Because I Was Lonely by Hayley Mitchell {Book Review & Giveaway}

Genre:	Fiction, Suspense
Publication.Date	March 2nd, 2017
Pages:	304
Published By:	Red Door Publishing
Author
	Because I Was Lonely on Goodreads
My review copy:	I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where to get:

Amazon

Meet Rachel. She's trapped in a sleep-deprived world of misery and grief. She used to love being a wife and mum, but now life is a grown-up mess.


Meet Adam. He's trapped in a world of grief and confusion. It wasn't always like this, but since the accident, things have never been the same.


Rachel and Adam used to be friends, back in the days before marriage and babies� in the days before loneliness set in. Then along came Facebook. So when Rachel and Adam rekindle their online friendship, what starts as a little harmless flirtation soon becomes an obsession, and slowly the threads of their lives unravel before them.


Because I was Lonely traces the roller coaster of actions and reactions experienced by a cast of credible, fallible, and ultimately human, characters. Hayley Mitchell carefully captures their emotions and handles the multiple viewpoints deftly, in this cleverly crafted, unputdownable debut novel.

Rachel is your typical suburban housewife who is underpaid and under appreciated. She is looking for love from her husband but doesn't quite get it. After their second baby was born and Rachel stopped sleeping, her life has become one big sleepless night with no help at all from anyone.

Adam is lost. A tragic event happened four years ago and changed his life forever. Although he has two beautiful kids, a wife who is working her ass off to help in every way she can, he still can't let himself stop his repetitive routine day in and day out. It is the only thing that keeps him sane at times.

Julia loves Adam but doesn't quite get why he hasn't gotten back to normal yet. She longs for the old Adam she loved but knows deep down that he is gone forever so she spends her days working far away to earn money for them because Adam is not capable of working anymore. 

Then one day by accident, Adam comes across Rachel's profile on Facebook and starts remembering her from his college days. Boy do those days seem long gone. He misses her and their talks so he sends an innocent request for friendship. Little does he know what happens next.

This was such an amazing novel about midlife and how sad and lonely we can get. It is about remembering what's important and loving the ones that matter. It is about those old regrets and wondering what if. But mostly it is about finding your way through without destroying everything you have. Suspenseful, exciting and sexy. This book had me from the beginning and didn't quite let go till the end.

Hayley Mitchell is giving away an ebook here in the US and/or a paperback copy of "Because I Was Lonely" in the UK. Good luck! 

Book Review: Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer and Douglas Holgate

Series:	Wires and Nerve #1
Genre:	Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Science Fiction
Publication Date:	January 31, 2017
Pages:	240 (Hardcover)
Published By:	Feiwel & Friends
Website:	Marissa Meyer (author) // Douglas Holgate (illustrator)
	Wires and Nerve on Goodreads
My review copy:	Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Where to get:

In her first graphic novel, bestselling author Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new, action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold. When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the bestselling series.

(Goodreads)

It's not secret that I'm a huge fan of Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles - and I was lucky enough to meet her when she came to my local library for her Heartless tour. I was even luckier because she came three days after my due date and Teacup Human had yet to make an appearance.

While I haven't gotten around to reading Heartless yet (I know!), I was exceptionally excited to read Wires and Nerve. More of these characters that I love so dearly! More of Iko's sassiness, Scarlet's fierceness, and Thorne's swooniness. Okay, so "swooniness" isn't a word, but you know what I mean.

The story starts with Iko tracking down rogue wolf-hybrid soldiers. Those who have refused to return to Luna as they believe Queen Selene (aka Cinder) is no different than Lavana. That she knows how to cure them, but simply refuses to do so.

Wires and Nerve allow us to look into the post-Levana world. Cinder is dealing with the tension between Earth and Luna still exists, on both ends, while trying to govern as Queen. Thorne and Cress are flying around the world delivering antidotes to letumosis. Winter is Luna's ambassador to Earth, with Jason accompanying her. Wolf and Scarlet are living (adorably) on her farm. We even get to see what Linh Adri is up to.

This was a quick read. I read it in a day, with a three-month-old, and found the story to be engrossing. Douglas's illustrations are beautiful and eye-catching. While I'm sure Marissa had some input in how the characters looked, I loved seeing him bring them to life. I thought the blue undertones would bother me, but they fit the story and the characters.

Even if you're not a fan of graphic novels, Wires and Nerve is a must read for those fans of The Lunar Chronicles and I'm excited to get my hands on Volume 2!