besprent_reads

Books I'm reading, my TBR list, ARCs, and reviews. Goodreads: besprent_reads Storygraph: besprent_reads Instagram @besprent_reads

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You Did Nothing Wrong

CG Drews

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

"The walls are closing in on her perfect new life."

📂 Genres: fiction, mystery/thriller, horror

📅 Pub Date: March 17, 2026

Elodie makes it clear that she's trying her best to be the perfect mother to Jude and perfect wife to Bren, in appearance at least. As we observe Elodie's behaviours and are witness to her anxious internal monologue, it's clear that Elodie is not a reliable narrator -- her actions constantly contradicting her claims of love and care for her family. Much of her energy is so focused on Jude, on how she resents him for his autism and the struggles they face because of it, while also putting pressure on herself to be his anchor and sole source of comfort.

Since the entire story is told from Elodie's point of view, we don't get to learn of Bren's motives and perception of Elodie from his side (which makes sense at the end). I had a hard time trying to figure out if Bren was the most patient man on earth or if he had more sinister intentions. I had so many questions! Was Bren oblivious to what was going on in the house? Is it actually haunted or is Elodie having a mental breakdown? What secrets were they keeping from each other? I loved all the horror imagery and subtle hints we got; the various representations of blood, the tools around the house, the accusations of abuse etc.

The last few chapters of this audiobook had me frozen in anticipation, eagerly waiting for the ending. I was left reeling from the conclusion, trying to sort out what happened and my feelings about all the decisions Elodie made to get us there.

💬 Recc: for anyone who enjoys creeping domestic horror and psychological thrillers involving strained family relationships and vile secrets.

⚠ Content: content warnings from CG Drews

🎙️The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, voiced all characters wonderfully and created such a tense atmosphere that kept me hooked to the story. The Aussie accent occasionally bled through and mixed with the American accent which was confusing at times but overall easy to tell who was supposed to be speaking. Jude's voice was a little off-putting, but I got used to it (and maybe that added to the resentment Elodie had for her son talking when all she wanted to do was cover his mouth so he couldn't spill their secrets 👀). I will be looking out for more audiobooks by this voice actor in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this free Advance Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Spoiler below⤵

Elodie is a complex character that I wanted to sympathize with at first, but she kept making the wrong decisions and complaining about how hard it was to deal with Jude. I was off-put by the amount of ableism and was hoping that Elodie would redeem herself in that regard by the end. hint: she does not

There were a few plot points that I didn't think were resolved, were unnecessary, or felt contrary to what I understood from the beginning. For example the time and emphasis put on changing Jude's age from 6 to 4. Maybe it was to stress the shame Elodie felt about her son being underdeveloped, but it felt like a notable subject that didn't seem to lead anywhere. Also why would Bren let Elodie leave at the end, when she was still pregnant with his child? I thought he was obsessed with her and the baby, not just Jude?

I did NOT predict the reveal that Bren was actually Jude's father!(Though I have a hard time believing that she wouldn't recognize Bren from their one night stand...)

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The Only One Left

Riley Sager

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

At seventeen, Lenora Hope / Hung her sister with a rope

Stabbed her father with a knife / Took her mother’s happy life

"It wasn’t me," Lenora said / But she’s the only one not dead

📂 Genres: fiction, mystery & thriller

📅 Pub Date: June 2, 2023

💬 Recc: for those who enjoy creeping horror set in the 80's.

CW after break ⤵️

⚠ Content: Murder, Death of Parent, Death of Child, Suicide Attempt, Pregnancy, Blood, Homophobia, Sexual Content

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The Manor of Dreams

Christina Li

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75

She could have blamed her mother for playing tricks, for allowing them to dream, and then wielding those dreams against them.

📂 Genres: fiction, horror, supernatural, mystery

📅 Pub date: May 6, 2025

Jumping right into the story, we are introduced to two families who have been summoned to the reading of the late Vivian Yin's will. We then slowly start to understand who these people are, how they are connected to Vivian, and what horrors she's left them inside this Manor of Dreams. Each of the lives that Vivian has touched is explored as we learn the complicated history that has kept them connected and led them back to the house where it all began. Relationships between mother and daughter, sisters, nieces, and lovers are all tested as the two families fight over the dilapidated manor and the secrets it holds within its rotting walls.

I enjoyed discovering all the characters' secrets and motivations as the story progressed, and slowly piecing everything together to get the whole picture.

There's a lot of jumping back and forth in time, as well as alternating POVs between the half dozen characters which can get a little confusing. I seriously considered drawing up a family tree just to keep track.

The ending felt a little rushed and clunky, with some of the stories feeling incomplete which was unsatisfying.

💬 Recc: for those who are looking for a light supernatural horror with lots of family drama.

🫡 Thank you NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Spoilers below ⤵️

I hate that Rennie is killed off at the end as an afterthought, justice for my poor girl 😤

------

Vivian being abused by her husband: you know what

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Cleavage

Jennifer Finney Boylan

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose—and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse. With heart-wrenching honesty, she illustrates the feeling of liminality that followed her to adulthood, but demonstrates the redemptive power of love through it all."

📂 Genres: non-fiction, biography & memoirs, LGBTQIA+ 📅 Pub Date: Feb 3, 2025

Ok so I was somewhat thrown off by the title, I definitely thought this would be more about gender studies, less personal anecdotes. Looks like this is a follow up to Boylan's first memoir She's Not There, with quite a few references to it. Still a great listen, though a bit hard to follow at times when the story would jump between different timelines with not much indication.

Overall very entertaining, and I found myself laughing out loud at times and I was disappointed when it ended, it felt like it flew by too quickly and all of a sudden I was at the end! Boylan's writing style is very captivating and clever.

🎙 Audio: Narration by Gabra Zackman was clear and pleasant to listen to. ⚠ Content: Pregnancy, Homophobia, Sexual Content, negative talk of body weight

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When the Wolf Comes Home

Nat Cassidy

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"... an unabashed, adrenaline-fueled pop horror thriller where the darkest fears can become reality."

📂 Genres: fiction, pop horror, thriller, fantasy 📅 Pub Date: April 22, 2025

The first chapter grabs you by the heartstrings with the introduction of "the boy" from his POV, who we learn is living with his abusive/neglectful father - he's never even had a storybook read to him! 😭

With the next chapter we are introduced to Jess, who promptly experiences the worst night of her life, punctuated by her discovery of the boy and subsequent introduction to "Daddy" (not in the fun way, sorry Booktok)

The chase begins in short order, with much splashy insides-become-outsides, where Jess (and the reader) learns about the secret that the boy and his father have been hiding; the cause for this whole gory misadventure.

I thought this started off really strong and intriguing, though my interest wavered a bit in the middle in some less serious parts - picturing Doc Brown locked in my bathroom, for one - which dampened the horror experience I was expecting. I'm not as familiar with pop horror, I guess. The rest of the book was fairly predictable, but still worth listening aaallll the way to the end.

💬 Recc: those looking for a gory and kinda kooky supernatural thriller starring an endearing duo of a hot mess of a woman paired with an enigma of a kid, a focus on facing your fears, with a tragic ending.

🎙 Audio: Loved the content warnings at the beginning, I really appreciated knowing what to expect in order to make an informed decision to continue listening! Helen Laser did a wonderful job of narrating and voicing each character distinctly. The kid's voice was maybe a little extra whiny than necessary.

🎩 ack/ht: Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review

Spoilers below ⤵

⚠ Content: blood and gore, murder, body horror, child abuse/neglect, guns, needles, death of parent, death of child

Notes: When Jess and kiddo were talking in the car and she's trying to console him, when he says "you're like me", I knew immediately that she now had the same powers as the kid, and I was anticipating when she figured it out! I was gutted that Cookie got killed off so soon and it didn't make sense to me, but at the end when Jess is confronted by Cookie and the kid it brought it all together, even if I'm still a little salty.

Jess, home after A Day™ at work: this simply could not get worse Kiddo, chilling in the bushes:

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Every Fall

Angela Douglas

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0

"Bree knew that life married to a beat cop would be tough, especially in the crime-infested city of East Bernheim, but she believes they will be fine living in "the Burner" even after she has their first child. Family life is manageable until one day crime follows them home, threatening their safety."

📂Genres: fiction, mystery & thriller, mild horror

📅Pub Date: Jan 28, 2025

Fast paced thriller focused on family trauma with a satisfying ending. Minor supernatural element, but since it's categorized as a mystery/ thriller, not a horror, it doesn't take center stage. Feels a bit like it gets pushed aside until the end of the book, would have liked to see more focus on this. I didn't realize it was set in Canada which was a fun surprise. The characters were easy to love (and hate!) and I was totally rooting for Bree, she deserved better!

💬Recc: If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, set in Canada, with relatable themes, and that you'll want to read in one sitting, I definitely recommend!

🎙Audio: A+ performance by the cast. I actually requested this title because of the narrators: Andi Arndt and George Newbern, since I have listened to a couple other audiobooks with them that I enjoyed.

🎩ht/ack: Will look for more books by this author in the future. thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape for the free advanced copy!

Spoiler Below⤵

Rose, the evil, very bad spirit haunting the house: this'll show 'em

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The Outlier

Elisabeth Eaves

⭐️⭐️ 💫

"An audaciously twisty psychological thriller in which finding the killer is only one of two mysteries its anti-heroine, Cate Winter, tries to unravel. Then when pushed to extremes, what is she herself capable of?"

📂Genres: fiction, mystery & thriller

📅Pub Date: Aug 6, 2024

We are introduced to 3 main characters; Cate, Gabriel, and Luciana.

Cate is one of the titular outliers, being one of only two successfully rehabilitated people from the Cleckley Institute for psychopathic children. She was sent to Cleckley after starting a fire that kills her family, and grows up under the care of Dr. M.

Gabriel is a wildlife disease researcher in Mexico, and Cate's ex-boyfriend.

Luciana works at a marine research facility at a national park in Mexico and is studying the sudden appearance of dead fish with unusual injuries.

Cate's chapters are written in first-person POV, while the others are all 3rd person. I think this was a clever use of narrative to emphasize Cate's “otherness” and lack of empathy. The alternating POVs were jumping back and forth in time which was hard to follow for the first half of the book.

It takes a while to get the the actual plot and action, most of the book is just building up the past and personality of the characters. It was hard to figure out what was important to remember and what was just thrown in for no reason. There is not much mystery to be had other than the the confusing storyline.

Luciana's story seemed separate from the main plot, I guess Javi Sanz could have been the culprit and he was supposed to throw us off? Didn't feel like Luciana got a satisfactory resolution or that it was cohesive with the main story. Do she and Dario still fight about their values?

💬Recc: There's not much focus on the actual murder investigation, as Cate's journey to self-discovery takes the main stage. not for anyone looking for an intense thriller. Though since it was so hard to follow with the POV/time jumps, it isn't an easy beach read either. I don't know that I could honestly recommend this to anyone.

🫡ht/ack: Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the free advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

⚠Content:

Violence - physical altercations

Blood - mentioned

Dead animals - fish, bird

Murder - mentioned

Fire - doesn't describe injuries, just inhaling smoke and coughing

Death of child - drowning, falling

Recreational drugs - use and sale

Alcohol

Sex

Spoiler below ⤵️

We find out that Cate didn't start the fire that killed her parent and step brother Ezra, but throughout the book she seems to care more about her grandmother letting her play with fire again, and not much about Ezra to begin with anyway? She used to play with matches even after the fire but there's no mention of it as an adult. Was this supposed to mean that she changed her behaviour to prevent another fire happening because she felt guilt? It's not something she's currently fighting, no connection to the past issue so why do we care?

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Every Moment Since

Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"A small Southern town. An ordinary Saturday night. A little boy disappears without a trace."

I thought the pacing fit the plot and unraveling of events wonderfully, as we are taken through the before and after of Davey's disappearance and the lives he touched in life and death.

Heavy on the theme of grief and moving on with life after the death of a loved one. The characters grow on you, and by the end of the book, I thought everyone got the ending they deserved.

📂Genres: fiction, murder mystery, drama

💬Recc: Not for readers looking for a high stakes thriller, the murder investigation often takes a back seat to the character development.

🎙Audio: Awesome full cast narration, each with their own charm to add to the story.

🗓Pub date: October 1, 2024

🫡ht/ack: Thank you, NetGalley, for the free advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

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Domestication

Shannon Knight

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"In an eat or be eaten world, domestication is a death sentence"

I just put this book down and I'm dying to start it all over again!

We follow Janie as she escapes her old life and husband to work on a farm, away from everything and everyone. I love how you can tell that something is off from the moment Janie arrives and we're introduced to Rob and then Howard, and the fate of the previous farm hands is slowly revealed.

💬Enthralling all the way through. Some of the descriptions were a bit gruesome for me, and I had to take a couple of breaks to let my stomach settle. Not for the faint of heart, but for those who like a bit of messy revenge

Amazing cover art! It absolutely drew me to requesting this title. I had never read anything by shannon Knight before and will look for more in the future

📂 Genres: fiction, horror

🗓 Pub date: July 23, 2024

🫡Thank you NetGalley for an advanced digital edition in exchange for my honest review.

Spoiler below ⤵️

Janie:

Me:

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4.0

 A cute and cozy cottagecore fantasy with likeable characters and, of course, a happy ending. Kiela is relatable but frustrating at times, as the constant miscommunication and catastrophizing became a bit tiresome. At least Caz was there saying what we all wish we could. I loved how ride-or-die the ladies of the Pinecone Coven are, they definitely gave this story a bit more life and kept things interesting for me. I found myself wanting to know more about all the character's histories, about the different races described (was there this much diversity in Alyssium and elsewhere?), or more on the magical creatures of the island - the cloud bears and winged cats, etc.  The plot was mostly predictable but in a comforting way, not too many surprises .   This was an easy read/listen, especially with Caitlin Davies' great narration and voices, and I would definitely look out for another book by this author set in the same world!

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2.5

"I do all my best work as a shrub"

Whew, 17 hours of Irish fantasy romance. This story starts out somewhat slow-medium paced, and we're introduced to Fia, the changeling daughter of a manipulative queen. Fia was "made to be a weapon", which we are reminded of every chapter (or so it feels like). Very heavy on the "I'm not worthy of your love", "I'm not like other girls" theme which got pretty repetitive and made Fia hard to sympathize with throughout the story. She was clearly pining for Rogan, her childhood best friend/prince/almost brother, and the constant miscommunication between them about  their true feelings and intentions was tiring. 

I thought Fia's power was pretty cool and thought it was obvious that she would turn it from a "curse" to one she could control eventually, just wish it had happened a little sooner so we could have avoided all the self depreciation. I did almost cry when she had to leave her horse after infecting it with her power, held out hope that she would save her later! 

There was a gnome introduced in the beginning of the book that i thought would have had more of a role to play so that kind of threw me off.

Narrator had a lovely voice and inflection, but found it hard to distinguish between characters and would lose track of who was speaking vs inner voice/narration.

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3.5 ★★★

>>>>> contains spoiler <<<<<

 Interesting to see how Gemma and Ashley's storylines would come together, did not see the reveal coming! Story reminded me of Miss Congeniality but from the perspective of the contestants, even had the bomb explode at the coronation scene.

I enjoyed following Gemma through her journey to independence and acceptance of Fat Gemma, and her shifting relationships with her husband and the guy she was cheating with, all while dealing with a serial killer murdering her fellow beauty contestants and friends.  It was hard to listen to the constant body shaming and disgust for fat bodies (under the guise of "concern for your health!")  Great voicework by Jennifer Aquino, Chelsea Stephens, and Joe Hempel. I look forward to more titles by this author!