en-US Sat, 12 Apr 2025 00:18:00 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 216775113 When a reality show about former child stars overcoming addiction culminates in murder, their therapist must take a closer look into their lives—and her own, from USA Today bestselling author Lucinda Berry.

Dr. Laurel Harlow can’t believe she’s agreed to do a reality TV show. But her years as a chemical dependency counselor and personal history with the show’s director make her the obvious choice. Treating a mansion full of former child stars on the road to recovery is the tallest order of her career—especially when one of them turns up dead while the cameras are still rolling.

In a house full of narcissists vying for the spotlight, everyone’s hiding something…including Laurel. An investigation could expose a past she’d rather keep buried. But among the attention-starved patients, only one of them is a predator. And Laurel is skilled at spotting a predator when she sees one.

As she hunts a killer in her present, the unsettling truths of Laurel’s past are forced into the light. But this time, she’ll face her demons head on. She’ll stop at nothing to expose a murderer, even if it means risking everything she holds dear.]]> 247 Lucinda Berry 1662526032 Kim 5 netgalley
This story takes place on a reality show that is helping seven young adults, all former child stars, overcome their life threatening addictions. When one of the contestants mysteriously dies, the police quickly focus their attention on Dr. Laurel Harlow, the chemical dependency counselor, as a prime suspect. But Laurel has a dark past and adept skills beyond helping people. As the clock ticks, Laurel has to figure out who among the houseguests may be a killer before she loses everything.

This was INTENSE, my heart raced while reading this. Please check trigger warnings because while this book is expertly written there are some distressing scenes that aren’t for everyone. But if you love a deeply sinister story, then pick this one up!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 13, 2025]]> 3.59 2025
author: Lucinda Berry
name: Kim
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: netgalley
review:
Dark, disturbing and unputdownable! I feel like Lucinda Berry’s novels are my dirty little secret. They are all so unsettling and I can’t NOT read them. Once I start one of her books, I have to devour it because it just can’t live in my headspace for too long.

This story takes place on a reality show that is helping seven young adults, all former child stars, overcome their life threatening addictions. When one of the contestants mysteriously dies, the police quickly focus their attention on Dr. Laurel Harlow, the chemical dependency counselor, as a prime suspect. But Laurel has a dark past and adept skills beyond helping people. As the clock ticks, Laurel has to figure out who among the houseguests may be a killer before she loses everything.

This was INTENSE, my heart raced while reading this. Please check trigger warnings because while this book is expertly written there are some distressing scenes that aren’t for everyone. But if you love a deeply sinister story, then pick this one up!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 13, 2025
]]> 63310912
It's the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah...

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn't know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there's only one explanation: obviously. . . she's a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she's not. She's a spy's identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she's not the woman they're looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.

That's easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they're lying their way across Europe--dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister's name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can't remember or the mysterious man she can't let herself forget...]]> 304 Ally Carter 006327664X Kim 0 currently-reading 3.73 2023
author: Ally Carter
name: Kim
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 220259184 Heartwood takes you on a journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping.

At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads the search on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a seventy-six-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Roving between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental.]]> 320 Amity Gaige 1668063603 Kim 5 favorites 4.03 2025
author: Amity Gaige
name: Kim
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: favorites
review:
Five huge stars for this one! This book is a masterpiece. Equally suspense filled and emotional and sometimes witty. It was perfect in every way. This was enthralling on audio with a full amazing cast narration.
]]> 222419303 A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel from the USA Today bestselling author.

Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parent’s messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped Alex of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.

After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, the presence in the house becomes more real, and more sinister, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.]]> 336 Rachel Harrison 0593642570 Kim 0 to-read 4.33 2025
author: Rachel Harrison
name: Kim
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217213002 Two women haunted by their sisters' unsolved disappearances band together in this captivating mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All Good People Here and host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie.

Nicole “Nic�� Monroe is in a rut. At twenty-four, she lives alone in a dinky apartment in her hometown of Mishawaka, Indiana, she’s just gotten a DWI, and she works the same dead-end job she’s been working since high school, a job she only has because her boss is a family friend and feels sorry for her. Everyone has felt sorry for her for the last seven years—since the day her older sister, Kasey, vanished without a trace.

On the night Kasey went missing, her car was found over a hundred miles from home. The driver’s door was open and her purse was untouched in the seat next to it. The only real clue in her disappearance was Jules Connor, another young woman from the same area who disappeared in the same way, two weeks earlier. But with so little for the police to go on, both their cases eventually went cold.

Nic wants nothing more than to move on—from her sister’s disappearance and the state it’s left her in. But then one day, Jules’s sister, Jenna Connor, walks into her life and offers Nic something she hasn’t felt in a long hope. What follows is a gripping tale of two sisters who will do anything to find their missing halves, even if it means destroying everything they’ve ever known.]]> 272 Ashley Flowers 0593726987 Kim 5 netgalley, favorites
Nic Monroe is a hot mess. She and her older sister, Kasey, were inseparable while growing up in a dysfunctional family. So when Kasey goes missing without a trace, Nic has lost her lifeline. She spends seven years trying to ignore the pain, she mutes it with alcohol until she can’t after a DWI. Still working at her dead end job, one night a mysterious woman approaches her with an important proposition. You see this woman is Jenna, the sister of another girl named Jules who went missing around the same time as Kasey. No one has ever cracked the case of the missing girls that summer. Jenna and Nic join forces to figure out what happened to their ‘missing halves��. But their investigation is going to dig up dark secrets neither woman could have predicted.

This story was a slow burn and I was never bored. Every chapter is filled with dread and suspense and kept me glued to the pages. I never could have guessed how this would end, it literally knocked my fuzzy socks off! I can’t wait for this one to get into thriller readers hands, it’s going to be an instant best seller.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 6, 2025]]> 4.06 2025
author: Ashley Flowers
name: Kim
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: netgalley, favorites
review:
This book held me in a vise grip!

Nic Monroe is a hot mess. She and her older sister, Kasey, were inseparable while growing up in a dysfunctional family. So when Kasey goes missing without a trace, Nic has lost her lifeline. She spends seven years trying to ignore the pain, she mutes it with alcohol until she can’t after a DWI. Still working at her dead end job, one night a mysterious woman approaches her with an important proposition. You see this woman is Jenna, the sister of another girl named Jules who went missing around the same time as Kasey. No one has ever cracked the case of the missing girls that summer. Jenna and Nic join forces to figure out what happened to their ‘missing halves��. But their investigation is going to dig up dark secrets neither woman could have predicted.

This story was a slow burn and I was never bored. Every chapter is filled with dread and suspense and kept me glued to the pages. I never could have guessed how this would end, it literally knocked my fuzzy socks off! I can’t wait for this one to get into thriller readers hands, it’s going to be an instant best seller.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 6, 2025
]]> 59345253
Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.]]> 384 Christina Lauren 1982173408 Kim 3 3.64 2022
author: Christina Lauren
name: Kim
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 44019067 The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.]]> 352 Lyssa Kay Adams 1984806106 Kim 4 3.86 2019
author: Lyssa Kay Adams
name: Kim
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/07
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:
Super cute story! Loved that this was about a professional baseball player trying to win over his wife who is trying to divorce him.
]]> 216971219 A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods in this mesmerizing horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.

Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what.

Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something a mysterious staircase to nowhere.

One friend walks up—and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears.

Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods. . . .]]> 400 Chuck Wendig 0593156560 Kim 3 netgalley
High school friends, Lore, Owen, Hamish, Nick and Matty, are on another camping trip in the woods of New Hampshire. Shockingly, a staircase appears out of nowhere and Marty is the one who goes up to investigate. But Matty never comes back down and the staircase vanishes.

Now, twenty years later, Nick calls his friends home for a reunion because the staircase has reappeared. Can they go up and find Matty after all these years and fix what they couldn’t when they were kids?

This book has short, addictive chapters that compelled me to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. There was a lot of suspense built around the mystery of Matty’s disappearance. I enjoyed the interaction between the longtime friends and watching them grow, work through old resentments, and get reacquainted as adults. I did think the ending was pretty abrupt and left me with more questions than answers, but maybe the author wanted that for the reader. I think people involved in gaming culture are really going to love this one.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Worlds, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 29, 2025]]> 3.89 2025
author: Chuck Wendig
name: Kim
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/06
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: netgalley
review:
This was an intriguing story and my first by this author. Most of it read kind of like a horrifying fever dream and I can guarantee I won’t ever forget it.

High school friends, Lore, Owen, Hamish, Nick and Matty, are on another camping trip in the woods of New Hampshire. Shockingly, a staircase appears out of nowhere and Marty is the one who goes up to investigate. But Matty never comes back down and the staircase vanishes.

Now, twenty years later, Nick calls his friends home for a reunion because the staircase has reappeared. Can they go up and find Matty after all these years and fix what they couldn’t when they were kids?

This book has short, addictive chapters that compelled me to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. There was a lot of suspense built around the mystery of Matty’s disappearance. I enjoyed the interaction between the longtime friends and watching them grow, work through old resentments, and get reacquainted as adults. I did think the ending was pretty abrupt and left me with more questions than answers, but maybe the author wanted that for the reader. I think people involved in gaming culture are really going to love this one.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Worlds, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 29, 2025
]]> 219401055 Between the shadowed rows of grapevines at a California vineyard, deadly secrets grow ripe and blood-red in this twisting thriller perfect for fans of Lisa Gardner.

FBI Agent Lana Burrell grew up on an idyllic Napa Valley vineyard with her best friend Jess–until Jess was murdered at the same vineyard they called home. Lana’s father is serving a life sentence for Jess’s murder, but Lana has always believed in his innocence–and has always wanted to know the truth about what really happened to her childhood friend.

Lana gave up the chance to exonerate her father for a career with the FBI, but when a killer strikes the Valley again, those old wounds reopen and she grasps at the chance to solve the case that has haunted her entire life. Two women are slain near where Jess’s body was once found, and Lana is forced to revisit the site of the fraught childhood she tried to leave behind.

Forced to partner with the local sheriff’s office that put her father in prison, and to reconnect with the wealthy family that runs a powerful wine dynasty, Lana fights the distraction of old flames and grudges reignited. With clues of a shadowy cult embedded at the center of wine country, and a mysterious stranger stalking her every move, Lana’s hope to solve the murders begins to have a darker the fear that she might be the next to die.
]]> 336 J.T. Falco Kim 5 netgalley
After Lana Burrell’s high school best friend, Jess, disappears and is assumed to be murdered. Lana’s dad is convicted of the crime and is spending the rest of his life in prison. Lana went on to become an FBI agent and she is called back home to Napa Valley when two more girls are found dead surrounding very bizarre circumstances.

Could these murders be connected to Jess’s disappearance? Has the killer been loose all these years? Is her dad actually innocent? Lana will discover that the wine country she thought she knew is full of deep dark secrets involving some very powerful people. And the shocking answers she finds just could cost her everything.

This story is everything a thriller lover is looking for: intricately plotted with ZERO fluff; every twist and turn propels the plot line, it contains a captivating murder mystery to solve, nail biting suspense, complex characters to either loathe or root for, and a shocking but satisfying ending leaving the reader breathless and a little sad it’s over. This is definitely an author to watch and I can’t wait to read what he writes next!

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 22, 2025]]> 4.19
author: J.T. Falco
name: Kim
average rating: 4.19
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: netgalley
review:
Impressive debut thriller!

After Lana Burrell’s high school best friend, Jess, disappears and is assumed to be murdered. Lana’s dad is convicted of the crime and is spending the rest of his life in prison. Lana went on to become an FBI agent and she is called back home to Napa Valley when two more girls are found dead surrounding very bizarre circumstances.

Could these murders be connected to Jess’s disappearance? Has the killer been loose all these years? Is her dad actually innocent? Lana will discover that the wine country she thought she knew is full of deep dark secrets involving some very powerful people. And the shocking answers she finds just could cost her everything.

This story is everything a thriller lover is looking for: intricately plotted with ZERO fluff; every twist and turn propels the plot line, it contains a captivating murder mystery to solve, nail biting suspense, complex characters to either loathe or root for, and a shocking but satisfying ending leaving the reader breathless and a little sad it’s over. This is definitely an author to watch and I can’t wait to read what he writes next!

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 22, 2025
]]> 199797582
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents �� his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.]]> 352 Christina Lauren 1668017725 Kim 4 botm Cute and funny! 4.07 2024
author: Christina Lauren
name: Kim
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/04
date added: 2025/04/04
shelves: botm
review:
Cute and funny!
]]> 61032435
Despite her uneasiness and misgivings from Calvin's friends and family, the two grow close and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things between them start to change for the worse. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to turn into obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him.

Told from dual points of view, You Shouldn't Have Come Here is a thrill ride and a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you open up your house and your heart to a total stranger.]]> 309 Jeneva Rose Kim 2
Update: Pulled this off my dnf shelf to finish it on the fastest speed possible on audio. I adore this author but I did not like this book]]> 3.62 2023
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Kim
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:
April 2022: DNF will try again later��.

Update: Pulled this off my dnf shelf to finish it on the fastest speed possible on audio. I adore this author but I did not like this book
]]> 195820807
Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?]]> 432 Abby Jimenez 1538704439 Kim 5 botm 4.35 2024
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Kim
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/02
date added: 2025/04/02
shelves: botm
review:
Loved every single second of this book! ❤️❤️❤️
]]> 199531989 Knives Out gets a rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers Christmas romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-Time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.]]> 293 Ally Carter 0063276682 Kim 5 botm, favorites
**this one has zero spice and I loved every second of it]]> 3.92 2024
author: Ally Carter
name: Kim
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: botm, favorites
review:
Swoony, cute and so much fun! This looks like a Christmas book but can totally be read anytime. I was 100% engaged and entertained from beginning to end. I listened to this on audio and the male narrator made my heart melt. If you need something to make you giggle like a crazy person while grocery shopping, put this one in your ear holes.

**this one has zero spice and I loved every second of it
]]> 219240806 From the author of the multimillion-copy bestselling thriller The Perfect Marriage

Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine.

It’s been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah has long since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers. Her life is back to being exactly how she always wanted �� or is it?

After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight. Everyone wants to know what really happened, most of all former deputy Marcus Hudson, who is hell-bent on finding the truth.

But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues. Filled with page-turning suspense and Jeneva Rose’s signature twists and turns, this book will have readers wondering: Can Bob and Sarah achieve the perfect divorce? Or will it be “’til death do us part��?]]> 288 Jeneva Rose Kim 5 netgalley, favorites
Sarah Morgan has moved on with her life after her husband, Adam, was convicted of killing his mistress and suffered the death penalty for his heinous crime. Or was it his crime? Nevertheless, Sarah married Bob Miller and they share a 9 yr old daughter, Summer. But Bob, like Adam, struggles with fidelity and now Sarah has to deal with another unfaithful husband. Will Bob survive or will he simply be cast aside after a nasty divorce?

This story is full of surprise twists and shocking moments. Jeneva Rose just keeps getting better and better at writing thrillers. And don’t miss the Acknowledgements section at the end of the book to hear some juicy secrets from this author. Put this one on your TBR��.better yet, preorder the special edition; no one puts out more entertaining cover art and sprayed edges than Ms. Rose!

Thank you Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Jeneva Rose for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 15, 2025]]> 4.28 2025
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Kim
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: netgalley, favorites
review:
Just as great, maybe even more diabolical, than The Perfect Marriage! First of all, if you have NOT read The Perfect Marriage yet, this review may contain spoilers. There will be no spoilers for this book. This book can be read as a stand alone but it will spoil The Perfect Marriage so I highly recommend reading that one first.

Sarah Morgan has moved on with her life after her husband, Adam, was convicted of killing his mistress and suffered the death penalty for his heinous crime. Or was it his crime? Nevertheless, Sarah married Bob Miller and they share a 9 yr old daughter, Summer. But Bob, like Adam, struggles with fidelity and now Sarah has to deal with another unfaithful husband. Will Bob survive or will he simply be cast aside after a nasty divorce?

This story is full of surprise twists and shocking moments. Jeneva Rose just keeps getting better and better at writing thrillers. And don’t miss the Acknowledgements section at the end of the book to hear some juicy secrets from this author. Put this one on your TBR��.better yet, preorder the special edition; no one puts out more entertaining cover art and sprayed edges than Ms. Rose!

Thank you Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Jeneva Rose for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 15, 2025
]]> 28187230 341 Ruth Ware 1501132938 Kim 0 currently-reading 3.73 2016
author: Ruth Ware
name: Kim
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 216997496 Heathers meets The Stepford Wives in this creepy and frighteningly funny dark thriller about a woman who will do anything to find her missing sister. Even pretend to be one of them.

After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.

It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to an Instamommy.

The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming—in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles—and a lot of dead eyes.

Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory—that Chiara came here and never left—Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really a threat to be eliminated.]]> 271 Elizabeth Rose Quinn 1662524803 Kim 0 to-read 3.53 2025
author: Elizabeth Rose Quinn
name: Kim
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218431658
What if there were a cure for the broken-hearted?

Welcome to the Poppy Fields, where there’s hope for even the most battered hearts to heal.

Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping. After patients awaken from this prolonged state of slumber, they will finally be healed. But only if they’re willing to accept the potential shadowy side effects.

On a journey to this mystical destination are four very different strangers and one little dog: Ava, a book illustrator; Ray, a fireman; Sasha, an occupational therapist; Sky, a free spirit; and a friendly pup named PJ. As they attempt to make their way from the Midwest all the way to the Poppy Fields—where they hope to find Ellis, its brilliant, enigmatic founder—each of their past secrets and mysterious motivations threaten to derail their voyage.

A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?]]> 324 Nikki Erlick 0063349337 Kim 0 to-read 4.12 2025
author: Nikki Erlick
name: Kim
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 123451227 One lovestruck woman. Three handsome boyfriends—and strangers. A unique dating adventure awaits in a hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jeneva Rose.

A guy told me he loved me tonight.

Peyton Sanders hopes it’s not too late to say it back. Done with dead-end relationships and swiping right, she knows who her heart belongs to. But as she races to tell him how she feels, she’s hit by a car and wakes up with amnesia. It gets worse. Peyton has no clue who the three men who show up at her hospital bed are except they each claim to be her boyfriend.

They’re certainly worth remembering. A rustic-looking contractor—heaven in flannel. A tailored consultant with a smile to die for. And a tattooed chef with a box of homemade chocolates, both delicious. Peyton’s friends Maya and Robbie have an idea: date each man again. Recognizing her soulmate should be as easy as one, two, three.

On a wildly romantic and dizzyingly funny journey, Peyton runs once again toward love. This time, hopefully, her heart can guide her where her mind cannot.]]> 248 Jeneva Rose 1662512406 Kim 4 So very cuuuuuute! 3.73 2023
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Kim
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/28
date added: 2025/03/28
shelves:
review:
So very cuuuuuute!
]]> 58884736
"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager
A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.]]> 353 Nikki Erlick 0063204207 Kim 4 Thought provoking 3.96 2022
author: Nikki Erlick
name: Kim
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves:
review:
Thought provoking
]]> 215959509 In this compulsive debut thriller set in Sydney’s wealthiest suburbs, one detective’s investigation into a family tragedy threatens to collapse a powerful dynasty. . . .


When Skye married into the wealthy Campbell family, she thought she was entering paradise. But lately, she’s been unhappy in her marriage to Duncan and hiding a few secrets of her own as she tries to maintain a normal, happy life for their six-year-old daughter, Tilly.



Now the family patriarch, Sir Campbell Turner, has died and his three sons are set to inherit the luxury goods empire upon which he built their fortune. But plans for a seamless handover are complicated when a fourth, hitherto unknown, heir named Cody comes forward. The Turners gather for an intimate weekend retreat at an opulent seaside estate in order to meet this newcomer and figure out their next steps. With so much at stake, tempers flare and egos clash within their first few hours together. But even as the tensions rise no one could predict that their very first night would end with a shocking poisoning that leaves one family member dead and another fighting for her life.



Sergeant Mei O’Connor is assigned to investigate the incident and though her superiors are keen to close the case as swiftly as possible, the evidence just isn’t lining up. Mei already has enough on her mind as she struggles to care for her terminally ill mother and recover from her broken engagement, but she can’t help poking around the Turners, convinced that there’s more to the suspicious poisoning than a simple accident. As Mei continues to push for answers, she may just send the carefully laid dominoes of the Turner empire crashing down.]]> 336 Rachel Paris 1613165943 Kim 4 netgalley
When Skye marries into the ultra wealthy Turner family she believes her life has become a fairytale. But after a private family retreat to deal with the dead patriarch's wishes for his company, one family member is dead and one is left fighting for her life from a mysterious poisoning.

Mei O’Conner is the lead investigator in this suspicious case. When she experiences a lack of cooperation from her superiors and pressure to close the case, she will have to go it alone to dig for the truth. And what she finds is much bigger and darker than she ever imagined.

I was captivated with this story from the beginning to the surprise ending. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you Netgalley, Penzler Publishers, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 29, 2025]]> 4.35
author: Rachel Paris
name: Kim
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: netgalley
review:
The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat!

When Skye marries into the ultra wealthy Turner family she believes her life has become a fairytale. But after a private family retreat to deal with the dead patriarch's wishes for his company, one family member is dead and one is left fighting for her life from a mysterious poisoning.

Mei O’Conner is the lead investigator in this suspicious case. When she experiences a lack of cooperation from her superiors and pressure to close the case, she will have to go it alone to dig for the truth. And what she finds is much bigger and darker than she ever imagined.

I was captivated with this story from the beginning to the surprise ending. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you Netgalley, Penzler Publishers, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 29, 2025
]]> 61474083 An impossible mission.
An ally he never imagined.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery-and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone.

Or does he?]]> 476 Andy Weir 0593135229 Kim 4 4.45 2021
author: Andy Weir
name: Kim
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/25
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves:
review:
Another great space story by this author. I’m so glad I listened to other reviewers and listened to it on audio because there is A LOT of science in this one. It’s easily tuned out if you’re not a science/math nerd and still understand and enjoy the story. But I surely would have bailed if I was trying to read this with my eyeballs!
]]> 211894916 An extreme game of hide-and-seek turns deadly in this riveting new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger

When the real game begins, who will make it to the count of 10?

Charismatic daredevil and extreme adventurer Maverick Dillan invites you to the ultimate game of hide-and-seek. But as the players gather on Falcao Island, the event quickly spirals into a chilling test of survival. A storm rages as a deadly threat stalks the contestants, turning the challenge into something far more sinister than the social media stunt it was intended to be.

Enter Adele, a single mother with a fierce determination to protect her children at all costs. When she begins the game, she unwittingly enters a twisted web of deception and intrigue. Can she maneuver through the treacherous storm and the relentless competition and get home to her family? In a ruthless battle for survival where the stakes are higher than ever, the blurry line between the virtual and the real proves that the only person we can trust is ourselves.]]> 384 Lisa Unger 0778333361 Kim 4 3.16 2025
author: Lisa Unger
name: Kim
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/21
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:
I always enjoy Lisa Unger’s stories. I have read a few “Survivor�� type thrillers and this is one of my favorites.
]]> 222850699 You never know who’s listening.

To Stella Dixon, sneaking her teenage brother out of their parents�� house for a beach party was harmless fun—until Max disappeared without a trace.

Six years later, Stella’s family is still broken, and she can’t let go of her guilt. The only thing that keeps her going is helping other families find closure through A Killer Motive, her true crime podcast.

In a bid to find new sponsors and keep making episodes, Stella goes on a local radio show. But when she says on air that if she had just one clue, she’d find Max and bring whoever hurt him to justice, someone takes it as a challenge.

A mysterious invitation to play a game arrives, with the promise that if Stella wins, she’ll get information about what happened to Max. Stella thinks it’s a sick joke…until Max’s best friend vanishes. And she’s given new instructions: tell nobody or people will die.

Desperate and unable to trust anyone, Stella agrees. But beating a twisted, invisible enemy seems impossible when they make all the rules…]]> 400 Hannah Mary McKinnon 0778387674 Kim 0 to-read 5.00
author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
name: Kim
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 220999092 “No one does suburban paranoia like Shari Lapena.”—Ruth Ware

The new gripping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene, and the investigation begins: can the detectives find her before it's too late?

Bryden and Sam have it all: thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.

Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden–working from home that day–has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.

Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.]]> 352 Shari Lapena 0593832442 Kim 0 to-read 3.90 2025
author: Shari Lapena
name: Kim
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 218171597 An American expat‘s startling discovery plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam’s diamond industry.

Following a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont came to Amsterdam for a fresh start. She’s never been the type for a one-night stand, but this move is all about adventure, and Xander is handsome and successful and more than willing to go along for the ride. Until the morning after, when Rayna finds him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars�� worth of diamonds missing from his safe.

From her lavish home in the heart of the city, Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, and the scandal strains their already-rocky marriage. As the house comes under scrutiny, Willow wonders if her life is about to implode—and how much of the blame she can place on Rayna. Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?]]> 320 Kimberly Belle 0778310949 Kim 0 to-read 4.18
author: Kimberly Belle
name: Kim
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004089
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.]]> 303 Charlotte McConaghy 1250827957 Kim 5 botm 4.32 2025
author: Charlotte McConaghy
name: Kim
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/19
shelves: botm
review:
Atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, richly complex and beautiful whales. Just read this one, it’s special and important.
]]> 217182552 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer comes a new playful yet deeply emotional contemporary romance.

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Like, really wrong. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong��

. . . unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be.

Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering.]]> 368 Abby Jimenez 1538759195 Kim 0 to-read 4.24 2025
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Kim
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214208315 A read-in-one-night suspense thriller narrated by a compulsive liar whose little white lies allow her to enter into the life and comfort of a wealthy married couple who are harboring much darker secrets themselves. For the millions of us still chasing those gone girls, this is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Lucy Foley, and Laura Dave.

Sloane Caraway is a liar.

Harmless lies, mostly, to make her self-proclaimed sad, little life a bit more interesting.

So when Sloane sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can't help herself—she tells the girl's (very attractive) dad she's a nurse and helps him pull a bee stinger from the girl's foot.

With this lie, and chance encounter, Sloane becomes the nanny for the wealthy, and privileged Jay and Violet Lockhart. The perfect New York couple, with a brownstone, a daughter in private school, and summers on Block Island.

But maybe Sloane isn't the only one lying, and all that's picture-perfect harbors a much more dangerous truth. To say anything more is to spoil the most exciting, twisty, and bitingly smart suspense novel to come out in years.

The thing about lies is that they add up, form their own truth and a twisted prison of a world. And in Count My Lies, Sophie Stava spins a breakneck, unputdownable thriller about the secrets we keep, and the terrifying dangers that lurk just under the images we spend so much time trying to maintain.

Careful what you lie for.]]> 336 Sophie Stava 1668079364 Kim 4 botm 3.93 2025
author: Sophie Stava
name: Kim
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: botm
review:
Highly entertaining and binge worthy.
]]> 216522696 “A page-turner par excellence, written with unobtrusive brilliance, [and] full of sharply observed lines��. The Death of Us lives up to the hype.”—Stephen King

Bringing together the slow-burn simmer of psychological suspense and the propulsive drive of crime thrillers, The Death of Us is the story of a marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter that sets fire to the hairline faults that were there from the start

Late on a summer’s evening when they are thirty years old, husband and wife Edward and Isabel’s home is invaded by a serial killer. Theirs was a classic story of young love that moves into true partnership—but their solid foundation implodes in the wake of this violence. 

At fifty-eight, they are reunited for their tormentor’s trial and forced to confront their lifelong love the secrets, passions, and encounter that bind them still. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be caught. As she’s tracked news of his increasingly violent criminal life, she’s connected with other survivors and prepared for the moment that she’d get to read her victim impact statement aloud in court. She is sure she’ll speak her truth and finally let the past go. Edward has spent the years since the break-in—and the breakdown of his marriage—trying to figure out how a near-miss with death killed so much else in their shared life. Unlike Isabel, he’s not eager to relive these terrible memories. Even though he’s moved on—he’s remarried, his old life almost unrecognizable ​to him now—he can’t resist accompanying Isabel to their intruder’s sentencing. What would revenge or justice feel like? Can closure set Isabel free? And what might that freedom mean for Edward? 

A captivating portrait of a marriage told through the lens of the explosive, violating moment that catalyzed its implosion, The Death of Us digs into the stories we tell ourselves about love, and what love can bear. With the same sharp psychological insight and unreliable voices that made Girl A a bestseller, The Death of Us is a return to form for Abigail Dean.]]> 336 Abigail Dean 0593831136 Kim 3 netgalley
Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Viking, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 15, 2025]]> 4.29 2025
author: Abigail Dean
name: Kim
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: netgalley
review:
Emotionally charged and intense! This is the story of Isabel and Edward and their journey from young, hopeful love, the destruction of their relationship, and the years after. At 30 years old, their lives are ripped apart by a brutal home invasion. Nearly thirty years later, they are reunited for the perpetrator’s trial. This powerful, slow burn, psychological story is told in alternating timelines and POVs as we learn of their life together, the breakdown of their marriage, and the aftermath they each experience as victims of a violent crime.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Viking, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 15, 2025
]]> 29005619 288 Carter Wilson 1608092224 Kim 4 Couldn’t put it down! 3.74 2015
author: Carter Wilson
name: Kim
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves:
review:
Couldn’t put it down!
]]> 214151426 A bestselling romance author flees to Alaska to reinvent herself and write her first murder mystery, but the rugged resort proprietor soon has her fearing she’s living in a rom-com plot instead in this earnestly spectacular debut by a stunning new voice.

Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.

Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.

The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.

As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.]]> 336 Victoria Lavine 1668079275 Kim 4 netgalley
Margot Bradley is an extremely successful romance writer. So successful that one of her books was made into a movie. But Margot has a BIG secret! She doesn’t believe in happily ever afters anymore. Her heart has been irrevocably damaged.

One night, while making an appearance with an online book club, a mysterious hacker exposes her ‘Happily Never After�� file. In this file are all of Margot’s alternate endings to her romance books and it’s NOT what her readers want to hear. During that horrible book club, Margot gets canceled��.by her fans and her publisher.

Being helpful, her sister Savannah, comes up with a perfect solution to help Margot restart her career. She arranges for Margot to spend six weeks at a remote Alaskan resort that specializes in adventure excursions. It should be a quiet place where she can write her next novel. Maybe try her hand at a murder mystery.

Against her better judgement, Margot agrees to go and there she meets Dr. Forrest Whitaker who will help this Los Angeles ‘indoor cat�� appreciate the great outdoors and maybe even learn to love again.

This is an excellent debut for this author. I loved the Alaskan setting, the banter, and the side-story of both main characters being caretakers. This story had a lot of witty moments and meaningful moments and I enjoyed my time in this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025]]> 4.15 2025
author: Victoria Lavine
name: Kim
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/11
shelves: netgalley
review:
This was super cute! I mostly read thrillers but also enjoy a really good romcom to lighten things up and this one did not disappoint.

Margot Bradley is an extremely successful romance writer. So successful that one of her books was made into a movie. But Margot has a BIG secret! She doesn’t believe in happily ever afters anymore. Her heart has been irrevocably damaged.

One night, while making an appearance with an online book club, a mysterious hacker exposes her ‘Happily Never After�� file. In this file are all of Margot’s alternate endings to her romance books and it’s NOT what her readers want to hear. During that horrible book club, Margot gets canceled��.by her fans and her publisher.

Being helpful, her sister Savannah, comes up with a perfect solution to help Margot restart her career. She arranges for Margot to spend six weeks at a remote Alaskan resort that specializes in adventure excursions. It should be a quiet place where she can write her next novel. Maybe try her hand at a murder mystery.

Against her better judgement, Margot agrees to go and there she meets Dr. Forrest Whitaker who will help this Los Angeles ‘indoor cat�� appreciate the great outdoors and maybe even learn to love again.

This is an excellent debut for this author. I loved the Alaskan setting, the banter, and the side-story of both main characters being caretakers. This story had a lot of witty moments and meaningful moments and I enjoyed my time in this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025
]]> 220161593 In this follow-up to #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware’s multi-million copy mega-hit The Women in Cabin 10, Lo Blacklock returns to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.

When the invitation to attend the press opening of a luxury Swiss hotel—owned by reclusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann—arrives, it’s like the answer to a prayer. Three years after the birth of her youngest child, Lo Blacklock is ready to reestablish her journalism career, but post-pandemic travel journalism is a very different landscape from the one she left ten years ago.

The chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva is everything Lo’s ever dreamed of, and she hopes she can snag an interview with Marcus. Unfortunately, he proves to be even more difficult to pin down than his reputation suggests. When Lo gets a late-night call asking her to come to Marcus’s hotel room, she agrees despite her own misgivings. She’s greeted, however, by a woman claiming to be Marcus’s mistress, and in life-or-death jeopardy.

What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse pursuit across Europe, forcing Lo to ask herself just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save this woman…and if she can even trust her?]]> 400 Ruth Ware 1668025620 Kim 0 to-read 3.79 2025
author: Ruth Ware
name: Kim
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 54464305 Would you defend your husband if he was accused of killing his mistress?

Sarah Morgan is a successful and powerful defense attorney in Washington D.C. At 33 years old, she is a named partner at her firm and life is going exactly how she planned.

The same cannot be said for her husband, Adam. He is a struggling writer who has had little success in his career. He begins to tire of his and Sarah’s relationship as she is constantly working.

Out in the secluded woods, at Adam and Sarah’s second home, Adam engages in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.

Then, one morning everything changes. Adam is arrested for Kelly’s murder. She had been found stabbed to death in Adam and Sarah’s second home.

Sarah soon finds herself playing the defender for her own husband, a man accused of murdering his mistress.

But is Adam guilty or is he innocent?]]> 342 Jeneva Rose Kim 5 4.16 2020
author: Jeneva Rose
name: Kim
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/10
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves:
review:
This was a reread and just as good as the first time! Ready for The Perfect Divorce!
]]> 217953376
The pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of You Don't Know Me

Rose once walked away from her daughter. Now she may be the only one who can save her.

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australian--and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care--Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.

This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career--and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood's neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust.

Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence, but how can she be sure of that when she's no longer part of Lou's life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers, and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?]]> 320 Sara Foster 1094094056 Kim 4 netgalley
Louisa is a nanny to the ultra rich Fisher family. Her charges are 3 years old and 11 months old and they are heirs to their family’s property empire. But when Lou and the two kids vanish from a remote Australian beach during a family vacation, everyone wants to know if she and the children were taken or did Lou run with them.

Rose Campbell, former UK law enforcement, is called by her ex husband, Henry, to go to Australia to find Lou. But Rose has been estranged from Lou for most of her young life so where does she start when she hardly knows her own daughter? DSS Mal Blackwood is recently released from medical leave and nurturing a fragile rekindled marriage when he is called in to work this complicated case. But as dark Fisher family secrets are unveiled, it’s a race against time to find Lou and the two babies before it’s too late.

This is a suspenseful read with short chapters and told in multiple POVs. I enjoyed the well constructed plot line and the character development. The side stories made it really interesting; propelling the story to a surprising ending.

Thank you Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025]]> 4.06
author: Sara Foster
name: Kim
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/08
shelves: netgalley
review:
Fast paced and intense!

Louisa is a nanny to the ultra rich Fisher family. Her charges are 3 years old and 11 months old and they are heirs to their family’s property empire. But when Lou and the two kids vanish from a remote Australian beach during a family vacation, everyone wants to know if she and the children were taken or did Lou run with them.

Rose Campbell, former UK law enforcement, is called by her ex husband, Henry, to go to Australia to find Lou. But Rose has been estranged from Lou for most of her young life so where does she start when she hardly knows her own daughter? DSS Mal Blackwood is recently released from medical leave and nurturing a fragile rekindled marriage when he is called in to work this complicated case. But as dark Fisher family secrets are unveiled, it’s a race against time to find Lou and the two babies before it’s too late.

This is a suspenseful read with short chapters and told in multiple POVs. I enjoyed the well constructed plot line and the character development. The side stories made it really interesting; propelling the story to a surprising ending.

Thank you Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025
]]> 214151571 From the instant New York Times bestselling author of The Writing Retreat, a white-knuckled locked-room thriller about a social worker who, after coming face-to-face with her dark past, must infiltrate a mysterious wellness center in the deserts of New Mexico.

When a catatonic woman shows up at the psychiatric unit, social worker Thea swears she knows her from somewhere. She’s shocked to discover the patient holds a link to a traumatic time in her past. Upon regaining lucidity, the patient claims she can’t remember the horrific recent events that caused her brain to shut down. Thea’s at a loss—especially when the patient is ripped away from her as suddenly as she appeared.

Determined to find her, Thea follows a trail of clues to a remote center in Southwestern New Mexico, where a charismatic couple holds a controversial monthly retreat to uncover attendees�� romantic and sexual issues. Forced to participate in increasingly intimate exercises, Thea finds herself inching closer not only to her missing patient, but also to tantalizing answers about her harrowing past. However, time is running out, and if she stays for the last session, she too might lose her mind…or worse.]]> 368 Julia Bartz 1982199490 Kim 3 netgalley
When social worker, Thea, is assigned a new catatonic patient at the psychiatric hospital, she is surprised to discover that this woman looks like her and gives her an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Who is this woman and how is she linked to Thea’s past? The answers will take her to a remote part of the New Mexico desert and her investigation could end up costing her everything.

This story was a wild ride and much of it felt really trippy and chaotic. There were twists and turns I could not predict. If you’re looking for a thriller that does NOT follow the rules then add this one to your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025]]> 3.16 2025
author: Julia Bartz
name: Kim
average rating: 3.16
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: netgalley
review:
That first chapter gave me nightmares!

When social worker, Thea, is assigned a new catatonic patient at the psychiatric hospital, she is surprised to discover that this woman looks like her and gives her an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Who is this woman and how is she linked to Thea’s past? The answers will take her to a remote part of the New Mexico desert and her investigation could end up costing her everything.

This story was a wild ride and much of it felt really trippy and chaotic. There were twists and turns I could not predict. If you’re looking for a thriller that does NOT follow the rules then add this one to your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 1, 2025
]]> 224277538 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Greer Hendricks comes a chilling story about the hidden cost of perfection.

Anne is barely keeping it together. A frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist, she juggles nine-year-old twins and a listless marriage from an overcrowded Manhattan apartment, spreading herself thinner each day. Just as Anne is about to give up on her dreams, she lands her biggest client Melody Wells.

Melody paints a picture of serenity and empowerment in the lavender haze of her visualization workshops—however, the one thing she can’t manifest are the pages her publisher is demanding for her new motivational book. Enter Anne.

As Melody invites Anne deeper into her magical world, Anne finds herself working impossibly long days and traveling far beyond her comfort zone.

When Melody passes along a lead on a spacious sublet complete with East River views, built-in closets, and three bedrooms, Anne can’t believe her luck. Melody seems to know just what her family needs. But as small, unsettling incidents begin to accumulate, Anne starts to wonder what price she’s willing to pay for the good life.]]> 61 Greer Hendricks 1662528515 Kim 3 3.23 2025
author: Greer Hendricks
name: Kim
average rating: 3.23
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/06
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves:
review:
This is an eerie story but it didn’t really grip me
]]> 212378262 When I Was You

Nothing ever happens in small towns��

When Shelby Dawson survives a harrowing attack that should have left her dead, she tries to move past it—for herself, and for her family. Fifteen months later, with the help of her best friend, Mackenzie, she finally feels safe again in the snowy Minnesota town she calls home. But when an anonymous note appears on her windshield bearing the same threats her attacker made, Shelby realizes that her nightmare has only just begun.

As new evidence surfaces, and a group of well-meaning senior citizens accidentally makes the case go viral online, the situation quickly goes from bad to worse. And with suspicious accidents targeting those closest to her happening all over town, Shelby can’t shake the feeling that she’s being watched. Fighting to stay one step ahead of disaster, she finds herself asking the question on everyone’s lips: Who attacked her that night?

But Shelby isn’t the only one with questions. Mackenzie’s husband, Leo, vanished without a trace on that terrible night, and over a year later, no one knows why. Until a deep dive into his finances reveals a history of debts, mismanaged funds, and hidden accounts—one of which is still active. Their suspicion that Leo is still alive only complicates things further, though, and when another person connected to Shelby goes missing, she’s caught in a race against time before her attacker becomes a killer.]]> 304 Seraphina Nova Glass 1525836722 Kim 4 3.48 2025
author: Seraphina Nova Glass
name: Kim
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/05
shelves:
review:
I love this author’s dark humor and quirky characters! I especially loved the old fogies, in the retirement home, starting a podcast to solve the mysteries happening in their small, snowy town in Minnesota. This one was good and I will read anything this author writes!
]]> 213570821 From the bestselling author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Midnight is the Darkest Hour comes a chilling, compulsive story of five amateur sleuths, whose hunt for an elusive killer catapults them into danger as the world watches.

It's the most famous crime in modern history. But only she knows the true story.

After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. In this morbid internet underground, Jane finds friendship, purpose, and even glory...

So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected. Details don't add up, the police are cagey, and there seems to be more media hype and internet theorizing than actual evidence. When Jane and her sleuths take a step closer, they find that every answer only begs more questions. Something's not adding up, and they begin to suspect their killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Placing themselves in the center of the story starts to feel more and more like walking into a trap...

Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case and left the world reeling, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans...


]]> 480 Ashley Winstead 1728270006 Kim 5 netgalley, favorites
When Jane Sharp’s father dies unexpectedly, she is quickly drawn into the world of internet crime sleuths as a distraction from her grief. There she finds community and purpose as she contemplates her beloved dad’s death. After a local crime is solved with Jane’s help, she is hooked. And when the Delphine, Idaho college massacre takes place, she and her little band of super sleuths will go to the depths of darkness to find out who killed these innocent coeds. But the answers will only raise more questions and present very real danger to these True Crime junkies.

I was mesmerized by this story, I could not put it down. This almost read like a True Crime documentary and I felt like I was part of the hunt for this deranged serial killer. If you enjoyed Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll then you will love this one!

Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025]]> 3.75 2025
author: Ashley Winstead
name: Kim
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: netgalley, favorites
review:
Compelling, raw, and immersive! I will read anything Ashley Winstead writes and this one took me on a dark ride toward an explosive ending!

When Jane Sharp’s father dies unexpectedly, she is quickly drawn into the world of internet crime sleuths as a distraction from her grief. There she finds community and purpose as she contemplates her beloved dad’s death. After a local crime is solved with Jane’s help, she is hooked. And when the Delphine, Idaho college massacre takes place, she and her little band of super sleuths will go to the depths of darkness to find out who killed these innocent coeds. But the answers will only raise more questions and present very real danger to these True Crime junkies.

I was mesmerized by this story, I could not put it down. This almost read like a True Crime documentary and I felt like I was part of the hunt for this deranged serial killer. If you enjoyed Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll then you will love this one!

Thank you Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025
]]> 211399784 448 Layne Fargo 0593732049 Kim 5 netgalley, favorites, botm
This book will live rent free in my soul.

I thought about this book when I wasn’t reading it. I dreamed about these characters. I read six other books while reading this so this story would last longer in my head. I never wanted it to end. I wasn’t ready when it did end. I wanted more!

This novel encapsulates what it means to be human, on a visceral level, and that’s it. Everyone can relate to this story. We may not all be reaching for Olympic gold, but we all, at one time, have reached for the stars! Layne Fargo has richly captured everything we experience and evokes every single human emotion.

This is a saga about Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, spanning from the time they are 16 year old dreamers to 40 year old retired professional ice dancers. But it is So. Much. More! It is about all the ‘in between�� years. We joyfully and agonizingly journey through the jungles of life where we watch them grow up. We grieve when they fall on their faces, when they experience the failures and betrayals. We celebrate over the wins and root for them when they overcome.

This book is EVERYTHING, and nothing will ever compare. I can’t wait to own a hard copy and read it again. It is so very, very good!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on January 14, 2025 and is available for preorder NOW!]]> 4.19 2025
author: Layne Fargo
name: Kim
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/19
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves: netgalley, favorites, botm
review:
This book is a triumph! I knew, after a couple of pages, that I was about to read something really special. Pulitzer Prize worthy writing and storyline, and characters that leapt off the page and right into my heart.

This book will live rent free in my soul.

I thought about this book when I wasn’t reading it. I dreamed about these characters. I read six other books while reading this so this story would last longer in my head. I never wanted it to end. I wasn’t ready when it did end. I wanted more!

This novel encapsulates what it means to be human, on a visceral level, and that’s it. Everyone can relate to this story. We may not all be reaching for Olympic gold, but we all, at one time, have reached for the stars! Layne Fargo has richly captured everything we experience and evokes every single human emotion.

This is a saga about Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, spanning from the time they are 16 year old dreamers to 40 year old retired professional ice dancers. But it is So. Much. More! It is about all the ‘in between�� years. We joyfully and agonizingly journey through the jungles of life where we watch them grow up. We grieve when they fall on their faces, when they experience the failures and betrayals. We celebrate over the wins and root for them when they overcome.

This book is EVERYTHING, and nothing will ever compare. I can’t wait to own a hard copy and read it again. It is so very, very good!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on January 14, 2025 and is available for preorder NOW!
]]> 219301720 On a trip to the tropical paradise where her fiancée died, a young woman begins to suspect the death was no accident—and the killer’s still on the island—in this twisty thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Reese's Book Club pick We Were Never Here.

When Abby decided to come to Isla Colel, she wasn't sure what—if anything—she'd find. She only knew that she needed to see the place where her fiancée, Eszter, died, to try and make sense of everything that happened. 

The island is nothing like Abby expected; though it was once a bustling tourist hub, a hurricane a few years earlier left it a shell of its former self, with only a few locals and expats remaining. Even the once-daily ferry to the mainland now only runs every week or so.

There, Abby befriends an alluring group of expats, but her sense of unease surges when one of them says he knows the truth about Eszter's last days.  Before she can see him, though, he vanishes from the island. Hours turn to days with no sign of him, and the other expats are chillingly cavalier about his disappearance.

As her quest for the truth unearths dark secrets, shady pasts, and a web of lies, Abby grows more determined than ever to find out what happened to the love of her life. And the deeper she gets in the close-knit expat community, the more she suspects one of them is Eszter's killer—and will do anything to keep the truth buried. But will she discover who it is before she becomes the island’s next victim?]]> 320 Andrea Bartz 0593597974 Kim 0 to-read 3.44 2025
author: Andrea Bartz
name: Kim
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 221251764 An electrifying novel about the complicated friendship between two ambitious and talented female writers in 1960s Los Angeles and the ultimate artistic one writes a book based on the other's life�� from the author of Reese's Book Club Pick Before We Were Innocent.

After a steady descent from literary stardom, Lane Warren is back. She’s secured a new book deal based off the life of her sometimes friend and more often rival, notorious free spirit and muse, Gala Margolis. Lane’s only problem is that Gala has been missing for months…nobody can find her.

Ten years earlier, Gala was a charming socialite and Lane was a Hollywood outsider amidst the glittering 1960’s LA party scene. Though never best friends, Lane found Gala sharp and compelling. Gala liked that Lane took her seriously. They were both writers. They were drawn to each other.

That is until Gala’s star began to rise, and Lane grew more envious. Then Lane decided to do something that she wouldn’t ever be able to take back…changing the trajectory of both their lives.]]> 416 Ella Berman 0593639154 Kim 0 to-read 3.83 2025
author: Ella Berman
name: Kim
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 210827823
When Abigail agreed to move to Soap Lake, Washington, for her husband’s research, she expected old-growth forests and craft beer, folksy neighbors and the world’s largest lava lamp. Instead, after her husband jets off to Poland for a research trip, she finds herself alone, in a town surrounded by sand and haunted by its own urban legends.

But when a young boy runs through the desert into Abigail’s arms, her life becomes entwined with his and the questions surrounding the death of his mother, Esme. In Abigail’s search for answers, she enlists the help of a recovering addict turned librarian, a grieving brother, a broken motel owner and a mentally shattered conspiracy theorist to unearth Esme’s tragic past, the town’s violent history and the secret magic locked in the lake her husband was sent there to study.

As she gets closer to the answers, past and present crimes begin to collide, and Abigail finds herself gaining the unwelcome attention of the town’s unofficial mascot, the rubber-suited orchard stalker known as TreeTop, a specter who seems to be lurking in every dark shadow and around every shady corner.

A sweeping, decade-spanning mystery brimming with quirky characters and puzzle-hunt scenarios, Midnight in Soap Lake is a modern-day Twin Peaks—a rich, expansive universe that readers will enter and never forget.]]> 416 Matthew J. Sullivan 1335041796 Kim 4 netgalley
Do you ever choose a book out of curiosity and don’t expect much of it? That was this book for me. I chose this book because the setting is Soap Lake, about a 2 hour drive west of where I live. We drive through this town every time we’re headed to or through the mountains and it is not a place to stop for any reason. When we see the lake, we have driven a few hours through farm and scrub land with no rest stops so Soap lake is a bit of a relief to see. However, there is only one place to stop, a really nice outhouse type structure, on the outskirts of the gated RV park on the lake. There is a mini mart but it is not inviting to travelers. There are no fast food places or visible stores or coffee shops. It’s safe to say that Soap Lake is a place to quickly drive through toward your destination. Never in my wildest imagination did I think a whole book could be written about this little blip on the map of my great state! But boy was I wrong!

This author not only brought Soap Lake to life, he created colorful and quirky characters that I cared about, some I disliked, and a few I rooted for. This book is written with two storylines, side by side, past and present, intertwining until they masterfully come together with all the reveals.

This is a great book with a compelling story. This book touched my soul and I won’t ever forget it. I can assure you that I will see Soap Lake with new eyes the next time we’re passing through!

If you love books about small town life where a tragic and mysterious murder takes place and a lake that has ancient healing powers, then put this one on your TBR. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 15, 2025]]> 4.04 2025
author: Matthew J. Sullivan
name: Kim
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/26
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves: netgalley
review:
Well color me impressed! This book is captivating, well written, and full of interest featuring a small town with big secrets.

Do you ever choose a book out of curiosity and don’t expect much of it? That was this book for me. I chose this book because the setting is Soap Lake, about a 2 hour drive west of where I live. We drive through this town every time we’re headed to or through the mountains and it is not a place to stop for any reason. When we see the lake, we have driven a few hours through farm and scrub land with no rest stops so Soap lake is a bit of a relief to see. However, there is only one place to stop, a really nice outhouse type structure, on the outskirts of the gated RV park on the lake. There is a mini mart but it is not inviting to travelers. There are no fast food places or visible stores or coffee shops. It’s safe to say that Soap Lake is a place to quickly drive through toward your destination. Never in my wildest imagination did I think a whole book could be written about this little blip on the map of my great state! But boy was I wrong!

This author not only brought Soap Lake to life, he created colorful and quirky characters that I cared about, some I disliked, and a few I rooted for. This book is written with two storylines, side by side, past and present, intertwining until they masterfully come together with all the reveals.

This is a great book with a compelling story. This book touched my soul and I won’t ever forget it. I can assure you that I will see Soap Lake with new eyes the next time we’re passing through!

If you love books about small town life where a tragic and mysterious murder takes place and a lake that has ancient healing powers, then put this one on your TBR. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on April 15, 2025
]]> 213395480 From the acclaimed author of Mrs. March comes the riveting tale of a bloodthirsty governess who learns the true meaning of vengeance.

Grim Wolds, England: Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House prepared to play the perfect governess—she’ll dutifully tutor her charges, Drusilla and Andrew, tell them bedtime stories, and only joke about eating children. But long, listless days spent within the estate’s dreary confines come with an intimate knowledge of the perversions and pathetic preoccupations of the Pounds family—Mr. Pounds can’t keep his eyes off Winifred’s chest, and Mrs. Pounds takes a sickly pleasure in punishing Winifred for her husband’s wandering gaze. Compounded with her disdain for the entitled Pounds children, Winifred finds herself struggling at every turn to stifle the violent compulsions of her past. French tutoring and needlework are one way to pass the time, as is admiring the ugly portraits in the gallery . . . and creeping across the moonlit lawns. . . .

Patience. Winifred must have patience, for Christmas is coming, and she has very special gifts planned for the dear souls of Ensor House. Brimming with sardonic wit and culminating in a shocking conclusion, Victorian Psycho plunges readers into the chilling mind of an iconic new literary psychopath.]]> 208 Virginia Feito 1631498630 Kim 0 to-read 3.63 2025
author: Virginia Feito
name: Kim
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004123 The million-copy bestselling Queen of Twists Alice Feeney returns with a gripping and deliciously dark thriller about marriage. . .
. . . and revenge.

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible �� a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Wives think their husbands will change but they don’t.
Husbands think their wives won’t change but they do.]]> 306 Alice Feeney 125033778X Kim 5 favorites, botm
And that’s what sets Feeney apart from the rest. Her endings are what I live for. I have read all of her books so now I wait, impatiently, for this author to write another book to blow my mind!]]> 3.64 2025
author: Alice Feeney
name: Kim
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/14
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: favorites, botm
review:
Oh Alice Feeney you diabolical twist maker! This sinister, tension filled story had me captivated right up till the end when��.BAM…out of nowhere, we get answers we could NOT see coming! I can’t say that I love this ending yet since I’m still processing, but I won’t forget it…EVER!

And that’s what sets Feeney apart from the rest. Her endings are what I live for. I have read all of her books so now I wait, impatiently, for this author to write another book to blow my mind!
]]> 211004350
Then she meets journalist Sam Hunter at the grief group one day, and he has a proposition for her: Thirteen-year-old Alice Webber claims a witch is haunting her. Living with her family in the remote village of Banathel, Alice finds her symptoms are getting increasingly disturbing. Taking this job will give Mina some experience and much-needed money; Sam will get the scoop of a lifetime; and Alice will get better—Mina is sure of it.

But instead of improving, Alice’s behavior becomes inexplicable and intense. The town of Banathel has a deep history of superstition and witchcraft. They believe there is evil in the world. They believe there are ways of…dealing with it. And they don’t expect outsiders to understand.]]> 304 Daisy Pearce 1250334381 Kim 5 netgalley, favorites
The beginning of this book really spooked me and wasn’t sure I could handle it since I struggle with evil paranormal tropes. But I was soon captivated by this story and it went places I was not expecting. This book is going in my top favorites at the end of the year. Definitely cannot wait to see what this author writes next!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 25, 2025]]> 3.40 2025
author: Daisy Pearce
name: Kim
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/02/26
shelves: netgalley, favorites
review:
Dark, spooky, twisty, suspenseful and UNPUTDOWNABLE! Mina is newly graduated from college as a psychologist and is busy planning her upcoming wedding. She has never recovered from her brother’s death and attends a bereavement support group. It is there that she meets journalist, Sam, who calls her one day with a proposition. There is a young girl, Alice, who lives in a small town. She is suffering from the delusion that she is a witch. Sam hopes to write the big story that will propel his career. Mina hopes to heal this girl, proving she has what it takes in the mental health field. But what they uncover is much more sinister than either expected. The small town of Banathel holds many dark secrets that will take Sam and Mina on a dark journey that could cost them everything.

The beginning of this book really spooked me and wasn’t sure I could handle it since I struggle with evil paranormal tropes. But I was soon captivated by this story and it went places I was not expecting. This book is going in my top favorites at the end of the year. Definitely cannot wait to see what this author writes next!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 25, 2025
]]> 199223892 From New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen comes a chilling follow-up to The Spy Coast, plunging the Martini Club into the search for a missing teen—with a startling connection to their own pasts.

When former spy Maggie Bird retired to the seaside hamlet of Purity, Maine, she settled in for a quiet life with breathtaking views. But enemies from her past soon threatened to destroy everything.

Maggie survived, thanks to her wits and the collective intelligence of the Martini Club, the circle of ex-CIA friends in her cocktail-sipping book club. Their handiwork, however, caught the attention of young police chief Jo Thibodeau. Now Jo and her neighborhood ex-spies have an uneasy alliance.

After a teenager vanishes—and Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect—she joins the investigation, determined to prove her friend’s innocence. But the girl’s wealthy family pushes for an arrest. And when authorities discover a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond, the case becomes doubly complicated, with unthinkable ties to long-buried secrets.

As Jo grapples with two unexplained mysteries, the Martini Club races to uncover the truth behind shadowy secrets…before more lives are lost.]]> 363 Tess Gerritsen 1662515154 Kim 4 netgalley
This is book 2 in the Martini Club duo and it can be read as a stand alone but it is preferable if you can read The Spy Coast first to get all the background on these lovable geriatric characters. I find Tess Gerritson’s books to always be entertaining and suspenseful. She has the ability to capture my attention and keep me reading late into the night!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025]]> 4.40 2025
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: Kim
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/24
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: netgalley
review:
Small town secrets and murder! When a teen goes missing, Maggie Bird can’t help but get involved to help exonerate her neighbor who is the main suspect. And when the remains of another young woman is found at the bottom of the local pond, Maggie and her boozy bookclub friends, who also happen to be ex CIA agents, jump in to help police chief, Jo Thibadeau, solve the crime.

This is book 2 in the Martini Club duo and it can be read as a stand alone but it is preferable if you can read The Spy Coast first to get all the background on these lovable geriatric characters. I find Tess Gerritson’s books to always be entertaining and suspenseful. She has the ability to capture my attention and keep me reading late into the night!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025
]]> 39717112 Are you afraid?
You should be.

The husband: in over his head with no way of knowing the truth.
The mistress: blinded by love, betrayed by her family...
The neighbour: will stop at nothing to protect the life he has fought to create.
The wife: a woman bent on revenge, but how far is she willing to go...?

Dark as night, this is a brilliantly plotted, gripping short story from the e-book sensation, Jack Jordan.]]> 123 Jack Jordan Kim 4 4.10 2018
author: Jack Jordan
name: Kim
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:
What a diabolical little short story! I need to read more by this author :)
]]> 215362444 336 Katy Hays 0593875559 Kim 3 netgalley
This is a juicy family saga with dark secrets to unravel. If you love rich people behaving badly and need a vicarious vacation to beautiful Capri, then add this one to your TBR!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025]]> 3.66 2025
author: Katy Hays
name: Kim
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: netgalley
review:
Was it murder on the idyllic island of Capri all those years ago? Sarah Lingate, married into the fabulously wealthy Lingate dynasty, is found dead at the bottom of the cliffs of Capri in 1992. She left behind a three year old daughter, Helen. This arrogant family returns every year but, on the thirtieth anniversary of Sarah’s tragic and untimely death, a surprise is waiting for them. A surprise that will open a Pandora’s Box of lies, sinister secrets, and betrayals.

This is a juicy family saga with dark secrets to unravel. If you love rich people behaving badly and need a vicarious vacation to beautiful Capri, then add this one to your TBR!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025
]]> 212421066
From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother’s world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does she truly know the man she loves? And what danger does she face if her entire life has been built on a lie?

It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla’s life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note.

Then it starts. Breaking news: there's a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn't a hostage. Her husband—doting father, eternal optimist—is the gunman.

What she does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind that morning says...

Famous Last Words is the story of a crime, a marriage, and more secrets than Camilla ever could have imagined. This novel cements Gillian McAllister’s reputation as “the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.�� (Emily Henry)]]> 336 Gillian McAllister 0063338424 Kim 4 netgalley, favorites
Camilla’s whole life is about to change on a pretty ordinary day in her ordinary life. She is headed back to work after nine months of maternity leave. But her mild mannered, writer husband isn’t home when she wakes up to get ready for her first day back. Weird! But before lunchtime she will find out that her husband is not responding to her texts and calls because he is involved in a siege happening nearby. Except he is not a victim, he is the hostage taker!

I really enjoyed this book; the writing was solid, I was invested in the characters, I was suspicious of many people, and had my mind blown. Thriller lovers should put this one on their TBR!

Thank you Netgalley, William Morrow, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 25, 2025]]> 3.73 2025
author: Gillian McAllister
name: Kim
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves: netgalley, favorites
review:
Addictive and compelling! I could not put this one down!

Camilla’s whole life is about to change on a pretty ordinary day in her ordinary life. She is headed back to work after nine months of maternity leave. But her mild mannered, writer husband isn’t home when she wakes up to get ready for her first day back. Weird! But before lunchtime she will find out that her husband is not responding to her texts and calls because he is involved in a siege happening nearby. Except he is not a victim, he is the hostage taker!

I really enjoyed this book; the writing was solid, I was invested in the characters, I was suspicious of many people, and had my mind blown. Thriller lovers should put this one on their TBR!

Thank you Netgalley, William Morrow, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 25, 2025
]]> 43483465
Nora Holliday is not that kind of woman. Not the kind who has an illicit affair with a married man. But Josh Landon is everything Nora’s alcoholic husband isn’t. And now she and Josh are so infatuated, they can’t stay away from one another.

Abby Landon, Josh’s daughter, is home from college nursing a broken heart. She’s seeking solace, not more scandal, so when she catches her dad kissing Nora, she vows to take the homewrecker down.

And as for Abby’s mother and Josh’s wife, Gwen? To anyone on the outside looking in, the mother of two appears to be living the ideal suburban life.

Until she winds up dead.

The serene seaside town of Shoreham has always been the perfect place to raise a family—not somewhere housewives are brutally murdered. So who killed Gwen Landon, and how many twisted secrets will be exposed as the vindictive plot comes undone?]]> 336 Margot Hunt 0778309223 Kim 4 3.66 2019
author: Margot Hunt
name: Kim
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
Another amazing domestic thriller! I love all of Margot Hunt’s books. I can always count on her to entertain and help me escape reality.
]]> 223199392 Two good neighbors make the best of a bad Valentine’s Day in a funny and improbably romantic short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Just for the Summer.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and Charlotte and Seth are not looking for romance. Armed with emotional-support bear spray, Charlotte is in self-imposed isolation and on guard from men. Having a stalker can do that to a person’s nerves. Just across the hall and giving off woodsy vibes is Seth, a recently divorced arborist. As in today recently. Heights, he’s fine with. Trust? Not so much. But when disaster traps them one flight up and no way down, an outrageously precarious predicament forces a tree-loving guy and a rattled girl next door to embrace their captivity. Soon their defenses are breaking away. Considering how close they both are to the edge, Charlotte and Seth could be in danger of falling—in love.]]> 82 Abby Jimenez 1662529082 Kim 5 4.12 2025
author: Abby Jimenez
name: Kim
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves:
review:
So stinking cute! Wish this had been a full length novel but it was a perfect and happy short story for Valentine’s weekend! ❤️
]]> 214195323 Mare of Easttown meets The Outsider in this spine-tingling and twisty debut about a series of disappearances in a small, fundamentalist town and what one broken family must do to remain together as dark forces close in.

After losing her young son in an accident, Rachel Kennan throws herself into her career as police chief of a small Virginia town to avoid focusing on her grief. Meanwhile, her husband, Finn, a washed-up writer whose alcoholism led to the devastating tragedy that changed everything, struggles to redeem himself before his family completely falls apart. Their two daughters are the only things keeping Rachel and Finn together, but the girls have demons of their own.

At the same time, a disturbing crime rocks their tightknit, religious community, sending Rachel chasing leads in a place that does not take kindly to outsiders. When an ominous force in the forest starts calling to the children, fear spawns hate among the townspeople, placing the Kennan family directly in the line of fire. Left with no choice but to rely on each other, Rachel and Finn must come together to face threats inside and out.

A haunting family saga and a disquieting horror debut, Nowhere draws from Appalachian folklore to caution us that true terror is what we bury in our own hearts.]]> 304 Allison Gunn 1668046679 Kim 4 netgalley
Rachel and Finn Kennon are struggling to keep their family intact after a devastating loss. Rachel is the small town police chief and Finn is a washed up writer who fights his alcoholic demons every day. When a gruesome murder takes place and then the town’s children begin to go missing, Rachel has her work cut out for her. Meanwhile, her home life with Finn and their girls, Charlie and Lucy, is becoming more strange by the day.

This is an excellent horror novel! I was captivated by these characters within the first few chapters. The mystery in the town is suspenseful and sinister and I had a hard time putting this one down. If you enjoyed the show, ‘Mare of Eastown�� or love Stephen King type spooky stories then put this one on your TBR. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025]]> 3.75 2025
author: Allison Gunn
name: Kim
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/16
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: netgalley
review:
Haunting debut!

Rachel and Finn Kennon are struggling to keep their family intact after a devastating loss. Rachel is the small town police chief and Finn is a washed up writer who fights his alcoholic demons every day. When a gruesome murder takes place and then the town’s children begin to go missing, Rachel has her work cut out for her. Meanwhile, her home life with Finn and their girls, Charlie and Lucy, is becoming more strange by the day.

This is an excellent horror novel! I was captivated by these characters within the first few chapters. The mystery in the town is suspenseful and sinister and I had a hard time putting this one down. If you enjoyed the show, ‘Mare of Eastown�� or love Stephen King type spooky stories then put this one on your TBR. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025
]]> 217387838 The latest gripping serial killer thriller from the New York Times bestselling author Alex North.

Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So when his father passes away under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits his small island community, determined to uncover the truth about his death. Is it possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares has returned after all these years?

With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.]]> 320 Alex North 1250757894 Kim 0 to-read 4.24 2025
author: Alex North
name: Kim
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214988499 After her sister is murdered, a woman infiltrates a support group for serial killers in this biting queer feminist debut thriller, perfect for fans of The Final Girl Support Group and My Sister, the Serial Killer.

When Cyra Griffin’s younger sister is murdered by a serial killer, Cyra knows better than to expect  justice from the hands of the police department. With the investigation already dying its own slow death, Cyra follows the blood trail and finds her own way forward. 

Using insider information (don’t ask) Cyra infiltrates a support group for serial killers by pretending to be one herself in the hopes of finding the person who ended her sister’s life. Proving herself to them comes at a cost, but it’s one Cyra is willing to pay in the name of revenge.

Unfortunately, the dangerous men in the group aren’t the only obstacle in Cyra’s path for vengeance, and the further Cyra descends into the deadly world of serial killers, the harder it becomes to hold on to her own humanity. 

This dark, witty debut novel is a cunning homage to women’s wrongs that will have you wondering exactly how many monsters walk unseen among us.
]]> 320 Saratoga Schaefer Kim 3 netgalley
Cyra Griffin is looking for answers after her sister is murdered. The police suspect a serial killer but they have no leads. Cyra takes things into her own hands when she stumbles upon a support group for serial killers. Could her sister’s murderer be in that group? Of course she decides to infiltrate that group. But as Cyra dives deep into the serial killers�� world, she may discover that revenge comes at too high of a cost.

This story is written well, it is dark and darkly funny at times. It is also twisty, thought provoking and a little bit campy. If you can suspend belief and just enjoy the ride, then put this one on your TBR. This is definitely an author to watch!

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025]]> 3.70 2025
author: Saratoga Schaefer
name: Kim
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/11
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: netgalley
review:
Tension filled and original debut!

Cyra Griffin is looking for answers after her sister is murdered. The police suspect a serial killer but they have no leads. Cyra takes things into her own hands when she stumbles upon a support group for serial killers. Could her sister’s murderer be in that group? Of course she decides to infiltrate that group. But as Cyra dives deep into the serial killers�� world, she may discover that revenge comes at too high of a cost.

This story is written well, it is dark and darkly funny at times. It is also twisty, thought provoking and a little bit campy. If you can suspend belief and just enjoy the ride, then put this one on your TBR. This is definitely an author to watch!

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025
]]> 58977601 A New York Times Book Review Summer Read and Edgar Award nominee! Don’t miss this unputdownable psychological thriller! Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware!

When you really start to look beyond the airy open floor plans and marble counters, Brighton Hills is filled with secrets. Some big, some little, some deadly. And one by one, they’re about to be revealed�� “A writer to watch.�� ��Publishers Weekly

The perfect neighborhood can be the perfect place to hide��

Who wouldn’t want to live in Brighton Hills? This exclusive community on the Oregon coast is the perfect mix of luxury and natural beauty. Stunning houses nestle beneath mighty Douglas firs, and lush backyards roll down to the lakefront. It’s the kind of place where neighbors look out for one another. Sometimes a little too closely��

Cora thinks her husband, Finn, is cheating—she just needs to catch him in the act. That’s where Paige comes in. Paige lost her son to a hit-and-run last year, and she’s drowning in the kind of grief that makes people do reckless things like spying on the locals, searching for proof that her son’s death was no accident…and agreeing to Cora’s plan to reveal what kind of man Finn really is. All the while, their reclusive new neighbor, Georgia, is acting more strangely every day. But what could such a lovely young mother possibly be hiding?

Don't miss Seraphina's upcoming novel, The Vanishing Hour. You won't be able to put it down! 

Other thrillers from Seraphina to keep you up all
The Vanishing Hour Such a Good Wife Someone’s Listening

]]> 302 Seraphina Nova Glass 0369717058 Kim 5 favorites
Cora, volunteer extraordianaire, has concerns about her husband but she just can’t catch him. Paige is drowning in grief and deals with it by breaking into her neighbor’s garages trying to figure out who caused her heartbreak. Georgia, a young beautiful new mom, is afraid to leave her house and struggles to make friends. In the wealthy neighborhood of Brighton Hills, these three women will band together and expose the darkness that plagues their homes and their neighborhood.

This story was so entertaining, I can’t wait to read this author’s other books! ]]> 4.13 2022
author: Seraphina Nova Glass
name: Kim
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves: favorites
review:
Not a ‘quiet street at all��! I loved this one, it completely captivated me from beginning to end.

Cora, volunteer extraordianaire, has concerns about her husband but she just can’t catch him. Paige is drowning in grief and deals with it by breaking into her neighbor’s garages trying to figure out who caused her heartbreak. Georgia, a young beautiful new mom, is afraid to leave her house and struggles to make friends. In the wealthy neighborhood of Brighton Hills, these three women will band together and expose the darkness that plagues their homes and their neighborhood.

This story was so entertaining, I can’t wait to read this author’s other books!
]]> 204640265 From Vulture's "master of horror" Clay McLeod Chapman, a relentless and emotionally charged social horror novel about a family on the run from a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through media, for fans of The Last of Us and When Evil Lurks

Noah Fairchild has been losing his formerly polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the “Great Reawakening�� is here, he assumes it’s related to one of the many conspiracy theories she believes in. But when his own phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the long drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles, a fridge full of spoiled food, and his parents locked in a terrifying trance-like state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it and get medical help.

Then Noah’s mother brutally attacks him.

But Noah isn’t the only person to be attacked by a loved one. Families across the country are tearing each other apart-–literally-–as people succumb to a form of possession that gets worse the more time they spend watching particular channels, using certain apps, or visiting certain websites. In Noah’s Richmond-based family, only he and his young nephew Marcus are unaffected. Together, they must race back to the safe haven of Brooklyn��-but can they make it before they fall prey to the violent hordes?

This ambitious, searing novel from "one of horror's modern masters" holds a mirror to our divided nation, and will shake readers to the core.]]> 384 Clay McLeod Chapman Kim 0 to-read 3.40 2025
author: Clay McLeod Chapman
name: Kim
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 215217589 Darkly funny and provocative, this edge-of-your-seat thrill ride follows two unlikely fugitives—an SAT tutor who finds her rich employers brutally murdered and the bound woman she frees from their mansion—an irresistible debut novel perfect for fans of The Guest�����Ի���My Sister, the Serial Killer

A scholarship kid with straight As and big dreams, Evie Gordon always thought she was special, that she’d be someone. But after graduating from an elite university, she finds herself drowning in debt and working as an SAT tutor for the super-rich of Los Angeles.

Everything changes one Sunday, when she arrives for her weekly lesson at the Victors�� Beverly Hills estate and, in lieu of a bored teenager, finds the bloody remains of the parents strewn through their beautiful back garden, and a woman crying for help within a closet. As Evie works to free her, the two are spotted—and within moments, they go from bystanders to suspects to fugitives.

Suddenly at the heart of a manhunt and accompanied by a mysterious woman who refuses to speak, Evie knows the only way to clear her name is to find the real killer. But first she’ll have to break down the barriers of her companion, who is quickly becoming the most important person in Evie’s upside-down life. Their breathless spree takes them across the U.S. as developments in the case shock the nation and the press runs wild with Evie’s a gifted kid turned killer. She's now on the cover of every magazine and newspaper—anointed the new Charles Manson, a bloodthirsty ninety-nine percenter looking to start a class war. Evie is finally someone.

By turns cuttingly hilarious and deeply insightful, Killer Potential is a strikingly original debut. A literary novel with the page-turning intensity of a thriller that asks timely questions about our belief in the romance of social mobility, and how the stories we’re sold about our potential can shape the course of our lives.]]> 320 Hannah Deitch 0063356481 Kim 3 netgalley
Evie Gordon arrives at the Victors wealthy estate where she tutors their son. But instead of facing a reluctant teen, she finds both parents murdered in their backyard. As she is fleeing the scene, she discovers a woman tied up and trapped in the house. Evie frees the woman and they escape together. They instantly become fugitives and America’s Most Wanted in this murder investigation. What follows is a cat and mouse chase across the country as these women avoid the law.

This was a fast paced thriller with strong ‘Thelma and Louise�� vibes. It was a lot of fun to read if you can suspend disbelief and just enjoy the adventure!

Thank you Netgalley, William Morrow, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025]]> 3.54 2025
author: Hannah Deitch
name: Kim
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: netgalley
review:
This is a wild ride and a strong debut!

Evie Gordon arrives at the Victors wealthy estate where she tutors their son. But instead of facing a reluctant teen, she finds both parents murdered in their backyard. As she is fleeing the scene, she discovers a woman tied up and trapped in the house. Evie frees the woman and they escape together. They instantly become fugitives and America’s Most Wanted in this murder investigation. What follows is a cat and mouse chase across the country as these women avoid the law.

This was a fast paced thriller with strong ‘Thelma and Louise�� vibes. It was a lot of fun to read if you can suspend disbelief and just enjoy the adventure!

Thank you Netgalley, William Morrow, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 18, 2025
]]> 220160259 From the author of the “irresistible�� (Paula Hawkin, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Where the Truth Lies, an atmospheric novel about a young woman who searches for answers after her estranged friend is found dead in the bayou of their rural Louisiana hometown.

The Labasques aren’t like other families.

Living in a shack out in the swamps, they made do by hunting down alligators and other animals. To the good people of Jacknife, Louisiana, they are troublemakers and outcasts, the kind of people you wouldn’t want in your community.

So, when Cutter Labasque is found face down in the muddy swamp, no one seems to care, not even her two brothers. The only person who questions the official verdict of suicide is Cutter’s childhood friend, Loyal May, who has just returned home to care for her mother. When she left town at eighteen years old, she betrayed Cutter. Now with a ragtag group from the local paper where she works, Loyal goes in search of answers, uncovering a web of deceit and corruption that implicates those in town. It may be too late to apologize to Cutter, but Loyal has restitution in mind.

Weaving through the swamps and bayous of rural Louisiana, Our Last Wild Days is an atmospheric, smoldering suspense about our darker impulses—and how to set things right.]]> 352 Anna Bailey 1982157194 Kim 0 to-read 4.18 2025
author: Anna Bailey
name: Kim
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 214537763 "The missing boy is 10-year-old Alfie Risby, and to be perfectly honest with you, he's a little shit."

Florence Grimes, age thirty-one, always takes the easy way out. Single, broke and unfulfilled after the humiliating end to her girl-band career, she has only one reason to get out of bed each day: her ten-year-old son Dylan. But then Alfie Risby, her son’s bully and the heir to a vast frozen-food empire, mysteriously vanishes during a class trip, and Dylan becomes the prime suspect.

Florence, for once, is faced with a task she can’t quit: She’s got to find Alfie and clear her son’s name or risk losing Dylan forever—never mind that she has no useful skills (let alone investigative ones) and that all the other school moms hate her. Oh, and she has a reason to suspect Dylan might not be as innocent as she’d like to believe.]]> 384 Sarah Harman 0593851463 Kim 4 netgalley
All of the other mothers hate Florence Grimes. She is a washed up ‘didn’t quite make it big�� former Girl Band member. She is broke and single mom to a 10 year old son, Dylan, who is her whole world. Florence is an immature, irreverent hot mess but she is also funny and entertaining and deep inside she has a good heart.

When Dylan’s school bully, Alfie Risby, goes missing during a school field trip, the suspicion quickly lands on Dylan. Even Florence suspects Dylan may have done something to the missing boy. But as any fierce ‘mama bear�� would do, Florence puts all of her incompetence and energy as a detective into solving the mystery of Alfie’s disappearance to save Dylan. What follows is a series of mishaps and hijinks as Florence fumbles her way through her unofficial investigation.

Filled with lots of snarky humor and melodrama this is a mystery that will definitely appeal to fans of Finlay Donovan.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 11, 2025]]> 3.59 2025
author: Sarah Harman
name: Kim
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: netgalley
review:
This was fun! I was super distracted this week and had trouble finding my groove in this story but glad I stuck with it.

All of the other mothers hate Florence Grimes. She is a washed up ‘didn’t quite make it big�� former Girl Band member. She is broke and single mom to a 10 year old son, Dylan, who is her whole world. Florence is an immature, irreverent hot mess but she is also funny and entertaining and deep inside she has a good heart.

When Dylan’s school bully, Alfie Risby, goes missing during a school field trip, the suspicion quickly lands on Dylan. Even Florence suspects Dylan may have done something to the missing boy. But as any fierce ‘mama bear�� would do, Florence puts all of her incompetence and energy as a detective into solving the mystery of Alfie’s disappearance to save Dylan. What follows is a series of mishaps and hijinks as Florence fumbles her way through her unofficial investigation.

Filled with lots of snarky humor and melodrama this is a mystery that will definitely appeal to fans of Finlay Donovan.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 11, 2025
]]> 218218740 An American expat‘s startling discovery plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam’s diamond industry.

Following a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont came to Amsterdam for a fresh start. She’s never been the type for a one-night stand, but this move is all about adventure, and Xander is handsome and successful and more than willing to go along for the ride. Until the morning after, when Rayna finds him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars�� worth of diamonds missing from his safe.

From her lavish home in the heart of the city, Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, and the scandal strains their already-rocky marriage. As the house comes under scrutiny, Willow wonders if her life is about to implode—and how much of the blame she can place on Rayna. Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?]]> 313 Kimberly Belle 0369748433 Kim 0 to-read 4.33
author: Kimberly Belle
name: Kim
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 222414392 After taking in her estranged niece, a woman fears for her family’s lives in a domestic thriller by Reese’s Book Club pick author of The Last Mrs. Parrish.

Things have been different since Serena came to stay . . .

Ashley Bowers is shocked by the sudden death of her sister, whom she hasn’t seen or heard from in years. Grieving for the bond they once shared and wallowing in the knowledge that any chance of reconciliation is gone forever is one thing. Welcoming her sister’s thirteen-year-old daughter—a girl Ashley has never even met—into the home she shares with her husband and two children is another.

Ashley hopes Serena will blend in seamlessly with her family and their peaceful life in Maryland once they’ve both had a chance to process their loss. But as days become weeks, personalities clash and troubling incidents turn the Bowers residence into a whirlwind of accusation, denial, and fear.

It starts missing items, the dog inexplicably locked outside all night. But when the safety of her own children is threatened, Ashley starts to wonder if the tragedies in Serena’s past are unfortunate coincidences or something more sinister. Is Ashley’s orphaned niece simply acting out after the tragic passing of both her parents? Or is something far more dangerous going on under her own roof?

Dark secrets and unexpected twists will keep you guessing until the very end in My Sister’s Daughter, a captivating thriller that undoes puzzles of the past from New York Times–bestselling author Liv Constantine.]]> Liv Constantine 1039479251 Kim 5 Fast paced novella! 4.00 2025
author: Liv Constantine
name: Kim
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves:
review:
Fast paced novella!
]]> 176443476
For a sixteen-year-old, a summer internship working for a private investigator seems like a dream come true—particularly since the PI is investigating the most shocking crime to hit Bloomington, Indiana, in decades. A local woman has vanished, and the last time anyone saw her, she was in the backseat of a police car driven by a man impersonating an officer.

Marshall Miller’s internship puts him at the center of the action, a position he relishes until a terrifying moment that turns public praise for his sharp observations and uncanny memory into accusations of lying and imperiling the case. His detective mentor withdraws, friends and family worry and whisper, and Marshall alone understands that the darkness visiting his town this summer goes far beyond a single crime. Now his task is to explain it—and himself.

Lost Man's Lane is a coming-of-age tale of terror.]]> 516 Scott Carson 1982191457 Kim 0 to-read 4.15 2024
author: Scott Carson
name: Kim
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 213618135 In the aftermath of a shocking breakup, a woman's desperate quest for answers ignites a psychological inferno that will consume her past, present, and future in this hair-raising debut from an exciting new voice in suspense . . .

She’s been ghosted. But she won’t be forgotten.

Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé, Noah. It’s their anniversary, after all. But when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah's name works there, Claire thinks there must be a mistake.

Noah isn't picking up her calls. Her texts go unanswered. It turns out Noah has a different life . . . one with a beautiful girlfriend, a beautiful house. Claire was never really in the picture.

Desperate to unpack all of Noah’s lies, Claire plunges into a nightmarish journey of obsession that submerges her deeper into the murky waters of her own past—a past dominated by a manipulative mother who shattered her sense of self.

Will Claire break free from the ghosts that haunt her? Or will they become more costly than any of Noah's lies?]]> 288 Callie Kazumi 0593871634 Kim 4 netgalley
Claire wants to deliver lunch to her very busy fiancée who works in finance. But when she arrives at his fancy office, he is not only NOT there��.he hasn’t worked in that office for months. From there we follow Claire and her best friend, Sukhi, on a mission to solve the mystery life of Claire’s fiancée, Noah.

I really loved this story; I thought the characterization and plot line were solid. I couldn’t put this down because I NEEDED to know what Noah was up to and if Claire was going to get her fairy tale ending. While this story is not brand new, it is twisty and highly entertaining. This is an author to watch!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 11, 2025
]]> 3.65 2025
author: Callie Kazumi
name: Kim
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves: netgalley
review:
Impressive debut! I was glued to these pages wondering what was actually happening.

Claire wants to deliver lunch to her very busy fiancée who works in finance. But when she arrives at his fancy office, he is not only NOT there��.he hasn’t worked in that office for months. From there we follow Claire and her best friend, Sukhi, on a mission to solve the mystery life of Claire’s fiancée, Noah.

I really loved this story; I thought the characterization and plot line were solid. I couldn’t put this down because I NEEDED to know what Noah was up to and if Claire was going to get her fairy tale ending. While this story is not brand new, it is twisty and highly entertaining. This is an author to watch!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 11, 2025

]]> 221115923 A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends. 

When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.

But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…]]> 400 Samantha Downing 0593101030 Kim 0 to-read 4.48 2025
author: Samantha Downing
name: Kim
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 174670261 41 Julie Clark 1662513763 Kim 4 3.65 2023
author: Julie Clark
name: Kim
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/02
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves:
review:
This is a short story in Amazon’s Obsession collection. This was sad and emotional. A cautionary tale for sure!
]]> 174670391 32 B.A. Paris 1662513534 Kim 4 3.59 2023
author: B.A. Paris
name: Kim
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
This short story is part of Amazon’s Obsession collection. I was completely entertained right up until that abrupt ending.
]]> 212031069 From USA Today bestselling author Audrey J. Cole comes a harrowing thriller about a woman faced with the unthinkable, when her infant goes missing aboard a plane to New York.

Rushing back to her seat, Makayla Rossi is relieved that all’s still quiet. But when she checks on her sleeping baby, relief morphs into fear. The bassinet is empty.

Liam is gone.

It was a long flight from Anchorage to New York, and with every flight attendant busy, Makayla reluctantly ran to the restroom, asking a seat neighbor to watch her son. She stepped away for just a few minutes. Yet at thirty thousand feet, he still vanished.

Passengers and crew scour the plane to no avail, and since no one recalls seeing her with a baby, suspicions begin to mount about Makayla’s mental state. She’s certain this is nothing like her mother’s on-air memory meltdown. If only Jack, her husband, were there. He would believe her. A high-profile banker featured in Forbes, maybe he could even help.

But Makayla is squarely on her own. And she’ll have to think fast in order to find her son—before it’s too late.]]> 285 Audrey J. Cole 1662520700 Kim 4 netgalley
Makayla Rossi is flying home to New York with her 3 month old baby, Liam, after visiting her father in Alaska. She has to use the bathroom while her fussy baby is sound asleep in a bassinet and all the flight attendants are busy. She asks the girl across the aisle to keep an eye on her baby for a few minutes. But that young woman is wearing headphones and is deeply engrossed with an in-flight movie. When she returns from the bathroom, no more than 2 minutes gone, her baby has vanished and there is a pillow left in his place. Every mother’s nightmare! The plane is searched and no baby is found. Makayla is going to have to keep her wits about her to get her baby back; a baby no one can recall seeing with her.

I read this in under 24 hours, it was so gripping!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 1, 2025]]> 3.75 2025
author: Audrey J. Cole
name: Kim
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/25
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: netgalley
review:
This is a frantic, adrenaline fueled, fast paced popcorn thriller!

Makayla Rossi is flying home to New York with her 3 month old baby, Liam, after visiting her father in Alaska. She has to use the bathroom while her fussy baby is sound asleep in a bassinet and all the flight attendants are busy. She asks the girl across the aisle to keep an eye on her baby for a few minutes. But that young woman is wearing headphones and is deeply engrossed with an in-flight movie. When she returns from the bathroom, no more than 2 minutes gone, her baby has vanished and there is a pillow left in his place. Every mother’s nightmare! The plane is searched and no baby is found. Makayla is going to have to keep her wits about her to get her baby back; a baby no one can recall seeing with her.

I read this in under 24 hours, it was so gripping!

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 1, 2025
]]> 174670253 27 Nita Prose Kim 5 3.14 2023
author: Nita Prose
name: Kim
average rating: 3.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
This short story is part of Amazon’s Obsession collection. I loved this one! I have spent countless hours working backstage for my local live theatre and I love that world. This was very cleverly written and highly entertaining!
]]> 220817728 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.

Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.

Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easy-going even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warm-hearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.

As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.

Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changes in an instant.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, with complex protagonists, telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love, this time among the stars.]]> 352 Taylor Jenkins Reid 0593158717 Kim 0 to-read 4.44 2025
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Kim
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 174670078 New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Cole.

Tiana Carter has just started college and is determined to make the most of it. She’s thrilled to be posting videos about dorm-room cooking and campus fashion for a small but loyal band of followers. When she dips into the online dating pool, her first swipe right raises a huge red flag. Tiana’s polite rejection is met with scorn, and now a group of self-proclaimed “high-value men�� are hell-bent on ruining her life.

Just a Girl is part of Obsession, a collection of compulsively readable short stories about people pushed to their extremes. So addictive you won’t be able to put them down—read or listen to each story in a single sitting.]]> 124 Alyssa Cole 1662512023 Kim 5 3.45 2023
author: Alyssa Cole
name: Kim
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
Scary! This is a short story from Amazon’s Obsession collection and it is excellent! The entire story is written as a social media posts and text messages and really made me think about how frightening it is to have our personal info out there on the internet.
]]> 174670822
Veronica and Ryan Hartley are the envy of Auburn Drive. When the exclusive neighborhood hosts its annual progressive dinner party, the couple’s perfection is on display. The neighbors are obsessed—entranced by the “it�� couple’s movie-star looks and smoldering gazes. But is the perfect pair too good to be true?

People Like Them is part of Obsession, a collection of compulsively readable short stories about people pushed to their extremes. So addictive you won’t be able to put them down—read or listen to each story in a single sitting.]]> 56 Minka Kent 1662515022 Kim 5 4.06 2023
author: Minka Kent
name: Kim
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:
Loved this one, absolute perfection! Even though I suspected the ending, but it still caught me off guard. This is one of the short stories in Amazon’s Obsession collection
]]> 174670217 40 Chris Bohjalian 1662515634 Kim 5 3.10 2023
author: Chris Bohjalian
name: Kim
average rating: 3.10
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/30
date added: 2025/01/30
shelves:
review:
This novella is from Amazon’s Obsession collection available on KU. This story read like a full length story in just a few pages and it was highly entertaining.
]]> 214152415 This riveting psychological thriller from master of twists Steve Cavanagh, author of the ��unguessable and unputdownable�� (Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Kill For Me, Kill for You, What if the witness was more twisted than the killer?

Something is wrong with Ruby Johnson.

A former resident of the ultra-elite Manhattan upper class, Ruby now works as a maid in the type of houses she used to live in. Unassuming, she sees everyone’s dirty secrets from the inside of their beautiful, renovated brownstones. But when Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth.

Eddie Flynn, streetwise ex con-artist-turned-defense attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s—the gun that killed his neighbor found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. Flynn and his unconventional team will need to use every trick they know to keep an innocent man from being locked up. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head.

Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda, Witness 8 is a fresh knockout page-turner from an author who is “the real deal�� (Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author).]]> 416 Steve Cavanagh 1668049376 Kim 4 netgalley
In this story Eddie Flynn has his work cut out for him when he accepts a case to defend an innocent man who is accused of murdering his neighbor. But Eddie has other complications to keep him busy. The local mob has put a hit out on his life. He is going to have to keep his wits about him to defend his client amidst extremely mysterious circumstances while also keeping himself alive.

Cavanaugh writes a fast paced, complex plot full of fascinating characters. I think it would be helpful to have read the previous books in this series because there are a few characters in this story that probably have a very colorful backstory. While I highly recommend this book; buckle up because there are multiple POVs and a couple side stories to keep the thriller lover guessing until the very end!

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025]]> 4.15 2024
author: Steve Cavanagh
name: Kim
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/29
date added: 2025/01/29
shelves: netgalley
review:
‘Kill for Me Kill for You�� made me a big Steve Cavanaugh fan last year. This is book 8 in the Eddie Flynn series but all of the books in this collection can be read as stand alones.

In this story Eddie Flynn has his work cut out for him when he accepts a case to defend an innocent man who is accused of murdering his neighbor. But Eddie has other complications to keep him busy. The local mob has put a hit out on his life. He is going to have to keep his wits about him to defend his client amidst extremely mysterious circumstances while also keeping himself alive.

Cavanaugh writes a fast paced, complex plot full of fascinating characters. I think it would be helpful to have read the previous books in this series because there are a few characters in this story that probably have a very colorful backstory. While I highly recommend this book; buckle up because there are multiple POVs and a couple side stories to keep the thriller lover guessing until the very end!

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 25, 2025
]]> 211004079 A woman invited to her wealthy fiance’s family retreat realizes they are hiding a terrible secret—and that she’s been there before, by the bestselling author of What Lies in the Woods.

A whirlwind romance.
When Theodora Scott met Connor—wealthy, charming, and a member of the powerful Dalton family—she fell in love in an instant. Six months later, he’s brought her to Idlewood, his family’s isolated winter retreat, to win over his skeptical relatives.

Stay away from Connor Dalton.
Theo has tried to ignore the threatening messages on her phone, but she can’t ignore the footprints in the snow outside the cabin window or the strange sense of familiarity she has about this place. Then, in a disused cabin, Theo finds something impossible: a photo of herself as a child. A photo taken at Idlewood.

I’ve been here before.
Theo has almost no recollection of her earliest years, but now she begins to piece together the fragments of her memories. Someone here has a shocking secret that they will do anything to keep hidden, and Theo is in terrible danger. Because the Daltons do not lose, and discovering what happened at Idlewood may cost Theo everything.]]> 291 Kate Alice Marshall 1250343054 Kim 5 netgalley, botm, favorites
Theo Scott has a troubled past. Adopted at four years old, she has scant memories in the years prior. She doesn’t even know her real name. She feels like a non person drifting through this big world. But when Conner Dalton enters her life, they enjoy a whirlwind romance and a quick proposal of marriage. Now Theo has love. Now she belongs to someone.

When they go to meet Dalton’s wealthy family at their isolated mountain retreat, Theo has every intention of trying to fit into her new family. But she is receiving sinister text messages discouraging her from attending. Who is sending them? When she arrives at Idlewood, she experiences some weird deja vu and pieces of memories start to come back. Why is this place familiar? And why do the members of the Dalton family seem to be holding dark secrets? Who can she trust in this remote snowy place?

I loved every word of this story! It has a complex plot and I did not know who to trust. I will read anything this author writes and can’t wait for her next book!

Thank you Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 4, 2025]]> 3.80 2025
author: Kate Alice Marshall
name: Kim
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/23
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: netgalley, botm, favorites
review:
This was the perfect snowy thriller to read during the coldest, dreariest month of the year! Kate Alice Marshall has brought us another twisty story to wile away a snowy afternoon.

Theo Scott has a troubled past. Adopted at four years old, she has scant memories in the years prior. She doesn’t even know her real name. She feels like a non person drifting through this big world. But when Conner Dalton enters her life, they enjoy a whirlwind romance and a quick proposal of marriage. Now Theo has love. Now she belongs to someone.

When they go to meet Dalton’s wealthy family at their isolated mountain retreat, Theo has every intention of trying to fit into her new family. But she is receiving sinister text messages discouraging her from attending. Who is sending them? When she arrives at Idlewood, she experiences some weird deja vu and pieces of memories start to come back. Why is this place familiar? And why do the members of the Dalton family seem to be holding dark secrets? Who can she trust in this remote snowy place?

I loved every word of this story! It has a complex plot and I did not know who to trust. I will read anything this author writes and can’t wait for her next book!

Thank you Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 4, 2025
]]> 209439446
Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.]]> 527 Rebecca Yarros 1649374186 Kim 0 dnf
Iron Flame irritated me. But I pulled it off my dnf shelf and finished it to prepare for Onyx Storm.

Onyx Storm is not the story I thought it would be. I don’t understand what is happening, I don’t know who these side characters are, and I JUST CAN’T CARE! I wish I did care. Someone tried to encourage me by explaining that OS is a “bridge book�� in the series. I DON’T WANT TO READ A BRIDGE BOOK! I want to read a story, I want Fourth Wing to continue and flow and draw me in and entertain me. I hate filler and fluff. I think IF and OS are full of filler material and more unnecessary world building.

Many people are loving OS and the series and I am sincerely happy for your joy.

But I am done. I’m moving on with my life. I’m going to treasure my special edition Fourth Wing and the amazing story inside its pages and pretend it was a stand alone.]]> 4.18 2025
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Kim
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves: dnf
review:
I love, love, loved Fourth Wing, flew through that book with joy!

Iron Flame irritated me. But I pulled it off my dnf shelf and finished it to prepare for Onyx Storm.

Onyx Storm is not the story I thought it would be. I don’t understand what is happening, I don’t know who these side characters are, and I JUST CAN’T CARE! I wish I did care. Someone tried to encourage me by explaining that OS is a “bridge book�� in the series. I DON’T WANT TO READ A BRIDGE BOOK! I want to read a story, I want Fourth Wing to continue and flow and draw me in and entertain me. I hate filler and fluff. I think IF and OS are full of filler material and more unnecessary world building.

Many people are loving OS and the series and I am sincerely happy for your joy.

But I am done. I’m moving on with my life. I’m going to treasure my special edition Fourth Wing and the amazing story inside its pages and pretend it was a stand alone.
]]> 90202302 “The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity.�� —Xaden Riorson

Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders�� capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.]]> 623 Rebecca Yarros 1649374178 Kim 3
Update:

Ok I pulled this off my dnf shelf and finished it. I’m ready and hopeful for ONYX STORM tomorrow!]]> 4.33 2023
author: Rebecca Yarros
name: Kim
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/01/24
shelves:
review:
Started at page 275 as recommended by a trusted bookstagrammer. DNF at page 400, I’m bored.

Update:

Ok I pulled this off my dnf shelf and finished it. I’m ready and hopeful for ONYX STORM tomorrow!
]]> 203579177 From the bestselling author of Hidden Pictures comes a breathtaking work of suspense about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.

Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.

He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that delves deep into the heart of one family, The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense from a true modern master.]]> 338 Jason Rekulak 1250895782 Kim 5 favorites, botm 3.62 2024
author: Jason Rekulak
name: Kim
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/18
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: favorites, botm
review:
I loved every minute of this immersive and atmospheric thriller! Frank’s only daughter is getting married! And even though he and Maggie have been estranged for 3 years, she has invited him to walk her down the aisle. Frank is overjoyed at the opportunity to mend their relationship but he has NO IDEA what is in store for him! This story is full of suspense, tension and unexpected surprises all along the way. I couldn’t put this one down!
]]> 62703226 At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

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

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer��I want to tell you everything.

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

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.]]> 383 Riley Sager 0593183223 Kim 0 dnf, botm 4.12 2023
author: Riley Sager
name: Kim
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: dnf, botm
review:
DNF at 40% and moving on! Way too slow, repetitive, and forced suspense. So disappointing, I really enjoyed his first 3-4 books but these last 3 have been misses for me. Glad I had the foresight to borrow from Libby instead of order from botm.
]]> 204294824
Dark and twisting at every turn, fans of Catriona Ward will love this chilling new tale from the deviously inventive horror author that Peter Farris calls the “clear heir to Stephen King.��

Beware the one who got away . . .

Father Silence once terrorized the rural town of Twisted Tree, disguising himself as a priest to prey on the most vulnerable members of society. When the police finally found his “House of Horrors,�� they uncovered nineteen bodies and one survivor–a boy now locked away in a hospital for the criminally insane.

Nearly two decades later, Father Silence is finally put to death, but by the next morning, the detective who made the original arrest is found dead. A new serial killer is taking credit for the murder and calling himself the Outcast.

The detective’s daughter, Tess Claibourne, is a detective herself, haunted by childhood trauma and horrified by the death of her father and the resurgence of Father Silence’s legacy.

When Tess’s daughter is kidnapped by the Outcast, Tess is forced to face her worst fears and long-buried memories. With no leads to follow, she travels back to Twisted Tree to visit the boy who survived and see what secrets might be buried in the tangled web of his broken mind.

With captivating prose and an old-school horror flair, Sleep Tight is a must-read, haunting tale from a true master of the genre.]]> 336 J.H. Markert 1639108734 Kim 0 dnf, botm 3.64 2024
author: J.H. Markert
name: Kim
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: dnf, botm
review:
DNF at page 100. May finish it when it comes in on Libby.
]]> 216455838 THE HIGHER YOU FLY��

In the dazzling lights of Thailand, socialite Lila Wilde is ready for the best night of her life. When her fame-hungry DJ boyfriend proposes in an exclusive nightclub, Lila impulsively invites a mix of celebrities and strangers to continue the celebrations back at her luxurious villa �� only a short flight away over the lush Thai jungle.

THE HARDER YOU FALL.

The mood on Lila's private jet is electric, pulsing with music, champagne, and the promise of an unforgettable afterparty. But as the plane cuts through the night sky, excitement turns to tension. And when the lights suddenly go out, a sinister new game begins. Trapped at 30,000 feet, secrets unravel, trust shatters, and the party turns truly deadly.

Fasten your seatbelt �� this is a ride you won’t forget.

The Private Jet is a totally addictive psychological thriller with twists and turns you just won’t see coming. Fans of The Castaways, The Hunting Party and The White Lotus will be totally gripped from the very first page until the final, breath-taking conclusion.

–�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē�ē���

Readers LOVE Sarah ‘Wow! This just got under my skin from the start and I couldn't put it down! I flew through it in a day and loved every second��⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Suspense, twists, deceit�� I had my heart in my mouth the whole time�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��IT WAS SO GOOD�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Utterly unputdownable�� You’re going to love every single twisty page!!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��INTENSE�� My heart was pounding�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘I started this book today and finished it in one sitting. I literally could not put it down�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘Definitely a five-star read. I couldn't put this one down. It never failed to keep me on the edge of my seat�� Such a great ending too!!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

��Wow! I read this way too quickly, I really didn't want it to end�� Amazing�� Loved it!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐��

‘You'll be on the edge of your seat, racing to finish this book�� I read this book one afternoon. I simply could not put it down. I cannot wait until a friend reads this book because I want to discuss it�� Get a copy now!!�� ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐]]> 347 Sarah Goodwin 0008732809 Kim 4 netgalley
Thank you Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 13, 2025]]> 4.15 2025
author: Sarah Goodwin
name: Kim
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: netgalley
review:
Twisty and hard to put down! Lila Wilde, daughter of a rockstar, doesn’t want the party to end. So she and her star struck boyfriend invite a group of virtual strangers, mostly a group of celebrities and influencers, to join them at her dad’s villa in Thailand just an hour away by plane. But trapped at 30,000 feet, things take a sinister turn and some may not live to tell about it. This storyline was exciting and addicting to read, overall a great survival thriller.

Thank you Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 13, 2025
]]> 195945941 Whisper Network and Cutting Teeth.

The Strauss family is on knife’s edge. Sam is a resentful stay-at-home dad. Rachel feels the restlessness in her blood returning. Their children are getting out of hand. And a recent mudslide has forced the wolves out of the woods to look for food. As dusk falls and tensions rise, the family must come together to survive the night—from the threats outside and those within.

Chandler Baker’s 'Big Bad' is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.]]> 59 Chandler Baker 1662514891 Kim 4 3.75 2023
author: Chandler Baker
name: Kim
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:
I would LOVE a full length novel of this one! Seriously, this was so good! And I almost laid it down because I thought it was headed down my most despised thriller trope. Glad I stuck with it, loved it! This is one of the short stories in Amazon’s Creature Feature collection and is available on KU
]]> 203801479 Rachael has it.

Harley wants it.

But what’s the true price of fame?

Rachael Carmichael was a global movie star, living in a glamorous world of red carpets, money, awards—and a high-profile wedding to director Greg Foster. So why did she become a total recluse when they divorced?

Aspiring actress Harley Roth is desperate to be as famous as her aunt Rachael. But even with her industry connections, she’s still stuck on the outside, waiting for her big break.

So when Harley hears there may be a biopic in the works about her aunt, she jumps at the chance. After all, everyone has always told her she looks exactly like Rachael—so who better to play the part? To her surprise, Rachael welcomes Harley into her life, and agrees to talk for the first time about her marriage, and the mysteries surrounding it.

But the movie industry is a world of ruthless ambition, underhand favours and twisted promises. After a lifetime of acting, can Harley trust that Rachael is telling her the truth? Because family ties don’t mean the same to everyone, and fame always comes at its own cost…]]> 411 Caitlin Devlin 1662518250 Kim 4 netgalley
Rachel Carmichael was the most famous global movie star of her time. When her high profile marriage ends, she becomes a recluse overnight. Harley Roth is Rachel’s niece. She is desperate to make it big, as an actor, in Hollywood. But in spite of her relationship to Rachel, she has not succeeded. When Harley discovers that a movie is being made about Rachel’s life, she is all over that. This is the big break she needs to propel her to stardom. Surprisingly, Rachel welcomes Harley into her world and is ready to tell her story. But is Rachel telling the truth? It is Hollywood after all!

I love stories that explore family dynamics and I love stories that expose the inside glamorous world of the rich and famous. I think people who enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid will also love this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 25, 2025]]> 3.83
author: Caitlin Devlin
name: Kim
average rating: 3.83
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/16
date added: 2025/01/16
shelves: netgalley
review:
I really enjoyed this one. I took it on vacation and it kept me entertained without having to think too hard. This is a slow burn family drama, told in alternating POVs, using the glittery and seedy side of Hollywood as a backdrop.

Rachel Carmichael was the most famous global movie star of her time. When her high profile marriage ends, she becomes a recluse overnight. Harley Roth is Rachel’s niece. She is desperate to make it big, as an actor, in Hollywood. But in spite of her relationship to Rachel, she has not succeeded. When Harley discovers that a movie is being made about Rachel’s life, she is all over that. This is the big break she needs to propel her to stardom. Surprisingly, Rachel welcomes Harley into her world and is ready to tell her story. But is Rachel telling the truth? It is Hollywood after all!

I love stories that explore family dynamics and I love stories that expose the inside glamorous world of the rich and famous. I think people who enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid will also love this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 25, 2025
]]> 211399646 The caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel finds herself fighting for her life—and sanity—in this twisty, addictive thriller.

Kerry’s life is in shambles: Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal—the one that was supposed to change everything—is looming, she can’t write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh.

But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ...]]> 333 Leah Konen 059371590X Kim 0 to-read 3.38 2025
author: Leah Konen
name: Kim
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 54798460
In a posh home in the Boston suburbs, Julian tries to figure out what happened to his loving, caring wife, Cassandra, who disappeared without a trace two years ago. She would never have left him and their seven-year-old daughter Valentina of her own free will—or would she?

As these two lives intersect, The Stranger in the Mirror hooks readers with riveting drama, told with Liv Constantine’s hallmark blend of glamour, tense psychological thrills, and jaw-dropping twists.]]> 336 Liv Constantine Kim 3
This is highly entertaining and fast paced in the signature Liv Constantine style. But at some point it just becomes unbelievable. And I like unbelievable. But this is unbelievably unbelievable! ]]> 3.70 2021
author: Liv Constantine
name: Kim
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/09
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves:
review:
STOP IT!!!

This is highly entertaining and fast paced in the signature Liv Constantine style. But at some point it just becomes unbelievable. And I like unbelievable. But this is unbelievably unbelievable!
]]> 203048799 In this haunting journey into the confusion and desires of growing up, a therapist reluctantly returns to her hometown, where she revisits the memories that could reveal what really killed her best friend all those years ago.

Devon Mayes thought she was done with the small conservative town she once called home. She fled when she was eighteen after her best friend Summer took her own life, leaving Summer’s twin brother, Keaton, lost in his grief. But when tragedy strikes again, Devon has nowhere to turn but back to the place that first broke her heart.

Being back in Arkana means struggling with the old guilt that shrouds her bisexuality and her feelings for Keaton. There’s so much she’s still hiding from him—and so much of their shared past that’s now resurfacing.

It’s not long before Devon has reason to believe Summer’s tragic death wasn’t suicide after all. Summer had secrets, too…and she wasn’t the only one who didn’t want them exposed.

As Devon and Keaton piece together the mystery of what happened that fateful summer, they must reckon with their own truths before they can move forward. But one person will do whatever it takes to stop them.]]> Heather Levy Kim 4 netgalley
This story was really fast paced and plotted well. It is told in past and present timelines and it is part coming of age and current day murder mystery. I really felt for Devon, a bisexual teen, growing up in small town America surrounded by conservative Christians, including her parents. I felt for her as an adult who, after going through the heartbreak of losing her best friend, also experiences a nightmarish assault during her practicuum. She has a lot of hard stuff to work through in order to help people at work. I think this is an important piece of literature for anyone struggling to reconcile their reality with societal expectations.

Thank you Netgalley, Montlake, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 11, 2025]]> 4.35 2025
author: Heather Levy
name: Kim
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: netgalley
review:
This is a heavy and haunting tale. Devon Mayes is placed on mandatory leave to work through her demons that are affecting her at work. She is unable to do this without returning to her hometown, Arkana, a place she swore she would never visit again. Thirteen years ago, her best friend, Summer, committed suicide. Summer’s twin brother, Keaton, never stopped grieving her death. Devon and Keaton reignite their friendship and, together, try to put the pieces of their lives back together. Both dealing with feelings of suspicion, they agree that Summer’s suicide may not have been a suicide at all. As they delve into the past to solve this mystery once and for all they discover that someone doesn’t want them to find the truth.

This story was really fast paced and plotted well. It is told in past and present timelines and it is part coming of age and current day murder mystery. I really felt for Devon, a bisexual teen, growing up in small town America surrounded by conservative Christians, including her parents. I felt for her as an adult who, after going through the heartbreak of losing her best friend, also experiences a nightmarish assault during her practicuum. She has a lot of hard stuff to work through in order to help people at work. I think this is an important piece of literature for anyone struggling to reconcile their reality with societal expectations.

Thank you Netgalley, Montlake, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 11, 2025
]]> 217204795 When is cold-blooded murder justified?

New Orleans Detective Nikki Mayeaux has decided it’s when a technicality sets a serial rapist free.

Jaded and frustrated, this latest injustice brings her to a boiling point. She arrives at the monster’s home intending to end his reign of terror, only to find someone else got there first. His throat slit, his lifeless body left in the front seat of his car.

Only one person wanted him dead more than her - his final victim - a girl of only sixteen who has vanished in the seedy underbelly of the French Quarter where residents will go to great lengths to protect their own, even when their own is a killer.

When is cold-blooded murder justified?

End a killer.
End a cop.
Sometimes, both.]]> 358 J.D. Barker Kim 4 netgalley
I will read anything JD Barker writes and, even when he writes collaboratively, I can always find his voice. This book is fast paced and filled with surprises and twists that I did not see coming! If you enjoy a well written police procedural then put this one on your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley, Hampton Creek Press and the authors for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 4, 2025]]> 3.56
author: J.D. Barker
name: Kim
average rating: 3.56
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves: netgalley
review:
Dark, gritty and filled with revenge! New Orleans detective, Nikki Mayeaux, has been appointed lead on the investigation of a prominent man who was found brutally murdered in his own garage. Ironically, Nikki watched it happen because she was there to kill him herself. Is murder ever justifiable? That’s the big question in this story surrounding rich, powerful men who abuse young, vulnerable girls. With the chaos of Mardi Gras in full swing and the French Quarter filled with Gutter Punks who protect their own, Nikki and her partner, Keith Teague, have their work cut out for them trying to find Emma. Because Emma is their main suspect in a countdown of grisly murders.

I will read anything JD Barker writes and, even when he writes collaboratively, I can always find his voice. This book is fast paced and filled with surprises and twists that I did not see coming! If you enjoy a well written police procedural then put this one on your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley, Hampton Creek Press and the authors for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 4, 2025
]]> 213725553 In a twisty and provocative thriller debut, Elle Owens tells the story of a young mother whose husband vanishes without a trace, and their shared playlist holds the only key to bringing him back.

When her husband goes missing, Marissa Creighton fears the worst. Tell me you trust me was the last thing Ethan said to her, and she’d shrugged it off. Now she can’t get those words out of her head.

Marissa’s family has always been her rock. But when they come to help her with two-year-old Logan, their overprotectiveness borders on oppression—occupational hazard of the family’s surveillance business, or is it? Seeking comfort in the playlist she and Ethan share, Marissa is shocked to find a new song “Trust Me.�� She’s certain it’s a message.

Using song titles as code, she and Ethan start communicating back and forth. But she still doesn’t understand why he left. While his messages point to incriminating documents, her family uncovers evidence of an affair. But their discoveries come with their own baggage, including personal threats, secret bank accounts, and dusty surveillance devices. All the while Marissa wonders whether she’ll ever learn the truth—or see her husband again.]]> 297 Elle Owens 1662525583 Kim 3 netgalley
When Marissa realizes her husband is missing, her parents and brother come over to offer help and support. But something is off about her family. To add to the mystery, Ethan works for Marissa’s father. But she doesn’t even know what they do, not really. To deal with her anxiety, Marissa seeks out her music and discovers that Ethan has added a new song to her playlist titled “Trust Me��. She quickly realizes that her husband has left secret clues and messages for her to find to explain his absence. But, instead of finding answers, she begins to uncover a web of lies, secrets and deceit. And she has no idea who to trust.

This was fast paced and easy to read. The plot line was mysterious but the ending was a bit of a letdown and I never really connected to the characters. Nevertheless this was a pretty good debut and I would read this author’s next book.

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 11, 2025]]> 4.00
author: Elle Owens
name: Kim
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: netgalley
review:
Marissa Creighton is enjoying another pleasant morning with her young son and ready to send her husband, Ethan, off to work for the day. Strangely, Ethan is not dressed in his usual work attire and as he lingeringly says “goodbye�� for the day, his final words, before stepping through the door are, “Tell me you trust me��. “Of course I trust you�� she exclaims! And he disappears through the door for the last time.

When Marissa realizes her husband is missing, her parents and brother come over to offer help and support. But something is off about her family. To add to the mystery, Ethan works for Marissa’s father. But she doesn’t even know what they do, not really. To deal with her anxiety, Marissa seeks out her music and discovers that Ethan has added a new song to her playlist titled “Trust Me��. She quickly realizes that her husband has left secret clues and messages for her to find to explain his absence. But, instead of finding answers, she begins to uncover a web of lies, secrets and deceit. And she has no idea who to trust.

This was fast paced and easy to read. The plot line was mysterious but the ending was a bit of a letdown and I never really connected to the characters. Nevertheless this was a pretty good debut and I would read this author’s next book.

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on February 11, 2025
]]> 220161384 An English professor’s deadly past comes back to haunt her in this chilling and sexy thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Vi Keeland.

As a college English professor, Elizabeth looks forward to the start of each new semester teaching her creative writing seminar. At least until she reads chapter one of The Reckoning, a tale about a high school senior who has an affair with her teacher. To anyone else it would be the beginning of a great page-turner, but to Elizabeth it is the beginning of the end.

She knows this story. It’s all familiar because she lived it. The girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows exactly how the story will end—with the professor dead. Because she was the one who killed him.

Someone knows what Elizabeth did twenty years ago and her secret is about to be exposed, but who is the mystery student submitting the chapters? In an effort to find out, Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown where it soon becomes clear that no matter how many years have gone by, she can’t escape her past.]]> 288 Vi Keeland 1668047497 Kim 0 to-read 4.24 2025
author: Vi Keeland
name: Kim
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 211004069 In Melissa Larsen's The Lost House comes the mesmerizing story of a young woman with a haunting past who returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family.

Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow, lying together as peacefully as though sleeping. Except the mother’s throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. There were no arrests, no conviction. Just a suspicion turned into a the husband did it. When he took his son and fled halfway across the world to California, it was proof enough of his guilt.

Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, is ready to clear her grandfather’s name once and for all. Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than an excuse to escape the shambles of her once-stable life—which is why she so readily accepts true crime expert Nora Carver’s invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast. Agnes packs a bag and hops on a last-minute flight to the remote town of Bifröst, Iceland, where Nora is staying, where Agnes’s father grew up, and where, supposedly, her grandfather slaughtered his wife and infant daughter.

Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives? Suddenly, Agnes and Nora’s investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect. Seeking to unearth old and new truths alike, Agnes finds herself drawn into a web of secrets that threaten the redemption she is hell-bent on delivering, and even her life—discovering how far a person will go to protect their family, their safety, and their secrets.

Set against an unforgiving Icelandic winter landscape, The Lost House is a chilling and razor-sharp thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave you breathless.]]> 352 Melissa Larsen 1250332877 Kim 4 netgalley
Agnes, anxious to escape her messy life, travels to Bifrost, Iceland, the home of her father and grandparents. There, with the help of Nora Carver, the host of a True Crime podcast, she hopes to, once and for all, clear her grandfather’s name in the murder of his wife and baby daughter from decades ago. But shortly after arriving in this bitter cold landscape, a local girl goes missing, sending the podcast investigation into a tailspin.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the cold setting, it was the perfect backdrop for a winter read.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on January 14, 2025]]> 3.52 2025
author: Melissa Larsen
name: Kim
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2025
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: netgalley
review:
Atmospheric, twisty and suspenseful!

Agnes, anxious to escape her messy life, travels to Bifrost, Iceland, the home of her father and grandparents. There, with the help of Nora Carver, the host of a True Crime podcast, she hopes to, once and for all, clear her grandfather’s name in the murder of his wife and baby daughter from decades ago. But shortly after arriving in this bitter cold landscape, a local girl goes missing, sending the podcast investigation into a tailspin.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the cold setting, it was the perfect backdrop for a winter read.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on January 14, 2025
]]> 195945795
Willy and Marianne’s farmhouse in Maine has acres of meadow and fresh air, and a lonesome bridle path in the forest along which Willy daydreams and ambles. When he’s loaned a decrepit old baby stroller to cart his groceries home, the rickety squeak of the wheels comforts him. So do the sweet coos of a baby Willy knows can’t be real. Can it? In this twisted thicket, wishes come true—with a price.

Joe Hill’s The Pram is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.]]> 58 Joe Hill 1662516894 Kim 5 3.75 2023
author: Joe Hill
name: Kim
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/02
shelves:
review:
Eek, chilling short story! I’ve read two short stories by this author recently and both have creeped me out. Definitely going to prioritize some of his full length novels this year. This is available on KU in the Creature Feature collection.
]]> 195945937 Hell of a Book.

For best friends with vastly different fortunes, what’s left to hash out other than a forced confession at gunpoint? All that the destitute, sickly, and grieving Will demands is that monstrously successful Barry admit to draining all the luck right out of him. Like blood. As the standoff escalates, the truth is not the only thing ready to come out.

Jason Mott’s 'Best of Luck' is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.]]> 29 Jason Mott 1662516711 Kim 5 3.74 2023
author: Jason Mott
name: Kim
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
I loved watching Creature Feature on Saturdays when I was a kid! This is a perfect short story with a modern take on creepy creatures! You can find this short story on Amazon KU in the Creature Feature collection.
]]> 195945776 The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. Marcus grew up believing his father killed his mother—then blamed it on the boogeyman under the bed. Always leave the lights on, his father warned, or the boogeyman will get you. Marcus still heeds the superstition, especially when he invites his new girlfriend over.

Is Marcus haunted by a creature or has he just inherited his father’s murderous delusions? The night will tell.

Grady Hendrix’s 'Ankle Snatcher' is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.]]> 29 Grady Hendrix 166251705X Kim 5 3.71 2023
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Kim
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
Yikes, this one might give me nightmares! This is my first Grady Hendrix read and I may have to read some other books by this author now. The fun part about reading these short stories in the Creature Feature Amazon collection is experiencing new to me authors.
]]> 195945925 Bird Box. The dense Michigan forest. Haunting wails. The clip-clop of demon hooves on a bridge to nowhere. It’s more than a tall tale to Brenda Jennings, whose sister disappeared in those woods one fateful night. Three years later, on a solo stakeout in the dark, Brenda goes in after her. She’s desperate for answers, and terrified to find what lies waiting on the other side of that bridge.

Josh Malerman’s 'It Waits in the Woods' is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.]]> 52 Josh Malerman 1662518315 Kim 4 3.70 2023
author: Josh Malerman
name: Kim
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:
Super creepy short story in the Creature Feature collection on Amazon. Would love to read this in a full length novel!
]]> 50492330 A haunting tale of suspense, rendered with the masterful skill only NY Times Bestseller Barker could muster.

After the loss of his parents, young Jack Thatch first met Stella as a child—this cryptic little girl of eight with dark hair and darker eyes, sitting alone on a bench in the cemetery clutching her favorite book. Gone moments later, the brief encounter would spark an obsession. She'd creep into his thoughts, his every waking moment, until he finally finds her again exactly one year later, sitting upon the same bench, only to disappear again soon after.

The body of a man found in an alley, every inch of his flesh horribly burned, yet his clothing completely untouched. For Detective Faustino Brier, this wasn't the first, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. It was no different from the others. He'd find another just like it one year from today. August 9, to be exact.

Isolated and locked away from the world in a shadowy lab, a little boy known only as Subject "D" waits, grows, learns. He's permitted to speak to no one. He has never known the touch of another. Harboring a power so horrific, those in control will never allow him beyond their walls.

All of them linked in ways unimaginable.

SHE HAS A BROKEN THING WHERE HER HEART SHOULD BE conjures thoughts of early King and Koontz. A heart-pounding ride that creeps under your skin and will have you turning pages long into the night.


“J.D. Barker is a one-of-a-kind writer and that’s a rare and special thing. Stephen King comes to mind and Lee Child, John Sandford. All one-of-a-kinds. Don’t miss anything J.D. writes.��
—James Patterson, #1 International Bestselling Author

“A talented writer with a delightfully devious mind!��
—Jeffery Deaver, NY Times Bestselling Author

“I don’t say this lightly: J.D. Barker is a force to be reckoned with.��
—Tosca Lee, NY Times Bestselling Author]]> 774 J.D. Barker 1734210400 Kim 5 favorites 4.40 2020
author: J.D. Barker
name: Kim
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves: favorites
review:
All the stars!! ⭐️ This book is 720 pages of epic perfection! It is a journey, spanning decades and worth every single word. Of course it has a strong flavor of Dicken’s Great Expectations and you will be hard pressed not to see it mentioned everwhere inside these pages. But I also got some strong Goldfinch and even XMen vibes and I loved every single minute of it! I’m going to miss these characters and I want to know where they are now. What are they doing these days? How are the kids? I really hope Barker writes a sequel to this novel and how has this not been made into a blockbuster movie yet?
]]> 195945770 The Cabin at the End of the World and The Beast You Are.

Journalist Heidi Cohen is in Cape Cod investigating the sources of recurring toxic algae blooms along the coast. A local named Jimmy has his own theory for her. Every year the fetid growth gets worse—but it’s been going on longer than anyone knows. Decades ago, something happened to Jimmy that he’s never forgotten. Is Heidi ready for the real story?

Paul Tremblay’s 'In Bloom' is part of Creature Feature, a collection of devilishly creepy stories that tingle the spine and twist the mind. They can be read or listened to in one petrifying sitting.]]> 35 Paul Tremblay 1662516908 Kim 3 3.05 2023
author: Paul Tremblay
name: Kim
average rating: 3.05
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/30
date added: 2024/12/30
shelves:
review:
This is my third book in Amazon’s Creature Feature collection and I did not connect with this one as much as the other two. Maybe this author is just not for me?
]]> 210454085 120+ recipes for delicious, soul-warming comfort food . . . and getting it ready in a hurry—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Half Baked Harvest Every Day.

Colorful. Convenient. Comforting.

Mega-bestselling author Tieghan Gerard is busier than ever—always creating recipes, taking photographs, and collaborating with friends. In her fourth cookbook, she returns with a collection of more than 120 recipes that reflect the way she cooks now: simple ingredients, easy to get on the table, short on time yet big on flavor.

Having cooked for her large family from a young age, Tieghan loves the feeling of sharing great food—and now she wants to share that feeling with you. This collection leans into the comfort food she’s known for, but with an eye toward getting it ready in a hurry. With many recipes doable in one pot or pan, most in under forty-five minutes, and a more-is-more focus on flavor (but not ingredients), you’ll be feasting fast. Start your day with Maple Bacon Pancakes with Bourbon Maple Syrup, snack on Cheesy Roasted Shallot Bread, and make Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Bang Bang Sauce your family’s new favorite. Enjoy delicious twists like Sheet Pan Mac & Cheese with All the Crispy Edges, and, of course, finish it all off with something sweet, like a Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.

Relying on basic ingredients and Tieghan’s signature knack for making sauces and dressings that you’ll want to double to keep on hand at all times, these recipes will make your meals feel like a warm hug. If you’ve ever needed a belly full of comfort and a plate bursting with fresh, unexpected flavors—and wanted it all right now��Half Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy is for you.]]> 288 Tieghan Gerard 0593232577 Kim 0 to-read 4.13
author: Tieghan Gerard
name: Kim
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219603177 One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family. Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.

Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family’s downfall onto a luxury train from Philadelphia to Chicago, an overnight journey of fourteen hours. Her goal? Confront the people who’ve wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. Justice will at last be served.

But Anna’s plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. As the train barrels through the night, it becomes clear that someone else on board is enacting their own form of revenge—and that they won’t stop until everyone else is dead.

With time running out before the train reaches its destination, Anna is forced to hunt the killer in their midst while protecting the people she hates the most. In order to destroy her enemies, she must first save them—even though it means putting her own life at risk.]]> 400 Riley Sager 0593472403 Kim 0 to-read 3.65 2025
author: Riley Sager
name: Kim
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 219798546 I’ll Be Alone For Christmas is a suspenseful novella filled with terror, a dash of gore, and packed with Christmas spirit.

Romee's winter break was planned out months ahead. A week at a cabin in the woods sounded romantic, and maybe it was just what her boyfriend of two years needed to pop the question.

Instead, he proposed they break up, a week before they were destined to wake up Christmas morning, happier than ever. Heartbroken but undaunted, Romee embarks on a solitary journey to the remote cabin, yearning for peace and closure in the tranquil snowscape. Six nights of isolation, wine, and TV shows seemed like the perfect remedy for a breakup.

Yet, from the moment she arrives, an ominous presence clings to her. The house is old, creaking and shifting, as if harboring another occupant. Bizarre occurrences escalate as each day passes, blurring the line between reality and a nightmare, making her question everything. She is alone, right?

When Romee decides it’s time to leave the vacation rental early, it’s already too late. Snowed in and unable to escape, she has to survive the frigid conditions and limited resources... And the possibility that someone sees her when she’s sleeping and knows when she’s awake.]]> Kristin Mulligan Kim 4 3.72 2024
author: Kristin Mulligan
name: Kim
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves:
review:
This was a fun Christmas novella. Definitely keeping this story in mind the next time we rent an Airbnb!
]]> 207974351 From award winning and internationally bestselling crime writer Catherine Ryan Howard comes Burn After Reading, an addictive and twisty new thriller about a man who may have committed murder and the ghostwriter charged with helping him protest his innocence.

A year ago, former professional cyclist Jack Smyth lost his wife in a fire at their home. But the nation’s sympathy turned to anger when it emerged that she had died before the fire started, in a violent attack. Although Jack has never been charged in connection to her death, a suffocating cloud of suspicion hangs over him and he’s become convinced that the only way out is to tell his side of the story.

When Emily Joyce is offered the gig as his ghostwriter, her main motivation for saying yes is the payday. She flies out to the eerie, empty, master-planned town of Sanctuary, Florida, to hole up with Jack for a week, getting his story down.

But the story Jack tells isn’t the one she expected, and soon Emily is thrown into a dangerous plot twist that she may not be able to write her way out of …]]> 213 Catherine Ryan Howard 1982694742 Kim 0 to-read 3.89 2024
author: Catherine Ryan Howard
name: Kim
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 217538341 25 days, 25 chapters. This December, the countdown to Christmas will chill you to the bone.

Hoping to bring his family closer together, Adam Gray arranges a vacation in a remote cabin on a snowy mountain. Things take a dark turn, however, when someone starts leaving gifts in the Christmas stocking mounted on the barn door.

Each morning brings something new, and with every passing day, the contents become more terrifying. Soon, the family makes a spine-chilling they’ve been dragged into a deranged game of Secret Santa, and if they want to survive, they will have to fight.]]> 360 Per Jacobsen 8794319308 Kim 3 3.65
author: Per Jacobsen
name: Kim
average rating: 3.65
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:
I don’t know, I just don’t know. I loved the concept of an Advent Thriller and it started out really promising. But somewhere along the way it went off the rails. I finished it last night on Day 20 of the 25 days and while the ending had great potential, it left me feeling puzzled and frustrated after reading this for most of the month.
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