Forge Books Reviews

Thank you to Forge Books for my gifted copies of They All Fall Down, The Retreat and The Shallows, all available.



THE RETREAT review:

The retreat revolves around 4 women that attend a weekend wellness retreat. Each of these women live different lives and they all have secrets they don't want others to know. You'd think all would go smoothly at this wellness retreat, right? Well, that is until the discovery of a bloody knife, a body and hallucinogenic tea.

This was an incredibly well written book. The characters were all well-developed and the ending was simply phenomenal. I never saw the final events coming!

Taking about characters, although they were well-developed, they weren't particularly likeable. I found they were all flawed but I needed to know what would happen next. There are a lot of twists and turns that kept me hooked until the very last page.

For fans of thrillers, you will surely enjoy this one! Highly recommend!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here's a quick synopsis:
Four women.
Four secrets.
A weekend that will change them forever...if they survive.

Katie Manning was a beloved child star until her mid-teens when her manager attacked and permanently scarred her face, effectively ending her career and sending her on a path of all-too-familiar post-Hollywood self-destruction.

Now twenty-seven, Katie wants a better answer to those clickbait "Where Are They Now?" articles that float around online. An answer she hopes to find when her brother's too-good-to-be-true fiance invites her to a wellness retreat upstate. Together with Katie's two best friends--one struggling with crippling debt and family obligations, one running away from a failed job and relationship--Katie will try to find the inner peace promised at the tranquil retreat. But finding oneself just might drudge up more memories than Katie is prepared to deal with.

Each woman has come to the retreat for different reasons. Each has her secrets to hide. And at the end of this weekend, only one will be left standing. (Reference : Goodreads)

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THE SHALLOWS review:

Although this is book 3 in the Nils Shapino series and I haven't read the first two before reading The Shallows, I could still follow the story fairly easily. Of course, there are some missing pieces here and there but the story can still be enjoyed. I would recommend reading previous books to be able to understand Nils better.

While Nils has to distance himself from his personal life, he goes on the chase of the killer, or killers, of a renowned lawyer that was just murdered. The author does have a special way of creating bizarre murder scenes!

It took a few pages to get into the story but once I did, I could not put it down. Shapiro is an intelligent PI. He is great at his job and does not fall for stupid tricks. I loved his witty comments and his personal view of the world. the story had a nice flow of events and the pace was perfectly timed to keep me engrossed until the very end.

As I mentioned before, I did not read book 1 and 2 in the series, but after reading this one, I will definitely be looking into reading them soon!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here's a quick synopsis:
A prominent lawyer is found dead, tied to his own dock by a fishing stringer through his jaw, and everyone wants private detective Nils Shapiro to protect them from suspicion: The unfaithful widow. Her artist boyfriend. The lawyer’s firm. A polarizing congressional candidate. A rudderless suburban police department. Even the FBI.

Nils and his investigative partners illuminate a sticky web of secrets and deceit that draws national attention. But finding the web doesn’t prevent Nils from getting caught in it. Just when his safety is most in peril, his personal life takes an unexpected twist, facing its own snarl of surprise and deception. (Reference : Goodreads)

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THEY ALL FALL DOWN review:

Seven Americans with a questionable past travel to Mexico under the pretence of being in a contest with an ultimate prize. Each of these individuals have secrets and were hand picked by their late lawyer, who secured the location and people who worked in the background for this "contest". 

As the story unfolded, I couldn't help but think this was very similar to Agatha Christie's novel AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. Characters started dying one by one, everyone was acting weird and you didn't know who could be trusted. Since this all happens on a remote island, there's no one to call for help, no boat to escape in.

After reading the premise, I was looking forward to reading this one. I think I ended up comparing it too much to Agatha Christie's novel and it didn't quite measure up. It was an enjoyable read but it lacked a dark and terrorizing aspect to ad to the suspense.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here's a quick synopsis:
Delighted by a surprise invitation, Miriam Macy sails off to a luxurious private island off the coast of Mexico, with six strangers—an ex-cop, a chef, a financial advisor, a nurse, a lawyer, a young widow.

Surrounded by miles of open water in the gloriously green Sea of Cortez, Miriam is shocked to discover that she and the rest of her companions have been brought to the remote island under false pretenses—and all seven strangers harbor a secret.

Danger lurks in the lush forest and in the halls and bedrooms of the lonely mansion. Sporadic cell-phone coverage and miles of ocean keeps the group trapped in paradise. And strange accidents keep them suspicious of each other, as one by one . . . 

They all fall down (Reference : Goodreads)

Happy reading,

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