January Book Club Books
The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day.
Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways.
How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?
This book was not a love story. It was actually a train wreck. There was no reason that this book should have been as bad as it was. It had so much potential. It had a promising plot, likable characters, and witty banter--until it didn't.
Plot-wise, I was excited to start the Do Over. Valentine's day is right around the corner, and I've never read a book about a day repeating over and over again. My main issue with the plot wasn't even because of the plot holes and the disastrous miscommunication; it was the secondhand embarrassment I got over Emilie's actions repeatedly. After repeatedly experiencing the worst day of her life, Emilile decides to throw reason and logic out the window, mess up her entire life, and leave everything to chance.
Although I hated most of Emilie Hornby's actions, she was pretty relatable. She is an average teenage girl who wants to experience teenage love while also being able to control every situation in her life. Her internal monologue had me chuckling throughout the book, and she had great character growth. Emilie went from an over-controlling teenager to someone who doesn't care about anyone else's opinions. Nick Stark was a different story, though. He was a bit of a letdown for me as I went into the story with high hopes for an epic love story, only for his brooding, self-deprecating self to ruin his relationship with Emilie.
What I disliked even more than Nick's personality was how he treated Emilie. They had been a couple for a day, and then he randomly started ignoring her for a month, only for him to come back with lame excuses about his behavior. Even worse, Emilie forgave him immediately. This literally made me want to throw my book across the room. Like, where's the groveling, where's the begging on his knees for forgiveness? He needed to work for it.
So, all in all, the Do Over was not my favorite book. If miscommunication wasn't such a central theme, I would have liked it more. I definitely enjoy Lynn Painter's writing style and how she crafts her stories, but I prefer her other books.
First Lie Wins by
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.
Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.
Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge...
First Lie Wins, a standout among my reads this year, is a thriller that instantly drew me in. The narrative is a thrilling, mind-boggling game of cat-and-mouse, packed with unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Evie Porter, our female main character, is tough, extremely smart, and resourceful, not to mention always two steps ahead. As Evie goes through the stages of her job and the manipulation that is being thrown at her while manipulating not only the people around her but also the readers, I'm not sure there was a single time I knew what was going to happen or even who the correct villain was, as my guesses were so far off the mark.
The story moved at a moderately fast pace, with enough action and suspense to keep me engaged. However, the middle section, where the story's various threads were being woven together, felt a bit slow. Despite this, I was compelled to push through because I knew the ending was going to be a game-changer. The story had so many interwoven plots that constantly left me shocked, but also showcased Ashley Elston's amazing writing skills.
Going into this book, my expectations weren't very high because most of the thrillers/mysteries that I've read have left me disappointed and guessing the plot twist immediately. However, that didn't happen in First Lie Wins. I went into this book blind, without even reading the synopsis, and I think that was the best course of action. It allowed me to experience the story without any preconceived notions or expectations, which I believe enhanced my reading experience. I didn't even realize how similar it was to my favorite movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which is probably one of the reasons why I loved the book so much.
I highly recommend First Lie Wins and can't wait to read more of Ashley Elston's books. Her ability to create complex characters, her skill in weaving together multiple plotlines, and her knack for keeping readers on the edge of their seats are just a few of the reasons why I'm eager to dive into her other works.
Written by Carlie Renee
