Trapped in a terrifying marriage with two young daughters, and a baby on the way, Ciara knows that she and her are no longer safe in their home. Her husband is cruel, and although he has not become physical, he is emotionally torturing her. While she has been thinking about it for a while, she impetuously leaves when one evening things become impossible. From here on, the book describes her attempt to leave, navigating the impossible bureaucracy, the challenging housing market, being penniless, with children, being unable to work, and being tormented by her husband, as she tries to navigate the situation and keep her children safe, and regain control of their lives. Along the way she encounters the good, the bad and the ugly. Friendships blossom; professionals try to help. The mean stay mean. An emotional rollercoaster, an insider’s look into the difficulty of “leaving”.

While this book didn't exactly surprise me, (if you are familiar with the Hunger Games Universe you suspected something of this sort happening to the characters) but the details that is shared and emotion is conveys is well worth the read. I loved Haymitch in the original books so getting to hear his story and background was really interesting to me (while also breaking my heart!). A must-read for Hunger Games fans

Steven Petrow and I know each other since were were in 2nd grade. We lived in the same neighborhood and our fathers coincidentally went to college together. I have a signed copy of "Stupid Things..." but had not read it yet so I read it this month. The library also had it on display very recently. Steven is an LGBTQ+ author who also wrote "The Complete Guide to Gay and Lesbian Manners." I'm actually cited in the book. The book was different than I thought it would be. I expected it to be more comedic but it was more serious, or maybe I felt it was having known his parents. He writes about them a lot in the book. It's definitely worth the read.

This book made me laugh, cry, and anxious to read how the characters manage the course of events. I could not put it down. My family had summer bungalow on Long Island (not on Fire Island) for 20 years. It was a small community where wives and children lived at the beach all summer and husbands came out after work on Fridays for the weekend. So many of scenes so beautifully portrayed mirrored my memories. Do not miss reading this book.

A young woman meets the famous artist of a painting she adores. She sees something in the painting that most people don't. She learns the story behind painting and gets drawn into the lives of the artist and his friends. I enjoyed the book.

Great book! Nora and her sister Libby go on a reconnect vacation to Sunshine, N Carolina. While there, Libby makes a list of everything they must accomplish before vacation is over. While there Nora meets Charlie, her nemesis from NYC. As they spend more time together, Nora and Charlie become the romantic couple that can never be together… or can they? I recommend this quick, fun read.

Another excellent book by this author about the disturbing and shameful history of America’s eugenics program.

Enjoyable autobiography.

I wish I had read The Perfect Marriage in this series first. It didn’t spoil this otherwise standalone book, but I would have had some great background to add richness to the novel. I loved the cover of this book, and the creative way the sides of the book were made to look like they were smeared in blood. I was actually reading it at the oral surgeon’s office, so it made quite a stir. Anyway, this is Sarah’s second marriage. She has one daughter. She has an interesting backstory with her previous husband; he was accused of murder she defended him she lost, and he was eventually executed. She has now served her second husband of 10 years with divorce papers, as he was caught cheating on her. He would like forgiveness and to stay married. Not a chance! The story follows the complications around this divorce and the havoc it wreck's, in other people’s lives, including murder and kidnapping. and the reopening of her former husband’s case in light of new evidence. Enjoy the ride!

I loved how much tension and emotion built up between Conrad and Belly, but when it finally came together it felt too rushed. So much time was spent on other relationships that I was left wanting more of their quieter, meaningful moments. As a Team Conrad reader, I just wanted more of their happiness after all the drama. I would honestly read another book just to get those missing pieces, and I really hope the Amazon Prime streaming show gives us more of that side of their story.