Down the Rabbit Hole.

GoodReads Synopsis:  A former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner describes how her years inside the Playboy Mansion went from a fairytale of A-list celebrity parties to an oppressive regime of strict rules, scheduled sex, and a total loss of identity, so much so that she even contemplated suicide.

My Thoughts:  Like many, I watched Girls Next Door with morbid fascination.  Life inside the Playboy Mansion seemed like life on another planet.  With that same curiosity, I was oddly excited to read Holly Madison's book.  She seemed like a genuinely nice person on the show, even if rather dim.  As you can imagine, Holly's tales of her time with Hugh Hefner are not rainbows and unicorns.  Rather, she describes a tyrannical and ruthless Hef with extreme rules and expectations and a gaggle of "girlfriends" who would do anything to climb their way to the top over the others.  I'm glad to read that Holly has seemed to find some normalcy for herself now and has gained some confidence.  The writing is as you would expect-- cliched and clearly biased in many places.  But it's a memoir of a former Playboy bunny.  You're not reading it for it's beautiful prose.  Three stars.

Stay Close.

GoodReads Synopsis:  Megan is a suburban soccer mom who once upon a time walked on the wild side. Now she’s got two kids, a perfect husband, a picket fence, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Ray used to be a talented documentary photographer, but at age forty he finds himself in a dead-end job posing as a paparazzo pandering to celebrity-obsessed rich kids. Jack is a detective who can’t let go of a cold case—a local husband and father disappeared seventeen years ago, and Jack spends the anniversary every year visiting a house frozen in time, the missing man’s family still waiting, his slippers left by the recliner as if he might show up any moment to step into them. Three people living lives they never wanted, hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, will find that the past doesn’t recede. Even as the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all. And as each confronts the dark side of the American Dream—the boredom of a nice suburban life, the excitement of temptation, the desperation and hunger that can lurk behind even the prettiest facades—they will discover the hard truth that the line between one kind of life and another can be as whisper-thin as a heartbeat.

My Thoughts: In the last two years, I've read every single one of Harlan Coben's books except one.  The was the next to last one I had to finish to finally catch up with his current publishing schedule.  He's easily one of my favorite writers.  But this was not my favorite of his books.  Perhaps it was because I've read so many recently that I was slightly burned out on them.  Or perhaps it genuinely was not as good as the others.  Who knows.  

It's a perfectly fine thriller, don't get me wrong.  The story was gripping, and there were plot twists that I did not anticipate.  But I guessed who the killer was early on and was proven right.  The journey to the end was entertaining and fun, just not up to Coben's usual standard.  Three stars.

(If you want to read some of his best work, go with Gone for Good, Tell No One, or the Myron Bolitar series.)

The Dress Shop of Dreams.

GoodReads Synopsis:  Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires.

Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora. But magic spells—like true love—can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she’s set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways.

My Thoughts:  I desperately wanted to love this book.  After the beautiful works of Sarah Addison Allen, I sought out other "magical realism" books, and this was recommended by many.  Unfortunately, I found it greatly lacking.  

First the good-- the magic in this book is Etta's dress shop and her ability with her magic needle and thread to reveal to a person his/her deepest desire and give them the courage to pursue it.  I loved the discussion of her shop and how it changed for each customer, and then how it changed each customer.  Beautiful.  The relationship between Etta and Cora was also beautiful and touching.

But, the story relied heavily on my least favorite plot device ever-- a misunderstanding or lie that one character relies upon that changes their life (and therefore guides the story).  So, I spent almost all of the book incredibly frustrated and desperate for the truth to come out.

I also enjoyed the bit of mystery in the book, but it was clear early on who the bad guy was.  

Overall, it wasn't the worst book ever, but it didn't make me want to pick up another by this author.  Two stars.

The Longest Ride.

GoodReads Synopsis-- Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage. 

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn't destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart. 

My Thoughts-- There was A LOT that I liked about this story.  First, that it took place in my hometown and at my law school alma mater!  Also, I thought the budding romance between Luke and Sophia was beautiful and genuine.  The life of love between Ira and Ruth was touching and inspiring.  Like many of his books, the author weaves parallel stories together in unexpected (and sometimes far-fetched) ways.  This one was one of the slightly more far-fetched and too-neatly-wrapped-up stories.  But the ending that had me rolling my eyes a bit did not diminish at all the beauty of the pages that came before it.

The Stranger.

GoodReads Synopsis-- The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world. Adam Price has a lot to lose: a comfortable marriage to a beautiful woman, two wonderful sons, and all the trappings of the American Dream: a big house, a good job, a seemingly perfect life. Then he runs into the Stranger. When he learns a devastating secret about his wife, Corinne, he confronts her, and the mirage of perfection disappears as if it never existed at all. Soon Adam finds himself tangled in something far darker than even Corinne’s deception, and realizes that if he doesn’t make exactly the right moves, the conspiracy he’s stumbled into will not only ruin lives—it will end them.

My Thoughts-- I love Harlan Coben, but this book was rather disappointing.  Of course, it was suspenseful and intriguing and kept my attention for hours on end.  But there was just something thin about the story.  Or maybe it was too complex.  Or maybe my expectations were just too high for this one.  If you're looking for a great suspenseful thriller by HC, I'd recommend you read Gone for Good or Tell No One first to see how amazing Harlan Coben can be.

Anna and the French Kiss.

GoodReads Synopsis:  Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.  But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

My Thoughts:  There is no better YA author than Stephanie Perkins.  I find most YA books tedious and ridden with eye-roll worthy overdramatic teenage angst.  Not so with Ms. Perkins.  Of course there is teen drama, that's the whole point.  But her writing and characters are just so lovely.  It's a fluffy and romantic story with just the right amount of angst and problems that teenagers face.  And almost as much as a romance, it's a story of friendship.  A sweet book full of characters (and a city!!) that will draw you in.

Hide.

GoodReads Synopsis: It was a case that haunts Bobby Dodge to this day—the case that nearly killed him and changed his life forever. Now, in an underground chamber on the grounds of an abandoned Massachusetts mental hospital, the gruesome discovery of six mummified corpses resurrects his worst nightmare: the return of a killer he thought dead and buried. There’s no place to run...  Bobby’s only lead is wrapped around a dead woman’s neck. 

Annabelle Granger has been in hiding for as long as she can remember. Her childhood was a blur of new cities and assumed identities. But what—or who—her family was running from, she never knew. Now a body is unearthed from a grave, wearing a necklace bearing Annabelle’s name, and the danger is too close to escape. This time, she’s not going to run. You know he will find you... 

The new threat could be the dead psychopath’s copycat, his protégé—or something far more terrifying. Dodge knows the only way to find him is to solve the mystery of Annabelle Granger, and to do that he must team up with his former lover, partner, and friend D. D. Warren from the Boston P.D. But the trail leads back to a woman from Bobby’s past who may be every bit as dangerous as the new killer—a beautiful survivor-turned-avenger with an eerie link to Annabelle. From its tense opening pages to its shocking climax, Hide is a thriller that delves into our deepest, darkest fears. Where there is no one to trust. Where there is no place left to hide.

My Thoughts:  I have mixed feelings about this book.  The mystery around Annabelle Granger was fantastic, and her back story was incredibly interesting.  I only figured out who the bad guy was a bit before the protagonist, which is a sign of good mystery writing.  But I really don't connect at all with D.D. Warren or Bobby Dodge, and I'm not sure why.  Perhaps one day I'll pick up the next book in this series, but I'm not in a hurry to do so.