An Anonymous Girl

*First off, an apology.  I honestly thought I'd done this one, but it slipped through the cracks.  For those who know me, life has been a little hectic lately.  Not that that's an excuse.  I try to review every ARC I read.  It's only fair since that's what they're there for.  Just letting you know what happened and why.  Again, my apologies.*

Analysis:  What would you do to get ahead? In the case of Jessica Farris, it is steal the spot of another person in an anonymous study to try and make a quick buck.  However, things quickly spiral out of control (getting more and more complicated as the book goes along) to the point that she is regretting her decision and trying to find a way out of the study entirely.

Reaction:  When I saw this was by the same authors as The Wife Between Us, I jumped at the chance to read this early because I've heard really good things about that book.  If this is any indication of what to expect, I will read it but I won't go out of my way to find a copy.  The story was good, it just got a little complicated as it went along.  Too many knots in the thread for me.  

Courtesies:  Thank you to the authors, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for making this available to read.

Sets Sail:  January 8, 2019

Her Last Move

Analysis:  This is the story of Joe, a "super recognizer",basically a photographic memory for faces.  If he's seen them, he can recall when and where, which makes it really helpful in remembering the bad guys, and Becca, an over worked London detective, who has a special needs daughter at home.  She's trying to balance work and home and failing miserably at both.  Together, they are on the hunt for a serial killer, trying to stop him before he strikes again.

Reaction:  First thought, "John Marrs? Why does that name sound familiar to me?". So I went back and looked at older entries and saw they I had reviewed one of his books before.  While I didn't like this one as much as I did that one, I can honestly say his books stick with you.  I could be at the grocery store and I'm suddenly thinking "I wonder what's going on with Joe and Becca".  I did not see the end coming at all, which is nice, as long as it makes sense.  You don't want something that comes completely out of left field.

Courtesies:  Thank you to John Marrs (quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I don't suspect I'll draw a blank next time I see his name on a book) and Thomas & Mercer, for making this ARC available to read.

Sets Sail:  November 8, 2018...so it's out.  Get your copy today whoever you do that.

When The Lights Go Out

Analysis: A book split into two stories, one about a woman's obsession to have a baby, to the point that it trumps everything else in her life, and the other about a girl on a quest to find out where she comes from, while battling insomnia and trying to determine what's real and what's not.  

Reaction:  Um, it was okay.  I picked this up because of the author.  I pretty much love everything she does.  Unfortunately, this was the exception.  I didn't hate it.  My bar for her is just so high, she didn't meet it this time.  One story was infinitely better than the other to me, as I just couldn't relate to the NEED to have a baby.  In that regard, I'm sure I wasn't the target audience.  Mary Kubica is REALLY good so the parts of this that were enjoyable were extremely much so.  I just groaned when it switched to the other story.  Could have done without that.

Courtesies:  Thank you to the author, Mary Kubica, and the publisher, Harlequin - Hanover Square Press, for making this available to read ahead of its debut on shelves.

Sets Sail:  September 4th, 2018 so it just came out the other day so rush out and get your copy today.  Just walk, don't run.  That's how people get hurt.  Better yet, order it online, then you don't have to go anywhere or get dressed.

Sold On A Monday

Analysis: A reporter has to undo what he did after faking a picture of two kids for sale that winds up getting them sold, and separated. He has to track down where they've and get them back.

Reaction:  Um, it was okay.  I liked it but I didn't feel any urge to rush to read it.  As it was, I barely finished it in the time I had to review it.  However, I did finish it and kept reading it, just not very quickly.  The story was good, not great.  

Courtesies:  Thank you to the author, Kristina McMorris, and the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for making this available to read and review, ahead of its release.

Sets Sail:  August 28, 2018 

The Day Of The Dead

Analysis: A girl doing a thesis project on a detective, gets caught up in her world and the duo hunt down a serial killer and try to stop him.  ...Or is he hunting them?  A game of cat and mouse ensues and it's a race to see how will break first, both physically and emotionally.

Reaction:  When I entered the drawing to win this book, I saw that it was #8 in the series.  Having never read the previous 7, I was a bit apprehensive.  However, free is free  so I went ahead and entered.  The book reads well as a stand alone for someone who isn't familiar of the escapades of the previous books.  However, some of the nuances of the characters and their relationships might be diminished.  They aren't lost on you, but they might not have the impact on you that they would if you've followed from the beginning of the series. A good book if you haven't read the rest of the series but, I would guess, a better book if you have that background of the previous books.

Courtesies:  Thank you to the authors, Nicci French, and the publisher, William Morrow Paperbacks for making this a Goodreads Giveaway to review.

Sets Sail: July 24th, 2018...so fans of the series only have to wait a couple more weeks.

Somebody's Daughter

Analysis:  The search for a missing girl by the police and family while trying to answer the question of how is her father, which two men could possibly be.  But which one is it?

Reaction:  The story of the missing girl was interesting, but it almost seemed secondary to who the mystery of who her father is. I wonder how the book would have been different if the two were flipped.  You do eventually get your answer, so that's nice in that just doesn't leave you hanging and wondering.  The flip side of that is that I saw the end coming so you didn't get that curve or element of surprise at the end.  It also crossed my mind that it would have been interesting to have the two potential fathers searching for the girl together instead of briefly crossing paths at the end of the book, but that's neither here nor there.  Just my opinion.

Courtesies: I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway so thank you to the author, David Bell, and the publisher, Berkley Books, for making that a possibility and putting it out there for readers and reviewers.

Sets Sail:  July 10, 2018 

The Prisoner In The Castle

Analysis: A group of spies are imprisoned on an island off the Scottish coast during World War II, in order to prevent the secrets and inside information they know from getting into enemy hands.  They are deemed to know too much and are security risks, so they are banished to this island for what they know until the war is over.

Reaction: I liked this book, but I didn't love it.  I did not know it was part of a series, this is book #8 and the most recent addition.  But it reads well as a stand alone book, if you have no prior knowledge of the characters.  So in that regard, it's a plus.  But, the number of characters was just too much for me.  It was difficult keeping everyone straight.  I understand that many were needed because of the way the story was and not everyone was going to make it to the end.  I kept thinking that it was like a game of Clue, with double the amount of suspects.  I think if I were to read this again, I would pay closer attention to some of the details that seem insignificant at the time but turns out to be huge later on and you find out it was a bread crumb.

Courtesies:  Thank you to the author, Susan Elia MacNeal, and the publisher, Bantam Books, for the opportunity to read this in advance and give my honest opinion of it.  As per usual, all thoughts are my own.

Sets Sail:  August 7, 2018 

The Last Thing I Saw

Analysis: Another book that alternates chapters between past and present, with the past being the main character as a family woman with a husband and son, and the present being with her in a mental institution, and the mystery being how one leads to the other.  

Reaction:  This book was interesting that "what the heck is going on" kind of way.  It does a very good job of keeping you interested though, so it doesn't cross into "I don't care what's going on" territory.  I wanted to see how everything fit together and that kept me reading.  All in all though, it was just kind of middle of the road.

Courtesies:  Thank you to the author, Alex Sinclair, and the publisher, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Sets Sail:  April 18, 2018...aka available now. 

The Subway Girls

Analysis:  The book alternates chapters between past and present.  The present focuses on an advertising campaign that draws attention to the past and this contest, and the chapters in the past focus on the challenges that the girls went through, both in the contest itself and in society.

Reaction: I do not have enough good things to say about this book.  It's engaging from beginning to end.  The alternating chapters didn't bother me because both stories were equally interesting.  Usually one story is more interesting than the other and you can't wait to get back to it, but that wasn't the case here.  The Ark carried two of everything, so this book in two words: Adversity & Barriers

Courtesies:  Thank you to the author, Susie Orman Schnall, and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for allowing me the pleasure of reading this fabulous book.  It's an honor to promote it.

Sets Sail:  July 10, 2018

Birthday Girl

 I'm dipping my toes into the world of ARCs and this is my first one, so business before pleasure, thank you to the author, Matthew Iden, and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for allowing the privilege of reading it. I ended up giving the book 4 stars. On the one hand, it was a fast paced thrill ride that was easy to enjoy and well written. However, some of the characters you were supposed to like and feel for, I just...didn't. I don't know if that's me or the way it was written but that's the way I felt. Hopefully I'm in the minority, and the twist at the end didn't really make much sense to me, in that it seemed unnecessary. But all and all, I enjoyed it. A very good read. 

Sets sail: March 20, 2018

Love & Ruin

Rating this book is very hard for me. I don't know enough about the subjects to comment on its authenticity, but when it was over, I found myself wanting to know more. I read somewhere that once you make it through the beginning chapters, it takes off, and that was true for me as well, as it is a slow starter. I always read comparisons to her other book, that this one was better or that that one was, but I didn't read it so I didn't have that comparison to relate it to. Just a very up and down book for me. I found myself wanting to know what happened next but when it came time to put it down and do other things, that was pretty easy to do. But an enjoyable read none the less.

Thank you to the author, Paula McLain, and the publisher, Random House, for making this available for me to read and review.

Sets Sail: May 1, 2018

The Good Samaritan

An ARC so business first.Thank you to the author, John Marrs, and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer for making this available for me to read. I definitely enjoyed it.

I don't think I'll ever look at a suicide hotline number the same way again. In fact, I think I need a shower after that. It was like some sicked, twisted chess match of two people trying to one up each other. But it was well written and engaging, kept you wondering what was going to happen next. The only thing I didn't like about it was the chapters resetting when it switched perspectives. So you wound up with four chapter ones. That made it hard to know how far you were into the book. But overall, a great read.

Sets Sail: April 12th 2018 

reply | edit | delete | flag *

About Me

My story is simple, yet complicated. I've always loved books and reading since I was a kid.  It's always been a part of me. I always had a book with me at work to help me kill time on breaks.  Well, you get the idea....But if you think about it like a pie chart, it has gone from a piece of the pie to the majority.  In January of 2016, my bladder ruptured and I was in a coma for 6 weeks.  My body was basically being poisoned by itself and I suffered what's called an anoxic brain injury.  Life as I knew it stopped and a new chapter began.  Since that time, I have indulged in my books, since they can take me places I can't get to at the moment, and as a bonus, reading counts as therapy.  Remembering characters, plot, etc, so every book I read is also a memory exercise for me.  Since I have been reading so many books, I figured why not share my thoughts with others and maybe develop a little give and take.

Welcome

So I have been encouraged to start a blog about my reading, so that is what I'm trying to do. Welcome to Noah's ARC.  This whole process is new to me so I hope you will be patient as I try to figure things out. What you see today might not be what you see tomorrow.  In the mean time sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.  I hear there's going to be flooding. Hopefully we don't lose power.  Make sure everything is charged and don't forget to bring a book.  Those always make rides seem shorter.  Maybe something you see here.