Book Review: The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
Reviewer: Emma I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review Summary: In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire…
Happy 2nd Birthday Chick Lit Plus!
I am a bad, bad girl. I forgot a very special birthday- the 2nd birthday of Chick Lit Plus! Man, I felt like such a…
GIVEAWAY: The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain
Dear Anna, What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear,…
The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain
I love giving five stars, and the latest novel by Diane Chamberlain earns them all. The Midwife’s Confession is a tangled story of friendship and love, secrets and betrayal, and realistic characters that will make you cry while you see their story unfold. Tara, Emerson, and Noelle have been friends for years, but when Noelle commits suicide, leaving behind only an unfinished note, Tara and Emerson find out they might not have truly known their friend. The complex mystery that surrounds not only Noelle’s death, but Noelle’s life before her suicide drives the woman to put the pieces together. But when Noelle’s secrets are finally revealed, Tara and Emerson are in for a heart-wrenching discovery.
This novel was near impossible to put down. I loved trying to figure out the mystery alongside Tara and Emerson, and there were several occasions that I thought I had it all pieced together. I was never even close. The compelling drama indeed made me cry, and left me a bit unsettled at the end, but I loved it all the same. I know I said something similar in my review of Chamberlain’s The Lies We Told, but I was unsettled for a different reason. I don’t want to give a lot away here, but it was because there was a mystery surrounding Noelle and Tara’s deceased husband. The story was so good I had to call my mom immediately after I finished it to talk her ear off about it, then send her out my copy so she could read it as well. Again- all five stars are earned in The Midwife’s Confession.
[Rating: 5]
In My Mailbox: Week of February 13th
In My Mailbox: Week of February 13th
Title: Starring in the Movie of My Life
Author: Laurel Osterkamp
Received: From Laurel Osterkamp
Synopsis: STARRING IN THE MOVIE OF MY LIFE, by novelist Laurel Osterkamp, is about
two women who vie for the love of the same man. Thirty-five-year-old
Samantha acts without thinking. Her heart is huge while her sense of purpose is
small; she’s willing to fight for those she loves, but she’s never learned to fight
for herself. Eighteen-year-old Melody is cold and calculating, and she’s driven by
the desire to better herself. As these compelling yet deeply flawed women battle
for the affections of 25-year-old Nathan, he becomes increasingly confused and
torn between them.
Nathan is Melody’s English teacher, and after he saves her from being raped,
she becomes attached to him. Melody longs for the affection she’s never felt, so
she involves her friends and family in her self-invented drama, making sure she
is at once the star and the director. Meanwhile, Samantha is newly married to
Nathan. But Samantha has issues, including hang-ups about motherhood and
lingering feelings for her ex. To make sense of the world, Sam relates her life to
the themes of her favorite movies, while she independently makes a
documentary in order to jump-start her non-existent film career.
Title: The Midwife’s Confession
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Received: From Tricia Carr @ Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc
Synopsis: When Noelle Downie is found dead of an apparent overdose, her best friends Tara and Emerson are left blindsided by her death and struggling with burning questions. Everything they knew about their longtime friend—her natural calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family—portrayed a woman who completely embraced life, not someone suicidal.
Clearing out Noelle’s small home, Tara and Emerson encounter old photos, handwritten birth records, and sincere thank you notes from Noelle’s former patients—no hint that Noelle had been unstable during the years leading to her suicide. But among Noelle’s belongings, an unfinished letter is discovered—a clue to a disturbing past and an unbearable secret. With just one piece to the puzzle, Tara and Emerson commit to digging deeper for clues, slowly peeling back years of hidden deception that had been silently tearing apart their best friend.
Title: Love Struck
Author: Chantel Simmons
Received: From Chantel Simmons
Synopsis: In the vein of her popular debut and bestselling novel, Stuck in Downward Dog, Chantel Simmons brings us a funny, heartfelt story about losing the perfect life—and find a real one. When 27-year-old image consultant Poppy Ross discovers her handsome and seemingly devoted husband Parker is having an affair, she is dumbfounded. Before she can confront him, however, he is struck by lightning. When he regains consciousness, he has lost his short-term memory—including that of the affair. Given this unlikely chance to erase history, Poppy decides to remake herself in the mistress’s image, so that her husband might never be tempted to stray again. Her quest to become the perfect woman has disastrous results, however, and may just turn out to be the worst thing possible for her marriage.
Title: Voices on the Waves
Author: Jess Chambers
Received: From Jess Chambers
Synopsis: When Faye Wakefield runs a competition offering nine lucky winners a two-week stay at her beautiful farmhouse retreat in Cornwall, she promises an experience they will never forget. However, even Faye could not have imagined how bringing these people together would change their lives forever.
Just as she hoped, the competition yields a diverse mix of characters. Among them are Leah Shaw, a shy young woman with troubled eyes; the womanizing business tycoon Marcus Armitage; Karenza Jackson ruled by her deep-rooted need for independence; retired nurse Bronwyn Davis, and Patrick O’Leary, an Irishman with an affiliation for the whisky bottle.
So begins a gently unfolding story of love and illicit affairs, heartache and self-discovery. Yet, as sparks fly and the guests share their long-buried secrets, only Faye knows of her ulterior motive for inviting them all under her roof.
Most Intriguing Concept Nominees
The nominees for Best Novel with the most Intriguing Concept:
The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch
Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain
Espressologist by Kristina Springer
Bulletproof Mascara by Bethany Maines
Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!
Best Tear Jerker Nominees
The nominees for Best Tear-Jerker Novel:
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Promises to Keep by Jane Green
The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain
On Folly Beach by Karen White
Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain
Maya and Rebecca Ward are two sisters who share a special bond. Both doctors, the girls witnessed the murder of their parents when they were young, an incident that has shaped the rest of their lives. Maya, the younger sister, works as a pediatric orthopedist, married to Adam, yet another doctor. The couple has hit a hard point in their marriage, as Maya has suffered through multiple miscarriages. Rebecca is a free-spirited risk-taker, working for Doctors International Disaster Aid, which takes her all over the world helping people after disaster strikes. She has no interest in settling down and starting a family like her sister.
When hurricanes devastate North Carolina, Rebecca is one of the first on the scene. She convinces Adam to join her in the rescue and relief mission, and after seeing all the children in need, Adam convinces Maya to join them. While Maya prefers her clean hospital and safe house over a ravaged city, sleeping in tents, and little food, she thinks her marriage will be helped if she joins her husband and sister. But when Maya’s helicopter goes down, everyone aboard is assumed dead. Rebecca and Adam are devastated over the loss of Maya- and turn to each for consolation.
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain is a deeply complicated story of family, betrayal, and forgiveness. The changing point of views between the sisters offer an intimidate look at each of their stories on their parents murder and other past events that has led them to their adult lives. I found this novel to be a page-turner, unable to put it down for chapters at a time. My heart ached for all the characters involved, and Chamberlain’s writing was beautiful and well researched. I was truly transported to the hurricane ravaged North Carolina, and felt that I could walk in the characters’ shoes. If only it weren’t for the ending, this novel would receive a 5 star rating. The last five chapters had my interest for a good hour, I had to see how the characters resolved the many problems they faced, and I was disappointed. I won’t ruin the ending for anybody, but I am curious to see if any other readers had the same reaction I did. Overall, I would recommend The Lies We Told, but be prepared for the ending to leave you unsatisfied.
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