Quick Reviews: 2020 Releases

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

With each book I read by John Marrs, I'm more and more impressed by his stellar writing and utterly unique scenarios.  In his newest release, Maggie and Nina live together, but not necessarily by choice.  Maggie is Nina's prisoner, and through alternating POVs and flashbacks, we learn what has happened to them over the years to get them to this point.  I think it's good to go in pretty blind, but I will say that once you find out what the relationship is between Maggie and Nina, it'll start to make sense and all these new layers will become apparent.  The pacing of the story is excellent, and it felt like there were batsh*t crazy reveals in every chapter.  So many lies, secrets, and misunderstandings!  4.5 stars

 

The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms

 

Mia is a social media influencer, and Paige works for the social media site that Mia uses.  When Mia goes off the radar, Paige takes over her page as a way to help Jessica, her sister and one of Mia's biggest fans.  I tend to enjoy stories that incorporate social media; I think they feel so timely and relevant and can offer some good insight.  This was no exception, although it did have its issues, too.  I loved Mia; she kind of fell into being a social media star by accident and now she wants to quit, but is unsure of who she is without it.  I could tell she had a big heart.  Paige's character was a miss for me.  She has issues in her life, but her actions didn't always make sense to me.  I felt like she could have helped her sister more by being honest with her. Also, her dialogue and personality seemed to have some inconsistencies throughout the course of the story.  3.5 stars

This Is Not How It Ends by Rochelle B. Weinstein

Charlotte and Philip had an instant connection, and their love seems effortless and perfect - until it's not.  Charlotte begins to doubt their love even more when she meets Ben, and one fateful night forces her to choose which man she wants to be with.  I wanted to like this book more than I did.  I have to say, I loved the writing - it's smooth and velvety and so easy to read.  However, I had some issues with the plot.  I loved Philip, his breezy attitude and love for Charlotte, but it was so obvious to me that he was hiding something, and I don't know how Charlotte didn't see it.  Ben, the romantic rival, was so bland, and I'm not quite sure what she saw in him.  Unfortunately, the story was very predictable and the second half of the book kind of went downhill for me.  3 stars