Author: Amber B

From Me!

Where have I been?

So…no content last week…

I’m super bummed as I really was hoping to have a consistent posting schedule and continue to add new content several days a week. I know the only way to grow is to keep putting posts out there so people keep coming back. But..my full time job is teaching and we just ended one semester and started a new one, so life has been a little hectic. I’ve still been reading, but not quite as quickly as I had been earlier this month (more on what I’ve been reading in a minute).

So my plan moving forward? I’m going to try to spend time working on the blog over the weekend and schedule at least 2 posts per week for now. I’d love to say 3, but I want to be realistic and focus on consistency until I figure out the best schedule for me. I’m thinking Tuesday/Thursday posts at least for the month of February and then I will reevaluate. I’ve also created a twitter account, so that I can link to new blog updates once they post. I’ve never had a Twitter account (so I’m learning that platform too), but please follow me @doyoureadmeblog if you want to hear when a new post goes live on the blog 🙂

As far as what I’m currently reading? I shared in my last post that I have been focused on reading ARC copies of books that I received for review purposes. I am trying to establish myself as a reviewer, so I need to keep my read to request ratio high in order to appeal to publishers. Many of the books do not come out until this spring or summer, so I will be posting reviews of those books closer to publication. That way you can pick them up after you read the review and you don’t have to wait.

BUT….I will say if you are a BOTM member who hasn’t selected their books for February or just a person who likes to pre-order books GO ORDER You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Their first book, The Wife Between Us was one of my all time favorites (I gasped out loud in the middle at the twist) and this one did not disappoint! I found it a little more predictable in some aspects than their previous two books, but it was a fast paced read with zero foul language!! LOVED IT! Anyway, more on that book later when it debuts at the beginning of March, but it is a BOTM choice this month if you want to grab it early. (I read the ARC and still added it to my box 😉 )

Right now, I have 4 ARC books to review, so this week will consist of two more posts with my Top 5 Reads of 2019. I hope to have some new reviews to share with you all next week! Happy Reading everyone!

Mystery/Thriller

Top 5 Reads of 2019 – #5

I’m super excited to share that I was approved for 3 more ARC (advanced reader copy) books! In an effort to establish myself as a reviewer, I have been pushing those books to the top of my pile. That way I can provide feedback to the publishers and increase my review/request ratio 🙂

My two most recent reads do not come out for several months, so I am going to hold those reviews until closer to their release dates (unless you also follow me on GoodReads). That way you won’t have to wait to order them once you read the review. (Spoiler alert: one of them was my favorite read of 2020 so far!)

Anyway, since I don’t have a new book to review yet, I thought I would post my Top 5 Reads of 2019 here on my blog. I won’t be going into quite as much detail as I will with new books, but I will include a brief commentary on each of them. Today I will start with my #5 read of 2020…….

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

I do not normally gravitate toward science fiction. In fact, I would probably even list it as one of my least favorite genres. But….I kept seeing this one pop up on GoodReads and the average review was over a 4, so I figured it must be good. It was also an option as a Book of the Month add-on, so I thought why not? Oh my!! So good! It completely hooked me from the beginning. There are definitely some confusing parts and there are definitely times when you have to suspend reality. However, this book stuck with me for awhile. Removing the sci-fi aspect and just looking at the overall theme or message of the book, it made me think about the decisions we make and how even the small ones can change the course of our lives. It also made me think about how our decisions affect the lives of the people we come in contact with throughout our lives. I posted about this one on social media when I got to the middle, because I had no idea how it would end and I was worried that the ending would be super disappointing or sad. Thankfully, my Facebook friends assured me that I needed to keep reading. There were definitely several twists and surprises throughout this book and I couldn’t put it down! I will say while the ending wasn’t my favorite, I honestly don’t know how else the author would have ended the book in a positive way. I spoke with a friend about the ending and she felt exactly the same way. Overall, it’s a really good read!

Genre: Science Fiction (with a little mystery/thriller mixed in)

Disclaimer: R rated for language only

Do You Read Me?: YES!!!!! All of my top 5 reads of 2019 are must reads in my opinion 🙂

Mystery/Thriller

Book Review #2: Mr. Nobody

My second read of 2020 was Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman

Plot Summary: A man is found on the beach with no memory of who he is or how he got there. All he knows is that there is a woman he needs to find. Dr. Emma Lewis is a neuropsychiatrist asked to consult on the man’s case. It’s the case of a lifetime for her. The only problem? The patient is in Emma’s hometown, which she left due to a tragedy over a decade ago. The patient is first dubbed “Mr. Nobody” and it’s up to Emma to decide whether he is faking his symptoms or really suffering from a fugue state. Soon, it becomes clear that there is something different about Mr. Nobody (or Matthew as he is later called). He knows things about the people in the hospital that he shouldn’t know including the secrets of Emma’s past tragedy. Oh and the woman he knows he needs to find….it’s Emma.

Category: Mystery/Thriller

My Review: First let me say a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballatine for providing me with a free ARC of this book! It was my first experience with NetGalley and an ARC book and I am hooked! I loved having this opportunity! Hoping that I get the chance to review more books in the future 🙂

I read this one in one day and I literally could not put it down! I love psychological thrillers, especially ones where I have no idea where the story is going or how it is going to end. The author did a great job of slowly revealing details on the main character’s difficult past. She also did a great job of keeping you guessing as to who Matthew was, how he knew the things he knew, and whether he was going to regain his memory. I can honestly say that I had no clue how this story was going to play out in the end between Emma and Matthew. And as one who reads a ton of thrillers that is saying a lot for the author’s writing style and plot development! What I didn’t like was honestly the ending itself. I still have so many questions about Matthew and wish the ending would have played out differently for him and Emma. I feel like the ending could have been explained a little bit more in terms of Matthew and who he was and why he did what he did. I was happy for Emma’s self reflection at the end and the fact that she seemed at peace. Overall a good read!

Disclaimer: I would say R rated solely for language reasons. There is definitely foul language, although it does not appear too frequently. I have abandoned books in the past where the language was too much for me, and that was not the case for this book.

Do You Read Me?: I would say yes! I am dying to know what others think of this book and whether they were satisfied by the ending. It wasn’t a bad ending, just one that I feel was a little rushed and somewhat confusing. I definitely think we needed a little more explanation about Matthew’s condition.

Mystery/Thriller

Book Review #1: The Wives

My first read of 2020 was The Wives by Tarryn Fisher.

Plot summary: A woman is sharing her husband with two other wives. The catch? The wives aren’t allowed to know who the other wives are. They are assigned days of the week and have no contact with each other. Everything seems to be working fine with this arrangement until one of the wives finds a clue about one of the others and starts investigating.

Category: Mystery/Thriller

My Review: The premise was super interesting! Whoever wrote the inside cover notes did an awesome job of peeking my interest and making me wonder how in the world this story would play out. The first half of the book was SO good!! The narrator not only finds a clue about one of the other wives, but finds her and chooses to befriend her without her husband’s knowledge. I had no idea what was going to happen and I was speed reading trying to figure out how this would end. Unfortunately, when I got to the second half, things went a little off course. I feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions and some confusing parts that overall made it fall flat at the end. And then I got to the actual ending (last two pages)…super disappointing. I totally thought this would end up being a five star read based on the beginning, but the ending was more a one star. Overall, I split the difference and went with three stars.

Disclaimer: PG-13/R for language

Do You Read Me?: I say yes! The first half of the book is so well-written, I would hate to not recommend it. Plus I’ve never seen a book use this premise before, which was super interesting. If you are okay with some foul language and enjoy thrillers, it’s worth the read to me. Just know you may not be completely satisfied with the ending. Or you can always come up with your own ending like I did 😉

From Me!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am very new to the blogging world, but super excited to share my love of reading with all of you 🙂

Please allow me to introduce myself….

I am a wife, a mom, a science teacher, and an avid reader. I have always loved reading, even from a very young age. At times growing up, I could even be found reading at the dinner table. As an adult with a full time job and also a mom with a super active son, it’s not always easy finding time to read. But I have committed myself in the last two years to up my reading goals and to show my son that there are other hobbies besides video games 😉 In 2018, I read 62 books and in 2019, I read 52 books. My goal for 2020 is 60 books. I always carry a book in my purse or bag and try to read in any spare moments that I have, especially when I am waiting somewhere. I am also fortunate that I am able to read in the car, so a lot of my reading takes place in the passenger seat. I honestly prefer reading actual books over electronic books, but I do have a NOOK and various apps for reading on my phone just in case an actual book is not available.

I joined GoodReads midway through 2017 as a way to keep track of my reading and LOVE it! I have recommended it to numerous friends and colleagues and enjoy connecting with people and books through GoodReads. I also started posting about books I was reading on Facebook and found so many of my friends were also avid readers. I now run my own personal “library” and often loan books to friends and colleagues. I love hearing whether they love a book as much as I do! And they are also great sources for book recommendations to add to my shelves! The last two years, I have also posted my Top 5 Reads to share some of my favorite books with my Facebook friends and family.

This year with my husband’s encouragement, I am starting this blog! This is a huge leap for me, but seeing as how I also love to write, it seemed like a natural fit. I have no idea where this blog will go, but I hope to connect with others who share the same interests as me. The idea behind the name for the blog honestly took a little while, but my vision is to include that phrase with each book review, so you know whether it is something that I think you should read. I plan to review all my books (spoiler free) and so I will be honest with my recommendations. My Christian faith is also a large part of who I am, so I will also include any disclaimers for language or violence if I feel it is an issue. I tend to read a little bit of everything, but my favorite genre is definitely mystery/thriller.

So on that note, I will end my introduction and say again that I am super excited to be on this journey! Please reach out or comment to say hi! I look forward to “meeting” all of you 🙂