Y’all, I read some great books in April and I’m so excited to share them with you today! I also have some great books lined up for next month, and I’m excited to share those ones next month, ha! I just wish I could read books all day, every day. Anyone else? I’m just such a lover of books. Anyway! Read through and see if any of the books I read catch your eye, and then comment below and tell me which ones! I’d love to hear if you’ve already read them, too, or if you have any suggestions for me 🙂
Sister, Sister by Sue Fortin
Synopsis: Alice: Beautiful, kind, manipulative, liar. Clare: Intelligent, loyal, paranoid, jealous. Clare thinks Alice is a manipulative liar who is trying to steal her life. Alice thinks Claire is jealous of her long-lost return and place in their family. One of them is telling the truth. The other is a maniac. Two sisters. One truth.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting plot, and it was fairly well-written. That said, I feel like half of the twist you could see coming a mile away, and the other part of it didn’t make any sense, or at least needed to be expounded upon more. I was left with a few questions at the end of this book, so I wish it would have done a little more wrapping up.
3 stars.
*Broken For Good by Rebecca Rene Jones
Synopsis: A daughter’s narrative about life with and without her father, whose death plunges her into deep grief but gradually becomes her most compelling reason to hope. Like so many Christian women, Rebecca, her mother, and her two sisters love a man who does not walk beside them in faith. As his cancer returns after a year of remission, they face his last days. As the women in his life struggle to savor their final times together and let go, he finally reaches out to God, and tells them so. Her father’s death opens the landscape of heaven and hope to her. She beautifully renders those visions as well as the underbelly of sorrow as she is finally forced to wake up to the world, to new hungers, and to a far more dangerous faith.
This was a beautifully written book about losing a parent, and navigating the grief that comes after. While I couldn’t connect with some of the emotions Rebecca beautifully writes about, I think that most will enjoy reading this book, and those who have lost a parent will especially find it inspiring and beautiful.
3 stars. (A high 3.)
How Do I Know If I Know by John Bytheway
Synopsis: It’s spiritual gut-check time! John Bytheway suggests that we “F.E.E.L.” the truthfulness of the gospel through our feelings, our experiences, the many evidences we encounter, and our logical conclusions about how a loving God interacts with His children on the earth. Like gradually turning up a dimmer switch, understanding all the ways we F.E.E.L. our testimony will help it grow brighter. As you read, you may discover that your testimony is stronger than you thought, and you’ll also become more excited and motivated to let your light shine!
This was a good, quick little book, that is written particularly for young adults, who are on the cusp of leaving the nest and can no longer live on their parents’ testimonies and rules. It wasn’t particularly eye-opening for me, but would be great for teenagers. (It is written for and LDS audience, just FYI.)
4 stars.
**The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
Synopsis: “Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.” After her mother’s suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother’s mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran fast and far away. Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again. As it weaves between Lane’s first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart.
The premise of this book is built on incest and sexual abuse. This isn’t a spoiler, as you learn it rather quickly. Having heard that, you would think that this book would be terrible, and hard to read, however… It’s anything but. It’s beautifully written, it has some great characters, it pulls you in. And my favorite part? It gives our main character Lane a happy ending. I feel like so many times I read books about abuse or rough topics, and they don’t end on a happy note, so the fact that this one did was great to me. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy thrillers and novels about family relationships, but would also caution anyone who is triggered by sexual abuse to stay away.
4 stars.
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
4 stars. See full review here.
Currently Reading: Successful Leaders of the Bible by Katara Washington Patton,
On My Bookshelf: Our Presidents and Their Prayers by Rand Paul, and Bite Me by Ally Hilfiger.
*I received free product from FaithWords in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
**I received free product from Blogging For Books in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
