The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

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

Twice a week, the mommy group dubbed as the May Mothers (because their babies all have birthdays in May) meet at the park. They discuss being new mothers, swap stories, and share advice and support.

It is one of the hottest summers on record. As a break from the heat (and the babies) the members decide a night out is in order at the hip local bar. Winnie, a single mother, had never left her six-week-old infant, Midas. Nell, one of the May Mothers, offers up her babysitter so that Winnie can join them. She insists that everything will be fine. On this stifling Fourth of July, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is abducted right from his home. Midas is missing and the police are asking disturbing questions that are putting Winnie's private life on display and the media can't get enough.

None of the other members are particularly close to the guarded Winnie, yet three of them will go to great lengths to help find her baby. Secrets are exposes, relationships are tested, and the mothers are scrutinized.

All I can say is, what a surprise! The writing is taut, the story is well thought out and expertly paced with just enough suspense—nothing is given away too soon.  Apparently this book will be adapted for the big screen and will star Kerry Washington (um...yes, please). Molloy's novel is also eagerly anticipated as one of this coming summer's must reads. I would definitely recommend you add it to your poolside/cottage/beach to read pile.    

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AIMEE MOLLOY lives in Western Massachusetts with her family. The Perfect Mother is her debut.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laurel Mack's daughter has been missing for ten years. Ellie was the perfect daughter—beloved by her family, friends, teachers, and boyfriend. She was fifteen when she disappeared, just days before school let out for summer. The case had gone cold, the police believed that Ellie ran away, that is until new evidence surfaces.  

Not only did Laurel lose her daughter, but her marriage did not survive. She also has strained relationships with her two other children. To stay close to her other daughter, Hannah, she cleans her flat, and she he barely sees her son, Jake, who lives with his girlfriend in another town.    

To her surprise and delight, Laurel meets a charming man in a cafe. What starts out as flirtation quickly turns into something more meaningful. Floyd is a single father of two, and before she knows it, Laurel is being introduced to his daughters. When Laurel meets Poppy, his youngest, she is stunned. Poppy looks exactly like Ellie. All of the questions Laurel has pushed down for years come bubbling to the surface. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away? And why does this little girl resemble her missing daughter?  

Told through multiple points of view, and alternating from past to present, Jewell pens some interesting and engaging characters with enough backstory to keep the reader vested and engaged. There is one minor plot flaw, but if you can suspend your disbelief, you may not be bothered.

With an incredible hook, this is a must read. Predictable? A little. Heartbreaking? Yes. Dark and twisty? Check and check! Although there was nothing new here, I would recommend this book for those looking for a page-turning, thrilling read.

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LISA JEWELL is the internationally bestselling author of I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In.

In total, her novels have sold more than two million copies across the English-speaking world and her work has also been translated into sixteen languages so far.

Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.

Every Note Played by Lisa Genova

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Gallery/Scout Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This stunning, raw, heartbreaking glimpse into the world of ALS from Lisa Genova will leave you emotionally spent and in awe of those living with this cruel disease, and in awe of their loved ones and the real-life superheroes that are their caregivers.

Richard is a renowned pianist that sells out concerts all over the world, a fine-tuned instrument that executes his performances with precision and passion.  Fast forward eight months—Richard has been diagnosed with ALS and no longer has the use of his right arm.  The loss of his hand is like the loss of a true love, like his own divorce from Karina.  It is only a matter of time before it is his left hand, and the rest of his body.

Karina hasn't moved on from her divorce from Richard, in fact she is stuck in limbo in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher.  It is easy for her to blame Richard for where she has ended up and for the dissolution of the marriage.

When the disease progresses to the point that Richard is fully paralyzed, Karina reluctantly steps in to care for him.  He moves back in with Karina, in the home that they once shared with their daughter, Grace, who is away at university.  As Richard becomes a shell of a man he once was, the couple is forced to face their regrets head on and learn what it means to forgive.

What I love about Genova's books is her ability to educate her reader, not only in matters of the heart and relationships, but about actual neurological diseases and conditions that most would not be familiar with unless they were affected personally.  She doesn't "dumb-it-down", instead she elevates her reader and empowers them with knowledge.  It is this knowledge that makes her stories rich, not only in information, but in character development, yet doesn't bog down the narrative.  Her writing is poignant, sharp, and captivating.  Lisa, congratulations on this book, and your continued success—it is always a pleasure to read and review your work.  

LISA GENOVA graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. She is a member of the Dementia Advocacy, Support Network International and DementiaUSA and is an online columnist for the National Alzheimer's association.

Genova is also the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice, Left Neglected, Love Anthony, and Inside the O'Briens. Still Alice was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, and Kristen Stewart. 

Things to Do When It's Raining by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mae Summers and Gabriel Broadbent were childhood friends. They grew up together at the Summers' Inn which is owned by Mae's grandparents, Lilly and George.  Mae and Gabriel were raised together—Mae was orphaned at a young age, and Gabriel needed protection from his abusive alcoholic father. Their relationship progressed into their first loves, and the young couple were torn apart when Gabe abruptly left Alexandria Bay.

Fast forward and Mae and Gabe are grown. Both end up back in Alexandria Bay—Mae after a romantic setback, and Gabe because of his father. Mae returns to her grandparents Inn and finds that her grandparents relationship is suffering because of past secrets that also impact her.

Are these relationships worth salvaging and the past worth reclaiming?

Things to Do When It's Raining is a story about love, loss, forgiveness, and truth. Families are complicated, and this book doesn't shy away from family drama and complex relationships.

I enjoyed the character development, setting, and premise for this story. Sometimes when a narrative incorporates both the past and the present, it can be cumbersome for the reader particularly if they have connected with one storyline over the other. In this case, this type of narrative worked because of the well-written characters and their solid development. Stapley's writing is truly lovely and captivating.

My only criticisms were that I wanted more of Gabe's present story, and that the ending felt rushed especially given the pace throughout the rest of the book.

A gorgeous book and I look forward to reading more from Marissa Stapley.

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MARISSA STAPLEY is the Globe and Mail bestselling author of Mating for Life. 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.    

I Found My Tribe by Ruth Fitzmaurice

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

This rambling, manic at times, narrative is a raw and honest book about living with MND (here in Canada known as ALS—amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—or Lou Gehrig's disease).  Ruth Fitzmaurice's filmmaker husband, Simon, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2008.  He is wheelchair-bound, not able to move or breathe on his own, and can only communicate through the use of an eye gaze computer.  It is these eyes that Ruth uses as the windows in which to find her husband—she knows he is still in there even though he can't speak to her, or touch her.  

Ruth and Simon are parents to five children, all under the age of ten.  As if that weren't chaos enough, there is a constant parade of nurses that come and go 24 hours a day, and a gaggle of pets including an aggressive basset hound.  One of the many challenges Ruth faces is to find any sort of peace in the chaos, any moment of stillness and calm to keep her sane and grounded.  She craves connections, whether it be to her "Tragic Wives' Swimming Club", or to her favourite nurse, Marian.  Human connection is so important to survival, especially in times of tragedy.

Fitzmaurice doesn't use any type of timeline, or write in any kind of order.  Instead, she chunks her  staccato type narrative into mini essays.  To be honest, it took me a while to get into her groove,  there are times where she is all over the place and scattered and it feels like she has simply taken every thought in her head and put it on the page in order to make sense of her life.  While this type of writing doesn't appeal to everyone, it works for this book.  This memoir is raw, honest and heartbreaking, while at the same time showing the beauty of love.  It inspires, and demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit.  Ruth is unabashedly open with her thoughts and feelings and I think she is incredibly brave to bare her life in this way.  

Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Liz Nugent's dark and compelling thriller opens with the perfect hook: "I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her."  Told from multiple points, Nugent's debut is a chilling exploration into the nature of evil.

Oliver Ryan is a handsome, charismatic, and successful children's author.  He is married to Alice, who illustrates his award-winning books.  She is a devoted wife, and their life is one of envy and privilege until one evening, Oliver knocks her into unconsciousness and beats her into a coma hovering between life and death.  

Those who know the couple are shocked and are trying to understand what could have driven Oliver to attack his wife so savagely.  With each chapter, the story unfolds, and the layers of Oliver's character are peeled away to reveal his manipulation, deception, and shame.

Nugent has a fresh approach to this genre—there is no question of whodunit, and there is no doubt as to what the crime was.  Instead she takes the reader on a ride to figure out what could have driven someone to commit such a horrific act.  For a debut, this is a solid effort, and I can't wait to see what Nugent writes next.