August Books

 The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd -- Pretty good story about Caroline and Patrick, art students sent to an advisor who encourages them in their quest to find out more about a missing painting and the life of Juliette Willoughby who died in a fire in Paris years ago. This alternates between a few storylines and decades.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay -- Ryan and Ali were highschool sweethearts when Ali was kidnapped and he was suspected in her disappearance. Now he's in Italy on a school trip when the car Ali was driving that night has been found in a lake. Poppy McGee is the new deputy put on the case. Pretty good story. 

The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson -- Joan and Richard met one summer when they were at a beach resort in Maine. Through the years they kept in touch - anonymously and very sporadically - for nefarious reasons. Meanwhile Joan hires her former English teacher, now a private investigator Henry Kimball who is featured along with Lily in some other books from this author. 

The Song of Sourwood Mountain by Ann  H. Gabhart -- This book took much longer to read than I anticipated. Not because it was dull...it was actually decent, but I was watching so much of the Olympics "Live" and then again at night during Primetime with Andrew so that cut into my reading time a lot. I really enjoyed races on the track the last several days! Anyway, this book is about Mira who got a fast proposal from a preacher who lives in the Kentucky mountains. He wants her to go back with him as his wife and to be a school teacher to the children there. 

Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell -- This is a Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel which I enjoyed, but would have appreciated more if I were familiar with the character. I did look her up. In this book Jessica is hired by Amber whose twins Fox and Lark spent the summer with their father in the UK, and came back changed. They were "perfect," too perfect and Amber wants Jessica to investigate. 

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley -- The timelines of the book switch around quite a bit, but it was pretty good. Bella is part of the grand opening of a new resort her childhood friend Francesca started. We have flashbacks to the summer that the girls were friends, and so forth. An OK book. 

Beyond Summerland by Jenny Lecoat -- Hazel and Jean are two women who are dealing with the aftermath of the German occupation of the Channel Islands where residents are desiring to punish those who they feel collaborated with the enemy. An OK story. 

The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen -- Ariel gets a disturbing text -- well, disturbing because the guy who supposedly sent it died as far as she knows. Then it's found out that a glitch caused five-year-old texts to be sent, and, well, Ariel and her work friend Zain end up looking into what happened to cause Ariel's boyfriend Drew to leave as he did. 

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay -- Except for his brother in prison, Matt's family was found dead while on vacation in Mexico. The authorities initially say it was accidental, but FBI agents aren't so sure. Matt travels to Mexico to return his family's bodies and solve the mystery.

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate -- Two timelines in this book: one around 1909 and the other in the 1990s. Olive and the little Choctaw girl who has lived with her family for a few years escape Olive's stepfather and go on the run. They meet up with other children living in the wild. Meanwhile Valerie has recently taken a job as a ranger with the National Park Service in Oklahoma where she investigates things that happen within the park.  

What Have We Done? by Shari Lapena -- When Diana is found murdered in a field, her friends Riley and Evan try to figure out what happened to her. Did her boyfriend Cameron kill Diana in a fit of rage when she broke things off with him? Was it a creepy teacher or the customer who liked to visit the store? 

The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine -- This book revisits characters from the authors' debut novel featuring Amber, the latest Mrs. Parrish; Daphne, the ex who wants nothing to do with her former husband; and Jackson recently released from prison for tax evasion. 

Our Kind of Game by Johanna Copeland -- Stella has the perfect life in a nice community filled with glamorous people just like herself. Yet she escapes that life occasionally and thinks back on her formative years. Meanwhile in another storyline Julie deals with her mom and her mom's many boyfriends. So fun.