Show us your books

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Today, being the second Tuesday of the month I’m linking up with Steph  https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/ and Jana http://janasays.com/ for Show Us your Books.

I read the following in May:

What we did by Christobel Kent

The plot:  Bridget has a quiet life which she has carefully designed for herself.  She is a wife, a mother and she owns a boutique.  She is content in her routines and nobody is aware that she is harbouring a terrible secret from her childhood.  Not even those closest to her are aware of what she went through.  Or why she gave up playing the violin when she had such talent.  Bridget will do anything to keep what happened firmly behind her.  So when her past crashes into her present she decides to take matters into her own hands. 

My thoughts:  I found the start to be slow moving and certain chapters just dragged by.   At times, I wondered if it the book was going to go anywhere.  Then it did and some background to Bridgets past was shared.  The reason for the fear that she has carried around with her is revealed to readers.  When her violin teacher arrives in her shop one day with a new student, Bridget decides that she's not going to let history repeat itself.  Warning the student to stay away won't be enough.

Bridget's flashbacks to the awful abuse that she (and other victims) went through is disturbing and it isn't an easy read. 

One of the characters is a journalist who is trying to get to the truth and I wish she'd had a bigger role in the book.  

My Goodreads rating:  TWO STARS

Her by Harriet Lane

The plot:  Emma and Nina have very little in common.  Nina is a successful artist who is sophisticated and filled with confidence.  Emma is an exhausted housewife and mom to two young children.  They meet by accident one day and then keep running into each other.  Emma thinks the world of Nina.  She has no idea that they've met many years before and Nina is carrying a dangerous grudge.

My thoughts:  I was looking forward to a thriller and this started out with promise.  Nina runs into Emma one day and saves the day by returning her lost wallet.  However nothing is what it seems.  Nina remembers Emma from many years ago and what she did, Nina found unforgivable.  Emma doesn't remember a thing and thinks that Nina is a saint who just happens to be in the right place at the right time when things go wrong. 

The book started out well and then it dragged quite a bit in parts.  It is told from both points of view so readers will get to experience a dinner party for instance from both the host and the guest's point of view.  This can be tedius at times. 

My main issue with the book was the ending.  I like a tidy ending.  I do not enjoy reading a book and then wondering where the rest of the pages went to!  The "unforgivable" event that Emma caused (in Nina's eyes) didn't add up to the amount of time spent stalking her and putting a sinister plan into action. 

I don't understand the ending - I think we are supposed to decide for ourselves. 

My Goodreads rating: THREE STARS

The wife between us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

The plot: An ex wife sets out to stop her husband remarrying the woman of his dreams. 

The younger replacement is perfect and everything that the previous wife wasn't. 

It was the ex-wife's fault the marriage didn't work and she cannot accept that her husband has moved on.

These are the some of assumptions that you'll make when you pick this book up.  And they are all wrong.

My thoughts:  I really enjoyed this book.  Told from the ex wife and the fiancé's point of view this was an interesting read.  There are 3 parts to it and I'll admit I figured out what was happening in part 1 before the first reveal. However there were twists and turns and surprises that reveal themselves throughout the book and again at the very end.  Part two is a bit slow moving but still held my attention.

This is a rollercoaster in the form of a book and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.  Nothing is what it seems!  I must say it is NOT like Gone Girl which is what it is being compared to. 

My Goodreads rating:  FOUR STARS