Book Review: The Little Bee by Nicola Killen

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The Little Bee  by Nicola Killen  is a children's picture book about a girl name Ollie who follows a bee to a magical, secret garden. But, the next day, the beautiful garden was gone, and the little girl misses her new friends. What will she do? This beautiful book has an expected publication date of May 5, 2026. I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Beach Lane Books for approving my request for a digital Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Little Bee . I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review. Nicola Killen wrote such a beautifully worded story that I found myself immersed in the story, and I'm not even the target audience. It's a charming tale that should encourage children to explore nature and make them want to plant their own secret garden.  Equally beautiful were the illustrations. I found myself taking the time to actually look a the pictures as I read. It's a great story to read   at bedtime  with ch...
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Book Review: The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath

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NetGalley ARC Book Review of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath
The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath is a psychological thriller due out on January 5, 2023 and opens with Lucy Ross coming back to her childhood summer home in Queen's Point, Australia to pack up her grandmother's belongings.  When a dead body is found coincides with Lucy's return, she finds herself and her wealthy childhood friends being questioned in the murder.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath.  I was thrilled to be approved to receive this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Told from alternating time lines, this book started off slowly for me, but as I got further into the story, it really picked up for me.  I found myself wanting to rush through the novel to see the who, what, when, and how, especially since I was leaning towards one of two people being the murderer.  There were quite a few red herrings, but when it came down to who the murderer was, I was a bit shocked and didn't see it coming.

NetGalley ARC Book Review of The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath
As far as characters go, I really liked Lucy Ross, and at first, I really like Jake.  However, the further into the story I got, and the more I learned about Jake, I started disliking him.  You'll see what I mean if you read the book!  Other than that, I didn't really like any of the other characters with the exception of Lucy's stepdaughter ... the more we learned about her, the more I liked the character.

I also really liked Lucy's dog despite me being a cat lover.  With that being said, there was one situation with the dog that made my heart sink ... I thought the dog was going to die, but he didn't.  I really don't like it when bad things happen to animals.  Yes, I know, it's a work of fiction, but those type of things really upset me being an animal lover.

All in all, this was an intriguing read that kept me guessing. I gave The Summer Party by Rebecca Heath four out of five stars.  As mentioned before, the expected publication of this novel is January 5, 2023.
 
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