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Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood

In a Dark, Dark Wood
By Ruth Ware
Gallery/Scout Press, 9781501112331, April 2016, 352pp.

The Short of It:

Not too many twists and not much going on in the woods but I still found myself glued to its pages.

The Rest of It:

Nora receives an invitation to Clare’s hen party, which is essentially a bride’s last hurrah at being single but what Nora can’t understand is why? Why her? She hasn’t seen Clare in ten years and it wasn’t all that great between them when they were last together. But when Nora sees that Nina, a mutual friend was also invited, she reaches out to her and they make a pact to attend together.

This was a quick, page-turner and yes, it’s a little predictable, but it was still enjoyable and Ware is good at stringing you along. Right from the beginning you know as a reader that this hen party is not a good idea. A small group, and some very strong personalities. Add to that a lot of drinking and foolishness and you just know it can’t end well.

Overall, I was very entertained by these characters. Some of their actions seemed a little over-the-top and could have used a bit more explanation but I was happily immersed in the drama of it all. That’s what we all need now. Drama that we can easily pick up and put down and drama that is not our own!

It’s being marketed as a thriller but I’d say it’s pretty mild in that department. It’s just a fun way to spend a lazy afternoon. If you’ve read Ware’s books before, I’d say this is one of the better ones.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Sunday Matters: Back to School (Not Really)

Sunday Matters

The high schools in my city start school this Tuesday. They will be online for the first five weeks and then the district will determine if they can return to campus in a limited capacity. We haven’t gotten too much information yet and no textbooks but as of today schedules are still being finalized so that probably makes sense.

This year “back to school” feels so different, doesn’t it? I was at Walmart the other day and the aisles of back to school supplies are usually packed with parents but those aisles were empty. Totally empty. I’m glad they are starting online though because they weren’t ready to head back to campus.

Right Now:

Not much going on at the moment. We will watch church online and just relax I think. I’d like to grill something later. Grilling always sounds good but then I never know what to make.

This Week:

I took last Friday off to visit the botanical garden and I have this Monday off too. Nothing exciting planned because my daughter has her last driving lesson scheduled for Monday afternoon. I will be very glad to have those lessons done with. We are behind because the driving school closed for nearly two months but they extended us, thankfully and so we are cramming it all in.

School begins on Tuesday. She is a senior. Wow. Some of you remember when she was pretty little.

The rest of the week is filled with virtual dance classes and just random stuff.

Reading:

I read and reviewed The Boy from the Woods. It didn’t work for me. Sadly. I am a huge fan of Coben’s TV shows on Netflix but I don’t know if it was just this book or what but the style didn’t appeal to me.

My next book will be In a Dark, Dark Wood. I lost my library copy on my Kindle because I accidentally turned WiFi on but I found a used copy at the bookstore. Both the Coben book and this one are on my summer reading list so I am doing well this summer with that! I only have two more books to read on that list and although it’s August it still feels very much like summer so I have time.

Is anyone thinking about the R.I.P. Challenge yet? September is coming. I hope it happens.

Watching:

I’ve been watching reruns of things like Seinfeld and Roseanne but I saw a teaser for Ratched and it looks so good. Remember Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy is the creator. It comes out 9/18.

Grateful for:

  • I’ve tasked my husband with cooking at least one meal a week because I am so tired of planning and cooking meals. He cooked his first one and it was really good. BBQd chicken, corn, asparagus. Extremely grateful for the break. He will make Taco Spaghetti next!
  • My daughter was offered direct admittance into Rider University’s BFA for Musical Theatre. This happened right after the intensive. She is still considering many schools but it’s nice that she is already accepted somewhere without an audition!

I am trying to focus on losing (sadly) the fifteen pounds I’ve gained since March. Trying to eat more whole foods and less wine. Ugh. Anyone else with this problem?