The weekend is here, and I’ve got your recommended reading list, including The Women by Kristen Hannah and more! These titles totally had me in their grip this week and I’m excited to share them with you. Whether you are hitting the beach, snuggling down in your favorite reading spot with a cuppa, or listening to an audiobook, I got you! From thrillers to heart-wrenching stories of triumph, there’s something for everyone on this weekend’s reading list.

• The Women by Kristen Hannah

  @the.hawthorne.lib

  Convincing you to read The Women by Kristin Hannah. If you love historical fiction and boss women this ones for you! #booktok #bookish #bookvideos #bookrecommendations #readmorebooks #bookaesthetic

  ♬ night mom - i don't like mirrors

  This book, ya’ll. It had me in a chokehold and I could not put it down. Initially taking in place during the start of the war, the story follows twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath. From the book description:” Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

  As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

  But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

  The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.”

  This story was so vividly written, from the descriptions of the landscapes to the music mentioned, you are sucked into the story and can’t help but feel Frankie’s joy and pain as the story goes on. It highlighted issues that often go unspoken regarding women in warfare. Author Kristen Hannah skillfully knows how to draw out the reader’s emotions and I have to tell you, she had me smiling and then tearing up by turns.

• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

  @risingreads

  “dark matter” : by blake crouch tags : #fyp #booktok #book #booktiktok #foryou #books #blake #blakecrouch #crouch #darkmatter #thriller #scifi #dark #scary #horror #jasondessen #aesthetic#bookclub #bookworm #bookish #booktoker #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #books #pinterest

  ♬ Oxbow B - Lorn

  Dark Matter came across my radar for two reasons. It’s been adapted into a film that is dropping to Apple TV+ on May 9th and all my sci fi book loving friends have been raving about it. After picking it up and finishing it in just under two days, I can see why. Don’t let the sci fi element of the story scare you off, if you can handle a Marvel Movie you can follow this plot line. From the book description: “Are you happy with your life?”

  Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the kidnapper knocks him unconscious.

  Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

  Before a man he’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

  In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

  Is it this life or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how will Jason make it back to the family he loves?”

  Laid out with surgical precision, this story is both a fast paced thriller and a mind bending sci fic adventure. Think the X-Files meets The Bourne Identity. Appealing to a broad range of readers, Dark Matter is one of those books you will buy to hand out to book loving friends and family members.

• That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

  @megan_lally_

  Oh my god. I’m a NYT bestseller. 😱

  ♬ original sound - Megan Lally

  For fans of the psychological thriller genre, this bad boy is your weekend read! Don’t let it’s YA (Young Adult) status turn you off, it’s that good. That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally was an instant bestseller for good reason. From the book description: Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there―or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He’s been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos.

  He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says.

  When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it’s too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow…and the more danger they both are in.”

  This story is so twisty turny, I’m almost afraid to tell you ANYTHING for fear of giving any spoilers. I will say this is the young author’s debut novel and with how spectacular it is, she’s going to continue to knock our socks off. Heart stopping, thrilling, clever, breathtaking, I don’t have enough adjective to hype this book enough! Trust me, you will stay up late to reach the explosive end to this story!

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