The Light in the Hallway by Amanda Prowse

I chose to read this beautifully written novel a month after I lost my mom to dementia. That's perhaps not the best timing on my part because the book opens with Nick losing his wife to cancer following a long battle with the disease. Prowse deftly maneuvers the emotions of watching someone close to you die: the pain, the grief, the rage and the guilt are written with such expertise as to ensure you'll need a box of tissues near you as you read.

When Kerry dies, Nick is left alone to see their son off to college, a son who refuses at first to acknowledge his mother's death. Soon, though, Olly experiences the entire range of emotions and Nick finds himself comforting a boy who is at odds with himself and his feelings.

The remainder of the book delves into moving on and beginning to find pleasure and happiness again. Nick finds a new friend and has to deal with his sister-in-law's and son's feelings about that. Prowse expertly writes Nick's character as a man who is both sympathetic but firm. I love how he handled all of the issues that were thrown at him.

Interspersed in the modern-day story are tales of Nick, Eric and Alex during the summer of 1992 when the three friends truly became best buds. I loved those stories so much that I found myself eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Prowse tidies things up nicely at the end for us. I'm not always a fan of that, but given the heartwrenching and emotionally draining beginning of the Light in the Hallway, I was happy to see where she went with the final chapter of the book.

Four well-deserved stars to this great read.

Many thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Read this review on Goodreads.

Empty Vessels by Nicholas Williams

3.5 stars rounded down

Empty Vessels is the story of Lucas, his girlfriend, April, and their pal, Scarlet. This YA thriller focuses on the young adults, who work in Lucas' father's biotech firm, which has found a way to produce "vessels" that will eventually serve as bodies for individuals after death. Or not. That part still isn't so clear to me.

This technology is understandably in demand and the thriller part of the story focuses on who is trying to take control of that technology and who stands in their way. Lucas and April find themselves at the center of a weird plot to own the tech and both must try to stay alive long enough to keep the technology out of the hands of those who would manipulate it for their own needs.

The big twist wasn't such a big twist. The second big twist wasn't a big twist either. Subtracted a full star for that. The writing and tech background was top-notch. The ending tidies things up nicely. Overall a good book.

Many thanks to Booksirens for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Read this review on Goodreads or Amazon.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

From the publisher:
J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new psychological thriller examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to in order to protect their secrets.

Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond.

But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder.

When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

Don’t miss this fast-paced suspense story from New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Long books usually intimidate me. This one didn't ... Primarily because of the author's provocative prologue and opening chapters. She had me, hook, line and sinker.

I liked Ash, mostly, but every other student? Detestable, and that's putting it lightly. But that's what was so great about this novel. Ellison took what we know about private boarding schools, bullies and spoiled rich kids and made this story just shine.

There were a few twists and turns that you couldn't possibly see coming, so anything you think may be true could just as easily be false. And I savor that kind of writing.

And it is great writing, to be sure. I nicked half a star because I had to look up so many words. It seemed to me she used million-dollar words far too often. And, I'll admit, it was longer than I would have liked, but the extra scenes added to the story.

I enjoyed the epilogue. You may not, but I found it fitting.
Find this book here.