ReadingGrrls Paper Safari

REVIEW:  Thank you to netgalley.com for the free copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.  This book was not what I expected and I was pleasantly surprised.  Jeep is the new police detective in the town he grew up in filled with the haves and the have nots. Jeep is a have not, Johnny a trust fund kid, but they become the best of friends. While they no longer spend a lot of time together Johnny still considered Jeep his go to person.  When Jeep rolls up on a murder scene he discovers it's his old friend Johnny is the victim It appears that people high up would like to close this case as an accident. There also seems to be a high end car jacking ring operating in the same area. There doesn't seem to be a connection and Jeep is tasked with stopping the ring or possibly losing his job. Meanwhile Johnny's ex-wife and Jeeps good friend, and boyhood crush, Niven keeps showing up at his house.  This is a great story that...

REVIEW:  Told through transcribed interviews, phone calls, emails and conversations this book was unique in its format.   The Alperton Angel cult proclaimed that they were Angels and that the baby was the Anti-Christ and they planned on sacrificing it at a specific day and time. This did not occur since one of the young women escaped with the baby. No one knows where the baby went afterward.   Amanda Bailey is asked by her publisher to write a book about the Alperton Angels focusing on the baby that lived. She is tasked to find the baby that is now almost 18 and interview them. Another rival author Oliver is also asked to write about the baby. Soon they are forced to work together and Oliver seems to be falling a little to much under the spell of the Angels.   This is a twisty story that you don't fully understand until the end. It is crazy ride and yet the ending is so simple I really enjoyed the way it was written and was narrated by a cast of people that real...

REVIEW:  I was super excited to be approved for this book, I loved Wilkersons first book Black Cake and this one was an equally amazing read. Told from different perspectives and different time frames we learn the history of a jar that had been in the Freeman family for decades. Thrown by a slave named Moses and traveled from the south to the North. The jar becomes affectionately known as Ole Mo for the initials Moses carved into it. The saying he carved into the bottom became a symbol of hope to the family.   Ebby Freeman's whole life is changed when her brother Baz is murdered and Ole Mo broken. When she is left at the altar on her wedding day she runs off to France to try to heal but the real healing comes when the family stops keeping their feelings and their secrets to themselves.   This is a brilliant book with a beautiful story of family, legacy and freedom. Wilkerson has shown again, how she can revolve a story around a family legacy and have it not only make ...

REVIEW:  This was an adorable fake dating, grumpy/sunshine romance. Abby runs a cafe in New England and Seth is her unshakably upbeat customer. Desperate for help putting together a Hanukkah Festival she turns to a Jewish dating app. However the only Jew for miles around seems to be Seth. They strike a bargain but in the process Abby starts to break down her walls.   This is a book about healing, finding a community, and making each other better people. I loved how Jewish this book was, with prayers and stories about Hanukkah and standing by your values in creating a festival that truly celebrates Hanukkah not just a Christmas Festival disguised as a Hanukkah Festival. This was a refreshing read on the holiday themed books out there.   Publication Date:  October 8, 2024 Format:   Audio Genre:    Romance Narrator:  Kelli Tager Publisher: ...

REVIEW:  This was my last book for 2024 and it makes me wonder what took me so long to read this. Narration alternates between Tova who works for the Aquarium as a janitor, Marcellus, a giant Pacific Octopus and Cameron a young man who is struggling through life. Each has their own story and how they intersect is brilliantly done. I love Marcellus and the antics he gets up to in the Aquarium after hours. This book brought all the feels. I was crying, I was laughing. Brilliantly written and beautifully narrated this book is one that will stick with me. A story of redemption, found family and compassion. It reminded me of My Octopus Teacher the 2020 film, which is also brilliant.  Publication Date:  May 3, 2022 Format:   Audio Genre:    Mystery Narrator:  Marin Ireland & Michael Urie Publisher:   Harper Audio Length:    11 Hours...

REVIEW:  Neurodivergent FBI agent Gardner Camden is part of the PAR (Patterns and Recognition) team. He works with a group of equally quirky officers, each with a special skillset. Each has had their issues within the FBI and have been sent to PAR as a last resort. They are the misfits or "Head Cases" of the Agency. Now they are being assigned to work on a serial murder investigation tracking down a murderer of criminals.   This was a fun read. I loved all the team members of PAR and felt that their quirkiness added a levity that the book needed. The mystery runs deep in this book and I loved how it all wrapped up. I'm very excited to read more in this series.   The narrator for the audio book, William Damron is excellent. He is able to give the characters different voices in way that works and also keeps the story flowing.   Publication Date:  January 28, 2025 Format:   Audio Genre:   ...