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Do You Love the Girl in Distress Books?

Are you a girl in distress?
I mean, the most stressful thing in my life is when I can’t find the coffee flavoring I like…..
It seems, however, that today’s authors use a lot, I mean a lot of girl in distress plots…keep reading!

There’s a story behind this month’s book reviews.
I was standing in the fiction section of Target recently and looking over the popular books. Do you know how many of them have the word “girl” in the title? LOTS! Ever since Gone Girl we have been bombarded with female lead characters in some kind of turmoil and a never-ending fast-paced escapade to get out of trouble. Mind you, some of those books have been good! In fact, I think my favorite of all was….well, I won’t say right now because I have some new ones to share this month!
 I have a list of them at the bottom of this post that I can say are great books in this “Girl in Distress” genre! And, just maybe I will tell you my favorite!
Book Reviews! Five books described that you need to read!



In this post, for your convenience, you may find Amazon Affiliate links, which means Amazon passes small amounts on to me- if you purchase something through that link, at no extra cost to you. This helps keep this little blog running!
In the meantime, here are my five reviews for this month!

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

This is the story of  Tanya, or Amelia, or Debra, or Nora..... or whichever identity she is using at the time. The book begins with Tanya. Tanya begins by discovering her husband dead a the bottom of the stairs and instead of calling the police she takes off. It turns out that her credentials cannot withstand a police investigation and soon after that she becomes Amelia. Check this blog post for more reviews!

Okay, let’s get going with one of the ‘Girl in Distress’ books I was just talking about!
This is the story of  Tanya, or Amelia, or Debra, or Nora….. or whichever identity she is using at the time. The book begins with Tanya. Tanya begins by discovering her husband dead at the bottom of the stairs and instead of calling the police she takes off. It turns out that her credentials cannot withstand a police investigation and soon after that she becomes Amelia. When Amelia gets in trouble, she becomes Debra. Get it?

So, just how probable are these events? What leads her astray and running again and changing her name? Many things and some of them could actually happen, a few are not likely, and one or two are silly.

I will have to say, though, that I kept reading and was pretty much staying up late to see what on earth would happen to her next. It seems there is a mystery to what happened to set her off running away in the first place. Eventually, you will read the whole story of her background and put all the pieces together. Along the way you meet some other interesting characters, the original Debra, Domenic, Ryan, Logan, and various other minor characters that she meets. She’s quite a genius at making herself scarce and even impersonates a teacher for a short time!

Should you read this? Yes! It will definitely keep you entertained even when you have to squint and say, “No way!” I would give it 5 stars just because I had such fun reading it!

 What She Knew by Gilly MacMillan

This book begins with the disappearance of seven year old Ben. While walking  in a wooded area with his mom Ben runs ahead of her to reach their destination first. Then she cannot find him. From here the book begins to delve into the lives of all Ben's relatives trying to piece together who my be involved in his disappearance. It is quickly learned that he didn't just get lost and was actually taken-- but by whom?
Another fabulous book! Obviously, from the title, you are thinking this is another girl in distress book! See, I told you, it’s the new craze!

 This book begins with the disappearance of seven-year-old Ben. While walking in a wooded area with his mom Ben runs ahead of her to reach their destination first. Then she cannot find him. From here the book begins to delve into the lives of all Ben’s relatives trying to piece together who may be involved in his disappearance. It is quickly learned that he didn’t just get lost and was actually taken– but by whom? His mom, Rachel, lives alone, but dad, John, and his new wife are very much part of Ben’s life. What do they know? Then there’s Rachel’s sister, Nicky, who has her own secrets. In the meantime, two of the police detectives on the case are intimately involved so are they doing their best and what secrets do they have, especially the female, Emma? See where this is going…..the title of the book lets you know that SHE knew something- but which she?

The book is full of twists and turns and unexpected secrets revealed that all lead back to the main question of where is Ben? Who has him? Is he alive?

The book is well written, full of passages that are rich with details and descriptions. The obvious angst and hopelessness of Rachel are painfully shared. Great book! I would give this one 5 stars!

The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens

This is a suspenseful novel about being lost in the wilderness and trying to survive. Wilfred, called Wolf, is going to hike on a local mountain. On the tram ride to the top he sees Nola, an elderly woman, another woman, Bridget, a frail middle-aged woman, and Vonn, a teenager. After starting the hike Wolf encounters Nola and then the other two and discovers they are related.

Finally, a book that is not a chick book! This is a suspenseful novel about being lost in the wilderness and trying to survive. Wilfred, called Wolf, is going to hike on a local mountain. On the tram ride to the top, he sees Nola, an elderly woman, another woman, Bridget, a frail middle-aged woman, and Vonn, a teenager. After starting the hike Wolf encounters Nola and then the other two and discovers they are related. Nola is the mom of Bridget who is the mom of Vonn. Unfortunately, as they begin to hike together, they get lost and then spend five days on the mountain trying to survive. Nola is injured immediately and spends time in extreme pain with a badly broken arm. Bridget is a flighty, easily excited silly woman (my opinion) and creates drama. Vonn is the one Wolf likes a lot!

Lots of problems occur as they have to find shelter and water and a way off the mountain. The back story of this all belongs to Wolf as he tells the women about his life without a mother and a neglectful father. He also tells them about a friend named Byrd that suffered a tragic accident on the same mountain. You know from the very beginning of the book that three of them will survive the mountain ordeal, but the journey and the ending are still quite compelling.

I liked this book a lot- even though it had some improbable things occur. I would give it 4 stars! Try it! (Side note: This one would make a fabulous movie because you would be able to see the cliffs and crevices and the mountain terrain!)

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

This is a beautifully written book about set in the 1850's. The story follows Thomas McNulty and his friend John Cole as they travel across the USA. Thomas left Ireland as a young boy and made his way alone to the USA where he meets John. Together they make it to Daggsville where they take a job dressing as girls and dancing with miners. This lasts for two years- until they grow too tall to pull it off anymore. Next they join the US Army. Check this blog post for more!
Bam! Not a girl in distress book! I am on a roll- a hunt for different styles!

This is a beautifully written book set in the 1850’s. The story follows Thomas McNulty and his friend John Cole as they travel across the USA. Thomas left Ireland as a young boy and made his way alone to the USA where he meets John. Together they make it to Daggsville where they take a job dressing as girls and dancing with miners. This lasts for two years- until they grow too tall to pull it off anymore. Next, they join the US Army and get involved in specific Indian wars- most of which are described as massacres of Indian villages. The book is somewhat graphic in these accounts. At the last battle, a group of Indian children is taken captive. One of these eventually goes away with Thomas and John – as a servant. The two travel with Winona until they learn of the Civil War, so they leave Winona with someone and go to fight. Eventually, they return to her and travel to Tennessee to live. This, however, is not their happily ever after, as a soldier arrives to tell them the chief wants Winona back. There’s a lot more that comes with the event, but I will leave that to you to read. The book also delves into the relationship of the two men. They are lovers, but this is never related in great detail.

The writing of this novel is beautiful but different. It is told in the voice of Thomas, an uneducated man, with a definite way with words. Here’s a sample. This passage is describing the beauty of the country:


“We begin to see a country whose beauty penetrates our bones. In the far distance we see a land begin to be suggested as if maybe a man was out there painting it with a huge brush. He is choosing a blue as bright as falling water for the hills and there is a green for the forests so green you think it might be used for to make ten million gems. Rivers burn through it with a enameled blue.” 

I would give this book 5 stars. It’s quite amazing! 

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle

The book opens with Iris and her husband, Will, talking about having a baby soon and then he leaves on a business trip. When Iris arrives at her job people are talking about a plane crash. She discovers very quickly that the plane was not her husband's....until it turns out that it was.
Back, to chick books – although this one was a doozy. Seriously, this one might be my favorite one!

It opens with Iris and her husband, Will, talking about having a baby soon and then he leaves on a business trip. When Iris arrives at her job that day people are talking about a plane crash. She discovers very quickly that the plane was not her husband’s….until it turns out that it was. He had told her was traveling to Orlando, but was on a flight to Seattle- that crashed. And so, of course, she begins to delve into exactly why he might have been on that flight. Soon, she is being helped by Corban, a man that shows up and tells her he knew Will from the gym, and it turns out he knew him quite well. This is odd because Iris has never heard of Corban. Then Iris is told by Will’s boss that a very large amount of money is missing from the company accounts and they suspect Will of taking it. Eventually, Iris is also helped by a lawyer whose wife and baby were on the fatal flight. This book is a wild ride and I loved it. I will admit the ending was quite abrupt, but after thinking about it, it might have been the perfect ending. I would give this one 5 stars!

So, here’s the promised list of  Girl in Distress Genre books that I have read and loved:

And, yes, The Marriage Lie is my fav!