Recent reads...

I've been quiet for a while, partly because I've been travelling- which in turn has allowed me plenty of time to catch up on some reading

So, one of the books I raced through was this one.

I didn't like most of the characters, they didn't like each other- it was unsettling and distressing at times, but also intriguing , with numerous twists-so I kept turning the pages until far too late at night!

THE PERFECT LIFE

Juliana Daniels finally has the life she’s always dreamed of. A loving husband, a career as an attorney, and a cozy apartment in Manhattan to call home.

But when she gets a message from an old college friend, her blood runs cold. Remember me?

ONE DEADLY LIE

Juliana drops her phone as though she’s been scalded. The name Jenny Teller shines out from the screen… but Jenny can’t have sent that message.

Because Jenny is dead.

Juliana’s other college friends have all received the same message. The four of them are the only ones who know the truth about the night Jenny died. It’s a secret they have kept buried for thirteen years.

WHO DO YOU TRUST?

With ‘Jenny’ now blackmailing them and threatening to expose their secret, only one thing is certain. Someone else knows the truth about that night… or one of them is lying.

Thank you HQDigital for my ARC

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For a total change of pace and style, I read 'We are not like them' which is headlined as 'The Most Important Novel You'll Read This Year."

It certainly is an interesting and challenging story, written collaboratively by two authors, confronting race, class and friendship issues.

The movement between the two voices is fluid and thought provoking. Sometimes I felt one of the voices was pushing their point of view too much, but then the other character would push back too.

As a white woman reading this ,at times I felt uncomfortable and challenged- but I thought it was very even handed, with warm characters I really cared about. And I continue to think about it.

Not every story is black and white.

Riley and Jen have been best friends since they were children, and they thought their bond was unbreakable. It never mattered to them that Riley is black and Jen is white. And then Jen's husband, a Philadelphia police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager and everything changes in an instant.

This one act could destroy more than just Riley and Jen's friendship. As their community takes sides, so must Jen and Riley, and for the first time in their lives the lifelong friends find themselves on opposing sides.

But can anyone win a fight like this?

We Are Not Like Them is about friendship and love. It's about prejudice and betrayal. It's about standing up for what you believe in, no matter the cost.

Thank you HQStories for my ARC