5 Star Book Recommendations
Summer is officially here which means a lot of us will have more time for reading! I wanted to compile a list of some of my very favorite books I have read over the last couple years to give you some new ideas for your “to be read” list! All of these books are linked on my Amazon storefront here for ease (but you should really call your local bookstore and order them directly!).
If you’re in Kansas City, I recommend Flagship Books (FB Message to communicate), Rainy Day Books ((913) 384-3126), Bliss Books & Wine ((816) 226-7720), or Prospero’s Books ((816) 531-9673).
These are in no particular order and are all rated 5 stars (by me at least!). Happy Reading!
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni: This is my favorite book I have ever read. If you read one book from this list, let it be this one. It’s a coming of age story for our protagonist, Sam Hill, who is born with red eyes. Bullied for his eyes throughout childhood, it’s the story of Sam’s resilience, a mother’s love, friendship, and literally everything that is great about life. I have goosebumps just writing these few sentences. It is a MUST read.
True Biz by Sara Novic: This book takes a look into the deaf community and the struggles they face that the hearing community takes for granted. It was a fun read and you will learn a ton - there is even ASL sprinkled throughout! I found myself practicing certain sentences and even got the chance to use ASL to say “my dog is deaf” recently! I couldn’t put it down.
My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle: This book will get your heart pounding! A masked intruder holds a woman and her children hostage while demanding money from her restaurateur husband who seems very wealthy from the outside looking in. Things aren’t always what they seem and even his wife isn’t privy to the secrets her husband is keeping! It was a fast paced book that kept me guessing until the end.
Verity by Colleen Hoover: If you haven’t read this one yet, what is stopping you?! Everyone’s favorite recent thriller. This one will stick with you!
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey: Currently planning my second read through/listen of this book. It’s motivational without being preachy. Part memoir, part self help book. Will be the most life changing book you’ve read in a while - at least it was for me!
Good Morning Monster by Catherine Gildiner: This book is a collection of five patients of Catherine Gildiner, a psychologist who practiced for 25 years. These stories somehow break your heart and remind you of human resiliency all at once. Highly recommend this one!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This is the perfect summer read! This book takes place over just 24 hours (with flashbacks in there as well) and somehow the lives of 4 famous siblings change forever within just one day. It’s a tale of family and fortune and fame and deciding what to save when it’s all going up in flames.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave: This is one of those books where nothing is what it seems. A woman’s husband disappears overnight leaving his daughter behind with his new wife. As she unravels why he left, she gets more than she bargained for when she realizes the man she loved doesn’t technically exist.
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham: I read this book in one day - I truly could not put it down! I was sneaking pages in between meetings at work and stayed up until 2am to finish it. The main character, Chloe, is a therapist trying to escape from her father’s serial killing legacy. But when girls start going missing while her dad is still in prison, Chloe finds herself in the center of the new investigation. Is this a copycat or is her father controlling someone from inside prison? I did not see this ending coming at all!
Send for Me by Lauren Fox: Based on the author’s own family letters, this book tells the story of sacrifice and loss during WWII. The main couple is forced to flee Germany and leave their parents behind to an unknown fate. Decades later, our protagonist, Clare, finds these letters and the pieces of her history fall into place. It’s a quick and very moving read!
The Last Flight by Julie Clark: Another one I could not put down! This mystery kept me guessing until the bitter end. I don’t want to say too much and risk giving anything away but I will give you the very basic premise. Claire Cook is married to a political magnate and from the outside her life looks perfect. From the inside, it’s a totally different story. Controlled by her abusive husband, she plans to make her escape. She meets a woman at the airport who is willing to switch her tickets at the airport…. But nothing is what it seems here! It will keep you guessing until the very end.
The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron: This book is unlike any Holocaust book I have ever read. It tells the true story of the most heroic 16 year old girl credited with saving 13 people from the Nazis. This is a must read for any age! It’s technically a young adult book so it would be great for junior high students all the way up to adults. Truly one of the most inspiring books I have ever read!
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo: This book is an instant classic in my mind. Taddeo expertly weaves the stories of three unconnected women throughout this novel and we see the ups and downs of each of their lives. It feels like a slice of life book with a bit more substance. Highly, highly recommend.
Recursion by Blake Crouch: This science-fiction thriller is unlike anything I have ever read. It feels very Orwellian while having an element of detective work thrown in. There is an epidemic sweeping the US that has it’s victims recalling entire lives they have lived simultaneously to this one. The theory of parallel universes comes into play as the main characters race against the clock to save as many affected people as possible. It’s GREAT.
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This book is written through interviews with the iconic music group, “Daisy Jones & the Six.” Very reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks, Daisy Jones and the Six go through the classic Rockstar ups and downs and it feels like you’re reading a gossip magazine. The best beach read in my opinion! Read it before it becomes a movie this year.
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane: A slice of life book done right! This follows the two main characters as they grow up, get married, struggle with addiction and marital issues, and find their way back together. It’s so charming and heartbreaking and you will fall in love with all these deeply flawed characters. It’s a soon to be classic, mark my words.
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker: This follows the story of a family with 12 kids, 6 of whom are diagnosed with Schizophrenia. This book is partly the story of the scientific study of the disease and partly the story of a family’s suffering and love throughout diagnoses and beyond. It was so enlightening, fascinating, heart breaking, and inspiring. it’s a must read for anyone with an interest in psychology and mental health.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris: This is the amazing true story of Lale Sokolov as he finds love in the least likely of places - Auschwitz. It’s the harrowing tale of what Lale will do for the woman he loves, risking it all to be with her while the world is falling apart around them. It’s the most amazing story of a hero who survives the most harrowing existence - saving the lives of many along the way.
The One by John Marrs: This book examines the (not-so-far-away) future of online dating - a DNA test to find your genetic soulmate. This test has changed dating in unimaginable ways including a massive increase in divorce when couples find out their partner is not their true soulmate. This book follows the stories of 5 perfect matches as we uncover secrets along the way. Never read anything like this! Must read.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune: This book makes you feel so warm and fuzzy and you will absolutely cry (tears of joy and sadness, so grab a box of tissues!). It will scratch your Harry Potter itch with its magical creatures and it is a life changing tale of acceptance. It’s a must read for all ages. I have already started reading this one again!
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue: If the author’s name sounds familiar, it’s because she wrote the heartbreaking novel, “Room.” This book is not in that same vein of trauma but it is haunting in a different way. To quote the book summary, “an English nurse is brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle -- a girl said to have survived without food for month -- and soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.” It’s dark and somehow uplifting, too.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab: The book’s cover describes this one best. It’s a forbidden love story trapped in the middle of a tale of a centuries long curse. It’s charming and heart breaking and you will love every page. “France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.”
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This is my favorite TJR book by far (and there are two others on this list!). I don’t want to ruin anything so I will just steal a little snippet from the book cover. “Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.” Read this one before it hits the big screen later this year! It’s fab.
The After Party by Anton DiSelafani: Another perfect beach read, The After Party takes place in 1950’s Texas. The main character, Joan Fortier is the “epitome of Texas glamour and the center of the 1950s Houston social scene. Tall, blonde, beautiful, and strong, she dominates the room and the gossip columns. Every man wants her; every woman wants to be her. Devoted to Joan since childhood, Cece Buchanan is either her chaperone or her partner in crime, depending on whom you ask. But when Joan’s radical behavior escalates the summer they are twenty-five, Cece considers it her responsibility to bring her back to the fold, ultimately forcing one provocative choice to appear the only one there is.” This story is full of glamour, obsession, and feels like a small town Evelyn Hugo.
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner: The true story of Ruth Wariner, the 39th of her father’s 42 children. This book offers a glimpse into a polygamist community in rural Mexico through the eyes of the author who actually lived it. This is a story of loyalty, community, courage and the pursuit of a better life. It’s a must read in the memoir genre.
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman: I have been struggling to describe how much this book meant to me so I am going to just quote the back of the book. “Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel’s mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. But Rachel’s life is not her own. She is married off to a widower with three children to save her father’s business. When her older husband dies suddenly and his handsome, much younger nephew, Frédérick, arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects all of her family, including her favorite son, who will become one of the greatest artists of France.” It is based on a true story of Camille Pissarro and how generations of his family shaped who he became. An amazing work of historical fiction! Five stars.
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter: Do not read this book if you are easily scared or disturbed by thrillers. This is hands down the most disturbing thriller I have ever read, but simultaneously one of the best. It will keep you guessing until the very end and you will not be able to shake the gruesome details. But if horror/thrillers are your thing, get this book ASAP!
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: This book totally changed my outlook on life as silly as that sounds! The premise is that when you are dying, but before you actually die, you get the chance to see every possible outcome your life could have had based on every single little decision you ever made. You get to try that life on for a while and if you love it, you can stay. It’s fascinating to see the ripple effects of all small decisions in your life and it forces you to look on the bright side. Highly recommend this book for teens and adults alike - it’s going to inspire you to live life to the fullest and get out of a funk!
I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi: I have never been so inspired to get my finances in check than I was after reading this book. It’s a 6 week (and VERY manageable) course that guides you through step by step actions to get your money in line. It was seriously life changing for me! I was able to pay off debt, increase my income and save more for retirement. If you want to have #RichGirlSummer - get this book!!!
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: This is unlike any non-fiction book you will ever read. Each chapter switches between the most prolific serial killer of the time and the design and execution of the Chicago World’s Fair. To take the summary straight from the book jacket: “The true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death.” It reads like fiction and you won’t be able to put it down.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: This is the basis for all “locked room mysteries” that followed in the decades since this book was published. If you like any thriller, chances are it’s inspired by Agatha Christie’s work. It is a must read!
