You would think from the premise that this book would be exciting - the storyline sounds promising, but the book was very hard to get into. Rachel and Clara become friends in high school; fast forward to years later when Rachel becomes a successful t.v. reporter and learns of the disappearance of Clara. At first, it seems difficult to like Clara - in one instance, Rachel describes how Clara convinces her that they should smash each other's wrists with a rock in order to break them so they don't have to take gym class. If ever one of my friends suggested that, I would run far, far away. However, Rachel actually does it. Throughout the course of the story, Rachel goes back and forth from past to present. It seems Clara is not the nicest person, then as the story goes on... it seems Rachel isn't that nice either. It's very hard to like a story where you don't like either of the main characters! The story gets a little far-fetched (in an unbelievable way) at the end and all in all, it just isn't a very satisfying read.

I have read all of Amy Hatvany's books, and this is by far my favorite one. This book brought tears to my eyes numerous times while I was reading it. The story is told from the viewpoint of several different characters, and quite honestly, I couldn't tell you which was my favorite - they were all equally interesting (usually there is always one character that I'm not thrilled about, that is perhaps a bit boring - not here!) I'm not going to tell you a summary of the story, as you can look that up for yourself - I am going to say that this book is a terrific read from beginning to end and will leave you hoping you don't finish it to soon - but you will!

When I read the first chapter of this book, my first thought was that it was a book that would be dealing with some heavy-duty issues- Anna and Tobias, the main characters, have a baby that is born with severe mental issues. They are so severe that Anna and Tobias are not sure they even want to take the baby home! But they have been looking for a house in France, and they find a run-down old villa that Anna thinks might be perfect for opening a restaurant. The story of Freya, the baby, is interwoven with descriptions of Anna & Tobias settling into their new home (which is literally falling down around them) and is enhanced by a cast of quirky neighbors and wonderful descriptions of the countryside, Anna's cooking and constant attempts to keep the mice (!) out of the kitchen, as well as the nature that surrounds them in their villa, from bugs to the food that grows to the strange animals. It is wonderfully written and draw you completely into the story, and just when your not sure how it can possibly end, the author does a wonderful wrap-up with the main characters. Loved it and hope to see more from the author. What will grab your heart even more is if you read the author's note in the back, you will see that Freya's disabilities are the same as the author's daughter. Very touching and beautifully written book.

If your looking for a book with a fun storyline and intriguing characters, this is it - when two women with the same name think they've won a beautiful house in a sweepstakes, that's when the fun starts. While the women try to figure out who the real winner of the house is, they become friends and learn a few things about each other, friendship and life along the way. It was hard for me to pick a favorite character - brazen rough-around-the-edges Nean, shy timid Janey, or the swanky old bird, Aunt Midge - they all made for a fun quick read and definitely a few laughs along the way! Definitely put this on your summer reading list!

That's a strange way to start a review, but that's exactly how I felt - the book starts off with Ari and Nicole as close cousins; then goes forward to when they are adults. Nicole has cancer and wants to use the cord blood that Ari stored when his son was born - Ari initially agrees; then changes his mind, and therein lies the rest of the story, where we watch Nicole sue Ari for the cord blood. Aside from some confusing time line issues, at this point we are introduced to some new characters - namely the judge hearing the case and his daughter, and some chapters deal with aspects of their lives that have nothing to do with the court case. I found myself wondering why these characters were even introduced - it almost felt like they were being used to beef up the story a bit. Unfortunately, I started skimming through these chapters - there wasn't enough on the Judge's daughter to even capture your interest (well, mine anyway!) so to me this was a bit of a disappointment. The chapters dealing with Nicole and her family were interesting and you will definitely want to know the outcome of their story. But the others, I just didn't care and didn't get how they fit into the story. For these reasons, I can't really say this was a great read - it was just okay.

The premise of this book sounds great - kidnapped boy comes back; shattered family; move to Costa Rica ..yet I felt that the story moved so slowly it just didn't capture my interest - I had to force myself to continue reading until the end, and it never really pulled me in. The characters are just okay - the mother, Marlene, seems underdeveloped, you never really get a sense of her, the chapters with the sister, Lark, are just dull. I really wanted to like it, because I thought the storyline sounded great, but it fell short of my expectations.

When Miss Isabelle asks her hairdresser, Dorrie, to accompany her a long distance to attend a funeral, we are not sure whose funeral or what it has to do with the two main characters. But along the way, we are drawn into Miss Isabelle's story, as told to Dorrie. And what a story it is! This book will keep you reading and enthrall you with the story of Isabelle's life; the characters are well developed and the story will grab your heart, right until the last page - I loved this book and would highly recommend it to book clubs and anyone looking for an un-put-downable read - fantastic!

I really don't find many books that I just don't care to finish reading, but unfortunately this was one of them. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good - it was just...there. The writing didn't hold my interest, the characters weren't adequately portrayed in order to make me care what happened to them, and there seemed to be a lot written about one of the main character, Helen's, job. I read most of the book and then just didn't care enough to finish it. Unfortunately I would say to just give this one a pass.

I have just finished reading this book and it is way past the time that I usually stay up at night - I just could not put this book down! I was very fortunate to be able to obtain this book and write a review about it - it is excellent from start to finish. The story grabs you from the first page and keeps you enthralled until the very last. The characters come alive off the page and the story will have you picking up the book at every opportunity to see the choices that the characters make. This book is definitely about choices - what do you do when your conscience tells you to do the right thing, even when it will destroy those you love? A very difficult choice, some very wonderful characters, and a truly terrific book. Coming from someone who reads a ton of books, this is one of those stories that will stay with you. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book - no doubt you will love it!