Monday, April 22, 2024

Such a Lovely Family by Aggie Blum Thompson

 


[Summary: The cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Washington, D.C., and the Calhouns are in the midst of hosting their annual party to celebrate the best of the spring season. With a house full of friends, neighbors, and their beloved three adult children, the Calhouns are expecting another picture-perfect event. But a brutal murder in the middle of the celebration transforms the yearly gathering into a homicide scene, and all the guests into suspects.

Behind their façade of perfection, the Calhoun family has been keeping some very dark secrets. Parents who use money and emotional manipulation to control their children. Two sons, one the black sheep who is desperate to outrun mistakes he’s made, and the other a new father, willing to risk everything to protect his child. And a daughter: an Instagram influencer who refuses to face the truth about the man she married.

As the investigation heats up, family tensions build, and alliances shift. Long-buried resentments surface, forcing the Calhouns to face their darkest secrets before it’s too late.]

Review: [This was a March read and was meant to be my main review for the month but I forgot to post it.] I've read and enjoyed Aggie Blum Thompson's previous books and was excited for this one. I found it a little hard to get into at first and was thrown by how many characters there are to keep track of and how they fit into the family's orbit and the murder. By halfway through the story though, I was hooked and would recommend this to anyone who likes complex domestic suspense. On a fun note: Cookie reminded me of Cam from Modern Family and that's who I pictured as I was reading. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this early review copy. 

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander

 


[Summary: Nine years ago, with the world's eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a "witness" to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve―events known to the public as "Scarlet Christmas"―though Charlie knows she was much more than that.


Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life: She's the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry, and hell-bent on never, ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie's former classmates threatens to shatter everything she's worked for, Charlie realizes how much she's changed in nine years. Now, she's not going to let anything―not even the people she once loved most―get in her way.]

Review:

So many influencers were touting this one over the last few months that I was really looking forward to reading it. Although I liked the premise, it didn't quite live up to the hype in my opinion. I found myself skipping around a bit and wanting more. I also didn't connect with Charlie, which made it hard for me to love this book. I also personally think it would connect better with readers if the school was real, like NYU, with local color that people recognize. I went to school in NY and didn't get the feeling that these people were in the city at all. Overall, 3.5 stars.