The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman - 4 Stars

 "Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary—awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears—seemed to need more protection from the world.

Six years after Rosemary's death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage's stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn't die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing.

Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It's always been a place shrouded by rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. With no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways she never could imagined..."

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I really enjoyed reading about Willowbrook. Being a psych major, things/places like this fascinate me. I'm not sure what I was expecting for the duration of the book, but it went from a historical fiction to more of a suspense story. I was expecting a twist at the end, but there wasn't one. This is what deducted a star for me.

The Asylum Confessions by Jack Steen - 3 Stars

 "They arrive alive. They always leave dead.

But first, they give me their confessions.

My name is Jack Steen, and for those who arrive on my 'death' ward at the Asylum, I'm the last face many will see before they die. I am the night nurse at an Asylum for the Criminally Insane, and most of my patients know me as their Angel of Death. I know them as mass murderers, rapists, and serial killers - among other things.

Here's what happens: they come on my floor, they give me their deathbed confession, and I help to make their death less painful. There's a catch, though: I want the real story, the one they haven't told anyone else.

The majority of these killers are expert manipulators. They could be playing their final game with me by messing with my head.

Now, maybe they're messing with yours too.

Inside this book are 4 DeathBed Confessions:

Patient 1024 has an interesting 'appetite'.

Patient 974 is the Ken to his Barbie, and he would do anything to keep her happy.

Patient 871 is a Nanny, but not one you want watching your kids.

Patient 1203 is the sweetest, broken soul you'll ever meet but her confession is a hard read."

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So, this book really intrigued me, especially being so close to Halloween. I love horror movies and thought this would be a good read. Also, having a psych degree, things like asylums interest me. 

Turned out it was just 'ok'. It wasn't nearly as gruesome as the synopsis made it sound. It was horribly written, too. The editor did a really bad job, as well. Grammar mistakes, punctuation mistakes....

I knew about half way through the 2nd story that I wouldn't be continuing the series. 

The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman - 4 Stars

 "When Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a hospital bed in London, she remembers nothing, not even her loving husband, Stephen. The doctors say her amnesia is to be expected, but Anna feels cut adrift from her entire life.

In Bristol, Livvy Nicholson is newly married to Dominic and eager to get back to work after six months’ maternity leave. But when Dominic’s estranged mother appears, making a series of unnerving claims, Livvy is sucked into a version of herself she doesn’t recognise.

A hundred miles apart, both women feel trapped and disorientated, and their stories are about to collide. Can they uncover the secret that connects them and reconstruct their fractured lives?"

So I FINALLY finished this one late last night. I will say that I really enjoyed the twist and actually didn't figure it out. The last 20% of the book had me pushing through and I didn't care that it was after midnight. LOL! But with that said, it was SUCH a slow burn for me. It took me 30% to get into it and I almost gave up a couple of times. This is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich - 5 Stars

 "New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor.

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown."

I thought this was one of the better Stephanie Plum books. You know it's going to be funny when it starts off with a giraffe running down the middle of the street while Lula is trying to buy a knockoff of an expensive handbag. 

The Inmate by Freida McFadden - 4 Stars

 "There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men’s maximum-security prison:

1) Treat all prisoners with respect.

2) Never reveal any personal information.

3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.

But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary’s most notorious and dangerous inmates.

And they certainly don’t know that Shane was Brooke’s high school sweetheart—the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there.

But Shane knows. And he will never forget."

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So I've seen a lot of people reading this author's books, so I thought I'd give one a try. 

The book pulled me in from the beginning and was a really quick read. Not too far in I started trying to guess the outcome. My mind was all over the place. For a bit I was like, maybe it's this, then for a bit, maybe it's that. I actually did not guess the plot twist, which was good. With this type of book, you can pretty much expect a plot twist at the end. What really got me was the really unexpected twist in the epilogue. Sometimes I don't read these because they really don't add a lot to the story, but something told me to read this one and I'm glad I did. It was a short epilogue, but added a bit more whoa to the story. I'll probably give another one of hers a try. 

The Life She Wanted by Anita Abriel - 3 Stars

 "New York in the 1920s—a time when fortunes are made and a woman’s dreams are challenged against all odds in a sweeping historical novel by the international bestselling author of The Light After the War.

1926, Hyde Park, New York. Born to modest means but befriended by the wealthy, aspiring dress designer Pandora Carmichael has been surrounded by privilege yet never at home in it. That hasn’t stopped her from dreaming—of a romance in a rarified world that could also give her the status and resources to start a business of her own. When she’s introduced to a charismatic Princeton student, Pandora’s future begins to fall into place.

Marriage provides Pandora with a devoted husband, comfortable love, and the prominence and affluence to open a boutique. It’s a fantasy realized, until scandal and tragedy upend Pandora’s life and she flees Hyde Park with a heart-wrenching secret. As the Depression looms, Pandora must rethink everything she’s ever wanted.

From sprawling Gilded Age mansions in New York to the seedy underbelly of Greenwich Village and the stunning ocean vistas of the French Riviera, Pandora’s escape is a journey of self-discovery, adventure, true love, and ambition. There are new dreams to be had, and Pandora is betting on herself to make them come true."

This one started out pretty good. I was curious to see how it was going to play out. There was one minor twist in the middle of the book, but I figured that out before it happened. The rest of the book just flopped for me. I was hoping for some big shocker, but it never happened. 

Excuse Me While I Disappear: Tales of Midlife Mayhem by Laurie Notaro - 5 Stars

 In the latest book from Laurie Notaro, she gives a hilarious insight to being a middle aged woman. Each chapter is a different topic and I swear I could relate to almost all of them. This book had me laughing so much! I've loved most of her other books as well, but this one was just so relatable since I'm almost 48. If you love to laugh, I highly recommend this one.