The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader

A special thank you to Graydon House for a finished copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two friends. A lifetime of secrets. One sparkling story.

1967 Iowa. Nursing school roommates BettyKay and Kitty don’t have much in common. A farmer’s daughter, BettyKay has risked her family’s disapproval to make her dreams come true away from her small rural town. Cosmopolitan Kitty has always relied on her beauty and smarts to get by and to hide a devastating secret from the past that she can’t seem to outrun. Yet the two share a determination to prove themselves in a changing world, forging an unlikely, powerful bond on a campus unkind to women.

Before their first year is up, tragedy strikes, and the women’s paths are forced apart. But against all odds, a decades-long friendship forms, persevering through love, marriage, failure and death, from the jungles of Vietnam to the glamorous circles of Hollywood. Until one snowy night leads their relationship to the ultimate crossroads.

Fifty years later, two estranged sisters are shocked when a famous movie star shows up at their mother’s funeral. Over one tumultuous weekend, the women must reckon with a dazzling truth about their family that will alter their lives forever…

Told from the perspectives of Clara, BettyKay, and Abbie, and with alternating timelines, The Sunshine Girls is about the power of female relationships. Strong women are what elevate the story.

Fader also employs an epistolary style narrative with the inclusion of the torn out pages from BettyKay’s diaries. These missing passages not only provide context, but they offer insight to the societal expectations of the time. The women were confined with their limited choices and by the men in their lives—Hugh, Dr. Fischer, Rex, and Jenny’s father, Roy.

Kitty, Jenny, and BettyKay have difficult relationships with their parents. It is these fractured relationships that not only shape their lives, but strengthen their bonds—they are sustained by their friendship.  

With its instant hook, compelling characters, well-kept secrets, and a little bit of old Hollywood glamour, The Sunshine Girls is a captivating and enlightening read that’s a perfect book club choice. 

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MOLLY FADER is an award-winning author of more than 40 romance novels under the pennames Molly O'Keefe and M. O'Keefe. The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets was her first women's fiction novel.

Fader resides in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Molly Fader*

GWR: You also write contemporary romance and erotic romance (under M. O’Keefe and Molly O’Keefe) in addition to book club fiction. Do you approach each novel the same way or does it vary depending on the genre?

MF: My approach to writing every book is pretty much the same. An idea grabs a hold of me and I ask myself a bunch of questions about the people in the idea and what those people want and what they need and the secrets they might be keeping. When I’m writing a romance—these questions are really focused on the relationship between the two people falling in love. I think about sex quite a bit :) and ask myself what sex means to them and how can I make that more interesting/compelling/moving. 

Book club fiction opens up the questions. I get to think about the secrets mothers keep from daughters and how siblings have different experiences with the same parent and how the effects of the choices people make can rattle through families.  I also like exploring the  recent past in book club fiction. The Sunshine Girls takes place in the 1960’s-1980’s and now and the research into that era was fascinating. 

GWR: How did you come up with the title? Were there actually “Sunshine Girls”?

MF: Ha—well, there were Sunshine Girls, but it was my T-Ball team as a kid!!!  I was thinking of the candy stripers—girls who volunteered in hospitals and wore striped uniforms. It’s kind of a too sweet name for pretty difficult job. I liked the idea of these first year nurses having a name like that—something slightly misleading and bright in contrast to the occasional darkness of the job. 

GWR: What was the inspiration for the novel and how did you decide at which point to start the story? 

MF: Amazingly, the beginning of the novel—with two estranged sister’s at their mother’s small town funeral and in walks none other than stage and screen icon—Kitty Devereaux to tell them they didn’t really know their mother at all. That scene came to me in a dream. And that actually happens a lot but I never remember the dream or I try and write it down and it’s just gibberish. But that scene stuck with me—and so I started to ask my questions. Why are the sister’s estranged? How would Kitty Devereaux meet a small town, Iowa nurse? Why was she kept a secret? And those questions led me directly to my mom’s experience in nursing school in the 1960’s. 

I can’t imagine I’m going to have an experience like that again. It was really magical and fun. The story felt like it was waiting for at every turn. 

GWR: Can you tell us about the research you did?

MF: Some of the events in the past time line are lifted directly from my mother’s experience. She and my aunt were an absolute treasure trove of historical and medical details. I went down a rabbit hole of women’s reproductive rights from early pregnancy tests  and ultra sounds to abortion procedures. There have been some amazing books published by women who served as nurses in Vietnam—those books were utterly invaluable. 

GWR: Give your best Hollywood pitch for the book and who would you cast?

MF: The Sunshine Girls is about two sisters who realize their mother isn't who they'd always thought when a legendary movie star shows up at her funeral, unraveling the sweeping story of a friendship that begins at a nursing school in Iowa in 1965 and onward as it survives decades of change, war, fame-and the secrets they kept for each other.

Oh, this is an endlessly fun game. A lot of readers have come to me with really surprising choices! 

I always saw the sisters as Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon—I think the two of them could really bring out some of the humour in their storyline. 

BettyKay and Kitty are tricky because the timeline is over so many years.  Obviously, I thought about Reese Witherspoon for Kitty. Or Nicole Kidman. Those two women have a lot of star power. 

I love the actress Melanie Lynskey for BettyKay.  Or Amy Adams would be great too. 

GWR: Why did you decide to write The Sunshine Girls from multiple and generational points of view? 

MF: I’ve been wanting to do a dual timeline book for a while. I love reading them and I was just waiting for the right kind of story to come together. And Kitty Devereaux walked into the funeral and gave me that story. I was really interested in making the Hollywood Legend come from surprising origins.

GWR: Female relationships—mother and daughter, sisters, friends—are paramount to all of your contemporary fiction novels (The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets, The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season, The Sunshine Girls). What other authors are especially good on writing these types of relationships?

MF: Oh gosh—SO MANY.  I love Canadian author Heather O’Neill—she has an AMAZING voice and she writes nuanced female friendships so well.  Joshilyn Jackson is a hero of mine and even her new domestic suspense novels have rich and surprising female relationships. A fabulous debut this year was The Thread Collectors by Alyson Richman and Shaunna J. Edwards—a novel set during the American Civil War about two very different women. And a Canadian debut I seriously loved was Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall about the real-life underground networks organizing safe abortions before they were legal and homes for unwed mothers.

Sonali Dev’s new one—The Vibrant Years—about three generations of women all starting to date is fabulous. 

GWR: The men in the story tried to control the women in their lives and these women were also confined by their limited number of choices. Why was this important for you to write about?

MF: Well, it sprang from the time and the place. My mother told me when she choose to go to nursing school—she only had two options for employment—nursing or teaching. She chose nursing and nursing school and hospitals were a tiered system—with male doctors at the top. It was also really important to me to tell a story about how women’s reproductive rights were shrouded in lack of information. We all know the 60’s and 70’s were a time of huge social change for women and I wanted to write a very personal story about what that looked like. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

MF: Oh, my mom’s lemonade for sure. Tart, sweet, icy cold. Refreshing and comforting at the same time.

GWR: What are you working on now?

MF: I am working on a super fun book set in the early 80’s NYC. It features Studio 54, some female vigilantes, and two sisters trying to find out the truth about their mother. 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Juno was wrong about Winnie Crouch.

Before moving in with the Crouch family, Juno thought Winnie and her husband, Nigel, had the perfect marriage, the perfect son—the perfect life. Only now that she’s living in their beautiful house, she sees the cracks in the crumbling facade are too deep to ignore.

As a retired therapist, she isn't one to judge. After being diagnosed with an illness, Juno just wants to enjoy the rest of the time she has left. But that is short lived when Juno overhears a chilling and disturbing conversation between Winnie and Nigel…

Juno shouldn’t get involved, but this could be her chance to make a few things right.

Because if you thought Juno didn’t have a secret of her own, then you were wrong about her, too.

Tarryn Fisher has a wicked and brilliant mind. The Wrong Family is her most well-written and polished book to date. Divided into three parts, the story takes place in a striking yet unsettling looking house in Greenlake, a neighbourhood in Seattle, WA. The narrative lives between Winnie's and Juno's third person perspectives. Both women are complex and well-developed, reader's will be shocked while living in their heads. 

The writing is slick and fluid, but there are a few missteps. There are instances where the narrative shifts in time causing overall confusion and for the reader to stumble. Fisher's audience will struggle with the book's overall bulk—there is an unnecessary scene (Friendsgiving) that introduces characters that do nothing to the plot, this is just filler. And at the climax/end/epilogue, there is a genre jump and the book reads more like a horror versus a psychological thriller.    

Tarryn's loyal and rabid PLNs will love this book. Her writing is completely captivating—Fisher wields words, they are definitely her weapon. Parts of the story are simply excellent! But the unreliable/unstable female narrator is so overdone right now and I wish that Tarryn would return to the more angsty relationships that are tinged with her signature darkness.  

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TARRYN FISHER is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wives.

Born a sun hater, she currently makes her home in Seattle, Washington with her children, husband, and psychotic husky.

Tarryn writes about villains.

The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton

A special thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley, Harlequin, and Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you also to Harlequin for the opportunity to be a part of the Blog Tour.

Marie Langham is devastated when her friend since childhood, Nina, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Before Nina dies, she asks Marie to look out for her family—her two kids, and husband, Stuart. Of course Marie says yes, she would do anything for Nina.

After Nina's death, Marie begins to learn more about her friend, especially when Camilla, a mutual college friend, reappears. Once envious of Nina's life, Marie comes to realize that nothing is what it seems. She has to figure out what is true and who she can trust before the consequences of Nina's dark past destroy her.

The Last Wife has an interesting premise: best friends, one of whom has a dying wish for the other to watch over her husband and children. But what unfolds instead is a story of never knowing exactly who is telling the truth—it becomes a cautionary tale to be careful what you wish for. And maybe to never join a book club.

While this book is being marketed as a thriller/mystery, it is more of a family drama with very little suspense. Although Hamilton is a great writer and starts off strong, she ultimately loses the plot—it simply overwhelms her. There is also a lot going on for the reader to keep track of.    

Maria is the type of unreliable narrator that is prone to rambling and too much page time is dedicated to her musings. Unfortunately, as a whole, the cast of characters are lacking and I had trouble connecting with them. 

That being said, I would definitely give Karen Hamilton another try. 

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KAREN HAMILTON spent her childhood in Angola, Zimbabwe, Belgium and Italy and worked as a flight attendant for many years. She is a recent graduate of the Faber Academy and the author of the international bestseller The Perfect Girlfriend.

Hamilton resides in Hampshire with her young family and husband.

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Q&A with Karen Hamilton

What's the "story behind the story" with The Last Wife?

The idea for The Last Wife first came to me when I was setting up a book-group with some friends in my village. While I was researching book-group reads and recommendations online, I came across some stories which suggested that not all groups were friendly and welcoming. This really surprised me. While creating Marie’s character, I thought about how she would go about trying to join a well-established group. I also knew that I wanted the house that Marie so desperately covets to be in the woods because although they can be stunning, they can also set the scene for somewhere creepy and menacing.

So much of the story takes place in Ibiza, why did you choose that location? Have you ever been there? 

It’s one of my favourite places to visit, even though I haven’t been as recently as I’d like. Although it has a reputation for being a party island, it has the most stunning beaches and scenery. I thought that this would be a likely place for Marie and her friends to visit at that time in their lives.

Which character in this novel  is most like you and why?

  

Oooh, hopefully none! 😊 Although I’m now fortunate to have three children, I did experience fertility issues so I was able to write from personal experience about how it may feel for Marie not to be able to conceive. I also went to therapy ‘in character’ (a psychotherapy service called Characters on the Couch) to delve deep into Marie’s manipulative mind.

Do you have any specific writing rituals?

I’m definitely a morning person. Prior to lockdown, I would keep to school hours. Since then, it has been harder with home-schooling, but I try to write as much as I can when I first wake up. I usually write at home, but prior to lockdown I was happy to write anywhere: on trains, in cafes, on planes.

What message do you hope readers take away from The Last Wife?

That the grass isn’t necessarily greener.

 

What can you tell us about your next project?

That I’ve been to ‘therapy’ again for this protagonist! It’s another manipulative main character within an international setting.

 

Thank you so much for all your kind support.

The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season by Molly Fader

A special thank you to Edelweiss, NetGalley and Graydon House HarperCollins/HarperCollins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you also to Harlequin for the opportunity to be a part of the Blog Tour.

Hope arrives at her aunt's estate—the Orchard House—late one night with her young daughter and a terrible secret. She is worried that her aunt, whom she barely knows, will turn them away.

Peg has lived in the Orchard House all of her life and like Peg, it is starting to show its age. She agrees to take in her Hope and her daughter if, in exchange for room and board, Hope helps with this season's cherry harvest. Out of options, she agrees.

Working alongside her headstrong aunt, her daughter, Tink, and a kind man who she can't stop thinking about, Hope begins to feel the promise of a new life. But the past always seems to have a way of catching up with you...

Fader's narrative is told in alternating third person limited points-of-view between Hope, Peg, and Tink. These strong women are the backbone of the story, however, their strengths are also their downfall. Peg is a complicated character and her relationships with Hope and Hank play out over the course of the story. Hope is on the run and her relationship with her daughter is strained.

I enjoy Fader's writing. She is engaging and her characters are authentic—they have distinct voices and personalities and are fully developed. Her excellent ear for dialogue translates well to the page. There are some heavy topics (domestic abuse, depression, and addiction) and Fader handles them with the care they deserve.

The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season is about three generations of women that come together at the family orchard to face secrets, and learn about the power of hope and forgiveness.

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MOLLY FADER is an award-winning author of more than 40 romance novels under the pennames Molly O'Keefe and M. O'Keefe. The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets was her first women's fiction novel.

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Q & A with Molly Fader

What message do you hope readers take away from The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season?

Oh wow! So many!  I hope they think about about the power of memory in their own lives. That memories are what make us—good and bad.  Mothers are fallible in a million ways and most are just trying their best. Grace and forgiveness feel better than resentment.  When times are tough—get yourself some chocolate cherry brioche? :)

What's the story behind the story/how you came to write this novel?

Well, the opening scene literally just arrived in my head. Mom with a dead cell phone driving through the dark dark Michigan night. She’s absolutely out of options. Her daughter isn’t speaking to her. And she’s been beaten up.

As far as opening scenes go it’s one of my absolute favorites. Women out of options, out of pride, trying SO HARD to do the next thing… I love it.

Do you have any specific writing rituals (outfit, snacks, pen, music, etc.)?

I wake up early, make the coffee and go. Sometimes the internet is a little too distracting so I need to turn it off. But most days, that’s how it works. Some days—when I go on retreats or I’m really behind—I work in the morning, go for a long walk, come back and have a beer before writing some more.  When I was a newbie writer I had a few more tricks I needed—there were books I wrote listening to the same album on repeat, but now I can’t have any music. I’ve written some books in different rooms in the house because for whatever reason, that’s where the writing magic happened. The McAvoy Sister’s was written almost entirely in my daughter’s bedroom… I have no explanation for it.

Which character do you most relate to and why?

Honestly, all of them in different ways and in different parts of the story.  I have never been in the situation that Hope has been in but there have been parts of motherhood when I find myself in situations outside of my control and I have to treat my kids like adults. Or expect them to act like adults. And I know it’s not fair, but it’s what happens sometimes. I can also really relate to how she can find a million reasons to beat herself up as a mother—but struggles to see what an amazing job she’s doing. I think most mothers understand that reality.

I also understand Peg’s reluctance to open herself up to more pain. And how what she thinks is keeping her safe is actually a prison.  And I can also appreciate her—if I don’t talk about it, it didn’t happen—stance. I think that’s a very real part of human nature.

And frankly even Tink—I LOVED how she used what power she had to make her point clear.  The story about Tink and the broken leg, that came from real life. My kid’s friend spent most of a year wrapping his leg up in an ace bandage and telling everyone it was broken, it was like he was conducting a very specific social experiment on us. And then one day…done.

What can you tell us about your next project?

Oh, I’m so excited about it. The title is always changing…so we’ll skip that part and get right to the good stuff...

Sarah Beecher has died and everyone in Greensboro, Iowa has shown up for her funeral. She was a beloved Administrator and Nurse at the Nursing School who has lived almost the entirety of her life in this small town. Her daughter’s are there—each battling some real life demons but supporting each other, despite old resentments and feuds. They are absolutely firm in the knowledge that Sarah Beecher had no secrets.

Into this funeral walks Kitty Deveraux—legendary star of stage and screen. And she’s there to tell Sarah’s daughters  their mother was not who they thought she was.

And neither are they.

It’s got two timelines! Family secrets! Twists!  Seriously, I enjoy it so much. AND it’s based in part on my mother’s experience at St. Luke’s Nursing School in Iowa.

Have you been to the cherry festivals in MI?

I have! I’ve been to the cherry festival in Traverse City. I competed in a cherry pit spitting contest and ended up spitting the pit on my shoe. I was an embarrassment to my kids and husband. Luckily  there was plenty of cherry ice cream  (thank you Kilwin’s!) around with which to console myself after that poor showing.

Actually I spent part of almost every summer of my life in Michigan. First along Southern Lake Michigan: St. Joseph’s and South Haven.  And then in Northern Lower Michigan: Traverse City, Boyne City and Petosky.  A few summers on Beaver Island.  I have enjoyed The Cherry Festivals, The Tulip Festivals, a million Beer Festivals, and the odd Elvis Festival.

Why did you decide to use a cherry orchard?

I wanted to set the book in Michigan. I knew I wanted it to be rural and agricultural and lots of hard work.  And after all the summers in Michigan—picking up bags of fresh washed cherries from road stands all over the state—a cherry orchard seemed perfect!

Husband Material by Emily Belden

A special thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you also to Harlequin for the opportunity to be a part of the Blog Tour.

Charlotte Rosen is a twenty-nine-year-old data analyst in LA. She's developing an app that measures how compatible a potential mate is. To test her algorithm, and in the hopes of finding Mr. Right, she goes on several dates—but what nobody knows, not even her roommate, is that Charlotte was widowed five years earlier.

When Charlotte receives Decker's ashes in the mail, she is stunned, and all of the careful relationships she has constructed to keep her past hidden begin to crumble. When a chance at love comes her way, will Charlotte trust the numbers or her heart?

Belden walks a fine line between humour and grief and for the most part is successful. My only hesitation with rating this book higher is because Charlotte was a bit too needy.

That being said, what I loved about the book was the humour. It was cheeky and fun—the opening wedding scene reads like a movie. The dynamic between Charlotte and her mother-in-law made for some of the best scenes in the book. I also enjoyed the support group and would have liked it to have more page time.

Husband Material is a fresh rom-com with a contemporary edge.    

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EMILY BELDON is a journalist, social media marketer, and storyteller. She is the author of the novels Hot Mess and Husband Material, and of Eightysixed: A Memoir about Unforgettable Men, Mistakes, and Meals.

She lives in Chicago with her husband, Matt.

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Q &A with Emily Belden

When you begin writing a love story, do you know how you want it to end? Or do you decide as you develop the plot?

I generally have an idea of how I want things to wrap up, but what I always struggle with is that final sentence. How do you know you’re REALLY there? I often ready my theoretical last sentence out loud, followed by saying “The End”, and if it feels like it has a certain “ring” to it, then I can shut the laptop. If not, then I know it’s not my stopping point. Wrapping up that final thought with a bow on it is super important. It’s what I want when I read a book, at least.

How was it to write about grief, pain and love for the same character?

It was new. That’s really the best word to explain it. Hot Mess has so many autobiographical elements to it (i.e., restaurant industry know-how, dating an addict, etc.) but Husband Material was all unchartered territory for me. I realized right away that in order to write about the grief of losing a spouse/partner, I had to curate a focus group of real-life women like Charlotte and really learn from them to bring the level of authenticity and nuance needed to successfully write the book.

What type of love stories do you like? Or were there ones you looked to as you began writing Husband Material?

I like really unexpected love stories. In today’s literary landscape, there’s certainly a formula that is pretty common. So it’s the books that break or stray from that formula that really do it for me. I like stories where it’s not innately clear who the protagonist is going to end up with. Even with Hot Mess there’s a moment where (I hope) the reader is like “OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING” insofar as Allie’s love story goes. Same with Charlotte in Husband Material.

Do you prefer to write by planning ahead (ie outlining, etc) or just go with the flow as inspiration hits?

I prefer to go with the flow. My general writing pattern is banging out 1-2 chapters at a time and then ending my work with a bulleted list of what I think needs to happen next. That way, when I open up my laptop and start to write the next 1-2 chapters, I’m not totally lost or forgetful of where I left off. It helps me figure out what would make sense in the flow of the pages.

When did you know you wanted to become an author? What are you currently reading and what's on your TBR list?

It’s been my only god-given talent since I was a little kid. It started with really creative letters to Santa or the Tooth Fairy. I won a contest to be a kid reporter for the Chicago Tribune when I was 12 years old and after that, my fate was sealed. I knew I wanted to write at the highest level I could! I am currently reading a book called Lulu’s Cafe by an author who is also repped by my agents, Browne & Miller. I really love it and can picture it as an adorable Hallmark Movie.

What inspired you to write this book?

I heard a news story on the TV when I was doing dishes at my (former) home in San Diego. It was about a developer who wanted to buy the land a mausoleum was on so they could tear it down and build luxury condos overlooking the ocean. I thought, how crazy if your loved one’s ashes just got mailed back to you one day and the resting place you thought was final, wasn’t. It wasn’t easy, but turned that general premise into a light-side-of-heavy rom-com.

What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

Over all, that second chances at love take all different forms. You never know the circumstances someone has found themselves in, so be kind. For Charlotte, I intentionally wrote the first few chapters as if she was divorced--talking about her “first marriage”. Then you find out “Oh, sh*t, she’s a widow,” and all the sudden your emotional connection with her changes. I also find it interesting writing about death. We don’t talk about it in society, especially not in contemporary women’s fiction. A tragic, unexpected death is the crux of this book. Let’s dig in!

What drew you into this particular genre?

I saw there was room to carve out a spot for someone like me who writes unexpected, voicey, edgy, authentic women’s fiction and so I went full steam ahead with the help of a great agent to make it happen.

If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

I would sit down with Charlotte. I’ve met the “real life” versions of her when doing my focus groups for research, it would be my honor to meet her. I’d ask her if she wanted to team up and develop a dating app framed around people’s dogs.

What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Instagram. I feel like I’ve become friends with people I’ve never met in real life. They cheer me on and I’m humbled by it. I also find other authors on Facebook in certain literary groups. This has been fun and has helped me grow my TBR list with books I otherwise wouldn’t have heard of.

What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Be patient. Be patient with the process—success as an author is fluid and can mean many different things. Nothing happens overnight. It’s a process. And be patient with yourself. If you aren’t vibing your writing, don’t put pressure on yourself to tap keys just because you said you were going to do 1,000 words tonight. There are times two weeks go by and I haven’t opened my Word doc once. But then when I am vibing it, I can cruise for 10K words and absolutely rock it. There’s an ebb and flow, for sure.

What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I am working on a third novel at my own pace right now. I’m very excited about it and just exploring where the plot takes me. I would love to work on a film/TV/podcast adaption of any of my existing works as a next step, too. I also got married nine months ago and am enjoying life with my soulmate, Matt.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

A special thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, HarperCollins Canada and Harlequin/Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Your husband has three wives and you are wife number two. You have never met the other women. Because of this arrangement, you see your husband only one day a week—you're the Thursday wife, the best wife. You convince yourself that this agreement works because you love him so much and he's worth it.

When you are doing his laundry, you find an appointment slip in his pocket for Hannah. She has to be one of the other wives. You can't help yourself, your curiosity gets the better of you and you manage to track her down. The two of you strike up a friendship, she is quite likeable even though she is young and naive.

Hannah shows up to one of your coffee dates with bruises and you know that these marks are because she is being abused by her husband—only he's your husband too. But he's never been violent with you, so why now? Do you even really know the man that you married? And who is his mysterious first wife?

Tarryn Fisher is a fantastic author who consistently surprises her readers with her vast style. This book is hypnotic and thrilling, but layered with an innate sadness. She is a detailed and meticulous writer and this book is no exception.

I loved the clever play with the names of the wives based on the main character's name (which we don't find out until later on in the story). It hooked me right from the beginning and didn't let go.

The narrative lives in the head of the main character and she is incredibly unreliable—I mean there are unreliable narrators, and then there are the kind that Fisher writes. In this case, Tarryn creates a psychological thriller of epic proportions. The story is real and raw, fuelled by angst and desire—there are times where it is completely bonkers and I mean this in the best possible way. She is a detailed and meticulous storyteller. Tarryn wields words, they are definitely her weapon.

All-in-all another banger from Tarryn Fisher. Can you believe she recently had a baby and has two books publishing this year? She's pretty incredible. You should also check her on social media—I love 'Tuesdays with Tarryn,' and her unwavering support of women.

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TARRYN FISHER is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of ten novels.

Born a sun hater, she currently makes her home in Seattle, Washington with her children, husband, and psychotic husky.

Tarryn writes about villains.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader

A special thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Harlequin, Graydon House, and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is a narrative of four of the McAvoy women: Lindy, the wild sister, left home for a fresh start in the city and never looked back; Delia, the other sister, is run off her feet because she is juggling a moody teenager, a baby, the family business, and her mother's ailing health; Brin is the rebellious teenage daughter that's been feeling displaced ever since her baby sister was born; Meredith, the matriarch, has been suffering with some memory issues and struggles with lucidity at times.

The sisters used to be so close. They shared a room and would write in a notebook as to not disturb their mother who had to get up early for work. It was their book of secrets. Seventeen years ago, tragedy struck their family and the McAvoy sisters fell apart. With pressures mounting for Delia, she has no choice but to welcome Lindy back in the fold for much-needed help. As the two sisters try to put their family somewhat back in order, they finally have the chance to reclaim what's been missing: for Delia, a happy marriage, and for Lindy, a sense of belonging and a lost love—but most of all, the sisters are missing each other.

When a particularly turbulent night leads to a shocking revelation, the women must confront the past that they've been avoiding for more than a decade. Will an old secret bring the McAvoy women back together or is it too late?

Fader's narrative is told in alternating third person limited points-of-view between the four women. Lindy and Delia have a complex relationship that plays out over the course of the story. Delia is suffering from postpartum depression. That, coupled with her mother's recent stroke, is affecting her relationships with her husband, Dan, and daughter, Brin. Lindy is struggling with not only returning to her home, but with the prospect of a new job and rightfully finding her place in an industry that she excels in.

Strong women are what makes this story so great. Meredith raised the girls after her husband was lost at sea and the sisters turned out to be resilient both in spirit and will. Delia doesn't realize her own strength and perceives asking for help as a sign of weakness even though she is shouldering a huge load as well as a past trauma. I also think that Lindy's string of bad relationships is a sign of her fortitude, rather than a flaw—she hasn't found someone to compliment her yet.

The characters were relatable and multifaceted. Fader gives away just enough detail to keep her reader vested in their story—her pace is spot on. She also has an excellent ear for dialogue which translates incredibly well on the page.

The mystery of what happened 17 years ago is the driver and really turns this into a page-turner. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this story is. To be perfectly honest, the cover and title didn't really grab me and I think they actually detract from what is a really great book. Please do yourself a favour and give this one a go, you most certainly won't be disappointed. Fader really packs a punch—there's a lot to unpack and discuss. What was also so great was the mystery part of the story. And that ending...

MOLLY FADER is an award-winning author of more than 40 romance novels under the pennames Molly O'Keefe and M. O'Keefe. The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is her first women's fiction novel.

She grew up outside of Chicago and now lives in Toronto.

Girly Book Club Presents: #StrongWomen Read Featuring Pam Jenoff, Molly Fader, and Hannah Mary McKinnon

Photo credit: Girl Well Read.  Do not use without written permission.

Girly Book Club presented #StrongWomenRead featuring Pam Jenoff (The Lost Girls of Paris), Molly Fader (The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets), and Hannah Mary McKinnon (Her Secret Son) at the Bay Adelaide Centre in downtown Toronto. The proceeds of the event went to the Canadian Women's Foundation.

Besides the fabulous food, beverages, and spectacular view, there was a chat with the authors followed by a Q&A and book signing.

The theme of evening was #StrongWomenRead and the ladies spoke about what that means to them

Hannah Mary McKinnon said that it was her maternal grandmother that inspired her reading, as well as credits her parents.

Molly Fader mentioned Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew series) as well as her mother who read her fairy tales.

Pam Jenoff has always been a reader—as a child, it was Judy Blume that inspired her. She told a story about how twenty years ago she wrote to Blume asking her for writing advice to which Blume responded. Twenty years to the day, she happen to meet Judy Blume at her book store!

How has your life influenced your books?

Molly Fader says "Romance, how you are telling a woman's story," and that "love and sex are an important part."

Hannah Mary McKinnon is a plotter, not a pantser (a plotter is someone who plans/plots out their novel before writing, and a pantser is someone who flies by the seat of their pants) and that her business side has also helped with being more of a structured writer.

Pam Jenoff credits her legal background—she brings the revision skills she learned as a lawyer to her writing.

#StrongWomenRead - What would you say to a young girl about this?

Pam Jenoff said that it is like #metoo, empowering women.

Molly Fader thinks that young girls should show each other compassion and ultimately show yourself compassion—compassion won’t fail you.

Hannah Mary McKinnon said that you can "be quietly strong, and that’s okay."

Do you write every day?

Pam is part of the 5 am club—she's up and writing in short, 45 minute sprints.

Hannah structures herself by using her deadline and working backwards. She "chunks draft manuscript and expands."

How did you become a writer?

Pam Jenoff had an epiphany and that was 9/11. She had just became a lawyer and had begun practicing law only one week earlier and knew that she didn't want to die a lawyer. Jenoff took a night course and started writing. She bootstrapped her first two books together and went from there.

Molly Fader used support networks and writing groups.

Hannah Mary McKinnon took a course. She published her first book with a great premise, but bad structure. From there, she invested in an Editor and spoke about how invaluable their advice is. She too joined writing groups and took courses. McKinnon said that it is "scary to share your work, but you need the critical feedback and that without it, you are missing opportunities to learn" and also, "your first draft is meant to suck."

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The Lost Girls of Paris

An emotional story of friendship and betrayal during the second world war, inspired by true events.

With the world at war, Eleanor Trigg leads a mysterious ring of female secret agents in London. Twelve of these women are sent to aid the resistance. They never return home.

1946 Manhattan. Passing through Grand Central Station, New York, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. The case is filled with a dozen photographs, each of a different woman. Setting out to find the women behind the pictures, Grace is drawn into the mystery of the lost girls of Paris. And as she delves deeper into the secrets of the past, she uncovers a story of fierce friendship, unthinkable bravery - and, ultimately, the worst kind of betrayal.

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PAM JENOFF is a New York Times bestselling author of several novels including The Kommandant's Girl, which received widespread acclaim, earned her a nomination for the Quill Awards and became an international bestseller.

She previously served as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department in Europe, as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon and as a practicing attorney.

Jenoff received her juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, her masters degree in history from Cambridge University and her bachelors degree in international affairs from The George Washington University.

Pam lives with her husband and three children near Philadelphia where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school at Rutgers.

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The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets

It’s been seventeen years since the tragic summer the McAvoy sisters fell apart. Lindy, the wild one, left home, carved out a new life in the city and never looked back. Delia, the sister who stayed, became a mother herself, raising her daughters and running the family shop in their small Ohio hometown on the shores of Lake Erie.

But now, with their mother’s ailing health and a rebellious teenager to rein in, Delia has no choice but to welcome Lindy home. As the two sisters try to put their family back in order, they finally have the chance to reclaim what’s been lost over the years: for Delia, professional dreams and a happy marriage, and for Lindy, a sense of home and an old flame—and best of all, each other. But when one turbulent night leads to a shocking revelation, the women must face the past they’ve avoided for a decade. And there’s nothing like an old secret to bring the McAvoy women back together and stronger than ever.

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MOLLY FADER is an award-winning author of more than 40 romance novels under the pennames Molly O'Keefe and M. O'Keefe. The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets is her first women's fiction novel.

She grew up outside of Chicago and now lives in Toronto.

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Her Secret Son

Josh’s partner Grace suffers a fatal fall. He can't wallow in his grief because he is now responsible for her seven-year-old son. Even though he is not Logan's biological father, Josh is the only father he has known.

For whatever reason, Grace resisted both marrying Josh, as well as having Josh become Logan's legal guardian. She always dismissed the idea with the excuse that it was just a formality. Given that Josh can't locate any paperwork surrounding Logan's birth, he begins to wonder if Grace was hiding something and that's why she resisted making their family official.

As Josh digs deeper, it is apparent that there are many secrets Grace was hiding, each more troubling than the next.

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HANNAH MARY MCKINNON was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland, and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favour of writing.

She now lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons.

The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley, and Harlequin Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Drs. Miles and Grace Markell run the Harmony Resort where they help couples with their failing marriages. It is an opportunity for the couples to reconnect with the gorgeous Mayan Riviera as the backdrop.

Johanna and Ben seem to have a picture-perfect marriage, but they actually don't know each other at all. Shell and Colin constantly argue because Colin is a workaholic and Shell feels like she takes a back seat when it comes to his job, but that's a front for what has really torn them apart, it's actually too devastating to speak of.

Both couples begin the intensive therapy program and it quickly becomes apparent that that Miles and Grace Markell do not live up to their personas. They also appear to be hiding something.

As a deadly tropical storm descends on the coast, trapping the hosts and the guests on the resort, secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested, and no relationship or person will be unchanged.

The Last Resort is perfectly paced with an interesting multiple point of view perspective. With its excellent premise and setting, there is enough intrigue the keep the reader vested in the story. Stapley employs some interesting tactics to move the narrative along—TMZ news releases, dialogue between "him" and "her," and the story alternates between past and present.

The book is clever, tense, and gripping. With themes of loss, love, and an exploration into relationships and what it takes to make them work, Stapley has really come into her own and I can't wait to read what she publishes next.

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MARISSA STAPLEY is the Globe and Mail bestselling author of Mating for Life and Things to Do When It's Raining. She writes the commercial fiction review column "Shelf Love" for the Globe and Mail, and reports on books and culture for the Toronto Star.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.

The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton

A special thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and Harlequin Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"A fresh mantra springs to mind.

     If you love someone, set them free. 
     If they come back, they’re yours. If they don’t, make them."

Juliette is in love with Nate and will follow him anywhere. She now a flight attendant for the same airline that where he works as a pilot—this way she can always keep an eye on him.

It's fate, they are made for one another. The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago is just a commercial in their fabulous life together. Juliette is going to win him back because she is the perfect girlfriend.

Hamilton's unreliable narrator is complicated, neurotic, and impulsive. Elizabeth (Lily to Nate) is now going by Juliette, her middle name because she is reinventing herself to win Nate back. The reader engages in a tug-of-war where Juliette is concerned—on one hand, we feel sorry for her given her tragic past, but on the other hand, she is so extreme and delusional.

Like most psychological thrillers, the strength of the novel lies within the writing. Hamilton pens some complex and interesting characters, yet none are particularly likeable. In fact, Nate is especially dull. Perhaps this was done on purpose to juxtapose his character against the manic and impulsive Juliet? There are a few times where you do have to suspend your disbelief, but all-in-all it's a fun ride.

Buckle up...with Juliette as your narrator, there's always turbulence.

KAREN HAMILTON previously worked as cabin crew for a major airline but has given up flying to raise her three sons and focus on writing.  The Perfect Girlfriend is her first novel.

The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda

A special thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Harlequin, and Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Harris is living the perfect life with the perfect family in the perfect neighbourhood.

From the outside looking in, the Harris' have a gorgeous home in an elite gated community.  From the inside, the family is marred by grief.  A year ago, a tragic accident took the life of Jane and David's oldest daughter, Mary.  Jane has been consumed by grief,  anti-depressants, and alcohol, she is unable to function.

That's about to change—it is time for Jane to reclaim her life and family.  As she is resuming her daily life, Jane quickly realizes that things have changed while she's been checked out.  Her husband is working longer-than-normal hours and her daughter, Betsy, incredibly distant.  Mary was such a good girl, devoted to her friends and family, excelling at school, and beautiful.  But there is someone that knows more about what really happened that fateful day that Mary died.

Just how far is too far for someone to go to keep their family together?

Rouda is back and embracing another narcissistic, unreliable narrator in Jane Harris.  I had the pleasure of reviewing Best Day Ever last year and enjoyed the palpable tension she created between the married couple.  Her writing is sharp and engaging.

In The Favorite Daughter (or Favourite if you are in Canada), Jane as a character has more depth than Paul from Best Day Ever because of the added layer of tragedy.  As a mother, I can't think of anything more horrific than the loss of a child.  

The pace of the narrative is manic and plays right into Jane's personality.  The only thing I was unsure of was the writing style—it was rather choppy at times with Rouda using several short sentences in succession that could've been synthesized or compounded for easier reading.  Perhaps this was done on purpose since the reader is in Jane's head, but I found at times this to be exhausting.  Interestingly she also breaks the fourth wall on several occasions with Jane directly address the reader.  I thought this was rather clever and definitely something a narcissist would do.

Secrets, lies, guilt, and consequences.  This novel packs a punch right up until the very ending.

KAIRA ROUDA is a USA Today bestselling, multiple award-winning author of contemporary fiction exploring what goes on behind closed doors of seemingly perfect lives. Her novels include Best Day Ever, All the Difference, Here, Home, Hope, In the Mirror, and The Goodbye Year.  Her modern romance novels are set on beaches, including the Indigo Island series and the Laguna Beach series, also its own Kindle World.

She lives in Southern California with her family.  

Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

A special thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Canada, and Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rouda weaves a dark tale of marriage, betrayal, and deception in this page-turning thriller.  Readers are in the mind of narcissist Paul Strom, a handsome and successful advertising executive that is trying to have the "best day ever" with his wife—Strom is a combination of a character from "Mad Men" and Patrick Bateman from American Psycho.  Paul is confident, charming, and thinks that every woman wants him.  

The story begins with Paul and his wife, Mia, leaving for a child-free weekend up at their lake house.  He's promised her that this will be the best day ever.  The couple say this phrase several times during the drive and the reader wonders what is going on with these two.  The tension is palpable and written as such that we don't know the extent of the problem, or if in fact these two even like each other.

Paul is an incredibly unreliable narrator, so narcissistic that he cannot read social cues or navigate relationships.  He thinks that women want him, when in fact he is actually stalking them and the attention that he bestows upon these victims is stalkerish and harassing plain and simple.  The comparison to Ellis' Patrick Bateman is there, although Paul is not quite as polished, and unlike Bateman, there is no likability whatsoever.

Rouda goes out on a whimper.  There needed to be more of a psychological throw down to amp it up to another star.  All-in-all, a great read for the summer and I would definitely recommend this book.

KAIRA ROUDA is a USA Today bestselling, multiple award-winning author of contemporary fiction exploring what goes on behind closed doors of seemingly perfect lives. Her novels include All the Difference, Here, Home, Hope, In the Mirror, and The Goodbye Year.  Her modern romance novels are set on beaches, including the Indigo Island series and the Laguna Beach series, also its own Kindle World.

She lives in Southern California with her family.