What_Kel_Reads

I received my copy of Athena's Choice from the promotional team on Instagram in exchange for my honest review. The year is 2099, and men have been absent from the earth for almost 50 years after a virus accidentally wiped all of them from the earth.  There's a project attempting to bring men back and it has become quite controversial.  When the sabotaged project leads authorities to Athena, this completely normal teenager must decide if she wants to help find the culprit. This book was pretty interesting.  It read almost like a movie.  It's definitely something I would watch if there was ever an on screen translation.  The details and imagination of the author were fun to read.  Despite the fact that science fiction is not typically  my thing, I did enjoy my time spent reading it....right up until the end. Before I go any farther, I just have to say it.  The ending sucked.  I HATEDDD it.  It made me want to throw the book.  I subtracted a star simply because

“What’s it like,” Marsha asked.   “Bein’ a mom?”   Jenny felt her chest swell. “It’s amazing.   It’s awful. It’s too much and it’s too little.” I had several favorite parts from Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood, but this was definitely the one that hit hardest.  Keeping Lucy was my second book from Greenwood, published by St. Martin's Press on August 6, 2019.  I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Ginny gives birth to Lucy in Dover, Massachusetts in 1969.  She is devastated when Lucy is taken from her after they discover she has Downs Syndrome.  Her husband Ab sends Lucy away to Willowridge, a school for the "special" children.  He and the rest of his powerful and influential family try to convince her to move on, to forget her first daughter. 2 years later, Ginny's best friend Marsha shows her an expose on Willowridge.  They are both appalled to see the filth and neglect the children have been suffering.  Ginny packs her 6 yea

This was my second book by Robyn Harding.  The Arrangement was published by Scout Press on July 30, 2019.  I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Natalie is a broke college student in NYC, struggling to provide for basic needs when her friend suggests she should go online and find a sugar daddy for herself.  Ava tells her about all of the great benefits while they study in Ava's completely furnished penthouse apartment, and Natalie doesn't see any harm in it. She meets Gabe, and he seems like the dream man.  He's a successful lawyer and Nat falls in love.  She thinks Gabe is also in love with her.  She has no idea Gabe is actually married with a family, and has no plans to abandon them. When he cuts off the relationship, this girl loses her ever-loving mind.  She drinks constantly and stalks him.  She spies on his wife and inserts herself into his daughter's life.  Gabe now has to figure out how to deal with her to avoid let

After the Flood was written by Kassandra Montag, released by Harper Collins on September 3, 2019.  I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. A hundred years from now, the world as we know it does not exist.  It basically consists of colonies separated by massive bodies of water.  Myra and her daughter Pearl live on their boat, only visiting land when they need to trade for supplies.  Myra has been searching for her oldest daughter Row, stolen by her father years ago.  Myra learns Row has been spotted near the Arctic, and she decides that she and Pearl must risk life and limb to reach her. This book annoyed me sooooo much.  Myra is too blinded in her search for Row to care about anyone or anything else.  She puts Pearl, herself, and everyone else she comes into contact with huge amounts of danger to feed her delusion that she'll be able to find her daughter.  Row has been gone for 7+ years.  She is blinded by a FANTASY.  She deceives a multit

Thirteen was published by Flatiron Books on August 13, 2019.  I actually won this in a giveaway on Instagram, but would have purchased the book if I hadn't.  I've had this book for months, but deliberately held it for October's spooky reading.  Yes, I'm one of those people. Synopsis from Goodreads because I couldn't word it better: It’s the murder trial of the century. And Joshua Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house – and to be sure the wrong man goes down for the crime. Because this time, the killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury. But there’s someone on his tail. Former-conman-turned-criminal-defense-attorney Eddie Flynn doesn’t believe that his movie-star client killed two people. He suspects that the real killer is closer than they think – but who would guess just how close? I was STOKED to win this book.  A serial killer on a jury?  SIGN ME UP.  The cover also gave me very Silence of the Lambs, "May I use your phone pleas

This was my second book by author Hank Phillippi Ryan.  The Murder List was released by Macmillan/Forge books on August 20th 2019.  I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This book follows Rachel North-a smart, hard working, beautiful woman married to her dream husband and about to launch her career as a super successful lawyer in Boston.  All she has to do is hit it out of the park during her internship with the Boston DA.  The only thing is--she's wrong.  What happens to Rachel will put her entire future in jeopardy.  Will she survive the twists? Fans of John Grisham-esque legal thrillers will no doubt want to dive in to this book.  This book is a little bit thriller, a little bit political, and everything in between.  Be prepared for all of the courtoom drama Rachel brings.  She can be a little childish and over dramatic, but it's not anything that stopped me from finishing the book.  I can however, see where people who aren

The Chain by Adrian McKinty was released on July 9, 2019 by Mulholland Books.  This was my first book by McKinty.  I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The premise is simple.  You drop your kid off at the bus stop and then receive a phone call from a complete stranger telling you that your child has been kidnapped.  You can get your child back, but only if you kidnap someone else's kid within 24 hours.  Your child will then be released when the next set of parents kidnap another victim.  Welcome to The Chain. The premise of this book immediately hooked me.  Then it was one of Jimmy Fallon's finalists for his summer reading club.  This book ended up being the winner, and I can certainly see why.  I flew through the first half of the book.  Rachel's sheer panic grips you right in the throat.  I can't even begin to imagine how terrifying it was for her to receive that call.  I hung on every word in the first half of

The Escape Room was published by St. Martin's Press on 07/30/2019.  I was given a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are top performers for their Wall Street business.  All they care about is getting rich, and they'll step on anyone in the way of the path to greatness. When they're summoned to an office building late at night and wind up stuck in an elevator, they believe they've been tricked into doing some type of team-building activity. When their secrets start to come out and a deceased employee is mentioned, they finally realize that this may not be a game after all.......that they may actually be fighting for their lives. Listen.  I read a lot of thrillers so take this with a grain of salt.  I guessed the ending right around the third chapter.  Instead of me wondering what would happen in the book, it was more of me waiting to find out how they were going to bring my ending to life

Summer at the Little French Cafe was my first book by Karen Clarke.  I also happened to start in the middle of this series, but it really didn't keep me from enjoying the book.  This was published by Bookouture on 06/27/2019. Thirty-year-old Elle Matheson has decided it’s finally time to find the mother who gave her up as a baby. With a faded postcard from the Café Belle Vie in hand – one of the very few things she has from her mother – she heads straight to the Île de Ré to begin her search. With only the postcard and the ivory shawl she was wrapped in as clues, finding her mum is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, even with the help of friendly – and gorgeous – café-owner Charlie. And since Elle hasn’t exactly told her younger sister what she’s up to, the little white lies about where she is are starting to add up… But Elle is really starting to feel at home on the beautiful island. The locals are welcoming, the café is homely, and Charlie is always there with a he