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One of the Girls
By Lucy Clarke
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 9780593422649, June 2022, 432pp.

The Short of It:

Impossible to put down!

The Rest of It:

This book has it all. A beautiful Greece setting, characters you care about. a quick, dramatic pace, and it will keep you guessing. A group of friends take off on a “hen” weekend, a bachelorette party to celebrate Lexi’s upcoming wedding but everyone on this trip has a secret she is keeping and at the top of the story you know someone ends up dead so from the very first page I was pulled in.

Clarke tells a really good story. There are some surprises and many twists but that gorgeous Greece setting takes center stage. With each page, you are right there with them. At the villa, on the boat, soaking up the sun and enjoying they many drinks that a gathering such as this one has readily available. Clarke slowly peels back the many layers and reveals all of their insecurities and worries and doubt. Do you ever really know your friends?

If you haven’t read One of the Girls yet, you should. It was excellent and got me out of my slump.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Lemon
By Kwon Yeo-sun, Janet Hong (Translated)
Other Press, 9781635423310, August 2022. 160pp.

The Short of It:

At its heart, Lemon is a crime novel, but it’s actually so much more.

The Rest of It:

In the summer of 2002, when Korea is abuzz over hosting the FIFA World Cup, eighteen-year-old Kim Hae-on is killed in what becomes known as the High School Beauty Murder. Two suspects quickly emerge: rich kid Shin Jeongjun, whose car Hae-on was last seen in, and delivery boy Han Manu, who witnessed her there just a few hours before her death. But when Jeongjun’s alibi checks out, and no evidence can be pinned on Manu, the case goes cold. ~ Indiebound

If you pick this book up expecting it to read like a typical crime novel, you will be disappointed. It slowly unfolds but if you aren’t careful, you’ll miss all the tiny details. The author tells the story with great detail, and yet you will be slightly puzzled when you turn the last page because it will appear as if nothing has been determined, but as someone in my book club said, the clues are right there.

This is a short novel at only 160 pages but it’s so full and satisfying to read. It can be read in one sitting but you will want to savor it a little to catch all the nuances the author so skillfully crafted. I don’t want to share too much here but it’s very good. I highly recommend it.

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

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