The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio

The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio is a touching "star-crossed" love story about two young Britons on the eve of WWII. Julianne is a well-to-do 18 year-old who seems to be living the perfect debutante life in Liverpool: she's organizing charity fundraisers, helping her father at his business, and is at her mother's beck and call. She does have an independent streak though, and is set to head off to nursing school in London at the end of the summer, but not before she spends some time secretly visiting her deaf and blind twin brother, who was kept a secret and institutionalized from birth. It's at his "home" that she meets the gardener, Kyle, a young Irish immigrant who is preparing to become a priest. They befriend each other, and their love blossoms slowly, and then all at once, until they elope the following year. Of course, her parents were not pleased and disowned her, and then the war struck, shattering everyone's lives.

We occasionally get glimpses into the future, where we know they are no longer together, and yet may have just run into each other. The story of their separation and reunion was not my favorite part - perhaps a little too implausible. Instead, I really enjoyed the scenes from her time in nursing school and through the start of their romance. Di Maio effortlessly captured the feeling of young love, and transported me back to a time and place I have never been. There were enough historical details to please any historian, but most importantly, the strong writing really transports you to another time to enjoy a good story.

Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

Don't You Cry is Mary Kubica's third novel, and having read them all it was definitely my favorite. The story is told from two seemingly unrelated points of view: a  young twenty-something Quinn, whose roommate Esther has gone missing, and eighteen year old Alex, who is stuck in his small hometown outside of Chicago, taking care of his alcoholic father and working a dead end job even though he's bright and could have gone to college. Quinn perfectly exemplifies the young person who knows something is wrong when her roommate doesn't show up back at home one day, but is not really sure what to do about it. She doesn't know much of anything about Esther, and starts to think she was just trying to get rid of her as a roommate anyway.  Alex's world gets upended when a mysterious girl comes to town and takes up residence in an abandoned house next door. The obvious thought is that this is Esther, but you'd be foolish to think Kubica would make things so simple.

Instead, you're in for a an intriguing ride, where everything and everyone is not as they seem. Lake Michigan provides an eerie and sinister backdrop to many of the scenes, and I liked the fact that the main characters were younger. So often it seems that thrillers have older protagonists, and it was nice to have a younger and believable point of view for the story (I will not use the M word...). While this novel has a slow-build to it, it is engaging enough to keep you turning the pages and stay up way past your bedtime to see what really happened (ahem), with a final climax that will get your heart beating and ensure that you won't be falling asleep anytime soon.

We're All Damaged by Matthew Norman

We're All Damaged by Matthew Norman is a hilarious romp through one man's disintegrating life. Left by his wife for another man, Andy heads to New York to drown his sorrows and try to forget the loss of his marriage, and also as we find out later, all of his friends and social connections. But after over a year of hiding, his grandfather is dying, and so back to Omaha Andy goes. What ensues is a series of misadventures and encounters with his old life, each one funnier than the last, though all touched with a dose of sadness. For Andy is sad, and broken, and a young friend of his grandfather's, Daisy, decides to help Andy put the pieces of his life back together again.

Along the way, Andy has to deal with his conservative talk radio host mother, the "Glitter Mafia" who keep harassing her for her anti-gay marriage stance, his father who himself seems to be unraveling,  his dying grandfather, his former friends who want nothing to do with him, and of course, his ex, whom he sorely wants back, but whose new boyfriend has other ideas. And then there is Daisy, this mysterious girl with questionable motives but good taste in T-shirts - why is she even bothering with a guy like Andy at all? If this all sounds sad, it's not! It's absolutely funny and a rip-roaring adventure through one man's misfortune. Norman's take away message - we are ALL damaged, but if you can't see the funny in that, then what's the point?