My Not So Perfect Life: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Kinsella I adore you! You make me smile as I'm reading.  In fact, if you haven't listened to a Sophie Kinsella audiobook, I highly recommend it, especially if narrated by Jayne Entwistle.  Sorry, I digress...

We are introduced to a new character, Katie/Cat Brenner. "Cat" is trying to reinvent herself in modern-day London.  She Instagrams her "perfect" life; her glamorous job, jam-packed social calendar, fabulous flat. But the real truth is she has a painful commute to an entry level job, posts pictures of other people's food, and rents a crap room with no closet.

Katie's nemesis/boss Demeter seems to have it all, a picture-perfect family, gorgeous wardrobe, and success with everything she touches. Demeter shatters Katie's hopes of making London a success when she fires her. Because Katie can no longer afford city life, she is forced to move back home to the family farm in Somerset which turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Katie uses her talents to help launch her father and step-mother's glamping business all while keeping up a facade that she is still gainfully employed but on "sabbatical".

Enter Demeter–her family has booked in for a holiday at the family farm. Does Demeter really have it all, is everything how it appears? Should Katie get her revenge, or try to get her job back? All is not what it appears and Kinsella will have you hooked until the last page. What a fun ride.

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SOPHIE KINSELLA is the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series as well as the standalone novels Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, and Wedding Night.

She lives between London and the country.

The Fortunate Ones : A Novel by Ellen Umansky

A special thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is about two women that are generations apart are connected by a famous Chaim Soutine painting.  Umansky's debut moves from WWII to contemporary Los Angeles.  In 1939, we meet Rose Zimmer who is being sent out of Austria to live with strangers in England.  When the war ends, Rose is grief-stricken and seeks comfort in trying to find her mother's favourite Soutine painting but unfortunately for Rose, the painting has ended up in America.

In modern-day LA, Lizzie Goldstein is in mourning for her recently deceased father.  She carries around extreme guilt that she cannot shed; as a teenager, Lizzie threw a party at her father's house and the cherished Soutine painting that offered her comfort after her mother's death was stolen and has yet to be found.

This work of art will bring the two women whom are seemingly adrift in their own lives, together.  They forge a friendship that is marred by secrets and painful truths.  Each woman is forced to examine her own life through longing, devastation, and ultimately forgiveness.

Umansky's writing is rich and wonderful although I quickly fell out of like with Rose.  There were a few spots in the plot that could've been tighter, but overall, this is a good book and I would certainly recommend it.  I look forward to her next book.    

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

A special thank you to NetGalley and Disney Book Group/Disney-Hyperion for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Adam Blake is a senior with an interesting elective; he is an aide to the school psychologist. For someone with ADHD, perhaps sitting around isn't the best choice for Adam, but with his incredibly positive outlook he rises to the challenge of working for Dr. Whitlock. His first task is to track down a troubled freshman that has been avoiding their sessions with said doctor. That boy would be Julian, his foster brother from five years ago. Adam is thrilled at their reunion. Julian is still kind, shy, quiet, and loves his Elian Mariner books, but there is something off about him. He is secretive and hides out during the day, often misses school, and things aren't what they appear with his home life. Adam is determined to help Julian, resuming his "big brother" role, but at what cost?

This was a solid 4/5 stars for me. The climax was a little contrived, but overall, it was wonderfully written with carefully thought out characters. This is Roe's debut novel and her future is as bright as ten thousand stars.  

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

A special thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is no wonder (see what I did there?) that Donoghue is a celebrated author, she is an incredibly gifted storyteller.  With the rise and fall of her prose, we are transported to a sleepy Irish town in the latter half of the 19th century.  Lib Wright is an English nurse that is brought to Ireland to care for Anna O'Donnell, an 11 year-old girl who has appears to have been touched by God because she can survive without food.  She has not eaten since her birthday which was four months ago.  Lib, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, and a nun have been assigned round-the-clock care of the girl.   

The plot moves incredibly slow and builds frustration in the reader which echos the frustration Lib has in her quest of discovering what is really happening with this little girl.  Is she surviving without food, or is there something else going on?

Lib is isolated in her new home and Donoghue projects this onto the reader.  At times I felt isolated and claustrophobic, like I was being swallowed up in the mystery, and the darkness.  It's like I couldn't separate the facts and the truth from perception, and that I was reading Irish folklore versus historical fiction.

Although slow at times, I was enchanted with Donoghue's work and can't wait to see what she has in store for readers next.  

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict

A special thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Benedict's telling of the woman behind one of the greatest minds falls flat.  Her writing style, which consists of short, choppy, basic sentences that have little to no imagination and lack in description made this book hard to read.  She starts too many sentences with "I".  For example:

"...I needed the fresh air on my face.  I had mountains of homework, physics chapters to read, and mathematical calculations to make.  I longed for bracing Milchkaffee, but one was to be found at the pension.
     I heard a knock on my door and jumped.  No one ever came to my room at this hour.  I cracked my door open a sliver so I could see who it was.
Helene stood in the hallway.
'Please come in.' I hurried to welcome her."

Did she take too many liberties of this fictional account?  Perhaps.  Einstein was written as a womanizing, abusive, hands-off father.  To support her story, there were discoveries of correspondence between Einstein and Maric that confirm the birth of their daughter, Lieserl.  Unfortunately her fate was never known for certain (she may have been adopted or died of scarlet fever in infantry).  They did eventually marry and went on to have two sons.  While pregnant with their second son, he was corresponding with a previous love, Marie Winteler, professing his love for her and expressing unhappiness in his marriage.  Maric and Einstein separated when she learned of his his attraction to his first and second cousin Elsa, whom he later married.      

I had to push through this book, especially early on, to even finish.