NetGalley Buddy Readers discussion

Starting January 20.
Join us for a buddy read of
Famous Last Words

It is June 21, the longest day of the year, and the life of new mother Camilla is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop off her infant daughter at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note.

Then it starts. Breaking news: A hostage situation is developing in London. The police tell her Luke is involved—but he isn't a hostage. Her husband—doting father, eternal optimist—is the gunman.

All are welcome! Read at your own pace. Use spoiler tags.

I have only read one other by this author
Wrong Place Wrong Time and it was very unique because it went back in time (which was a little hard to follow at times).

So I am really looking forward to this one.

I've never read anything by this author, but a couple of her books have made it onto my TBR. I requested it, so I'll let you know if I'm approved. Side note - There are SO many good February releases!

I’ve read
(4 stars)

( 3 stars)

I’m looking forward to this one and January 20th works great for me.

I plan to jump in on this one too!

Mine's still pending. I'm hoping the audio becomes available.

mine is pending too

My request is still pending for this one, but the audio became available today, so I put in a request for that as well. If I get the audio I might be a little late to join because I have a lot of audios right now.

I've read this one and really enjoyed it. Happy reading if you get approved

Hope you get it Kristie. Monday will be a great day for a distraction…looking forward to getting started on this one.

mine is still pending too. Will join if it comes through!

🤞🏼🤞🏼 I hope you guys can join us!!

I'm finishing up my current read and then plan to start! (but it will be later tonight)

I will start tomorrow. Today has been a zoo!

I want to finish up Head Cases, then start this.

Unfortunately, I won't be joining this one. I've still not been approved for either the ebook or audio.

Through Chapter 4 ( through 6%)

I always like when a book starts quickly. This one does that with an air of foreboding. The opening sentence (view spoiler)[ “It is one hour before Camilla’s life changes, though she doesn’t know it yet.” (hide spoiler)]

The MC is a book editor which makes me already like her. Also she throws out words she likes such as Fisselig- a German word meaning “flustered to the point of incompetence.” I feel seen lol

The setup is a flip flop (view spoiler)[ The police come to tell Cam that there is a hostage situation and her awol husband is the hostage taker!!! (hide spoiler)] I like the brain flip.

Through chapter 16(31%)

This is high intensity. I’m so very curious how this plays out. I know the who and the what buy the mystery is in the why.

(view spoiler)[ The hostage negotiator, Niall, doesn’t get much chance to negotiate so his inexperience costs them. They talk to Cam but she’s not very forthcoming about the weeks leading up to this event. She doesn’t want to betray her husband.

Anyways, shots ring out and two hostages are killed and now Luke has disappeared. Quite the setup. Will Cam help the police or Luke? (hide spoiler)]

Through chapter 31 (56%)

It’s definitely got my attention.

(view spoiler)[ Seven years later!!! Didn’t see that coming.
The aftermath:Cam is in the process of declaring Luke legally dead- which sounds like a bureaucratic nightmare. All of a sudden she gets this text with meeting place and goes hoping to see Luke. Meanwhile Niall is still monitoring her so he has foiled the meeting.

I have a guess…Luke will communicate with Cam through an ARC submission. He’s a writer and knows what would get her attention.

It also sounds like there is a mob family connection which is why he got involved with the hostages- but that’s just been alluded to so not 100% sure. (hide spoiler)]
It reads very fast and I’m curious so will probably finish today.

I finished and thought this book was well done. Will check back to read your thoughts too.

Wow! You read that very fast!
I am starting tomorrow.

It’s a very quick read. I hope you like it!

Through Act I / 33%

WOW! (view spoiler)[ that's quite the start.
I mean, he seemed force but how would they force him?
and the other hostage negotiator - he felt in on it somehow because he kept just wanting to go in and kill him.
but who knows.

I can't even imagine being Cam. How do you go on after that? do you leave? go to another country? how can she continue on with her career - will she be shunned or will they be so sad for her?

and her daughter. Ugh. what a crazy good start! I'm hooked! (hide spoiler)]

this really is a compelling story! so good!

31 chapters / 56%

(view spoiler)[
I have no good guess on what's going on! I think it's possible he was part of a scary family and got away for a time. Is that why the woman came forward? is that why someone is watching her? the other women? is it a lot of money that is keeping everyone quiet?

I love how well Cam and her daughter get along and I'm glad she didn't put her life on hold after it all went down. I love how helping her sister is.

what does this mean, though, the murdered kids? the funeral?

and Niall. I hope when he learns what he needs to, he lets it go, lets Nate and Cam go - and finally get some time with Viv (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "this really is a compelling story! so good!

31 chapters / 56%


Niall (view spoiler)[ I thought Niall was the weaker of the two storylines. I didn’t get his doggedness about this case. To still push to keep Cam under surveillance after so much time passed? Too obsessive for my book. He is that way about Viv too. For someone’s whose job it is to read the small details he sure missed a lot of his wife’s details…including her birthday. Jerk lol (hide spoiler)]

I'm done!

I loved it!

(view spoiler)[ wow, all the twists. I never would have guessed he was just a bystander that jumped out to help
I wondered about the other negotiator but never the cop
it makes sense he hid things

and man, I never guessed Charlie. I was so glad she got away.

I liked Niall's side of it, giving us some insight into why the Met wasn't making more progress, how they moved on
how he had to search the dark web to find information (hide spoiler)]

this one was such a wild ride!

I started this one and got to about 10%
Some thoughts
(view spoiler)[ I can't imagine what it would feel like to have that happen.
Things are already so crazy when you have a new baby - did he crack? Was he already a man on the fringe? Why those hostages? Is there a prior relationship? (we don't even know who 2 of them are!)
I am at the part where they are taking her to him to try to help negotiate.
Is she is any condition to help?
(hide spoiler)]
I am going to read a chunk tonight so I can get to some of your spoilers.

End of Act 1 - 33%
Hmmmm....
(view spoiler)[ so that was a long chunk to devote to one night. And we still didn't find out what happened.
Then it fast forwards 7 years?! (hide spoiler)]

I chose this for my BOTM! Hoping to dive right into when it gets here.

🤞🏼🤞🏼 I hope you love it!

47%
(view spoiler)[
Wow! How frustrating to not be able to sell your house because you can't prove your spouse is dead (Or literally GONE forever). Even after 7 years, she is having to go through so many hoops and it must be so painful.

And Niall - to have lost his wife because he was working on her bday and didn't acknowledge her. Though obviously it was a pattern of behavior she couldn't tolerate anymore.
And then he failed anyway and lost his job as a negotiator.

I also didn't like that when the text came in, Niall intercepted it and changed the time so they could see what was going on legally. It really messed with her feelings and emotions to show up there and then be let down. Though I mean for safety, that was dangerous for her to do.

BUT MY BIG WONDERING IS
Who is this Adam guy. I mean he is totally random in the story. He wrote the bestseller at the beginning. Then nothing.... Now he is back and sent her another book through the mail.
I didn't remember if she met him in person? I feel like he is connected in some way. There is no reason for him to be in the story otherwise...
Who else has thoughts about him? (hide spoiler)]

One more thing
(view spoiler)[
It said that Isadora the third hostage who lived gave him the secret way out of the building for her life.
Well she wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. She just happened upon the siege.
What was his original plan? What if she hadn't been there to give him the secret passage option? When she came out, why didn't she immediately say that he was going through the passage? They searched the building a long time giving him a good head start.
(hide spoiler)]

This one has kind of stalled for me. I am not finding myself picking it up.
I need to sit down and get back into it.

I decided to try and read at least 50 pages a day and I started yesterday. I just finished Act 1 through Ch 19. WHOA. What an Act 1! So many questions!! (view spoiler)[Starting Act 2 SEVEN YEARS later is wild!! I assume Luke has been missing for that time and now Polly is 7?! (hide spoiler)] I want to keep reading but I've read my allotted 50 pages today (a few more to get to Act 2) and I really need/want to finish The Queens of Crime so I'm off to check up on that thread and read more of that!

I've made it to Ch 39, couldn't stop reading after 50 more pages yesterday lol and I still have no idea WHAT is going on!! Bastien is napping and I am going to continue reading as much as I can!

I finished this one and really liked it too.
I pretty much agree with everything everyone said
(view spoiler)[ I definitely was surprised and never guessed about those things too!
Love it when this happens (hide spoiler)]

Ch 55 🤯🤯🤯

I finished last night. Whoa. What a turn! I enjoyed this book and how it unfolded.

I got this one as soon as it was available from my library. I had the first hold. lol

I'm about half way though now and going to respond to a few spoilers.

Marnie wrote: "Through chapter 16(31%)

This is high intensity. I’m so very curious how this plays out. I know the who and the what buy the mystery is in the why...."

I have questions about (view spoiler)[ the accuracy of what was going on with the hostage situation. I'm still not convinced the men were hostages or that the dead men were the "hostages." How did he shoot them in the head and move them and leave no blood or other evidence? Maybe he did and it just hasn't been mentioned yet, but clearly the situation isn't exactly what people think it was. Plus, he was able to sneak away without a trace with all those people looking for him and CCTV etc? That was not a steal out the back door without a plan situation. (hide spoiler)]

Marnie wrote: "Through chapter 31 (56%)

It’s definitely got my attention...."

(view spoiler)[ I was also surprised by the seven years later jump. I pretty annoyed that they are still watching all her messages. That seems like a huge invasion of her privacy.

I was also guessing that he would try to contact her through a submission. She also knows his writing style and they have a lot of secret or private wording between the two of them, so there are things he could say that wouldn't tip anyone off but her. (hide spoiler)]

Vicki Willis wrote: "47%..."

(view spoiler)[ I thought the same thing about not being able to sell the house and jumping through loops. So difficult to have to live in the community where this happened and everyone knows her business. I'm glad her work was supportive.

I'm wondering if there will be some secret messages in "Adam's" new book...

Good point about Isadora not mentioning the back way out right way. (hide spoiler)]