Vicky’s Comments (group member since Jun 24, 2020)

Vicky’s comments from the Random Reads group.

Let's talk about the start of the book here.

Yes :)

I hope you enjoy it Bonnie! I really like Liane Moriarty and I hope you do too :)

Welcome new members! We’re happy to have you 😊I was trying to figure out how to respond to specific comments from the iPhone app and I don’t think I can 🤨 Although I am not very tech savvy lol so if any of you know how to respond to people on the app let me know! I’ll be posting the June read soon so get ready!

I agree about the pie thing Mike lol! It was pretty cheesy! And yeah, there wasn’t a big surprise or twist at the end (unless you found the epilogue surprising). It did wrap up rather nicely for everyone. I’m glad you joined us and enjoyed it! :)

Yes Mike, the jump in technology alone would trip me up lol! I’m not very tech savvy, so I’d be lost!

I ended up really enjoying this. There’s something about Moriarty’s writing and characters that just draws me in. Her books (at least the ones I’ve read) are always about domestic life and raising kids, and maybe because that’s such a big part of my life right now I just really identify with her stuff. I like how in this one we got those additional POVs (Frannie and Elisabeth). Their stories added another layer to the story. I read the last 90 pages of this in one sitting, which doesn’t happen often with me! I got sucked in and had to know what happened. It was interesting how it wasn’t just one thing that drove Alice and Nick apart, but a bunch of little things. Work, the pressures of raising kids, the loss of a friend, etc. I’m not sure that I loved that epilogue, but it did give the story a happy ending. I’d say overall it was really good. Big Little Lies is still my favorite of hers, but I enjoyed this one more than The Husband’s Secret. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work. I’m excited to see what you all thought too! What did you think of the ending, especially the epilogue?

I feel the same Jennifer! I can’t imagine not remembering my kids. This book definitely has me thinking about my own life. If I lost the last 10 years, I wouldn’t know my kids and I would’ve missed my own wedding (this year is our 10th anniversary). Though I think I’m the same person, my life circumstances were a lot different 10 years ago lol. I also really feel for Alice. I can see how her story could be triggering for some. I’m not normally into trigger warnings, but Alice’s story was a bit unexpected going into the book. Also, I’m still very curious about what happened to Nick and Alice’s marriage. Hopefully in the next section we’ll get some more answers :)

Ok so I'm definitely curious about what happened with Alice and Nick's marriage. It's weird how much Alice has changed in 10 years; it's like she doesn't even know herself. I'd like to think that I'm basically the same person I was 10 years ago (other than now being a wife and a mother), but maybe I'm wrong lol. Does marriage and parenthood really change a person THAT much? I dunno. I like that the book has that Liane Moriarty humor mixed in with the serious stuff. And again, the whole mystery carrying us through has me intrigued! I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out.

Ok guys, we made it to the end! What did everyone think?? Let's discuss our final thoughts here.

Let's talk about chapters 19-26 here!

Let's discuss chapters 11-18 here.

Let's talk about the start of the book here! How is everyone liking it so far?

Hey guys! Bobbi and I have chosen What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty for our April pick! We have both enjoyed her books in the past, and thought this would be a nice change in genres since the last few picks have been more dark/sad.

Here's the synopsis:
Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. So imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym (a gym! She HATES the gym) and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over — she’s getting divorced, she has three kids, and she’s actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether it’s possible to reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes. Ultimately, Alice must discover whether forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and whether it’s possible to start over…

We start What Alice Forgot on April 1st (no it's not a joke LOL ;)) and we hope that you'll join us!

Wow that ending was dark. I guess we know now why the backstory with Michael being kidnapped was so relevant! Though the ending was good, it definitely needed everything to line up just so so that things could happen the way they did. So things felt a little *too* convenient for me. It wasn’t as gory as I was expecting, which I’m thankful for lol. I hate blood and really struggle with any content that involves people being cut or stabbed, so I was pretty nervous going into this, and was glad that it was more tame than expected. Overall a fun horror read! This was my second Ania Ahlborn book and look forward to reading more of her work. Just for funsies if this were made into a movie, who would you cast?

I think the scene with the abducted women was a little rushed as well. I don’t know what that says about me lol! I did find Michael’s disposing of the body to be pretty disturbing.

I’m waiting for Reb to do something either to Alice or to out Michael in some way as a form of revenge. From the backstory we know that Reb basically blames Michael for what happened to LauraLynn. I bet things will amp up in this next section :)

Side note: I’m listening to the audiobook and I have to say I wouldn’t recommend it. The narrator does a good job with the accents, but his “narrator” voice kinda clashes with the story for me, like it sounds too upbeat and proper if that makes any sense...and the rhythm of his sentences is getting on my nerves. He always does these dramatic pauses before the last two words of the sentence so it just sounds weird. He also pronounced deja vu as deja view and I’m like what? So anyway I’m done whining lol! I hope everyone is enjoying the read :)

Off to a good start! I initially thought the book was set in the early 70s, just because of the overall setting and the TCM vibes (which is 70s) but then when Michael was at the record store and Alice gives him a record by The Cure I was like wait....lol! Am I the only one? Or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention.

It’s interesting that Michael was kidnapped. I kind of wonder if it would be a different type of story if this was his biological family? They’ve definitely got an interesting dynamic lol. I’m not sure that the trips into the past are super necessary, but who knows maybe it will amount to something. How is everyone else liking it?

Jennifer- I wasn’t expecting it either, though yes their connection was great to see. I was so glad when Jude finally told Willem about his past. I can’t imagine carrying that around for so long without talking about it. And as a side note, I’m glad that for you personally you have been able to talk to someone about difficult things from your past. I bet it was hard to come out with, and I truly hope it has helped you ❤️

How did everyone like the book? Let's discuss our final thoughts here.

Let's discuss chapters 10-18 here.