Review: You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon

You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published: May 2021

A man finds himself washed up on the shores of Maryland. He has no idea how he got there or who he is. Lily was expecting her boyfriend to come over with blueberry pancakes, but he's late. All calls and texts to him go unanswered. Unsure of where to go and what to do, he hides out in a camper with Maine license plates. Something about Maine is familiar. What will he find there about himself?

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Last year I fell in love with McKinnon's writing with Sister Dear. I was so excited when this dropped in my inbox. I had no idea what it was about. I was really excited when I started reading and it was in my home state of Maryland. I wasn't sure where this story was going to go, but I was along for the ride.

Both Lily and Jack/Ash have pasts that they didn't share with each other. Their present was amazing, but his disappearance and memory loss force them both to figure out how they are going to tackle the future.

Being drawn to Maine, Ash found his stepsister Maya. Maya helps Ash to remember his past, but is the information she is giving him the truth, or what she wants him to believe?

This book had me on the edge of my seat and wanting to jump through the book to slap a few people.

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Review: Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison

Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Published: July 24, 2018

Three years ago Willa lost her husband Ben. Since his death, she hasn't been able to return to their beach house in Ocean City, MD. The main reason is because that was where he died. But now, something needs to be done with the house and Willa thinks the best thing to do is sell it. But being at the house has been quite interesting for Willa. She keeps seeing her husband Ben, and then she hears him loud and clear as if he is still there with her. Is she going crazy or is he really there? As she goes about fixing up the house with her best friend and her son, she sees Ben less and less, but her grief seems to be subsiding.

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

What drew me to this book initially was the fact that it was based in Maryland. I have lived my whole life here and I love reading books where I can picture myself in the setting. And when it's places your familiar with, it makes it a lot easier to imagine.

I don't know what I would do if I lost my husband unexpectedly. I'm sure the grief would tear me up inside for a very long time. We are a family that enjoys the beach, so I could really connect with this book. We don't have a beach house, but every year we make it a point to get to the beach for a least a week. If my husband were to die at the beach, I'm sure that it would be more difficult to go.

Willa doesn't want to go to the beach house, but she knows something has to be done. The memories of her husband, Ben are too great for her to keep the house, so selling it seems like the best option. Being back in the beach house is bringing up so many memories and making Willa reflect on the past three years and how she has just been going through the motions of life and not really participating in it. Not spending time with her son, Jamie or her best friend Kristin. Having them helping her get the house ready to sell reminds her of all the summers they spent together.

How can Willa sell the house if Ben is still there? If she continues to spend her summers there will she continue to see him? He doesn't know how his appearances work, so how will they know. But Willa knows this summer will change her life in more ways than one.

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Review: Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li

Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Published:  2018


The Han's own The Duck House restaurant in Rockville, Maryland. The Duck House is a Chinese restaurant that has been a staple in the community for decades. Most of the employees have worked there since the beginning. Jimmy Han is not happy running his father's restaurant, though. He's ready to step out on his own.   So when a fire destroys The Duck House, he sees this as a perfect opportunity to go through with his plan. But, will the cause of the fire, prevent Jimmy from doing what he wants to do?

Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was really interested to read this book since it is based where I currently live. Books that are local to my area, always have me intrigued before even opening them up. But this one fell flat for me. I didn't really care what happened. There really wasn't too much excitement in the book beyond the fire. I did finish the book because I had to see if there was going to be something more that was going to happen. Unfortunately, it never did.

The basis of this book was the people in the relationship.  Although there were several main characters, I can't say that I really got to know any of these characters in a way that made me want to know more about them.  All of the characters are seriously flawed and they don't contribute much to the overall book.  I wanted to enjoy this book, but I couldn't find anything to keep me connected.

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Review-Don't Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche

Don't Fail Me Now by Una LaMarche
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Michelle Devereaux in a police department with her younger siblings Cass and Denny waiting with a social worker for their aunt to pick them up.  Their mother has been arrested.  Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened.  Her mother has been in jail several times and she hasn't seen her father in several years.  When Michelle finds out that her father is dying in California and may have something for her, she sets out on a journey that will hopefully end in a windfall for her and her siblings.

This was a great YA Novel.  A book about love, family and adventure.  Michelle and her siblings are black kids from Baltimore, Maryland.  Michelle knows that she and Cass have a half-sister, Leah, that is white, and that is about all the know about her.  Until she shows up with her step-brother at Michelle's job with information about their father.  With this new information and the current state of affairs, Michelle decides now is a good a time as any to drive across the country to see her father before he is no longer there.

Five kids, in an old station wagon are heading across the country without any of their parents being aware.  They have very little money and barely more than the clothes on their back, but they are determined to find Buck Devereaux and collect whatever it is he has for them.

Their adventure is not without some complications.  Will they make the journey successfully?  Will these siblings, Michelle, Cass, and Leah be able to build a relationship? Will they reunite with the father they barely know? How will this trip change their lives for the future?

One of the things that drew me to this book where the characters.  They were characters I could relate to, when I was that age and the kids are all from Maryland where I live.  Plus, who doesn't love a good road trip.  All of these factors made this an excellent book and something I would recommend to young adults from mixed racial backgrounds and diverse family dynamics.

**I received this book from the FirstToRead program through Penguin Books in exchange for an honest review.**


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