A Million Reasons Why by Jessica Strawser

 

In A Million Reasons Why, Jessica Strawser explores the realm of organ donation, looking at how patients need to do their part in recruiting donors. In this story of two half-sisters who have never known about the other, Caroline and Sela must come to terms first with the circumstances by which they are related.

The DNA test that led Sela to Caroline was not for genealogy purposes but instead for finding a close match to Sela who needs a kidney as hers are failing. Can Caroline make such a gift to a sister she never knew about who is the result of her father’s extramarital affair?

Sela has more problems than just her kidneys: she gave birth to an extremely premature baby, which has traumatized her, and her husband has left her. Her mother, who was extremely close to Sela, has recently died, leaving Sela with little emotional support.

The Big Ask, The Big Give by the National Kidney Foundation is explained in the plot. This program helps patients learn how to advocate for themselves for finding a donor, and both Sela and her estranged spouse have attended as part of the plot.

This novel is perfect for readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult’s books.

Jessica Strawser is Editor-at-Large for Writer’s Digest and a contributing editor for Career Authors, and her work has appeared in The New York Times' Modern Love, and Publishers Weekly. This is her fourth book. Her debut novel Almost Missed You is my favorite.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 11, 2021.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective opinion.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry

 Nothing I read about The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry prepared me for one of its main topics: homosexuality. Dare say, if I had known that was a primary subject, I would have not requested the book as that is not a topic of interest to me.

That said, the story is about three children whose mother has just died. The reader is led to believe their father died long ago while in the service. The death of the mother and her wake starts the ball rolling in learning that what they had been told about their father was not reality.

In Part Two, the pace really slows down as two of the children, Lila and Henry, visit Scotland to find out their truth.

In the end, this book was not like anything I expected, and I did not enjoy it.

This is Pamela Terry’s debut novel. She lives in Smyrna, Georgia, with her songwriter husband, where she is working on her second novel.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 10, 2021.

I would like to thank Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective opinion.

Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

 

In Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison, the author sets the scene for a romantic wedding in a villa on an island off the coast of Italy. Claire Hunter, an artist who is scarred by the death of her father, and Jackson Compton, a man with many secrets including one about the death of his first wife, are getting married…unless a killer is successful in spoiling their plans.

Just as they are to depart Nashville, Tennessee, for their nuptials in Europe, Claire and Jackson are attacked in their home. The official story to the police is revised to keep them out of the limelight as one of Jack’s bodyguards claims to have killed the intruder. Once they hit the island, Claire and Jack are bombarded with incidents that cause them to question what they are about to do: skeletal remains on their path from the yacht to the villa, vexing texts, a bloodied wedding gown, just to name a few.

The thriller takes on an Agatha Christie turn as a raging storm descends, knocking the power out and setting up a Ten Little Indians plot as one by one, people are murdered. Who is the mastermind who crashed the Compton’s servers, spied on Claire and Jack with mini cameras everywhere, and conspires to destroy the wedding and its guests?

J.T. Ellison was once a presidential appointee where she worked on travel itineraries. Discouraged by the political scene, she turned to her first love of writing, having completed more than 20 novels including All the Pretty Girls and Good Girls Lie. She lives in Nashville with her husband.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 8, 2021.

I would like to thank MIRA and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective opinion.

Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne Johnson

 

Julia Claiborne Johnson drew the title of this tale from the words of a judge in Reno, Nevada, the capital for quick divorces in the 1930s, who would dismiss his divorce cases with these words: “Better luck next time.”

Told from the viewpoint of Ward, a young man who worked on The Flying Leap divorce ranch, the story follows two would-be divorcees as they navigate the 6-week waiting period for a divorce. Much-married Nina and first-time-divorce Emily, both wealthy women, become involved in a number of antics – involving stolen costumes, horses, a litter of kittens, a gun, a bicycle, and an airplane -- as they waited out their divorces. They befriended Ward, requesting him as the driver for various adventures.

Ward’s folksy narration of that brief time in his life is told from his days as a senior citizen when he has several conversations with an unnamed interviewer.  His accounts of life at the ranch are both entertaining and filled with humor. This novel would fill the needs of a reader looking for a lighthearted, just-for-fun story.  

Julia Claiborne Johnson is the author of the bestselling Be Frank with Me, a finalist for the American Bookseller’s Association Best Debut Novel Award. She now lives in Los Angeles with her comedy-writer husband and their two children.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 6, 2021.

I would like to thank Custom House/HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective opinion.

Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan Henry

 

I would not usually pick up a book with a plot about shipwrecks, but one in the capable hands of Patti Callahan Henry could only be well-researched with an intriguing plot similar to her favorite of mine, Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

Surviving Savannah is about the explosion in 1838 of the luxury steamship Pulaski, called "The Titanic of the South." Callahan Henry fleshes out the tragedy with personal stories of both real and fictional characters.

Told over two timelines – one in 1838 and the other in present day  -- the historical fiction novel involves Everly Winthrop of Savannah, a fictional character, who becomes a guest curator of a museum exhibit featuring artifacts that were actually  recovered from the steamship in 2018. The 1838 timeline follows the passengers on the Pulaski, some who survive, some who perish.

The main fictional characters, one of whom is based on an actual passenger, relay the bulk of the survival story. Augusta Longstreet, the sister of the steamship’s builder, is sailing with his family to New York, while her niece Lilly is a passenger along with her husband, daughter, and nurse maid. Both Augusta and Lilly will end up in the water and fight to survive, neither knowing of the other’s struggle.

Patti Callahan Henry, a former pediatric nurse, is a co-creator and co-host of the weekly podcast Friends and Fiction on Facebook.  A full-time author, wife, and mother of three, she has homes in both Alabama and South Carolina.

Dusk Night Dawn by Anne Lamott

 

Much of Dusk Night Dawn: On Revival and Courage by Anne Lamott sounds like what readers have heard from her in previous books. Something new is Anne got married! She talks about her new husband and married life. Now she has someone with whom she can share her insecurities.

Lamott talks much about contemporary issues in this volume: the pandemic, politics, and taking care of the earth followed by thoughts on redemption and forgiveness. Her sense of humor is infused throughout each chapter.

As usual, I have no idea what Lamott is talking about in places – the governess? --  while in other parts, she makes great sense of the confusing world.

Fans of Lamott’s might find this to be a lightweight contender in her body of work but will read it anyway. First time readers would be better off with Bird by Bird, my personal favorite.

Anne Lamott, writer of both novels and nonfiction, uses her life experiences in her books, including alcoholism, single motherhood, and spiritual experiences.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting January 1, 2021.

I would like to thank the Penguin Group Riverhead and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective opinion.