That Night by Chevy Stevens

What is it about?

As a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn't relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren't easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night. 

Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison.

Now thirty-four, Toni is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she’s doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy—not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni's innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni's life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night.

But the truth might be the most terrifying thing of all.

My Thoughts...

I've been waiting for this book for a long time! I was so happy to finally get it but I was worried that I was going to be disappointed because my expectations were so high. However, I wasn't disappointed at all. This was a very quick, simple read. I pretty much new how it was going to play out right from the beginning but it was still a very interesting story. It was well written and well researched. It switches back and forth between present day and the past. Usually this annoys me somewhat, but the chapters were labeled so there wasn't any guessing involved about what time period it was in.

This book was about bullying to the extreme. It was a very real portrayal of how damaging bullying can be to all those involved. I liked that the author also showed a bit of insight into the the bully's frame of mind also.

The author also threw in some distinctly Canadian teenage customs, which I thought was pretty nice. Time Hortons was mentioned several times, the grabbing a coffee and driving around town to pass the night away, the parties at the lake, camping out with friends, fishing and pretty late curfews. I'm sure teens from other countries do these things also, but they are things from my teenage years that made this story all the more real to me.

I also liked how everything wasn't wrapped up in a pretty bow for a perfectly happy ending. The ending made the story in my opinion. It kept the story real and relate-able. 

I am obviously a fan of Chevy Stevens and I have read all her books. In my opinion, this was her best one yet.

Must Love Otters by Eliza Gordon

What is it about?

Hollie Porter is the chairwoman of Generation Disillusioned: at twenty-five years old, she’s saddled with a job she hates, a boyfriend who’s all wrong for her, and a vexing inability to say no. She’s already near her breaking point, so when one caller too many kicks the bucket during Hollie’s 911 shift, she cashes in the Sweethearts’ Spa & Stay gift certificate from her dad and heads to Revelation Cove, British Columbia. One caveat: she’s going solo. Any sweethearts will have to be found on site.

Hollie hopes to find her beloved otters in the wilds of the Great White North, but instead she’s providing comic relief for staff and guests alike. Even Concierge Ryan, a former NHL star with bad knees and broken dreams, can’t stop her from stumbling from one (mis)adventure to another. Just when Hollie starts to think that a change of venue doesn’t mean a change in circumstances, the island works its charm and she starts to think she might have found the rejuvenation she so desperately desires. But then an uninvited guest crashes the party, forcing her to step out of the discomfort zone where she dwells and save the day … and maybe even herself in the process.

My Thoughts....

This was a fun read. If it was a movie (which it should be) it would be a romantic comedy. Hollie was such a great character. She actually reminded me of someone I know with the all 'situations' she finds herself in. I loved her send of humor, her roll with it attitude and her ability to make the best of whatever situation she found herself in. She was a character who was blind to her own strengths and abilities and this made her all the more a real person.

I loved how well the author described the scenery and wilderness of British Columbia. I could actually picture the scenes as they were described.

It was a well written story and a great summer read.

He's Gone by Deb Caletti

What is it about?

“What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs. Keller?”

The Sunday morning starts like any other, aside from the slight hangover. Dani Keller wakes up on her Seattle houseboat, a headache building behind her eyes from the wine she drank at a party the night before. But on this particular Sunday morning, she’s surprised to see that her husband, Ian, is not home. As the hours pass, Dani fills her day with small things. But still, Ian does not return. Irritation shifts to worry, worry slides almost imperceptibly into panic. And then, like a relentless blackness, the terrible realization hits Dani: He’s gone.

As the police work methodically through all the logical explanations—he’s hurt, he’s run off, he’s been killed—Dani searches frantically for a clue as to whether Ian is in fact dead or alive. And, slowly, she unpacks their relationship, holding each moment up to the light: from its intense, adulterous beginning, to the grandeur of their new love, to the difficulties of forever. She examines all the sins she can—and cannot—remember. As the days pass, Dani will plumb the depths of her conscience, turning over and revealing the darkest of her secrets in order to discover the hard truth—about herself, her husband, and their lives together.

My Thoughts....

I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars, although that is being very generous.

I finished this book rather quick due to being able to skim through a lot of it. There were two parts to the book basically- one was the current day and one was past building up to the current situation. The parts about the past were not necessary, I skimmed through a lot of them. 
There wasn't anything about this book that I really liked. It was predictable, I guessed what happened to Ian almost right away so when the mystery was solved it wasn't much of a climax. 
There wasn't much dialogue, it was basically the narrator telling everything- there was no showing. I don't know if anyone would understand if I said the book was in monotone, but that's what it felt like to me.
Overall, it's not a book I would recommend.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

What is it about?

Everybody has a Cordova story. Cult horror director Stanislas Cordova hasn't been seen in public since 1977. To his fans he is an engima. To journalist Scott McGrath he is the enemy. To Ashley he was a father.

On a damp October night the body of young, beautiful Ashley Cordova is found in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Her suicide appears to be the latest tragedy to hit a severely cursed dynasty.
For McGrath, another death connected to the legendary director seems more than a coincidence. Driven by revenge, curiosity and a need for the truth, he finds himself pulled into a hypnotic, disorientating world, where almost everyone seems afraid.
The last time McGrath got close to exposing Cordova, he lost his marriage and his career. This time he could lost his grip on reality.

ONCE WE FACE OUR DEEPEST FEARS, WHAT LIES ON THE OTHER SIDE?

My Thoughts....

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Wow, what a great story! I was intrigued through put the entire book, from the cover to the very last interactive page. 

I love the cover, the font and the paper used for this book. It was like holding something delicate and special in my hands the entire time I was reading it. This book is interactive, there are pictures, websites, interviews, letters, notes and so on that make you feel like you are actually part of the case. The extras provided in the app were very interesting and fell within the idea of the book to follow things through to the end.

I loved the unpredictable story line and the different directions the story took. This was the first book that I read that left so many questions unanswered that didn't annoy me to no end. The unanswered questions, the leads that just faded away, the characters that were left surrounded in a fog of mystery were part of what made this book so great. It made me use my imagination and left me contemplating the mystery of life along with the possibilities unexplained.

Obviously, I loved it. I did orginally start reading this on my e-reader. It didn't work well on the e-reader because of all the pictures, different fonts, different font sizes and so on. So I had to buy the paper copy of the book. I recommend that anyone who is going to read this book also buy the hard copy. This is a book that you need to hold in your hands!

*There are a lot of extras with this book, even an app for your smart phone. I  suggest checking them out because they add a lot to the story.*

Want more?

Check out the authors website http://www.marishapessl.com for more information about the book, along with her question and answer session.