Unfortunately for A. J. Waines, that Girl on a Train came out about the same time as Girl on THE Train. Girl on a Train was a good read, though a bit longer/slower than necessary. Anna meets Elly briefly on a train and is convinced that she didn’t commit suicide, though no one agrees with her. Anna seeks to set the record straight and confronts her own demons as she goes. While I enjoyed this book, it was slower than it needed to be and didn’t have the same drama as The Girl on the Train did.

A few more in the beach bag…

What She Left Behind was a depressing, yet delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even as I winced while reading. Clara is sent to an insane asylum for falling in love with someone her parents don’t approve of. Alternate chapters are the story of Izzy who is in foster care because her mother killed her father. Izzy looks to find out about Clara and winds out learning about herself. Her relationship with her foster parents is a bit too shallow and the story ties up  a little too neatly, but it was a great start to my summer reading!

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith is told in three voices over three centuries. While I liked the story, and how it wove the three voices together (painter, forger, owner), it was quite slow and I didn’t much look forward to picking it up each day. It was more of a chore to find out what happened in the end.

I have to admit that I slogged through America’ First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. In fact, it was only until I realized that the book was due back to the library that I had a fire lit under me to get to it and finish it. While the story was interesting, the pace was too slow and I kept thinking I would abandon it over and over. I am glad I stuck with it, because it was an interesting story, but I don’t know that I would recommend it unless you’re a historical fiction fan.

Girl in the Woods by Aspen Matis has been on my to-read list for a long time. I am not even sure how it got there. It’s basically Wild with a different trigger. Aspen is raped her second day of college, ends up dropping out before the end of her freshman year, and to heal, hikes the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. At first, I wanted to give up on this – too much like Wild, but not as good. But, I am glad I stuck with it. Matis has a clear way of writing that pulls you in and engulfs you in her story. I found myself completely lost and wanting to find out her ending. I was surprised to learn that she had walked the trail and written the book before Strayed published Wild. In fact, her story was kind of scooped. Nevertheless, this is worth reading, even if you read Wild.

The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin is a fascinating story that pulls you in right from the start. No matter what your belief in reincarnation, The Forgetting Time certainly makes you believe it’s possible. Noah, four, is being raised by Jamie, a single mom. He won’t take baths, has terrible nightmares, and insists that Jamie returns him to his other mother. Psychiatrist after psychiatrist tell her there’s nothing wrong with Noah, but she knows something isn’t right. Enter Jerome Anderson, who studies children who have had past lives. He and Jamie work together to help Noah and, in doing so, solve a crime. It’s good reading that will keep you on the edge of your seat. My only complaint is that everything is solved long before the end of the book and it kind of fades out until the last page. On the whole, however, this was an enjoyable read.

Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley is a story about two sisters, Cassie and Sid, who decide to keep in touch by letter, rather than email while Sid is in Singapore. Unfortunately, Cassie chooses to scan copies of her letters and mistakenly posts them to her blog, revealing more than she wants to about her marriage, Sid’s marriage, and her family. This story was too shallow for my liking and I found it preposterous in this day and age that Cassie wouldn’t have figured out what was happening while it was happening. It was a quick read, though, and well-suited to summer beach reading.

Having adored A Man Called Ove, I was nervous to read another Backman book, but I was a intrigued when good reviews kept coming out about Britt-Marie Was Here, so I gave it a try. And, though I liked it, didn’t hold a candle to Ove. Britt-Marie has left her husband and finds a job in a small town whose economy has tanked and is losing its residents. In taking over as the custodian for the community center, she is forced to examine her fastidiousness and simultaneously learns a great deal about herself. It’s a sweet story in many ways, but Britt-Marie was a bit annoying and I didn’t feel invested in her the way I did Ove. I also didn’t like the open-ended ending. This wasn’t a bad read, but not a favorite either.