The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell - 5 Stars

 When Libby turns 25 she is excited to find out what she's been waiting for her whole life: who her birth parents are. What Libby doesn't know is that she has also inherited a mansion on the banks of the Thames river in the upscale Chelsea neighborhood. The house is worth millions. What Libby doesn't know is that there are others that have been waiting on this day as well.
25 years earlier police were called to the house with reports of a baby crying. There they find a perfectly healthy, well cared for baby in a crib. There are 3 adults dead in the kitchen and 4 other children who have gone missing.

The story is told through the lives of 3 different characters in the book. It took me a few chapters to get each person straight and figure out who was who. The first half of the book is mostly back story, but at a little over half way through there was a shocking moment. From that point on, I plowed through the rest of the story and other unexpected shockers.
This is my 2nd book of the year and another 5 star rating.

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford - 5 Stars

 Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford
5 Stars

William Eng is a 12 year old Chinese American boy who has lived in the Sacred Heart Orphanage for the last 5 years. This was the last time he had seen his mother. When the orphanage takes the boys out for the annual birthday celebration, William gets a glimpse of who he believes is his mother. She is an actress going by the name of Willow Frost.
William is determined to find out if this is really Liu Song, his mother. He navigates the streets with his friend Charlotte in search of the truth.

The story is set between the 1920's and the Great Depression and switches between the two timeframes. What results is a heart wrenching story of love, hope, and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed this story. While it was a sad story, most of the time, the ending was really heart warming. I'm happy that my first read was a 5 star rating.

2021 Alphabet Soup Challenge

 Link to challenge:  Alphabet Challenge

A- Akata Witch by Nnedi Okoafor
B- Before and Again by Barbara Delinsky
C- Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
D- Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
E- Every Last Word by Tamara Stone 
F- The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
G-
H-
I-Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
J-
K-Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
L- The Last Resort by Susi Holliday
M- The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
N-
O-Oh. What. Fun. by Chandler Baker
P- Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim
Q-
R-
S- Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford
T-Turkey Trot Murder by Leslie Meier 
U-
V-
W- What Happens in Darkness by Laura McHugh
X-
Y- Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson
Z-

Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich - 4 Stars

Book 17 in the Stephanie Plum series.
In this book, Stephanie has 3 different killers after her and all she wants to do is solve the local murder. Bodies with notes addressed to Stephanie certainly have her on guard.
On top of her murder investigation, Stephanie's mom is trying to set her up with the former high school football star. Stephanie is still torn between Morelli and Ranger and to top it off, Morelli's grandmother keeps putting "spells" on Stephanie.

Another fun Stephanie read. I'm surprised that I'm still reading a series this many books in, but I find that Evanovich finds a new way to make Stephanie's antics a good, fun read.

The Trouble with Turkeys by Kathi Daley - 3 Stars

Zoe agrees to help her friend at a local turkey farm 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and suddenly finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. Caught up in messy turkey droppings, turkeys that appear drunk, and a bunch of hungry heirs to an estate, Zoe decides to take it on herself who the actual murderer is.

This was a cozy mystery, but I found it quite a bit different than the other cozy mysteries that I've read. I also felt there were way too may suspects and had a hard time keeping them straight. Not sure if it was the editing or the writing, but I found a few errors in the book as well. Overall, I don't think I'll read any more in this series.

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris - 4 Stars

Sookie Stackhouse is still recovering from the recent disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the explosion at the vampire summit, but she is safe. Her boyfriend, Quinn, is missing and things in the vampire world are rapidly changing. Sookie once again finds herself at the center of the vampire world, where things are about to change drastically. 

I enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse books, but found this one to lag a bit in the middle. Not on the top of my list, but still enjoyable.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini - 4 Stars

Craig is your typical teenaged boy, but is driven by his desire to get in to a top Manhattan pre-professional school. The stress of the school gets to him and he feels like he wants to commit suicide. Craig checks himself in to the local psychiatric hospital. This is where he meets many different people with many different issues. 

I enjoyed this one, but not on the top of my list for the year. The story was good and the characters were relatable.