Give me your hand

Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott     343 pages

Kit Owens thought the best she'd do was getting accepted to State until she met the mysterious Diane Fleming in her high school chemistry class. Diane is academically brilliant and driven, inspiring Kit to drive herself harder and harder, competing with Diane for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  However, something's a little off about Diane and when she shares a secret with Kit, their entire friendship changes.  Now, more than 10 years later, Kit thinks all of that is behind her. She's working in a lab for someone she admires, on a project that she's passionate about.  However, the past comes back with a vengeance when Diane is brought into the lab's group of staff. Now, both Kit and Diane are locked in a dangerous game to compete for a position both of them are coveting.

I love how Megan Abbott writes dark, complicated female characters. I found this book, like others by this author, to be a compulsive read. Kit is an intriguing character who gets more complicated as the story continues.  Actually, the story itself becomes more complicated as it goes along. And when Diane enters the picture in the current time, showing up at the lab Kit works at, you get a clear sense that something awful is bubbling under the surface, threatening to break through (and possibly swallow them both).   Great book!

The Goddesses

The Goddesses by Swan Huntley     320 pages

"The Descendants meets Single White Female in this captivating novel about a woman who moves her family to Hawaii, only to find herself wrapped up in a dangerous friendship."

This is one of those books where there is some foreshadowing from the viewpoint of the main character, and where you know something's up, but you're not sure what it is  . . . although you have suspicions. At least, that's what my experience was with this book. We see everything through the viewpoint of Nancy, a woman who has moved to Kona, Hawaii with her family. Hoping for a fresh start after her husband has cheated on her, Nancy is determined to have a happier life. When she takes a yoga class, she's drawn in by the charismatic teacher, Ana. They become friends and soon, they're spending all their time together. But there's definitely something a little off about Ana (especially if you're paying attention to some of what Nancy is picking up on).

I whipped through this book, even though Nancy annoyed me part of the time and I had a feeling where the story was going. I felt a lot of it was predictable, but I kept reading because I was curious and I wasn't sure just how far things would go. If you want to read another story with a charismatic and manipulative woman and female friendships, I'd suggest The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (a book I've read several times).

The perfect neighbors

The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen.  339 pages; 10 hour, 30 min audiobook

In beautiful Newport Cove, one of the top 20 safest neighborhoods in the US, everyone's lives are perfect. No, of course not!  Seriously, as soon as you learn about how bucolic this place is, you know someone's up to something.  Anyway, back to the summary.  Kellie Scott has just returned back to work after years of being a stay-at-home mom, but she's distracted by the hot, married guy at her new office. She's married, too, of course. Susan Barrett doesn't mean to stalk her ex-husband and his new girlfriend, but she can't help herself. And Tessa Campbell seems okay, although kind of weird. Which makes sense, considering she's hiding a huuuuuge secret.

Of course, you think you know what Tessa's secret is, especially since the story reveals bits and pieces of her secret throughout the whole thing. However, there's a twist.  And, this is the only thing that wasn't predictable about the book. I did find it entertaining to listen to, although some of the behavior of the characters made me cringe.  The blurb on the front calls this "A compelling and suspenseful tale," and I would disagree; it was compelling only because it kept my mind off of the awful driving and traffic I experience on my commute every day, and it wasn't truly suspenseful --- although wondering when and how these people would find out about Tessa's big secret did keep me in suspense.

The Jury

The Jury by Fern Michaels eBook 428 - read 382 (the rest is an excerpt from another book)

The Jury is Book 4 of the Sisterhood Series by Fern Michaels. The series is about a group of women that get revenge on those who have wronged them. It started because the legal system failed them, so they took the law into their own hands.

The thing about this book and the series is the writing isn't very good, but the stories themselves pull you in. I got invested in each character and cared what happened to them despite the terrible dialog. Michaels wrote boldly in this series, which dates back to the early 2000s, so boldly that it looks amateurish. It's like it's what people are thinking but don't want to say it because it might sound foolish, but it's true nonetheless. So my review of this book is, it was exciting but badly executed. If writing style is more important to you than plot this is not the book or series for you.