Tag Archives: reese witherspoon

Apr7

Lil Red’s Book Club: Gone Before Goodbye By Reese Witherspoon And Harlan Coben Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Gone Before Goodbye By Reese Witherspoon And Harlan Coben Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing a thriller called Gone Before Goodbye cowritten by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben. This book revolved around a top secret mission that was a definite change of pace from my normal Lifetime Movie books and it was actually pretty good! I wouldn’t say it’s the best book I ever read but it held my attention from start to finish because it was just so different from what I usually read. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Gone Before Goodbye for combat missions, graphic violence, and disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

Former Doctor Maggie McCabe is down on her luck big time. Her beloved husband, Marc, was killed during a humanitarian medical mission and life has been spiraling rapidly since. A pill addiction caused her to lose her license and she is currently living with her sister while they each face crippling debt. Then, an opportunity falls into her lap that is too good to say no to. Evan Barlow, her old mentor requested that he pay her a visit at his ultra luxe cosmetic surgery office so he could offer her a job. One that is a little unorthodox but it would completely eliminate her family’s debt and relieve her of her medical malpractice suit. All she has to do is go to Russia and perform surgeries on a rich and powerful man and his girlfriend, ensure their stability after surgery, and go back to America.

With no time to think about any repercussions, Maggie immediately hops a private plane to Russia to meet her new employers. Upon landing, she is taken to a remote wooded area with a sprawling palace right in the middle. The home of Oleg Ragoravich, a reclusive oligarch, and his young girlfriend, Nadia. The palace boasts priceless art, an Olympic sized pool, a garage full of dream cars, and a surgical wing straight out of Johns Hopkins. She will be performing a breast augmentation on Nadia and several facial surgeries for Oleg. While this seems questionable, Maggie is the perfect candidate. She is the best that money can buy but unlicensed and therefore her discretion for the matter at hand will be without a doubt.

The surgeries are each performed to the highest standard and then, everything goes to hell in a hand basket. As Nadia recovers, Maggie notices a mark that ties her directly to her deceased husband. And, in that moment, Oleg flees the makeshift medical facility. Security guards swarm the palace while Maggie’s head swims. Is this powerful family more connected to Maggie than she knows? Was Marc simply a casualty of war or was his death the result of something far more sinister? Read Gone Before Goodbye to find out!

Gone Before Goodbye was completely far fetched. Lol, there. I said it. Was it a lot of fun to read, though? Absolutely! This twisty novel read like a spy thriller and, although it took me a fair bit of time to get into it, I eventually was so in for the ride. Gone Before Goodbye had it all. Shocking grand reveals, a revolving door joining past and present, and secrets that would shake Maggie to her core. Maggie’s new gig put her in an impossible situation as soon as she agreed to it and when things went sideways, it was up to her to save herself.

Maggie McCabe was a formidable leading woman who had the smarts, guts, and level head of the most seasoned spy. Through the brilliant mind of a world renowned surgeon, she was able to begin putting together the puzzle she found herself in. Maggie went from seeking redemption from these surgeries to demanding answers about her husband’s death. And, she was redeemed. She went from a woman with grief permeating off of her to a bonafide badass. It didn’t matter to Maggie if this job killed her so she had nothing to lose. As the reader, all I could do was hang on tight to see what happened next!

Overall, I am going to rate Gone Before Goodbye with a six out of ten stars. I’m glad I read it in the name of trying something different but it wasn’t my favorite. This is a book you could take or leave!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul25

Lil Red’s Book Club: In A Dark, Dark Wood Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: In A Dark, Dark Wood Edition

Hiii everyone! Today, we are going to be discussing Ruth Ware’s debut novel entitled In A Dark, Dark Wood. Miss Reese Witherspoon actually just bought the rights to this book to be made into a movie so be on the lookout for a Gone Girl-esque, twist and turny murder mystery flick on the horizon. And, *without spoilers* let’s discuss:

dark

In A Dark, Dark Wood tells the back and forth tale of an adorably British term “hen do” AKA bachelorette party gone horribly wrong. Our story is told from the point of view of Leonora, Lee, Nora, or Leo depending on who she’s talking to and saying she’s not the most reliable narrator is an understatement. Especially considering that she found herself waking up in a hospital after a murder that she can’t quite remember the details to.

The hen do gathering is for Leonora’s high school best friend, Clare, but – the trick is that she hasn’t spoken to her in ten years. So why did she receive an email from Clare’s extremely passionate bridesmaid, Flo, in the first place? Reluctant at best to go, Leonora and another high school friend, Nina, make a pact to go together but leave if they see fit.

Surrounded by strangers at the bachelorette bash in a house made of all glass in the middle of the forest, Leonora finds herself trapped for a long weekend. Tensions build, secrets are spilled, and someone gets shot with a gun that was supposed to be filled with blanks. And, the question now is, whodoneit?

This is actually my second time reading In A Dark, Dark Wood because my mom thought it might be something that I would like. By the time I was about twenty pages in, I had realized that I read it before so that kind of shows you how memorable the book was to me, despite it’s grand reveal at the end.

Was this book entertaining? Quite. Was it just like Every. Other. Gone. Girl. Style. Book.? Abso-freaking-lutely. I won’t say I hated it, because that’s not true. I wouldn’t have reread it if I didn’t. However, it wasn’t the best thing that I’ve ever read and none of the characters were particularly likeable, which made it hard to get really into it.

Overall, I’d give this book a 5.5 out of ten. It was readable and a nice page turner to spend an afternoon with. But, I think you will find the superficial characters over the top and the narrator to be a bit of a bore. Read it, maybe. Or, better yet, just wait for the movie to come out, instead.

Has anyone else read In A Dark, Dark Wood? What were your thoughts on it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah