It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

I really liked this sequel to It Ends With Us. It Ends With Us had a great message about empowerment. It Starts With Us is about new beginnings. Lily proactively ends her family's cycle of abuse, despite the hardships that entailed, and finds a way to move forward in a positive way for herself and her daughter.

I will acknowledge however, that most women in domestic abuse situations probably don't have the support system that Lily had! Two of Lily's biggest supporters were actually the sister and brother-in-law of the abuser (Ryle). I have got to believe that this isn't a common occurrence. Lily also had Atlas, who has loved her since she was 15 years old and is extremely level-headed for someone who also grew up in an abusive environment. Atlas really handles the situation with Ryle, the situation with his mother, and his newly discovered younger brother with wisdom beyond his years. I actually liked this. If you are going to write a couple of books about abuse, why not show a positive, productive, adult way to move forward from it.

Both Lily and Atlas understand the importance of Emmy (Lily & Ryle's daughter) having a relationship with her father (Ryle), and Josh (Atlas' brother) having a relationship with his mother. Hopefully Ryle will be able to overcome his anger issues so that he can truly develop a positive, healthy relationship with Emmy. The anger management classes will probably help him, but I really think it was his sister Allysa and brother-in-law Marshall taking a stance in support of Lily that had the biggest impact on him. Especially since they all told him that he cannot see either of the girls (his daughter and his niece) unsupervised until he's proven himself.

Josh & Atlas' mom may be a lost cause, but it was nice that Atlas left the door open for her to build a relationship with both of her sons.

Finally, I really love Lily and Atlas together. They are each other's biggest supporters and they have a deep respect for each other. Plus, their love has overcome the test of time.

Wendy's Rating: ****

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

I can honestly say that I loved this book! I was so invested in the story that I read it in one day. I have not seen the movie yet, but I would certainly like to now. From all the controversy surrounding the movie, I would guess that most people know this book is about domestic abuse. I'm not sure what the controversy within the movie cast is actually about, even though I tried looking it up, but it didn't detract from how much I liked the story. The movie has done phenomenally well, so.... there is that as well.

Lily Bloom (15) grew up in a home (in Maine) with domestic violence. Her father beat her mother repeatedly throughout their marriage, which lasted until he was too weak from cancer to continue his abuse. Atlas Corrigan was a homeless teenager (18) that was kicked out of his home after his mother married his stepfather. She basically chose her husband over her child, even though he was still in High School. Lily and Atlas become friends, and eventually lovers. Then, Atlas moves away to Boston and eventually spends 8 years in the military.

Lily eventually moves to Boston herself and meets Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon who is finishing up his residency. They are instantly attracted to each other, even though Ryle does not want a relationship with anyone. His preference is one-night stands, which isn't Lily's way. So, despite their mutual attraction, they don't pursue a relationship, or even a friendship initially. This changes when Lily buys a building, with her inheritance from her father's death, to open up a flower store. Her first "employee" is the extremely wealthy Allysa, who just happens to be the sister of Ryle. One of those small-world moments I guess. ;)

I guess you can probably tell which direction this is heading! Ryle has a trauma history himself, which causes significant problems in his relationship with Lily. Lily develops a whole new understanding of what her mother went through - and why she stayed with her abusive husband. All hell breaks loose when Lily unexpectedly runs into Atlas. Super jealous and possessive Ryle can certainly NOT handle this bit of news.

I love how the subject of domestic abuse is handled in this book. There is only one way this book could reasonably end, and I was nervous for a bit - to the point where I had to take a sneak peek of the end to make sure it would end the way it needed to - but the ending is solid, in my opinion. I am already halfway through It Starts With Us!

Wendy's Rating: *****

Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch #5. I am not used to a detective series moving through time as fast as this series does. It's already been five years since Harry last saw Eleanor Wish, the FBI agent that was involved in the bank-vault-robbery-through-the-tunnels book. Harry seems to connect with a woman in a serious way in every book, but I guess he sees Eleanor as his "true love". Who knew?

"Trunk Music" refers to a mob hit. Apparently, mobsters like to stash their bodies in the trunks of cars. Harry is called to a scene discovered by cop doing his usual "rounds". There is a man found in the trunk of his own vehicle. He's been shot in the head. Harry & Co find out that he is a "B" - or really a "C" movie producer who happens to also launder money for the mob. He frequently flies to Las Vegas to gamble - and to pick up suitcases of money to bring back to Los Angeles to filter through his awful film productions. All of this information points to a mob hit, especially after they find out the victim, Tony Aliso, had just been notified that he was going to be audited.

Harry is officially back on the job (after his mandatory "hiatus" in the last book). The Hollywood Division has a new Lieutenant, Grace Billets. She decides to put the detectives in groups of three, instead of everyone having one partner. Each threesome has a "team leader" and Harry is the team leader of his group, which includes Edgar and a new detective who just transferred in called Kizmin Rider. Kiz is female.

Harry travels back and forth between Las Vegas and Los Angeles as he tries to figure out who killed Tony Aliso and why. Nothing is as it appears, which always makes for an interesting read. He finds out pretty quickly, after watching casino tapes, that Eleanor (who he hasn't seen in five years) seemed to know Tony since they talk to each other while playing poker shortly before Tony was murdered. Harry is pretty much the only person who believes that Eleanor didn't have anything to do with Tony and his money laundering scheme.

There are lots of twists and turns in this story. I enjoyed the ride.

Wendy's Rating: ****

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

This memoir made me incredibly sad. The timing of this read also affected me. I had just started the book when I heard that five people were charged in the death of Matthew Perry. So, as I was reading the book, I was also reading the updates on who and why people were charged.

It is pretty remarkable that Matthew lived as long as he did, despite his tragic death at such a young age (54). It's astounding to me that people who take really good care of their bodies by exercising regularly, eating healthy, not smoking or drinking alcohol, can immediately die when out on a run at age 27, and yet people who abuse their bodies to an extreme can rebound again and again. What Matthew did to his body for decades is positively shocking. How do you star in a #1 rated TV series for 10 years, being so immersed in drugs and alcohol? It's truly unbelievable. Not too many other people could pull that off, if any. And how remarkable that five other actors could protect a colleague that was so messed up for those 10 years. There are not too many casts of any TV show or movie that would do that. 

So many things made me sad: Matthew's perpetual sense of not being "enough"; his feeling of abandonment; his fear of ultimate rejection; his fear of not being loved; his relentless ambition for fame. So many people made me angry: The studio doctor who gave him Vicodin after his jet ski accident; the doctors and nurses who sold him thousands of opiates "under the table"; the countless healthcare providers that supplied Matthew with so many different drugs to keep him high, simply for profit. It's disgusting. Those people all deserve to be in prison. Anything for profit. 

It's ironic that Matthew died from Ketamine. He talks about Ketamine in the book and states very clearly that, "Taking K is like being hit in the head with a giant happy shovel. But the hangover was rough and outweighed the shovel. Ketamine was not for me". He avoids Ketamine because of its effect on him, and yet he dies from it. Addiction is a powerful disease.

Matthew's story has stayed with me for days after finishing it. To be honest, the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is simply because he jumps around in his timeline of events, and repeats things in different parts of the book, which was confusing at times.

Wendy's Rating: ****

West from the Fallen Wall by Ryan Lucas Henderson

This is a book of nine short stories. Each story reveals a different viewpoint of the American military continuing to have a presence in Europe long after the Cold War has ended. Some Europeans resent America's involvement in their country while others seem to value America's contribution. I've often felt that America continually finds itself in a lose-lose situation. Countries worldwide want America to stay out of their country. Yet, when they are in trouble and need our support, if we don't help immediately, we get blasted for not caring. It must be terribly difficult for our leaders to make these decisions. As they say, hindsight is 20/20.

These stories are very well-written. We get a glimpse of Americans stationed in different countries and training with/co-existing with Croatians, Germans, Ukrainians, Greeks, Romans, Slovenians, Italians, Bavarians and the French. Some of our military personnel are in Europe to support NATO, showing the world that these countries can work together for the greater good. They train with mixed leadership. These stories are open-ended, meaning we really don't know what happens after the story ends. These soldiers/photographers/military personnel are all deeply affected by their stay in Europe. The author describes each character in a way that we understand how they are feeling and why they often feel conflicted about their purpose in Europe.

Each story is very different from the others. I was deeply affected by The Schnitzel and the Shark, which underscores how strong one has to be when in any branch of the military. You can't let your fellow soldiers, or certainly your superior, see any type of weakness or you will pay dearly for that weakness/mistake. Another powerful story was Forest of Dry Bones, set in France, which demonstrates how difficult it was for private citizens during wartime. So much loss that is completely out of one's control - and the aftermath of living with those traumatic experiences.

Wendy's Rating: *****

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I heard this book was about a relationship between an octopus and a woman. Needless to say, I wasn't crazy about reading it. I am so glad I did! It's so much more than that. Marcellus, the giant Pacific octopus, lives in the Sowell Bay Aquarium. He was severely injured when he was young and was rescued and brought to the aquarium to heal and live. The lifespan of a giant Pacific octopus is 4 years, which Marcellus is getting close to. He is sad and lonely and bored. He is also very intelligent. Tova is the woman who cleans the aquarium after it closes each night. Tova is also sad and lonely and bored. Tova's only child, Erik, died many years ago by drowning when he was 18 years old.  Tova's husband died a couple of years earlier. Tova's only sibling, Lars, who she was estranged from, dies near the beginning of this book. So she has no family.

Cameron is a 30 year old loser. He can't keep a job. He can't keep a girlfriend. He has no money. He is just drifting through life. His mother abandoned him when he was 9 years old, leaving him with her sister, his aunt Jeanne. His mother, Daphne, was an addict. Cameron never knew his father - and neither did his aunt Jeanne. Cameron looks in a box that was left by his mother, hoping to find something valuable that he can pawn for money. He sees a picture of his mother with a guy from when they were in High School. He also finds a class ring. He decides he is going to find this guy who he believes is his father. His mother's friend is now a wealthy Real Estate Developer. His plan is to track him down and demand back payment: 18 years of child support his mother never received. Cameron's "father" lives in Sowell Bay.

These two stories unfold throughout the book and eventually interweave into each other. There are lots of hints about who Cameron really is, but the only living being that actually KNOWS is Marcellus. When Marcellus lived in the sea, he discovered Erik's possessions from the night Erik drown. As his connection with Tova deepens, and his time on earth shortens, he desperately tries to figure out a way to give Tova the information she needs to bring closure to Erik's death.

This is a heartwarming story about family, friendship, love, strength, commitment and perseverance. It was engaging from beginning to end. I really loved it.

Wendy's Rating: *****

Judgment in Death by JD Robb

Book #11. This installment finds Eve investigating the murder of a cop in an establishment owned by Roarke (surprise, surprise). It's an after-hours murder.  Eve finds out that this cop, Taj Kohli, is moonlighting as a bartender at Purgatory. Is he working undercover? Is he a dirty cop? Why does he have a drink with someone after hours at his place of work? Obviously it was someone he knew and trusted. So why did the person brutally murder him and leave his police badge covered in blood?

Soon more cops are murdered in equally brutal ways. Their badges were also left at the scene covered in blood. Eve is waylaid after hours - and usually outside of her private home - a couple of times by Webster, who is a member of IAB and someone she briefly dated awhile back. (Webster is still hung up on her, which Roarke isn't happy about.) Webster won't tell Eve any details about the cops that were killed, but she figures out that IAB was investigating the department that these cops worked out of. The murdered cops were on a task force together, trying to take down a criminal, Max Ricker, who specialized in "illegals" (drugs). Eve thinks the murders are connected to Ricker, and that the cops were dirty cops paid off by Ricker. Fortunately for Roarke's fancy (and undetectable) electronic equipment, he is able to discover the money trails that existed.

Roarke was once connected to Ricker (in his less-legal business deal days) - and Eve finds out that Roarke actually purchased Purgatory from Ricker five years previously. Eve also discovers a connection between herself and Ricker. So she has a lot to sort through when trying to figure out what's going on. Her relationship with Roarke has some rough moments, but at the same time, they seem to be digging deeper into their relationship which shows growth.

Wendy's Rating: ****