Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...

Book Review: What Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran

book review what happened on floor 34 caroline corcoranWhat Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran was published on January 19, 2023 and is about Rose Rivers, who works at a newspaper as the day editor and will be getting married in a few weeks.  When the Will Forest, the night editor, goes missing in the middle of his shift, Rose starts obsessing with the case and can't help but look into the case.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of What Happened On Floor 34?.  I was happy that my request to review this book was approved, and I received this e-book for free in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by this novel and couldn't read it fast enough . . . it was that engrossing.  There were twists and turns galore towards the last twenty-five percent of the book that had my heart pounding.  Once I got to the end, I was sorely upset at the ending.  I'm not going to go into detail as that would give the story away, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else hated the ending.

There were things in What Happened On Floor 34? that were reminiscent of The Girl on the Train by Rachel Hawkins . . . namely the main character having a drinking problem.  It also has similar pacing.  Fair warning, this book does deal with sexual assault, so it may not be for everyone.  

Most of the characters that were likable and some that were not.  However, by the end of the story there were a few that I ended up disliking immensely.  I love the setting of the story, and it definitely left me feeling uneasy while reading it late at night.  I would have loved it had it been storming while I read the story because it would have given the story additional ambiance.

All in all, I'd give What Happened On Floor 34? by Caroline Corcoran four out of five stars, and I look forward to reading more novels by this author.

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