Hoping you have a nice Sunday. The weather looks good, and later when the heat brings you back inside, take the time to look here.
I've been told there is little about books in this blog. Well, let us change it for today and speak about a few books...

I've read THE EDGE OF NORMAL, by Carla Norton, which is a twisted thriller, and I really enjoyed it. The book was published a first time almost two years ago, but did not reach a large public then. A second edition has been printed lately and making much more noise now. Reeve LeClaire is an heroine we will follow in a series of books and the second book, WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER is out this summer.
Here is the blurb for the first one:

"In many ways, Reeve LeClaire looks like a typical twenty-two year old girl. She’s finally landed her own apartment, she waitresses to pay the bills, and she wishes she wasn’t so nervous around new people. She thinks of herself as agile, not skittish. As serious, not grim. But Reeve is anything but normal. 
Ten years ago, she was kidnapped and held captive. After a lucky escape, she’s spent the last six years trying to rebuild her life, a recovery thanks in large part to her indispensable therapist Dr. Ezra Lerner. But when he asks her to help another girl rescued from a similar situation, Reeve realizes she may not simply need to mentor this young victim—she may be the only one who can protect her from a cunning predator who is still out there, watching every move."

Starting with a traumatized young woman considering her options for the future, Carla Norton creates  a stunning thriller, which will terrify most of the.readers. The scariest part is the idea that it is based on a true story, meaning a real girl, captive for years in the hands of a pervert... I could hardly believe it and did not let my mind settle too long of it. Just the idea that such people exist makes me sick!

The style of the author is quick and witty, you will be caught into Reeve's life, almost normal, but filled with angst, day after day. She sees Dr. Lerner once a week,  and just the anticipation of this visit makes her uncomfortable on Tuesdays, though Lerner really tries to help. For now, Reeve refuses to go to college and sticks on waitressing in  a Japanese restaurant, where the repetitive nature of her job, the constant same environment and the pleasure of learning a few Japanese words give her a fleeting feeling of security.

But this fallacious blanket will be put away from her by the return of the owners' daughter. She is going to lose her job! Reeve is an interesting character, sarcastic about herself but quite lovable. She follows some of her psychiatrist advice, but in a twisted way: yes, she gets a pet, but it will be a snake and not a dog, for instance. Still, you feel a connection with her, maybe because we all have this insecurity inside and it's almost reassuring to see that others are no different. 

Reeve will accept to help Lerner with the new victim, after much hesitation. She gets to know a 13-year-old with whom she has an immediate connection.  From there, Norton takes you on a search for the person responsible for the girls' disappearances... because no matter what the police does, other girls are still missing. Reeve wants to get to the bottom of it, even if it means putting her own life at risk. 

Once you have read more than 50 pages, you won't be able to put the book down without finishing it.  But try not to be alone in the house when you read it...