Title: Not So Perfect Strangers
Author: L.S Stratton
Pages: 320
Publish Date: March 28th, 2023
Rating: ❤❤❤
Hi friends. I'm back with another hot take on the latest books I've been reading. Since are on the last day of black history month and I was paying special attention to stories by black authors, I thought it fitting to close out the month with this book. It doesn't come out until March 28th, so you still have some time if you need to save up for it, but The Booky Babe was granted early access through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought the cover was pretty cool and I had heard from a few others that this was a decent read. Figured what better time to check it out than black history month? Overall, it wasn't a bad story. However, I do feel like some of it could have been a bit better. Let's take a deeper look into the book (hey! I rhymed!)
One fateful encounter upends the lives of two women in this tense domestic thriller, a modern spin on Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers On A Train that flips the script on race and gender politics.
“I’m a big believer that women should help each other, Tasha,” she says. “Don’t you think?”
Tasha Jenkins has finally found the courage to leave her abusive husband. Taking her teenage son with her, Tasha checks into a hotel the night before their flight out of D.C. and out of Kordell Jenkins’s life forever. But escaping isn’t so easy, and Tasha soon finds herself driving back to her own personal hell. As she is leaving, a white woman pounds on her car window, begging to be let in. Behind the woman, an angry man is in pursuit. Tasha makes a split-second decision that will alter the course of her life: she lets her in and takes off.
Tasha and Madison Gingell may have very different everyday realities, but what they have in common is marriages they need out of. The two women want to help each other, but they have very different ideas of what that means . . .
They are on a collision course that will end in the case files of the D.C. MPD homicide unit. Unraveling the truth of what really happened may be impossible‒and futile. Because what has the truth ever done for women like Tasha and Madison?
Overall, the story was decent. I enjoyed the book. Unfortunately, towards the end the plot kind of fell apart. It felt like they were trying to figure out a way to wrap it up and then just say "hmm. good enough!" and went with what they had.
I did appreciate the subtle differences in the way each woman lived and viewed the world around them. The different police officers were also a nice touch. People do not tend to realize how even the smallest change in details can make a huge difference on the outcome. Tasha admitted a few times that she would have been able to get away with certain things much more easily if she was a white woman. That is the sad truth.
Had we worked on a stronger ending, that didn't feel so all over the place, this book would have been much better. I will still recommend it, only because it could inspire some interesting conversations about race and gender politics.
If you decide to check it out, come back and let me know what you thought. What did you think of the ending? Did you like it? I can't wait to hear from you! Make sure you follow me on Instagram and Facebook so we can continue chatting about books!
Until next time,
Happy Reading Babes! ❤