The Floating Feldmans by Elyssa Friedland

A special thank you to Penguin First to Read for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The matriarch of the family Annette Feldman decides she wants to do something for her milestone 70th birthday, so she organizes a cruise for her family.

But between sibling rivalries that keep rearing their ugly head, family secrets, and her teenage grandkids, Annette’s birthday vacation is looking like it is going to capsize. Sailing on the open seas, the Feldmans are forced to face the truths they’ve been ignoring all while learning that the people they once thought most likely to sink them are actually the ones who help them stay afloat.

I thought that the ship was an interesting vehicle for the story because it forced all of the characters to not only be in the same vicinity as one another, but it really pushed some of the family dynamics front and centre and created some interesting situations.

The exposition and build up were painfully long. Once Friedland's cast is finally assembled, I expected more by way of confrontations and satire. She did redeem herself with the ending, readers will be satisfied as they disembark.

All-in-all a fun read that's perfect for summer, or cruising. Told from multiple points of view, The Floating Feldmans really brings out the fun in dysfunctional.

ELYSSA FRIEDLAND attended Yale University, where she served as managing editor of the Yale Daily News. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School and subsequently worked as an associate at a major firm. Recently, she has written for The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, POPSUGAR, RealSimple.com and Bustle.

Elyssa grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in New York City with her husband and three young children. 

The Editor by Steven Rowley

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin First to Read/Penguin Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

James Smale is a struggling writer in 1990s New York City. He finally sells his novel to a major publishing house, but what he doesn't know, is that his big break comes because one of the most famous women in America has championed his work.

His editor is none other than Jacqueline Kenney Onasis—or Mrs. Onassis as she is called in the office—as in the former First Lady of the United States. She happened to fall in love with Jame's candid semi-autobiographical novel that pulls back the curtain on his own dysfunctional family.

The stress of publication is putting on strain on James' relationships with both his partner and his family. James suddenly finds himself unable to finish the manuscript even with Jackie's encouragement.

Jackie and James develop a friendship and it is Jackie who persuades James to visit his mother. James returns home to confront the truth about his relationship with his mother and during the visit, a family secret is unearthed. It is another mother's intuition that has a hand in James' life's plan.

Rowley's latest book is about mothers and sons, and an unexpected friendship that will forever change one man.

What I found so fantastic is that Jackie didn't eclipse James—she is the perfect addition to the story with her poise, grace, and sophistication. There is also an immense sadness about her and instead of being swallowed up and consumed by grief, Jackie is empathetic and clever as is the story. Rowley took a risk using someone as famous as Jackie Kennedy Onassis because she could have stolen the scenes away from James thus making him more of a supporting character, but this doesn't happen at all.

Rowley took a risk using someone as famous as Jackie Kennedy Onassis because she could have stolen the scenes away from James thus making him more of a supporting character, but this doesn't happen at all—he stays true to James' story. James is a well-developed character with an incredible amount of depth and growth. What happens instead is the two characters play off one another, and the reader is a witness to their beautiful friendship.

The Editor is utterly endearing and Rowley's words are as elegant as Jackie herself.

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STEVEN ROWLEY has worked as a freelance writer, newspaper columnist, and screenwriter. Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College. Lily and the Octopus was his first novel.

He currently resides in Los Angeles with his boyfriend and their dog. 

Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin First to Read for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ayesha Shamsi is a busy girl. She has put aside her dreams of becoming a poet, instead she works as a substitute teacher so that she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives in Toronto with her boisterous Muslim family who always reminded her that her beautiful younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Even though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who handsome and smart, yet overly straightforward and conservative.  She finds him incredibly irritating and judgemental of her, yet she is attracted to him.

When a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is announced, Ayesha is torn between her feelings for Khalid and her own purpose. But Khalid is also struggling balancing his wants against his beliefs—he can't stop thinking about Ayesha.

I first heard about this book at an author event I attended last summer (doesn't summer seem like forever ago?) and I was immediately intrigued. It was wonderful to hear Uzma speak about her inspiration for the book. She is utterly delightful and enchanting, I encourage you to attend any of her events.

Jalaluddin has a gift for writing engaging dialogue. Her writing is clever with humour sprinkled throughout. She also highlights the timely and relevant issues that immigrants face, even in more multicultural countries like Canada.

Toronto is the perfect setting and I enjoyed learning more about our Muslim communities. Jalaluddin deftly guides the readers though the complex duality that her characters face; they are trying to honour their beliefs and culture without being conformed by the society they are trying to assimilate.

I highly recommend this modern retelling that has has been optioned for film. What a great acquisition! I think that this piece will translate well on the big screen and I really hope the studio stays true to the book and shoots it in Toronto. Congratulations, Uzma!

UZMA JALALUDDIN is a teacher and also writes a funny parenting column named 'Samosas and Maple Syrup' for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper.

She resides in Toronto with her husband and children.

The Banker's Wife by Cristina Alger

A special thank you to Penguin First to Read for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On a November morning, a private plane departs for Geneva, but crashes in the Alps after experiencing stormy weather.  Among the passengers was Matthew Lerner, a banking insider with the powerful offshore bank Swiss United.  His widow, Annabel, is left with an encrypted laptop and a questionable client list.  In her desperate search for answers, she learns that Matthew's death was no accident, and she is now involved.

 Society journalist Marina Tourneau is on top of the world.  She is engaged to Grant Ellis, son of a powerful politician and is finally part of the upper echelon of New York.  After the death of her mentor, she reluctantly agrees to investigate one more story.  While looking into Swiss United, Marina uncovers information that will not only implicate, but bring down some of the most powerful players in the financial industry.  No one is immune, including some who are close to home.  The story may also bring answers to Annabel's search, that is if Marina chooses to publish.

Alger's globetrotting thriller was a mixed bag for me.  I found the beginning slow, but I'm glad I stuck with it because the story really picked up to a frenzied finish.

The writing was quick and sharp, but I did feel that the characters could have been further developed and I think that Alger hides this weakness behind her clever plot.  Written from both female perspectives, the characters needed to be more than they were, they simply lacked the depth needed.  What I did like was that they were the perfect pairing—one was trying to uncover a secret while the other was trying to conceal information.

Fans of the thriller/mystery genre will devour this book.  Once you get into the story, the pace is quick, just what one would expect.  

Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

A special thank you to Penguin First to Read for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anna Johnson is struggling with the death of both of her parents only moths apart to suicide.  She misses her mother especially as she has recently become a mother herself. Her therapist partner, Mark, worries that she is not coping.

On the anniversary of her mother's death, she receives a card that simply says "Suicide? Think again."  The police still insist it was suicide, Anna thinks it was murder, but they are both wrong.

Told from multiple points of view, readers gain enough insight to be engaged and vested in the story and characters themselves.  Mackintosh treats the secondary characters with as much care and development as the main characters and this pays off as I was equally enthralled, if not more, in officer Murray Mackenzie's storyline.  He has a complicated relationship with his wife Sarah who struggles with mental illness.  Murray cares for her as best as he can and loves her unconditionally amongst the ups and downs.  This was unexpected and adds another layer to this already enthralling read.

Mackintosh spent 12 years with the police force and this experience enhances her writing.  The story was sharp, and paced appropriately to build suspense and intrigue.  There were enough twists that I was always one step behind and did not have it all figured out.  This was refreshing, as of late this genre has been letting me down with too many books being overly predictable.

Family dynamics are a paramount theme to the book as well as secrets and lies.  Mackintosh explores just how far one will go to keep those they love safe.  The book is riveting and will have you guessing right up until the last page for one last twist!  

CLARE MACKINTOSH is the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of I Let You Go, and I See You.

She is the founder of Chipping Norton Literary Festival and is the patron of the Silver Star Society, an Oxford-based charity that provides special care for mothers with medical complications during pregnancy at John Radcliffe Hospital.

She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.

The Address by Fiona Davis

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

Fiona Davis' novel takes readers to the historic Dakota —the famous home of John Lennon from 1973 to his murder outside the building in 1980.

The story opens in England with Sara Smythe, a head housekeeper at an elegant hotel.  She is offered a job by Theodore Camden after she saves one of his children from falling out a window.  Wanting a better life, she accepts the job which is to be the managerette of the Dakota, an upscale apartment building in New York City.

Fast forward to 1985 New York City, where Bailey Camden has just completed a stint in rehab and is trying to get her life back on track.  She is hired by her cousin, Melinda, to redecorate her apartment in the Dakota and is hopeful that this opportunity will relaunch her career.  Davis joins the two storylines with the Dakota when Bailey finds Sara's belongings in a trunk in the basement of the decrepit building.  

As a reader, the best parts of the story were in the past.  Even though the 80s are by far my favourite decade, um hello, best music ever, I simply couldn't connect with Bailey and just wanted to stay with Sara.  Davis fell victim of the duelling storylines and I feel of late that this style has been done too much and as an avid reader, this type of narrative is old hat.

Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship by Michelle Kuo

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

Michelle Kuo is a recent Harvard graduate that finds herself in a rural town in Arkansas as a Teach for America volunteer.  Wanting to make a difference in her students' lives, she is full of optimism but soon discovers how broken the system is.  Kuo tries a different tactic—she  uses quiet reading time and guided writing exercises as a way to instil a sense of self in her students.

Throughout her tenure, Kuo loses students for various reasons.  Some are as simple as truancy and others are harsh and stem from violence.  She also is inspired by some, and one of those students is Patrick who is fifteen and is still in grade eight.  Under Miss Kuo's attention, he flourishes.  However, Michelle is feeling incredible pressure from her Taiwanese immigrant parents to pursue other opportunities and ultimately leaves Arkansas after a couple of years to attend law school.

On the eve of her graduation, Michelle learns that Patrick has been incarcerated for murder.  Murder?  Patrick?  Kuo has incredible guilt and thinks that she is partly responsible because she prematurely left the school.  Determined to right the situation as best she can, Michelle returns to teaching Patrick from his jail cell while he awaits trial.  It is here that we get a sense of both of their characters.  Michelle doesn't waiver in her dedication, even when it appears as though Patrick has forgotten most of what she taught him.

In this moving and inspiring memoir of a teacher that didn't give up on her student, Patrick, Kuo shares the story of her mentorship of Patrick Browning and his incredible journey of self-discovery through literature and writing.  Kuo is also taken on her own journey as she is forced to navigate through several broken systems, racism, social standing, privilege, and relationships.

Friendship can come unexpectedly sometimes, and you never know your impact on someone else's life.  I highly recommend this wonderful story.  

Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais

A special thank you to Penguin Random House First To Read for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in South Africa during Apartheid, the lives of two people collide and an unlikely bond is formed. Robin Conrad is a nine-year-old white girl living with her parents in Johannesburg. Beauty Mbali is a Xhosa woman in a rural village in the Bantu homeland of the Transkei who has been widowed and left to raise her three children. Divided by race, the two meet as a result of circumstances stemmed from the Soweto Uprising—a protest by black students ignites racial conflict in which Robin's parents are casualties, and Beauty's daughter goes missing.

Robin is sent to live with her irresponsible aunt, and Beauty is hired to take care of Robin while continuing to look for her daughter. Beauty and Robin become dependent on one another to fill the voids of their lost loved ones. With the threat of Beauty abandoning her once her daughter is found, Robin makes a decision without understanding the magnitude it will have on Beauty, also failing to realize that this could cost her everything she loves. Robin is taken on a journey of self-discovery, love, loss, racism, and what family truly means.

Told from alternating perspectives, Marais creates a strong character in Beauty, and an unreliable/naive one in Robin. There were times where Robin was endearing, and other times she was incredibly precocious. The difference between 4 and 5 stars was the ending—would Beauty, after everything she had gone through, really have let Robin save the day?

I had much admiration for Beauty, not only for her intelligence, but for her compassion. Her stoicism and strength when met with such adversity was nothing short of amazing and I wish that the entire story was told from her perspective. She is well-written without being trivialized, Marais shines through her characterization. Highly recommend!

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BIANCA MARAIS holds a certificate in creative writing from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, where she now teaches creative writing. Before turning to writing, she started a corporate training company and volunteered with Cotlands, where she assisted care workers in Soweto with providing aid for HIV/AIDS orphans. 

Originally from South Africa, Marais resides in Toronto with her husband.