Herby Feta Dip and a Book Review for the #YouAreNotAloneParty

It's time for another blog party! This one is to celebrate the paperback release of You Are Not Alone, a psychological thriller by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. Hosted by my friends at The Book Club Cookbook, a group of bloggers are getting together to make recipes inspired by the book.

Here's the Publisher's Blurb:

From Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the authors of the top ten bestseller The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl, comes You Are Not Alone – a gripping novel about a group of women who appear to have the perfect lives, but all is not what it seems . . .

You probably know someone like Shay Miller. She wants to find love, but it eludes her. She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end. She wants to belong, but her life is becoming increasingly isolated.

You probably don’t know anyone like the Moore sisters. They have an unbreakable circle of friends. They live a life of glamour and perfection. They always get what they desire.

Shay thinks she wants their life.

But what they really want is hers.

Publisher : St. Martin's Press (February 2, 2021)
432 pages

My Review: 

I have not read this author duo's first two books, although I have An Anonymous Girl in my TBR stack. I think I need to move it up the stack based on how much I enjoyed this one. I love a good psychological thriller, dark and twisty, that keeps me turning the pages and not wanting to put it down. You Are Not Alone had me tense as I tried to guess what was going to happen next. I had some of it right, but not all. 

Shay, the main character is not the usual unreliable narrator, but she's a quirky one. She keeps a data book full of little facts she picks up, which makes her perfect as a market researcher. Unfortunately when we meet her, she's been downsized and is looking to find a job, her best friend is busy with a new baby, and her best male friend and roommate (who she is secretly in love with) is getting very serious about his new girlfriend. Shay is feeling vulnerable already when she witnesses a suicide on the subway and she finds herself caught up in learning about the woman--who looked somewhat like Shay herself. She meets the Moore sisters, the dead woman's friends, and the suns that a tight-knit group of friends orbit about. They take Shay under their wing but she soon finds her new friends have some dark secrets. 

It's made clear to the reader that these women aren't the friends Shay thinks they are and it's just a matter of Shay figuring out and finding out what the end game was. This was more suspenseful than it sounds and made the book a nail biter. I admit to yelling at Shay quite a bit for some of her choices and the things she missed, but I found myself rooting for her too. There are some potential trigger warnings for suicide, violence and sexual assault, but if you like domestic thrillers centered around the darker side of women's friendships, you'll like You Are Not Alone.

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Author Notes: 

Greer Hendricks spent over two decades as an editor. Prior to her tenure in book publishing, she worked at Allure Magazine and earned her Masters in Journalism from Columbia University. Her writing has been published in the New York Times and Publishers Weekly. Greer lives in Manhattan with her husband, two children, and very needy dog, Rocky. 

You can reach her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

Sarah Pekkanen is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of several novels including The Wife Between Us. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others. She is the mother of three sons and lives just outside Washington, DC.

You can reach her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

Connect with St. Martin's Press at @stmartinspress on all social media

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Food Inspiration: 

There was plenty of food inspiration in You Are Not Alone. Mentions included coffee, eggs, croissants and strawberries, almond milk, iced latte, Chinese foods, homemade cookies, Perrier, cheese and crackers, three-bean chili, guacamole and skinny margaritas, quesadillas, a cheese board, tea sandwiches, granola bars, butterscotch cheesecake, lemon bars, Reese's mini-peanut-butter-cup, beer and a burger, gnocchi, Pinot Grigio, microwave popcorn, falafel from a favorite Greek restaurant, peanut butter sandwiches, Blue Moon beer with an orange, sangria, sauteed spinach, vodka tonic, extra lime, banana-and-almond-butter smoothie, a turkey sandwich, apples and pretzels, crepes, grilled cheese sandwich, Pepsi, fruit, yogurt, and bread, jasmine, rose hip and camomile tea, Moscow Mules, chocolate, Dover sole and asparagus, spaghetti and meatballs, chocolate-frosted cupcakes, homemade pureed vegetable soup, ginger ale, vanilla pudding, salad, ziti, frozen veggie pizza with cauliflower crust, Korean barbecue, margarita-flavored Popsicles, rose and a cheese plate, caramel brownie bites, chocolate-chip cookies, strawberry-rhubarb pie with homemade crust, pizza with mushrooms and peppers, dark roast coffee, delivery sushi, a hummus plate with veggies and pita, lemon poppy-seed muffins, cream cheese brownies, fresh baklava, iced tea, meatball sub, a BLT, mashed and sweet potatoes, banana and a slice of toast, Cup-a-soups, protein bars, soda pop, roast chicken and green beans, and scrambled eggs, 

I debated making a few different book-inspired dishes, like the falafel Shay loved from her local Greek restaurant or her regular banana-and-almond-butter smoothie. This is the second book I have read lately with Moscow Mules in it, so I was tempted to make one in my new-ish copper mug. I was going to go with the hummus plate with veggies and pita Shay enjoyed while checking out her dating app, but I just made hummus the other day. I ended up staying with a Greek appetizer theme and making a Herby Feta Dip instead of hummus. I think it's something Shay would order out or make at home. And it looks pretty on the plate. My only regret, I forgot to grab a cucumber to dip in the lemony, herby feta dip. I did toast pita bread for chips and open a package of carrot sticks. 

Herby Feta Dip

By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen

(Makes about 2 Cups)

6 oz feta cheese, broken or crumbled

8 oz cream cheese, slightly softened

1 heaping tsp Lord of the Fries Brew Pub Fries Seasoning or garlic salt 

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp chopped fresh dill

2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves

juice of 1-2 lemons (I used 1 1/2 Meyer lemons)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + extra as needed

 sea salt and freshly ground pepper

pita bread, pita chips, & vegetables of choice to serve

Place the crumbled feta cheese, cream cheese, garlic seasoning, herbs, sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice and 1/3 cup olive oil  together in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, and creamy, adding additional olive oil if needed and scraping down the sides of the food processor to ensure everything is blended together. Season to taste with black pepper, salt and additional lemon juice as needed. 

Serve with pita bread, pita chips, and vegetables as desired. You can make this dip a day or two ahead but allow dip to sit at room temperature to soften before serving. 

Notes/Results: Rich, creamy and lemony, if left alone, I could probably eat the whole bowl of this dip. It hits all the right spots--salty, tangy, creamy, herby, savory and is delicious on the crunchy fresh pita chips (I just brushed them with olive oil and toasted the pitas on the rack in my toaster oven, then sliced them with a pizza cutter) which are so much better than store-bought. This dip/spread would be great on a veggie sandwich. I will happily make it again.

Check out this link for the #YouAreNotAloneParty at The Book Club Cookbook to see the other bloggers taking part and their delicious recipes!

Mahalo to St. Martin's Press and The Book Club Cookbook for the review copies of the book and for hosting this fun event. I received no compensation for my participation and, as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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