CHICK WIT: The Best and the Worst By Lisa Scottoline
It was the best of times it was the worst of times. But all in one day. Let me catch you up on last Saturday. I had been thinking about getting a new puppy for a long time because my two Cavaliers Boone and Kit were nearing 15, and I thought my little puppy Eve would love a companion and a houseful of fur. And by Eve, I mean me. And before I continue, let me say first that my rescue credentials are very well established. I`ve rescued dogs, cats, and even horses. I currently have a rescue horse, so I`m fully aware of the need to adopt animals. But I`m also of an age where I get to want what I want, too. And what I wanted was a new cavalier puppy. So I called my wonderful preservation breeder, who doesn`t breed her dogs often, so I expected a six month if not a year lead time. I have waited as long as two years for a dog, that`s how responsible these breeders are. So I sent my email, and amazingly, she wrote me back instantly saying that she had a litter of 15-week old puppies available. My heart exploded! It was sooner than I thought, But my life motto is don`t postpone fun. Especially not at my age. Francesca happened to be home, and we set up a Facetime and looked at three adorable puppies, two girls and a boy. I was leaning toward a girl and I didn`t care what she looked like as much as her temperament. Eve is so adventurous that I didn`t need any more adventure in my life. So we watched how the puppies behaved, not how they looked. What a concept. The two girls ran around like nuts, going up and down the stairs, and actually getting into a box of championship ribbons and wreaking havoc. But the little boy only wanted to sit in the breeder`s lap. He was interested in the world, but he wanted love. What a coincidence, so do I! So you know where I went. I picked the boy! This could be my best marriage yet. Link in bio to read the rest of CHICK WIT
CHICK WIT: Forbidden Fruit By Lisa Scottoline Are you smarter than your dog? Honestly, I’m not. I’ve met my match in Eve. This dog has me outsmarted. And evidently, it was easier than I thought. We begin with me telling you that Eve loves balls. And by loves, I mean obsesses. It started when she was a puppy, and I played fetch with her. Cavaliers aren’t known for fetching, and I thought it was fun and playful. Until playful turned pathological. As much as I love throwing a ball for a dog, Eve is not satisfied unless you have thrown 3000 balls. She never gets tired out, ever since she was a puppy. She will chase a ball all day long, then refuse to give it to you when she fetches it, which is the most annoying part. But I get it. I understand how you become obsessed. Read the rest of CHICK WIT at link in bio.
#Repost @bbsbookishadventures with @use.repost ・・・ This Changes Everything continues the story that began in The Unraveling of Julia, bringing us back into Julia’s world-now living in Tuscany, married, and now a mother, Julia is once again thrown into tragedy as her best friend grandmother is murdered. As Julia returns to the states, to support her friend and search for answers, more secrets come to light and her psychic visions return, raising the stakes and making it harder to know who—or what—she can trust.
This was such a quick, addictive page-turner. It was packed with suspense, secrets, and twists—and there were definitely a few I did not see coming. Scottoline does a masterful job of layering plot twist after plot twist. Every time I thought I had things figured out, the story took another turn.
I flew through this one and finished it in about a day and a half, which is always a sign of a great thriller for me. I also loved that it continued Julia’s story rather than starting completely fresh—it made me even more invested in seeing how everything would unfold. I especially loved the PA connections, especially the links to Valley Forge! Thank you to @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for the e-arc in exchange for my review.
✨ Suspenseful ✨ Twisty ✨ Fast-paced ✨ Perfect for a one-or-two-sitting read
If you enjoyed The Unraveling of Julia, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up!
QOTD: Do you like when an author continues a thriller into a second book, or do you prefer standalones?
#Repost @ginasreadingroom with @use.repost ・・・ “This Changes Everything” by @lisascottoline!
Julia is loving her new life in Italy with her husband and 3 year old daughter but she hasn’t forgotten her old life and home in Pennsylvania. As she is FaceTiming with her best friend Courtney who is visiting her grandmother, Julia gets a vision and tries to warn her not to go in the house. It’s too late. Courtney finds her grandmother murdered. Julia hops on the first plane to Philadelphia. The two friends try to help crack the case and uncover conspiracies, illegal manufacturing and a scarily corrupt and racist police department. Things get dangerous as Julia tries to channel her visions to help catch the killer before anyone else gets hurt.
REVIEW:
I have read ALL BUT TWO of Ms. Scottoline’s books! She’s my favorite female author ever! I was lucky enough to be given a signed copy by her at her launch party last month. (Check out my post from July 11th!)
This book can be read as either a sequel or a stand alone. The 1st book is “The Unraveling of Julia” where she learns of her psychic abilities and where she truly came from after discovering she was adopted and is heiress to a multimillion dollar villa and vineyard in Tuscany (Sorry, semi-spoiler!) If you didn’t read the 1st one it’s totally not a big deal. I promise you won’t be confused one bit.
I also have to add I LOVE that the lawyer is Bennie Rosato. A crossover I wasn’t expecting! Bennie Rosato is the high profile lawyer from Ms. Scottoline’s Rosato, DiNunzio & Associates law series! Awesome read! Another well-written novel by one of the greats!
QOTD: Do you believe in psychics? AOTD: I admit I’m skeptical unless someone tells me something NO ONE would know.
#Repost @stefs__booktrunk with @use.repost ・・・ 🔫Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline🔫 . . . A domestic thriller that follows a group of friends who are linked together for 20 years after being a part of one single, but huge secret. Now they are all at risk of being exposed. How long will they manage to keep this secret buried? . I picked this book up after getting invited to Lisa Scottoline’s book launch party last month to help me get a feel for her writing style. I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it & needless to say shocked that this was my first experience reading one of her books! She is quickly becoming a new favorite author! . The multi POV & alternating timeline was the perfect way to build the suspense & become increasingly more invested in each character’s storylines! & speaking of, I think I questioned each character at one point or another throughout the book & let me tell you, I still did not see the major twist coming in the end! I was absolutely flabbergasted, exactly the way I like a thriller to knock my socks off! & there was a super suspenseful cat & mouse element towards the end that had my heart pounding in the best way! . This book had so many great elements… -The Philly suburb setting (love a locally—to me—set book)! -Coming of age nostalgia -Alternating timeline (teenage years to adult) -Friendships (multi POVs) -Dysfunctional family dynamics -Trauma/grief -Mystery & suspense -Strong female MC -A great legal element -SHOCKING twist . Trigger Warnings: death of a parent, death of a child, irresponsible use of guns, discussions of suicide & suicidal ideation. . . . How cool is it that I got the chance to sneak a review pic in Lisa’s home office? I bet you’d never guess Bradley Cooper was there too! 🤭 IYKYK! Such a pinch me moment that I don’t think I’ll ever get over! . This is just the start of me diving into all of Lisa’s books! I’ve already read 2 more of her books at this point & spoiler alert, I’ve loved them too! . Have you read any of Lisa Scottoline’s books? Which ones are your faves that I need to be prioritizing next?! . . . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #someoneknow
#Repost @stefs__booktrunk with @use.repost ・・・ 🔫Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline🔫 . . . A domestic thriller that follows a group of friends who are linked together for 20 years after being a part of one single, but huge secret. Now they are all at risk of being exposed. How long will they manage to keep this secret buried? . I picked this book up after getting invited to Lisa Scottoline’s book launch party last month to help me get a feel for her writing style. I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it & needless to say shocked that this was my first experience reading one of her books! She is quickly becoming a new favorite author! . The multi POV & alternating timeline was the perfect way to build the suspense & become increasingly more invested in each character’s storylines! & speaking of, I think I questioned each character at one point or another throughout the book & let me tell you, I still did not see the major twist coming in the end! I was absolutely flabbergasted, exactly the way I like a thriller to knock my socks off! & there was a super suspenseful cat & mouse element towards the end that had my heart pounding in the best way! . This book had so many great elements… -The Philly suburb setting (love a locally—to me—set book)! -Coming of age nostalgia -Alternating timeline (teenage years to adult) -Friendships (multi POVs) -Dysfunctional family dynamics -Trauma/grief -Mystery & suspense -Strong female MC -A great legal element -SHOCKING twist . Trigger Warnings: death of a parent, death of a child, irresponsible use of guns, discussions of suicide & suicidal ideation. . . . How cool is it that I got the chance to sneak a review pic in Lisa’s home office? I bet you’d never guess Bradley Cooper was there too! 🤭 IYKYK! Such a pinch me moment that I don’t think I’ll ever get over! . This is just the start of me diving into all of Lisa’s books! I’ve already read 2 more of her books at this point & spoiler alert, I’ve loved them too! . Have you read any of Lisa Scottoline’s books? Which ones are your faves that I need to be prioritizing next?! . . . #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #someoneknow
Eve Makes More Trouble By Lisa Scottoline I’m home from book tour for This Changes Everything, and when I got home, everything changed. I’ll explain. First, let me say how grateful I am to everyone who picked up a copy of the book or came out to see me on tour. Thank you to each and every one of you, because you support me, literally. Meanwhile I love tour, which has me in a different city every day for three weeks. Most of the year I feel like a puppy in a crate, so when I finally get out and meet people who actually read me, it’s the best thing ever. We hug! I got home on Saturday, and the first place I went is my happy place, which is my pool. Believe me, I know how lucky I am to have a pool all to myself. Well, not exactly to myself. I always bring my dog Eve, who is to the manor born. She lounges on the chair under the umbrella while I read on a float, which is the best thing you could ever do. And that’s exactly what I was doing, after I’d eaten cherries, which is my second favorite thing to do. Eating. Anyway, I was reading on my float with a nice full tummy of cherries and I happen to fall asleep. This is not unusual. I do it all the time. I love reading myself to sleep, and that doesn’t mean I’m reading a bad book. It means I’m reading a good one, because it relaxes me. So I woke up an hour later, when I noticed Eve had her face in the cherry bowl. I got out of the pool to find that all of my cherry pits were gone. Hmm. I googled, Is it bad for dogs to eat cherry pits? The answer was, Yes, you idiot. They contain cyanide. Wait, what? In large quantities, but do you want to split hairs? How many cherries did your dog eat? Instantly I called my vet, who said bring her in right away. This is life with Eve. You may remember that last month she actually found the only acorn in New York City and ate it whole, causing $12,000 worth of surgery. Luckily, I have pet insurance. I reminded myself of same when I was racing to the vet, although this time I was worried. There’s nothing funny about cyanide. And I wasn’t exactly sure how many cherries I had eaten. I remember thinking, wow, Lisa, you’re really pigging out on cherries. Link in bio to read more.
Great news! The paperback of @fserritella’s fabulous novel FULL BLOOM is out now! And she has a terrific gift-with-purchase offer for you! Have a listen!