Huntington Public Library Adult Reading Challenge

The fantasy world here is so interesting and I found the characters well written. I liked the magical system, though I wasn't quite as taken with the execution of the monster inside Elspeth's head. I understood what the author was doing, but I found him more creepy in a predator way than scary in a monster way, if that makes sense. Still, I thought the story was very entertaining and I really enjoyed the overarching reading experience!  

  I really liked this book for a quick summer read! The main character (Anna Green) marries a very wealthy man (Liam Weston) just to help with housing. She comes from a low income family and struggles to get by. Years later, he needs her help to go to his sister's wedding with him and play the role of wife. Anna signs on, knowing she will be getting paid (after losing her job). They fly to a private island and she sees how exactly wealthy Liam's family is. Liam has many issues with his family (particularly his dad) and tries to protect Anna and keep the peace for the sake of his sister's special trip. As time goes on, Anna and Liam start actually falling for each other and are hiding their secret (that they didn't actually marry for love). Cute, fun read.

 Easy beach read, simplistic plot, geared to a younger audience.

 Suspenseful and draws you in quickly. I think I liked the ending better before she added the additional epilogue. It became a different book with that ending (creepier).

  A super cute read and perfect for the summer time! January and Gus are both writers and are struggling on finding the right words to write on paper. They are also afraid of love but find love with in each other. January has been going through a rough time as both of her parents passed away and also finding out a devastating secret her Father was keeping from her. Gus helps her along the way and in the end they both finally realize where they belong, Gus was my favorite character as he always was a bit goofy and found ways to make January laugh, truly be happy and find herself again. If your looking for a cute summer read this is the perfect book for you!

  For readers of psychology and wanting to learn more about the western world and where the ancestors from different ancient worlds created the foundation for the world we live in today including ideologies about death and life, this is a great book. I would not recommend to anyone who is not looking for major depth in a book as this text dives deep into the spiritual mindset of ancient humans especially fueled by hallucinogenic themes. Some prevalent themes that the reader may question, while reading William S. Burroughs, are what did the ancients think immortality meant, was life worth living if in the afterlife one would become an immortal shell? The carvings on the walls fueled by hallucinogens, were they merely fueled by the effects of these plants or were they connecting with a higher power or aura on earth that is far beyond the powers that humans can connect to today? Are today's humans so far removed from connectivity to the land and nature that we question the ability of ...

  I really enjoyed this book. It is a departure from my normal biblio-diet of mystery/thrillers. This is a very cute love story about two writers who end up living next door to each other while going through a difficult time in their lives. One is a romance author, the other an author looking to write the next "great novel". They are both dealing with writer's block and more than a few personal issues, so naturally they decide to make a bet where they switch genres to push themselves. The result a heartfelt "romcom" of a book that had me both laughing and crying. It was a fun read- and no one got murdered.

  This book is about a tight knit friend group who takes annual trips to Maine together. The characters and their bonds are so believable, I wish I was part of this friend group! The two main characters were in a serious relationship for a decade and broke up a few months before their Maine trip. They didn't want to spoil the trip for their friends, so they pretended to still be together. The characters are around age 30 and are dealing with the fear of change and growing apart that comes naturally with new life stages, which I found relatable. The main couples' love story was so beautifully written, intense, and believable. I am a tough critic on romance stories but I commend this one. I loved the ending and all the lessons learned by all characters in the book.

 Nora is a literary agent, who has put her life on hold to raise her younger sister after their mother's death. The two sisters' devotion to each other gets challenged when Nora falls for a book editor with  razor-sharp witty banter, and Nora's sister makes a drastic life choice. Delightful ride!

  This novel was such a page turner I didn’t want to put it down! Greatly written and super creepy. Kinda reminded me of a haunted mansion ghostly kind of way but was actually real life. I also loved the fact how it was a different read from others it was almost like you were reading 2 different books in one. The ending was such a shocker as well and I’m still thinking about it!

  The Fourth Wing is a fantasy-romance novel in the vein of A Court of Thorns and Roses. The novel stars twenty-year-old Violet, daughter of a fierce general who is unwillingly conscripted into training as a dragon rider. Trained her whole life to become a scholar, Violet is thrown into a violent and often deadly training to become a dragon rider, the most revered and main fighters in a seemingly never ending war between her home country and the others that it borders. Violet, as the general's daughter, has a constant target on her back- everyone seems to want her dead, especially Xaden, the most beautiful and fearsome rider, and of course, her wingleader. Will Violet ever overcome her pacifist nature to become a dragon rider worth of her last name? Will Violet and Xaden turn from enemies to lovers? For fans of Sarah J. Maas, the Fourth Wing takes you on a wild ride and leaves you both wanting the next book and also a dragon.

  A fun, fluffy, romantic read for summertime that touches on some deeper issues that affect people and their relationships. Hallie runs a gardening business in Napa Valley. Her longtime crush, Julian, returns to town to help run his family's vineyard after several years away. Fate brings them together, of course, and their personalities clash- Hallie is a whirling dervish of flowers, dirt, and dogs, while Julian is rigid and adheres strictly to a schedule. Opposites attract for this odd couple and despite Hallie's inability to be on time and Julian's need for timed and ordered structure, the two can't seem to keep away from each other. Tessa Bailey's characters are always fully realized and well developed, if somewhat larger than life (no one can be as handsome as the male protagonist/love interest, nobody). Secretly Yours is a rom-com read perfect for the beach or a mini brain-vacation.

  This was a psychological thriller with twists and turns that make you believe your first, second, and third theories of what's about to happen, are actually 100% wrong! The story is of a husband and wife who suffer numerous family tragedies after marriage and how the husband copes with finding solutions to his living nightmare. Insert the new woman in his life and the living nightmare of deceit, betrayal, lies, and murder weave themselves into her life now. I did not want to stop reading as this book was a page turner.... until the very last sentence kind of left me hanging with the feeling of ' what will happen now?' Colleen Hoover has done it again with her writing that makes you feel as though you're right there with the characters.

  This book revolves around the friends with benefits relationship of Tate & Miles. Two 20-something single working professionals who can't help their mutual attraction for each other but yet don't want to be serious and move forward with their feelings. With their passionate love affair comes some very sad and emotional baggage, which the book reveals to be the catalyst for change in both of their lives. If you remember that 'butterflies in your stomach' feeling from young love, you'll love this story and be cheering on these two characters to make it, from the sidelines.

  Lowen is a struggling writer who gets hired to ghost write for best-selling author Verity Crawford. Verity was in an accident leaving her physically and mentally incapacitated, and her husband Jeremy invited Lowen to stay in their home and read through Verity’s materials to help her pick up where Verity left off. As Lowen spends more time in the house, she falls for Jeremy and discovers writing belonging to Verity full of terrifying admissions regarding the death of both of Jeremy’s daughters. This book had me nervous to sleep at night after reading a few chapters, and I enjoyed the story for the most part even if some of it was downright unbelievable. I will say I hated the ending and that made me like the story less as a whole, but I do think it’s still worth a read.