An engrossing mystery that kept me turning pages until I finished. Mallory is a young woman who became addicted to painkillers. She has been sober for 18 months and is hired as a nanny for a 5 year old boy, Teddy. When Teddy begins producing some disturbing drawings, Mallory begins to investigate. There is a shocking twist near the end that I did not see coming.

Loved this new novel by one of my favorite authors. It has a determined, very independent heroine, Sloan Cooper, with a very supportive family. After a traumatic incident, she returns home where she recovers. Meets Nash, who has recently bought a house near her parents and has traumas of his own from childhood. There is a lot of suspense as Sloan tracks a duo of serial killers. Spoiler alert: happy ending!

The book had an interesting storyline told from two peoples point of View. Part of the story takes place in 1953 and part of the story takes place during WWII. A woman in 1953 is working in a thrift shop in England when she comes across a necklace that she thinks she recognizes s from her time as a volunteer for The International Red Cross delivery care packages to POW camps. The second Point of view is from a Jewish woman who lives in Paris during WWII The story s eventually intertwines and there is a bit of a surprise ending. I liked the book and I recommend it

These friends have continued to summer at the lake since they were children. Now adults, they look forward to those few weeks in summer when their family’s vacation together, keeping up the tradition. This year things are off. The friends are not comfortable with each other. Their children are not talking to each other, and the new nanny is an enigma. David, now divorced has brought a new girlfriend, along with his twin 5-year-old children and the new Nanny. He has also built a huge glass house that does not fit in to the area, and has blocked his friends’ views. There is tension among the friends. There is a legend that every thirty years a woman disappears from the lake…. the lake takes them. There have been 2 of these disappearances. It is now thirty years after the last disappearance, and guess what, David's girlfriend disappears. A complicated murder mystery with connections to three generations. Some outlandish sections, but if you can get over that, a good solid mystery. I actually enjoyed it, despite my misgivings.

This book was just what I needed for a summer read, light and breezy. Twin Olive announces to her very close family that she and her fiancé are going to elope in Hawaii so not to remind her sister, Amelia, of her failed marriage. The family plans to surprise the couple in Hawaii with a full blown wedding. Ami and her cousin Diego set off early to start the preparations. Ami is forced to plan the wedding with charismatic best man Brody and eventually they like each other. Was this whole elopement a ruse to get Ami out of her rut. Read and find out. I also recommend the audiobook, it is read with multiple actors and sound effects.

Songs of Summer by Jane L Rosen is another enjoyable "Summer Reads" (If you haven't read it, SPOILER ALERT STOP READING HERE. The central plot takes place of Fire Island. The story while a little predictable still kept me interested. I was impressed by the characters back story. I would have preferred a few more surprises. I liked the ending BUT, it was for me, cookie cutter - It is as if Ms. Rosen didn't try hard enough to be creative which is why a 4 and not a 5.

This book sat on my shelf for too long but Phoebe and the Wedding People will stay with me even longer. This quickly has become my favorite book of the year. It centers around Phoebe and how for one weekend she decides to splurge one last time on herself at a ritzy hotel in Rhode Island. She has hit rock bottom and to her, her life is over but then she meets the bride and the rest of the Wedding People. Pros: Espach did an excellent job of weaving an intricate story of tough subjects with humor. The characters were all likeable and relatable. I also thought that the book flowed nicely. There were also multiple moments in the novel where I laughed out loud. Cons: It was a little slow in the beginning but very quickly you become invested in the story.

Martha Hall Kelly presents well integrated woven with some family memories into historical fiction. The mystery is set in current time when a young Californian woman travels to Martha’s Vineyard for an Art Class to begin her quest. During her visit, the art instructor shares the story of a local family set during WWII. I came to know the family well and wanted to know the fate of each person. A beautiful summer read. When finished check out Martha’s website. She shares some of the recipes dating back to the ‘40s.

A true crime writer is investigating two deaths that took place years apart at a Vermont Orphanage. She has been hired to be a ghostwriter for an author writing a story about the abuse at the orphanage, and is researching background. At the orphanage, in 1968 a young boy was found drowned, at the lake. Fifty years later his murder has never been solved, and a new victim has been discovered in the same spot at the same lake. Is there a connection? Kept me guessing. I love me a good mystery.

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.