None of this is True

 

None of this is True is a trip all it's own and I almost quit after reading two chapters.

Josie is a middle aged woman enjoying her birthday at the local pub with her husband when she spies the glamorous Alix having a birthday celebration as well. Instead of being with just her husband several people are also at the table and Josie is curious how old Alix is turning and who all the people at her gathering are. Little did the two women know soon their destines would be intertwined as Josie makes it her personal mission to share her life story with Alix and learn Alix's life story at the same time.

The story was so ordinary and just mundane then suddenly wham it took off and I could not put it down. I read two thirds of it in one sitting. I just had to know more and more. The pace at which information was provided was perfect, small tidbits but enough to keep you wanting to read more. Some of the revelations I figured out and some I did not. The ending was perfect and I have my own conclusions, which are no doubt different from other readers, however I am not left wondering. To be able to write open ended and not leave the reader wondering is insanely talented. I look forward to more novels from Lisa Jewell. 

One Step Too Far

 

I could not sleep last night so I looked for a book on my table and happened to find One Step Too Far which is the second book in the Frankie Elkin series. Instead of sleeping I read the whole book. 

Once again Frankie is on a mission to find the missing but this time she is diverting from her planned target to help find a man who went missing in the woods five years ago. Though she doubts he is alive she hopes she an bring comfort to his terminally ill mother with finding remains. Soon though Frankie is in over her head as she realizes something is terribly wrong with the woods and searching for the truth can be dangerous. 

The writing was the same but I found the plot line far more engaging. Most likely because I am horrified by the idea of a person just disappearing in the woods. Cities have answers and in the woods animals leave traces but for a person to just vanish while out in nature with no trace horrifies me. 

With that said I have several issues with the overall story. This next part will contain spoilers. The killer is a woodsman and his helper runs a diner, how on earth were they smart enough to encode their emails and make them impossible to trace? How did they get to the father of the missing campers house and sabotage his car and steal his gear? Also what was up with the screams in the woods that seemed to scare the experienced hunters in the group? What did Scott see? A hallucination due to guilt or the killer dressed up in the gear he stole from the victim? What happened to the night Scott left camp and was found near the river? Was he sleepwalking? Drunk? Taken and not aware? Who attacked Scott in the middle of the night was it the hunter or was it himself causing trauma to his chest? Why did the hunter leave the lean to intact and not destroy it? Was he playing a cruel joke on the missing campers father? What was up with the green Frankie saw at the top of the cliff? So many unanswered questions for side plot things but nothing that was a major question was left unanswered. 

Before She Disappeared

 

I had no clue Before She Disappeared was part of a series or I would not have started it. I tend to try to read series when they are complete or not read them at all. I cannot stand when a mystery ends on a cliffhanger and then you wait ages for the next book to either tie up the mystery or continue it.

Frankie is a woman on a mission, a mission to find the forgotten minorities who disappear, the ones who cases go cold, the ones who are only remembered by their family, and no matter she wont stop until the missing are found. 

Frankie is clearly a well rounded character, she has flaws, she has feelings, she shows fear, and she has things that make me like her a lot. The whole story wrapped up as well, so well in fact I had to see if the book preview at the end of the story was the next in the series. It is and I am trying to decide it I want to continue the series or not. I do like the writing style, the main character, the process, and the overall plot line just not into reading mystery that is a series. 

Five Fortunes - Audio Book

I was provided a copy of Five Fortunes from Mrs. Venkatraman.* It is a young adult story that is stand alone.

Despite having five main characters and side characters each girl is presented with a clear personality that makes it easy to tell them apart. One of the best parts is that each chapter has a title, it has become so rare for author's to include that but really adds a lot to the story for the reader in my opinion. One hundred percent the story was driven by teenage antics and not by romance which I strongly approve of. More stories need to show that it is okay to enjoy being a teen and hanging out with friends. At times the girls did feel a bit stereotypical but that is alright since it makes it easier for girls this age in ways, I know at that age I had a category I considered myself to be in.

The only moment where I struggled a little bit was the very start, is felt a bit like the first couple pages were a sample of the writing of what was going to happen. It was not until I finished a couple chapters I realized the story went from the girls about to get their fortunes to skipping over that part and the girls having their fortunes.

Consistent writing with a lovely flow and words that are appropriate for a young teen. At parts I laughed out loud at the story and other parts wondered how all the fortunes would play out for each girl. Another major bonus is the chapters were consistent in length so it does not mess with the pace of reading.

All in all a delightful read that I see young teens enjoying and not being overly intimated by since it is shorter in length but in no way lacking in a nicely well rounded story.

Five Fortunes is the first audiobook I have ever listened to so I have nothing else to compare it to in any way. I enjoyed hearing the story aloud, Emily M Wilson did a concise job of narrating. Wilson was easy to understand, added her own personal flair, and was consistent. 

*being gifted the story in no way affects my review