Beyond the Point

If you have been teeming for a novel to escape into this summer, then look no further, because Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson is exactly what you are looking for-and so so much more. When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was like “Okay, yeah, I’ll like this, probably.” What I didn’t realize is how much I was going to fall in love with each one of the characters in the book, and connect with the soulfulness of each storyline. Man, I really wish that I could read it again for the first time. It’s such a beautiful and profound story…okay let me tell you what it’s about.

We meet Hannah, Avery and Dani when they’ve just graduated high school. Each one of them wants to do something special and unique with her life. So, these strangers all apply to West Point, which is a U.S. military academy. Each girl gets in, and in the midst of their first year at the academy, the unthinkable happens. 9/11.

The girls must figure out their place in the world, especially with the impending war in the near future. Dani and Avery are on the basketball team, but Dani has some medical issues and needs to drop out. Her military career may be over. Meanwhile, Hannah finds the love of her life, choosing to live the ways of the Army with her fiancé by her side, literally and figuratively, as they each get deployed at different times. Avery is trying to understand why she can’t find love, all while maintaining a stiff exterior.

Watching each girl grow up, and the different paths they take, is truly inspiring. I loved each of these girls, and was rooting for them the entire novel. You can see how their friendship ebbs and flows, but when tragedy strikes again, the girls come back into each others lives, never to let go.

This book is just gorgeously written, full of life and heartbreak. It is unputdownable and must be placed on your TBR as soon as possible. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

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Five Unforgivable Things

Five Unforgivable Things by Vivien Brown is actually a story about the healing power of forgiveness. As you discover all of the secrets within a family, you can see the walls being torn down, and sometimes they can be repaired or built back up. This story is extremely heartbreaking and heartwarming, all at the same time.

Kate wanted a baby so bad, she had dreamed of having a child her entire life. Her and her fiancé Dan got pregnant and everything seemed perfect, until their wedding day. Kate lost the baby right before she was supposed to walk down the aisle. This caused so much pain for the couple, and eventually they started to try again, to no avail. That’s when they decided to try IVF, and finally got pregnant again. They were able to successfully conceive, and their daughter Natalie was born.

Now, it’s been 20 years and it’s Natalie’s turn to walk down the aisle. Natalie and her siblings must now come together to work through the different areas of their lives that they’ve found unforgivable, especially when it comes to their mother and father, who is no longer with them.

At more than 500 pages, I felt like I was going to have a hard time reading this book, but truthfully, it went by so fast, and the stories were grabbing my attention left and right. I love books that follow families stories, and the weaving storylines between characters and time was just incredible. It almost reminded me of the TV show This is Us, which always has some sort of surprise. The book was wonderful, I may have shed a tear or two throughout the book, but don’t judge because so will you. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Poster Boy

From the stunning cover to the intriguing synopsis, I knew I was going to love this book! Poster Boy by N.J. Crosskey can be considered a learning experience for all of us.

Rosa Lincoln has stepped up on stage to speak at her brother’s memorial service. Her brother, who is considered a hero, has always overshadowed Rosa. Up until now. With a bomb strapped to her chest, Rosa is determined to make herself known as she’s being broadcast over television.

Set in the near future, this dystopian novel will give you all types of chills. First and foremost, the fact that this setting is right under our noses, is a little bit scary. This future could be ours, and the knowledge of that is disheartening.

Envision a world where you have an electronic chip inside your arm, so that the government can know exactly where you are at all times. Freaky right? Well, that’s the reality for this new England, and it’s run by a new-world pseudo Hitler, Jeremy Cole, who wants a xenophobic, altruistic land.

Rosa’s brother accidentally saves the prime ministers life, and even though that wasn’t his intention, Rosa plans to avenge his death. No one is ready to live in this horrific world, most of all Rosa Lincoln. Watching her gain the courage to seek the answers she desires is incredible, and the thriller aspect of this novel really got to me!

I absolutely adored this book. First of all, the book’s first chapter is a sneak peek to the end of the book, and then it rewinds to the beginning, which is always a trick that I love! Terrifyingly current and irresistible, Poster Boy will be the next big thing this summer, just watch! For a debut novel, this one took the cake for me. I enjoyed every bit. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

When the Lights Go Out

Just when she thinks she’s going to be able to start her life over, starting college and getting her own apartment, Jessica finds out that her dreams of beginning college aren’t going to pan out. Her social security number has been flagged, she can’t enroll. In When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica, split second decisions may ruin the lives of more people than could have been imagined.

Jessica is grieving the loss of her mother, and you can feel that grief hard through out this novel. She took most of her life caring for her mother, and now she has time to do the things that she wants, but she feels guilty at the same time. As the story progresses, we get to see the life of Jessie’s mom pan out, as Eden, her mother, is narrating several chapters.

We get to learn about some things in Eden’s past that may have an affect on Jessica to this day, and it’s interesting to see how someone can make a rash decision, only for it to ruin a life twenty years in the future. This book has a lot of twists, but they weren’t that surprising to me.

I really do like Mary Kubica, but I felt like this was a run of the mill type of thriller. If you would even consider it a thriller. It’s interesting, and it’s a good book, but nothing super exciting happened. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

The Babysitter

This looks like a Lifetime movie in book form, at least it does for me. The Babysitter by Sheryl Browne is a psychological thriller that we’ve all probably read before, at least the same type of plot premise. The couple Mark and Melissa are busy working so they hire a nanny/babysitter to take care of their children.

Pretty soon, life gets crazy as the demands of their jobs becomes chaotic, and the babysitter, Jade, is now an integral part of their lives, she is with the children most of the time. Then suddenly, Jade’s house burns down and she has no where left to go, so she stays with Mark and Melissa and their children.

That’s when some weird things start to happen, and Mark notices that Jade isn’t exactly the same person she was when they first started working together, Jade’s peculiar, to say the least, and Mark is a little wary.

This is a premise that we’ve seen time and time again, I just wish that these authors would take the time to actually develop a story that doesn’t always end the same way. I want fresh, I want new, I want something that is going to keep me up at night because I can’t put it down. This was just, barely mediocre. I give it 2 out of 5 stars.