What I’m Reading This Spring

I am excited for Spring after a wet, cold, and gray Winter. I am looking forward to warmer days, Spring vegetables, sunnier weather, blooming flowers and being outside. But most of all, I’m excited about the books that I’m going to read. I’ve noticed a theme in my Spring book selections – daughters, mothers, and sisters. 

Here are some of the books that are on my TBR this Spring:

The Better Sister by Alafair Burke

Publish Date: April 16, 2019

When a prominent Manhattan lawyer is murdered, two estranged sisters—one the dead man’s widow, the other his ex—must set aside mistrust and old resentments . . . but can they escape their past?

Though Hannah was the younger of the two Taylor sisters, she always seemed to be in charge. She was the honor roll student with big dreams and an even bigger work ethic. Nicole was always restless . . . and more than a little reckless—the opposite of her ambitious little sister. She floated from job to job and man to man, and stayed close to home in Cleveland.

For a while, it seemed like both sisters had found happiness. Hannah earned a scholarship to an Ivy League school and moved to New York City, where she landed a coveted publishing job. Nicole married promising young attorney Graham McIntosh, and gave birth to a baby boy they named Ian. The Taylor sisters became virtual strangers.

Now, more than fifteen years later, their lives are drastically different—and Hannah is married to Graham. When he’s murdered by a masked intruder at the couple’s East Hampton beach house, Hannah reluctantly allows her teenaged stepson’s biological mother—her estranged sister, Nicole—back into her life. But when the police begin to treat Ian as a suspect in his father’s death, the two sisters are forced to unite . . . and to confront the truth behind family secrets they have tried to bury in the past.

There was a lot of buzz about Alafair Burke’s last book, The Wife, so I’m especially curious about this new book and I’m very excited to read it. 

The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth

Publish Date: April 23, 2019

From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana was exquisitely polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.

But the autopsy finds no cancer. The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation.

Who could possibly want Diana dead?

Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?

I read Sally Hepworth’s first book, The Family Next Door, (my review here) and it was just OK for me. The plot for this book drew me in so I’m going to give Sally Hepworth another chance.

The Last Time I Saw You by Liv Constantine

Publish Date: April 30, 2019

Kate English’s mother, Lily Michaels, is dead, the victim of a terrifying attack in her tony suburban Baltimore home. Barely keeping it together for the sake of her family, Kate is surprised and grateful to see Blaire Barrington, her old high school BFF, at the funeral.

Now more than ever, Kate needs Blaire’s loving protection. Lily’s killer is still out there, and has begun taunting Kate with threatening notes sometimes accompanied by gruesome clues. Without any solid leads, the police investigation has stalled. As the messages become increasingly macabre, Blaire decides to take matters into her own hands, alienating friends and relatives with her relentless, almost accusatory questions.

As Blaire pushes further, the danger for those around her—including the increasingly unstable Kate—grows. But will her relentless quest for the truth push her—and Kate—over the edge?

I loved The Last Mrs. Parrish (my review here) and I was practically jumping up and down with excitement when I found out that Liv Constantine wrote another book.

The Night Before by Wendy Walker

Publish Date: May 14, 2019

The night before…and the nightmare after.

Rosie and Laura are as different as two sisters can be. One is stable and has the perfect family. The other struggles to break free from her troubled past. When Laura disappears after going on a blind date, Rosie takes matters into her own hands.

But as Rosie begins to search for her sister, her greatest fears come to the surface. Could Laura be more of a danger than the stranger she meets or is the night before her last night alive?

This book is my first read of Wendy Walker’s books.

The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda

Publish Date: May 21, 2019

“That’s the power of the bond between mothers and daughters. It can never be broken, even in death.” – The Favorite Daughter

This story opens up with Jane, who has finally emerged from her year-long fog of grief from her daughter Mary’s sudden and unexpected death. She is starting to re-engage with husband David and younger daughter Betsy who both have big secrets. The book is told from Jane’s perspective, and this is really entertaining because Jane is a narcissist.

Kaira Rouda’s writing is compelling and engaging, ominous, darkly funny, and creepy. Kaira Rouda’s first book, Best Day Ever (my review here) was fascinating. She is a master at creating narcissistic, psychopathic, and sociopathic characters that you love to hate but relate to on some level. I have no doubt that her latest book will be just as crazy and suspense driven. 

What books do you recommend for Spring reading?