Release Day Review: Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pub. Date: August 7th, 2018
Pages: 352

Genre: Fiction / Biographical Fiction / Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Camden, NJ, 1948. When 11 year-old Sally Horner steals a notebook from the local Woolworth's, she has no way of knowing that 52 year-old Frank LaSalle, fresh out of prison, is watching her, preparing to make his move. Accosting her outside the store, Frank convinces Sally that he’s an FBI agent who can have her arrested in a minute—unless she does as he says.

This chilling novel traces the next two harrowing years as Frank mentally and physically assaults Sally while the two of them travel westward from Camden to San Jose, forever altering not only her life, but the lives of her family, friends, and those she meets along the way.

Based on the experiences of real-life kidnapping victim Sally Horner and her captor, whose story shocked the nation and inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his controversial and iconic Lolita, this heart-pounding story by award-winning author T. Greenwood at last gives a voice to Sally herself.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I have to admit that I have not read Nabokov's Lolita and was not aware of Sally Horner and what she went through before reading Rust & Stardust. Now that I've read this story I know I will never forget Sally or her tragic experience. This novel is told with such tenderness and heartache, as well as a rawness that feels so real and all the more devastating because of it. It gives voice to a little girl who's life was unthinkably painful and yet hopeful.

The synopsis above gives you the basic outline of the story. What the synopsis doesn't tell you is just how sweet, open, and innocent Sally's voice is in the beginning. She's a lonely, poor girl who is desperate for friends as her home life is wanting after her sister has gotten married and moved out, leaving Sally alone with a mother crippled by her own arthritis and lacking of choices or resources. Sally tries to take a notebook as a sort of initiation into a group of rich girls who could never have known the devastation their joke on Sally would bring about. When she's taken by Frank LaSalle, a master at manipulation, she doesn't know how to get herself out of the situation that he's pushed her into. So goes the story and, as it unfolds, with so many people coming into contact with Sally and endless chances for someone, anyone, to do something to rescue her, her voice changes and she continues to lose her inward innocence and hope. I won't say too much more in case anyone doesn't know how Sally's story ends up, but I found it to be beyond sad and tragic, even when it seems hope might be about to surface for her at last. I so wanted everything to be different for Sally, but real life isn't built on only happy endings and the author kept to the facts as much as possible. 

The story is told through a multitude of perspectives, from Sally herself, her mother, her sister, a little girl she wanted desperately to be friends with, and a myriad of people who Sally met and touched as she and LaSalle moved across the country. If you are anything like me you will scream at some of these people who are so close to helping rescue Sally and will want to rescue her yourself, if only able to. I felt physically sick reading about LaSalle and thinking about the irrevocable harm he did to this poor girl!

I should warn readers that this can be graphic and hard to read at times. This story is, after all, about the kidnapping and abuse of a minor and those that are triggered by these sorts of situations should be forewarned. For those that are able to, I think it's important for readers to learn about Sally and what she experienced, not only so her voice is not forgotten but in the hopes that maybe her story can help others see warning signs and act to prevent other young girls from going through the same thing.

While I can't say I "enjoyed" reading Rust & Stardust I so appreciated getting to learn Sally's story. The author includes an excellent author's note at the end of the story that details the fact from the fiction, which I always appreciate. T. Greenwood should be commended for bringing Sally's voice to life as she did such an amazing job of giving a wide-ranging and all-encompassing view of what this sweet little girl went through. I know I'll never be quite the same. 

What Did I Think About the Cover?

This cover perfectly represents some important aspects of the story which  you won't discover until you read it. But, after finishing the book, I find this cover to be touching and poignant and bittersweet. I love it!


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

I received an advanced ebook copy of Rust & Stardust in order to participate in the Book of the Month Reader's Committee selection process. All opinions are mine alone. To find more information about the book, including other reviews and where you can purchase a copy for yourself, see Goodreads HERE.

 

 



Release Day Review: Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pub. Date: July 17th, 2018
Pages: 320

Genres: Contemporary Fiction / Suspense / Family Drama

Synopsis

Sweetness can be deceptive.


Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

 

What Did I Think About the Story?

Baby Teeth is quite a unique work of fiction. I don't think I've ever come across a character like Hannah before. The reader knows from the beginning that there's something kind of off about her, but it takes turning page after page to discover just how sinister this little girl really is. And while I can't say that this was as 'thrilling" as I was expecting I can say that it took me on an interesting ride that went places I never would have thought possible given that one of our main characters is a small child.

The story alternates between Hannah and Suzette's points of view and I can easily say that Hannah's were the most interesting. Her portions are terrifying for their simplistic and honest insanity...she simply wants her mother to go away and leave her and her daddy alone and will do anything to make that happen. It comes across as almost a game to her and she doesn't see any problem with harming someone else to get what she wants (which isn't only her mother by the way...there is a particularly horrid incident at a school that results in an injured mentally handicapped child). Her mind is just so twisted and the author did an excellent job of getting into that mind and voicing the inner monologue in an age-appropriate way.

I unfortunately didn't find Suzette's voice nearly as interesting. At first it was intriguing watching her battle between her maternal instincts and hopes for her relationship with her daughter and the little monster she actually had, but after a while this back and forth dilemma grew a little tiresome. I kept wondering why Suzette didn't set up a hidden camera to catch her daughter in action, or, when she would growl or pretend she was possessed by the spirit of a dead witch (the only time she talked, by the way), why Suzette didn't record her daughter to prove to her husband that she wasn't making her daughter's bad behavior up. I won't even go into how annoying I found the husband as he wish-washed his way through his interactions with both his wife and his daughter. It's pretty bad that things had to progress to the level they did before he believed that his daughter was, in fact, a psychopath.

Towards the end the action really picks up and I was excitedly waiting to see how everything would resolve itself....to come to the end of what felt more like a cliffhanger than any real ending. I really hope there is a sequel because, if not, the ending left me really disappointed.   

All in all, Baby Teeth is, as I said in the beginning, really unique. I love when an author comes up with something different, something that makes me remember why I like reading. Hannah is definitely a character to remember, I just wish her mother and father were as dynamic as she was. I will definitely pick up the sequel if it comes out because I need to know what surprises Hannah might have in store next!

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I think it's subtle but great! The advanced copy I received actually had the lollipop intact on the cover and, once you turned the cover over, you saw the image of the shattered candy. I love this as it perfectly represents something that looks so innocent, but that can be shattered into a million pieces - as is occurring with this family.


My Rating: 3.5/5.0

I received an ARC (advanced readers copy) of Baby Teeth from St. Martin's Press. All opinions are mine alone. To find more information about the book, including other reviews and links to where you can purchase a copy, see Goodreads HERE.

 

 



Release Day Review of The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Pub. Date: January 9th, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352

Genres: Fiction / Suspense / Contemporary Fiction / Mystery

Synopsis

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.

You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.

You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.

You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.

You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.

Assume nothing.


Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.

What Did I Think About the Story?

As you will notice in the synopsis above, not much is given away regarding this story. You are warned not to assume anything, which instantly piques your interest. You're told to "get ready for the read of your life". How can a book lover resist?! Well, if you enjoy a good, twisty mystery, then resistance is unnecessary as The Wife Between Us will give you much to enjoy when reading.

Because of the many twists and turns within this story it's nearly impossible to tell you much of anything without possibly giving away clues that could ruin some of those revelations. I will tell you that the main character is a recently divorced woman who, for reasons you will discover, cannot stop thinking about her ex-husband or his soon-to-be new wife. That's about all I can say (see, told you I couldn't say much). From that one nugget of information these two authors spin a complicated web of obsession, betrayal, pain, and revenge that would be nearly impossible to fully guess when starting. I will admit that I did guess one of the bigger revelations pretty early on, however I still enjoyed seeing how that revelation would come to pass as well as seeing how the many other surprises would unfold. There were a few instances of those awesome moments when I stopped and said "oh wow, THAT'S what was happening there!". I love when that happens and it happened quite often when reading The Wife Between Us.

Something else I quite enjoyed about the story was the fact that the writing flowed seamlessly even though there were two separate authors writing it. I cannot determine which author wrote which portions, which is great and always surprising to me in these sorts of situations. I've been a fan of Sarah Pekkanen's writing for a long time now and I'm so excited that I've discovered a new novelist to follow in Greer Hendricks!

The Wife Between Us is full of complicated characters, none of which are who they appear to be initially.  There are so many dropped clues throughout the story and hanging threads of narrative that all come together and make sense by the end. The wrap-up feels neat and ordered, which I love as I hate when there are still tons of questions left unanswered at the end of the story. While I will say that there are sections of the story that dragged somewhat, making the pacing not quite as "thrilling" as I would have liked, overall this is a great mystery that will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in complicated characters and well thought out and developed plots.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I think it's pretty cool! If you sort of squint at the two faces they kind of look like they're melding into one, which is a great representation of how you feel when reading the book...everything seems to meld/shift/twist together.  The brighter yellow letters also make the title stand out, which I love. Nice contemporary cover.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

I won an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of The Wife Between Us from Shelf Awareness...thank you Shelf Awareness and St. Martin's Press for my copy! All opinions are mine alone. To find more information about the book, including other reviews and links to where you can purchase a copy, see Goodreads HERE.