The Girl They Left Behind (Roxanne Veletzos)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library after seeing a couple of friends had liked it.

I had high hopes for this to be a four-star book for me, but I ended up giving it three stars on Goodreads. I felt like the story itself was good (and I wish I had known it was based on the author's mother's real life when I started reading it), but it was somewhat disjointed at times. I had to piece things together because the story didn't always make things clear. Things mostly got tied up at the end, but it still didn't come together completely. I'm not even sure we figured out what ends up happening with the adoptive parents, did we? I seriously barely finished it a few hours ago, and I'm not sure...

There were also a couple of things that distracted me from the storyline. One was when something was described as "soccer sized." They play "football" in Romania, not soccer, so it's a word that interrupted the flow and setting of the story. Little things like that. Yeah, I know. My brain has issues. Someone should be paying me to use it to fix these small issues before a book goes to print.

Overall, it was pretty good. I always love learning about the history of other countries, and I did learn about what it was like in Romania during and after WWII.

I don't remember if there was any swearing. There is one couple who has an affair, but it's not described.

Scrupulous (Taylor Kerby)

Why I have this book: Someone I follow on IG mentioned it because they had interviewed the author. I bought it because I have an interest in both OCD and religion.

I gave this book three stars on Goodreads. Honestly, I'd probably go with 2.5 if it were possible, but it's not. I rounded up because there were a few parts that were four stars, but there were also parts that were two stars. 

I feel like it started out kinda slow, got better in the middle, then got wordy and a little redundant toward the end. I also thought some of the writing was a bit confusing and difficult to follow.

I do wonder how many of the things he dealt with would have been non-existent if he didn't belong to a high-demand religion like the LDS Church. On the other hand, maybe his OCD would have just manifest in a different way if religion and God weren't the easy target in his case.

Still, I think he has a good point that the way the gospel is often taught - with the focus on all the do's and don't's instead of on God's love and finding peace in the Savior - is detrimental to a lot of members of the LDS Church. One quote from the book: "... inhaling everything that comes from our well-meaning brothers and sisters in class or from the pulpit is a recipe for greater anxiety and stress."

Clean, although he does talk about hitting his genitals in order to "control" the normal sexual desires/thoughts teenage boys have.

Full (Julia Spiro)

Why I have this book: It was a freebie from Prime First Reads or whatever it's called.

I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. I couldn't really relate to the protagonist's lifestyle, but it was interesting to think about "influencers" I see on Instagram. I also appreciated the points about self-worth, being real vs. fake, figuring out what one really wants in life, etc.

I gave it four stars on Goodreads. I probably would have gone with a 3.7 if that were an option, but since it's not, I rounded up.

There were a handful of uses of the F-word and a few other swear words. Nobody actually slept together in the book, but it's mentioned as a possibility or as something that happened in the past. The storyline also deals with eating disorders, specifically bulimia, and there's no shortage of intentional binging and purging in the book.

The other two "Mastermind" books by Gordon Korman

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny

Masterminds: Payback

Why I have these books: See previous post.

I gave both these books four stars on Goodreads. Super fun and adventurous. I hope I can get my kids to read them.

Clean. There is some "criminal" activity, but there's no swearing and the "violence" is more slapstick than anything else. There is one death, but it's not too dramatic or emotional.

Masterminds (Gordon Korman)

Why I have this book: I bought it years ago, probably at the recommendation of my friend, L.

Okay, I really enjoyed this book. I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

It's written for the upper elementary through adult crowd, but I wouldn't call it "simple" at all. I might even say it's more middle school and up.

The funny thing is my husband has been making his way through books I put on his Kindle (from my account), and he liked this one so much that I ended up buying the second and third books in the series for him to read. Now if only our two youngest kids would read them. They are too stubborn to enjoy reading.

My heart was pounding during the last part of the book. It's intense! I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series right away.

Clean. I don't remember any swearing or anything. There is a possible death... but maybe not. I have to keep reading the series to find out. 

The Return (Nicholas Sparks)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library as part of my plan to make my brain work again after C*vid... which involves reading light and easy books to start with.

I gave this book two stars on Goodreads only because it was slightly better than the one I just read (and reviewed) previously. 

Oh, my gosh. Sooooooo cheesy. So ridiculous that two grown adults fall "in love" in two weeks. Teenagers do this all the time. Adults should be smarter than that. It's called hormones. Infatuation. Whatever. It's not true love. 

And it was just shallow and predictable. Whoa! Big surprise about the... well, no spoilers, I guess. But yes, she has a secret. And no, it's not shocking. Pretty sure this story has been told before.

Anyway, I'm thinking Nicholas Sparks should have stopped writing while he was ahead. This one is nothing special.

(I must be cranky today. I'm not usually so rude, am I?)

Mostly clean. There's an "almost" sex scene, but it doesn't get too detailed. I don't recall any swearing, but there may have been a mild word or two.

Eyes of a Stranger (Rachel Ann Nunes)

Why I have this book: I borrowed it from the ebook library because I wanted something easy and quick to get me back into reading. I haven't read a book in over a month! I seriously think having had C*vid in late January has made my brain a bit mushy. I hope by making myself read again, it will perk it up a bit.

Well, I gave this book one star on Goodreads. It was implausible in so many ways. I don't even want to get into it, but the writing seemed shallow and amateurish, which is strange because the author has written a lot of books. (Side note: Apparently, this one has been republished with a new title (Then I Found You) and under a pen name (Rachel Branton), and is part of a series (Finding Home Series). Maybe it's been cleaned up a bit to make it better? Seems like most people liked it according to the Amazon reviews.)

Clean, although it deals with death and murder and unwed pregnancy/adoption.