Cate Holahan

This is a fun romp paying homage to 80s fashion, hair, and clubs.
We meet 4 women who become widows when their partners (who are also partners in a law firm) die in an airplane crash. Krystal married to Romeo, Camille married to Peter, but having an affair with Jack, Justine married to Jack, and Meredith in a relationship with Robin. The law partners were traveling to try to stop a deal for a mall. After the partners' death, the widows find out that $4 million is missing and is owed to a mob boss. Fearing death, the widows try to find the money, which leads them to become involved in a dangerous endeavor. They uncover some interesting secrets which the financier wants kept hidden. Overcoming their personality differences and their dislikes, the widows come together to solve the mystery.… (altro)

I always have two books going at once, one I read-read, and the other I listen to-read as I commute. Trust me, the other drivers appreciate how it keeps the road rage at bay ;)

Young Rich Widows was my most recent listen to-read. The title is the book: four young women are suddenly widowed when their spouses' plane mysteriously goes down leaving behind a law firm of secrets, a mob-connected land deal, and Tiger, the infamous hitman. And in a nutshell, one wife learns another had been sleeping with her husband, a stripper comes forward as the partner and heir to the firm's only female partner, and the matriarch learns her husband and son weren't quite the people she thought. Through their strife, the women must learn to work together in order to save themselves and their families.

The book is read by four different voices, who are mostly distinct, but sometimes too close for my ear to discern and I found myself jumping out of character and back into reality to work out who was speaking. This of course meant that I was transported back to my actual surroundings of the road and the idiots on it.

The story was good, entertaining even, and well-done. It certainly won't change the world or linger in your brain like an earworm song, but, you won't regret it either. I can only give it a four because, as an audible book, the last thing that should happen is confusion with the characters because the author chose four actors to read. Other than that, it's a five. But, I've been called easy before...

Until next week's audio review, keep your eyes on the road, your foot off the flux capacitor (a nod to Back to the Future for all you younins, and enjoy Young Rich Widows, you won't regret the time.… (altro)

One Little Secret tells the story of 3 married couples who go on vacation at a beach house, The first night they are there they have a BBQ and everyone is drinking. The next day, they find out that one of the wives was murdered on the beach. Detective Sergeant Gabby Watkins is assigned to investigate the murder. While she's investigating, her daughter gets in trouble for attending a party where an au pair was potentially raped and Gabby has to investigate that.

The book is written in alternating experiences - the day before the murder, the day of the murder and they day after. It was a bit difficult to follow and I didn't really feel a connection to the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)

Lies She Told by Cate Holahan published by Crooked Lane Books was provided to me for an honest review through Negalley. Thank you to everyone who took part in deciding to give me my copy I really did enjoy the book. This is my first book by this author.
The Lies She told is crafted to be told in dual perspectives one being Liza the author who is trying to come up with the next best seller, and Beth the character in the novel being constructed. I found myself profoundly confused in the first few chapters trying to figure out how the chapters are laid out, but after you get a grasp of the books construction it is one of those books you want to continue reading to see if fiction comes from reality or if reality has made the fiction.
We have Liza whose husband is worried about his best friend who is missing. When the body is found, her husband is charged. Meanwhile Liza, writes about a woman named Beth, whose husband is cheating on her, and she feels only way to keep marriage is to kill the mistress. The book goes back and forth between both plots that if you don’t play close attention you might get lost in translation. You find yourself feeling bad for both fictional character and the writer’s life that the story is very readable.
As I said this is a new author for me and I enjoyed this read very much. I found myself more drawn to the second half of the book just because once it gets it’s running start you want to take it all the way to the finish line! Readers who like a Then and Now format or a dual perspective novel will love this book hands down!
… (altro)