Review: Saving Ruby King by Catherine Adel West

Saving Ruby King: A Novel by Catherine Adel West

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published: June 2020

Ruby King lives in Chicago with her mother and her abusive father. When her mother dies, Ruby knows she can't be there alone with her father. What can she do and where can she go? Her best friend, Layla, tries all she can to help and protect Ruby from what is happening. But Ruby needs more than protection, she needs a whole new change in scenery. Three generations of trauma are seen in this book along with a lot of parent/child relationships.

Thanks to Park Row Books and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC.

When I read the description to Ruby King, I was expecting a very different book. The subject matter in this book is very heavy and has quite a few triggers throughout. From a father sexually abusing his child, a husband abusing his wife and child, and one man blackmailing another. While Ruby King is the title of this book, every character in this book needs some kind of saving. One important character in the book, that I didn't see coming was the church. You get to see what happens, "If these walls could talk." It was eye-opening and interesting to see that part. The church is where all the secrets were kept.

This book was heavy, but also surprising.

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Audio Book Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed

Internment by Samira Ahmed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: March 2019
 

Layla Amin is an American who is also Muslim. She and other Muslims in her community have been taken from their homes and placed a Mobius, an internment camp for Muslims. The government sees them as a threat to the country and so they must be interred. But Layla will not stand for this. This is America and she and the others are American citizens, and they shouldn't be treated this way. Using her strength, she vows that she will fight until they have all been released and allowed to return to their homes.

I really enjoyed this book. It makes you sit back and think about the past as well as the future of our country especially the way our immigration laws are at this time. I'm not big into politics, but this book definitely struck a cord with me.

Can you imagine being taken from your home and everything you know just because of your religion? It has happened in our past and now Samira Ahmed, shows us what it could be like in our future. This book will make you think about the future of America whether you want to or not. Knowing how history has treated those that are different, how this country was established, this is a situation that I can actually see happening in this country, which is very sad. With families being detained at our borders who knows what could happen.

This is a YA novel, but I think it is important for everyone to read.


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Review: Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Published: June 2018

Let me start off by saying that this book was at the top of my Summer Reading List.  I tried every way I could to get this from the publisher as an ARC without success.  I was the first to read it from my library though.

Ten years ago, Finn's wife, Layla disappeared. They were on their way home from a holiday in France, when they stopped at a rest area for a bathroom break. When Finn returned from the restroom, Layla was gone. He tried to find her right away and contacted the police and told them everything that happened from the time they pulled in until he walked out of the bathroom and his wife was gone. But he left out one detail. Now Finn is dating Layla's sister, Ellen, and things keep popping up to bring Layla back to the forefront. Is Layla alive or is someone playing a twisted game to stop Finn and Ellen from being together?

I love B.A. Paris! Everything she has written so far has been incredible to me. This was another book that I couldn't put down. I think I read it in less than 48 hours.

What would you do if your significant other went missing and was presumed dead. Ten years later when you are about to marry her sister, there are little signs everywhere that she may be still alive. But how is that possible? Why would she stay away all this time if she was alive? Has someone being keeping her captive?

All these questions are answered in the book. And the twist, that I kind of saw coming, but couldn't wait to see how the author laid it all out for us.

Whatever BA Paris writes, I'm definitely going to read. Every book has been unputdownable!!  Have you read any of her books?  Let me know.   If not, what are you waiting for?  Below are my reviews for her other 2 books:

Behind Closed Doors
The Breakdown




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