The Family Upstairs/ Lisa Jewell/ 340 pgs

Lisa Jewell's new book sets an interesting story. Twenty-five-year-old Libby has just learned that she inherited a multi million pound house in a posh area of London. Turns out that twenty-five years ago the police were anonymously called to the home and discovered three dead adults and one very much alive ten month old baby--Libby. Four teenagers were also missing from the home. No one seemed to have any idea what was going on in the home, but it looked as if it were being run as a small isolated cult. At the same time we are hearing Libby's story, we go back twenty-five years and hear from Henry, one of the teenagers. Concurrently, we also hear from a woman named Lucy, who is struggling to stay afloat in the south of France with her two children. The multiple perspectives are interesting and of course they converge at the end to reveal the truth of what happened so many years ago. Some of the story is easy to guess and I can't quite fathom how some of the characters react to each other at the very end of the story, but Jewell always writes an interesting read.

Hate to Want You/ Alisha Rai/ 371 pgs

This is the first book in a trilogy by an author I've not read before. Livvy and Nicholas are the grandchildren of the founders of a local grocery store chain. They grew up together as the two families were extremely close. They started dating in their late teens but then tragedy struck. Livvy's dad and Nicholas's mom were killed in a car accident together. This is the overarching storyline behind this trilogy--what actually happened to cause that accident and the fallout from it. Nicholas broke up with Livvy soon after the accident and they've been estranged ever since. Now Livvy's back in town to help her mother after surgery. This was a well-written story with lots of drama and emotion. I liked both characters and loved their romance but wished they had spent more time together talking. I'm looking forward to reading the other two stories in the series.

A Beautiful, Terrible Thing: a Memoir of Marriage and Betrayal/Jen Waite/260 pgs.

Jen Waite thought she had found her soul mate when she met Marco. It isn't until early in their marriage, and the birth of their daughter, that Jen discovers that Marco isn't being honest with her--to say the least. This is Jen's journey through her marriage to a psychopath--and the steps she takes to get her life back on track. It's an interesting read.

You will know me / Megan Abbott / 345 pgs

In the competitive world of girls Gymnastics, once athletes reach the "elite" level stakes are raised
and tensions run high.  Young gymnast, Devon Knox, is gifted and has the discipline to make it to the upcoming Olympic team.  Her path is clear-cut, until one of her trainers is involved in a hit-and-run accident.  The death of the trainer causes grief and distractions, as the gymnast's families accuse and shame each other in order to get ahead or just make sense of the tragedy. 

This book reads like the TV "Dance Moms" on crack!  If you like snippy, helicoptering parents involved in their child's competitive sport, as well as a healthy dose of dysfunction, this is a good read. 

Recommended for Adults and older Teens. 

Whippoorwill/ Joseph Monninger/ 275 pages

Whippoorwill by Joseph Monninger is a Young Adult dog story and more.  Claire lives next door to Danny and his abusive father.  Wally is Danny's dog.  Claire intervenes and helps Danny to train Wally.  Along the way Claire and Danny become friends.  Danny offers to take Claire to find a sculpture created by her now deceased mother.  They find the artwork, but events take a strange turn that tests their friendship and leaves Claire in charge of Wally.  This book looks at families and the problems that can effect them.  For more information and similar reads check out the SCCCLD website.

Eleanor & Park/Rainbow Rowell/328 pgs.

This is one of the best YA "romances" I've read. Eleanor is the new kid at school--and quite the misfit. Park is the boy who feels sorry for Eleanor and scoots over so she can sit next to him on the bus. And so the relationship begins. The year is 1986. They are both 16 years old and going through the normal angst of the teen age years. In Eleanor's case, she has the added disadvantage of a stepfather who is both verbally and physically abusive. Park feels that he will never meet his father's expectations.The story is told from alternating perspectives between Eleanor and Park. There is some foreshadowing early on in the novel, leaving the reader to wonder what kind of outcome will occur by the end of the book. Highly recommended!