All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree, and take over his dad's ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectable career.
What Blake and Amanda don't want is to be paired up with each other for their final project, but that's exactly what they both get when they're forced to collaborate on a writing piece. Since Amanda thinks Blake is an arrogant jerk (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her (tight, round) bottom, they fight tooth and nail. That is, until they discover they write well together. They also might find each other really attractive, but that's neither here nor there.
When their writing project turns out to be a success, the two of them decide to start up a secret partnership using a pen name, infiltrating the self-publishing market in the lucrative genre of erotica. Naturally, with so much heat and passion between the pages, it's not long before their dirty words become a dirty reality.
Warnings: Explicit sexual scenes. Anxiety-induced vomiting.
REVIEW
Smut is a beautiful commentary on the pain and stress and doubt around being an author, especially through the lens of how erotica â and well, smut â are viewed. For most of us who read or write sex, weâve heard it called any number of things â erotica, smut, spice, porn, trash, or even lemon if youâve been in the fanfic trenches. Itâs a nuanced debate and a personal topic, but personally (obviously, I hope) I have no issue with it. But thereâs no denying that while many of us love a little smut â or a lot of it! â it definitely has an unfortunate stigma of being âcheapâ or âeasyâ or âlazyâ or âperverseâ.
Halle takes all those real life fears and feelings and manages to weave a full love story around two young writers struggling with this issue. Amanda and Blake are both smart, funny and talented, with dreams of publishing their fantasy and sci-fi novels, but they canât deny that they write well together, or that sex sells â and they could use the money and the experience.
The chemistry between these two was electric; I was squirming in my seat over how sexy and dynamic their scenes were, even when they werenât all over each other. It was everything a good erotica should be â believable, arousing, enjoyable, and hot hot hot. I have my roots in fanfiction, as many readers and writers do and as the lemon reference implied, and this book sent me back to devouring Drarry and Sailor Moon smut fics at 3am on a school night.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book got a recent cover redesign, and itâs gorgeous, and it really reflects the vibrant energy of the story itself. Itâs a fun romp with great characters and a plot that zips right along to the sweet as pie ending, and I loved it.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you want something light and sexy that feels straight out of your teen nostalgia, try Smut. Halle writes in the same vibe as Emily Henry or Ali Hazelwood.
Crescent City #1
By Sarah J. Maas
Hardback: $32.00 â Paperback: $19.00 â E-book: $8.21
Approx. 803 pages â Audiobook: 28 hrs.
Fantasy/Romance
SYNOPSIS
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion-one that could set them both free, if they'd only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom-and the power of love.
Themes: Magic, Investigation, Grief & Loss, Sense of Self, Urban Fantasy, Slavery and Oppression
Warnings: Violence, trauma and death. Mild depiction of dismemberment and gore. Terrorist bombings, mentioned and shown. Drug use, alcohol abuse, animal abuse (non-fatal and brief).
REVIEW
Iâve been saying since this book was released that I had to read it. Obviously, that was 4 years ago now, I know, shut up Iâm not taking criticism. I wasnât ready, okay? I wasnât ready to get sucked into another Maas universe after ToG and ACOTAR destroyed me. Itâs the same reason I havenât read A Court of Silver Flames yet, but Iâm ready now. Iâve grown; Iâve healed. And thank the gods, because I missed this. I canât wait to devour the rest of this series. The immersion, the fantastic worldbuilding, the relationships and feelings. Itâs all so, so good.
I think my favorite thing about this book is how different it is to Maasâs other works. While ToG and ACOTAR have distinctly fantasy settings, Crescent City is a glorious blend of magic and modernity. Cell phones, cars, video cameras, milkshakes and cheeseburgers, nail salons and night clubs all exist right alongside shadow magic, elemental powers, all manner of fae and shifters and vampires and sprites and more. Thereâs something so completely hilarious and special about an angelic warrior with a gun, who watches sports on tv and wields lightning.
And Bryce, gods I love her. Half-fae, all badass, with her armor of manicures, high heels and skintight dresses. Sheâs sassy and smart and sensitive and real, and I adore her. As much as she carries herself like a badass and has a mouth like a sailor, she can be so soft and sad and broken. Sheâs so cool; I wanna be just like her when I grow up. <3
The relationship between Bryce and Hunt (the aforementioned lightning angel) was so fun and felt so organic and good. It developed slowly over the course of the book, and their banter and vibes were immaculate. Theyâre both so wounded and yet so ready to help others and they feel so deeply but pretend they donât. I love these idiots.
So this book is long â like, âalmost 30 hours of audiobookâ long â and yet I didnât care. I was over halfway through the story before I even realized it, and I legitimately didnât want it to end. The audio is impeccable. The book is narrated by Elizabeth Evans who is a complete stunner. Her talented delivery makes all the dramatic scenes so much more intense, and I cried more than once from emotional damage.
The story covers some heavy themes, and the book is really great about handling them in a way that feelsâŠbelievable. The plot is well rounded and fleshed out and by the end of the book weâve reached a satisfying conclusion. Itâs nuanced, and even though not everything is resolved at the end of the book, thatâs because itâs still setting up for the next one. Itâs all so good, and Iâm still so glad I finally got around to reading it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
5/5. Iâm obsessed with this universe already, and because any book that makes me ugly cry is one that it would be a crime to rate any lower. Iâm back into a Maas series again, and gods, Iâm excited to be absolutely wrecked by it.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Maas lovers, of course, and fans of The Folk of the Air or other Holly Black works. Anyone whoâs a little masochistic and loves when books torture you.
Defy the Night #1
By Brigid Kemmerer
Hardback: $17.99 â Paperback: $12.99 â E-book: $7.69
Approx. 480 pages â Audiobook: 13 hours
YA Fantasy/Romance
SYNOPSIS
A desperate prince.
A daring outlaw.
A dangerous flirtation.
In the Wilds of Kandala, apothecary apprentice Tessa Cade has been watching people suffer for too long. A mysterious sickness is ravaging the land and the cure, Moonflower Elixir, is only available for the wealthy. So every night, she defies the royal edicts and sneaks out, stealing Moonflower petals and leaving the elixir for those in need.
In the palace of Kandala, Prince Corrick serves as the King's Justice, meting out vicious punishments and striking fear into the hearts of agitators and outlaws. Corrick knows he must play this role convincinglyâwith a shortage of elixir and threats of rebellion looming ever closer, the King's grip on power is tenuous at best, and Corrick knows his brother is the kingdom's best hope for survival.
But when an act of unspeakable cruelty brings the royal and the outlaw face to face, the natural enemies are faced with an impossible choiceâand a surprising spark. Will they follow their instincts to destroy each other? Or will they save the kingdom together . . . and let that spark ignite?
Themes: Revolution, Illness, Contested Monarchy
Tropes: Rebel Network, Spreading Plague, Political Unrest, Court Politics, Government Coup
Warnings: Depictions of violence, including terror attacks such as bombings. Death from illness.
REVIEW
Brigid Kemmerer does it again â another series to add to my list because she hooked me with the first one. Itâs like when I fell fast and hard for A Curse so Dark and Lonely and I ran out to buy books 2 & 3 in the trilogy immediately. (They have since languished on my shelf while I distract myself with so much else, but this is the curse of the mood reader, oops.) But this book reminded me how much I love her writing style, so expect to see the Cursebreaker series reviews sometime soon, because they just bumped much higher up my TBR.
This world is vibrant and fresh, and I love the way Kemmerer layers in her worldbuilding so it feels natural with the pace of the plot. I loved the characters, though I will say I had some issues with the audiobook. Nothing major â Lexie McDougall and Christopher Ragland are both incredible performers â but Lexie voices male characters much more smoothly (and believably) than Christopher voices women. It led to me being pulled out of the story at times, but it was definitely bearable and didnât detract too hard from the overall experience.
As far as the plot and dynamics, the story is compelling if a bit unclear. Weâre left at a semi-resolved point in the story, after a confrontation that was so tense I was literally holding my breath for part of it. The book was a whirlwind of emotion for me, honestly, playing the relationship between Tessa and Corrick out alongside the mounting tensions of the people rebelling against the kingdom. We manage to end on a hopeful note, even with the unresolved tensions and loose ends, but part of me does wonder how this plot can carry three books at this point. Iâm expecting some twist, of course, but weâll have to see.
FINAL THOUGHTS
4/5, if only because we have some room to grow, and there were moments where I struggled to see where the book (and series) was going. Iâm hopeful that it continues picking up and carrying its plot, but I am nervous about whether the inevitable twist will work.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you enjoy books like ACOTAR and Throne of Glass, the Grishaverse, or even Kemmererâs other series, you should try this one. Itâs a strong fantasy world and Iâm so excited to see where this is going.
Ruinous Love Trilogy #2
By Brynne Weaver
Hardback: n/a â Paperback: $19.00 â E-book: $8.49
Approx. 368 pages â Audiobook: 12 hrs
Dark Romance/Thriller
SYNOPSIS
Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his bossâs biggest client, Lachlan knows heâll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and sheâll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first.
And they canât stand each other.
Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friendâs soulmate, Lachlan thinks sheâs just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friendâs happiness on the line, sheâs willing to make a vow to the man sheâs determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be.
As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But itâs not just familiar dangers that haunt them.
Thereâs another phantom lurking on their doorstep.
And this one has come for blood.
Themes: PTSD, Vengeance, Repentance, Healing From Trauma
Tropes: Serial/Contract Killers, Grumpy x Sunshine, He Falls First, Enemies to Lovers, Revenge Killing, âTouch Him/Her and Dieâ
Warnings: Mentions of child sexual assault, not shown. Depictions of anxiety attacks. Eye trauma, more horrific crimes against food, explicit sexual content, and even more trigger warnings covered at the start of the book. Death of a grandparent.
REVIEW
Where do I even begin with this one? So I loved Butcher & Blackbird, and immediately committed myself to reading all of Brynne Weaverâs books, especially this trilogy. I loved Lark in Sloaneâs book, so I was very excited to start this one, especially because Grumpy x Sunshine is one of my loved tropes. This book was great, as expected, but it wasnât the 5-star follow-up to B&B I was hoping for. This book did so much right, including another stellar audio duet by Samantha Brentmoor and Eric Nolan, but there was one big elephant in the room for me.
The Phantom. The main plotline of the book is that someone mysterious is stalking Lark and Lachlan, killing off people close to the Montague family in the intention of framing Lachlan for it, and Lark decides sheâs going to save him â and by extension, Sloane and Rowan â by marrying the grumpy Irishman. We know from the end of B&B that the Phantom is behind it, but of course the characters donât know that. For me, knowing the truth all along took a lot of the suspense out of it for me, and the plot seemed to drag because of it.
Lachlan and Lark carried the book with their will-they-wonât-they relationship, with both of them wanting each other and unable to accept or admit it. The tension racks up from the start â they have an encounter set prior to the events of B&B where they donât know or properly see each other, and when they do meet properly during the events of the first book, they have instant chemistry and even share a nice makeout session. I was cheering! A kiss in the first 25% of the book?! So refreshing after all the pining in B&B! Right?
Wrong. The book proceeded to tease and torture me with their reluctant attraction to each other, but it was compelling and kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for them to finally open up and talk to each other and work things out. The sex was, of course, phenomenal to read, because Brynne Weaver loves to drive us up the wall with her sex scenes. In the end, there was some nice payoff for all the turmoil leading up to their HEA.
FINAL THOUGHTS
4/5. I wanted it to be a 5, but alas. Regardless, I loved the way it wrapped up in the end even if I did feel like the story was a little lopsided with the Phantom plot feeling underutilized. If anything, itâs just made me even more impatient to read Scythe & Sparrow as soon as it comes out. I strongly suspect Rose will be my favorite protagonist of the three ladies.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For all of us who have looked at the broody jerk that makes us want to kick him in the shins and thought âI could soften him upâ. But seriously, this book is probably for you if you like Sav R. Miller, Harley Laroux, or Katee Roberts. For the girlies who like a little grit in their men and a fist in their hair. ;)
Ruinous Love Trilogy #1
By Brynne Weaver
Hardback: $21.48 (Collector's Edition) â Paperback: $16.20 â E-book: $8.49
Approx. 368 pages â Audiobook: 9 hours
Dark Romance/Horror/Thriller
SYNOPSIS
Every serial killer needs a friend.
Every game must have a winner.
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, they find something elusiveâthe friendship of two like-minded, pitch-black souls who just happen to enjoy killing other serial killers.
From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, and from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.
But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love.
Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves?
Or have they finally met their match?
Themes: Recovering from Trauma, PTSD, Deep-Rooted Emotional Issues, Punishing the Wicked
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Parental Issues, Sex as Reward, Slow Burn, Cat and Mouse
Warnings: Murder and Mutilation, Eye trauma, Mentions of underage sexual assault, Horrific crimes against food. Detailed sex scenes, seriously detailed. Thereâs a comprehensive trigger list in the front of the book that I highly recommend reading.
REVIEW
I spent a good portion of this book trying not to tear my hair out. We were warned it was a slow burn, but dear lord the burn was slow! I quite literally have a line in my reading notes that says â2/3 through the book, they FINALLY kissedâ because I was hyper-aware of how much not-kissing was happening in the first half! That being said, it was such a goooood burn. There is no shortage of chemistry or romance throughout the book, even if I was desperately groaning for Rowan and Sloane to just TALK TO EACH OTHER.
Theyâre both completely insane, but I get it. And theyâre so good for each other. I was just constantly rooting for these beautiful, violent idiots to just shut up and be happy together. My only gripe with this book at all was that while I already hate the trope where people just wonât say what theyâre feeling, the only thing I hate more is when they have the entire conversation with themselves in their head. I wanted to strangle Rowan for all the thorough, emotional discussions he had purely with himself when Sloane was RIGHT. THERE. To talk to! While he was acknowledging he needed to tell her all of it! It's the only moment where I paused to consider rating this one star lower, but ultimately, I loved the resolution too much to hold a grudge.
While weâre on the topic of things I loved, I highly recommend the audiobook for this one. The book is told in two POVs, and the audio is recorded in my absolute favorite dual style: all male characters are read by the Male VA (Joe Arden) and all female characters are read by the Female VA (Lucy Rivers) even within the other characterâs POV chapters. It makes it so immersive and realistic, and I love it so, so much. Also I thought Rowanâs VA did his Irish accent sooo nicely, it gave me shivers whenever he would get spicy.
The worst part of a romance for me is the third act conflict/collapse, even when I know full well that weâre going to end up in a better place. This one was especially hard, because we spent so long waiting for Rowan and Sloane to realize theyâre completely in love with each other, and then we got barely any happy before outside forces start interfering with them. Of course, it was temporary, and the ending had me squealing and squeaking and giggling because it was soooo cute. Completely unhinged, of course, but so perfectly them. <3
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book is the definition of âmatch my freakâ. Itâs a 5/5 for me just because it made me laugh even when I wanted to cringe and die. I spent so much time screeching about their pining and suffering alongside them, and even though I briefly considered docking a star for reasons mentioned, I just canât. This book was great, and Iâve already started the sequel, Leather & Lark.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To any reader who loves dark comedy or has a sick sense of humor. If you find the macabre comforting, or ever thought Wednesday Addams just needs to find a man like Sweeney Todd, this book will probably check your boxes. Style comps include H.D. Carlton and Emily McIntire.
By T. Marie Vandelly
Hardback: $26.00 â Paperback: $19.00 â E-book: $6.99
Approx. 400 pages â Audiobook: 14 hours
Thriller/Horror
SYNOPSIS
She didn't run from her dark past. She moved in.
For the lucky among us, life is what you make of it; but for Dixie Wheeler, the theme music for her story was chosen by another long ago, on the day her father butchered her mother and brothers and then slashed a knife across his own throat. Only one-year-old Dixie was spared, becoming infamously known as Baby Blue for the song left playing in the aftermath of the slaughter.
Twenty-five years later, Dixie is still desperate for a connection to the family she canât remember. So when her childhood home goes up for sale, Dixie sets aside all reason and moves in. But as the ghosts of her family seemingly begin to take up residence in the house that was once theirs, Dixie starts to question her sanity and wonders if the evil force menacing her is that of her father or a demon of her own making.
In order to make sense of her present, Dixie becomes determined to unravel the truth of her past and seeks out the detective who originally investigated the murders. But the more she learns, the more she opens up the uncomfortable possibility that the sins of her father may belong to another. As bodies begin to pile up around her, Dixie must find a way to expose the lunacy behind her familyâs massacre to save her few loved ones who are still aliveâand whatever scrap of sanity she has left.
Themes: Murder, Mental Illness, Loss & Grief, Disorientation & Dissociation
Warnings: Lots of violence and graphic imagery, especially mutilation. Alcohol abuse.
REVIEW
Iâve been meaning to read this one for a long time, and I found the perfect excuse when my best friend Kim and I decided we were going to launch my podcast this October with a special episode featuring spooky/paranormal tinged mysteries.
I originally started with the audiobook, but I had to switch to the e-book in order to follow the story. One of the more unique and interesting elements of the story was the dreamlike blend of reality with Dixieâs mental breaks, but it made for a somewhat confusing story to follow by listening, at least for me. But the story was worth another try, because it had such great reviews around its release and because I was really hooked by the plot.
Itâs a really interesting way to tell this story. Unreliable Narrator can be an awkward trope if itâs not handled well, but the way Vandelly incorporates the borderline fever-dream episodes by overlaying them into otherwise normal moments was great. Weâre really left to question is Dixie is losing her mind â maybe even schizophrenic â or if some otherworldly force is interfering in her life.
Pacing was great for me, which I originally worried about when I saw the book was almost 500 pages. It moves in a steady progression through Dixieâs increasingly intense experience in her childhood home and the tumultuous emotions she has surrounding the awful realities of what happened to her family. This book had several twists, a few I saw coming but some that were pretty successful. Iâll avoid spoilers because I think the reveals are pretty significant, but I will say that the biggest twist adds even more confusion to the mix of how weâre meant to perceive this book.
The ending was surprisingly satisfying. I was worried for a hot minute that it wouldnât be â would the dreamy quality of the writing translate into a vague and undefined ending? I typically donât like âyou chooseâ endings because theyâre often so ambiguous that you donât even know how the plot resolves. In this case, while a few elements were left open-ended, I ultimately prefer that to getting a definitive answer one way or another on the haunting. It was just the right balance for me because the plot was cleanly wrapped apart from the final bits of the epilogue.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This book gets a 4/5 from me. I wish I could explain what it was that led me to dock that fifth star, but Iâm actually not certain what it is? I rate primarily based on my feelings, and this just feels like a 4-star read to me.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If youâre a fan of trippy, psychological mysteries where thereâs a suspension of reality or youâre left to wonder whatâs real and whatâs not, this book is a safe bet. Iâd compare it to Fight Club or Lost Highway in terms of distortion of reality and questioning whatâs actually going on. If you like a paranormal mystery, give it a go.
Queen of Swords #1
By Kat Megere
Hardback: n/a â Paperback: n/a â E-book: $4.99
Approx. 242 pages â Audiobook: n/a
Fantasy/Romance/Mystery
SYNOPSIS
Hedge witch Mitzy Richards works to make a place for herself in Bostonâs crowded magic scene, but, as the twenty-four-year-old has learned, magic doesnât pay. And the rentâs coming due.
Mitzy is preparing to give up on her dream and becomeâughâan accountant, when Tom Miyamoto strolls into her favorite coffee shop. Handsome, obnoxious, and decidedly not humanâMitzyâs first impulse is to run. But Tom needs Mitzyâs help to break the summoning spell dragging him across the city, or heâll be forced to make an appearance before someone who clearly doesnât mean him well. A fat stack of cash gets Mitzy to look past the fact that he feeds off womenâs life forces in order to stay stupidly hot and human-shaped.
As the attacks on Tom intensify, Mitzy finds herself drawn into a world of magic far more dangerous than the tarot card readings sheâs used to. Her opponent is skilled and ruthlessânot to mention willing to violate every rule of the craft Mitzy loves in pursuit of power. Now Mitzy must decide if itâs worth putting herself on the line to save an endearing jerk from magical possession and stop the other witch before they can turn their dark magic on more victims.
Warnings: Implications of dub-con. Abuse of power.
REVIEW
This was such a fun ARC! I was super glad to see it was the first in a series, because Mitzy was such a feisty, enjoyable protagonist. She was super relatable in the sense that sheâs a broke 20-something trying to make her way in the world with a disapproving family and a hard decision to make between pursuing her dreams or settling for a job where her bills will be paid at the expense of her spirit. The romance between her and Tom was realistic and well-paced, so Iâm excited to see how that develops.
The plot was intriguing and easy to follow, while also maintaining the mystery of it all. The magic elements were well-integrated, and it seemed like Megere did a lot of research, so everything was believable and cohesive. It was really interesting to see that Mitzy seems to have quite a bit of natural talent or instinct, despite not having the knowledge or materials to make full use of it. Iâm looking forward to seeing how she grows and develops her power over the course of the series. Likewise, Tom has his own issues, and Iâm excited to see how he changes and learns to manage his shortcomings as things go on.
I wouldâve liked more from the sex scenes, but I respect fade-to-black; Iâm just a godless heathen fueled by lust lmao. I did think they had great chemistry, and I really enjoyed the romantic tension as both Mitzy and Tom struggled to express themselves about how they feel. My only real reservation with this book was that it felt like there was room to grow â I wanted more worldbuilding, more magic, more pages, more more more of everything. This book couldâve been 100 pages longer and I would have kept devouring it because it was so well-written.
It's worth noting that this book is currently only available in e-book at the moment, though I'll come back to update if/when a paperback is released.
FINAL THOUGHTS
4/5, which seems to be where most of my reads are landing lately. Iâm really enjoying the books Iâve been choosing which is great. Iâm definitely hooked into this series and its world, so I will be picking up the next one as soon as I can!
RECOMMENDATIONS
The vibes felt like a cozy fall rom-com, and I was so here for it. It felt like the old Disney Channel Halloweentown movies, honestly, and frankly I need more of that in my life. A good author comp would probably be Sangu Mantanna.
By Kate Alice Marshall
Hardback: $26.09 â Paperback: $18.99 â E-book: $14.99
Approx. 336 pages â Audiobook: 10 hours
Mystery/Thriller
SYNOPSIS
Fourteen years ago, the Palmer sistersâEmma, Juliette, and Daphneâleft their home in Arden Hills and never returned. But when Emma discovers sheâs pregnant and her husband loses his job, she has no option but to return to the house that she and her estranged sisters still own . . . and where their parents were murdered.
Emma has never told anyone what she saw the night her parents died, even when she became the prime suspect. But her presence in the house threatens to uncover secrets that have stayed hidden for years, and the sisters are drawn together once again. As they face their memories of the past, rivalries restart, connections are forged, and, for the first time, Emma starts to ask questions about what really happened that night.
The more Emma learns, the more riddles emerge. And Emma begins to wonder just what her siblings will do to keep the past buried, and whether she did the right thing staying quiet about what was whispered that night: âNo one can know.â
Tropes: Of Course We Canât Talk About It, Every Man For Himself, Deadly Secrets, Perfection or Nothing, Living Through Your Children
Warnings: Depictions of child abuse (both physical and emotional) as well as mildly graphic depictions of corpses. Underage sex mention and drug use. Slut-shaming and death threats. Adultery.
REVIEW
Before I get into my review properly, I have to sound like a psycho and contradict myself. This book is good; hold that thought for a second and remember it as we move on. That being said, I seriously hate this book; to the point that I almost regret reading it. In a way, thatâs how you can identify quality writing â anything that makes you truly feel is great writing.
On the other hand, the themes in this book made me feel hot rage and deep lows, because they hit close to home. These kids were so starved for love, so pushed to perfection, and so horribly mistreated. They were beaten into the molds of who and what their parents wanted them to be, and it hurt to read it. It brought back too many memories of being sad and broken and desperate to please my mother, and I hated it.
Not to say it was ever as bad for me as the characters in this book, but damn, it was rough to read. I wondered at the start if this book would be anything like Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena, another book I read that features 3 siblings accused of killing their wealthy, awful parents. In some ways, it was. In others, it was very different. That
Interpersonal relationships are the key factor in this book â between parents, siblings, couples, even authority figures. And god, they are all dysfunctional; theyâre absolutely insane. I wanted to scream and punch things for most of my time listening to the audiobook, desperately begging the characters to just talk to each other, please. Obviously, they didnât. Everyone had pieces of the story, which was told in two timelines â âthenâ and ânowâ. We the reader have a better collective knowledge base than any of the characters, but we also donât get the full story. For a minute, I questioned if we would ever know the real truth.
There were several twists, some I liked more than others. It wasnât what I expected, but once we got the actual reveal, it made a certain sense. This is one I technically didnât solve on my own, not fully. My feelings are complicated for several reasons â like, I really hate how this book makes me angry at children, especially neglected, traumatized, broken children. Their actions are self-serving and they damage each otherâs lives so much, but I understand. I hate that I understand.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Okay so⊠I had no idea how to rate this for a while. I waffled for a long time, but I ultimately decided to detract a star for two reasons. One, a large portion of the tension in this book was based on miscommunication, which is one of my least favorite ways to build tension or maintain secrets. Two, this book was slow. It dragged so hard in the middle, the book ended up feeling like it was much longer than 330 pages. So ultimately, I called this one a 4/5.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you liked Not a Happy Family, this may be a good next read. If you havenât read that one and liked this, I recommend reading that one too.
Until Series #4
By Lilly Henderson
Hardback: n/a â Paperback: $11.99 â E-book: $4.99
Approx. 313 pages â Audiobook: n/a
Romance/Contemporary
SYNOPSIS
At twenty-eight, Emma is content with her life. A fulfilling job and a handful of friends are all she needs. She doesnât even mind sheâs singleâunlike her mother, who keeps nagging and pushing her to settle down. But despite Emmaâs best efforts, yet another disappointing encounter with a guy adds to her mile-long string of unfortunate relationships. So she vows to make better choices with men, and steering clear of them seems like the wisest decision.
Her resolutions are put to the test when she meets Jack. Their paths continue to cross, and Emma struggles to keep her distance, regardless of his secretive and brooding nature. She canât ignore the pull toward him, even though he shows every sign of being the worst candidate to give her heart to and doesnât appear to share her feelings. What happened in his past makes it impossible for him to pursue anything close to a relationship.
But when surprising news turns Emmaâs world upside down, Jack offers his shoulder to lean on.
And maybe even more.
Themes: Healing from Trauma, Chance Encounter, Overcoming Obstacles, Family Drama
Tropes: Unplanned Pregnancy, Touch Aversion, Chosen Family
Warnings: Depiction of pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and placental abruption. Alcohol abuse (not by pregnant person). Mentions of traumatic death (not shown on page) leading to PTSD.
REVIEW
Emma and Jack are the perfect example of the phrase âthey deserve each otherâ and I mean that not in the cynical way itâs often used, but in the most genuine way. This is a story about two people with baggage that manage to overcome their doubts to share the load together.
Emma is sweet as pie but tougher than she looks, coping astoundingly well with some very crappy circumstances that are thrust upon her. Jack is extremely closed-off due to some past trauma, but his desire to be with Emma and make her happy motivate him to put in the work to get past it. There is a bit of Other Man/Woman Drama in the story, but only from the perspective of misunderstandings and not any actual love triangles.
The pacing in this book had some hiccups, but it could be much worse considering itâs a story that balances itself around tension and a will-they-wonât-they dynamic. I was constantly rooting for Jack to keep it together so he and Emma could have what they both wanted and needed, and I was frustrated right alongside them when things got in the way. The story has a bit of a one step forward, two steps back issue for most of the middle, with the characters getting in their own heads and therefore in their own way, but the ending was so tender and sweet that it made up for that.
FINAL THOUGHTS
4/5, just because I rate on vibes and the back and forth felt a bit too dragged out for me. But this book is still a great read, and I will be very anxiously awaiting book 5 to get Aaron and Kaitlynâs story! Thank you again to Lilly for having me on the ARC team!
RECOMMENDATIONS
This is book 4 in a series, so obviously I recommend reading the first three first. The cast of characters are lovable and each story feels unique. Theyâre easy books to get lost in if you like a Hallmark/Lifetime movie vibe or books with the energy of Sex and the City. A good author comp would be Sophie Kinsella or a more mature Sarah Dessen.
Unfortunately, not every book can be right for every reader. Sometimes I can't get through a book for any number of reasons, but I think it's still important to record and acknowledge them, because you might feel differently and want to try them anyway!
So here's my list of DNF reads for this month, and why:
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson: some books are polarizing, and you either really love them or really don't. Some people really love this book, and I wanted to, but I don't. I couldn't stand the main character Bel, and the pacing was unbearably slow for me. Too much was telegraphed in my opinion, so when I gave up and read a synopsis instead of finishing the book, I saw a lot of it coming and the rest of the ending was just...wild. DNF @ 42%.
Ember of Light by Hannah Jacklin: this book has some great reviews, but it just wasn't for me. It felt a bit rushed and cluttered/chaotic, and maybe I just wasn't in the place to read it, but I tried and it just didn't hook me so I gave up. DNF @ 30%.
(The title is occasionally also noted as Th1rt3en)
Eddie Flynn #3
By Steve Cavanagh
Hardback: n/a â Paperback: $10.99 â E-book: $9.99
Approx. 496 pages â Audiobook: 11 hours
Thriller/Mystery
SYNOPSIS
If you canât beat the system, be the system.
Itâs the murder trial of the centuryâand Joshua Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house. He has done everything in his power to make sure the wrong man goes down for the crime. Because this time, the killer isnât on trial. Heâs on the jury.
But thereâs someone on his tail. Defense lawyer and former conman Eddie Flynn doesnât believe that his movie-star client killed two people. He suspects that the real killer is closer than they thinkâbut who would guess just how close?
Themes: Police Corruption, Trial by Jury, Serial Killer, Comeback Kid
Tropes: Courtroom Drama, Defender of the Innocent, Framed for Murder, Canât Keep the Good Guys Down, The Call is Coming from Inside the House
Warnings: Depictions of death and violence, including graphic details regarding body disposal and post-mortem degradation.
REVIEW
Full disclosure, I ended up accidentally starting with the third book in a series, which I typically tend to avoid. I feel like, as best practice, a series should be read in order whenever possible, and if I had known that this was number 3, I might have put it off until I read the first two. Buuuut I only found out once I was already sucked into this book and definitely not stopping to go backwards.
I added this one to the TBR for a couple reasons:
I love a Jury-centric story. You can thank the Humanities teacher that showed us 12 Angry Men at the formative age of twelve. Iâm not sorry.
It came highly recommended by two authors whose work I typically enjoy, Lee Child and Ruth Ware. Strong endorsements, all around.
Everyone and their mother in the thriller community has been hyping this book, at least in my feeds, to the point that I thought it was a debut. Turns out thereâs two preceding novels and a prequel, but in truth, I only deduced that from context clues and it didnât really affect the story at all. We got told the things we needed to know in a way that didnât feel like exposition at all, but rather just part of the narrative.
I have an unnatural inclination towards the number 13 â which Iâm sure says something about me psychologically, but weâre not going to delve into that right this moment â so any book or movie with Thirteen in or as the title is going to be halfway onto my list anyway. The killer and I actually have that inclination in common, but for very different reasons.
This book is very well told. Thatâs honestly an understatement, but seriously, this book was great. We get two perspectives in this book: main character Eddie Flynn, conman turned defense attorney, in first person, and serial killer Joshua Kane in third person. The book opens in Kaneâs perspective as well, which is a great choice because it hooked me immediately. A key element of this book is misdirection, and man does Cavanagh do it well.
I spent a portion of the latter half of this book being irritated that the characters were figuring things out slower than I was. My usual issue with thrillers, when I feel like theyâre being unrealistically obtuse, right? At one point, Eddie says, âweâve got the wrong manâ and I was fuming âno you donât!â but holy shit they did. It was a twist that really got me for the first time in a while and it made me so giddy to be wrong â and that never happens haha. It was masterfully done.
There was a secondary twist later that I did see coming, and man I was upset that I was right about that one (which is also rare). Cavanagh is able to develop characters very well, even when they donât get as much page time as others, to the point that I felt connected to pretty much every member of the cast. That ended up biting me with the second twist; I was really disappointed with that reveal.
I did have a moment where I had to suspend my disbelief a little bit. I literally have it in my notes that âI highly doubt a judge would allow a defense attorney to outline secret details of an entirely different case as a defense in a murder trial; would that even be legal?â and honestly, probably not. Thatâs why we love fiction, after all â half the things we see in TV cop dramas are exaggerated too.
On the point of exaggeration, I had to frown a little bit at the depiction of the dirty cops in this book. They feel a little like cartoonish oaf sidekicks, and in a way it kind of felt like a caricature of the real-life issues we see with corruption in the legal system.
That being said, even with my minor issues this book is a win for me. Sometimes itâs good to break the rules a bit, and maybe starting at this point of the series was the best thing I couldâve done, because man, this was a great time. The narration was awesome, shoutout to Adam Sims, and I tore through this audiobook without even noticing the time pass.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Youâll notice I took care to avoid spoilers in this one, and thatâs because I want you to experience them firsthand. This is a 5/5 read for me, and the first one in a while. I need to really love a book to give it a 5, and I loved this book more than I expected. I read a lot of thrillers, and lately thatâs been leading me into disappointment. This was such a great change of pace and reminded me why I love this genre.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If youâre a fan of thrillers, please read this one. I canât vouch for the others yet, but Iâll be going back to read them soon, and I expect theyâll be just as good as this one. Ruth Ware and Lee Child have endorsed it, and Iâm glad I trusted their judgement. If you like their work, give this a shot.
I never intended to set foot in Smoky Heights again.
But when I learn my mom has less than a year to live, I swallow my pride and return to help her through her final months. My plan is stay focused, avoid the past, and most importantly, steer clear of Wyatt Gradyâmy first love and the person I hurt the worst when I left.
But fate has other ideas. One unfortunate encounter is all it takes to remind me that the chemistry between us is as electric as ever, reigniting old desires and emotions I thought Iâd buried for good. What starts as a reluctant reunion quickly turns into something far more complicated. Before I know it, weâre in too deep, with a pact to keep things strictly physical.
Soon enough, heâs becoming the best part about my visit to this small mountain town we both grew up in. All we need to do is keep feelings out of the equation, but as old sparks reignite, that becomes harder and harder to stick to, and I canât help wondering if I made the wrong choice all those years ago.
Themes: Second Chances, Family Drama, Self-Doubt, Losing a Parent
Tropes: Small Town, Hookup Pact, Hallmark Movies, Want vs. Need, âI Know You Better Than Anyoneâ
Warnings: Terminally ill side character, specifically a parent with brain cancer. Open Door sex scenes, very graphic/spicy.
REVIEW
Some books earn their 5-star rating; they build up to it slow and carry you brightly along through their tale until you canât help but leave a glowing review, like itâs the best burger joint on yelp. Some books blindside you, dragging you hard through the pages and pulling those five stars kicking and screaming out of you while youâre crying snotty tears. This book is somehow both.
Iâve often been a cautious reviewer, especially with ARCs, because honesty is big for me and I want my reviews to be genuine and taken seriously. An ARC with all 5-stars can feel fake or pandering. But this book got to me â really got to me â and I canât rate it any lower because it would be a disservice. I was obsessed with this read, tearing through it so fast that I had to force myself to slow down so I wouldnât finish too soon. Itâs like I blinked and I was 70% through the book and had a moment of despair that who knows how long Iâll be waiting for the next one?
I can tell you the exact moment that I knew this was a 5-star book for me, too. Thereâs a point where Rory finally hits her low point, the break where she canât help but feel everything so deeply, and I was crying heavy, legitimate tears with my eyes and nose burning at my desk at work. Because I felt her pain. And sure, maybe I related a little too hard to being the black sheep of my family and feeling like a disappointment to most of the people Iâve ever known. But when I was hurting and crying right alongside her, I knew how I would be rating this book, because thatâs the whole point right there. Good writing makes you feel.
I really donât want to give any spoilers away, because I will be recommending this book to every single romance reader I know, but I will say that Wyatt and Rory are absolutely couple goals for me now. They are so fucking good together, and I spent the entire book hoping and praying they would get their shit together and talk because my god. The sex scenes were spicy and turn you all the way on, and the chemistry was organic and off the charts. The banter was clever and smooth and I loved literally every moment of this book. The ending was as sweet as Roryâs beloved apple cider, and I am desperately waiting for the next venture back to Smokey Heights in 2025.
FINAL THOUGHTS
5/5, which you knew if you read the review. Madison has secured herself a very devoted new reader with this book, and I will gladly devour any books she releases, in this world or in others. I burned through this book and wish I could go back and experience it over and over through fresh eyes. This is my current contender for my Best Read of 2024.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you love rom-coms, Hallmark movies, small town settings, and the golden retriever x black cat dynamic, this is a book for you. The writing felt a lot like a Sav R. Miller book, both in the debauchery and personality, which if you know me, thatâs high praise.
Meg works for a casino in LA, catching cheaters and popping a few too many pain pills to cope, following a far different path than her sister Haley, a famous actress. But suddenly reports surface of Haley dying at the remote rehab facility where she had been forced to go to get her addictions under control.
There are whispers of suicide, but Meg can't believe it. She decides that the best way to find out what happened to her sister is to check in herselfâto investigate what really happened from the inside.
Battling her own addictions and figuring out the truth will be much more difficult than she imagined, far away from friends, familyâand anyone who could help her.
Themes: Addiction and Recovery, PTSD, Self-Destruction, Healing from Trauma
Warnings: Minor character death, drug use, and alcohol abuse, as well as depictions of addiction withdrawal and detox. Implications of potential child sexual assault.
REVIEW
Before I get into the proper review, I just have to point out an inconsistency in the literal synopsis? It refers to Haley as âa famous actressââŠbut Haley is a singer, not an actress. It actually ends up being a pretty major plot point that she wanted to be an actress, but no one took her seriously because of her party girl singer persona so she wasnât. I recognize this isnât the authorâs fault â rarely do authors get a say on cover and synopsis with a traditional publisher â but it did make me do a double-take and laugh when I sat down to write up my review. That being addressed, on to the actual review.
Now, Iâm a sucker for a locked door mystery, and thatâs more or less what I expected from The Clinic. A mysterious death in an isolated treatment center, billed as a suicide but totally out of character for the deceased. Several suspects, all with secrets, and one sister determined to uncover the truth of her sisterâs demise and their shared childhood trauma.
The book spends a lot of time delving into Megâs mental state and jerking us around with whatâs real and whatâs not and making us question everything we see from her perspective, even when we know thereâs definitely something wrong going on. They focus a lot on a mysterious trauma that Meg has buried, but we find out later that she had a severe misunderstanding of what she observed and assumed. Left to her own coping skills, Meg became an addict around her early teens when Haley left home to pursue stardom. I donât want to spoil much here, because it was a clever twist and revealed well, but the subplot of Mr. Priest and The Lady was fascinating for me, especially in the context of how Megâs subconscious internalized those things.
The pacing was decent. We swap between protagonist Meg and side character Cara for their POVs, and I phrase it that way because Caraâs chapters just feel weird to me. Sheâs only in there for the perspective of a sane, sober person in contrast to Megâs addled addict brain. While I recognize it was necessary in order to convey certain plot points Meg was otherwise unaware of, I never connected to Cara as a character, so she felt more or less irrelevant to me.
In the end, The Clinic is much more than âa locked door mysteryâ â thereâs an illegal clinical drug trial, sketchy doctors, mistaken identities, dramatic reveals, psychological trauma, unexpected friendships, and even a character who seemingly comes back from the dead twice. It even ends on a surprisingly pleasant note for a story thatâs ultimately about death and addiction.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Back-to-back 4-star reviews? On my book blog? Itâs more likely than you think. And now that Iâve dated myself harshly with that cringey comment, yes. I enjoyed this book so much that I finished it in a single day, and that deserves recognition.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If youâre a thriller fan, this is a great one. It has layers and twists that really hooked me, and I enjoyed the journey. If you like Tarryn Fisher and Ruth Ware, this is probably a book for you.
By Vincent Ralph
Hardback: n/a â Paperback: $10.99 â E-book: $8.98
Approx. 400 pages â Audiobook: 9 hours
YA Thriller/Mystery
SYNOPSIS
The truth won't stay hidden behind locked doors.
Tom's family has moved into their dream home. But pretty soon he starts to notice that something is very wrongâthere are strange messages written on the wall and locks on the bedroom doors. On the OUTSIDE.
The previous owners have moved just across the road, and they seem like the perfect family. Their daughter, Amy, is beautiful and enigmatic, but Tom is sure she's hiding something. And he isn't going to stop until he finds the truth behind those locked doors. . .
Will their dream home become a nightmare?
Themes: Grief and Loss, Survival, Relentless Pursuit of Truth
Tropes: Weâre All Mad Here, Blended Family Struggles, The Trauma is Coming From Inside the House
Warnings: Mentions of Physical Abuse, Depictions of Psychological Abuse, Minor Character Death, and severe PTSD and grief around the loss of a child.
REVIEW
This is a weird one for me. It started of so painfully slow for me, and I personally feel the book is about 100 pages longer than it needed to be. The chapters are short â ridiculously short, in fact. Some of them are only half a page long, even. The longest chapter in this book was five and a half pages, and the majority of them average two pages or less. It was such a strange style for me and honestly turned me off so much that my pending 3-star dropped to a 2-star, and for a while, the book was in my DNF pile.
I let books linger there for a while before I give up on them completely, and ultimately when I decided to focus on thrillers and mysteries for September and October, I decided to give Lock the Doors another chance. After all, the mystery was intriguing me, and I did want to see how it resolved. So I picked it up again, and I devoured 2/3 of the book in a single night. Iâm writing this review the same night, in fact, because man do I have some feelings about this book.
On one hand, I try to shy away from spoilers, because I believe in letting people experience the book on their own. On the other, I have revealed spoilers in the past when I feel itâs important to the integrity of my review. Iâm trying to dance a delicate line on this one, because the twist managed to take me by surprise, which is rare. Well, thatâs not quite true. I saw the twist coming, but the motive for it? Now that was a real twist, and it sparked genuine fury in me.
This book has a tangible villain. Itâs a psychological thriller in the best way, where it really messes with your head and makes you question everything, but it does have a villain. The book doesnât want you to think that, though. The main character, teenaged boy Tom, spends the entire book digging and digging into secrets that are none of his business, because he refuses to let someone suffer when he can help them. He saw what his mother endured, and it made him someone who canât turn away when thereâs even a chance someone needs help and he can provide it. And when he uncovers the full truth, he has sympathy for the one that is so clearly a villain in my eyes. I do not.
I understand why Tom sees it this way, and I understand why I believe the author wrote it that way. But I respectfully refuse to agree, and that may be a personal shortcoming of mine. If I relate to something in a book, if I see something in it that reflects my own life, I take it personally. And I took this book personally. Despite the slow start, the twist and reveal drew a fury out of me that had me wanting to hurl the book across the room, and I was turning pages so fast that I very nearly did. The villain in the novel, the cause of all the suffering of the characters, was basically a caricature of someone in my own life. It lent a level of pain to the book that I struggled hard to swallow down when it hit a little too close to home.
In the end, the ending was satisfying if a bit too tame for my taste, but again â personal shortcomings. I tend toward rage when Iâm hurt, and I wanted the villain to suffer much more than they did.
FINAL THOUGHTS
4/5 stars. This would have been my first five star review on the blog, if not for the inane chapter lengths and the frustrating pacing. It takes skill to craft a villain so tangible and infuriating that it incites readers to rage, and I docked a star for the simple fact that the flaws almost led me to leaving the book unfinished before the reveal.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Fans of psychological thrillers, this is one for you. The twist was one I donât see used often, and again, this book manages to get under your skin and evoke true emotion. If youâre into Holly Jackson, she has a similar vibe, and Karen McManus too.
By Natasha Preston
Hardback: n/a â Paperback: $12.99 â E-book: $8.99
Approx. 336 pages â Audiobook: 8 hours
YA Thriller/Mystery
SYNOPSIS
They said goodbye to their friends and family for the weekend. They werenât counting on forever.
Jagged Island: a private amusement park for the very richâor the very influential. Liam, James, Will, Ava, Harper, and Paisleyâsocial media influencers with millions of followersâhave been invited for an exclusive weekend before the park opens. Theyâll make posts and videos for their channels and report every second of their VIP treatment.
When the teens arrive, they're stunned: the resort is even better than theyâd imagined. Their hotel rooms are unreal, the parkâs themed rides are incredible, and the island is hauntingly beautiful. Theyâre given a jam-packed itinerary for the weekend.
But soon they'll discover that something's missing from their schedule: getting off the island alive.
Themes: Conflicting personalities, Serial Killer, Murder mystery
Tropes: Bullshit cliffhanger, Trapped with strangers, Picked off one by one
Warnings: Graphic violence (including matricide) and mentions of abuse.
REVIEW
I HATED THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK.
Okay, I just had to get that out of my system. Itâs been the one burning constant on my mind since I read that diabolical final line, and Iâm still so angry. Up until then, I was enjoying this one. Natasha Preston is a great writer, and I really liked the concept â although admittedly, we got a kind of underdeveloped look at the world compared to what I would have preferred. For a thriller set in an amusement park, we really only get descriptions of one or two rides and the hotel itself. It made it difficult to follow the characters at some points, since the layout was more or less a vague concept.
Honestly, the lack of fleshing things out is one of my biggest gripes with this book, because the characters are also pretty opaque. We spend so little time with the cast before the first murder that you can kind of tell whoâs next on the chopping block based on who we know the least about. Not to mention some of the characters were essentially two dimensional, which is a shame because the characterization we do see is witty and engaging and I would have loved to see everyone fleshed out that way.
As far as the premise goes, it did feel slightly irrelevant that the main characters are influencers. The plot point only serves to get them to the titular island, under the guise of reviewing the amusement park for their large audiences. Itâs a cool concept and I would have liked to see more done with it, but ultimately itâs just used as a plot device and quickly becomes irrelevant.
There were several twists in this novel, that goddamned ending included, and they were done with varying degrees of success. I predicted the culprit early on, though the motivation was unclear. The reveal for their motivation was a nice twist, but ultimately opened the door for some plot holes and required a little suspension of disbelief for me. There was a secondary twist that I definitely didnât see coming and did enjoy, but it ended up feeling wasted when it was rendered irrelevant almost immediately. And then that ending. I enjoyed the twist for about .05 seconds, until I turned the page and was abruptly greeted by the acknowledgements page. My heart sunk. I blinked rapidly, flipping back a page to see if I misread the line somehow. No dice.
Iâm not going to hold back the spoiler here, because I was legitimately enraged by it and I want to warn people. The book ends with the main character Paisley being dragged underwater, and we have no clue if she lives or dies. I recognize that this lends some ambiguity for the reader to more or less âchoose your own endingâ, but I hated it. Itâs one thing to leave us wondering what happens, or exactly how something turns out, and Iâve enjoyed open endings in the past. But this kind of abrupt, unresolved ending in the middle of a happy resolution just gets under my skin like nothing else. It happened to me recently in another book that I may or may not end up reviewing, and I just canât stand it when authors pull whatâs essentially a cheap gag twist out of thin air for shock value and âmysteryâ.
When I come into a book, I expect it to have a concise ending. Good or bad, I expect to end a book with the story resolved and my questions answered in some way â especially in a thriller or mystery. To essentially do that and then go âhaha gotcha!â with the last line of your book feels like, to risk sounding dramatic and ridiculous, a breach of contract. A violation of the promise of storytelling, in a way. And for the record, I checked â this is not intended to have a sequel. After reading a few other reviews, this type of ending seems to apparently be one of Ms. Prestonâs defining conceits, and while I respect that, itâs definitely not my vibe.
FINAL THOUGHTS
2/5 stars for me, purely because of the ending. It was a solid 3 until then, with just the aforementioned pacing and character issues I had, but I was just so turned off by the ending that it leaves me hesitant to read her other works.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you donât mind open interpretation in your book endings, Iâd say go ahead and read The Island. Itâs standard thriller fare with a modern angle, and not a bad book even if itâs not especially noteworthy. Iâd compare it most closely to All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers, or books by Natalie D. Richards.
Michael Lindenâor just Linden to his preppy boarding school palsâdoesnât belong in wealthy, storied Marthaâs Vineyard. But when his roommate Jasper invites him to spend the end of summer at his massive beachfront home, August House, Linden tries his best to fit in. Linden wouldnât call it lying, exactly. Though it turns out August House is full of liars.
Then someone is found unconscious in Jasperâs pool, and everyone has something to hideâJasper, his beautiful sister Eliza, their older brother Wells, and their friends. The accident is written off as just thatâan accidentâbut Linden begins to wonder...
Enter: Holiday Proctor. Lindenâs childhood friend, and the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden. Thereâs nothing Holiday loves more than a good old-fashioned mystery and sheâs convinced there's a potential killer on the Vineyard. The only question isâŠwho?
Themes: Classism, Keeping Secrets, Jumping to Conclusions
Tropes: Teen Detectives, Rich vs Poor, I Love The Idea of You, House Party Gone Wrong
Warnings: Minor character death (it is a murder mystery retelling, after all), underage alcohol usage, mention of an affair.
REVIEW
Have you ever picked up an Agatha Christie novel and thought to yourself, âWow, I sure wish Hercule Poirot was a female teenage socialite, and also not the main character of his seriesâ? No? Unfortunately, Katie Cotugno has written that concept into this book, the first of a series in which the second book has already been released.
Liarâs Beach sets itself up to follow Linden, a boy from âthe wrong side of the tracksâ as it were, who happens to attend a wealthy prep school on a sports scholarship. His school friends invite him to their summer home on the island of Marthaâs Vineyard, where Linden spends the entire trip trying to fit in with the gang and keep his financial status a secret. He spends his time pining after his best friendâs sister Eliza, unless heâs busy treating his childhood friend Holiday like sheâs an uncomfortable nuisance.
Holiday is our Poirot stand-in, since this book is a retelling of Agatha Christieâs novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and sheâs part of the wealthy world Linden so desperately wants to belong in. His mother used to be the maid for Holidayâs family, and Linden is terrified sheâll spill his secrets and âruinâ things, despite the character never once giving the impression she would behave that way.
I donât try to summarize too hard in my reviews; I usually prefer to give you my impressions and let you read the book or not, so I try to avoid spoilers and plot by plot recounting. I will say this mystery is woefully simple, especially if youâre a frequent reader of mysteries or thrillers. The book makes you suspect pretty much every character at some point but Linden and Holiday, to the point that the reveal felt kind of meaningless. There was no skill employed in dropping hints and weighing the odds of who might have done it because it was so vaguely possible it could be anyone. I managed to predict who was guilty, and it wasnât even very fun to try and do so.
Liarâs Beach has a cast of forgettable and/or unlikeable characters, including the POV character Linden who was especially irritating. He alternates between dismissive, paranoid, and confrontational so quickly that I got whiplash, and his priorities were essentially to sleep with Eliza and to bury his head in the sand at every opportunity to make things harder. Holiday is just as frustrating, but in other ways.
She has an insufferable mix of quirky and smug going on, where sheâs just so brilliant and special â but usually just off screen so she knows everything we donât and the reader has no chance to participate in the sleuthing. Weâre left following along at her heels and missing all the best bits, which brings me back to my initial question: Who on Earth wants the protagonist to be recast as a side character in their retelling?? Certainly not me. It felt lazy and unsatisfying and ultimately left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
I have to remind myself when Iâm reading YA that itâs technically classed for ages 12-17. While I donât think I could recommend this to most preteens, I would say this is an easy introduction into mystery novels for young teen readers. If you or someone in your life is 14-16 and needs a mystery novel they can toss in their beach bag this summer, Liarâs Beach could be a great choice. Otherwise itâs a bit too immature for most mystery fans I know, myself included, and ultimately I suggest you support your local library if youâre really interested in reading it instead of buying it.
