American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson

One Sentence Summary: A woman writes to her sons about her past as a spy in Burkina Faso during the late 1980s.

Number of Pages: 289

Rating: a weak 3/5 stars

Review: American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson could have been a better book. It was an interesting subject, but the writing was difficult to follow and interfered with my understanding of the plot. The book left me with questions, not because I was moved by the story and couldn't stop thinking about it, but because there were many loose ends that weren't tied up. There were a lot of ideas that came together to make this book, and those ideas didn't seem to fit together in a cohesive storyline. This book was meh.

The Lake House by Kate Morton

One Sentence Summary: An unsolved missing child case in 1933 gets another look in 2003.

Number of Pages: 492

Rating: a strong 4/5 stars

Review: I really liked this book. The story gradually unfolded and had multiple mysteries and backstories that were enjoyable to read. The plot that occurred back during WWI and WWII was especially interesting to read.  I myself liked the descriptions of the lake house and the surrounding area, and there were plenty of those. I could see how another reader, though, would just want the author to get on with the story and lose a few details—it was a pretty lengthy book. However, the reason this book didn't earn a perfect review from me was because of the ineptitude of the police force; it was almost unbelievable at times. Also, the conversations wrapping up the story at the end of the book didn't seem to naturally fit in with the rest of the writing. Overall, I'd recommend this book.

The Peacock Emporium by JoJo Moyes

One Sentence Summary: A woman opens a store called the Peacock Emporium and discovers more about her past and what she wants for her future.

Number of Pages: 389

Rating: 3/5 stars

Review: I love JoJo Moyes and The Peacock Emporium was one of the first books she wrote. Although her other books are generally very enjoyable, this book was only mediocre. For the first half of the book it was difficult to tell whose perspective was being shared and that caused recurring confusion. Suzanna, the main character, wasn’t very likeable and was frustrating at times. The plot was fairly predictable. The Peacock Emporium wasn’t a terrible book, but it certainly wasn’t great either. Since writing this book Moyes has become a much more skilled writer. Unless you are a huge fan of JoJo Moyes, I would not recommend this book.