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Review: 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club Series #1) by James Patterson

The first of the Women's Murder Club pulled me in from the beginning, and it happens to be the first book by James Patterson that I've ever read. This is an easy book to listen to while I'm multitasking on other thoughtless activities because there aren't many details that absolutely have to be remembered to enjoy or understand the story as a whole. In other words, there isn't a lot of depth to the plot or the characters. It's a mindless story, which surprises me somewhat considering how popular James Patterson is as an author.

As James Tivendale, another Goodreads user and book reviewer, put it in his review, "I tend to read Patterson's books when I don't want my brain to work that hard. 1st to Die fits that bill perfectly." He is absolutely right.

While I loved the idea of a Murder Club, as opposed to the book clubs that typically catch my attention, and that the club consists of four women in jobs that typically work closely together on crimes, I was not keen on the fact that none of the women were all that "real." The journalist, Cindy Thomas from the San Francisco Chronicle, is portrayed as a stereotypical drama queen. Lindsay Boxer, a homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department, had a health scare that seemed to only be included to give the character a personal crisis to handle while trying to track down a possible serial killer. The district attorney, Yuki Castellano (token Asian and Italian name/character?), was not memorable - perhaps those were the sections where my mind had wandered to something else. Claire Washburn, the medical examiner, is the token best friend and confidant for the main character. Why is it always the medical examiner that serves as the token confidant and wise person in crime dramas?

All the fluff of "you go girl" kind of attitudes left me cringing and wondering if Patterson just wrote this for the sake of writing this kind of story, or if he really does actually know how to write strong female characters.

I don't typically like reading the first book of a series because it's such a commitment if I end up liking them and there are so many other books I'd prefer to read. This particular series has 20 books, which is why I chose to read it because it fits the 2020 Popsugar Reading Challenge Advanced prompt of "A book from a series with more than 20 books."

In the end, this book accomplished its purpose for me - checking off a reading prompt. I am 100% okay with not continuing to read the rest of the books.

I recommend this to those who enjoy mindless reads, shallow characters, and fluffy plots. This is perfect for a beach read.

**
Review: 1st to Die by James Patterson
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Suzanne Toren
Published: November 1, 2005 by Hachette Audio
Dates Read: August 12-17, 2020

Reading Challenge: 2020 Audiobook Challenge

Better late than never to officially post and sign up for the 2020 Audiobook Challenge hosted by Hot Listens and Caffeinated Reviewer. This year officially marks the 4th year that I've participated in this challenge, and every year I have a stronger appreciation for the audiobook because without it, I wouldn't digest nearly as many books as I would like.

As I mentioned in last year's signup post, I used to be anti-audiobook because it felt like cheating and like I wasn't truly reading. Once I got past that and realized that I was still absorbing the same information, it became a real challenge for me in the sense that it's a competition for myself.

I enjoy trying to outdo myself and now that I've been doing this challenge for a few years now, it's amazing to see how my listening habits have evolved over the years.

There are seven Achievement Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multitasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
• Marathoner (Look Ma No Hands) 50+

In 2017, I was the Stenographer because I listened to 15 books.
In 2018, I surpassed my personal goal of 15 books, and achieved the Binge Listener level by listening to 24 audiobooks.
In 2019, my goal was 25 books (Binge Listener), and I surpassed that by listening to 34 books pushing me into the My Precious level.
My 2020 Goal: 30 books to reach My Precious level again. I may increase it to 50 at some point considering I've listened to 22 books so far this year (thank you COVID-19).

Are you interested in signing up for this challenge? Head on over to Caffeinated Reviewer's link up post where you'll also find the rules. You do not need to be a blogger to join - you can link up using your Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing or other account.

Happy Listening!

Poem: She's More

She's more than meets the eye

She's more than your preconceived notions

She’s more than the one awake at night

                watching over her child(ren)

                                She worked so hard to have

                or staring out the window

                                Wondering when she’ll be next

She’s more than the one declining invitations

                to the baby showers

                                to avoid the painful reminders

She’s more than the one always on the sidelines

                watching others catch her dreams

She’s more than the one trying so hard to be whole on the outside

while she’s cracking from within

She’s more than the one who wants to scream from the rooftops

and tell the world her story

but instead, she sobs

into her husband’s chest

while he’s hurting too, and doesn’t weep with her

because “big boys don’t cry”

She’s more than the one who feels punched in the heart

                every time there’s a pregnancy announcement

She’s more than the one who crumbles

                every time the pregnancy test is negative

                and her feed is full of positives

She’s more than the one who’s constantly wondering if she’s worthy

of the love society says she should have

the love of parents (a status she wants so badly to have)

of partners (who leave because she can’t make them parents)

of children she doesn’t even know if she wants

and if that decision is because of infertility, or not

She’s more than the one waking up at 2am

from the nightmare that her surrogate would change her mind

the one staying up late rereading tips

                                on how to get pregnant for the 1767^th time

or trying to figure out ways to pay

                                for the treatments, adoption fees, surrogacy

                wishing people wouldn’t be so hurtful

She’s more than the one crying (again)

                that her surrogate did change her mind

or that yet another embryo transfer didn’t take

or that her husband left her because he couldn’t handle it anymore

and(or) he found someone to finally make him a father

She’s more than the one putting on a brave face

                in public

                in the face of the news that it’s actually her husband who is infertile

She’s more than the one wondering

                why her body is unable to do the one miraculous thing it’s built to do

                                carry a child – make another human

                when people will stop invading her privacy

                                with silly questions

                “are you pregnant yet?”

                                Are you smart yet?

                “when are you having kids?”

please drop the “when”

                “when are you starting a family?”

Um, my partner and I are already a family…

“you’re not a real family until you have kids”

                See above answer.

“what do you mean you’re not? (pregnant, having kids)

                Uh, “no” is an option…

                “it’s your responsibility to raise the next generation!”

                                Really? Says who?

                “what’s taking you so long?”

                                Oh, so many things…

                “trying to get pregnant is the fun part!”

                                Obviously you’ve never really tried to pregnant

                                Or have a functioning uterus

She’s more than the one who’s lost friendships

                because they simply don’t understand

                yet she’s been welcomed into a sisterhood of those who do

She's more than all of the bad days.
She's more than the battles, the fights, the tears, the pain.
She's more than the distance between her and her partner.
She's more than the obstacles.
She's more than the decision to pursue motherhood.
She's more than the decision to not pursue motherhood.

She’s more than the negative:

She's the one who still hopes

                amidst the questions, the doctor’s visits, the endless tests,

                the pain, fear, and broken dreams

                the weight gain, needles, and heartbreak

She’s the one building others up

                because she knows what it’s like to be down

She’s the one breaking glass ceilings

                and floors

                and walls

                breaking the silence to show that there’s no shame in this struggle

and somehow manages to lead by example…

She’s the one who practices

                self-care and self-love

                to maintain her own mental sanity

She’s the one who has the strength to say no
because she knows when

she needs to say yes to herself

yes to her family

She’s the one who politely exits a conversation

                about periods, pregnancy, families

so others can save face

she doesn’t need to be rude
they don't know

She’s the one who loves with all her heart

even when she’s not feeling so loved herself

She’s the one who learns to own her truth

and discovers her worth,

stands up for what

and who she believes in

She’s the one who uses her pain to her advantage

to treat others with compassion

because she knows that behind that smiling face

are years of heartbreak

and some of the strongest people

She may have crashed and burned

                and then rose from the ashes

                a member of a club no one ever wanted to join

                yet proud to represent the strength and love

                of an infertility warrior

Review: Summerland by Elin Hildebrand

Secrets, lies, teenage angst, depression, and heartache lead to even more heartache for small town high school kids in Nantucket. One night of drinking after graduation and secrets divulged, and many lives are changed forever.

Synopsis: A warm June evening, a local tradition: the students of Nantucket High have gathered for a bonfire on the beach. What begins as a graduation night celebration ends in tragedy after a horrible car crash leaves the driver, Penny Alistair, dead, and her twin brother in a coma. The other passengers, Penny's boyfriend, Jake, and her friend Demeter, are physically unhurt--but the emotional damage is overwhelming. Questions linger about what happened before Penny took the wheel. As summer unfolds, startling truths are revealed about the survivors and their parents--secrets kept, promises broken, hearts betrayed. Elin Hilderbrand explores the power of community, family, and honesty, and proves that even from the ashes of sorrow new love can take flight.

Review: Elin Hilderbrand has a style that works for her and there's no reason to change it. She does an excellent job of showing how despite how things might look on the outside, things can actually be drastically different than what meets the eye. Penny and Hobson are the "golden children" of Nantucket High. Penny is destined for Broadway or an otherwise equally famous destination with her beautiful singing voice. Jake, her highschool sweetheart, would do anything for her. Hobson inherited his father's athletic abilities on the football field and is expected to "make it" at any of the college's he so chooses to attend. One night around the time of graduation, Penny is driving Jake's Jeep home from a party with Jake and their friend Demeter in the back and her brother in the front. She is clearly upset about something Demeter had told her earlier in the evening and they can't seem to calm her down.

It isn't until the end of the book that really know the full story of what was going through Penny's mind in the moments leading up to her death. We learn that Hobson, also called Hobby, didn't know his twin sister as well as he thought he did. Zoe, their mother is second, triple and even quadruple guessing everything she did in raising her twins. She withdraws from her friends and focuses all of her energy on Hobson's recovery.

Demeter falls into a deeper depression and resorts to drinking on the job and stealing from her company's clients homes to drown out her feelings. Jake’s father, Jordan, and his mother Ava have been having marital problems, partly related to Ava's desire to move back to her native home of Perth, Australia, made especially stronger over the last decade since their younger son died of SIDS. Penny's death gives Jordan the motivation he needs to give into Ava's longing to go home. He thinks that Jake needs a fresh start away from the reminders of Penny's death, despite Nantucket being the only thing Jake has ever known. Ultimately, Jordan's primary motivator is his need to distance himself from Zoe, his lover since his marriage to Ava has suffered.

Life on Nantucket isn't always what it seems as Hilderbrand easily paints in her stories. The ending of this story left me wondering what's next for these particular characters and how they survive the traumatic loss of a promising young person. Maybe we will see them again in another one of her novels.

I highly recommend this to anyone who needs an easy, summery, beach type read at any time of year. 5 out of 5 star rating.

**
Review: Summerland by Elin Hildebrand
Format: Audiobook
Published: June 26th 2012 by Hachette Audio
Dates Read: August 31, 2018 to January 5, 2019