August 30, 2017

Review: Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cass and Emma are sisters. And like most sisters, some days they are best friends and some days they just aren't. But one thing that keeps them tethered to each other is their shared love/hate relationship with their mother. She is a narcissist and only praise of the utmost will allow her to bring her children any joy. Then the girls disappear and three years later Cass shows up at her mother's doorstep, demanding that they find Emma. Cass describes the place they had been living for the past three years and hopes that the FBI and investigators are able to find this mysterious island and Emma.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book started off a little slow for me. Hearing the background information about what happened before the disappearance, intertwined with what was going on now to describe the place the girls were being held, took up the first half of the book.  Told from the perspective of Cass, the youngest daughter and Dr. Winter the FBI Psychiatrist who did the initial investigation.  After that, the reading went by much faster when the twists and turns started to take place.

Cass and Emma have a mother who constantly needs to be told how beautiful she is and how good of a mother she is. The only problem is that she's not. But hearing these things make her feel good about herself and keep her children on her good side. When things don't go the way she wants, she punishes the girls in unspeakable manners. Buying one a gift the other wanted, favoring one child and ignoring the other. This is a family that has a lot of issues going on inside of their home. They way things are handled are completely out of spite for another member of the family. Although this book had a slow start, it really had a great ending. So stick with it if you have to and it will be well worth it.

Wendy Walker also wrote, All is Not Forgotten which was also a great book released last year. I look forward to what else Ms. Walker has in store.

See all my reviews at http://whatchatreadin.blogspot.com

Order a copy of this book by clicking the book cover below:
  

Winning Wednesday -- Bookish Giveaways!!

How about some great books to help make it over the hump!!!




Win 25 book curated just for you!!
Enter for your chance to win a customized collection of fiction books from Penguin Random House.
Open to US Residents Only--Ends tomorrow August 31st

Have Tea on Mary Balogh
Enter for your chance to win all three Wescott novels(the latest is an advanced copy) from Mary Balogh.  If you like Historical Romance these are the books for you.  You will get the books below along with a tote, Wedgwood Tea, a tea strainer, and a tea spoon.
   
Open to US Residents -- Ends September 22nd from Penguin Random House

Well-Crafted Kit Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win A Well-Crafted Home by Janet Crowther, out September 26th, plus a set of Fiskars crafting tools to help with your next project.

Open to US Residents only -- HURRY Ends Friday, September 1st 
Sponsored by Books for Better Living

Facsimile Edition of Murder on the Orient Express
Enter for your chance to win one of 50 copies of a reprint of the original typesetting from the first edition.  To prepare yourself for the release of the movie on November 10th read or re-read the book they way it was intended.

Open to US Residents Only--HURRY Ends Friday, September 1st.  You must be a member on Goodreads for this giveaway.

Annotated Podcast Sweepstakes by Hachette Book Group
Enter to win these books that were featured during Book Riot's  podcast Annotated, a new podcast that talks about books, reading and language.  Hachette Book Group was the sponsor of these books.  The winner will receive 1 hard copy of the 12 books below.  Three winners will be selected.  
                      
Open to US Residents only--Ends September 15th


Win a Bundle of Book Club Favorites
Enter for your chance to win 10 award-winning books that you are sure to love.  Brought to you by Penguin RandomHouse
                
Open to US Residents only -- Ends September 10th


Book Riot Giveaway Page -- Click here

Giveaways from Goodreads

**These giveaways are not sponsored by What 'Cha Readin'? Please see each giveaway for official rules.**

Here are my reviews for a couple of the books being offered:

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan