We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: The First Time I Saw Him & Oxford Blood
Today, we are discussing The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave. This book is a sequel to her previous bestseller, The Last Thing He Told Me, in which a woman and her stepdaughter's lives are blown apart when her husband is forced to go into hiding. This time around, a death in the family puts the pair back in danger, and it becomes necessary to take drastic action to ensure their safety and allow them to move on and possibly be reunited with their husband and father.
This time around, stepdaughter Bailey, who is now a grownup, is more on the periphery of the story. Although her stepmother, Hannah, remains a driving force, most of it revolves around Bailey's grandfather, Nicholas, and events that occurred before Bailey was born or when she was a baby, before Hannah had even entered her father's and, therefore, her life as well.
The pace of the story seems slower than in the previous book. Here, too much of the story is rooted in the past. This would be fine if the reader felt as if they were experiencing those past events. However, it is more the author describing what happened, along with bits of remembered conversations here and there, than the characters actually reliving the events. There's more anticipation of things happening than things actually occurring. The intensity and excitement don't escalate until almost the end of the book, so it doesn't pack as much of an emotional punch as the original book. Still, readers of the original book who need more of a definitive ending should definitely be satisfied.
Today, we recommend Oxford Blood by Rachel Davis-Featherstone. Eva's dream has always been to go to Oxford. When she and her best friend, George, are invited to interview week, he ends up dead. She ends up suspected of his murder and the subject of gossip on an anonymous student forum, Oxford Slays.
This is an exhilarating whirlwind of a story with numerous twists and turns. It is full of well-written, interesting, well delineated characters. The central character, Eva, is a bold and feisty heroine. If you are a fan of dark academia and you are looking for a new author to follow, you should definitely give this book a try.
Movie: Reawakening
Today, we recommend Reawakening. This film puts a new spin on the missing person genre. John and Mary have been living with the grief of their 14-year-old daughter's disappearance for 10 years, but when their daughter allegedly returns, John is not convinced that the woman who has returned is their daughter. This film is extremely moving. It is, in turns, heartbreaking and heartwarming, and sometimes even both at the same time.
And that's our view. The First Time I Saw Him was published last Tuesday, January 6. Oxford Blood was published today. Reawakening is available digitally for purchase or rental.
Tune in tomorrow for Where-To Go Wednesday.
Book images used in this post are our own. Any and all other photos have been sent to us by publicists, artists, and/or PR firms and are used with permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, contact us here, and we will look into the matter
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