The Running Bibliophile

Dear Debbie  by Freida McFadden  is about Debbie Mullen, an advice columnist for her local newspaper, and her life is falling apart. Her teenage daughters are growing distant, and her husband, Connor, is keeping secrets from her. To top things off, Debbie loses her job, and she's had enough ... it's time for her to take matters into her own hands. I bought this book earlier this year while shopping at Marshall's and TJ Maxx. I didn't even bother reading the synopsis because I typically enjoy the writing style of Freida McFadden, and it was inexpensive. When I finally started reading Dear Debbie , I ended up loving it! The characters seemed quite typical of a family consisting of a father, mother, and two teenage daughters ... Connor didn't really know what to say to his daughters, and Debbie couldn't understand why her daughters were so distant all of a sudden. And, of course, the daughters, Lexi and Izzy, think their parents are annoying. Debbie seemed quite l...

Murder at the Campfire Cookout (Beacon Bakeshop, #7)   by Darci Hannah  is the final installment in the Beacon Bakeshop cozy mystery series. The story opens with Ellie Bakewell and Kennedy Kapoor relocating their fashion boutique into a larger space and deciding to launch a new clothing line inspired by the growing popularity of glamping. To gather ideas for the new line, the two women along with Betty, Colleen, and Lindsey head out on a weekend glamping getaway. Their relaxing retreat quickly takes a deadly turn when one of the fellow glampers, who is caught cheating during a campfire cookoff, is found dead.  I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Murder at the Campfire Cookout from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for my honest review. I was thrilled when my request was approved as I've thoroughly enjoyed following this cozy mystery series. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this latest, and unfortunately final, installment of the Beacon Bakesh...

Wild Dark Shore  by Charlotte McConaghy  takes place on a remote island of Shearwater. Dominic Salt and his three children are the caretakers of the island where it houses the world's largest seed bank. They're all that remains after the researchers fled the island due to rising sea levels until a woman named Rowan is washed ashore. As the Salt family takes care of the woman, they begin to realize Rowan isn't telling the truth about why she's there. This novel was chosen by one of the book clubs I belong to for our June discussion. I thought the premise of the story was intriguing, and I was excited to dive into it. However, I struggled in the first few chapters because it just wasn't capturing my attention. Once the plot began to unfold, the story became more compelling, the suspense kept building, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages to find out what would happen next. McConaghy does a fantastic job of showing the reader the story instead of telling it. I ...

Such A Clever Girl  by Darby Kane  opens with the friends and family of Xavier Tanner gathered for the reading of his will when his granddaughter, Aubrey (presumed dead for the last fifteen years), suddenly walks through the door. Her unexpected appearance reignites the rumor mill surrounding the mysterious disappearance of her family all those years ago. It also draws a teacher, a  café owner, and a psychologist back together for the first time since that day. What secrets have they been keeping, and how are they connected to the Tanner family disappearance ? Told mainly from the perspective of Stella, Marni, and Hannah, the author slowly weaves a hellacious story of secrets, lies, and things that aren't as they seem. As the reader navigates the story, they're presented with flashbacks and tidbits of information of what happened to the Tanner family that connect these three women together who otherwise wouldn't be connected. Add in an occasional bit of information from t...

Vacation Fever  by Marjorie Sharmat  is a young adult romance novel originally published in 1984, sometimes under the pseudonym Wendy Andrews. The story begins with seventeen-year-old Mia packing for vacation with her parents, fifteen-year-old brother Ted, and eleven-year-old sister Heidi. Although Mia's best friend insists vacations are the perfect place to meet guys, Mia isn't exactly thrilled about spending so much time with her family. Follow Mia on her journey and mishaps. This is a novel that I received as a birthday gift from a friend when I was in middle school. I had never heard of it, but it sounded promising. I remember thinking it was just okay at the time, but since it's been years, I decided to reread it as part of my journey to relive my childhood through books. The story quickly came back to me as I made my way through the book. It was a really fun read, even though it didn't have much depth or character development. One thing I did appreciate was how th...

Caller Unknown  by Gillian McAllister  opens with Simone arriving in Texas from the United Kingdom to meet up with her daughter, Lucy, for one last vacation before Lucy goes off to university. From the moment she arrives, everything seems to go wrong, beginning with her lost luggage. After finally making it to the cabin and reuniting with Lucy, Simone wakes in the early hours of the morning before drifting back to sleep. But, when she wakes again a few hours later, Lucy is gone, having left behind her cell phone, and there's another phone on the bed containing ransom text. Forced to follow a series of terrifying demands without involving the police, Simone must race against time to save her daughter. Will she reach Lucy before it's too late?  First and foremost, I'd like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Caller Unknown  by Gillian McAllister. I hadn't read anything by this author before, so I was eage...

Alice with a Why  by Anna James  opens with Alyce living with her grandmother Alice after the war. Not really believing the stories her grandmother tells of her time in Wonderland, Alyce receives a waterlogged invitation to a tea party. Now, she's not so sure that those stories of her grandmother were made up. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Flamingo Books for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Alice with a Why  by Anna James. I found the synopsis of the book intriguing and always love a good reimagining of an older tale. I received a digital copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Not having read Lewis Carroll's original story Alice in Wonderland , my only frame of reference going into this reimagining was the  Disney movie, and it's been quite some time since I've seen that. The concept of this story is amazing and thoughtfully presented. It did take me the briefest moment to keep both Alic...