The Homecoming | Andrew Pyper | Simon & Schuster | Pub : February 26, 2019| Pages : 352 I was expecting an old-school locked-room mystery that took place in a secluded cabin in the woods, but that is not what I got. I admit this book was creepy and had elements of what I thought was going to be paranormal. However, the direction if when was more sci-fi. I don't want to spoil anything, so I’ll keep it extremely vague but I'm not a paranormal or a sci-fi fan, so I didn't really enjoy this. The story was told from a one-person POV. However, most of the characters weren't really lovable, and I felt zero sympathy for them. The pace was medium, so I was able to power through the book in a couple of days though, not a bad sign. The story was unpredictable, and the conclusion was okay. This one just wasn’t for me. If you like sci-fi stuff, you might enjoy this one, but for me… it’s a meh. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me w......
The Wrong Family | Tarryn Fisher | Graydon House | Pub : December 29, 2020 | Pages : 336 I’m a Tarryn Fisher fan but I’m sad to say that this one wasn’t my favorite. General with a Tarryn Fisher book you must expect the unexpected and be ready for anything, but this one felt a bit flat and boring to me. I really loved the Wives and was expecting something similar. There were many twists and turns, and Tarryn Fisher is very good at incorporating those into her stories, but I think my expectations were too high for this one, and I was left feeling underwhelmed. The book was very slow in the beginning, at around the 50% mark it started to get interesting, and I felt myself more emotionally invested in the story. However, I had a hard time liking any of the characters and hated that a mental health issue was used as the premise of this story. In the end, this book just wasn’t believable and the ending didn’t win me over as I found it a bit ridiculous. Overall, it was okay. Just not my f......
The Arrangement | Robyn Harding | Scout Press | Pub: July 30, 2019 | Pages: 343 This was a quick and easy entertaining read! The Arrangement is a story about the sugar baby world, and its infatuation, deception, and betrayal. I thought the premise was quite creative, I’d never read a book so far that revolved around sugar babies/sugar daddies. I ended up really liking Gabe’s character, even more than Natalie’s character. I tend to get annoyed when character because really obsessed in books, so I was getting a tad annoyed with her character, but overall was really fascinated at where the story was going. The ending for me fell a bit flat and left me with many questions remaining. Overall, great fascinating story, and includes a few twists! For me, it was just missing a bit more ending development to cover those plot holes. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased......
Because You’re Mine | Rea Frey | St. Martins Press | Pub : Augst 6, 2019| Pages : 400 I really wanted to love this one, but I was just left disappointed. For me, this book was too slow, predictable and had an ending that fell flat. Even with the character development, my sympathy kept changing throughout the book, and I didn’t know who I liked or hated, and/or who I was rooting for. I did love that there were some twists, that definitely increase my liking for the story, but still, I found some of those twists were kind of random and plugging into the story. There are many 5- and 4-star reviews for this book, so you might enjoy it, but unfortunately, this just wasn’t for me. Synopsis But it’s the lies that keep you safe. Single mother Lee has the daily routine down to a science: shower in six minutes. Cut food into perfect squares. Never leave her on-the-spectrum son Mason in someone else’s care. She’ll do anything—anything—to keep his carefully constructed ......
Never Tell | Lisa Gardner | Dutton Books | Pub : February 19, 2019 | Pages : 414 This is book #10 in the D.D. Warren series! This is the first book I read in the series, and I want to read the complete series now! You can absolutely read them as standalones but I would have probably had a better understanding of D.D. Warren had I read the previous books, but I still really loved her character regardless! Never Tell is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, where you will not be bored! Expect a page-turner including many twists and turns that you will have not seen coming. This book had great character development; Flora added another dimension to this story. I truly hope she becomes a recurring character in the other books! I’d love to see her story evolve. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions. Synopsis A man is dead, shot three times in his home office. But......
The Perfect Liar | Thomas Christopher Greene | St. Martin's Press | Pub : January 15, 2019 | Pages : 279 The reviews are highly mixed for this book, so I had no clue if I would even like this book when I picked it up, but I ended up kind of liking it. This was a quick, entertaining, and fast-paced story. The story contained a few twists and turns, making this quite an enjoyable read. The whole time I was definitely trying to figure out who was lying, who was telling the truth, who has the biggest secret? So many questions to be answered! If you need a good escape and a short, fast-paced story – this one is for you! Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions. Synopsis A seemingly perfect marriage is threatened by the deadly secrets husband and wife keep from each other, for fans of B.A. Paris and Paula Hawkins. Susannah, a young widow and single mother, h......
Stay Awake | Megan Goldin | St. Martin's Press | Pub : August 9, 2022 | Pages : 352 I love Megan Goldin so much! All her books are excellent and addicting! What a wild ride! Such a most gripping psychological thriller! I’ve mentioned this before, but I usually really get annoyed by the unreliable narrator cliché but in this case, I ate it up! I thought the premise was so creative Right from the beginning, I was hooked and intrigued! The story was so suspenseful and tense, I kept needing to read more and more to find out “what will happen next”! I really enjoyed the different POVs, we got Liv’s version of the story and then we also got a police procedural story going on simultaneously. Really loved the combination. I actually really loved the main detective’s character, and I would 100% read the continuation to her story (please make a series with this character!). Overall, great unpredictable and unique thriller - highly recommend! Thank you to St. Ma......
The Silent Ones | K.L. Slater | Bookouture | Pub : July 24, 2019 | Pages : 302 This is the story of Maddy and Brianna, two cousins that are best friends, inseparable. The 10-year-old cousins are hauled in an interrogation room at the police precinct after an elderly woman is discovered battered to death. Are they suspects?! The girls refuse to talk, which leads the two families to become dysfunctional and start pointing fingers. This is my first K.L. Slater book, but I’ve read rave reviews from this author and that she rarely disappoints! This is a very well-written novel about a dysfunctional family whose secrets and deceit have pulled them apart for decades. I thought I had this one worked out from the beginning, but I was completely wrong. I was gripped to the pages and loved all the twists and turns. Bonus, the ending was completely unexpected and shocking. Overall, eerie and gripping thriller! I will be checking out other K.L. Slater books! Thank you to Bookouture for pr......
Never Coming Home | Hannah Mary McKinnon | MIRA | Pub : May 24, 2022 | Pages : 368 Hannah, Hannah, Hannah!! Every time I read a Hannah Mary McKinnon book, I just always know to expect the unexpected! Plus, assume an insane ending – and this one did not disappoint!! A husband puts out a hit on his wife, and thinks he’s so smart he thought of absolutely everything to not get caught, but someone is onto him… This was such a brilliant premise – and it was so bizarre that I ended up rooting for Lucas, the psycho “grieving husband”. The story was a tiny bit predictable, but I was still entertained the whole way through! I’ve read all of Hannah Mary McKinnon’s books and I’m definitely a die-hard fan! She is an excellent thriller writer! Highly recommend! Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing (MIRA) for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions. Synopsis First comes love. Then comes murde......
The Secret Child | Caroline Mitchell | Thomas & Mercer | Pub : March 7, 2019 | Pages : 330 This is book #2 in the DI Amy Winter series. I read book #1 (Truth and Lies) a while back and had loved the book but had completely forgotten about this series until I started reading this one. I was like “wait a minute – the detective’s name rings a bell!” and then I realized I was reading the next book in the series. It was a good surprise! I was then very excited to dig in! This book was pretty good! It digs more into Amy’s past, since she is the daughter of a serial killer, she is constantly questioning the age-old question between nature versus nurture. I love her character so I will definitely keep reading this series, maybe I just won’t wait three years in between reading the books. I would consider this a medium pace police procedural. There was action, but it was mostly digging in the kidnapper’s past in order to gain an understanding of why he’s doing what he’s doing. Due to this......
Trust No One | Debra Webb | Thomas & Mercer | Pub : August 1, 2020 | Pages : 428 Book #1 in the Devlin & Falco series ! I absolutely LOVE Debra Webb! I’ve been reading The Undertaker’s Daughter series and I’m obsessed! So I just had to start reading Devlin & Falco series and as expected, I’m not obsessed with this series as well! When Detective Kerri Devlin is left with no partner but a double homicide to solve, her supervisor assigns her with Detective Luke Falco, the detective no one wants to work with. Kerri is convinced he is the worst detective. However, she soon finds out that it might not be the case after all. We get a glimpse into Falco’s back story, and I can’t wait to dig into his past in the next instalments! I really loved the relationship and the character development between Devlin and Falco. I will 100% keep reading this series! The story was a bit slower pace than I like, but I still really loved all the different twists and turns. The sto......
Survive the Night | Riley Sager | Dutton Books | Pub : June 29, 2021| Pages : 324 I’m definitely in the minority when it comes to liking this book, so don’t come for me! Riley Sager's books are all fantastic, and I believe one of his strengths is that he excels at generating a sense of mystery. Hence why I was hooked on the first chapter! I actually ended up reading this book in one day. Charlie, an Olyphant University student, is waiting for a ride with Josh to take her back to Ohio around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 19, 1991. Following the death of her best friend Maddy by the Campus Killer two months prior, she is fleeing the university in despair and regretfully ending her relationship with Robbie. The headlights of the Pontiac Grand Am arrive shortly after 9 p.m., and Charlie realizes she has made a terrible miscalculation… How does that not grab your attention! Anyways, lots of reviews have mentioned how they thought the main character, Charlie, was too unstable and dumb.......
One Night Gone | Tara Laskowski | Graydon House | Pub : October 1, 2019| Pages : 337 I actually really liked this book! I found it to be quite atmospheric and gripping! Maureen, a young girl seeks a fresh start in Opal Beach, a beautiful beach town. She is an outsider who observes the lives of the wealthy and elite. She's made friends, and despite being a "summer girl," she intends to make an impression and be involved in these people's lives. She's young, full of hopes, goals, and plans. However, one night, she vanishes, never to be seen or heard from again. Thirty years later, Allison Simpson decides to take a house-sitting job in Opal Beach. She's also seeking a fresh start after losing her job due to a live outburst on television about her cheating husband. She's divorced, jobless, and ashamed, and she's seeking a change of scenery. She soon becomes interested in the disappearance of the young girl who went missing. This disturbs many people in ......
The Last House Guest | Megan Miranda | Simon & Schuster | Pub : June 18, 2019 | Pages : 336 This was not a memorable book for me. It was okay, but a couple of days later I completely forgot what this story was about. I always have really high hopes for Megan Miranda books, but they always seem to fall short. Don’t get me wrong, Megan’s writing is superb! She does a really great job at creating an atmospheric story filled with tension. I’m not a fan of slow-burning mysteries, and I would categorize this book as slow-burning for sure. It takes a while for the story to ramp up. The thing I loved the most about this book though was that it was an easy, quick mystery that includes twists. Generally, when there are a couple of twists in a book, the star rating seems to increase! If it wasn’t for the ending, this book would have gotten a 3-star read, but the ending pushed it to 4-star. So, if you don’t enjoy the beginning of this book, I would recommend pushing through, you’ll love the ......
The Retreat | Sherri Smith | Forge Books | Pub : August 13, 2019 | Pages : 352 The retreat is a story about four women who attend a weekend wellness retreat. Each of these women has their own lives and their own secrets they don’t want to be uncovered. Everything seems to be going well until a shocking discovery is made by some of the guests! The writing was excellent, the character development was on point (even though some characters were quite unlikeable, I think that was the point of the story), and the ending left me gasping! You can definitely expect some unpredictable twists and turns! This book was such a fast-paced, action-packed, and suspenseful thriller! I highly recommend it. 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-familia......
The Woman in the Dark | Vanessa Savage | Grand Central Publishing | Pub : March 12, 2019| Pages : 346 I picked this one up randomly in a bookstore and had no clue what I was getting into. This was a complete surprise, but I really ended up loving this book! First of all, this book was written beautifully! Vanessa Savage knows how to write a book! For a debut psychological thriller, she did an excellent job! I will read more of her books in the future. This novel was very spooky! I usually don’t like novels revolving around haunted houses, spirits, or ghosts, but I think the writing just made me feel like I was in the house, and I could sense the house’s eeriness and darkness, that I just couldn’t stop reading. This book had it all: a terrific mystery element, numerous twists and turns, as well as excellent character development. I will be picking up Vanessa’s newest novel, The Woods ASAP! Synopsis A debut psychological thriller about a woman who moves with her famil......
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