Welcome to Litsy!

2024: 9

Double lives. The secrets we keep from our loved ones and the lies that we tell for them. Reconciling those things with how we see ourselves and our place in the world. Whether we're good or bad people. This book was so so for me. It's set in South Texas in familiar cities close to home and at times made me feel closer to the story and at other times infuriated me due to inaccuracies.

🖤🖤🖤

I quite enjoyed this story of “woman leads a double life with 2 families and 1 husband ends up dead” as I don‘t think women are traditionally portrayed as doing something so conniving and manipulative. It‘s always dudes. This isn‘t a thriller though - it is a very complex character portrait of Lore, the aforementioned bigamist, and Cassie, the true crime writer in search of the truth. Another fun summer read.

I could write a book about autocorrect fails in my life.

#celebritybc #gmabookclub #lithumor

I was in the middle of several books and really had no business starting another one, but after hearing the author on Sarah‘s Bookshelves Live I immediately got this from the library. I really enjoyed this story of a woman with two husbands and what led to the death of one them. It‘s not a thriller, but more of a character study of a complicated woman. I read it fast and am still thinking about Lore and her choices.

And this is how we're reading tonight 😂

August pick for #12BooksOf2022 …an obsessed true crime writer hunts down a woman whose double marriage leads to murder. Told in a dual timeline, this book has a bit of mystery and some twists that kept me reading. Remarkable debut novel.

Whew, this was an interesting ride! And a great premise. When a true crime junkie and aspiring writer learns the story of a woman who had been leading two separate lives with two different men, resulting in one of them going to prison for murdering the other, she sets out to understand the woman at the center of it all. Very well done (but a teensy bit too long imo). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There‘s are SOooo many good ones on this list!

https://crimereads.com/the-best-crime-novels-of-the-year-2022/

This novel had me riveted at the beginning, with its very accurate portrayal of long-term marriage and the complicated emotions around parenting kids who are becoming adults, but it lost some of its punch as it progressed. Still, enjoyable (although the character wearing a black lace bra under a white silk blouse made me roll my eyes).

8 hours, theme read, 96 points for #TeamSlaughter #scarathlon @Clwojick

I really enjoyed this book! It took me longer than normal to read it because I had a hectic work schedule for a few weeks and I wish I could have finished it sooner. I loved the story and the mystery!

I spent most of the day finishing up this book - I could snag a large print copy at the library, and it clocks at over 600 pages!

Cassie Bowman writes a blog about true crime. She comes across the story of Lore Rivera, who was simultaneously married to 2 men, which led to deadly consequences. But, Cassie senses a story that needs further told.

This debut novel is engaging and at time thought provoking. A dual narrative, with flashbacks, ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Listed as a mystery but not necessarily a mystery. Murder is the background to this story of love, desire, family, motherhood, and marriage.
I enjoyed the women along with all their faults and complexities.

I liked this book but it's very long. It's a well-written and interesting story. It kept my attention for the most part but it did kind of drag on. I liked the twist at the end but this is not exactly a thriller or suspense book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While many murder mysteries focus on plot, this book does a deep-dive into the flawed characters and invites readers to understand the people involved and the nuances of the situation. It‘s complex and compelling while also examining the true crime genre, the way all of us compartmentalize parts of ourselves, and the expectations and limitations we place on women and their stories. 🎧

I bailed. I was so bored- I made it to 173
pages, and just wish this had been 300 pages instead of 450; I would have barreled through. I hate to not finish a book, and can count on less than one hand how many times I‘ve quit- I‘m pretty good at knowing what I‘ll enjoy or what will keep me interested. Maybe I‘ll try to finish this on audio..

This is a 400+ page book that could easily be a 1-sitting read.

It's hard to say whether scene, character or plot is the strongest component of this book but I think scene edges out the others by just a touch. Gutierrez has written such wonderfully complicated characters that you love even when you don't want to and has spun an incredibly captivating plot but I could feel everything she was describing when she set a scene.

I skipped chunks of it to get to the end, which confirmed my suspicions about who really killed Andreas. I struggled to read this because I couldn't stand Cassie. Not even a little. Lore, despite her lies and selfishness, was fascinating and even charming. Her husbands, her children, her sister, her story were all interesting and would have made a fine book on their own but the Cassie chapters dragged everything down.

I have distracted myself with every game app on my phone today while repeatedly asking myself why I'm not reading. I finally realized that at 25% I'm not enthusiastic about this book. I'm going to read something else and try again in a couple days.

Very good. This story takes you on journey that is full of twists and turns. Even though you might think that you have worked out who has done it you will be surprised by the end. It also deals with the question of what love truly is and what you would do for it. Thank you #MichaelJoseph/#Penguin for inviting me to read this via #Netgalley.

#MoreThanYoullEverKnow
#PenquinRandomHouse
@PenguinPublishing

I confess at one point I almost bailed on this one. The issue…pacing. But this is legitimately a case of the slow and steady wins the race. If you stick with it you‘ll find yourself enjoy a solid suspense read. #bigjunereadathon @Clwojick

If you go into this expecting a fast-paced thriller, you will be disappointed. This is a slow burn, whodunnit, family drama. It tells the story of Lore, a successful international banker in the 1980's. In Laredo, Lore married Fabian, with whom she has twin sons. While in Mexico City, she meets Andres & falls in love, ultimately marrying him too. When her secret comes out, Andres confronts Fabian who shoots him dead. (Continued)

This is a novel about secrets, family, motherhood and the demands of parenting and the power of love. It investigates the cost of putting your own needs ahead of the welfare of others. It starts slow, but builds to a riveting read and is a good recommendation for fans of such books as “We Begin at the End“. I enjoyed it, but admit to wishing I had more knowledge of Spanish, as the author used lots of it in the dialogue. I gave it 3.75/5 stars.

Rainy day!! Perfect for starting this #arc. It sounds really interesting! ?? Debut novel from Katie Gutierrez. "An evocative drama about a woman who's caught leading a double life after one husband murders the other, & the true-crime writer who becomes obsessed with telling her story." #fiction