Lucinda Berry

This book was so good. It was my first Lucinda Berry and I've been wanting to read her books. She was able to draw me in and felt like I could feel the relationship between mother and son. SPOILER: Both "twists" at the end, the fact that his mom decides to help him die. That hit all the feels. And I kind of predicted the end, that his father had the same issue. I was just hoping the father hadn't done anything to the daughter and it doesn't sound like he did. But how strongly his father felt, made me think that his father was the same way. However, I still found the twist shocking that she went there. Such a quick read and also emotional.… (mere)

This is the type of psychological thriller that is impossible to put down even though you know what is coming. The predictable narrative line unfolds as expected, but along the way you will feel every emotion and hope that you are wrong about the story.

When Felicia gets the late-night call at the local crisis center, she has no idea that this is the beginning of the end of her own quiet life in a small Wisconsin town. The caller is a young girl who wants to kill herself after being sexually assaulted by older boys at her private school. The video the boys made is beyond humiliating. Felicia defies protocol and gives the girl her private phone number and becomes obsessed with trying to help her. Against every logical analysis, Felicia becomes concerned that her only child, Hunter, a junior at the same school, might know something about this crime.

So good, so sad. A quick listen as it is a novella and I stayed up late to finish because I had to know. Loved the narrators and the entire production of this audiobook as it was quite well done.

Got my copy from the local library. Only available on audio.… (mere)

Okay this one is hard. This book was not for the faint of heart. It is tough and devastating. It's emotional and heartbreaking. This book wrecked me. The major focus is Adrianne's love for her child. She is willing to do whatever she can for him. I think the book did a magnificent job of showing the way the family can be impacted by a disclosure like this. It shook their world... Noah getting treatment was how she thought she would help him to get better. I think watching her grapple with the truth of what Noah is and what he feels is written beautifully. Adrianne doesn't waiver much in her dedication to Noah and it's beautiful. I think the book addresses a lot of interesting points throughout.

Adrianne makes a huge distinction between Noah's behavior and that of other offender's never truly hearing him say he wants to be punished. I loved the gradual way she came around to understanding him. I think we got to see the struggle. I have to admit that the book had me sobbing. It took a lot of unexpected turns and really makes you feel for Noah as much as his family. It's beautifully written to make you question so much about your perceived notions. It has an unexpected twist that floored me. I was not expecting it and it opened up a whole other set of questions that I will be contemplating now.… (mere)

Even though the subject was completely heartbreaking and terrible to think about I found it intriguing and hard to put down. We have three teenage boys who appear to be the best of friends, and then this tragedy happens, and suddenly secrets come to light. Each set of parents starts to wonder if they actually knew the boys as well as they thought they did. If that wasn't enough we also have the three moms who have been best friends and this event begins to strain their friendship in a variety of ways. I think the book did a marvelous job of showcasing the way each woman experienced grief from the accident. It also does an amazing job of showing the way that impacts their friendship, marriage and relationship with their other children.

I loved the way the book slowly gave us information about the events leading up to the accident. We also start to see other secrets in each of the families come to life. I think one thing that was done well was how the author showed that even though these women had been friends for a long time they didn't know each other as well as they thought. Each twist in the story really made me more eager to learn what happened that night. I have to admit that I didn't see the ending coming. I think it was an interesting choice and really fit the theme of the novel well. I just wish we had less characters to keep track of and that it had been a little more intense.… (mere)