Girl's Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Ashley, Natalie and Lauren head to Tulum, Mexico, to have some bonding time and reconnect. Things have been strained between them since the death of Lauren’s husband a year earlier – she hasn’t spoken to either of them even though they are all longtime best friends. Ashley and Natalie are business partners, but that relationship is taking its toll; when they get a buyout offer Nat wants to take it but Ashley doesn’t. Amid this turmoil that ladies land in Tulum, but when things should be getting better they just get worse. Girl’s Night Out is told in alternating timelines between their last day in Mexico, when Natalie wakes up and finds that Ashley is missing, and when they first landed and the events leading up to her disappearance. I like the effect, as the tension keeps building until you find out what happened to Ashley. She spent more time flirting with a handsome stranger than hanging out with her girlfriends, Natalie can’t remember what happened the night before, and Lauren is acting suspiciously … but where is Ashley? Liz & Lisa will take you on a wild ride once again with plenty of unexpected twists and turns.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

I’m not sure how to rate this one. It was so creepy that I almost stopped reading it several times, and yet so captivating that I couldn’t help but stick it out to the end. Suzette and Alex have a seven-year-old daughter, Hanna, who won’t speak. Not can’t, won’t. Until one day she does, but it’s to terrify her mother by pretending she is possessed by a long-deceased “witch” from France. And so the turmoil begins, though really it’s been building for years. Hanna is precocious, psychopathic, and out to kill Suzette so she can have her dad all to herself. Really, that’s the plot! Every parent out there is cringing! Suzette is hyper-vulnerable; she suffers from Crohn’s Disease, and since no school will keep Hanna for more than a couple of days, she's stuck homeschooling her mute Bride-of-Chucky daughter. Alex thinks Hanna can do no wrong, and turns a blind eye each time he is confronted with evidence of his daughter’s devilish ways. Sure, it’s a little sensationalist, and probably a step beyond what parents of violent or psychopathic kids really go through, or is it??

Everything We Give by Kerry Lonsdale

Aimee, Ian, and James are back with the conclusion to the Everything series, though James and his messed up family only have a small part to play in this installment. Instead, we get to learn Ian’s backstory, which, as it turns out, is equally messed up. He was raised by a mother with multiple-personalities and a distant father, so how he ended up so well-adjusted and successful is beyond me. But, he’s actually not okay inside and he needs to find some closure with his parents (who he hasn’t seen in almost 20 years since his mom got out of prison). But first, he needs to go to Spain, take some amazing photographs for National Geographic and confront his own ex. The whirlwind plots and steamy sex scenes continue in this installment, and it’s an entertaining summer read.

Whisper Me This by Kerry Anne King

When Maisey returns to her hometown after an incident that leaves both of her aging parents in the hospital, she’s not sure what she is going to find. Running away from her problems and drifting through life seems to be her way of dealing with things, but now she’s stuck back in small-town Washington trying to figure out what secrets her parents have been keeping from her all these years. Throw in her controlling ex and a hot local firefighter, and you have some drama! The real core of this book is about abuse though, including the many forms it can take and what people do to get away from it. I shed many a tear but was also uplifted by the hope and love along the way.

The Intermission by Elyssa Friedland

Cass and Jonathan seem to have it all: a great apartment in NYC, tons of money, and hopefully a baby on the way soon. But can a relationship built on a foundation of lies actually last? Cass starts to question this herself and decides that what they really need is a break, or “intermission,” from their marriage. She’ll spend hers in LA, rediscovering herself, while Jonathan will just sink under his heavy workload until she gets back, or so she thinks. The reality is quite different, and while absence can often make the heart grow fonder, in this case the couple starts to grow apart. As the truths about what they’ve done to each other and the secrets they’re keeping start to spill out, you might find yourself thinking that they’re better off apart, or that they truly deserve each other! Friedland leaves you guessing until the very end, and this book is just begging to be read on vacation by a beach somewhere.