Conversations with God Book 4 Awaken the Species, A New and Unexpected Dialogue by Neale Donald Walsch

A special thank you to NetGalley and Watkins Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The previous three books in the series were so well done.  I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobooks, and I got a lot out of them.  I encourage you to pick them up or give them a listen.  Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this book.  Maybe it's just me, or perhaps I'm just not on the same page (pardon the pun) spiritually as this book, but I simply just didn't "get" it and it didn't resonate the same way as the others did.

What I did like was the question and answer section, there was value there, it was well executed, and tied the books nicely together.  There were some interesting and thought-provoking sections, but there was a lot that was just lost on me, and I felt like it was just out of my reach.

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

A special thank you to NetGalley and Redhood Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lily was abducted when she was sixteen and has been held captive for eight years in a cabin basement.  During this time, she has given birth to a daughter.  One fateful night, Lily realizes that he has forgotten to lock the door, or is this another test?  Lily wakes her daughter and flees into the night.  Overton's story is what happens next.

The book has no real surprises or plot twists; there is nothing shocking, are no revelations, and the writing is average at best.  She could have done much more with the characters—especially Lily given that she was held captive for so long and experienced horrific abuse and neglect.  She would need intense therapy to overcome the incredible trauma endured, but that is not the angle that Overton took with Lily's story, even though it mostly takes place after she returns home.

The opening few chapters are the best in the book.  There was definitely a hook, and my criticisms aside, there's some good writing in these beginning chapters.

Please stop trying to hook people by mentioning Gone Girl and Girl on the Train when marketing your book.  If anything, this is closer to Room, but again, you should just not do these comparisons when a book is sub par to all of the books mentioned in this paragraph.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

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

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple, mundane life, and operates on the same routine every day—she  wears the same clothes to work, eats the same meal for lunch from the same location, makes the same dinners, and every weekend buys the same kind of pizza with the same kind of wine, and two bottles of vodka to get her through the weekend.  She is incredibly isolated and lonely with no benchmark of how life should be.  From a random act of kindness Eleanor realizes exactly what she's been missing and how much better life can be.  

The description of Honeyman's debut made it sound like a Bridget Jones type novel. Eleanor is a 30 year-old singleton, living in the city, who drinks a lot, but that is where the comparison ends.  In fact, I actually thought that Eleanor may be on the Autism spectrum because of her routines, the difficulty she has in social settings, and her formal speech.  However, her behaviour stems from suffering a childhood trauma, and also not having any family or friends to help guide her in social situations—she has been alone for so long that she has no point of reference with things like pop culture, and relationships in general.  She is also victim of mental abuse every Wednesday when she talks to her 'Mummy' on the phone.

The novel unfolds through Eleanor and at times she is an unreliable narrator that serves the story perfectly.  Incredibly sad at times, this exploration of the human spirit was a bright debut and I highly recommend it.

Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Knopf Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two sisters, 21-year-old Nora and 17-year-old Theresa Flynn, leave their small village in Ireland and embark on a journey that will bring them to America.

Nora is the more responsible of the two; she is practical and shy and accepts the proposal of a man she isn't entirely sure she is in love with.  Theresa is a free sprit that is easily charmed with her new life in Boston which includes dresses and dance halls.  When Theresa ends up pregnant, it is Nora that comes up with a plan that ultimately changes the course of their lives.

Fifty years pass—Nora has four grown children: John, a successful political consultant; Bridget, in a relationship and preparing for a baby; Brian, a former baseball player who has moved back in with Nora; and Patrick, Nora's favourite child, who is responsible for causing much heartache to those around him.  Estranged from Nora, Theresa lives in Vermont in a secluded abbey and is a practicing nun.

After decades of not speaking, a death in the family forces the sisters to confront the choices they have made and each other.  This is a beautiful, sweeping novel about relationships, family, secrets, and sacrifice.

The Change Room by Karen Connelly

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

This book was a recommendation from NetGalley.  To be honest, this is not a genre I typically read so I was simply going to delete the email and move on, but after reading a glowing endorsement by Ami McKay (author of The Birth House, The Virgin Cure, and The Witches of New York), I decided to give it a chance.  I was caught by surprise, Connelly's writing is really good—she captures the psyche of a middle-aged mother/wife/woman so well against a really cool setting (for those of us who are lucky enough to be based in and around Toronto).

Erotic.  Truthful.  Clever.  Connelly begs the question: does anyone really have it all?  

New Boy by Tracy Chevalier

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

Set in 1970s Washington, D.C., and spanning a school day, New Boy explores jealousy, love, friendship, and racism.

Osei Kokote, a diplomat's son, is staring at his fourth school in six years.  The attention given to his colour is surpassed only by the attention that his relationship with the most popular girl at the all-white school garners.  This is where the trouble really begins.  Not everyone is as intrigued and impressed with O as Dee is, and one boy in particular makes it his mission to destroy the relationship.  By the end of the day, the school and its students will be left reeling, and will never be the same.    

I've been enamoured with Chevalier's work since Girl With a Pearl Earring and have been waiting for her to deliver something just as captivating and she does just this with New Boy.  Chevalier doesn't shy away from the huge undertaking/responsibility of retelling Shakespeare's Othello—her compact version delivers a sucker punch and I encourage you to pick it up.

BUY NOW

TRACY CHEVALIER is a New York Times bestselling author of nine previous novels, including Girl with a Pearl Earring, which has been translated into thirty-nine languages and made into an Oscar-nominated film.

Chevalier was born and raised in Washington, DC, and now resides in London with her husband and son.

My Life as a Bench by Jaq Hazell

A special thank you to NetGalley and Nowness Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect given the premise for this book.  Lauren "Ren" Miller has died at the age of seventeen, yet her consciousness lives on by inhabiting a bench that was purchased by her father in her memory.  The bench faces the River Thames in London and is situated beside Lionel's bench.  Lionel becomes a father-figure of sorts to Ren and encourages her to break through and talk to the living in order to reveal the truth about her harrowing end.

Hazell definitely takes a different vantage point for a narrator, but is a risk that doesn't quite pay off.  Although unique in concept, it is the story itself that feels constrained by the bench, the choppy flashbacks, and by the main character herself.  Her relationship with Gabriel sounds incredibly needy and I honestly feel that this is a disservice to young girls when the protagonist's happiness seems to hinge on a boy.