Month: December 2023

Review: The Guest by B. A. Paris

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Goodreads

Release date: February 20, 2024

Publisher: St. Martins

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful home in the British countryside, a daughter happily working in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre from Paris, who they often vacation with. But when a young man has a tragic accident in a nearby quarry, Gabriel is the one to find him and hear his final words, leaving Gabriel with a guilty burden.

As Iris tries to help ease her husband’s trauma, they acquire an unexpected house guest. Laure has seemingly moved in after her husband’s revelation that he has had a child with another woman. Iris and Gabriel insist Laure stay as long as she needs. But Laure keeps wearing Iris’s clothes, following her every move, and asking her about the recent death of the young man.

Their only respite from the increasingly tense atmosphere in their own home comes from a couple new to town and expecting their first child. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.

With fractured relationships and secrets piling up around them, can Iris and Gabriel’s marriage survive?

Review:

My ratings for this authors books are all over the place and this one falls somewhere right in the middle for me. She has a knack for writing short and fairly fast paced mysteries that hold my attention and while the pacing here had some issues, I was mostly invested. The central mystery was solid for me but things lost me a bit dealing with the characters everyday minutiae of their lives, I got a little bogged down with the details and didn’t feel like they were wholly necessary. But like I said, the main mystery was good and the twists were fun so definitely some enjoyable moments. If you like fluffy popcorn style thrillers this may be for you.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead by Jenny Hollander

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Goodreads

Release date: February 6, 2024

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

What if everything you know about the worst night of your life turns out not to be true?

Nine years ago, with the world’s eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a “witness” to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve—events known to the public as “Scarlet Christmas”—though Charlie knows she was much more than that. 

Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life: She’s the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry, and hell-bent on never, ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie’s former classmates threatens to shatter everything she’s worked for, Charlie realizes how much she’s changed in nine years. Now, she’s not going to let anything—not even the people she once loved most—get in her way.

Review:

I absolutely adore when I read a great debut but I’m always a little more impressed when said debut is a mystery/thriller. There’s something so impressive to me about an author having the ability to craft not only a gripping story but one that is well executed and has the right amount of reveals and turns to keep the pacing perfect. Bonus points for twists that make sense and strong writing, all of which I found in this one!

While I personally found the pacing to be appropriate for a thriller, there are arguments to be made that this could qualify as a slow burn. Details about the horrific night that changed Charlie’s life are revealed very slowly but I thought the author did a great job of spoon feeding enough information to keep me pretty satisfied. The ending was a tiny bit underwhelming but was still a very worthwhile read for me and I will definitely be excited to see what this new author does next.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: Only if You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham

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Goodreads

Release date: January 16, 2024

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Lucy Sharpe is larger than life. Magnetic, addictive. Bold and dangerous. Especially for Margot, who meets Lucy at the end of their freshman year at a liberal arts college in South Carolina. Margot is the shy one, the careful one, always the sidekick and never the center of attention. But when Lucy singles her out at the end of the year, a year Margot spent studying and playing it safe, and asks her to room together, something in Margot can’t say no—something daring, or starved, or maybe even envious.

And so Margot finds herself living in an off-campus house with three other girls, Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the nice one, the three of them opposites but also deeply intertwined. It’s a year that finds Margot finally coming out of the shell she’s been in since the end of high school, when her best friend Eliza died three weeks after graduation. Margot and Lucy have become the closest of friends, but by the middle of their sophomore year, one of the fraternity boys from the house next door has been brutally murdered… and Lucy Sharpe is missing without a trace.

A tantalizing thriller about the nature of friendship and belonging, about loyalty, envy, and betrayal—another gripping novel from an author quickly becoming the gold standard in psychological suspense.

Review:

If a thriller explores toxic female friendships I’m always gonna read it so that’s all I needed to know before I started this one. I also have a good track record going with the author, I enjoyed her two previous books, but I will say her previous ones were slightly better for me than this one. BUT! This is still worth a read in my opinion because a good thriller is getting harder and harder to come by anymore. Anyway, the college setting was strong for me here as well as the aforementioned female friend group with young women who were well drawn and characterized by the author. There are some really good twists too that I didn’t totally see coming, so overall this was another solid read from a trusted author.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis

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Goodreads

Release date: January 16, 2024

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Luna Wright is a lot of things, but sweet and trusting aren’t on the list. However, she’s a sucker for the underdog and a hard-luck story. Adopted at birth, with scant knowledge of her biological family, she’s created her own inner circle, a motley crew which includes her bestie Willow, to help her run the struggling but charming Apple Ridge Farm. 

With a farm-to-table café as well as a menagerie of rescued animals (complete with a baby goat who keeps escaping to the pantry to eat the secret stash of decidedly not organic potato chips), it’s the best home she’s ever known. But when Silas, the owner who they secretly call The Grinch, passes away, Luna discovers the farm is now under the control of both his investment manager, the enigmatic Jameson Hayes….and her. And that Silas had many, many secrets. 

Now Luna’s carefully controlled corner of the world is threatened and she—along with some of her friends—has to dig deep to find true strength and the real meaning of love and family.

Review:

Every time I start a new book by Jill Shalvis I’m always pleasantly surprised by how much I love it from page one. It’s like I know from the start that I’m reading a special book, and one that will be five shiny stars and it’s such a great feeling! This is the fifth book in her Sunrise Cove series but each reads separately, the only thing they have in common is the location and each installment focuses on a brand new set of characters. All of that to say, you can jump in right here or read them out of order and it doesn’t matter one bit but they are all totally delightful and come highly recommended by me.

The Bright Spot follows Luna and Jameson and a whole group of misfits who make up the community Luna has created at Apple Ridge Farm. Found family is one of my favorite tropes and I don’t know if I’ve ever read a better example of it than in this book. All of the secondary characters were so freaking good and added so much to the story. Mainly humor, I swear the authors books are always funny but this one had some extra humor that I loved. Luna and Jameson both have several issues they’re trying to work through but trust issues are high on the list and seeing them navigate this together was so sweet. I adored their relationship, their chemistry was so hot but they were also tender and sweet and their banter was excellent as well. There was an emotional depth to the story as well as plenty of sexy romance, family drama and sparkling wit. If you want a book that feels like a warm and cozy hug this is it, I absolutely loved it!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.

Review: You’ll Never Know I’m Here by Kiersten Modglin

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Goodreads

Release date: December 8, 2023

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

They tell the world what mysteries to read.
Soon, they’ll be caught up in one of their own.

When six book influencers take a weekend getaway to connect with their fellow creators, it’s meant to be a chance to relax, collaborate, and discuss all of the books they love.

But from the start, something’s clearly amiss. From the host’s mysterious absence and an unexpected guest to an odd occurrence in town and the strange and worrisome behavior of the neighbors, what starts out as an innocent and lively vacation quickly becomes a weekend filled with terror. And when one of the group members believes they see something horrifying at the house next door, their carefully laid plans begin to unravel.

Drawn into a mystery that runs far deeper and is more sinister than they could’ve imagined—and surrounded by those who refute their story—the group struggles to unearth the truth about the house and the couple next door before it’s too late.

As new questions and shocking revelations surface, the group must decide if they can trust each other—not only with their safety in the house, but with their lives entirely.

Readers’ worst nightmares come to life in this terrifying new thriller that tests the limits of friendship, explores the power of social media influence, digs into the depths of trust, and examines the desperate and dangerous lengths of obsession from million-copy bestselling author, Kiersten Modglin.

Review:

I’ve read quite a few books about influencers in general but this one was basically made for me, it’s about a group of book influencers who spent their free time recommending mysteries and thrillers, umm hello?! So a super cool concept that I was immediately into coupled with a great atmosphere that should’ve been cute and picturesque but was instead unsettling and creepy. It’s a page turner that read so fast I truly had a hard time convincing myself to put it down when I needed to sleep, there’s something about the authors style that begs you to read just a few more pages. And then repeat haha. I definitely didn’t see where this was headed at all and one of the main reveals got me really good. Overall another fast paced and twisty thrill ride from the author.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.