Julie's Review: Afterwards

Summary: The school is on fire. Her children are inside. Grace runs toward the burning building, desperate to reach them. In the aftermath of the devastating fire which tears her family apart, Grace embarks on a mission to find the person responsible and protect her children from further harm.  This fire was not an accident, and her daughter Jenny may still be in grave danger. Grace is the only one who can discover the culprit, and she will do whatever it takes to save her family and find out who committed the crime that rocked their lives.  While unearthing truths about her life that may help her find answers, Grace learns more about everyone around her -- and finds she has courage she never knew she possessed. Powerful and beautiful, with a riveting story and Lupton’s trademark elegant style that made Sister such a sweeping success, Afterwards explores the depths of a mother’s unswerving love. ~amazon.com

Review: Immediately after reading Sister, I knew I wanted to read Afterwards. I even contacted the publisher to see when they would be releasing it in the US. That is how much Ms. Lupton's writing and storytelling affected me. When I read the description for Afterwards it reminded me a bit of Lisa Scottoline's Save Me but after a few pages I knew the only thing they had in common was a mother trying to rescue her child.

There is so much to say about this book but yet so much I can't say because it will truly ruin the experience for you. It is unlike any other book I have ever read because of the manner in which Ms. Lupton unfolds the story. We are quickly introduce to Grace Covey as she's attending the Sports Day at her 8 year old son, Adam's private school. Not only does Adam go there but her daughter Jenny is acting as school nurse for the day. It is the picture of serenity until Grace sees smoke billowing into the sky coming from the direction of the school. Grace doesn't even think to hesitate as she runs into the burning building looking for Jenny.

Of course Grace's actions have repercussions as both her and Jenny are sent to the hospital fighting for their lives. What happens next during the investigation into the fire is a roller coaster ride until the very end. I had so many theories all of which turned out to be very wrong. I wanted to them to look at the family for some reason. I felt that Jenny was hiding something by trying to prove she is capable of being an adult. Was she hiding something, yes but it wasn't anything like I assumed.

What this novel makes you acutely aware of is that things aren't always as they appear. Sometimes you think you know someone, then you find out something that hits you over the head and then you wonder if you ever even knew them. Not only that but at times we all make assumptions and when our assumptions turn out to be wrong, either good or bad, how do we deal with that? How do we process it and move on from it?

At the end of the book, I felt that all of the characters had grown, particularly Grace who discovered somethings about herself that might not have been easy but they were truthful. Her husband Mike also grew. He grew into the father he needed to be to Adam and the father Adam needed. I am hopeful that this experience also changed Jenny. That maybe she'll be o.k. in the end.

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 for me was the ending. I felt that all in all it was a little too neat for me. A bit too bow tied on nicely especially given the ordeal. I'm not saying I didn't appreciate the ending because I most certainly did since it had me up late and bawling like a baby, but it didn't seem like something that might happen in real life.

I really hope that one of you reads this book quickly because I'm dying to discuss it with someone who has read it. It is a book that will spawn plenty of discussion in a book club or amongst friends.

I can't say enough about Ms. Lupton's writing. She is an author that I highly recommend to anyone and I look forward to any novel she writes in the future. For more about Ms. Lupton, you can check out her Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and of course her website.

Final Take: 4.75/5


Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the ARC of Afterwards.

Rosamund Lupton’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, April 23rd:  Unabridged Chick
Tuesday, April 24th: Colloquium
Wednesday, April 25th:  Take Me Away
Thursday, April 26th:  A Bookworm’s World
Monday, April 30th:  Nomad Reader
Tuesday, May 1st:  Great Imaginations
Wednesday, May 2nd:  The Picky Girl
Thursday, May 3rd:  Indie Reader Houston
Friday, May 4th:  Amused by Books
Monday, May 7th:  Books Distilled
Tuesday, May 8th:  Me, My Book, and the Couch
Wednesday, May 9th:  Girls Just Reading
Thursday, May 10th:  Boarding in my Forties
Friday, May 11th:  Coffee and a Book Chick
Monday, May 14th:  Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, May 15th:  Into the Hall of Books
Wednesday, May 16th:  Melody & Words
Thursday, May 17th:  Lit Endeavors

TLC Book Tours has an opportunity for you to win 10 copies of Afterwards for your book club. Just click a here to enter.

Julie's List: 2011 Top 10 Books

2011 has probably been one of the best reading years for me, that I can recall. This of course makes it harder to pick 10 of my favorites. What's great is that since I rate my books, it does help me out a bit. I don't think I have had this many "5" ratings in one year!! 9 out of my 10 are "5"'s!!

If I listed all the books that were "4" and above this list would be 40+  books long!!
Without further ado, in the order in which they were read:

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen review
The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers review
The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly review
Sister by Rosamund Lupton review
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jusi Adler-Olsen review
Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane review
Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman review
It's a Waverly Lifeby Maria Murnane review
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson review

I am so looking forward to what I have in store for 2012 to read. Can it compete with 2011?! I guess we'll wait and see.

Did you have a really good reading year in 2011? What were your favorites?


 

Julie's Review: Sister

Summary: When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. She expects to find Tess and give her the usual lecture, the bossy big sister scolding her flighty baby sister for taking off without letting anyone know her plans. Tess has always been a free spirit, an artist who takes risks, while conservative Bee couldn’t be more different. Bee is used to watching out for her wayward sibling and is fiercely protective of Tess (and has always been a little stern about her antics). But then Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand.  Bee is certain that Tess didn’t commit suicide. Their family and the police accept the sad reality, but Bee feels sure that Tess has been murdered. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bee moves into Tess's apartment and throws herself headlong into her sister's life--and all its secrets. Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, unwilling to accept the facts, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficultly with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder--and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life. A thrilling story of fierce love between siblings, Sister is a suspenseful and accomplished debut with a stunning twist. ~randomhouse.com

Review: I stayed up late to finish the end of this riveting debut thriller. Sister is not only a thriller and a mystery but a love story between an older sister and her younger sister. It's written in the form of letters, told as a story from Beatrice (Bee) to Tess, after Tess is found dead in a park in London.

It is a taut, exciting and extremely well written novel. Ms. Lupton keeps readers on the edge of their seat by revealing little by little. She is always introducing interesting new leads in the story. The reader, like Beatrice, thinks one way until further evidence it shown to move in a different direction.

There is something for everyone in this thriller: a romance gone awry, murder, mystery, psychological distress and in the end a stunning twist. If you are clever enough you can figure out one of the twists a long the way if you look for or suspect the clues.

The emotions that run through this book are raw and real. You are with Bee every step of the way as she puts herself in danger to catch her sister's murderer. She explores every avenue in hopes that she can convince the police.

I cried several times during the book. As an older sister, I can only imagine the overwhelming grief that Bee was faced with during this time. It was a very short amount of time as well, or so it seemed. Perhaps that is because the letters take place of a few days/week. The actual time elapsed had to have been longer. You wonder yourself if Bee has gone a bit crazy at times. What motivates her isn't hard to figure out, it's her love for her sister. It is always about Tess.

While reading the book I had several different theories in my head for what was going on. None of them proved to be true. I LOVED that! I loved that Ms. Lupton wrote an ending that I didn't see coming. Ms. Lupton did a superb job of creating the scenes in the book. I felt like I was transported to London and was with investigating with Bee.

As with most books that receive my highest rating, I dreamt about this book and the characters last night and woke up thinking of them again. This is a book that will haunt me for the days to come.

I can't recommend this book enough. For those of you who are fans of thrillers, you must pick up Sister immediately. I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Final Take: 5/5