The Book Bag

Monday, January 11, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? January 11, 202

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week.

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Back to the Beach Cottage

(Beach Cottage Series #2)

by Joanne DeMaio

The Seacroft

(Paines Creek Beach #2)

by Aaron Paul Lazar

Narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor

What I recently finished

A Barefoot Tide

by Grace Greene

Pub date 2/9

My Own Personal Rockstar

by Kirsty McManus

Pub date 1/12

A quick, fun read. My thoughts will be posted tomorrow.

The First Husband

by Laura Dave

Challenge read off of my TBR shelf.

What I am going to read next

The Institute

by Stephen King

I still plan to read this but a couple of review books dropped into my lap at the last minute. Books on my shelf always seem to take a back seat to other books. Does that happen to you too?

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Book Spotlight #Giveaway! The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves #TheGirlHeUsedToKnow

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

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The Girl He Used to Know

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

ARC, 291 pages
Published April 2nd 2019 by St. Martin's Press

What if you had a second chance at first love?

Annika Rose likes being alone.

She feels lost in social situations, saying the wrong thing or acting the wrong way. She just can't read people. She prefers the quiet solitude of books or playing chess to being around others. Apart from Jonathan. She liked being around him, but she hasn't seen him for ten years. Until now that is. And she's not sure he'll want to see her again after what happened all those years ago.

Annika Rose likes being alone.

Except that, actually, she doesn't like being alone at all.

The Girl He Used to Know is an uplifting novel full of surprising revelations that keep you turning the page. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, Gail Honeyman, Jill Santopolo and Sliding Doors.

My thoughts about The Girl He Used to Know ~~

(originally posted April 2, 2019)

I just love books with a quirky character or two. The Girl He Used to Know has the wonderful Annika, a woman with plenty of quirks. As she struggles living her life, she encounters a couple of people who 'get' her—they really 'get' her. And as they slowly and lovingly bring her out of her anxiety-filled life, she finds strength that she never knew she possessed.

This story, and Annika, captured my heart from the very first page. I turned the pages quickly–but not too quickly so that I could savor it all–and watched her life unfold before me, starting to understand what her life must have been like. When she feels that she has lost the person she loves the most, she faces her fears and forges ahead.

The Girl He Used to Know is a beautiful story of love, differences, and acceptance. It is a story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and one that I highly recommend. I will remember Annika, and her quirkiness for quite some time.

About the author

Tracey Garvis Graves is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-one languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film.

She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, Cherish, Heart-Shaped Hack, White-Hot Hack, and The Girl He Used to Know. She is hard at work on her next book. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Tracey

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Release Day! Not My Boy by Kelly Simmons~ My Thoughts #NotMyBoy #Tall Poppy #NetGalley

Not My Boy

Not My Boy by Kelly Simmons

304 pages

Published January 5, 2021 by Sourcebooks Landmark

Who will you cross to protect your own?

When Hannah packs up her past and moves to the cottage next-door to her sister, she hopes the luxe neighborhood and close family ties will be the perfect escape for her son and the shadows that trail them. But when a young girl goes missing days after they unload their final boxes and her son is quickly thrown under suspicion, Hannah must do whatever it takes to protect her child.

Even if that means pointing the blame her sister's way instead.

With investigators swarming and neighborhood scrutiny closing in, the divide between two sisters grows. As one fiercely defends her husband, the other shields her boy from the crime, keeping quiet the secrets that might unravel it all.

And all the while, one young girl has vanished, and someone is to blame.

My thoughts about Not My Boy ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"As the moving and storage truck pulled away from the curb, Hannah Sawyer waved as if friends were leaving, instead of her, a stranger, leaving."

I have to admit that I struggled with this book a bit. The story seemed to ramble for me and be somewhat disconnected. That's good in a mystery/suspense novel because the reader knows that eventually everything will be tied up and it will make sense. I'm not sure all of the information we got was necessary. And some of the characters were hard to like, which again isn't always a bad thing.

The family dynamics were interesting though. Two sisters, their families, and their mother—that's a lot of dysfunction right there. Each mother is trying to protect her own children and throws suspicion in any direction they can, including their own loved ones.

Not My Boy will take you on a ride until the very end. The journey to get there is full of curves and pit stops but it will all be worth it when you get there.

I received an ARC of Not My Boy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

About the author

My sixth novel Not My Boy arrives January 5, 2020, and will also be available in audiobook and who knows, maybe a Netflix series is next? It was compared to Big Little Lies by Booklist in a starred review, and NYTimes Bestseller phenom Julie Clark, author of Last Flight, called it "propulsive and impossible to put down."

All of my books have been applauded by bestselling authors like Megan Abbott, Caroline Leavitt, and Sarah Pekkanen. They've been hailed as "great titles for book groups who love strong female characters" by the Library Journal. Publishers Weekly called my first novel, Standing Still "An electrifying debut" in its starred review. Even Kirkus likes me! Maybe you'd enjoy discovering a new-to-you author?

I've visited hundreds and hundreds of book clubs via Zoom, FaceTie, Google Hangouts or in person. I'd love to meet with yours.

For book signing events or more information, see my website kellysimmonsbooks.com. Or friend me on Facebook (kellyatbubble) or follow me on Insta (kellyasimmons) or twitter (kellysimmons) for more giveaways and fun! ~ Amazon

Connect with Kelly

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!

Release Day! The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins ~ My Thoughts #TheWifeUpstairs #NetGalley

The Wife Upstairs

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

304 pages

Published January 5, 2021 by St. Martin's Press

A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.

Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.

But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.

Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?

With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?

My thoughts about The Wife Upstairs ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"It was the absolute shittiest day for a walk."

What a twisty, turning tale this book ended up being. The characters started out likeable enough and I thought I knew what was going on. And then people's true personalities started coming out and I had no clue who was who and what they were up to. Motives? Anyone's guess! And I loved it!!

Everyone had their own agenda and I was kept in the dark until the shocking, satisfying ending. When I got to the last page, I have to stop and ponder what I just read. I love when authors can do that for me.

I highly recommend The Wife Upstairs! It will keep you on the edge of your seat and it will be a story you will not soon forget.

About the author

Rachel Hawkins was a high school English teacher before becoming a full-time writer. She lives with her family in Alabama, and is currently at work on the third book in the Hex Hall series. To the best of her knowledge, Rachel is not a witch, though some of her former students may disagree.... ~ Amazon

Connect with Rachel

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon

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Be sure to check the sidebar for all of my current giveaways!