case there were any guesses, I rated this a 5/5 stars!!

April 2019 Wrap-Up

April started out really strong for me and then fizzled out, but that’s ok. I was able to read 2 books during April and they were both ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) that I received through NetGalley so that was very exciting for me!

Both authors were new to me. In total I read 638 pages and my average rating was 3.5 stars.

Full reviews of these books are in prior posts on my blog but short recaps of the books are below:

When I Was Yours by Lizzie Page
Genre: Historical Fiction
3/5 Stars
ARC From NetGalley
Publish Date: April 16, 2019

They Called Me Wyatt by Natasha Tynes
Genre: Mystery
4/5 Stars
ARC From NetGalley
Publish Date: June 11, 2019

I have 2 more ARCs waiting for me in NetGalley. I’ll be splitting those up between May and June and will post reviews as I finish them. Here’s hoping I have a more productive reading month during May!

Happy reading!!

Book Review – They Called Me Wyatt

They Called Me Wyatt by Natasha Tynes
Genre: Mystery

This book starts off with the murder of Jordanian student, Siwar Salaiha on her 25th birthday. Her consciousness goes into the body of Wyatt who was born on the same day Siwar was murdered.

Wyatt grows up and develops a fascination with Siwar’s death and begins his own investigation to find out who is responsible.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Natasha Tynes and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review and it comes out on June 21. This book was unlike anything I have ever read before. The story kept me guessing up until the very end as to who killed Siwar and I loved Wyatt’s character.

I rated this book a 4/5 stars and would definitely encourage everyone to get it when it comes out in June!

Book Review – When I Was Yours

When I Was Yours by Lizzie Page
Genre: Historical Fiction

This is an ebook which comes out April 16th that I was fortunate enough to preview from NetGalley!

The book follows Vivienne’s life during both WWI and WWII. She helped the troops during WWI where she and her sister, Olive, drive the wounded soldiers to get medical attention. During WWII, Vivienne helps take care of a little girl, Pearl, who is an evacuee from London. Vivienne is also married to Edmund who is less than thrilled about having Pearl in their house. The book does a great job of switching between the two wars and even though it is historical fiction, there are some true elements that did take place during each of the wars.

This story was good, but the book started out a little slow for me and for this reason, I rated it a 3/5 stars.

March 2019 Wrap-Up

It’s Spring!! It’s been so nice having warmer days and not having to bundle up to go outside. Hopefully we don’t get any more snow!

I read 3 books in March as per my norm! All 3 were physical copies that I had in my TBR pile. Two of the authors were new to me. In total, I read 1,045 pages, which is the most I’ve read so far this year!

Reviews of these books are in prior posts on my blog. Short recaps of each of the books are below:

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Genre: Fiction
4/5 Stars
From my TBR pile

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Genre: Historical Fiction
5/5 Stars
From my TBR pile

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
4/5 Stars
From my TBR pile

In April I will be reviewing 3 books that haven’t been released yet! It will be my first time reviewing advanced copies and I’m super excited!!

Have a great month of reading my friends!!

Book Review – In A Dark, Dark Wood

In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

In A Dark, Dark Wood follows Nora who has been invited to a Hen Weekend (Bridal Shower) for Clare. Nora hasn’t seen Clare since they were in school ten years ago. The party takes place at a house located deep in the woods. Clare’s fiance also happens to have had a relationship with Nora when they were in school all those years ago. A shooting takes place at the house over the weekend. Nora is named a suspect but isn’t able to remember what happened. We follow her on her journey as she tries to remember what took place and who is responsible. She also takes a journey through secrets she thought were buried long ago.

This was a great thriller! It was somewhat predictable; however, I still enjoyed the book a lot! I rated it a 4/5 stars.

Book Review – Winter Garden

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
GENRE: Historical Fiction

Winter Garden deals with the relationships between mothers and daughters and how the past shapes us into who we become in the present.

Meredith and Nina are sisters and pretty much have nothing in common. Meredith is living her life running the family business and pleasing everyone around her. Nina is a free spirit living her life traveling the world as a photographer. Their mother, Anya, has always been very cold towards them and they never understood why. Their father becomes ill and his last wish before he dies is that he wants Anya to tell Meredith and Nina a Russian Fairytale in hopes that this will bring the three women together after he is gone.

What Meredith and Nina don’t understand at first but eventually realize is that this fairytale is actually about Anya and the life she lived during WWII in Leningrad.

This was a heartbreakingly beautifully written story. There were some twists at the end that you will not see coming and yes, tissues will be needed! This is the fourth book I’ve read by Kristin Hannah and it did not disappoint at all! I rated this book a 5/5 stars!

Book Review – The Immortalists

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Genre: Fiction

This story is about 4 siblings (Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya) who when they were younger pooled their money together and visited a psychic. Each of the children meets with the phychic individually and she tells them when they will die. The book then follows each of the children into adulthood and how they lived their lives knowing this information.

First, I just have to say that this is probably one of the most stunning book covers I’ve ever seen! The story was thought provoking and was beautifully written. This was the first book I read by Chloe Benjamin and I was not disappointed! I rated it 4/5 stars.

February 2019 Wrap-Up

How on earth can we be in March already? It feels like February went by in the blink of the eye! It probably didn’t help that my family and I were sick for the last week and a half of February.

I read 3 books in February which seems to be the norm for me as of late. All 3 were physical copies that I had in my TBR pile and were also by authors who are new to me. One of the books was from my Book of the Month Subscription that I have. In total I read 949 pages in February!

Reviews of these books are in prior posts on this blog. Short recaps of each of the books are below:

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
by Gabrielle Zevin
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
4.5/5 Stars
From my TBR Pile

The Gown
by Jennifer Robson
Genre: Historical Fiction
4.5/5 Stars
From my TBR Pile

The Silent Patient
by Alex Michaelides
Genre: Thriller
5/5 Stars
From my Book of the Month Subscription

It’s almost mid-March as I’m putting this post together and right now I’m on track to read more than 3 books . . . fingers crossed!

Happy reading friends!! 🙂