Lily Bloom was raised in an abusive household so she's witnessed first hand what an abuser looks like. And, she never understood why her mother didn't leave her father. Lily's story begins on the day of her father's funeral. She's back in Boston, where she moved to put some distance from her hometown in Maine… Continue reading It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Ronni Sunshine is a famous but mildly aging actress and the mother of three daughters. By her own admission, she failed as a parent, so much so that as adults, they have very little interaction with her or each other. In fact, her middle daughter, Meredith, moved abroad to London in order to put some… Continue reading The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green
This story spans decades, beginning with Francis Gleason and Brian Stanhope, two rookie NYPD policemen whose paths crossed briefly on the job but later connect when the Stanhopes buy the house next door to the Gleasons. Lena Gleason is pregnant and lonely, looking forward to someone near her own age as a close neighbor.… Continue reading Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
I read this a few years ago and want to share one of my best, earlier reads from before I created this space Lucy Wakefield finds 4-month old Natalie Featherstone unattended in a shopping cart in a superstore in suburban New Jersey. In a split second, she makes a decision that will forever change… Continue reading What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross
I’ve been a big fan of the author’s work under her pseudonym, inhaling just about everything she’s written in the last 7 years. When I saw this show up in NetGalley, I grabbed it immediately, knowing that her stories have bordered on contemporary fiction for a long time. My instincts did not fail me… Continue reading The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets by Molly Fader
This epistolary short story begins when Carrie Allsop, a young married woman, reaches out and writes to David Mayer, the husband of the woman with whom her husband is having an affair. She’s discovered their betrayal after finding the letters sent by David’s wife, Janet. I loved everything about this story! The magic of the… Continue reading Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Korean immigrants Pak and Young Yoo live in Miracle Creek, Virginia and operate a controversial healing mechanism, a submarine-like apparatus that purports to heal patients through oxygen therapy. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT treatments have helped many with a variety of medical issues from children with autism to men with infertility problems. On one late… Continue reading Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
Rosie Tipcott is married with two young daughters, Naomi and Leona. She works part time as a hotel housekeeper but her main role in life is taking care of her family. She’s pretty content with her life until one day her husband, Phil, suddenly announces he’s leaving as he’s met someone else. The “other woman”… Continue reading My Husband’s Wife by Amanda Prowse
Lauren Delaney has endured a highly unsatisfactory marriage for 24 years to a man who’s controlling and mean. Brad’s a successful surgeon whose done nothing but demean and belittle her their entire marriage. She declares to herself that there will not be a 25th year in this relationship now that her two daughters have finished… Continue reading The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr
The focus of this story is an unnamed woman who is a married college professor teaching poetry and attempting to get pregnant. When her exhaustive attempts to have a child are unsuccessful, we watch her descent into something akin to madness as her life fails to live up to the vision she had for herself.… Continue reading Looker by Laura Sims
Blue Mood Café 