The Better Liar by Tanen Jones

I received a copy of this release from the
publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Move over mediocre thrillers--and make way for this dynamite debut! As a reader, I'm willing to suspend belief in mysteries and thrillers but I need a supporting storyline. I had pretty much given up all hope on ever reading a book that could manage to do that again after the disasters I read at the beginning of 2019 (Au Pair, Bring Me Back, and Anonymous Girl come to mind).

The Better Liar caught my eye in a Netgalley email and after reading the summary I thought I'd give it a shot and if I didn't like it I probably needed to accept that the entire genre just doesn't work for me anymore. I started reading and I couldn't stop! I was hooked and thought I'd figured it out right away, but after reading more, I had doubts on my theory. As more and more secrets came to light, I had about a dozen more theories swirling around in my brain right until the very end. After I finished the last page, I jumped on a group text with my book buddies and demanded they request this title immediately.

I would recommend just diving right into this novel without reading too many reviews (since they may unknowingly reveal spoilers or details you'll want to experience for yourself.)

Goodreads Summary:

When a woman conceals her sister’s death to claim their joint inheritance, her deception exposes a web of dangerous secrets in this addictive new thriller for fans of Megan Abbott, Gillian Flynn, and Paula Hawkins.

“Like most of the dead, I want to be remembered.”

Robin Voigt is dead. If Leslie had arrived at her sister’s cramped Las Vegas apartment just hours earlier, this would have been their first reunion in a decade. In the years since Robin ran away from home as a teenager, Leslie has stayed in New Mexico, taking care of their dying father even as she began building a family of her own. But when their father passed away, Leslie received a rude awakening: She and Robin would receive the inheritance he left them together—or not at all. Now her half of the money may be beyond her grasp. And unbeknownst to anyone, even her husband, Leslie needs it desperately.

When she meets a charismatic young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Robin—and has every reason to leave her past behind—the two make a reckless bargain: Mary will impersonate Robin for a week in exchange for Robin’s half of the cash. But neither realizes how high the stakes will become when Mary takes a dead woman’s name. Even as Mary begins to suspect Leslie is hiding something, and Leslie realizes the stranger living in her house, babysitting her newborn son, and charming her husband has secrets of her own, Robin’s wild, troubled legacy threatens to eclipse them both.

An electric, twisted portrait of sisterhood and the ties that bind, The Better Liar is a stunning debut with a heart-stopping, twist-after-twist finale that will beg the question: How far would you go to get what’s yours?

Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the
publisher in exchange for an honest review.

My Review:
Are you a Gen X woman who is totally exhausted every single day but tells herself that it is normal, or who feels as if she has no right to even complain about the exhaustion? Well, this book is for you! The Pew Research Center categorizes Generation X as those of us born between 1965 - 1980. If you look at a majority of women aged 39-54, what do you see? A lot of my friends are hustling to get back into the workforce after raising their kids, some are now taking care of their parents, and after a few glasses of wine every single one of them fesses up something they feel guilty about (why did I give up my career, why didn't I stay home with my kids, or the doozy "I supposedly 'have it all', so why am I still not happy?") In Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis, author Ada Calhoun has collected information from thousands of women from a variety of backgrounds to show us that no matter how different we think we are, we are all facing a lot of the same struggles. If you are staring at your ceiling at night wondering why you are so anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed but maybe you just can't quite put your finger on why, Calhoun gives you detailed breakdowns of all the factors that are really working against us. While some would say that reading these statistics would make us even more depressed, I found it informative and comforting to know that "it's not just me!"

Goodreads Summary:
When Ada Calhoun found herself in the throes of a midlife crisis, she thought that she had no right to complain. She was married with children and a good career. So why did she feel miserable? And why did it seem that other Generation X women were miserable, too?
Calhoun decided to find some answers. She looked into housing costs, HR trends, credit card debt averages, and divorce data. At every turn, she saw a pattern: sandwiched between the Boomers and the Millennials, Gen X women were facing new problems as they entered middle age, problems that were being largely overlooked. 

Speaking with women across America about their experiences as the generation raised to “have it all,” Calhoun found that most were exhausted, terrified about money, under-employed, and overwhelmed. Instead of being heard, they were told instead to lean in, take “me-time,” or make a chore chart to get their lives and homes in order.

In Why We Can’t Sleep, Calhoun opens up the cultural and political contexts of Gen X’s predicament and offers solutions for how to pull oneself out of the abyss—and keep the next generation of women from falling in. The result is reassuring, empowering, and essential reading for all middle-aged women, and anyone who hopes to understand them.

Check out my latest book feature in the December issue of John's Creek Lifestyle or read it below...

Season’s Readings: Deck Your Shelves with These New Holiday Releases

Are you looking to cook up a culinary masterpiece, create your own customized board game, or curl up with some cozy novels this holiday season? Whatever your winter mood, we have the perfect new releases for giving as gifts or adding to your own collection.

Board Games to Create and Play: Invent 100s of games with friends and family by Kevan Davis, Viviane Schwarz(Illustrated by)

Take Game Night to the next level by creating your own unique board games. This interactive gaming book is packed with 20 customizable and reusable boards along with tips, tricks, and mechanics on how to design the perfect game.

South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations by Sean Brock

“Best Chef Southeast” James Beard Award winner and devoted evangelist for Southern cuisine, Sean Brock is back with a beautiful new cookbook full of recipes for Southern-food lovers.

Vegan Holiday Cooking: 60 Meatless, Dairy-Free Recipes Full of Festive Flavors by Kirsten Kaminski

Whether you are looking to add a few healthier offerings to lighten up your holiday meal or you want to make a full menu of delicious vegan dishes, this cookbook covers every course from appetizer to dessert, with many recipes reminiscent of comforting holiday favorites.

The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book: 60 Easy and Fun Dessert Recipes for Every Holiday, Birthday, Milestone and More by Tiffany Dahle

Suitable for children 6 and up this book modifies recipes to help kids learn the basics of baking (how to use a mixer to cream butter and sugar, how to melt chocolate) with a little parental involvement (preheating or taking cakes from the oven,) helping families spend time together and teaching children lifelong kitchen skills.

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) returns in a festive new Shopaholic adventure filled with holiday cheer and unexpected gifts. Becky's hosting Christmas this year and her big-hearted plans are quickly taking an unexpected turn towards disaster. Will chaos ensue or will she manage to bring comfort and joy to Christmas after all?

Let It Snow by Nancy Thayer

As Christina Antonioni decorates and unpacks some last minute Christmas shipments at her Nantucket toy store, she wonders if she’ll be able to keep her business open when her landlord raises her rent. But after bonding with her landlord’s sweet, young granddaughter who frequents the shop, Christina quickly realizes this Christmas may turn out better than she ever imagined.

White Elephant by Trish Harnetiaux

A real estate firm’s yearly White Elephant gift exchange is all about bragging rights for who can buy the most coveted gift, so everyone is puzzled when an antique cowboy statue shows up—everyone except the firm’s owner and his wife. Over the course of the evening, they must figure out who brought the statue and what secrets they know.

Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails by Michelle Markowitz, Caroline Moss, and Carolyn Bahar (Illustrator)

I wanted to read something light and quick from my backlist today so I chose this crazy little book. It was so good and so (intentionally) terrible--the perfect choice for the last day of my Thanksgiving vacation. The format is fun (all email and text threads) and the passive aggressiveness among this group of late 20-somethings made me chuckle. The group's "adventures" are such a mess, despite the numerous texts and emails, which just makes them even funnier. All the friends have their own storyline but a majority of the book revolves around Jen and her wedding, making this a perfect book to gift your BFF bride-to-be, or for a bride to give to her bridesmaids (the "friends" bridesmaids, not the third cousin that your mom made you invite!). Overall, a funny, cringe-worthy, and so funny because it's cringe-worthy read.  


Goodreads Summary:
Based on the column of the same name that appeared in The Toast, Hey Ladies! is a laugh-out-loud read that follows a fictitious group of eight 20-and-30-something female friends for one year of holidays, summer house rentals, dates, brunches, breakups, and, of course, the planning of a disastrous wedding. This instantly relatable story is told entirely through emails, texts, DMs, and every other form of communication known to man.
The women in the book are stand-ins for annoying friends that we all have. There’s Nicole, who’s always broke and tries to pay for things in Forever21 gift cards. There’s Katie, the self-important budding journalist, who thinks a retweet and a byline are the same thing. And there’s Jen, the DIY suburban bride-to-be. With a perfectly pitched sardonic tone, Hey Ladies! will have you cringing and laughing as you recognize your own friends, and even yourself.