to each their own

just essay compilations of books recently read! [contains spoilers] 

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ePUB#121

Title: The Husband's Secret

Author: Liane Moriarty

Which husband had a secret? That is the question at the heart of this Liane Moriarty creation. Set against the backdrop of a 1980s murder in St. Angela, the story weaves a complex web of domestic tension and hidden truths.

Keeping up with the large cast of characters proved challenging as the story progressed, and I occasionally struggled to identify the primary protagonists among the many figures introduced. However, Moriarty’s narrative structure is daring. One might wonder what is left to discover when the victim and the culprit are both revealed shortly after the halfway point, yet the suspense holds firm.The relationship between Cecilia and John-Paul is a highlight; it serves as a realistic portrayal of marital friction, even if most everyday arguments don't involve stakes as high as murder.

The final paragraph of the epilogue was truly exceptional. Moriarty has mastered the art of misdirection, proving herself talented enough to hide the real heart of the story behind an entirely different facade.

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ePUB#120

Title: The Marriage Lie

Author: Kimberly Belle

I expected to be satisfied with Kimberly Belle's The Marriage Lie, and the story certainly delivered. I enjoyed following the journey of Iris and Will from start to finish, and there were two specific moments in the book that left me genuinely stunned. I believe the author made a wise choice by ending the story exactly where she did, as it would have been painful to witness the difficult aftermath that Will and Iris would have inevitably faced.

In terms of character development, Iris should have been much more cautious and guarded when she first met Will. It is quite ironic that Belle gave Iris a career as a psychologist, as she turned out to be one of the most gullible characters in fiction. Her student, Ava, serves as an interesting point of comparison to Will. While Ava felt the least loved despite having wealthy parents, Will had so much love for Iris in his life yet still chose to pursue heinous methods to acquire wealth.

Although the romance between Will and Iris was short lived, the growing friendship between Evan and Iris shows promise as they bond over their shared grief and trauma. A major turning point for me occurred when Iris described Corban as a supportive figure. The fact that she felt so comfortable with him actually highlighted his suspicious behavior to me and served as the nail in the coffin for his character.

Ultimately, the last chapter brings everything together by highlighting Iris's sudden realization that Will, in turn, must be betrayed. Because I enjoyed the depth of this story so much, I am interested in reading more novels written by Kimberly Belle in the future.

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ePUB#119

Title: The Third Wife

Author: Lisa Jewell

Lisa Jewell’s novel, The Third Wife, completely defied my expectation that it would be a high-stakes suspense thriller. Instead of a fast-paced mystery, the story lingers on the Wolfe family’s attempts to reconcile and move forward following the sudden death of the patriarch’s third wife.

While the book is conveniently short, it surprisingly took me quite a while to finish. This was largely due to a lack of narrative momentum; the "thriller" elements felt secondary to the family drama. However, the sheer number of characters serves as a testament to Jewell’s creativity. Adrian Wolfe’s children from his second marriage are particularly well-drawn, and their distinct, varied personalities felt rich enough to carry their own spin-off stories.

Ultimately, while the character work is strong, the execution lacked the excitement I was looking for. I’m just glad to finally have this one behind me.

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ePUB#118

Title: The Death of Mrs Westaway

Author: Ruth Ware

The title of Ruth Ware’s The Death of Mrs. Westaway immediately evoked the spirit of an Agatha Christie classic for me.

Ware introduces us to Hal, a protagonist defined by misery and desperation. Her financial anguish might finally be solved by the demise of Mrs. Westaway, her potential grandmother. Despite her impoverished state, Hal is portrayed as a considerate person working in Brighton, though her circumstances motivate her to attend a funeral using only a mysterious letter of invitation as her leverage. Hal is both adaptable and cunning; she presumes her features were inherited from her mother, and both women shared a deep yearning for freedom and a comfortable life.The inclusion of diary entries made it relatively easy to guess the author's identity early on.

Once at the Trepassen estate, Hal meets her supposed uncles: Harding, Abel, and Ezra. Naturally, she cannot blindly trust them, having only just met them at the church. Mr. Treswick, the lawyer in charge of the will, eventually allows the moral truth to prevail, altering the family’s future. While Mrs. Westaway was a harsh woman, she could have at least maintained her grand residence; instead, she presided over the desolate upbringing of her children.The revelations Hal uncovers at Trepassen unleash a newfound courage within her. However, learning the true nature of the relationship between Hal and Ezra wasn't particularly shocking—had Ezra truly been the favorite, he likely would have been the sole heir to the entire estate.

Final Thoughts:

This book had me gripping the edge of my seat from the 50% to 70% mark, yet it turned dull toward the end. Some passages were challenging to comprehend, and as someone who isn't a fan of tarot cards, I found the sudden, heavy inclusion of tarot interpretations largely unnecessary.

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ePUB#117

Title: The Wife Upstairs

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Three little words in this read's title and Rachel Hawkins whipped her excellent writing, yet, in my opinion atleast. The Wife Upstairs revolves around romance and fortune. This book introduced the wealthy married couple, Eddie and Bea, and Blanche, Bea's longtime friend. Problems begin when Blanche and Bea go missing. Their neighbors grieve and form theories of their own as the police investigation proceeds. Even the dog-walker named Jane is eventually interested in Eddie's sorrow.

Using Bea, Eddie and Jane as the perspectives raised the suspense rates to a higher level. I badly wanted to read Eddie's account of the story. History is thrown sometimes in the chapters that provide clarification about Bea, Eddie and Jane's misdemeanors. It's refreshing to learn the pasts of the main characters where they get the motivation for their actions. Readers may or may not repeatedly attempt to figure out who's the real suspect. The potential to continuously put me in awe greatly diminished towards the end. Presumably, the author turned lazy because the ending did disappoint.

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ePUB#116

Title: The Luckiest Girl Alive

Author: Jessica Knoll

The Luckiest Girl Alive is written by Jessica Knoll and this might be the last book of hers I'll ever read. This story utilizes the protagonist's point of view, named TifAni Fanelli. This novel summed up and compared her high school and adult life into one. There was personality and career development for TifAni; she even wanted a new nickname for her peers to use in addressing her. She's now a writer for a known women's magazine, allowing her opportunities to be in a documentary. Despite being recently engaged to Luke Harrison, her past lies as a bullied school shooting survivor. Throughout her marriage preparations and documentary film interviews, she had mastered the courage to live with her honest self and preferences. 

The transition of how the passages shift from past to present just confused me. There are times Ani's memories would suddenly pop, then the narration would turn into Ani's detailed account of her Bradley high school experience. What provided suspense for this book was figuring out who died and how horrendous the deaths were, unlike any other usual mystery genre plot. I'm glad I'm over this book.

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ePUB #115

Title: The Girl Upstairs

Author: Georgina Lees

The Girl Upstairs is a tale of two ladies' paths crossing via sharing residence in a two-storey flat. Unknowingly how, despite their brief interactions with one another, their futures intertwine. Without reading the synopsis, my expectations were a far cry from the actual storyline of this creation by Georgina Lees. London opted as the main setting did hint at an Agatha Christie reference.

I'm admitting that this book had imperfect protagonists. Both tactless Emily and prying Suzie are flawed; their missteps endanger them. The sole difference is that Suzie had her immediate family intact, protective enough to come to the rescue. Although, once a recurring character, with fewer dialogue in the initial chapters, is suddenly revealed to have been present in the places the victim was, suspicions didn't evade my mind. Also, the confrontation is climactic for me, yet requires pursuit with its location nearing the finish.

This'll be a quick read for thrill genre enthusiasts.

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ePUB#114

Title: The Girls in The Garden

Author: Lisa Jewell

The Girls in the Garden written by Lisa Jewell, for me, highlights rekindling family relationships and acceptance that certain people are bound for development. 

The concept of residing in a communal neighborhood surrounding a wide recreational area is realistic for some. The author made this reading seemingly relatable putting varied families with different backgrounds facing contrasting circumstances as the occupants. Probably the cost of growing up, the kids would either hang out in groups or pursue their own individuality. This novel gently discussed parenting woes and challenges in each of Adele's and Clare's motherhood. Residents had dedicated passages on their accounts on that tragic Saturday night due to Adele's digging. The intrigue greatly excelled; I suspected the wrong person.

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ePUB #113

Title: The Night She Disappeared

Author: Lisa Jewell

Another Lisa Jewell creation I've just done perusing, The Night She Disappeared, is a story about how Tallulah Knox came to terms with her teenage years. While recently birthing and nursing her baby, fathered by Zach Allister, named Noah, she intentionally veered off from her inevitable future, for a year, since she'd gone missing.

This is like an Agatha Christie mystery novel, modernly written inclusive of today's current society's issues, with a novelist character, Sophie, as the accidental investigator of an unsolved case. Grateful to Lisa Jewell for allowing this book to be divided into five parts with concise chapters, blessing my short attention span. The passages dwelled least on the characters' sentiments and immersed the readers in the suspense attributes of the plot. I'd guessed who was murdered before the actual revelation, but I was challenged to learn who the suspects are and the victims' manners of death. Needless to say, everything fell perfectly into place in the end.

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ePUB#112

Title: The Perfect Girl

Author: Gilly Mcmillan

The Perfect Girl by Gilly McMillan is a tale of Zoe, a pianist prodigy yet infamously involved in the demise of her loved ones. 

Secrets within family ties, then overcome with deception cover the bulk of this novel's plot. Initially, comprehending how one would face Zoe's fictional life when turned realistic for someone. Zoe's mother is literally one decision away from a completely different situation. The personas are equipped with dramatic and deceitful tendencies. There's melancholia wrapped all over the storyline too. Terribly glad I finished this since nothing was thrilling in this read. The author concentrated on the characters' significant emotions, downfall and development, previewing a sneak peek of their frame of minds. The ending was surprising, but not in the way that most readers would presume.

"Don't always react to everything the instant it happens, Zoe. Think before you speak."

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ePUB#111

Title: When You Disappeared

Author: John Marrs

This is a tale of a married couple and how their dishonesty with each other extremely took a toll on their family life. Plenty of consequences did emerge for both Simon and Catherine Nicholson. Experiences and milestones are recounted in their reunion twenty-five years later.John Marrs wrote this novel extravagantly, especially utilizing all narration point of views: first person, second person and third person. This book's storyline was emotionally strenuous, atleast for me. A few times, I surmise if the plot would end well. Each perspective unfolded descriptively yet lengthy despite the author juggling two time settings, which are the before and after the disappearance of the character, Simon. Mentions of abuse and violence are present. The mystery wasn't figuring out some culprits but instead, discovering the precise account that would answer all the why's and how's. The concept of murder among a family unit was shattering; I'm currently diverting from encountering anything similar to that. This could comfortably become an uplifting book once the author omitted writing the heinous crimes in this. The book title was on point, so props to the author.

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ePUB#110

Title: All The Missing Girls

Author: Megan Miranda

Few years back, in Cooley Ridge, schoolmates Corinne, Bailey, Nic, Daniel, Tyler and Jackson joined the amusement fair, explored the woods, loitered around the caverns coupling with each other. The town grieved two disappearances of young ladies, namely Corinne and Annaleise, in a span of ten years with the most recent incident taking place during Nic’s homecoming. Although set to move forward in her romantic life, Nic’s sudden and short revisit to her dad and brother drastically modified her future. Daniel and Nic’s father, currently residing in an assisted-living facility, converses using cryptic sentences that highly likely makes him a witness to one of the missing girls. Nic, Daniel and Tyler are now set to again face a decade of memories and lore where they grew up, also attempting to solve the cases, then gain closure with their pasts.

I frankly did judge the title of Megan Miranda's book All the Missing Girls; I thought it provided no stimulus nor any appeal for me to pursue reading it. Looking back after consuming its entire content, I've grossly underestimated the storyline. The author introduced a dauntless set of main characters while presenting her book’s plot in a backtracking manner. The mystery underneath is present, never forsaking every chapter. Some passages exhibited inspirational tones with kinship as the focus object. Tackling the truth that every life is important yet everyone has varied identities. If one’s looking for genres combining suspense and heartwarming, this is a good option for that.

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ePUB#109

Title: The Vanishing Year

Author: Kate Moretti

A read filled with emotional stirring; Kate Moretti gives us The Vanishing Year. There are contents of maltreatment, reminiscing about former loved ones, steamy scenes, a fervent protagonist and a benevolent friendship in this book. An immense portion of this is dragging, almost dull. The storyline will eventually come together and resolution takes place swiftly. It turns out to be superbly suspenseful when the plot unravels. The answer to the puzzlement is right there along with the lead character. The author is intellectual due to her showcasing both the obvious and the subtle villains in this writing. Filmmakers would've adored producing and directing this. Chapters were narrated from the perspective of Zoe Whittaker and even her wishful thinking and imagined scenarios were included. She pursues a fresh start in her life, then suddenly gets married to a wealthy and prominent bachelor. Despite the longing to make amends for her past decisions, she relies on and only believes in her loving husband. I'd like to add that Zoe was surrounded either by totally secretive peers or just deliberately avoided communicating. That doesn't stop her though, fortunately. I recommends the patient bookworms to give this a chance.

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ePUB#108

Title: And Now She's Gone

Author: Rachel Howzell Hall

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall; this one's solid! Reaching about 70%of this novel, I am already rating it a 4 out of 5, and it naturally deserves a higher rating as I finished it entirely. The author is talented at writing, phrasing, wording and vocabulary. Most importantly, she had me gripping the edge of my seat; I was locked in, yearning to flip to the next page. Creativity shows especially in the mystery aspects of this read curated splendidly by the author. There would be several remarkably shocking revelations until the end of this book. The romance is present here and gradually blossoming; it wasn't the assertive and obvious type. Having to read detailed accounts of domestic abuse is undeniably disturbing though. One villain was even pictured as physically strong, dominant and filthy rich in this. Regardless, this book will astound readers longing for thrills. Grayson Sykes, the protagonist, may have had a troubled first marriage and messy familial ties, yet those fueled her courage to face her fears and just keep going with her life. She extremely gave her all on her first mission assigned by her protective boss, Nick Rader. Together with her friends at work, she proceeded to solving a missing person case.

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ePUB#107

Title: Vanishing Girls

Author: Lauren Oliver

The Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver, is not for me, and it did not do it for me. This story focuses more on the inspirational aspect and applying realism than on fulfilling the mystery genre it promises. The arrangement of how the plot was narrated was ambiguous and confusing to me, unless that is how the author is in actuality trying to present the mental health situation of one of the main characters. Or that may also, presumptively, be the method of instilling suspense of the author to the readers.The story tells of Nicole and Dara; their parents recently divorced. They've unknowingly been enduring a sort of sibling rivalry in terms of family, friendship, and romantic relationships. That particular issue will, unfortunately, be unresolved even after one's demise, yet causing the tragedy to find a missing Madeline Snow. I'd like to comment that the final argument that motivated the vehicular accident is the pettiest issue to fight about. The author is successful in portraying and teaching psychology concepts in this book though. However, I now yearn that my next read will lavish me with excessively thrilling book features.

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ePUB# 106

Title: The Book of Cold Cases

Author: Simone St. James

The Book of Cold Cases, excellently written by Simone St. James, does produce an eerie and horror atmosphere amongst its readers. Indeed, revelations will shock whoever dared opt for this. This book has narrations visualizing a thriller film, one that gives viewers chills. It includes a mind-boggling plot correlating the characters' lives in and in between the years 1977 and 2017. The title The Book of Cold Cases is a webpage owned and moderated by Shea Collins. Her hobby involves true crime, with her actually hiring a private detective named Michael to assist her with her passion. Shea, however, grabbed the opportunity to encounter, as well as find ways to interview, the infamous Beth Greer and then endured an eventful plunge, almost quite literally, into the 1977 Clare Lake Lady Killer controversy.  It turned out the orphaned alcoholic Beth Greer lived 40 years inside a seemingly haunted mansion she inherited from her parents. Shea embraced the supernatural due to getting firsthand unprecedented participation in the 1960 to 1973 season of the Greer Household, with the intention of figuring out who is the culprit responsible for the murder spree during that timeframe. I think the author is initially and purposefully withholding additional information regarding Beth Greer in several passages. Shea is battling her own trauma that happened when she was younger and also struggling to socialize even with her immediate family, similar to Beth in her present age striving to overcome her past and allowing the truth to set her truly free. I think this is worth the read because this is my second book by the same author that I've finished. It is downright spooky.

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ePUB #105

Title: Local Woman Missing

Author: Mary Kubica

When one's pursuing a heavy and devastating reading impression, this book has got to be selected. This novel presented death, disappearance, and discernment, all intertwined among the people neighboring the same peaceful community. I'm pleased to be supplied with at least three mysteries in this book by Mary Kubica. The unresolved mystery of the first actual local woman missing in this novel produced a domino effect on several characters' lives. The author is easily skilled in the descriptions she provided in the chapters of this book because each was tedious and lengthy. Remarkably, certain scenes aren't relevant to the story's unriddling. By the time I'd reached the narrative for the vehicular accident portion, it was blatant who to keep a tab on, which may eventually lead to the culprit. The author's writing is so proficient that she could protract or reprise any side story to her liking. She'd dwell and fixate on that particular perspective until I felt as though it's time to move on to the next chapter now. I'd recommend this read to those yearning for plot twists and beginner thriller lovers.