Reading has saved me during these months of stay-at-home orders. It is something enjoyable that I can do to give myself little breaks during the day. While the girls are watching Disney+, I read. When they go outside to play in the yard, I read. Clearly I have been getting a ton of reading done since we aren’t able to go anywhere. I asked on Instagram (@planningforkeeps if you want to follow!) if I should add more book reviews this month and an overwhelming majority said “yes”. So here they are – four MORE books reviews for May.

   

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Long Bright River

In Long Bright River, a female cop is having difficulty finding her druggy sister.  Meanwhile, a few local prostitutes have been murdered and there are no suspects.  The main character worries that her sister may be the next victim.  Dealing with single motherhood, a boss that doesn’t like her, and an annoying new partner, her life isn’t easy.

The book flips back and forth between the past and present. Readers learn about the cop’s upbringing, being raised by a grandmother after her drug-addicted mother dies and father leaves.  A lot is revealed to her as she hunts for her sister. 

I liked how the book played out. For me, it wasn’t predictable but the story defintely was a little slow at times.

   

Red, White & Royal Blue

Red, White, & Royal Blue was a refreshing change in my current literature lineup. It’s a mixture of an ill-fated love story and politics in a world in which Trump never came to power (if only!).

The son of the first female United States president has a long-standing annoyance with one of the princes of the British monarchy.  After an international incident involving the two, the men must pretend to be friends so the public believes it. Will their fake friendship turn into something more? With his mom’s re-election looming is a homosexual affair worth the risk?

I really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect mix of love and politics.

   

The Wives

This book has a complete shift half-way through that I didn’t see coming!  The Wives is about a woman in a modern polygamist marriage. She knows there are other wives but doesn’t know their names or many details.  Her husband comes by on a certain night of the week and she always has a fancy dinner prepared followed by great sex. 

When she happens upon the actual name of the third wife she decides to do some Facebook stalking. The stalking leads to her wanting to meet the other wife in-person and it could spiral from there. Exactly what is their husband hiding from them by keeping everything so secret?

The twist in the middle of the book and the shocking ending really kept the book interesting for me. It’s a fast read.

   

The Secret Keeper

I thought this book was really good but a tad on the long side. The Secret Keeper starts with a teenager witnessing her mother stab a man, a supposed stranger. It then flashes forward to the present in which she is coming back to say goodbye to her elderly mother as her time on earth is coming to an end.

The daughter starts to have questions about her mom’s past leading to information no one in the family knew. The story then continues to switch between the mother as a young woman living in London during WWII and present time.

Again, plot twists definitely took me by surprise. A great read if you have the time. It might make you question what secrets your own parents might have lurking in the past.

   

Need more book recommendations? Take a look at my original May Book Reviews and Recommendations.