13 | June | 2019 | Berit Talks Books

About the Book

From Jennifer Weiner, the number-one New York Times best-selling author of Who Do You Love and In Her Shoes comes a smart, thoughtful, and timely exploration of two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places – and be true to themselves – in a rapidly evolving world. Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, richly textured journey through history – and herstory – as these two sisters navigate a changing America over the course of their lives.
Do we change or does the world change us?
Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise.
Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.
But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily-ever-after?
In her most ambitious novel yet, Jennifer Weiner tells a story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?

Let’s Connect!

Happy Thursday all!

Excited to share with you today my review of this book that had me suspicious of everybody! And talk about an ending! Thank you so much Noelle for my invitation to the tour!🤩

My Thoughts

𝔘𝔫𝔰𝔢𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤. 𝔘𝔫𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔱𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢. 𝔘𝔫𝔭𝔲𝔱𝔡𝔬𝔴𝔫𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢.

Ruth Heald has written a dark disturbing thriller that had me suspicious of everybody. Claire, her husband Matt, and her infant daughter Olivia move to the country and take up residency in Matt’s family‘s cottage. Claires desire for a new idyllic life in the country is quickly derailed. Not only is her cottage full of her husband’s deceased grandmother’s belongings, but she is constantly under the scrutiny of her mother-in-law. When things start getting moved around and she begins hearing things in the night Claire becomes unsettled. Top that off with Claire struggling with postpartum depression, Claire is quickly becoming unhinged. So who is out to destroy Claire’s perfect life and her mind in the process? There is also a second storyline about a abused wife that appears to be completely disconnected.

This was a slow burner with an explosive ending! Heald’s addictive writing style completely sucked me into Claire’s claustrophobic life. For the most part I was very sympathetic of Claire’s circumstances. Being a mother is hard and never is quite as glorious as you imagined it to be before you have kids. Sleep deprivation, being responsible for a tiny human, the feedings, the changings, all the crying, and to be struggling with postpartum depression on top of that would put anyone on edge. As sympathetic as I was towards Claire I was also suspicious. Just what was Claire running from in her past? And how much of what was going on was reality and how much was a figment of Claire’s imagination? She was definitely not the only one I was suspicious of I was pretty much suspicious of every single character in the story. Everyone seem to have some kind of secret to keep and everyone acted suspiciously at one time or another. And then there was the second storyline that I knew was connected, but how?

The ending to this book was wild and unexpected, but it tied everything together so perfectly. I was pretty sure I knew The Who, but I certainly had no idea of the why. A well told perfectly plotted thriller that had me completely invested.

*** many thanks to Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

About the Book

Everyone makes mistakes. But does everyone deserve to be forgiven?

She runs past the tinkling of children’s laughter that fills the park. Heart hammering, feet stinging, she reaches the riverbank, her breath catching in her throat. And then she sees…

Three years later.

Claire has everything she’s always wanted. A new-born baby. A doting husband by her side. A picturesque home in the countryside.

But behind closed doors, Claire’s life is falling apart. Her husband is barely ever home, she’s struggling to bond with her baby girl, and she swears that she is being watched in the remote, lonely cottage.

And when a threatening note is posted through her letterbox, saying she doesn’t deserve her daughter, it’s clear that someone knows about the terrible mistake that Claire made – someone won’t let her forget it. Three years ago, she would have known who to turn to. But now she no longer recognises those closest to her, or the person she’s become. Who can she trust?

An atmospheric, chilling and absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller about a mother’s worst nightmare. Fans of K.L. Slater, Shalini Boland and The Girl on the Train will love.

About the Author

Ruth Heald is a psychological thriller writer from a suburban Buckinghamshire town. She studied Economics at Oxford and then worked in an eclectic mix of sectors from nuclear decommissioning to management consulting.

Seeking a more creative environment, she found a role at the BBC and worked there for nine years before leaving to write full time. Ruth is fascinated by psychology and finding out what drives people to violence, destruction and revenge. She’s married with one daughter and her novels explore our greatest fears in otherwise ordinary, domestic lives.

Social Media Links:

Website: www.rjheald.com

Twitter: @RJ_Heald. https://twitter.com/RJ_Heald