Until I Find You by Rea Frey

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having been diagnosed in her twenties with a degenerative eye disease, Rebecca Gray is losing her sight. Because of this, and her husband's death, Bec has moved to the suburbs to raise her infant son, Jackson. She gains a wonderful support system including Crystal, who she met at a grief support group. Crystal is also a widow.

After fainting in the park, Bec vows that she needs to prioritize herself and her health—get more sleep, eat better, go to therapy. The last few months have been incredibly stressful. Later that day, when she picks up Jackson from his nap, Bec instantly realizes that he is not her son.

But nobody believes her. The police think that she's just confused, and her friends don't see any difference. She must be suffering from sleep deprivation.

Relying on her mother's intuition, Rebecca will stop at nothing to find her son.

Until I Find You is framed by Bec's sight constraints and it is incredibly effective. Frey deftly weaves the narrative between the alternating perspectives of Bec and Crystal. There are added layers to Crystals' storyline with the mother-daughter dynamic, as well as the nanny who further complicates things. This all ties back to the theme of motherhood—how difficult and delicate a balance it can be.

The narrative is gripping and compulsive, while not being trite. Frey is exceptional at building tension and because of Bec's limited sight, this book is on a whole other level. My heart was literally in my throat most of the time and there were situations where I started to feel almost claustrophobic and I couldn't help but wonder if this is how Bec feels sometimes.

Through well-written characters and strong pacing, Until I Find You is a taut and emotional domestic thriller. Frey's latest work explores the powerful bond between mothers and their children, and just how far one woman will go to bring her son home.

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REA FREY is an award-winning author of several nonfiction books and the novels Because You’re Mine, Until I Find You, and her debut, Not Her Daughter (which has been optioned for film). She is also the founder and CEO of Writeway, which teaches writers about the business of publishing—not just the craft.

Frey lives in Chicago, IL, with her husband and daughter.

Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey

A special thank you to the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

MISSING CHILD

Name: Emma Townsend
Age: Five
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Brown

Missing since June.

Sarah Walker is a successful entrepreneur who is nursing a broken heart.

Emma Townsend is a lonely little girl living with her calculated and cruel mother and checked-out father.

Amy Townsend is an unfit mother, unhappy with her marriage and her life.

In a chance meeting, Sarah Walker sees Emma at the airport and she is completely captivated with the child. When another chance encounter happens, Sarah takes the child. Is it wrong to take something that is not wanted and that is also in danger?

Amy's whole life has been one disappointment after another. She is incredibly unhappy not only with her marriage, but with her life. Her relationship with her daughter is a constant reminder of her inability to feel any sort of connection to the child, but now Emma is missing.

Sarah and Emma grow closer each day and the child is flourishing , but what about her family?

Not Her Daughter is told from the perspective of both Amy and Sarah "Before," "During," "After," and "Now." Frey ratchets up the tension with strong pacing and complex characters. What is truly remarkable is how she positions the narrative—what if a crime is committed, but the victim of the crime is actually better off for it? Readers will find themselves identifying with Sarah, even though she is guilty, because of the justifications and positioning. This is no small feat and Frey pulls it off with her provocative narrative and impeccable writing.

Frey explores what exactly does it mean to be a mother. Do you have to give birth to a child to be a mother, and just because you have a child, does it actually make you a mother? Besides the theme of motherhood, love and sacrifice are also topics whose undercurrents are felt throughout the story. There is such depth to this subject matter, and this book is a perfect book club choice because of it.

What a solid debut! Absolutely stunning!

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REA FREY is an author (fiction and non-fiction), nutrition specialist, and International Sports Sciences Association certified trainer. She has been featured in Fitness, Ladies' Home Journal, and Whole Living.

Frey lives in Chicago, IL, with her husband and daughter.

Because You're Mine by Rea Frey

A special thank you to the author, Rea Frey, Edelweiss, Macmillan, and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lee is a single mother of a child with sensory processing disorder. She is highly protective of her son and spends her days making sure that Mason's routine is always adhered to so that his world stays on its axis. When her best friend, Grace, tempts her to go away for a girls' weekend in the mountains, her first instinct is to say no. But Grace won't let up and convinces her that she deserves time off, to recharge her batteries.

Noah is Mason's tutor—he's handsome, patient, charming, and is the first man that has sparked Lee's interest in what feels like forever. He has agreed to stay with Mason so that Lee can go on the getaway. It's only a weekend after all.

But a lot can happen in 48 hours and someone winds up dead.

Everything is not as it seems and it appears that everyone has a complicated past. Lee is hiding who Mason's father is, Grace has a secret that will destroy Lee, and there's more to Noah than meets the eye. The moral of this story: trust no one.

At the beginning of the book there is a note from Frey to her readers. She shares for the first time publicly about her own experience with sexual assault as well as addresses some very important issues that come up in the story—sexual abuse, alcoholism, and suicide. It is incredibly brave of her to share this personal account with her audience.

Because You're Mine opens with someone falling to their death. Frey uses this to frame her story, alternating between a week before the fall and a week after the fall, from past to present. She deftly weaves the narrative through the perspectives of three unreliable narrators: Lee, Grace, and Noah. Her characterization is so good, readers will find themselves switching loyalties more than once.

This novel is both a character study as well as a layered and plot-driven narrative. Frey also employs some diary entries which are a compelling and effective tool to ratchet up the suspense. Someone is really struggling with a number of issues and emotions.

Through complex characters and strong pacing, this book has it all—secrets, lies, murder, revenge, betrayal, obsession. Frey explores some pretty complex relationships: between mothers and their children, between friends, between siblings, and between men and women. The writing is taut and twisty, and that ending...whoa!

REA FREY is an author (fiction and non-fiction), nutrition specialist, and International Sports Sciences Association certified trainer. She has been featured in Fitness, Ladies' Home Journal, and Whole Living. Her debut novel, Not Her Daughter, was released in August of 2018 and has been optioned for film.

Frey lives in Chicago, IL, with her husband and daughter.

The Mermaid Girl by Erika Swyler

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

A short, but mesmerizing story that is actually a prequel to The Book of Speculation.  I was absolutely hooked from the first sentence.

The story is a love story between Daniel and Paulina, the parents of the narrator of The Book of Speculation.  He fell in love with the mermaid from a travelling circus and fears she will leave.  "The problem with marrying the mermaid girl from the carnival was knowing that one day she'd swim away."

There is an inherent doomed aspect to the relationship.  Even though she was a circus mermaid and not a real one, it is as though she is just as restless as if she was once a real mermaid and is being called back to the ocean.

The love story between the two is so sad, he yearns for her, and she yearns for something else.  Freedom? Her past life?  Swyler brilliantly pens the fragile nature of their relationship and leaves the reader breathless and yearning for more.

ERIKA SWYLER is a graduate of New York University. She is a writer and playwright whose work has appeared in literary journals and anthologies. Born and raised on Long Island's north shore, Erika is also a baker, photographer and blogger.

My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl

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

Delightful, humourous, honest, and sometimes heartbreaking.  I really enjoyed this book and have heard it is a TV show as well that I would love to check out since I absolutely adore British telly.  My only complaint is that it was a bit long, I felt some of the entries could've been omitted.  All-in-all, a super fun read, and I can't wait for the next one.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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

I adore Rainbow Rowell.  Like I really adore her writing!  But...this wasn't my favourite book of hers.  I wanted so badly to love it, and parts of it I did, but parts of it, I didn't.

The reviews online were positive, but many are making the same parallel that I did.  This screams of Harry Potter fan fiction.  Was that the point?  I had such high hopes for Simon and Baz after learning they would be appearing in their own novel apart from Fangirl.  Anything I've read from Rowell claims that this is her take on "the Chosen One" type of story, but I disagree and couldn't help drawing many parallels to Harry Potter, too many to be a coincidence.   

Like Rowell's other books, this too is adorable and heartwarming.  If you love Simon Snow, this book is your bag.