The Woman Inside by E. G. Scott

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

Husband and wife, Rebecca and Paul, are both meant to be and a highly dangerous match.

Drawn together by their dark and painful pasts, the couple met when charismatic Paul was married. Now they are hitched, and after two decades, the relationship is failing just like Paul's contracting business. Rebecca however, is successful. She's a rep for a pharmaceutical company—a convenient job for someone with an opioid addiction.

But both of them are liars: Paul constantly lies about his cheating and womanizing, whereas Rebecca lies about how many drugs she is taking. Their relationship volleys between passion and paranoia—when you add to the mix a crazy mistress and a murder, it becomes the ultimate game of cat and mouse.

The Woman Inside is an explosive novel about secrets, lies, and revenge.

Told through multiple first-person narrators, this domestic thriller jumps between past and present. There are a few instances where the reader may be confused by the timeline towards the middle, but the narrative gets back on track for the last part where the authors ratchet up the suspense to a frenzied finish. The pace is partly why this book works—the whiplash speed does not leave the reader much time to ponder the plot issues. They will need to suspend their disbelief, and if they can, they will love this book.

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E. G. SCOTT is the pseudonym for two writers, Elizabeth Keenan and Greg Wands. The duo have been friends for over twenty years and have been writing plays, screenplays, and short fiction separately since childhood.

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley

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

Artist Mia Graydon is married to Harrison, a doctor, and the couple have just relocated to small town in Pennsylvania. Her life looks like the perfect dream—only she's having other dreams, ones that reoccur with the same leading man.

Excited for the next chapter in their life, Mia and Harrison hope to start a family. But when a chance meeting has Mia coming face-to-face with Oliver, the stranger from her dreams, who confesses that he has too been dreaming about her, she starts to wonder if fate has other plans for her.

Colleen, you are amazing! What a truly remarkable story. Dreams have always been a fascination of mine and make for an interesting premise. Mia is faced with choosing the man she married, or the man of her dreams, literally, but which one has captured her heart?

Told from multiple perspectives, this is a deep dive into matters of the heart—it is exploration of love and loss. Oakley tackles some heavy issues, but she infuses her writing with humour and is truly funny. Her characters are flawed, real, and just plain likeable.

You Were There Too is a fresh, contemporary, and modern take on the romance novel. It is a study on the power of love juxtaposed against the allure of fate. Heartbreaking and raw, I devoured it in one sitting. Thank you, Colleen, for the perfect way to spend a chilly afternoon.

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COLLEEN OAKLEY is critically acclaimed author of Before I Go and Close Enough to Touch. Her novels have been translated into 18 languages, optioned for film, and have received numerous accolades.

Oakley resides in Atlanta with her husband and four children.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

A special thank you to Libro.fm Audiobooks, Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Penguin Group Putnam for an ARC/audiobook listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alix Chamberlain is a mom and blogger who has become somewhat of a social media darling and her own brand. She is a privileged white woman who always gets what she wants and has made this her business model.

Emira is the young black babysitter for the Chamberlains. Working two jobs, she is trying to make rent, keep up with her health insurance, and decide what exactly she wants to do with her life.

While minding Briar one night, Emira is confronted by another shopper and security guard in the Chamberlain's upscale neighbourhood supermarket—she is accused of kidnapping the toddler. A crowd gathers to watch the events unfold, and a bystander captures everything on his phone. Emira is left shaken, humiliated and determined to put the incident behind her whereas Alix makes it her mission to right the situation.

When the video unearths someone from Alix's past, the women end up on a crash course that will topple their delicate relationship and undo them both.

What could easily be mistaken as a light and breezy beach read is quickly squashed—this rich and captivating narrative has many layers and subtle nuances. Such a Fun Age is an explosive debut with a comment on racism, classism, and transactional relationships.

Reid's character development is nothing short of amazing. Both Alix and Kelley perceive that they are protecting Emira and saving her, but what they don't realize is the huge disconnect they have from her real life. They think that they are the hero whereas the other is the villain. Alix and Kelley also can't seem to see the bigger picture—even though they are well meaning, they are part of the problem. And can we just talk about Briar for a moment? She is precocious but there is an innate sadness about her, she can sense that she is not important to her mother but has no way of articulating her feelings. Reid gives voice to this by creating an anxious, serious child that flourishes under Emira's care. The exchanges between Emira and Briar are some of the best writing in the book.

Alix's feelings towards Amira force a relationship that is not only inappropriate as her employer, but borders on being unhealthy. I think that Alix is a bit unhinged, perhaps this is a result of her micro-celebrity status, therefore she tries to control those around her, especially through her need to help. This is a case of where well-intentioned white people try to save black people and instead, make the situation more difficult.  

Can I just tell you how outstanding the audiobook version is? Nicole Lewis is incredibly talented. I highly recommend this five star book.

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KILEY REID earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was awarded the Truman Capote Fellowship and taught undergraduate creative writing workshops with a focus on race and class. Her short stories have been featured in Ploughshares, December, New South, and Lumina.

Reid lives in Philadelphia with her husband. 

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Dutton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Newly heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules Larson is determined to put her past behind her and accepts a job as an apartment sitter. The famed Bartholomew is one of Manhattan's most prestigious and mysterious buildings. Assuming this responsibility means that Jules has to adhere to some very strict rules: no visitors, no nights spent away from the apartment, and no disturbing the other residents—all of which are rich or famous (or both).

One of the other apartment sitters reminds Jules of the sister she lost eight yers ago. She is drawn to Ingrid, and the two agree to meet every day for lunch. Ingrid confides in Jules that she is becoming frightened of the Bartholomew with its sinister yet mysterious history. Enamoured with the grandeur of her surroundings, Jules brushes off Ingrid's concerns as nothing more than stories. That is until Ingrid vanishes.

Jules digs deeper into the history of the Bartholomew in the hopes of finding out what happened to Ingrid. What she uncovers is astonishing—Ingrid is just one of many apartment sitters to go missing. She must figure out who the killer is and expose what is really going on at the Bartholomew before her life becomes temporary.

The gothic Bartholomew with its creepy wallpaper, dark and haunted past, and looming gargoyles was the perfect setting. Tightly plotted, Sager perfectly executes this thriller/mystery and leaves no loose ends, although some of what happens is a little far fetched.  

Atmospheric, shocking, and thrilling. This was bonkers! And I mean that in the best way. I didn't fully buy in with Final Girls, and thought that The Last Time I Lied was a better effort, but Lock Every Door has solidified Sager for me as an author that I wouldn't hesitate to pick up.

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RILEY SAGER is a pseudonym of the author whose first book Final Girls was a national and international bestseller. His second book The Last Time I Lied was a New York Times bestseller.

Sager lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

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

Rose Gold Watts has believed all her life that she was seriously ill—she was allergic to everything, needed the use of a wheelchair, and was a permanent fixture at the hospital. But no matter how many doctors and tests, nobody can figure out what is wrong with Rose Gold.

What's actually wrong? Her mother is a really convincing liar.

Patty is being released from prison after serving five years. She's lost all her friends and has been shunned by the very same neighbours that supported them and held fundraisers. When her daughter agrees to take her in, the entire community is shocked—it was Rose Rose Gold that turned her in and testified against her.

Wanting to reconcile, Patty has forgiven her daughter. But unfortunately for her, the feelings are not mutual. Rose Gold is not her little darling anymore, and she's waited a long time for her mother to come home.

As far as debuts go, this is a stellar effort. A solid 3.75 stars.

Mothers and daughters can be complex, but this is on a whole other level. Wrobel pens one of the most layered and convoluted mother-daughter relationships I have ever read with two very complicated and twisted characters.

Alternating between Patty and Rose's perspective, we are trying to figure out exactly who is manipulating who. Both women are unreliable, vile, and insidious. Readers will go back-and-forth as to who to believe and will be questioning their loyalties to both.

My only criticisms are that I wanted more of a character study and that the pacing was off. Given that Patty has a psychological disorder, the manipulation and control should have been fully fleshed out. And the timelines didn't quite come together as they should, and the ending seemed rushed.

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STEPHANIE WROBEL has an MFA from Emerson College. She has had short fiction published in Bellevue Literary Review, and was nominated for the 2018 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Before turning to fiction, she worked as a creative copywriter at various advertising agencies.

Wrobel grew up in Chicago but has been living in the UK for the last three years with her husband and dog.

The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka

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

Ivory Frame is a world-renowned painter now in her nineties. Fiercely private, she is still devoted to her work. She has never been married, has no family, and no children. When a letter arrives to notify Ivory that she has a granddaughter who lives in New York, her life is turned upside down and her painful past collides with the life she's built for herself.

Disowned by her bourgeois family, the young Ivory had gone to interwar Paris to study art. She discovered her calling with the avant-garde painters and poets who frequent the city's cafes and at the Zoological Gardens, the subject for her art. Ivory also found love in Russian painter, Lev.

When the Second World War claims the life that Ivory has carved out for herself, she turns back to the project that she began in Paris—the dictionary of animal languages—which will consume the rest of her life. The dictionary is both scientific and artistic.

Ivory fully withdraws into her work until one of Lev's paintings is discovered which is inscribed to her. It is now worth a fortune and it brings to light a secret from Ivory's time in Paris. Now in her nineties, she is forced to acknowledge what she has lost.

I had the pleasure of attending an author event with Heidi and she is articulate, gracious, and truly lovely.

Sopinka's novel is a slow burn with lyrical prose. She uses her words as a form of art in this solid debut about love, grief, and art. It is an emotionally charged novel that reflects a love of language with each beautifully written chapter named after an animal.

The vehicle to uncover Ivory's past is the letter that arrives informing her that she has a granddaughter. This information is shocking given that she has never married, or has any family. The reader is then taken on a journey through Ivory's memories in times of art, war, and her yearning for Lev.

The only thing I struggled with, and am unclear about, is why the choice to omit the quotations around the dialogue—this is a huge pet peeve of mine. I never understand why someone would willingly choose to confuse the reader. And who decides this? Is it the writer, or is it the editor? This is incredibly distracting and it detracted from what could have been an amazing story.

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HEIDI SOPINKA is a published journalist who has also written for The Believer.

She has also worked as a bush cook in the Yukon, a travel writer in Southeast Asia, a helicopter pilot, a magazine editor, and is co-founder and co-designer at Horses Atelier. The Dictionary of Animal Languages is her first novel.