Book Review: Lie In The Tide by Holly Danvers

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Lie In The Tide by Holly Danvers opens with four high school friends meeting up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts for a reunion of sorts. When one of them doesn't show up, and no one can get a hold of her, the other friends are desperate to find out what happened. NetGalley, thank you for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this novel. I requested a copy of this book based on their synopsis and the author. When my request was approved, I was thrilled. The story started off well and kept me wanting to know more. Early on, I thought I had everything figured out, but much to my surprise, there was a plot twist I didn't count on.  I won't say more as to not spoil it for others. It's an easy read and perfect to take on vacation. Although I enjoyed Lie In The Tide by Holly Danvers a lot, I wish there was more action in the first half of the book. The second half was action packed, and I found myself rushing to finish the story to see if my gut instinct was correct. As for the charact...
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Book Review: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau

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Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a coming of age novel taking place in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau is a coming of age novel taking place in Baltimore, Maryland. During the 1970's, fourteen year old Mary Jane is caught in the middle of her family's conservative ideals and the progressive ideals of the Cone family where she is a summer nanny. Mary Jane is a sheltered teen who enjoys cooking with her mother, listening to Broadway Show Tunes, and singing in the church choir. On the first day of work, she is shocked at the mess in the Cone's home and introduces them to home cooked meals and keeping the house clean. In return, Mary Jane gets a front row seat to sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

This novel was the selected for the book club I belong to. Again, this is a novel that I likely wouldn't have chosen to read on my own, but I was glad I did. Mary Jane is the first novel I've read by Jessica Anya Blau, and I was impressed with her storytelling. 

Touching on race, class, and stereotypes, along with drugs and infidelity, it reminded me that there are people who still hold the conservative beliefs that many held in the 1970's. I loved the fact that Mary Jane was exposed to different viewpoints that she normally didn't hear and began to question the world around her, eventually leading to her developing her own opinions. Jessica Anya Blau got the tone and perspective of a teenager perfect in my opinion. Although the story is told from a child's perspective, it is not suitable for young children to read.

Some might find the beginning of the story a bit slow like I did, but as the story developed, I found it to be more interesting and couldn't wait to find out how the tale would unfold. The majority of the characters were likable and most were well developed. I found myself caring what would happen to them, even the ones I didn't particularly like. I wasn't sure if Mary Jane would have an ending I would enjoy, but surprisingly, I was satisfied with how the author wrapped it up.

All in all, I gave Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau four out of five stars. I will likely read other novels written by this author, and I would love to see her write a sequel to this book.


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