Review: P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Goodreads Overview:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

Review:

This was a really cute sequel. I thought the events of the first book would have been behind us by now, but a video surfaces that adds to the drama. In addition, another one of Lara Jean's letters is just delivered to one of her former crushes, John Ambrose McClaren. 

Things get a little rocky between Lara Jean and Peter because Genevieve, Peter's ex-girlfriend, will not leave well enough alone. She has some sort of family situation, but Peter will not divulge the secret and it is putting a major strain on his relationship with Lara Jean. 

Kitty, Lara Jean's little sister, is trying to set their dad up with Trina Rothschild, the lady that lives across the street. She has been helping Kitty train their new puppy and Kitty is convinced the two would hit it off. Lara Jean begins to agree as Trina does a great job of listening and providing motherly advise that has been missing in their lives for years. 

Lara Jean gets a job working at the retirement community where her sister used to volunteer.  She helps organize social activities and develops some interesting relationships with some of the residents. There were quite a few events that took place at the retirement community that were highly entertaining. I can't wait to see how some of these scenes will play out in the Netflix movie.

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining story, but I really hope all of the drama with Genevieve is over.  I loved the addition of John Ambrose McClaren to the story. He was very charming and in my opinion may actually be a better choice than Peter. He is clearly interested in Lara Jean and is far more attentive and loyal.  Hopefully Peter will change his ways and prove to be worthy of Laura Jean's affection in the final book in this series. 

Review: The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee

Review:

This is the third and final book in The Thousandth Floor series. This book picks up a summer after where we left off at the end of the prior book. Our cast of characters have returned from Dubai to the 1000 story tower in New York. Leda received some shocking news in Dubai and spiraled out of control for a while, but she has returned from rehab and is hopeful she can put her past behind her.

Leda, Rylin, Watt, and Avery soon discover their secrets may have spread further than they thought. They need to find out who else may know and how much the police have already discovered.

Avery spent her summer after Dubai at Oxford University in Scotland. She needed to get away from Atlas to clear her head. She meets a boy named Max and they begin a relationship. He will never be able to replace Atlas, but he is a good distraction. When Avery returns to New York, Max decides to do a study abroad program in New York so they can still be together. Max is far from the type of boy anyone would expect Avery to select. He is very down to earth and a bit ordinary in just about every way.

Rylin and Cord continue their on again off again relationship. I think Rylin overthinks everything and sets unrealistic expectations for Cord.  I was happy with how things turned out for them, but it seemed like there was a lot of unnecessary drama that could have been avoided.

Watt and Leda were both in the hot seat the majority of this book. Leda has a gap in her memory and doesn't know if she may be guilty of more than she is aware. Watt is afraid his secret about Nadia could get out and his hopes of getting into MIT could be shattered. Not only would his lifelong dream come to an end, but if Nadia is discovered, it is a criminal offence and he could be sent to jail.

Calliope is the one character that doesn't really have any drama associated with her this time around. She and her mom have settled in New York and are out of the conning business. The issue is Calliope is playing a character that is nothing like her real personality. She is afraid she will be stuck in this goody two shoes lifestyle for the rest of her life, or at least until she is off to college and out of her new step-father's house. In addition, her new step-sister is an absolute nightmare.

The police are closing in on everyone and all of their secrets are about to go public until the unthinkable happens.  

I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I will leave it at that. 

This was a very entertaining series with some great characters. I was shocked to see who stepped up in the end and how all of their problems were resolved. I hope there is eventually some sort of a short story or novella to show us how everything panned out after the end of the book.  One aspect was left hanging in the balance, but we can all sort of fill in the blanks for our own happily ever after....but a short story would be the icing on the cake.

Review: The 8th Confession by James Patterson

Review:

8th Confession is the eighth book in the Women's Murder Club series.  This time around Lindsay and her partner Rich Conklin are investigating the murders of several very wealthy individuals. The unusual part is that Clare, the chief medical examiner, can't find any cause of death. They are all healthy and in the prime of their lives. There are no marks on them, no signs of a struggle, and nothing comes up in their lab work. Lindsay and Rich have virtually nothing to go on until one of their colleagues finds a possible connection to some cold cases that he has been working.

Cindy, the crime reporter for the local newspaper, is working on a story involving a homeless man known as Bagman Jesus. He is found brutally murdered at the beginning of the book and she is determined to find out who he is and give him the attention and respect he deserves. Cases involving the homeless are usually overlooked because nobody cares enough to stand up for them, but from the stories she is hearing, he is a celebrity withing the homeless community. The more she uncovers about Bagman, the more she realizes she may be in way over her head.

Yuki, the prosecutor, gives her concluding statement in what should be a slam dunk case. The victim survived the attack and told the police who the perpetrator was, but now there is reasonable doubt and the jury can't come to a decision. In addition, after all of her relationship drama in the prior book, Yuki seems to have finally found a respectable boyfriend. He is a doctor at the local hospital, but just like in the courtroom, it seems like Yuki just can't catch a break. 

This was another fast paced murder mystery with a lot of relationship drama mixed in. It seems like Lindsay may finally marry her longtime boyfriend Joe. She has been on the fence because of an attraction between her and Rich, but hopefully she has finally put those feelings aside once and for all. Cindy definitely helped her decision making by seemingly taking Rich off the market.  While working on the Bagman Jesus case together, Rich and Cindy developed a bit of a relationship that I hope will continue. They seem more suited than Rich and Lindsay and will ease some of the tension between the two of them as the series progresses.

Overall, this was another great addition to the series and I look forward to seeing what is in store next for the members of the Women's Murder Club.