Happy Friday, friends!
It’s our third official BOOK CLUB!
So far this year, our book club has read and reviewed…
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey. If you’ve read the book and want to participate in that conversation, you can visit that post HERE to comment/review/be a part of that book.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. If you’ve read the book and want to participate in that conversation, you can visit that post HERE to comment/review/be a part of that book.
Before we get to today’s book, let’s revisit the “rules” of Shay’s Book Club:
Here are the details:
1: On the 22nd of each month, I will share a BONUS blog post that is only about the book we read together that month. So, if it falls on a weekend, look for it that day, if it falls on a Tuesday, expect a food post, a normal lifestyle post AND third post just for the book review discussion.
2: I picked the 22nd because I want this post to come out BEFORE our normal monthly BOOK REVIEW POSTS. I will still share my normal monthly book reviews (where I average 4 to 6 books a month) at the end of each month. I will reference said “book of the month”, but I will not be reviewing it on that post, I will be linking back to the BOOK CLUB POST. Why? Because I want all of the content about the one specific book club book in one spot instead of spread out over multiple spots.
3: Each month at the end of the Book Club blog post, I will share what the book will be for the following month. This will give everyone one month to read this one particular book.
4: Let’s be real, I’m going to try to pick new/popular/relevant books every month, but I’m also going to pick books that speak to me. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them with me. I’m going to *try* and make the books different genres each month. I would love for us to read a variety of fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, chick lit, thrillers, etc this year. That’s the *goal*.
5: What are the rules of the book club? I know a lot of book clubs have rules and perhaps I’ll add some as we go, but basically, if you want to read along with us, we’d love to have you and on the 22nd we’ll dive a little deeper in the comment section here about that one particular book. Easy as that! That post is the one place where we’ll discuss the book so that all thoughts/opinions/questions/etc can be in one location.
6: In this blog post and in the comment section, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING SPOILERS. If you are interested in reading this book, you might not want to read below this line. In MARCH’S BOOK REVIEW next week, I will give a quick recap and let you know if I recommend the book or not, so if you haven’t read it, you might want to wait until that official BOOK REVIEW because there will be no spoilers and based on that, you can decide whether or not to read the book. Anything below this though will include spoilers as everyone commenting here has already read the book.
Make sense?
Here we go…
What did we read this month?
This…
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Okay, I thought this book was pretty good but not amazing. To be fair, after last month’s book, the bar was set REALLY HIGH, and that probably didn’t help matters. I loved a lot about this book…but when it was over, I thought in a nutshell, it was solid but not memorable. In December when I’m looking back over all of the books I read this year, I’m not sure this one will stand out much to me.
Here are some of my thoughts:
-I would be lying if I didn’t say that I didn’t enjoy the use of the word “Ashby” about 4 billion times 🙂 .
-Someone addressed in a comment that they didn’t enjoy the language. Please know, I’m going into all of these books blind as to be truly a participant with you guys, so I can’t offer disclaimers in any way for language/violence/sexual content. That has always been one of my hesitations with a book club, but here we are and yeah, this one had some foul language.
-I liked the twist of Ruby being Dora. I wasn’t sure how that was going to play out as the book was unfolding, but I didn’t really see that coming.
-I was totally caught off guard (in a good way!) that the letters we had been reading were intended for Jules all along and not Cam. That was a really fun twist that I wasn’t expecting.
-I wasn’t exactly sure that Ben and Libby were characters that warranted killing off…I mean, that did seem a bit extreme to me.
Overall, I thought the epilogue was much needed and helped me wrap up things nicely. It was a fun, quick read with twists and turns that were unexpected. It wasn’t as much the “thriller” I had been looking for as much as a family drama with a little mystery. It was good, entertaining but like I said above, not memorable.
So, those are my thoughts. I’m very anxious to read yours in the comment section!
So far this year, we’ve read a chick lit, a heavy dose of fiction and a suspenseful book. What’s next for our book club?
The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
We are going to read a memoir 🙂 . Y’all, I haven’t started it yet but just the synopsis has me invested. I have no idea where this story is going, but I feel very confident, it will give us a lot to chat about on April 22nd.
That’s it for our 3rd Book Club! I can’t wait to discuss below! xx
Kristen Thompson says
I agree with you completely! Good enough but not super memorable! 3/5 stars seems fair. I was definitely interested to see how it ended but after reading last months book club pick followed by The Women, this one just felt meh to me. Looking forward to the next one!
Dawn says
I read the same books in this same order and feel exactly the same. I couldn’t put this one down because I wanted to know what happened, but compared to the others it just fell short.
Becky says
I was excited when this was the March pick because I had just purchased it. I rated The Heiress 4 out of 5. It was enjoyable, but not wonderful. I was already predicting the truth about Ruby/ Dora before the end. Beautiful cover art though, lol.
Ericka says
Killing off Ben totally made sense to me because he tried to kill her and she defended herself. Libby being in the house was an accident, so she did not set out to kill her.
All in all, I loved the twists and turns of the book! I had no idea where it was going. The letters were my favorite because you really saw Ruby/Dora’s witty and quirky personality shine through.
Ericka says
Oops! Sorry, Becky. I did not mean to post this in the reply section to your comment. ♥️
Martina Ingemarsson says
I agree with Shay and previous comments… but actually appreciated the many twists in a short book, was a relaxing March read for me. Thanks for doing book club again and great variety of styles! Wishing everyone a good weekend from Sweden
Kelly Marie Sites says
I’ve already read Mama Love- and wow- what a story. Buckle up.
Kay says
I really enjoyed this month’s book! I agree, it might not be one that stands out at the end of the year, or stays with me. But! it was really fun to read, I loved all the twists and turns, and it kind of felt like watching a good TV show. It was a good lighter choice.
I am absolutely loving this book club! I look forward to it each month. Thank you for getting us all together for this.
Leticia says
Me too! This was just suspenseful enough to keep me reading, but not too heavy. Lightly suspenseful I would say. I also enjoyed the twists in the story. I didn’t try to guess any of them, just let them be revealed as the author intended. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I would go back and read another.
Thanks for the variety!
Erika Slaughter says
I was a fan of The Heiress! If you read many books in that genre, they can all start to have the same twists and turns which eventually gets to be just too much. We can see them coming and the suspense is lost. But this book was unlike any I’d read before which made the thrill special. Looking forward to next month!
Debbie Alsip says
I didn’t even finish the book. I had another book to read for an in- person book club, so I moved on. The characters didn’t appeal to me, and I didn’t enjoy the storyline. It felt like it was a tell- all for Ruby. Look at me! I’m filthy rich and killed my husbands. No thanks.
Jeni says
Definitely my least favorite of the three we read. Wouldn’t recommend it to others. Just read the synopsis for Mama Love and I am very excited to read it!! Love that you’re doing this book club because it’s giving me new titles to read🥰
Mix and Match Mama says
Me too! I’ve already read two books that I never would have picked up on my own.
Laci U says
I love a thriller so this was a quick and easy read for me!
Deb says
Agree with the 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️! There were no likable characters and too many F’s uttered! I’m not a prude but after awhile just too much! Anyway I did get drawn in and was stumped by the twists. I’m glad I read it and look forward to the April book.
Bette says
i like this book because it was a quick read. it’s not my typical genre, but i enjoyed it nevertheless. i thought the letters were a clever way to present ruby’s dark story. i find it interesting that even in death, she ultimately achieves her greatest promise to not only protect camden but to safeguard her family heritage through jules.
Deb says
I agree it was just ok. Definitely not memorable. I got about halfway through the book and started to realize I’d read it before. I went ahead and finished it because I couldn’t remember what happened 🙂 Next month’s book looks so good!
K.K. says
I agree with your rating as well. I like when there are more characters to like and “pull for” – and so many of these were so flawed, which I guess makes them real. 🙂 Cam was the only one could get behind to some degree, and I will say, I was so happy he knew about Jules and how they met… It made it more likely that they could make it the long haul. What a twisted family though – wow!
About to read the synopsis for our next book – yay! Thanks, Shay!
Jessica says
I agree with your 3 star rating as I gave it three stars myself.
It was certainly an entertaining book and I didn’t see some of the twists coming. But like so many other’s have commented, there wasn’t one completely likeable character in the bunch. Although, that being said, I think that’s what kept me reading. I was waiting for that one redeeming moment for any of them…. it never happened.
Jenna says
I enjoyed this book, was not expecting all the plot twists which made it fun to read!
Leticia says
Yes, a fun read! I would give it 4 stars and would recommend to others (with the language warning 🙂 )
Michelle says
Agree with you on the 3 stars. It was entertaining but one that I will probably forget in a couple of months in that if someone asks me have I read it, I will have to go back to amazon and read the synopsis to remember what it was about. LOL!
Michelle says
I give this book 3 stars. This was my least favorite book so far. It was hard to keep track of the characters so I ended up writing them down. I was confused at the end but figured it out with a little help from my friend who read it too. I wouldn’t recommend this book. I am looking forward to reading the April book.
Kim Parks says
I enjoyed The Heiress—it reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the back-and-forth descriptions of Ruby’s husbands. I was surprised by Jules’ character at the end and how she conspired with Ruby—didn’t see that coming. I would recommend this book for a beach read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brittany Swain says
I thought the same thing about Evelyn Hugo. I like that one so much better than this one though! I did enjoy the twists and it was a fun easy read.
Lori Boyett says
I was not a fan of this book. The language was hard to get past and it just never really took off and had any big moments like I thought was coming. 3 stars is being generous.
Jessica says
I might be the minority here, but I really enjoyed the book and rated it much higher! However, I did just come off from reading a Nancy Thayer book I didn’t enjoy so maybe I was just ready for something different. I also wasn’t expecting the theory that Ruby was taken by the nanny and could very much be alive. I really loved that part! I agree it’s not really a thriller but definitely suspenseful. I already have 3 friends who have picked it up. As far as thrillers are concerned, I thought Then She was Gone by Lisa Jewell was a really good book. Really heavy at times where I had to put it down, but a couple of twists I definitely was not expecting.
Robin Green says
I’ve read all three books so far this year and have enjoyed them all a lot. I have already read April’s choice, and I think you won’t be disappointed. Mama Love is a great book!
Ericka says
Killing off Ben totally made sense to me because he tried to kill her and she defended herself. Libby being in the house was an accident, so she did not set out to kill her.
All in all, I loved the twists and turns of the book! I had no idea where it was going. The letters were my favorite because you really saw Ruby/Dora’s witty and quirky personality shine through.
I am loving this virtual book club and I’m looking forward to next month’s book! ♥️
Nicole says
I really liked The Heiress! I couldn’t put it down and read it in a week and a half which is super fast for me. All of the twist and turns made it unpredictable and I especially liked the epilogue wrapping everything up and leaving no questions unanswered.
Whitney says
I loved the first two books this year, but this one was not it for me! Hopefully next months is a bit better, but it is $37.99 in our region! Holy smoke!
Mary says
I liked it! I flew through this book. I didn’t see the twist coming with Dora/Ruby. I agree Libby and Ben did not need to die.
Katie Tullis says
I gave this book 3 stars, as well! The epilogue at the end was totally needed. I thought the book was good, but it drug on through some parts. It’s like it had all the right ingredients, but just didn’t bake quite right.
Joanne says
I liked this month’s book better than last month’s; I found that once I got started I didn’t want to stop reading it. But I love a good dark family with all these twists and turns and secrets. Though I do have to admit I’m not sure how memorable it will be in the end.
Debbie Dunbar says
Definitely not a stand out read, but enjoyable.
Lynn B says
For some reason this one missed the mark for me. I’m beginning to wonder if I missed something in the beginning of the story. However I stuck with it because obviously I had to find out what happened to baby Ruby. It won’t be the book I tell friends you have to read but it was ok. There is a 10 week wait list at the library for the next one! 😳
Sheila DeSpirito says
I agree I gave it 3stars also, here I was thinking I would be the only one with a low rating. I disliked the f bombs throughout. I know she’s not the only author to put them in a book, but dislike it when they do. Otherwise I liked the book it was suspenseful. I wouldn’t recommend the book to friends or family members.
Im so happy for this book club you started Shay. I’m reading now The Frozen River and love it, I should be finished with it soon. Looking forward to April’s book.
WhittyWife (Lindsay) says
I agree with you! It wasn’t overly memorable. Most of the characters were pretty crummy people, and I didn’t love the language… but as Erika said above, there were some unexpected twists that kept me guessing! It’s 3-4 star book. I’m glad I read it! 😊
Barb says
It should have been named The Murderess”.
Just okay.
Ashley R says
HA HA HA! I did the same thing – I made like a little family tree on the back of a receipt that I used as a bookmark!
Mary says
I liked it- gave it 4 stars- I do like thrillers or mysteries and this one had some twists I didn’t see coming- like Ruby actually being Dora, the letters written to Jules and not Cam- and Jules turning out to be a “real” relative of Ruby’s. Not sure that it will be my favorite for the year, but still pretty good. I am still listening to The Frozen River and so far I really like it 🙂 Just started Murder Road by Simone St. James- just for something different and maybe less “heavy” than historical fiction- a spooky thriller with a touch of ghosts is what I am thinking, but we will see….
Scarlett Spangler says
I definitely agree! By the end of this book, I put it down and though “hmm, so that was it?” There was just something a little lackluster about it, and even though I liked the story I still can’t put my finger on why it fell flat for me. Maybe it was the fact that there were multiple potentially interesting story lines (the black widow aspect, the fact that she was Dora not Ruby, the secrets of the family, the secrets between Cam & Jules, etc) and they all just kind of skimmed the surface. By trying to do so much at once, the author didn’t do any of those story lines full justice. All in all, good enough to read but not memorable, as you said!
Twila Frichtl says
Too many murders. Too many lies. Not my genre, yet I couldn’t stop reading!!! Cam and Jules most definitely should rid themselves of that portrait as they start anew in South Carolina😅
Debbie Hibbert says
I enjoyed this book. The twists and turns made it fun … I didn’t see any of them coming!😁
Katy V says
I totally agree with your review. I didn’t love this book, didn’t hate it. I thought it was interesting enough and got through it quickly, but nothing about it really stood out.
I’ve already read The Many Lives of Mama Love, and it is great! Super heavy but a fantastic book. I’m excited to hear your thoughts
Sheila DeSpirito says
I totally forgot to mention in my comments that, I would like to recommend to you Shay, about reading Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand in a few months. It’s not being published until June 11, 2024 I have heard it’s her last book in the Nantucket books. You did mention early on in the book club that we could recommend to you a book we would like as a group to read and talk about. If you would think about and consider this book for book club, I would love it.
What was your favorite in the Nantucket books?
Mix and Match Mama says
I cannot wait to read her newest one. I’ve read them all, and I always think Blue Bistro and The Identicals are my favorite along with 28 Summers.
Elle Lee says
I agree— it was only ok. I didn’t think Jules was a very like-able character, and I kept expecting her to screw Camden over. Even after the epilogue, I’m not convinced that she REALLY loves Camden. I fully expected the epilogue to be from Jules, writing about Camden’s unfortunate accident!
Candice says
The thing I really liked is how the real Ruby ended up living under a different name with the Nanny and how the Nanny pulled her out from the family because of all the trouble.
I did not like how Dora family sold Dora for money.
This was definitely more of a mystery than a thriller. But it still caused some gasps at time. I agree, only a 3 for me.
Janique says
I’ve enjoyed all three of your selections so far. Thank you for hosting the club. It has led me to books I would not have chosen on my own. Reading The Women right now while I wait for April’s selection to arrive.
Mix and Match Mama says
I think you will LOVE The Women!!
Katie says
I read this one really quickly but it wasn’t memorable for me. Negatives were cliched one-sided characters and unnecessary language. I’m enjoying the book club! It was on my list of things I wanted to do this year, and this is a perfect option. I’ve already read three books I would have never picked up on my own and The Frozen River is a big favorite for me-a 5 star!!
Yolanda McLean says
I agree that it reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Three stars is maybe a fair rating, I kind of hated this book though I finished it. It felt very impossible to me. All these husbands die and no one dives into why. Just dumb.
I am enjoying the book club! I would have missed out on the February book if I weren’t participating and that book was fantastic. I’m looking forward to next month!!
Dawn says
I’ve enjoyed all the selections so far. I enjoyed the twists here and it kept me guessing.