4/5 stars ★★★★☆

https://amzn.to/3MOJK2w

“Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts. That’s exactly what courage is. Knowing all that going in – and going in anyway.”

This line really stuck with me as I read the book What You Wish For by Katherine Center. I have a tendency to want to play life safely because I know that joy won’t always last. That scares me.

This book started as a slow burn, true to most romance novels. Soon enough, I was happy that it also started to deal with real-life issues.

I loved the character of Sam, the librarian at an elementary school. Center made her character realistic with a tough childhood, a long-lost romance, along with having epilepsy. I also liked Duncan. I easily pictured him as both a teacher and later an administrator. Both were very likable characters.

I found myself highlighting so many of Center’s phrases more towards the end of the book. Another one of my favorite lines is “…joy was cumulative. That it wasn’t about finding one big thing – but about collecting as many tiny pieces as you could.” It made me think. My sisters and I always say that joy is about the small things in life. Sam learned that she needed to focus on the small things that bring her joy. These included drinking tea, taking walks on the beach and wearing bright colors.

What You Wish For is a romance novel. However, there are some triggers that I wasn’t expecting. These include school shootings and grief of a loved one. Center did a great job of dealing with both of these issues in her book.

I gave this book four out of five stars. I’m becoming a fan of Center’s books, and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

If you would like to read more of my reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

3/5 stars ★★★☆☆

https://amzn.to/3MFY65h

If you could know your future of what age you will die and how it is going to happen, would you want to know? This is common question that I have asked friends about, so I was excited to read a fictional book about what that look could like in life.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is based on this premise. Many people on an airplane are headed to their different destinations when an unknown older woman starts walking down the aisle telling each passenger how and when they will die. They didn’t get the choice of whether they wanted to find out this information or not. Is the character of Cherry a true psychic? Will her predictions come true?

I am a big fan of Liane Moriarty, but this was not one of my favorite books by her. There were times I was engrossed in the book, but there were just too many characters to become attached to them. It was like watching a reality television show with all of the backstories that went in many different directions. About halfway through the book, I found myself just wanting to know what happens at the end. Since it is a book of over 500 pages, which I usually love, I just wanted to skim through parts and characters that didn’t have much meaning to me.

I liked the story of Allegra, the flight attendant, and Leo, the father who was just trying his best.

Although this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, many other readers loved this book. I think I was expecting more of a thriller from Moriarty.

I gave this book three out of five stars. The premise was interesting, but the storylines of the characters were a little too disconnected.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and Liane Moriarty for my free copy. This is my honest review.

You can find more of my book reviews at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

5/5 stars ★★★★★

https://amzn.to/3Zj2aA3

5 STARS!

Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann is my favorite book of the year so far. My husband even read it in one day, and it’s not a short book!

Maybe it’s the coming-of-age love story that made me enjoy this book so much. It could be the well-developed characters or the intense storyline at times. All I know is that I didn’t want this book to end. There were so many times that I laughed out loud, and I could tell exactly where my husband was in the story when he did the same. Max and Ella, the main characters, were friends as kids, torn apart by distance, and brought back into each other’s lives as teenagers. This is when most of the story takes place. Ella is the brooding teenager, and Max is trying to hold his family together.

I loved the quotes throughout the story, and I found myself looking up and listening to songs that were mentioned throughout the story. The ending was perfect and definitely not disappointing. I would love to see a sequel or movie made about this book. I haven’t read other books by Jennifer Hartmann, but I can’t wait to read them now.

Although this book is touted as a young adult book, I think it’s more of an adult book because of some mature parts of the book.

I gave this book five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books, and Jennifer Hartmann for my free copy. This is based on my honest review.

You can find more of my book reviews at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

4/5 stars ★★★★☆

https://amzn.to/3X7XsCu

Why is the nanny always the evil aspect of that “perfect home” in books? This time, in House of Glass, it was the nanny that fell to her death out of a three-story window. Was it the mother, father, grandmother, the nanny’s boyfriend, or the child that caused the death?

I’m a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen, especially those books that she co-authored with Greer Hendricks , and House of Glass didn’t disappoint. It was fun to read something by Pekkanen alone.

Pekkanen does a great job of keeping the reader guessing throughout the whole story. The book is fast-paced and drops little hints along the way. It is more of a “whodunnit” story rather than one with many twists and turns.

I liked the character of Stella, who was the court-appointed attorney and hired to decide where Rose, the mute child, should live after the divorce. The story is told through her perspective.

Just when you think you figured out the murderer, the story changes on you. I love that kind of book. If you like books by Alice Feeney, B.A. Paris, or Ruth Ware, you will enjoy this book also.

I gave this book four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

For more book reviews, see my book review page at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/