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Behind Closed Doors
By B.A. Paris
St. Martin’s Press, Hardcover, 9781250121004, August 6, 2016, 304pp.

The Short of It:

This book is all kinds of crazy and incredibly hard to put down.

The Rest of It:

*No Spoilers*

Perfect couples irritate the heck out of me. The outfits, the dinners, the public displays of affection. It’s all too much. Jack and Grace happen to be that couple. Jack’s charm and good looks make him quite the catch so when Grace falls head-over-heels for him, they soon marry and from that point on, it’s all downhill from there.

They have secrets. Grace does her best to keep them, realizing she has little choice but the cat and mouse game that Jack plays is enough to make you jump out of your seat. I spent many lunches nervously chewing my own lip off. The tension is so thick and the pacing is relentless.

Needless to say, I really loved it. I loved the story and how the characters were written. There are some interesting twists that I didn’t see coming and the ending was very, very satisfying. I’ve never heard of the author before this book but I am a fan of hers now.

If you want a book that you absolutely cannot put down and love psychological thrillers which also happen to be pretty clean in the violence/language department, then pick this one up. I’ve recommended it to many friends and everyone agrees that it’s great. Go get yourself a copy.

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

Landline
By Rainbow Rowell
(St. Martin’s Press, Hardcover, 9781250049377, July 8, 2014, 320pp.)

The Short of It:

Fun and witty with just a little bit of silly.

The Rest of It:

Georgie McCool (seriously, that is her name!) decides to stay home and work through Christmas because the TV deal she is working on is just too good to pass up. Her husband Neal is flying back to Omaha to see his folks and he’s not happy with her decision. As he heads out-of-town with their two daughters in tow, Georgie is well aware of the decision she is making and yet, she can’t bring herself to do anything about it. Her marriage to Neal has been in trouble for a long time and she has no idea how to fix it.

The one thing you will read over and over again about this book is that it’s a fun, light read. It can be read in one sitting and it contains just enough humor to keep it interesting but I tell ya, as much as I loved Georgie’s neurotic tendencies and her poor clothing choices, I had such a hard time with the main part of the story which involves going back to the past via a landline telephone.

She doesn’t technically go back in time, but she gets to know her husband, before he’s her husband and attempts to make things right again. If you embrace the ridiculousness of it all, the book is quite enjoyable. Rowell is known for her ability to work teen angst into a thing of beauty but she is quite adept at handling her adult characters as well.

Besides the magical phone, the only other issue I had with the book was Georgie’s husband, Neal. He’s a real drip in the present AND even in the past. It’s hard to understand why she misses him so much when she has a much better, more interesting guy who happens to be working right next to her. But sure, for the sake of marriage and family you end up rooting for them even though Neal is such a bore.

Overall, I liked this one better than Fangirl but not as much as Eleanor & Park. It has its moments but like I said, it’s a quick, fun read and a perfect way to spend a pleasant afternoon. If you are anxious to get your hands on it, you’ll have to wait a little longer as it doesn’t come out until early July.

Source: Sent to me by a blogger friend.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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