What I read in September

I read two books in September and here are my reviews.

The Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty

The plot: Cecelia Fitzpatrick has just found a letter written by her husband saying she can only open it in the event of his death. Torn between doing what is asked of her and settling her curiosity, she opens it. And her carefully built up world falls apart as she learns a horrendous secret about her husband’s past. This book focuses on 3 main characters. Cecelia who has just found out what her husband has confessed. Tess whose husband has announced he is in love with her cousin Felicity. Rachel who lost her daughter many years ago and has never forgiven the man she believes is responsible. The characters are all linked when Tess leaves her husband and takes her son to stay with her mother.

What I thought: Firstly I thought that there were too many pages between Cecelia finding the letter and actually opening it. Cecelia gives the impression that she is leading a perfect life and her husband John-Paul’s confession shatters that instantly. Tess is a likable character who meets Cecelia when she enrols her son at the same school as Cecelia’s daughters. Rachel works at the school which is how all the characters are linked. Rachel’s pain is evident from the time she is introduced to the reader, she is mourning the loss of her daughter who was murdered in her teens. She believes the killer is still out there and is determined to prove it.

My Goodreads rating: 4 stars. The epilogue was really something.

Kind of cruel by Sophie Hannah

The plot: Amber Hewerdine hasn’t slept since the arson attack that killed her best friend. Driven by desperation to cure her chronic insomnia she goes to see a hypnotist where she utters the words: Kind. Cruel. Kind of Cruel. Amber swears she didn’t say the words, that she doesn’t know what they mean and must have seen them somewhere. Then she is arrested a few hours later and questioned in the murder of a woman she has never met.

What I thought: When Amber’s best friend is killed, she stops sleeping. Given custody of her friends young daughters and trying to create some stability in their lives, she knows something isn’t right. Why would a stranger do this to her friend? Added to her stress is a mystery that is eating at her. Years ago at a family Christmas celebration, 4 member of her husband’s family disappeared, then reappeared the next day refusing to talk about it. The more Amber tries to get to the bottom of what happened, the more she is certain that the key to the mystery is locked in her subconscious.

My Goodreads rating: 4 stars

Linking up with Steph  https://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/ and Jana http://janasays.com/ for Show Us Your Books.