BY SOPHIA
Hi all! So as some of you may know, both Jensine & I just returned from vacations we each took with our families. I went to Hawaii (shoutout Big Island!) and of course found the time to read a few good books that I wanted to share with you all. So here we go!
The first book that I read was The Night Swim by Megan Goldin.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to regret picking up this book as it was described as a thriller and I have read some pretty creepy thrillers in the past (not by this author per se). BUT! This book is not really a thriller so much as it is a cold case/murder solving type of story. The story was really sad (your heart really goes out to the victim) and the “whodunit” type twist was extremely satisfactory and not one that I saw coming AT ALL. The main character of this story is the host of a super popular crime podcast (a la Serial) and for her upcoming season of the podcast she decides to cover a live trial of a rape case in a small town. After arriving, though, she realizes that small town has some old skeletons in its closet and that the current rape case trial bears very similar resemblance to an older case that happened decades previously. CREEEEEPYYYY right?! If that doesn’t sound interesting to you then I can’t help you 😂
Next up is another title by Megan Goldin: The Escape Room.
After loving The Night Swim so much, I couldn’t wait to start on The Escape Room. This book centers around characters who all work for the same firm and think they are on their way to a team-building exercise (escape room style) but end up being trapped in an elevator together. All of them have their own motives for wanting to hurt the others but still need to figure out a way to work in tandem to break free of the elevator. I don’t think I can really say more about it without giving the plot away but it was a good read – not AS enticing as The Night Swim but still good nonetheless!
The last book I read (that is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE) is Eliza Starts A Rumor by Jane L. Rosen.
Even though this plot has nothing to do with Finlay Donovan is Killing It, there was something very reminiscent of Finlay Donovan in this story. It was the perfect book to end my vacation with as it was super easy to read yet engaging. The main character, Eliza, is an empty-nester who runs a super popular online “bulletin board” (think: Facebook group) for her town. One day, she overhears some younger moms gossiping about how lame the bulletin board is and she decides to spice it up by making up a rumor to create some attention to the group. Little does she know, though, how close to home her rumor hits for certain couples in her tight-knight community. There is a little bit of comedy of errors style storytelling woven throughout the plot but overall, the story was one of resilience, friendship, and female power. I really loved it!
Fun fact: I actually brought something like 7-8 books (PHYSICAL BOOKS, not e-books!) in my suitcase to Hawaii to read, thinking that I’d be lounging around reading ALL DAY LONG. I was lounging about all day but I was also swimming in the ocean or playing with my kids so needless to say .. I didn’t read my entire stack. But these three were solid choices and I’m glad that they’re the three I tackled!
Tell me, what are some recent reads you’ve had on vacation!?