Steph Reads: The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl follows the story of Mia Dennett, a young school teacher who comes from a massively wealthy family making her the perfect target for an abduction demanding a hefty ransom. The story takes place through the eyes of Mia and her captor during the time she is living as a captive, as well as after her return switching perspective between the Detective on the case and Mia's mother. Upon her return from being held captive, Mia has selective amnesia which has blocked most of her memories of her time in the Minnesota woods with her captor, making her case all the more interesting and complex.

Kubica manages to pen this story switching between points of view as well as places on the timeline without confusion and is able to reveal a great deal about many characters in few words. Overall I enjoyed the set up of this story as well as the ending, but I felt the middle of the story was a bit lengthy without much development. It was most likely intentional, but just when I thought the characters were getting somewhere in a scenario or conversation, the chapter would end and the point of view would shift to a different character and part of the timeline forcing me to abandon the momentum I had going in a previous scene.

I do think that the ending of this story was worth the wait and well worth the repeated taunt at some sort of fulfillment in the mid portion of the story, but I do think other books (such as Gone Girl and Girl on the Train) do a better job at keeping a more consistent engagement with the story. When people refer to these types of stories as 'thrillers' or 'roller coaster rides,' I would say with this novel I felt a peak at the beginning, one long plateau, followed by a last peak where as with the previously mentioned novels I feel a ton of bumps along with the massive peaks throughout the story's entirety. Again, I think the ending of this book is very well done and made me want to read the story again (seriously, read the Epilogue...my jaw dropped and I gasped on the subway), but be prepared for a bit of a slow burn with this one!

xxSJ

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline11/22/63 by Stephen King
Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends by Courtney Robertson
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The Hypnotist's Love Story by Lianne Moriarty
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The Husband's Secret by Lianne Moriarty
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

Steph Reads: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One follows teenager Wade Watts as he plugs into the virtual reality Oasis on the daily as his avatar, Parzival. Wade is obsessed with the creation of the Oasis, more specifically the Easter Egg hunt hidden within laid out by the creator of the virtual world following his death. The prize for completing the hunt is control over the Oasis as well as a fortune beyond belief. After Wade unlocks the first clue in the egg hunt, both his reality and virtual lives hinge on his ability to complete the quest for the ultimate prize.

If you like books that focus on world building, then you will LOVE this book. Cline does a fantastic job of explaining the rules of a world living almost solely in virtual reality. From currency to crime, he covers it all.  Though some elements are a bit fantastical, there are some hard truths about living in a virtual reality and being addicted to technology that Cline shines a light on. I found this book incredibly entertaining from start to finish though I do think in the latter half of the book some plot elements and climaxes were resolved a little too simply and cleanly for my liking. You do not have to be an 80s video game fan to enjoy this book as there are plenty of pop culture references to enjoy regardless of your interests and experience in gaming. This novel is being adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg and will surely be a fun one!

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends by Courtney Robertson
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The Hypnotist's Love Story by Lianne Moriarty
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The Husband's Secret by Lianne Moriarty
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

Steph Reads: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

It had been a while since I had read a Liane Moriarty novel so I decided to end the Summer off with a perfect chick-lit read: Big Little Lies. This story is told in the voices of 3 very different women who all have at least one thing in common: they all have children in the same kindergarten class. Jane is the young newcomer to town who has a haunting past she is trying to escape. Celeste is a startlingly beautiful woman who on the outside seems to be picture perfect. Madeline is the sassy and vivacious one in the group who can't help but get wrapped up in drama. The book begins by hinting at a catastrophe occurring at a parent Trivia night at the elementary school that will ultimately become the story's climax. The book then starts from the beginning with chapters alternating perspective between Jane, Celeste, and Madeline. Each chapter ends with a small segment of detective interviewing occurring after the Trivia night (what all the events in the book are leading up to!). This thoughtful touch is a fun way to try and piece together the puzzle and get a little more information on characters the book doesn't flesh out quite as much.   Kindergarten may seem like a placid setting for a book promising drama; however, you will not be disappointed!

I loved this book perhaps even more than I loved The Husband's Secret. I enjoy Moriarty's captivating writing style and her ability to create characters that are relatable and meaningful.  I love that every time I read one of her novels, I find bits of myself in each of her characters causing me to care more about them and be more understanding of their actions.  I would mark this book as a must read if you enjoy chick-lit novels dripping with humor and satire and if you are patient enough to hold out for the shocking revelations!

xxSJ

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!
I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends by Courtney Robertson
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The Hypnotist's Love Story by Lianne Moriarty
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
Someday Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
The Husband's Secret by Lianne Moriarty
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty
Uninvited by Sophie Jordan
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler

Steph Reads: Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

**sigh**
      I think I'm officially done with the young adult, dystopian genre. The novel, 'Uninvited,' had such an exciting premise, however I was left wanting more when the book was finished, and not just because this book unexpectedly turned out to be the first novel of a series (what's with everything having to be a series nowadays???).
      'Uninvited' is about a society in the future that has identified a 'kill gene.' Carriers of this gene are murderers and it isn't so much if they kill, its more a matter of when. This book takes place in a time when genetic testing is mandatory to test for this gene and carriers are ostracized to keep society safe.
The book follows the main character, Davy, who has everything going for her until she finds out she is a carrier of the kill gene. No spoilers in this book review, though I will say the book took many unexpected (sometimes chilling) turns and I certainly identified with and felt for Davy. The novel explores the complexities of labels and assumptions as well as the nature versus nurture argument. Are carriers of the kill gene going to kill because its in their DNA, or are they going to kill because of how they are treated after being labeled a killer?
      This book gave me plenty of questions to think about and definitely had some more mature subject material in it than some other young adult books I've read, however it still just doesn't quite go there for me.  This is why I think I'm done reading young adult books. The subject matter of these stories is great, but since they're written for a younger audience, rather than my mind racing after I put the book down, I just kind of go 'huh,' and then have no problem moving on. I could see myself in high school LOVING this story, and thus I recommend it to anyone under 18. Otherwise I think my time is better served with some more mature reads.

xxSJ

Check out my other Steph Reads posts!
Splintered by AG Howard
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Beneath the Glitter by Elle and Blair Fowler