In It Started with a Secret, Lainey and Kit, looking to take on new jobs, signs up to help a large family organize their house and their lives. Each member of the family is going through their own turmoil, so they need all the help they can get. But in order to qualify for the job, they had to pretend to be a couple. This one little fib kicks off what turns out to be a fun-filled and heartwarming adventure for everyone involved.

This is a quintessential Jill Mansell: lighthearted, funny, and absolutely feelgood. The characters are all quirky and fun, and you can't help but cheer for them to find their happiness. Yes, it's a bit cheesy in the end when it all works out for every single person, but it never feels overly saccharine, so it still comes across as satisfying and authentic.

I only gave this one 3 stars because the story didn't quite grab my heart the way other Mansell books have done in the past. I think it's because this one has a lot of characters and multiple diverging/intersecting storylines, so it ended up feeling a little bit chaotic. But honestly, I still had so much fun reading it. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I wrapped myself in a cozy blanket and pretty much gulped the whole thing down in a day.

Mansell has this way of taking a light and fluffy genre (chick-lit) that's been done every which way, and making it into something new and interesting. Each of her books and characters feels unique, and it's the reason I keep coming back to her. Even though this isn't my favorite book of hers, it still brought me so much joy to read it and to immerse myself in that world. There are so many Mansell books I haven't read yet, and I'm already looking forward to my next one.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

I just love a good locked-room mystery, so when I saw that Ruth Ware had written one, I decided to give her one more try. I'd previously read three of her books, and they were all somewhat disappointing to me. But her books' premises are always so intriguing, and I keep hanging on, in the hopes that she would work out her story-telling tics (in particular: silly, sniveling, self-doubting female leads). And she finally has. I had so much fun with this story. It sucked me in and kept me riveted from beginning to end.

In One By One, we are introduced to the executive team of Snoop, an internet startup on the verge of a lucrative deal. But like most startups, they are hemorrhaging cash, and not every member agrees on what they should do next. So they are whisked away to a corporate retreat in the snowy mountains to hash it out. But things quickly take a dark turn when an avalanche hits and not everyone makes it back to their lodge. Cut off from the world, they are unable to signal for help. And it seems someone in their group is dead set against them making it out alive.

I found the internet startup idea of Snoop to be fascinating. I kept thinking whether the idea could be viable, and hope the author got it patented, just in case. The maneuvering and wrangling among the shareholders was another well-executed touch in the plot line. When a story is hinged upon a company, the fact that the company felt real made it that much more believable.

There was so much suspense in this story, almost from the very beginning. It felt tautly-paced, with just the right amount character tension without being quagmired in their thoughts and ruminations. If I had one criticism, it would be that the climax and resolution are too drawn out. It kept going, and then even when it was over, we got some more chapters of explanations that weren't really necessary. Still, I'd rather have more explanation than less, so it's a minor quibble.

Regarding the mystery itself, this isn't really that genre, per se. There aren't actually clues to put together, though I stared to get an inkling of who might be responsible. But it doesn't fully make sense until everything is explained at the end. However, for once, not being an armchair detective didn't take away my fun of reading this story.

I'm so happy I stuck with Ruth Ware, and she finally wrote a story that is to my taste. Looking at the other reviews, it seems a lot of readers don't agree with me. They loved her previous books and found this one to be boring and so-so, whereas I'm exactly the opposite. Thinking it over, I venture that the reason could be our different tastes in psychological thrillers. I prefer the thriller part (which I find exciting), and want less of the psychological (which I find to be mostly overstrung dithering and second-guessing). But many readers prefer the other way. So do take my review with a grain of salt, and don't let it alone influence your decision to read or not read this story.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

 

In Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, Jiyoung recently quit her job to care full time for her newborn daughter. But something is wrong, as she starts to take on the voices of other women, both alive and dead, in her life. What follows is the account of Jiyoung's life, all that led up to that moment, from the view of her psychiatrist. Through it, we see the systematic and casual misogyny and sexism that has shaped Jiyoung her entire life.

Reading this felt both shocking and familiar. I wish I could say this book surprised me, being from a different culture and a slightly different time, but it didn't. The things mentioned in here are all known to me, either from my own personal experiences or through current events. I think any female reader, no matter the background, will see similarities with their own life. That's what makes this book so powerful and also terribly discouraging.

I didn't rate this book higher because it doesn't feel like a properly fleshed-out story to me. Rather, the dispassionate and sparse prose, mixed in with the gender statics, felt more like a long article. A lot of events are told, rather than shown, since it's written as if the psychiatrist is summarizing Jiyoung's life instead of fully fleshing out all the events and details. Also, I'm not sure Jiyoung taking on other women's voices really worked for me as a plot device. It feels like it was glossed over pretty quickly in the beginning and not very well explained at the end.

Still, this book leaves a lot of food for thought. Jiyoung's culture was making strides in sexism and misogyny, and yet, is the attitude towards women all that different between Jiyoung's generation and her mother's? Yes, overt sexism is slowly being legislated away, but it's the casual misogyny of every day life that lingers: this expectation that women need to work more for the same opportunities, that they need to be smarter to be even seen as competent, that they need to sacrifice all in order to raise a family and contribute financially. For all the progress of the modern world, we are still so far from gender equality.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

In The Last Flight, Claire longs to escape her abusive marriage to a powerful man. A chance encounter at the airport with Eva, a mysterious woman also on the run, leads them to swap their airplane tickets. Claire heads to Eva's home in California, hoping this is the chance she needs for a fresh start. But when she steps off the plane, she hears news that Eva's plane, that one that Claire was supposed to be on, has crashed. Now Claire has to step into Eva's life while evading all that they were both trying to run from.

This story starts out so strong, grabbing me in its initial pages. The introduction to Claire and her backstory, the setting up of her escape, the chance encounter at the airport with Eva, are all fast-paced and amazingly executed. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

But then the swap happens and Claire steps into Eva's life, and the whole thing just fizzles out for me. I found the storyline around Eva to be utterly boring. It reminds me of a very popular tv show (which I won't say for spoilers, but if you've read this book, then you know which one I'm talking about). The thing is, I couldn't get into the tv show either, and found it boring too.

In addition, I also didn't find the reason why Claire had to step into Eva's life, because she had no other choice, to be all that compelling. None of the decisions Claire makes after that point (including staying on as Eva, using her identity, spying on her husband), makes any sense to me. And she hardly does anything other than daily runs for food, a side gig to pick up cash, and lots of ruminating about what she should do next. I kept expecting a villain to jump out and accost her or something, but nothing happened. Where are all the secrets and thrills I was promised?

I think this is a case where I'm just not the right reader for this plot. The beginning was so riveting that I thought for sure this would be a book I whizzed through. Instead, after the initial setup, I felt utterly bored, trying to stay focused every time I read a page or two. Eva's life and her secrets felt so mundane and uninteresting to me, and Claire's decision to stay on as Eva made so little sense, that it ultimately became a lost cause.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

 

I enjoyed this second foray into the series even more than the first!

Revenge in Rubies starts off immediately in the thick of things: Sylvie Nolan, the new and much-younger wife of a commanding officer, has been brutally bludgeoned to death in her bedroom. At first, it seems like a simple case, but it quickly becomes clear that something altogether more complex and malicious is afoot. Soon, more tragedy follows, and Inspector Curran and Harriet Gordon must act quickly if they are to prevent additional deaths.

This story has so many characteristics of the Golden Age of Mystery. There is a small set of characters, so whoever is responsible must be among them. There are clues galore, so I can put on my detective hat and puzzle out the mystery right alongside our main characters. And there are plenty of red herrings and startling twists, so every time I thought I had it all figured out, an unexpected happening would force me to rejigger my entire theory.

One reason I fell for this series is its compelling lead characters. Set in colonial Singapore, Harriet Gordon is the exact sort of strong and unflinching female character I adore. In this book, we learn more of her backstory and her courageous involvement with the suffrage movement, which makes her even more endearing. And Inspector Curran continues to be kind and sharp in his investigation of the crime.

I thought the first book in the series was a little uneven in pacing due to the introduction of all the characters and backstories, but that's all been ironed out in this one. Stuart's clear and straightforward writing style keeps the pacing taut and the focus on the unfolding mystery. It was a page turner from the beginning to the end. It also, yet again, captures the lush humidity and oppressive heat of this region. Reading it, I felt transported to this time and place.

I'm always searching high and low for anything that resembles Agatha Christie, and this series is a worthy contender. It has all the elements I enjoy from a proper cozy mystery, and I'm thrilled I came across it. I wait with bated breath for the next book, and can only hope it's not too long.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

A dark, chilling atmosphere. A spirited heroine. And a house that never lets its inhabitants go. Sometimes a book hits all the right notes for me, and Mexican Gothic certainly did that.

It starts off with socialite Noemí receiving a cryptic and rambling letter from her newlywed cousin Catalina, hinting that all was not well. Noemí decides to visit her and sets off for the remote estate where Catalina now lives with her new husband and his family. Once there, she immediately becomes plagued with troubling visions and dreams. And as she digs around, she starts to realize that the house and its strange inhabitants are hiding secrets that could ensnare her in their traps.

This story is so moody and atmospheric. There is a chill that permeates the pages, making for a deliciously dark and creepy read. Many books promise this, but in my experience, so few actually deliver, with most falling into silly and eye-rolling territory. But this story got it spot-on. I just wanted to huddle in a comfy blanket with a hot cup of tea, and turn the pages as fast as I could.

The initial pages drew me into the story immediately. From then on, I was riveted, though the middle did slow down a bit in pacing. But then we reach the end, and it was as rewarding and as fun as I could have hoped. I always love a strong, feisty female, so Noemí was right up my alley. I found myself chuckling at her witty comebacks and cheering at her refusal to back down.

One thing I particularly appreciate is that this story attempts to offer a comprehensive explanation for what's going on. It's always disappointing when a tantalizing set up is so good or so outrageous that it can't possibly be explained, so the book proceeds to handwave all previous clues away. But in this case, an explanation that's both unusual and interesting is provided that ties it all together, and as we slowly learn of it throughout the story, it's quite satisfying.

This is the second book I've read by Moreno-Garcia, and I've really enjoyed both. She has definitely become a must-read author for me, and I can't wait to see more from her.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars