Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

I had the pleasure of chatting with another fabulous author about some of her books that I read a few years ago. Elizabeth Haynes is from the UK and also a police intelligence analyst, so of course you can imagine she knows what she is talking about! Into the Darkest Corner was her very first novel, which is so impressive, as it was a UK and NY Times Best Seller.

I enjoyed Into The Darkest Corner because I love psychological thrillers, suspense and mystery. This book grabbed me from the first few pages, which starts with a court interrogation of Lee Brightman. It then shifts into a disturbing murder scene of a young woman. The story then jumps into the life of a young woman, Catherine, that had a violent ex-boyfriend (Lee Brightman) and so she suffers from  severe symptoms of OCD and PTSD. The book alternates between 2 different time periods: when Catherine was in the violent relationship and her current life filled with anxiety and paranoia. It's one of those books that actually gives you anxiety as you read it!
I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy suspense and dark books. I don't want to give too much away , but this is a very entertaining read. The police and detective references are a bit different since the writer is from the UK, but you get the idea once you read further.

I also really enjoyed Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes. This is another dark, disturbing story that does a great job grabbing your interest. I find that Elizabeth's writing is very unique and I look forward to reading other books by her soon!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I felt compelled to write this review today for 2 reasons. First, I just finished the book last night. Second, the trailer just came out today for the movie. I am so excited and I must write about this NOW!

 Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

OK, so I have read some reviews already for this book, and it's very important to keep in mind that it is a very sensitive and controversial topic. It is not your conventional love story, but it is FICTION. Many people had negative and biased reviews due to the fact that one of the main characters is a highly depressed, quadriplegic man; debating euthanasia. So yes, it is a very sensitive topic , but also bear in mind that this is a fictional story. If you cannot handle that, then this is not the book for you.

The majority of the story is told from the main character, Louisa Clark's perspective. She is a working class girl that is desperate for a job; so she  signs a 6 month contract to work for Will Traynor as a "companion and caretaker." Will  comes from a very wealthy family, and is an ex-business man who survived a bad motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed, with the limited use of one hand only.  Will had a pretty active life before the accident and was a player with the ladies. He was also an avid traveler who loved doing physical activities. When Louisa starts the job, she is in a 7 year relationship that has gone pretty stale. Her and Will don't necessarily hit it off from the beginning, but as time goes by, they start building a very unique friendship. This story is unique in that you can feel their chemistry building up , but without much physical interaction obviously. However, the connection is so strong that it really touches you. I actually got butterflies in my stomach reading some parts!
This story goes through many ups and downs as Louisa accidentally finds out why her contract is "limited" to 6 months. The second half of the story is basically Louisa trying everything in her power to convince Will to accept and adapt to his limited, new life style. I don't want to say too much more without spoiling the story. Again, keep in mind that it's fiction and try not to analyze the medical stuff behind it too much. The author is not an expert on quadriplegia and is just trying to tell a complicated love story. Prepare to shed some tears!!!!! I really enjoyed this and hope you will too!

"You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible"- Jojo Moyes

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

I am so grateful for social media! Not only does it allow you to add and follow your favorite authors (not an option in my childhood), but some authors are gracious enough to engage in conversations with you! This morning, I had the pleasure of chatting with Heather Gudenkauf and she was so very sweet. I was entering a contest to win a signed copy of her book that was just released today, Missing Pieces, then we just started chatting. I also realized that I have already read 2 of her books!!!! It has been a while, so bear with me. I have read these two books, The Weight of Silence & These Things Hidden, and I also have a copy of Little Mercies. I truly enjoyed both books, but I have to say These Things Hidden is my absolute favorite!

I distinctly remember when I was immersed in These Things Hidden! I was in Palm Springs at the ACE Hotel pool, relaxing and ignoring my friend as I read this book! I think I was reading it the entire time we were there and I finished it in like 2 days! If you like suspense/mystery/thriller, this is right up your alley. The story is about 2 sisters with a major secret and one of them is in prison paying for it. The question is; is the right person in prison? and what was the crime? The story is told from a few different perspectives and goes back in forth in time, yet nicely weaves all the characters and stories together. It's difficult to say much more about the plot without any spoilers, but I want to praise the author! This book grabbed my attention from page 1 and I am a huge fan of books that are written from a few different character perspectives. I can imagine how hard it must be to do that and keep the reader guessing for the majority of the book. It is filled with many surprises and twists. Get your copy NOW!

I also really enjoyed The Weight of Silence and can't wait to read other books by Heather Gudenkauf! I am looking forward to reading her latest release, Missing Pieces!

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

I have only read 2 books by Jennifer Weiner, but I have always heard great things about her and her novels. I truly enjoyed both of these books, so I want to share my thoughts about them! I am not surprised she is a New York Times Bestselling Author. I chose to mainly discuss the first book in depth, since I have much more to say about it. The book titles: All Fall Down & Who Do You Love. Next up on my list for this author is: Goodnight Nobody.


All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

 

Being a pharmacist for over 11 years in Los Angeles, this book really hit close to home and touched me. It is about a mother who gets addicted to a popular "painkiller", Percocet (Acetaminophen plus Oxycodone), a highly controlled narcotic. This is one of those pain killers that is locked up in the pharmacy cabinet due to it's dangerously high potential for abuse & addiction. This drug is also very dangerous because many people that take it, do not realize that it is combined with Tylenol(Acetaminophen), which can affect the liver in high doses as well. In fact, most people that are inflicted with a lethal overdose may actually die due to the high dose of Tylenol. Also, many people that take narcotics are concurrently consuming alcohol, another substance that has a large negative impact on the liver. So, as you can see from a health perspective, this is why so many people are affected by addiction. It is a huge, under-estimated issue that has been on-going for many years, despite all the stringent laws in place by the DEA.

Not to give too much away, but this book basically tells the story of a mother dealing with marriage and career issues, raising a young child, and dealing with drug addiction. Despite the depth of the topic, the author still maintains her sense of humor throughout the book. Although this is not based on a true story and may have some moments of exaggeration, I must say most of it can be very true. I see a lot of patients struggling with this same problem, but what I don't see is their "background story" and what led them to this point. In this book, the main character is constantly trying to battle her addiction, while keeping it a secret from her close friends and husband. This also adds extra strain to her marriage. She finds all sorts of creative, yet illegal ways to obtain her medication. This is not the "typical" addict one would imagine (based on unfortunate stereotyping), which makes the story even more interesting. This book also taught me that any type of person is capable of becoming an addict, regardless of what you may imagine. With all that said, it is a very interesting topic to read about and the author does a great job keeping her story funny and as lighthearted as possible. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!




Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner

This was a very fun, "chick-lit" type love story. I read it in maybe 3 days as it was very fast-paced. I got really into the story and fell more in love with the male character, Andy. There were actually a few times I got really irritated with the female character, Rachel, and you will see you why- if you read it.
It is basically a love story that starts when these 2 characters meet in a hospital waiting room when they are children. Both characters come from completely different backgrounds and upbringings, and meet later in life by coincidence. They try hard to work on maintaining a long distance relationship.....with many struggles and emotional scenarios throughout the book....I can't say too much more about without ruining the story...I loved it and wanted more at the end!!!