I kept hearing about this book from all the cool kids on Instagram. I knew I had to read it! I'm so glad I did, I think Harriet Tyce is an aFOUR STARS
I kept hearing about this book from all the cool kids on Instagram. I knew I had to read it! I'm so glad I did, I think Harriet Tyce is an author to keep your eye on if you love psychological suspense.
The first half of Blood Orange is almost perfect. The steady pace, the build up of suspense is spot on and a joy to read. Tyce goes deep when exploring the characters and you guys know how much I love writers that do that. The tone is very dark and I felt nothing but fear for Alison, our story narrator, as she is metaphorically perched on the edge of a cliff.
Something goes a little wrong with the plot as it stalls out during the second half. The novel feels tedious for several chapters until we start gearing up for the finale "twist de resistance".
That ending!! The twist is perfectly satisfying! I loved it --it almost made me forget about the weaker parts of the book.
Even with my quibbles, I would highly recommend Blood Orange to my fellow psyche thriller fans. I can't wait for more from this new author.
I listened to the audio book and was absolutely riveted by the fabulous Julie Teal. She sounds exactly like a young Helen Mirren....more
Book readers tend to throw around words like “addictive” and “unputdownable”. But, I'm dead serious about those words. And guysFIVE MIND-BENDING STARS
Book readers tend to throw around words like “addictive” and “unputdownable”. But, I'm dead serious about those words. And guys, I’m here to tell you, I read RECURSION straight through dinner last night until I finished at three am this morning. What an intelligent and freakin’ addictive thriller!
The first half sets up the rest of the book and it is crucial to read carefully and try to understand the very simple quantum physics necessary to travel around in time. LOL.😂
I finally thought I had the timelines straight in my mind (without the use of a giant white board)--I wanted to keep it straight, so I read. And read. And cried. And marveled. And cried again. And closed the Kindle. And kept thinking and marveling and sighing.
Who doesn’t want a do-over in life? Personally, I don’t trust anyone that says they live with no regrets. Even if you consider yourself a perfect specimen, I guarantee you have deeply hurt someone’s feelings or perhaps grieved the loss of a loved one. If those aren’t regrets, then you may be a sociopath.
What if you could go back through your memories and “fix” them? Change events in order to protect children, countries, civilizations.
This is the question RECURSION poses to the reader. As wonderful an idea as this is, there are, of course, consequences to changing history. Blake Crouch turns his incredible imagination loose in his latest thriller and your mind will be racing trying to keep up him.
RECURSION is set in 2007 and 2018, this isn’t futuristic. Helene, our genius scientist, works to discover a cure for Alzheimer’s and you will find yourself constantly wondering if this memory recapture business is actually a real thing now. (IT IS. READ THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IN THE BACK!).
I love sci-fi that reads like it could be factual. I love sci-fi with colorful, endearing characters. I love sci-fi with the entire world’s future at stake and these two characters must save us. I love sci-fi when those two characters carry on an epic love story to end all love stories. ❤️
I love RECURSION. I think I love it more than Dark Matter. And I never thought I would say that!
Hey, all you influential readers: this is still available on NetGalley! Grab it before it is too late! NETFLIX already bought the movie rights and it is gonna be HUGE!!. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for allowing me to read and review the advanced copy of RECURSION. All opinions are mine....more
Evidently I'm not a good fit for this author. She writes with a curious detachment that makes me feel so unsympathetic to the characters and TWO STARS
Evidently I'm not a good fit for this author. She writes with a curious detachment that makes me feel so unsympathetic to the characters and bored with the story. I felt this way with her previous novel Our House, except there were some elements of that plot I found interesting.
Ugggghhh. I can't say I found this plot anything but DULL. THOSE PEOPLE moves at a glacial pace and I just can't be bothered to even relate much to you in a review.
If you are a big Louise Candlish fan, then I'm sure you will enjoy this one. Her writing style is just not my cup of English tea.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read the early galley and offer my honest opinion. ...more
Little Darlings has caused quite a buzz in the literary world. I read where the UK publisher snatched up the manuscript within 48 hours of sFOUR STARS
Little Darlings has caused quite a buzz in the literary world. I read where the UK publisher snatched up the manuscript within 48 hours of submission! A six-figure sum for the book and now news of the movie rights being sold—wowzah, great news for a debut author.
So, what’s the big deal, you say?
As in most psyche suspense novels, we have the requisite unreliable female narrator, her highly sketch husband and an instinctual police detective as the main characters. Lauren wakes up in the hospital after a traumatic childbirth and finds an old woman trying to snatch her newborn twins. While most everyone in Lauren’s life writes off this attempted abduction as some sort of postpartum psychosis, our intrepid detective has a gut feeling this may be a real-life crime.
Where Little Darlings breaks away from the same old/same old is in the gorgeously stylized horror factor. At one point in the story, Lauren believes the babies have been switched and are not hers. I promise-- you will never look at anyone’s baby the same again after reading the passages about these changelings! Golding’s vivid descriptions of the babies singing eerie songs at night or talking to each other is SOOOOO SCARY!!! Movie? Yes, please. (Insert creepy CG faces onto little baby bundles here).
Heavily borrowed from fables and fairy tales, Little Darlings skillfully walks the line between psychological and supernatural horror. Ingeniously, the reader is left to decide how much to believe when it comes to the ghost stuff. I’m not a big supernatural fan, but little bits injected into a familiar story is perfect and adds a great deal to the already tense atmosphere.
Despite a slow start, I enjoyed this novel very much. I especially liked the police procedural part of the story. I was always questioning how many of the events had actually happened or were just imagined by Lauren. Detective Sergeant Harper brought a welcome dose of earthy realism.
A true modern nightmare—creepy and compelling. WARNING: New mothers should NOT read it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own. The novel is due to be released on April 30, 2019 ....more
Adèle is about a doctor’s wife who is a mother to a young son. She appears so happy with all the pleasures of financial success and a careerFIVE STARS
Adèle is about a doctor’s wife who is a mother to a young son. She appears so happy with all the pleasures of financial success and a career as a journalist. She appreciates her role in life for the social status it affords her and, most importantly, for the useful cover it provides for her secret compulsion.
As in The Perfect Nanny, Leila Slimani dives way below the surface to expose the nakedness, the self that controls our desires, obsessions, and motivations. THE PERFECT NANNY was about a seemingly flawless nanny who ended up killing her two young charges. Who are these women that are so very different than they appear? They want to belong to society. They don’t want to be outcasts so they marry, have children, work at respectable careers---YET, this doesn’t mean they are able to quash their secret SELF.
In this case, Adele suffers from sex addiction. She is never formally diagnosed in the story, but obviously Adele is completely unable to stop herself. When she is forced to give up the desires for mere days, she becomes so depressed that she’s almost catatonic. The withdrawal is so painful for her, you can easily see that sex is a drug for her. She must have it to survive. Without it, she may as well be dead.
Psychopathy and personality disorders are undoubtedly fun to read about in fiction. But, what if your sister was suffering like Adele? This extremely dark novel reads like a true story, a horrible story; one that has you wincing, yet unable to tear your eyes away from the page. The extreme sex she craves and willingly submits to, the violence she longs to have her body subjected to….is almost too much to read.
Just like THE PERFECT NANNY, Slimani barely skims the reasons WHY her characters are the way they are. What causes these personality flaws? Adele had a bad relationship with her mother, but basically there aren’t any reasons given. Instead, Slimani concentrates on the effects of the “disorder” and the devastating human toll it takes on family members and friends.
I love deep analytical character diving and found this novel absolutely fascinating. There are not any big reveals or twists, but the inside glimpse at this woman’s life is perfectly gripping. I admire the realistic ending. Slimani is an intelligent, beautiful writer. I will read anything she writes!...more
DEAR WIFE is a juicy, female driven thriller. There are actually a few wives that go missing in this novel and you, tFIVE STARS HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
DEAR WIFE is a juicy, female driven thriller. There are actually a few wives that go missing in this novel and you, the reader, are tasked with the fun work of untangling the knots of which wives go with which husbands or lovers. It is an extremely clever literary ruse that Kimberly Belle has cooked up! I thoroughly enjoyed the uniquely crafted story structure.
At first, I found the character roster somewhat confusing and I’m not sure this book could translate well to audio. However, if you’re as nosy as I am, your curiosity about these fictional lives will overtake you and intense speed reading will commence! The pages fly by and the ending is oh sooooooo satisfying. One fabulous book to read by the pool this summer!
Warning: A component of domestic violence exists in the novel and I’m not crazy about that. However, the violence is depicted in limited doses and is an integral part to propelling the suspense and tension of the story.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Kimberley Belle for allowing me to read and review the early galley. All opinions are strictly mine....more
Three couples rent a fabulous beach house for a get-to-know-each-other kind of vacation. After driving up to the house for the first THREE SO-SO STARS
Three couples rent a fabulous beach house for a get-to-know-each-other kind of vacation. After driving up to the house for the first time, they find it to be not as gorgeous as the online photos led them to believe. Hey, no problem, they make the best of it and get on with the eating, drinking and relaxing. It's going to be an amazing week!
What the three couples didn't sign up for is MURDER. Yep, we've got a classic locked room murder mystery to solve!
The peeps should've been soaking up the sunshine and chilling out, instead they let grievances and tensions build at an alarming rate. It appears there is much more than "One Little Secret" brewing in this group. Before you even know what in the H-E-double-L is going on, one of the six is found dead on the beach.
Who is responsible? Which character can be trusted? This is a case for the local detective and YOU, the reader. A legit whodunnit!
I loved Cate Holahan's previous novel Lies She Told. To me, that is a far superior psyche thriller to this one. All the characters in One Little Secret are unlikeable and superbly irritating! The pace is slow and wordy, definitely not a terrible story, but not one I will remember either.
DANGER WILL ROBINSON: domestic violence is a real big theme in this book!...more
Okay, listen up you Jodi Picoult fans out there!!! I've got the book for you! The Perfect Fraud is full of medical drama and motherhood angstTWO STARS
Okay, listen up you Jodi Picoult fans out there!!! I've got the book for you! The Perfect Fraud is full of medical drama and motherhood angst. All I kept thinking was Jodi Picoult Jodi Picoult Jodi Picoult.
Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of Jodi Picoult's style of writing or her novels. (Insert sad face ☹️☹️☹️here). I thought this was going to be a "suspenseful thriller". Nope. Ellen LaCorte has (a la Picoult) stolen material right from the headlines and the story is ultra-predictable. Like from the second chapter. PREDICTABLE.
I think to spice it up, LaCorte throws in some supernatural elements, but it didn't help matters for me. This is a super-light mystery set in contemporary America with a bit of psychic stuff mixed in.
There is a neat and tidy ending with most of the loose ends buttoned up. 🙄
Many thanks to Edelweiss for allowing me to read and review this book pre-publication. All opinions are my own. ...more
FIVE STARS IT'S HERE IT'S HERE!!!!
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You know what that means, don’t you?
Writer Riley Sager OWNS July. For the third year in a row, Sager is sFIVE STARS IT'S HERE IT'S HERE!!!!
[image]
You know what that means, don’t you?
Writer Riley Sager OWNS July. For the third year in a row, Sager is set to drop another stunning thriller in July. As a die-hard Sager fan, I’m here to tell you it may just be his best yet! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU. IN JULY.🎄
I don’t know how Riley Sager does it. Every book is better than his last! Lock Every Door is buttoned up tight and in ship shape, spic-n-span order for your thrilling pleasure!
As in Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied, we have a lovable heroine trying to get out of the jam of a lifetime. You will be rooting Jules on as she tries like crazy to figure out what thaaaaaa hellllll is going on. First thing in the story, she answers a Craigslist ad to work as an apartment sitter in the exclusive Bartholemew building right across from Central Park in NYC. She is to be paid $1000 per week to live in this gorgeous Gothic building. Just as long as she follows a few simple rules. YIKES. The rules are a bit strict, but our Jules is desperate for moolah and feels she’s got nothin to lose. Sooooooo…..Oh, boy.
She should’ve paid attention to those rules! Just like a roach motel, those who enter The Bartholomew never leave The Bartholomew.
The premise reminds me of An Anonymous Girl, but Sager has a style all his own. He manages to keep the tone light and fun, almost Scooby doo-like, with all the “kids” out to solve a crime in their Mystery Machine Van. I really enjoy this aspect!
It is a creepy and addictive read. As usual, Sager approaches the “over-the-top” believability factor, but, for some reason, with Sager, you just let it slide. It is so much more fun just to go along with him! I love the NYC setting and the characters to root for. Of course, a satisfying ending for us! All in all, a fantastic beach read!
Thanks very much to Netgalley for letting me read and review the advance copy. This is my REAL OPINION!...more
This is not my cup of tea. I've never read any of Campbell's books before, but I don't care for the insipid, gossipy chicONE unpopular STAR
DNF at 20%
This is not my cup of tea. I've never read any of Campbell's books before, but I don't care for the insipid, gossipy chick-lit style that this feels like. I was forcing myself to stick with it, but just couldn't do it.
SEX. If you are into reading psyche thrillers with lots of sex scenes, I would recommend this novel for you. Me? nope. naaa-uh !
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion!...more
TWO STARS Please…don’t shoot the messenger! Waaaaaaah! I loved the Constantine’s THE LAST MRS. PARRISH and couldn’t wait to read their newest offering.TWO STARS Please…don’t shoot the messenger! Waaaaaaah! I loved the Constantine’s THE LAST MRS. PARRISH and couldn’t wait to read their newest offering. THE LAST MRS. PARRISH is campy, delicious fun with two ultra-devious women trying to out maneuver each other for the affections of Mr. Parrish.
THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU consists of this:
First 1/3: Slow, yet confusing- why so many characters?
Second 1/3 : Repetitive, boring. Kate, our main character, is repeatedly “haunted” by scary texts from her mother’s killer. It quickly begins to feel like a bad tv episode of Pretty Little Liars.
Last 1/3: Ridiculous!!! Every soap opera cliché is pulled out of the box, truly laughable stuff.
Despite my complaints, it still felt like a two-star read for me. I like the setting of the super wealthy characters, always entertaining to see how those socialites live! Plus, I did finish the book. But, if you are a true lover of psyche suspense, you will want to skip this one.
NEXXXXXXXT, please!
Thank you to Edelweiss for the advance copy. All the nasty opinions 🔪are my own. ...more
Usually, I steer clear of audiobooks that are read by the author. Because....uggggh! Writers should write and actors should read. In this cTHREE STARS
Usually, I steer clear of audiobooks that are read by the author. Because....uggggh! Writers should write and actors should read. In this case, I'm so glad I took the chance.
Author Rachel Kushner read her novel aloud in such a sweet, vulnerable and sincere voice that you can't help but fall in love with her. Ironically, the story she is reading is harsh, unblinking and completely unsentimental. The contrast definitely works.
I wish I could say I fell in love with the book, but I didn't. The story zigzags all over the place--all random thoughts followed through on a pages long tangent. The only narrative I cared about was Romy Hall's. How I wish it was just Romy's story, before and after prison. It was annoying to me when we had to leave Romy, which was way too often.
The novel is a bleak, despairing look at modern American society-- especially our prison system and the women forced to survive behind the barbed wire and concrete. Unlike Orange Is the New Black, there is very little humor. A kind of preachy message, the stories are slammed down your throat, one after another, with no time to digest or even reach for air. I found it exhausting and depressing.
A Man Booker finalist, it is a fantastic work of art and I don't regret taking it on. I just didn't connect to it as much as I wanted to. A similar author, Tommy Orange, delivered a stronger gut punch with THERE THERE....more
After reading hundreds of novels in the old psyche-suspense thriller genre, I still like to be surprised with a final **spoiler alert** TWO ICKY STARS
After reading hundreds of novels in the old psyche-suspense thriller genre, I still like to be surprised with a final twist. And Alice Feeney does not disappoint in that department.
I also love short chapters that beg you to turn the next page and read just one more chapter well past your bedtime. Again, another plus for Alice Feeney, or as she shall be known: the Queen of Addictive Writing.
❗️Here comes the tiny spoil-ey bit:
Unfortunately, this novel ended on such an ICK FACTOR, that yuck, yuck, YUCK!!!! I can’t get the taste out of my mouth…and I cannot say I loved this book. I will forever look back at this book and say yuck again and again.
In addition to winning my "most unfavorite ending category" (well, technically, my most hated ending is Behind Her Eyes, and this one is a close second!), there is just too much child/animal/spousal abuse in this book for me. I don't wanna read that stuff.
Let’s end on a positive note: the audio book is first-rate, a top-notch performance!
But, yuck!! 🤢That ending, R E A L L Y??????...more
Geez. I was feeling guilty since I didn't get this one reviewed before it was published. I had the galley forever and just could not get intoTWO STARS
Geez. I was feeling guilty since I didn't get this one reviewed before it was published. I had the galley forever and just could not get into The Suspect. I enjoyed one of the earlier Kate Waters books (I thought, not sure now!) and I was surprised I couldn't get going on this one. Overdrive gladly loaned me the audio version and so I listened.
Long story short: I wish it was shorter! Since there is precious little suspense, I wish the characters were more interesting and multi-layered. Nope.
Painfully slow, repetitive and with a pancake flat ending--Don't bother. However, I won't count out Fiona Barton yet. She's an excellent writer and maybe she will have another one that hits all the right buttons for me. I hope....more
I really struggle with reviewing novels like BEAUTIFUL BAD. The novel has a lot of good points and an unusual premise, HOWEVER... it is a faiTWO STARS
I really struggle with reviewing novels like BEAUTIFUL BAD. The novel has a lot of good points and an unusual premise, HOWEVER... it is a fail for me.
Despite having several interesting passages set in foreign countries, the story moves at a snail's pace. I don't necessarily hate slow-reading novels if the author goes deep in character analysis. Unfortunately, two of the three main characters remain mostly superficial throughout the novel.
There is a ton of wordage in BEAUTIFUL BAD and those millions of words are mostly wasted. Ughhhh. I'm not a fan of the excessive writing style.
There is a very sad twist at the end, but it is by no means shocking and most psyche suspense lovers will guess it long before it happens.
The audio production is outstanding and definitely propelled me to finish the novel!...more
Okay, Jane Corry, this is the first book I've read of yours, and I really liked it! MY HUSBAND'S WIFE has been on my TBR for awhile now and FOUR STARS
Okay, Jane Corry, this is the first book I've read of yours, and I really liked it! MY HUSBAND'S WIFE has been on my TBR for awhile now and I'm not ashamed to admit it was mainly due to that clever, provocative title.
Newlyweds Ed and Lily Macdonald quickly discover that marriage isn't as blissful as they thought it would be. Especially when you really can't trust your partner. When they meet their neighbors in the apartment building, Ed begins indulging in a strange fascination with an Italian immigrant's young daughter, Carla. This lifelong fixation on the beautiful Carla proves to be Ed and Lily's downfall.
This is a long (14 hour audio-yikes!) twisted story of family secrets, lies and of course, MURDER. I love to read about these sordid characters when written from a stiff upper British lip style. There is an unrepentant tone, a must-carry-on-kind-of-attitude that is sort of refreshing. And frankly missing in many American family drama novels. Haaa!
I found the book to be 100% entertaining and was thoroughly immersed in the story. I do wish it had been shorter, thus my 4 star rating. I highly recommend the audio--it was superb!...more
There are mystery writers AND THEN THERE ARE MYSTERY WRITERS. Jane Harper is a high-class-literary writer in a genre that boasts FIVE ENGROSSING STARS
There are mystery writers AND THEN THERE ARE MYSTERY WRITERS. Jane Harper is a high-class-literary writer in a genre that boasts more than a few weak and sappy authors. (So few writers are like Harper, but the wonderful Allen Eskens is quite similar in many respects.)
Nathan Bright is our main character and a pretty good Aussie version of the American Marlboro man. Despite his last name, Nathan’s life has been anything but. A slightly brooding loner, Nathan has endured more than his share of troubles. Now his brother, Cameron, has been found dead in the killer heat a few kilometers from his well-provisioned and working vehicle.
The mystery is set up immediately, your interest is sparked immediately, and ADDICTIVE reading commences immediately!
Although the lost man from the title could refer to any of the characters, I believe Nathan is most deserving. His is the voice that the story filters through and he is the one that undergoes a slow transformation from lost to found.
Jane Harper likes to start her novels with a dead body and that just happens to be my own personal requirement😊Once she has hooked you with a dead body and a deadly dire setting, she settles in with a thoroughly deep character dive. With Harper, the whodunnit is a secondary question. She is more interested in the family secrets that cause deep internal damage in some people. Not just who, but WHY.
THE LOST MAN is only her third novel, but Harper was a long-time journalist in her previous career. She really knows people. And, lucky for us, it shows in her work.
As with her previous two novels, Stephen Shanahan narrates the audiobook and he offers pure Aussie perfection for your listening pleasure!...more
“Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.”
Ok, truth here--this is not a suspenseful thriller, desFIVE STARS I LOVE THIS!!
“Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.”
Ok, truth here--this is not a suspenseful thriller, despite the enticing title. It IS a novel about family dynamics, love between sisters and loyalty to the ones that matter in your life.
The minute I started this short, richly dark and funny book, I was HOOKED! It is elegant and lovely, all gorgeous words on a page.
Set in Nigeria, very up-to-the-minute contemporary, and oh so addictive! The story centers around a beautiful 20-something that is so alluring, every man falls in love with her at first sight. Unfortunately for them, our pretty girl tends to murder the man after she grows tired of him. Her older sister is the slightly bitter one, responsible with a full time job and a neatnik cleaning fetish. This comes in handy since her little sis calls her after every murder to help clean up and dispose of the body.
DOES THIS SOUND CRAZY???? Yes, it is. And like I said, I love it!! I don't think it is for everyone, but if you are open-minded and adventurous in your reading, I highly recommend it! It is actually a very sweet story with just a bit of a sting.
The audio version is superb. I could listen to that gorgeous Nigerian accent all day long!...more
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