Mini Book Reviews
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (3/5 Stars)
Nothing seems to live up to Big Little Lies, but I will continue to read Liane Moriarty’s novels. I enjoy her clever way of intertwining the lives and stories of different, distinct characters. The suspense built up about the events that transpired at the barbeque was incredible!! I blew through the book as fast as possible to get to the reveal. However, once the events were actually revealed, they fell a bit short of my expectations. Moriarty does a fantastic job of showing the ways that events and relationships can shape people’s lives and I appreciate the genuine representation of her characters’ feelings and reactions. However, this particular novel did not have as complete or satisfying of a wrap up as did some of her other stories and it ended up feeling anticlimactic.
Who Killed the Robins Family? by Thomas Chastain, Bill Adler (4/5 Stars)
Fun book!! When originally published, there was a $10,000 reward for the person who could most accurately guess what happened to each member of the Robins family. Obviously, it’s not the same as a regular novel because the point is to read it and then solve the mysteries yourself. It’s more like an activity rather than just a book. I took notes because I’m a nerd but they helped. Also going back for either a brief scan or even a full re-read would be helpful in solving it. I managed to guess about 5/8 of the murders correctly (you can check the answer online after you’ve made your guesses). I recommend it as a fun, quick book/activity!
The Vacationers by Emma Straub (2.5/5 Stars)
This book is the perfect beach read. It has enough drama to be interesting but is simple enough to make for an easy read. I enjoyed the character dynamics between the family but there could have been further establishment of some of the relationships. Even though I knew this would be a fluff read, I was expecting a bit more in the way of plot development. While there are conflicts and resolutions to several storylines, most are fairly simple. I hesitated to give this book a 2.5 because it’s not far below average, it just didn’t excite me. Good if you are looking for a relaxing read without too much complexity.
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