Book Review: The Fair Weather Friend by Jessie Garcia

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The Fair Weather Friend  by Jessie Garcia  opens with Faith Richards, a popular meteorologist in Detroit, never returning back to the news station after her dinner break. The next day, her news station releases a story that she's been found, strangled to death not far from the station. The Fair Weather Friend , as Richards is referred to by adoring fans, had some deep, dark secrets. As those skeletons come to light, other peoples' lives start to unravel, and things are not what they seem. I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Jessie Garcia's The Fair Weather Friend . A digital copy was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions of the novel are my own. There were many things I absolutely enjoyed about Jessie Garcia's sophomore novel including multiple point of views, the character development, and numerous red herrings. Overall, the story being told from a var...
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Book Review: The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

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NetGalley ARC Book Review of The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a historical fiction novel taking place in Europe during World War II. Lena Papadopoulos is the disabled daughter of Illusionist Theo Papadopoulos, who performs with a traveling circus. Theo is extremely overprotective of Lena and because of that, she lives a very sheltered life. When Lena finds an orphaned boy named Alexandre passed out on the train, her life takes an unexpected turn.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Circus Train by Amita Parikh in exchange for my honest review. I was excited to review this book as soon as I saw it was being compared to The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and I wasn't disappointed.

Starting off with a bang, The Circus Train by Amita Parikh is a fantastic read. I found myself disappearing into the book and losing all track of time . . . that speaks volumes about how extraordinary the author is especially considering this is her debut novel.  The characters were well developed, with the majority of them being likable. I cared about what happened to them, even the ones that weren't so likable. Another great feature of the novel is that the author gave the reader a glimpse into the future for many of the characters, so you're not left wondering what happens to them.

I appreciated learning a bit about the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in the Czech Republic as most of my education focused only on the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.  Another great learning moment was about a polio treatment that the main character received that allowed her to walk.  I love learning about things through historical fiction books that I might not have known otherwise.

Five out five stars is what I gave The Circus Train.  Amita Parikh is a talented storyteller, and I look forward to seeing more novels from her.

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