Want to see what I read during the month of June? Here you go! I managed 8 books this month, including the latest from Elin Hilderbrand…the queen of the beach read! As a reminder my goal for 2018 is to read 100 books. As of June 30 I have completed 46…which is pretty much on track to meet my goal. Read on to see my reviews…This month I had a couple of books I would place into the “meh” or “whatever” categories. But two were standouts, one being part of a series which is always exciting!
The Marriage Pact by: Michelle Richmond — This one falls into the “whatever” category. I’m writing this review almost a month after I finished this book and to honest with you I cant even remember what it was about! Off to re-read the books description……Okay, after refreshing my memory I see thats it is all about a newlywed couple who join a strange cult like group that claims to provide support and resources so that their marriage never fails. Right off the bat I can’t get past the idea that a highly educated lawyer would actually sign a contract without ever reading it all the way through. The story line takes a number of weird turns each becoming more and more unbelievable. Obviously I am not recommending this one. There are too many other great books out there to waste your time on a 2 star book that I clearly forgot about as soon as I set it down. 
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney– Simple story line here. Woman wakes up in a coma. She’s fully aware of what’s going on around her but can’t move or speak. A crime has been committed but she’s not sure what it is or who did it. Of course her memory comes back piece by piece until we have the answer. I’d like to tell you that this was highly suspenseful but nope. It’s rather predictable and when the criminal is outed you’ll be surprised but only because it seems like He/She was thrown in at the end to wrap everything up. Meh…don’t bother….another 2Â stars.
A Man Called Ove by: Fredrik Backman– I’m late to the party on this one. It came out in 2014 to much critical acclaim. Not sure why I didn’t read it then…probably because in 2014 I was reading mostly non-fiction. Anyway….While this book takes place in Sweden it’s such a generic setting that is could just as easily be set in any random town in the U.S., so don’t let the place setting scare you away. General gist is old grouchy man is ready to off himself as he feels he’s ready to be with his already deceased wife. Many things/people seem to unwittingly intervene which, much to his chagrin, give his life some actual purpose. While it’s fairly predictable, and as long as you don’t expect high action… the characters and ultimately the ending make this a worthwhile read. 4 stars
Slightly South of Simple by: Kristy Woodson Harvey– Ahhhh….a new series! I love it when I find characters and a story line that I actually care about and look forward to reading more about. That this series involves an interior designer makes it that much more interesting to me. Basically we have a youngish widow with three daughters all of whom, through various life calamities, find their way back to the nest in a small Georgia town. With a healthy dose of angst, a touch of romance and some pretty funny moments, this author has set up, what is sure to be a series with a number of volumes. As of right now there are just two but I think I saw that a third one will be out soon. I put in a hold request at the library for the second one…can’t wait! 4 stars.
Hello From the Gillespies 
by: Monica McInerey–Australian mother of four has become a slave to her (mostly grown children, and her suddenly distant husband. Each year she writes an annual Christmas newsletter…you know the kind…where you chronicle all the the wonderful things you’ve done all year (and leave out the crappy parts). In a moment of weakness the mom writes a newsletter that tells the TRUTH about all of her family members as well as herself. I’m sure you can see it coming…the shocking newsletter gets emailed out instead of the glowing, fluffy one. Naturally there are a ton or repercussions which initially I was totally on board with butttttttt……..then it took several super weird (and unnecessary) turns involving an accident, a snake, a missing kid and a mysterious pregnancy. I had high hopes for this book but it was atleast 100 pages too long and there were several plot points that could have been left out entirely. 3 1/2 stars for this one.
Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh– I’ve read several books by this author and she never disappoints. Pretty simple concept on this one…Both of Anna’s parents committed suicide within one year of each other. Anna insists that they were murdered. Turns out the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I saw part of the twist coming but the full twist was pretty surprising. This is a worthwhile read. 3 1/2 stars.
The Perfect Couple by: Elin Hilderbrand–I’ve read every single one of the books that Elin Hilderbrand has written. The covers are always lame and the descriptions rarely give a true sense of the what the story line is all about, but if you can get past the fluff, the plot lines and characters are always deeper and richer than what is hinted at. I happen to love books with multiple perspectives but if too many characters make you confused than it’s likely you won’t enjoy Hilderbrands writing style. Her newest summer “beach read” brings a young couple to Nantucket (where all of this authors books are set) to get married. This is the first time this author has attempted any type of “murder mystery” and I think she does it quite well. Throughout the book you get tons of background info on all the main suspects and the ending wraps it up pretty well, although in other reviews I’ve read there seems to be some confusion as to what the ending actually means. I thought it was pretty clear but whatever! The best part of this book is that several characters from previous books make appearances. I’m always surprised that this doesn’t happen more in her books and would love if this is something that become a regular thing. Solid 4 stars.
A Baby’s Bones
by: Rebecca Alexander– The Isle Of Wight is not a place I’d ever heard of before. Turns out it’s a small island off the southern coast of England. It has tons of ancient history which is woven throughout this book. The main character is an archeologist working at a dig site where human remains were found including those of an infant. While the main players work to solve a 450 year old mystery they find themselves involved in a parallel mystery at the same time. I really enjoyed the main character, Sage, and hope the author makes her a repeating character in future books. While I “dig” (see what I did there? 😉 archeology and hope to see more from this author, I am only giving this book 3 1/2 stars because of the modern day mystery. The resolution seems to come out of left field and doesn’t provide a satisfactory conclusion.
Thanks for reading along! Check out my “books” tab to read all my 2018 reviews, including reviews of many more Elin Hilderbrand novels.
