Book Review #25 -The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda

About the book

Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won.

She’s wrong.

Tish Nelson has it all. Youth, influence, a life of luxury, and a new husband. But the truth is, there’s a lot of baggage. Namely, his first wife—and suspicions of his infidelity. After all, that’s how she got John. Maybe it’s time for a romantic getaway, far from his vindictive ex. If Kate plans on getting John back, Tish is one step ahead of her.

She thinks.

But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As best-laid plans come undone, there’s no telling what a woman will do in the name of love—and revenge.

About the Author

Kaira Rouda is a multiple award–winning USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction that explores what goes on beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Her novels of domestic suspense include The Favorite Daughter, Best Day Ever, and All the Difference. To date, Kaira’s work has been translated into more than ten languages. She lives in Southern California with her family and is working on her next novel. 

My take

This is the story of two wives of John Nelson - Kate and Tish. Kate, his ex wife, with whom he has built a life together, a company called EventCo that is soon broadening it's horizons into the public domain,  and with whom he has a teenaged daughter Ashlyen. And Tish, his current wife of three years, who was his executive assistant, and whom he started believing to be a soulmate while being stuck in his midlife crisis.

The story is narrated from alternating points of view of the three ladies, their play for power, their mind games to score against each other, and the consequences of their actions.

I felt angry at Tish for stealing John and his family life from Kate and Ashlyn, and even though Tish's character tries to justify her actions,  they don't always feel rational.

Kate is portrayed as a strong woman who has withstood the humiliation of her husband and co partner of the company she started leaving her for a woman half her age and with one fourth her brains.

Ashlyn is the typical teenager who gets exposed to the bitter realities of life sooner than she should,and how they shape her is worth the read.

Even though the plot is simple, the twists and turns keep us hooked. We crave to know who wins, what really happened, and there are some unexpected revelations, even though I had partially predicted them.

The language is simple yet flowing and narration is well paced.

The cover page is very attractive and intriguing, and I loved it.

I have seen many mixed reviews for this book. It has been called regressive and stereotyping towards women and its attitude towards marriage. Well, maybe, but again, we don't change our beliefs by reading a thriller. So I will say I enjoyed the read and whatever adrenaline it filled me with.

I rate it 3.5 stars. 

 

Book Review #24 - Laura’s hidden legacy : The mansion by PT Elliot

 

Laura’s hidden legacy : The mansion by PT Elliot

About the book

An abandoned mansion in Scotland; revelations about her stepfather’s past life; an enigmatic handsome neighbour who is not quite what he appears to be. These are the essential ingredients of Laura’s Hidden Legacy – The Mansion.
The year is 1971 and Laura Walter is a contented London art student living a privileged life and on the point of graduating university when tragedy strikes: her parents die in a car crash. As part of her legacy, Laura discovers she has inherited an estate in Scotland in the middle of a forest; an estate about which she had no prior knowledge.
Laura’s journey takes her to Scotland to see both the property and the village situated just a few miles away, as well as the man living just down the road who had been keeping an eye on it for her stepfather. While staying in the property, she comes across a number of art works that appear to have been painted by famous artists. In addition to the paintings, she comes across a journal written by her stepfather and dating back to 1940.
At first, her life at the mansion and the life of her stepfather as expressed in his journal are wonderful. However, she soon discovers a number of disturbing truths about her stepfather and his abusive behaviour towards women, as well as his involvement with a Masonic Order and his role during World War Two, including what lay behind the paintings. When Laura eventually falls for the man keeping an eye on her mansion, things take a downward turn as disturbing aspects of his past come to light.
As Laura becomes more aware that the lives of her deceased stepfather and her handsome neighbour were inextricably linked, her curiosity leads her into a perilous situation. The truth behind the mansion, the paintings and the Masonic Order leads to a discovery that might have changed the whole course of World War Two. As the story races towards its climax, Laura discovers the true, sinister history behind the mansion, as well as the family who had inhabited it for generations.

My take

The story is set in the year 1971. Laura Walter is orphaned at the age of 21, when her mother and stepfather Raymond Richards are killed in an accident while on a vacation in Italy. Laura soon learns that Raymond has left all inheritance to her, including a supposedly decrepit mansion in the forests on the outskirts of Scotland.

Laura is an artist who loves to draw sketches and paintings of picturesque landscapes, and her stepfather, whom she loved more dearly than her biological father who had abandoned her and her mother, had been an art dealer and her mentor from a very young age. So Laura has only fond memories of her stepfather.

Disturbed by the sudden death of her parents and confused about her relationship with Philip, her boyfriend, Laura decides to take a break from everything and visit the secret mansion in Scotland that she has inherited. Little does she know that this decision will change the course of her life.

As Laura reaches the magnificent, huge, palatial mansion and begins staying there, she begins to explore the place. She meets her neighbour, Andy, who also has the job of keeping a watch on the mansion, and finds herself getting irresistibly attracted towards him. She also finds a diary, written by Raymond in the 1940s. The diary that initially chronicles Raymond’s love for an artist woman, slowly goes on becoming darker and revealing a side of Raymond that Laura never knew existed. She also realizes that Raymond was a part of a secret service order that was vital during the World war 2.

But the more she reads, more secrets start tumbling out, and soon Laura realizes what is at stake.

I have mixed emotions after reading this book. The plot is very strong, different and interesting. The descriptions given by the author are amazing. I could literally visualize the old, huge mansion nestled amongst the trees in the forest in the Scotland of the seventies. – the east and west wings, the long-running corridors, the spiral staircase, the high-backed armchairs, the resplendent library, the terrace overlooking the forest., the magnificent portraits adorning the walls! The descriptions of pieces of art are also equally vibrant. The narration is slow initially but picks up pace in the later half. The end has some surprises and it makes the book a gripping read.

However, there are some downsides too. The typesetting is not proper and looks like it has been self-published without proper editing or proofreading. There are many typographical errors that are a definite turn-off for the reader. Some dialogues, especially monologues seem to be cliché. The book becomes boring at some parts where there is unnecessary description which doesn’t add much to the book.

I absolutely loved the cover. In fact, that was what attracted me to the book in the first place.

So overall, the book is an interesting and gripping read. But for the writing style and the lousy editing, I enjoyed the read. I rate it 3.5 stars.

Book Review #23 The tutor by Daniel Hurst

The Tutor by Daniel Hurst

About the book

What if you invited danger into your home?

Amy is a loving wife and mother, to her husband Nick, and her two children, Michael and Bella. It's that dedication to her family that causes her to seek help for her teenage son when it becomes apparent that he is going to fail his end of school exams.

Enlisting the help of a professional tutor, Amy is certain that she is doing the best thing for her child. But when she discovers that there is more to this tutor than meets the eye, it is already too late.

With the rest of her family enamoured by the tutor, Amy is the only one who can see that there is something not quite right about her. But as the tutor becomes more involved in Amy's family, it's not just the present that is threatened. Secrets from the past are exposed too, and by the time everything is out in the open, Amy isn't just worried about her son and his exams anymore. She is worried for the survival of her entire family.

This will be one lesson they will never forget.

My take

Amy and Nick are married for eighteen years and have two children, Michael and Bella. Worried that Michael is going to flunk his GCSE exams, Amy and Nick decide to hire a tutor for him.

Soon the gorgeous Swedish beauty, Petra, begins tutoring Michael.

However, Petra is obviously not what she seems to be. There is more to her, and she has hidden agenda's of her own. 

Slowly it starts becoming clear that each one is hiding a secret. And gradually these secrets start spilling. Amy begins to realise that the life she has carefully crafted for her family is on the brink of unravelling.

The story flits between the present and the past, a past where the school Amy and Nick studied in burnt down to ashes, destroying lives of those who were involved in the incident.

The story is also narrated from alternating POV's of Amy, Nick, Michael and Petra, and that makes it an interesting read.

Halfway through the story though, I knew what was coming. And yet the ending seemed unrealistic. Why the perpetrators do what they do seems too flimsy and unbelievable, and doesn't explain most of the things that happen in the story.

The writing is good, the writing style is impressive, the theme was also good to begin with but the end seems a let down.

I have read 'The passenger' by this author, and I actually love his style of writing and his imagination.

The cover page though designed nicely doesn't really portray the theme of the book.

So overall, an okay read. I rate it three stars.

Book review #22 My husband's secret by Kiersten Modglin

My husband's secret by Kiersten Modglin

About the book

On the day of Lucas Martin’s funeral, his wife, Naomi, learns he was hiding a devastating secret.

One that may have cost him his life.

When two strangers approach her, Naomi realizes they could be hiding important clues as to what actually happened the day her husband died.

Was it an accident? Or something more sinister?

Determined to learn the truth, Naomi initiates another meeting with the strangers, in hopes that she’ll uncover the missing puzzle piece from the mysterious last day of her husband’s life.

As more secrets and lies begin to become clear, Naomi and the strangers find out they’re in a much more tangled web than they could’ve ever imagined. If she can trust them, she may be able to find the answers she so desperately seeks.

The only problem? Any one of them could be lying...just like Lucas was.

The biggest question is: who?

My take

Three women, one dead man and a web of lies and deceit.

Lucas Martin has been married to Naomi for over four years and has a daughter with her, is dating Clara for twelve years, and is engaged to Alaine to be married soon. All three women have no idea about the existence of the other. And all three meet each other at Lucas Martin's funeral.

It is evident that each of them is lying about something, and each one has secrets of her own. 

The story then flashbacks to the last ten days of the life of Lucas Martin, and how the events pan out, the story line flitting narratives between the three women. 

The tension builds beautifully as twists and turns keep us hooked to read what happens further. The personality of Lucas is very well described - that of a compulsive liar with no empathy, a selfish person who loves no one but himself. How do people cope around such a person? How do people perceive a man like that? It's interesting, how this seemingly deceptive and vile person is perceived to be one of the most kind, humble and selfless man by each of the women in his life. That is what makes the story really interesting, how he manages to pull it off.

There is a mystery as to what exactly happened to Lucas. Whether it was really an accident? Or planned murder? The book kept me guessing till the very end, and the final twist was totally unexpected.

The only downside for me was, it was hard to imagine how a man could manage to keep three relationships, without either one of them getting even an inkling that he might be cheating on her. That too being a busy surgeon himself. Fooling a colleague who works at the same hospital, that too for twelve whole years, not just one or two, seemed a bit impossible and too far-fetched.

But if these minor glitches are ignored, the story does make for a thrilling and gripping read.

The cover design is beautiful, though I would have loved a design that showed a mysterious man with three women in the backdrop, which could have been more suggestive of the theme.

Overall I rate it 3.5 stars.

Book Review #21 - SISTERS by Patricia MacDonald

 

SISTERS by PATRICIA MACDONALD

About the book

Two sisters.
One’s good as gold.
The other’s committed the ultimate crime.
Alex is still reeling from the death of her parents in a tragic car accident when she makes a shocking discovery — a secret in her mother’s past
Alex’s mother had a baby daughter just after she left high school. A baby she gave up for adoption.
But when Alex decides to search for her long-lost sister, she is in for a horrifying surprise . . .
Could finding her long lost sister be the biggest mistake Alex Woods has ever made?

 

About the Author

 

Patricia MacDonald is an internationally-bestselling author of thrilling suspense. Her previous novels include Suspicious Origin, Stranger in the House, Not Guilty, and the Edgar Award-nominated The Unforgiven. 

My take

Sisters is a psychological thriller about two sisters, who never knew about the existence of the other. Alex Woods’ parents die in a car crash, and when she returns to her big, empty house after completing her college, her attorney hands her a letter written by her mother, telling her that she had a baby in her teenage years, whom she gave up for adoption.

Depressed from the loss of both of her parents, Alex gets pulled in by curiosity about this newfound step sister and she sets out to find her. Soon she finds out that her sister, Dory Colson, is in prison, for the alleged murder of her sister Lauren. Lauren was the biological child of the Colson’s, and Alex learns that Lauran was a very successful upcoming singer, who was killed by Dory out of jealousy.

Alex decides to find out what really happened, and meets the Colson’s, who seem extremely hostile towards Dory, the Ennis family - their neighbours, and Marisol, a law student who is trying to get Dory a retrial on the behalf of Justine initiative, which helps those who got sentenced by a mistrial.

The story that unfolds thereafter is better not revealed, but it is full of twists and turns, leaving us wondering what exactly happened.

The story is told from the POV of Alex, and her emotions as she goes through phases of anger, sadness, denial, happiness over her loss, finding a half-sister, dealing with her (sister’s) parents, and the new romance kindled inside her in the form of Seth are beautifully depicted. The character of Dory stays true to herself, and even though she seems a bit rash and rough, she is not unlikeable. The twist at the end is worth reading the book for.

The flow of language is nice and easy. The cover page is beautifully designed.

I rate this book 5 stars.

 

Book review #20 The arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

 

The arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

 

About the book

The arrangement was just meant to fix their marriage.
No one was supposed to get hurt.
But when the rules of this open marriage are broken, the consequences are sinister.

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer.
It's what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:

·       They will each date someone new once a week.

·       They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.
When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they've built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if 'til death do us part may come sooner than they'd intended

 

My take

This book initially seemed like a book about a husband and wife, going through a midlife crisis, who mutually agreed upon polygamy as the last resort that will save their marriage, and ignite the spark that once existed between them, but in no time, it turned into the most twisted story ever.

Ainsley and Peter, both get their own weekdays to go out and have one night of fun while the other stays at home and looks after their three kids. To avoid complications, they make certain rules, one of which, is not to date anyone known, and to use a separate dating app, under different names, so that no one can trace them.

So Ainsley meets Stefan and Peter meets Mallory. And for a while, it seems the plan is working. Both begin looking at each other like they never have in years.

But both are hiding secrets. And when the man Ainsley met begins to get obsessed about her, follows her to her house, the secrets begin tumbling out.

The book was slow paced initially, and I felt like it was going to be more on the lines of a domestic story with infidelity being the highest twist. But soon a murder happens, and thereafter, the story is extremely fast paced, every other chapter revealing something that blows the mind. None of the characters are what we think them to be, and the author keeps us guessing right till the end.

The story is told from the POV of Ainsley and Peter alternately, and that helps shape the story in a certain way. The flow is lucid and easy, and the incidences keep us hooked to know what happens next.

I personally loved the cover page design, which is suggestive, aesthetic and at the same time mysterious. I rate the book 4.5 stars.

 

 

Book review #19 Don't believe her by Jane Heafield

Don't believe her by Jane Heafield

About the book

A weekend getaway leads to a deadly game of deceit between two cunning sisters-in-law in this British psychological thriller.

Though Lucy and Tim have been married for years, she has never gotten along with his sister. So when they plan a weekend in the country, they certainly don’t expect Mary to show up. But it’s Mary who’s shocked when she arrives to find Tim missing. His belongings are gone, there’s a bloodstain on the floor, and Lucy’s story doesn’t add up.

Lucy insists that he left her, but Mary suspects foul play. When the police are called, each woman tells her own story—but Detective Reavley doesn’t trust either of them. Accusations of affairs and violence only add to the tension, but soon explosive secrets come to light that no one could have expected.

About the author

Jane Heafield works in healthcare, but in her free time she writes stories. 

My take

Lucy and Tom are a couple with the usual differences a married couple has. Mary, Tom's sister hates Lucy and vice versa. So when Tom disappears from the rental cottage Lucy and Tom were vacationing at, Mary is convinced that Lucy has murdered him, and Mary leaves no stone unturned to get anyone she meets to believe this, including the police.

Lucy's story certainly doesn't add up, and there are some large gaping holes in her version of events, she ever keeps changing that version, yet she denies she has anything to do with Tom's disappearance.

The story alternates between the POV of Lucy and Mary. Both the main characters are equally dis-likable, and I am not sure whom the reader hates more. Their rivalry just makes us weary.

Neither of them is telling the truth. But the first person POV spoiled the reliability of the story for me when the final twist came. Like I always say, when the main character is unreliable, the story is better to be read in third person. Because no one lies to themselves in first person. So the ending seems completely unrealistic and far fetched.

The flow of the story was easy and even though the theme was good, and fast paced, the shoddy base on which the story is built takes off its charm.

The cover is beautifully designed, and one star from my rating is entirely for the cover.

I rate it 3 stars.

Book Review #18 - The passenger by Daniel Hurst

 

The passenger by Daniel Hurst

About the book

She takes the same train every day. But this is a journey she’ll never forget.

Amanda is a hardworking single mum, completely focused on her job and her daughter, Louise.  She’s been saving for years and now, finally, she can afford to give up work and chase her dream.

But then, on her commute home from London to Brighton, she meets a charming stranger - who seems to know everything about her.

He delivers an ultimatum . She needs to give him the code for the safe where she keeps her savings before the train reaches Brighton - or she’ll never see Louise again.

Convinced that the threat is real, Amanda is stunned, horrified. She knows she should give him the code, but she can’t. Because she also knows there is a terrible secret in that safe which will destroy her life and Louise’s too…

About the author

Daniel Hurst is the author of several popular psychological thrillers including Til Death Do Us Part and The Tutor, as well as The Influencing Trilogy.

He is also the creator of The 20 Minute Series, the series of books which readers have called “original” and “addictive.”

You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com

My take

Amanda, a single mother to seventeen-year-old Louise, is a hardworking woman, who commutes daily from Brighton to London for her nine to five job. Her dream has always been to be a full time writer, and finally she has saved enough money to give wings to her dream, and she is serving the last few days of her intimation. But she has no idea about the stranger following her from quite some days, who knows a lot more about her than she can even imagine, and is about to blackmail her into giving up her life savings in return of her daughter’s safety. But the safe that treasures her money back at home doesn’t contain just money. It contains something that could destroy Amanda’s and her daughter’s lives. What does she do?

The story is extremely fast paced and the build up is tense. Seventy percent of the story happens during the one hour transit from London to Brighton, yet it is extremely gripping. The story shuttles between the POV’s of the four main characters of the story, Amanda, Louise, the stranger and his partner in crime, James. The narrative also shuffles between the past and the present. But even though the theme is simple, the incidents that keep unfolding one by one keep us hooked. The narrative slowly peels off layers after layers of each character, and soon we realize, there is no black and white, everything is in shades of grey. The relationship between Amanda and Louise, and the way it changes after everything they go through has been picturized realistically. The last twenty percent is extremely action packed, and one is forced to keep reading right upto the end.

I noticed a few typos, but other than that, there is no downside. The book cover is also intriguing, and is catching enough to make a reader pause and take a look.

So overall, one of the best, gripping novels, I rate it 4.5 stars

 

 

Book Review #17 Verity by Colleen Hoover

Verity by Colleen Hoover

About the book

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of the night their family was forever altered.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

My Take

Verity is dark, twisted and disturbing, yet a terrific page turner.

It's the story of Lowen Ashleigh, a small time author who has run out of money following her mother's cancer treatment. Lowen's literary agent Corey, who was also her ex, brings her an unusual offer - an offer to complete three books in the Virtue series of the best selling author, Verity Crawford.

As luck would have it, Lowen meets Jeremy Crawford, Verity's husband, by accident, even before she meets him for the publishers meeting. Initially, Lowen has her own doubts, but Jeremy convinces her that she can do it. Lowen is also desperately in need of money, and has been evicted from her rented apart ment. So she gets invited to stay over at the Crawford's house, a big sprawling property overseeing a lake, to go over Verity's office and plan the outlines for the forthcoming novels.

As Lowen starts living in their house, she learns about the tragedies this family has gone through. They have recently lost their twin girls, and now Verity is indisposed following a car wreck. Crew, their five year old boy, seems to be the only thing that brings life to the house.

While going through Verity's work, Lowen finds a secret autobiography written by Verity, and she can't resist the temptation of reading it, convincing herself that she will be better able to understand how Verity's mind works, which will help her complete the remaining novels in the series.

However, the autobiography turns out to be a dark, twisted and sordid tale, and Lowen begins questioning everything that is happening around her. At the same time, she begins noticing weird things in the house that Jeremy doesn't seem to notice at all.

The story flits between Lowen's POV and the chapters between Verity's autobiography. The description keeps us hooked and tense throughout as we keep wondering what exactly happened. The language is lucid and flowing, yet simple. At one point I sort of predicted the end, but I was wrong. So the twist at the end was definitely a surprise for me.

There are some very sensitive and graphic scenes described, so the reader has to be mentally prepared to read it. And there is lots and lots of sex. Some of which, I felt, was unnecessary, and distracting. Some part seemed a bit stretched, slightly unbelievable, but still it takes the story forward.

But over all, I loved this edge of the seat gripping tale. It kept me awake till I had read the last word. I rate it 3.5 stars.

Book Review #16 Child / Currency by Ketan Bhagat

 

Child/Currency

 By Ketan Bhagat

About the book

“Five years old is not big, Papa.”
“Really… then what is big?”
“Eighteen years.”
“Eighteen… why eighteen?”
“Because then mama can’t stop me from meeting you.”

Kanha’s words haunt Shreyas Kapoor. Shreyas hasn’t met his son in months because his estranged wife Prakriti treats Kanha like currency to be exchanged rather than as a child to be cared for.

Shreyas is alone, broke, and helpless. The law, society, and her family (maybe even his) all unjustly favor Prakriti. Destiny plummets Shreyas into a legal battle he’s bound to lose.

Enter faith—a higher power that follows no laws and has no bias. Shreyas takes refuge in his practice of the Holy Geeta and the words of Sathya Sai Baba, “Why fear when I am here?”

Will Shreyas have to wait until Kanha is eighteen to meet him again? Or will God have mercy on His devotee and deliver a miracle?

My take

This is the story of Shreyas Kapoor, a sales manager and a struggling author, overshadowed by the success of his best-selling author elder brother Preyas Kapoor. All is not well between the two brothers, but their mother tries to maintain a balance between the two of them. Shreyas’s wife Prakriti expects more out of Shreya’s writing career, probably constantly comparing him with his over-successful brother.

Cracks develop in their marriage, arguments turn into fights, and one fine day, Shreyas leaves his house, not imagining what life has in store for him.

The story shuttles between the past and the present. One part of the past includes incidents from Shreyas’s childhood, how the relationship he once shared with his father, and the toxic relationship between his parents, have shaped his views and beliefs. The other part describes his relationship with Prakriti, how he supported and funded her dream of becoming a Yoga guru, splurging on her and her dreams.

The present dissects each and every aspect of marriage, of the relationship between a man and a woman, the expectations and disappointments, the egos and clashes, the love that was once there, that slowly seeps away with words and actions.

But at the very centre of the story is the relationship between Shreyas and his son, Kanha. Shreyas dotes on his son, and would go to any lengths to be with him. But just as the title suggests, the child is made into a sort of currency by the wife, and the battle becomes ugly. Shreyas is not permitted to meet his own son, and that is something he can never live with.

Step by step, Shreyas tries everything he can do to sort out the situation, and get an allowance to meet his son. He tries talking peacefully to Prakriti, he gets friends and family to speak to her, and finally it becomes an ugly court case with lawyers involved.

Through this journey, Shreyas inclines towards spirituality and when life starts becoming intolerable, he begins seeking advice from his spiritual guru, who doesn’t give him any false hopes but teaches him how to face the adversities in life with the same attitude as one faces the good things.

This is one of its kind of book that focuses on parental alienation, and how a child becomes a scapegoat in the brutal ego clashes when a marriage breaks. It also highlights how sometimes, the laws which favour women for obvious reasons, are exploited by women themselves. It narrates the emotional turmoil a father goes through when he is denied the basic right of seeing his son by his estranged wife.

The protagonist Shreyas is a good human being, a dutiful son, a thoughtful friend and a doting father. However, somewhere in the narration of him as a husband, I felt he was a bit misogynist, overly conservative and judgemental right from the beginning, and that could be one aspect that brought the couple to separation. We never get to know Prakriti’s side of the story, so blaming her entirely for whatever went wrong between the two seems unfair.

The way Prakriti takes advantage of being a woman and keeps the father out of her son’s life, not realizing what it would do to the child’s psychology, seems brutal, and if such things are happening in our country, the law needs to be scrutinized so that it is not unfair to men suffering from such kind of mental abuse.

Parental alienation has been captured beautifully and makes the reader think and analyse the situation.

The downside of the story is its length, slow pace and the number of unnecessary characters. The story could have been made more concise, reducing unnecessary details of trivial incidents that don’t add much meaning to the overall story, and by reducing the number of characters that serve no purpose other than adding more prose.

The greatest upside of the book, which I found really intriguing and captivating, was the way snippets from the holy Bhagvad Gita are discussed and described. It shows the author's deep knowledge on the subject, and takes a reader like me, who still has to learn a lot about spirituality, on a spiritual journey of her own.

So overall, even though slow-paced, a nice book that gives not just one but many strong moral lessons, I rate it 4.5.

 

Book Review #15 - An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

 

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen 

Title: An Anonymous Girl
Author: Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Genre: Adult | Mystery | Thriller
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Format: e-book

About the book

Looking to earn some easy cash, Jessica Farris agrees to be a test subject in a psychological study about ethics and morality. But as the study moves from the exam room to the real world, the line between what is real and what is one of Dr. Shields’s experiments blurs.

Dr. Shields seems to know what Jess is thinking… and what she’s hiding.

Jessica’s behavior will not only be monitored, but manipulated.

Caught in a web of attraction, deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly

My take

This is a very gripping psychological thriller, where revealing even a small part might be a spoiler. I will try to avoid that.

Jessica Farris works for BeautyBuzz, a company that provides home services for make-up and beauty treatments. Her parents stay in the town she grew up, with her younger sister Becky, who has special needs since she had a traumatic brain injury as a child. Her treatments are expensive, and Jessica finds an easy way of making money when she comes across a research being conducted by an eminent psychiatrist Dr. Shields, on ethics and morality. Hoping she would be able to get away with some money after answering a few questions posed in the study, Jessica enters it on a whim, as subject 52.

As the questions are posed one after the other during the two hours given for solving the questionnaire, Jessica begins realizing the demanding nature of the study, that are making her spill her deepest and darkest secrets. Not just that, but her body language and expressions are also being carefully scrutinized as she answers.

After the study is completed, Jessica is offered more money if she agrees to continue being a part of the study, where she would have more practical challenges and real-life scenarios, but a huge sum of money in return. In desperate need of money, Jessica agrees. Soon she becomes intrigued by the mysterious Dr. Shields, and begins her own investigation to find out more.

The story is told from POV of two different narrators, and the narration seamlessly takes the story forward. Even though we get to hear from both the protagonists, some secrets stay hidden till the very end. The description of the psychological tests and their interpretations is very interesting and tells the story of how the butterfly effect of one impulsive decision on part of Jessica shapes every future event happening with both of them.

The story manages to keep the reader hooked, and some parts are absolutely chilling. I wouldn’t say the end is a complete twist or shock, it does become slightly predictable, but still, it holds the reader’s interest. The small twists do add to the surprise element.

The characters are well developed, and the emotions we go through while reading parallel the way their inner layers are peeled off one by one.

Overall, a gripping thriller that haunts you long after you have finished reading it. I rate it 3.5 stars.

Book Review #14 The lying game by Ruth Ware

 

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

About the book:

IT ISN'T A GAME WHEN SOMEBODY DIES

The text message arrives in the small hours of the morning: I need you.

Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her.

Isa and her three best friends used to play the Lying Game, competing to convince people of outrageous stories. Now, after seventeen years of hiding the truth, something terrible has been found on the beach. The friends' darkest secret is about to come to light...

About the Author

 

Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, The Death of Mrs Westaway and The Turn of the Key have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including the Sunday Times and New York Times. Her books have been optioned for TV and film and she is published in more than 40 languages. Ruth lives near Brighton with her family.

My take

This is a story of four friends, Isa, the protagonist, Thea, Fatima and Kate, who have spent a year together in a boarding school in Salten, each landing there due to different circumstances, but gelling to each other for life. They are so stuck to each other, that they alienate themselves from everyone around them. Nor is anyone of high opinion about them, especially because of the lying game they play with people around.

Something terrible happens in that year, that forces the girls to drop out of school before the scheduled time, and the four decide to carry the secret to their graves. But seventeen years later, something happens, and circumstances force the four of them, each busy in her own life, to come and face the consequences of their past actions.

The way the author writes a story is definitely very engaging. She describes everything in such vivid details that it is impossible not to form a mental image. She describes the coastal region of Salten with the salty waters of the Reach and the marsh land, the old dilapidated Tide Mill that is home to Kate and foster home to the others during that one year they are together, the Salten house, which in itself is a mysteriously intriguing place for girls, in such a way that I actually felt as if I was there, experiencing the humid, salty air and feeling the marsh beneath my feet.

There are not many characters, and there isn’t really a lot of suspense other than what exactly happened all those years ago. The build up is very slow, and rather than the suspense, descriptions take up most of the part of the story. Another downside was the repetitions, and ill developed aspects of the characters. The relationship of Isa with her partner Owen could have been given some more space, and the way she treats him, that would have actually warranted him leaving her, has been ill explained. Even Mark Wren never actually comes alive, he is just always in memories or background, and whatever footage he receives in the book doesn’t make justice to his character. Luc was another character who was confusingly picturized, so didn’t know whether to like him or not.

As a reader, I developed a liking for Freya, the six-year-old daughter of Isa who has been greatly described, but the point is, she is just a major distraction from the whole plot. I also developed a dislike for Thea, who seemed like a pampered spoilt brat right from the beginning, and I attribute Fatima and Isa’s wayward behaviour to Thea’s peer pressure and influence, and I believe both would have led better and meaningful lives had they not met Thea in the first place.

I have read Ruth Ware’s novels before and I love her descriptive way of writing. But even though I loved the descriptions in this book, the suspense was not strong enough to keep me hooked, and the end, even though twisted, seemed far too stretched and unrealistic.

I rate it 3/5.