All the Houses by Karen Olsson was an appealing choice because it takes place in DC. Olsson herself grew up in DC and peppers the story with details that only a native would know. Helen’s father was peripherally involved in the Iran-Contra hearings, and much of the book is a recollection of that time. I enjoyed the premise and the old DC trivia, but this book was too long and I wanted to give up multiple times. The only thing that drove me forward was the hope that Helen would get out of her slump and do something interesting. Overall, though, I wouldn’t recommend this story. Come on, 2016, I’m looking for some great reads this year!!

I picked up Best Boy by Eli Gottlieb on the recommendation of Gayle Weiswasser, who writes Everyday I Write the Book. This was after having read 50% of My Brilliant Friend and not taking to it at all (even though I have only read really good reviews). I enjoyed Best Boy, but I didn’t love it. It was a quick and relatively simple read that reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. It wasn’t too deep, but was a good story nonetheless.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter was brutal and disturbing. Unless you have a tough stomach, you will want to pass on this one. The crux of the story is that Claire and her family are estranged because of the disappearance of her sister Julia 20 years prior. When Claire’s husband is murdered, she learns a great deal about him and reconnects with her sister, Lydia, to figure everything out. While it was a gripping story, it was quite difficult to read.

I was worried that After You by Jojo Moyes would not hold up to Me Before You (one of my favorites). And, while it wasn’t quite as amazing, it was a good read, and I very much enjoyed it. Having distance from Me Before You certainly helped. The story continues that of Louise and follows her as she copes with her grief. You’ll like it if you liked Me Before You, though probably not quite as much.

I have wanted to read A Window Opens by Elizabeth Egan for a long time. It has cropped up in book list for 2015 over and over. Alice Pearse looks like she has the perfect life – lawyer husband, three children, part-time job at a magazine reviewing books – until her husband tells her he hasn’t made partner and quit. Alice is forced to look for a “real” job and finds work at Scroll, a company designed to upend the book world. I read that this is a veiled look at Egan’s own history, but I can’t confirm that. Either way, it was an enjoyable and light read. Perfect for the beach and quick.

I was so lucky to find an Advance Reader’s Copy of The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson at one of my favorite bookstores, The Island Bookstore. I had wanted to read it, since I really liked her previous book, Someone Else’s Love Story, and was excited to pick it up and get started. Paula is a divorce attorney with a transient past and siblings she didn’t even know she had. This story teases out alongside flashbacks to her foster home past. I had trouble getting into this one and struggled a bit, thinking I wouldn’t see it though. And, while I continued to slog through, wanted to abandon ship multiple times in favor of other books on my nightstand, I did finish it. However, I’m afraid I can’t recommend this one, even though it did get more interesting at the end.

I got into A Small Indiscretion right away. The continuous changing of time and place were hard to follow at first, but once it got going, I just wanted to fit all the puzzle pieces together. The basic premise has a woman writing a letter to her son about her life and the choices she has made. It was a good story and was full of surprises. It held up all the way through and I enjoyed reading it very much.

I haven’t read an Alice Hoffman for a while. I really liked her books for a long time and then I got tired of the fantasy element. The Marriage of Opposites read more like an Isabelle Allende to me than an Alice Hoffman. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I very much enjoyed the middle of the story. It slowed down again, though, at the end, and I struggled to finish. It took too long to realize that it was the story of Camille Pissarro and by then, I was more interested in his mother’s life, which was in the background. Overall, I can’t recommend this one.

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg is told like joined short stories. It’s not the kind of book I typically like. And, each new story made me really have to concentrate to figure out how the new person tied into the story. As you read along, however loose ends get tied up. June is the only survivor in an accident that happens the night before her daughter’s wedding. We learn all the parts that brought us to this point as we read the book. I ended up enjoying it and I really liked the tone of the book.