Thank you so much to Kate Rock Book Tours and Jamie Gehring for my copy of Madman in the Woods. The Unabomber has always fascinated me, so getting thiThank you so much to Kate Rock Book Tours and Jamie Gehring for my copy of Madman in the Woods. The Unabomber has always fascinated me, so getting this book was really exciting. This book was about Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, and how the author lived near him in her childhood. Ted was just Ted to her, even with his surprise visits and weird behavior. As an adult, Gehring uses research and learning about Ted's history to reconcile her experiences.
She writes to him, gathers interviews, and uses research and memoir to discuss her chilling experiences with Kaczynski and the man he would become. She did such an amazing job of writing this book and there are lots of interesting details to keep the reader engaged. It was crazy to hear about someone growing up so close to him and how Ted descended to the place where he became the Unabomber. This book is about loss and self-discovery and asks the question of how well we really know our neighbors. 4-stars
Merged review:
Thank you so much to Kate Rock Book Tours and Jamie Gehring for my copy of Madman in the Woods. The Unabomber has always fascinated me, so getting this book was really exciting. This book was about Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, and how the author lived near him in her childhood. Ted was just Ted to her, even with his surprise visits and weird behavior. As an adult, Gehring uses research and learning about Ted's history to reconcile her experiences.
She writes to him, gathers interviews, and uses research and memoir to discuss her chilling experiences with Kaczynski and the man he would become. She did such an amazing job of writing this book and there are lots of interesting details to keep the reader engaged. It was crazy to hear about someone growing up so close to him and how Ted descended to the place where he became the Unabomber. This book is about loss and self-discovery and asks the question of how well we really know our neighbors. 4-stars...more
Thank you so much to Flatiron Books and Jason Rukulak for my copy of this book. It was about Frank, a man who is surprised to hear his only daughter MThank you so much to Flatiron Books and Jason Rukulak for my copy of this book. It was about Frank, a man who is surprised to hear his only daughter Maggie is getting married. She calls him out of the blue after a three year estrangement, and invites him to her wedding. Frank jumps at the chance to make things right, but is surprised to hear that Maggie isn’t marrying just anyone. She is marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire, on a private and luxurious estate. Even though he feels out of place, Frank wants to focus on patching things with Maggie.
Things start to crumble when Maggie has no time for him, Aiden is never around, and then the local’s true feelings about the Gardners start to come out. It seems like the family is involved in a lot more than technology, and Frank wants to get to the bottom of it before it is too late and his daughter is lost forever.
Thoughts: The synopsis really does not describe what this story is truly about, and it was fun to discover the story has many more layers than I thought. I love Rukulak’s writing and enjoyed his last book Hidden Pictures. This story was much less creepy, but had a lot of depth that was so much fun to follow. I loved the setting and the idea of the super rich lifestyle.
I wouldn’t necessarily say this was a thriller, because there weren’t any reveals or twists, which would have added to the book for me. I did love the characters and how much each character added to the story. Be aware there are far too many spiders in this book for my comfort! 4-stars! ...more
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and Ragnar Jónasson for this chilling nordic story. It’s about a sanatorium in the 1980s in northern Iceland. A nThank you so much to Macmillan Audio and Ragnar Jónasson for this chilling nordic story. It’s about a sanatorium in the 1980s in northern Iceland. A nurse is found murdered and there are five other workers, all who may have motive. Then the chief physician is found dead and though it looks like a suicide, it is suspicious timing and odd motive. The case is closed, and 30 years later the case comes back up when a young police officer decides to write his thesis on the murders. As he starts to look more into the past, he finds that everything is not as open and shut as it seemed, and there may have been someone who got away with murder.
Thoughts: This book was just okay for me. I loved the setting of the sanatorium and the deaths in quick succession. The set up to this story was chilling and the characters involved caught my interest. It was a slow burn police procedural that had many mentions of Golden Age mysteries which I truly loved.
The story was a bit abrupt, which could be attributed to the translation. However, all of the mysteries in the book fell flat for me. The minor twist was a bit boring and the murderer was extremely predictable. The ending was so abrupt that it actually confused me and left me with an odd feeling of unease. 3-stars ...more
Thank you so much to Penguin Audio and Liz Moore for my copy of this book. I kept hearing that I should pick it up and I’m so happy that I did. This bThank you so much to Penguin Audio and Liz Moore for my copy of this book. I kept hearing that I should pick it up and I’m so happy that I did. This book is about a summer camp in 1975 and the family that owns it. When their daughter Barbara goes missing from camp, the town, most of whom are employed by the Van Laar’s, descends into chaos. Especially because 14 years previous, Barbara’s brother went missing and was never found.
As the hunt for Barbara begins, secrets about the Van Laar family start to come out. Everyone has them, and the community isn’t blameless either. What follows is an unraveling of secrets going years back, all contributing to the search for a missing girl.
Thoughts: I loved the rich layers in this book. Summer camps are one of my favorite settings for a story, and this mysterious drama was no exception. This was a long book, but flew by with interesting characters and multiple viewpoints. The past and the present came together so well and I couldn’t put this book down.
This book is about wealth and power and gender. It is about sexuality and abuse and addiction. There are so many important themes in this book that create real and raw characters that are easy to love. This book is about the journey and not necessarily the ending, and I loved every minute of it. 5 stars. ...more
Thank you so much to Random House and Valerie Bauerlein for my copy of this unbelievable true crime story. This case is so sad and duplicitous and leaThank you so much to Random House and Valerie Bauerlein for my copy of this unbelievable true crime story. This case is so sad and duplicitous and learning the details was intriguing. It was about Alex Murdaugh and his family and their ties to the law, crime, and his community. He murdered his son and wife and thought he could get away with it. He swindled his clients out of millions of dollars and took advantage of people who trusted him.
This book looks at his ancestors who were also involved with various crimes. While they were mostly lawyers involved in local politics, they also tried to cover up murder and thievery. The author unwinds the roots of Alex’s downfall and why he decided to kill his family. This book is full of wonderful storytelling and accurate research, and is a journey through Alex’s life how he ended up in prison for life. 4.5 stars ...more
THIS BOOK WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. Oh my goodness, thank you so much to Jesse Q. Sutanto and Berkley Publishing for this book. I wTHIS BOOK WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. Oh my goodness, thank you so much to Jesse Q. Sutanto and Berkley Publishing for this book. I want to tell you the synopsis but that was the reason I almost missed out on this book. I would say go into it blind, because it is so much better than what it sounds like.
Thought: This isn’t the influencer story you think it is. I’m going to be honest, I almost didn't read this book because it sounded like every other influencer book out there. It is not. The characters of Aspen and Meredith are duplicitous and dynamic and interesting. The world of high level influencing was interesting to read about and I couldn’t put this book down.
I love a book with layers, and this book had a ton. I flew through this book and enjoyed the gasp out loud moments peppered throughout the story. The ending wasn’t my favorite, as things happened to work out a little too perfectly. I love a messy ending, but despite that, this story was still great! 4.5 stars for this fun thriller. ...more
Thank you so much to Simon Audio and Laurie Elizabeth Flynn for my copy of this book! This book is about June, a woman whose husband drowned on their Thank you so much to Simon Audio and Laurie Elizabeth Flynn for my copy of this book! This book is about June, a woman whose husband drowned on their honeymoon. Now ten years later, right when June is engaged and ready to move on, she sees her first husband Josh and goes into a tailspin. Is he alive? Is it just guilt talking?
She tries to forget what she saw, but then she finds a website for a winery in Napa and the owner’s picture is her first husband. With a wedding coming up, June needs to find out what really happened in the past and decides to go searching for answers. What she finds is buried family secrets that are much more than she could have bargained for.
Thoughts: I love that this book is set in St. Helena and the Napa Valley, because this is right where I grew up. The two narrators were intriguing and I couldn’t wait to see how they were connected. This book was more domestic suspense than thriller, but the mystery was good enough that I couldn’t put it down. There were so many secrets and pieces to the puzzle that it left me guessing until the end.
I did not like the ending at all. I thought there were too many plot holes and not enough explanation to have it make sense. However I did enjoy the themes about motherhood, marriage, and family secrets. The author is a fantastic writer and I can’t wait to pick up whatever she writes next. 4- stars. ...more
Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing for my copy of this book! It’s about Karen, a woman who is murdered on Valentine’s Day. Detective Elise King sThank you so much to Berkley Publishing for my copy of this book! It’s about Karen, a woman who is murdered on Valentine’s Day. Detective Elise King starts to look into her online dating history to see if it had anything to do with the murder. Reporter Kiki Nunn also decides to look into the murder by going undercover in the online dating world to see if she can find anything shady. Finally, Annie is a woman whose son was murdered years before. This new murder is brining up her past in more ways than one, and she starts to regress back to the dark place she thought she left behind.
Thoughts: This was my first Fiona Barton book and I LOVED IT! She is a fantastic writer and did a great job blending multiple storylines together. The characters were fun and interesting to read about. This book was on the longer side but I flew through it because of the way Barton kept hooking me in.
This is the second book in a series, but you don’t have to read the first one to know what is going on. I loved that this book was about women taking back power and being strong on their own. While part of the ending was obvious, the other part was a huge surprise! If you haven’t read her before, I definitely recommend pick this book up! 4.5 stars! ...more
Thank you so much to Rachel Harrison and Berkley Publishing for the perfect spooky season book. You know it’s fall when Rachel Harrison comes out withThank you so much to Rachel Harrison and Berkley Publishing for the perfect spooky season book. You know it’s fall when Rachel Harrison comes out with a new book, and this one was perfect for the season! This book was about Sloan, a woman who is just getting by in life. She is in a predictable and loveless marriage, celebrating her birthday with a friend by going on a girls weekend. When she meets up with her troublemaker friend Naomi, she knows things are going to get wild.
Naomi plans a wild night out, and the friends end up meeting some mysterious strangers. Then things take a turn that completely changes the course of their lives. The friends are now dealing with eternal ramifications of their choices, and all the complicated thoughts and feelings that come with eternal life.
Thoughts: Another fun book, this one about vampires! This was a book about feminism and bloodlust, the perfect combination. This book was a quick and fun read, and gave off Thelma and Louise vibes. I loved the group that the girls met and all of their fun personalities, regardless of the kind of pointless romance thrown in.
This book was about finding happiness and making decisions for ourselves. It is about doing things as a woman and not depending on a man to live our lives. It had such a wonderful female friendship, full of heart, humor, and a bit of horror. 4-stars! ...more
Thank you to Stephanie Wrobel and Berkley Publishing for my copy of this book! It was about a group of friends all meeting for a reunion weekend at a Thank you to Stephanie Wrobel and Berkley Publishing for my copy of this book! It was about a group of friends all meeting for a reunion weekend at a hotel that one of them recently opened. Alfred is the founder, owner, and manager of the Hitchcock hotel, a victorian mansion dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock himself. There are movie props, constant movie showings, and even an aviary full of crows.
To celebrate the first anniversary of the hotel, Alfred invites his former friends from Film Club for a reunion. Even though he hasn’t spoken tot hem in sixteen years, he knows they will come. How could they not after what the did to him? And Alfred isn’t one to forgive or forget. The weekend will end as any good Hickcock film does, with a dead body.
Thoughts: The premise of this book was so much fun. I’m not a huge Hitchcock fan,but I loved all the references and the idea of this hotel. Alfred is horrible, as well as all the other characters actually were. It’s hard to root for any of them, especially once you learn about each of their pasts. They are all so self-righteous, and there are no characters you want to escape unscathed.
The concept and plot of this book are amazing, however the story was very underwhelming. I wanted her to go much darker, but it was all very Scooby Doo and surface level. The reveal was so obvious and there were far too many things that just seemed to fall into place. 3-stars for this one. ...more
Thank you to Penguin Audio and Andrea Mara for my copy of this book. It’s about an online trend of videos being posted online. A masked person comes fThank you to Penguin Audio and Andrea Mara for my copy of this book. It’s about an online trend of videos being posted online. A masked person comes from the attic into someone’s house to promote a reality show. But while Anya is taking a bath one night, the attic hatch opens and she is found dead. Across town her friend Julia sees a video posted online of her house with someone coming out of the attic. Is this real? A warning? And why is Julia being targeted?
Thoughts: This premise is so amazing. I love the idea of videos being filmed in someone’s house because it is so creepy. I can’t imagine what I would do in that eerie situation. Of course I would probably stay home and make sure no one is in my attic, but that’s just me. There was some fun drama in this book and an interesting backstory.
The plot was a bit weak and seemed like it might have been overblown. I can see how Mara created the story, but the connections were a bit weak. I did like how creepy this story was and how many different suspects there were throughout the book. In the end, it was a bit predictable, and still didn’t make much sense, but it was a fun book. 3-stars ...more
Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing, Simon and Schuster Audio, and Ruth McIver for my copy of I Shot the Devil. This story was based on the satThank you so much to Blackstone Publishing, Simon and Schuster Audio, and Ruth McIver for my copy of I Shot the Devil. This story was based on the satanic panic and six friends, three of whom end up dead. Erin is a journalist, and is looking deeper into what happened in the past. She was there, and still doesn’t know what exactly happened. She wants to write a story, but also learn about her friends who died, especially Ricky Hell who was killed and blamed for the deaths.
Thoughts: This book was about teenage hysteria, sexuality, and the dark parts of childhood. There were SO many triggers including child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, drug use, suicide, violence, etc etc. There are satanic and cultish themes, as well as a twisted story about the police, teens, and a lot of corruption.
I thought this story was really interesting and twisted. The characters were monsters and it was hard to read, but also believable. There was a good mystery going on and I wasn’t sure what really happened because there were so many evil things going on. It got a bit confusing, but I still enjoyed the journey. 4 stars for this one. ...more
Thank you to Atria Publishing and Mikita Brottman for my copy of this book! It was a true crime book about two couples, Denise and Mike and Brian and Thank you to Atria Publishing and Mikita Brottman for my copy of this book! It was a true crime book about two couples, Denise and Mike and Brian and Kathy, who are both devout Baptists. They form a friend group that begins to branch out, trying group sex, drugs, and straying from the Baptist faith. Then Mike disappears while hunting on the lake, and when no body is found, everyone thought he was eaten by alligators.
But then Mike’s widow Denise marries Brian, who left his wife for her. Then two decades later, he confesses that he and Denise murdered Mike in order to be together. This is the shocking details of the case and how things came together for Brian and Denise to plot a murder that they believed was God’s will.
Thoughts: This was such a wild story. I had never heard of this case, and I’m so happy I got to learn about it. The story was so twisted, and growing up religious myself, I can see the way that religion can become overbearing and people can crack under the pressure. The fact that these couples were driven to murder was shocking and it was wild they thought it would fix their problems. It’s always hard to rate a true story, but for the writing, this book was 4.5 stars!...more
Thank you so much to Vi Keeland and Atria Publishing for my copy of The Unraveling. This book was psychotic in the best way. It was about Meredith, a Thank you so much to Vi Keeland and Atria Publishing for my copy of The Unraveling. This book was psychotic in the best way. It was about Meredith, a woman who is obsessed with a man. She and Gabriel have a connection that no one wants, and she can’t get him out of her mind. She starts to follow him and becomes obsessed with how he can move on with his life, while she is left traumatized.
Then Gabriel walks into her psychotherapy office, and Meredith decides it wouldn’t be too bad to take him as a patient. He doesn’t know who she is, and even if it’s crossing boundaries, she accepts him as a patient. But as her life starts to unravel things start to get worse for Meredith in every way. She has an unhealthy obsession, and she needs to stop before someone gets hurt.
Thoughts: This was a story about unhealthy obsession. It explored a woman’s grief and the way she blurred the lines between what is okay and what isn’t. I didn’t like Meredith at all, especially coming from a background in psychotherapy and knowing the ethics and rules behind it. She is a trainwreck and makes horrible decisions and it was so fun to read about.
I had no idea she was a romance author, but I could not tell from this wild thriller. I tore through this book in a few hours, and the ending was fun and satisfying. There weren’t any huge surprises, but definitely a few twists that kept me on my toes. 4-stars! ...more
Thank you to Atria Books and Jessa Maxwell for my copy of I Need You to Read This. It was such an interesting story about a famous newspaper advice coThank you to Atria Books and Jessa Maxwell for my copy of I Need You to Read This. It was such an interesting story about a famous newspaper advice column, Dear Constance. When the writer is murdered, people are shocked and confused. Alex Marks decides to apply for the job on a whim, and she is thrilled to get the job. But as soon as she starts, she gets stranger letters in the mail and begins to feel unsafe. Alex starts to look into the murder of her predecessor and questions why she would be a target. Is someone from her new job involved? Or is it someone from her past, which is beginning to resurface.
Thoughts: The premise of this story was so much fun. I thought this book would be an amazing thriller, but it felt flat to me. The main character was boring and I thought there was a lot more the author could have done with her character. She added other one dimensional characters which was a bummer and it seemed like each person only had a single personality trait.
The reveal was fairly obvious, and lacked a thrilling element that made me care about Alex and the other characters. The chapters in the past were also transparent, and I wish the author would have committed to the darkness of this storyline, instead of keeping it at a surface level. 3-stars for this one. ...more
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and May Cobb for my copy of this book. It’s about Cassidy, a woman who moves to LA to recover from heartbreak. When a Thank you to Berkley Publishing and May Cobb for my copy of this book. It’s about Cassidy, a woman who moves to LA to recover from heartbreak. When a friend finds her a job as a personal assistant to a famous couple, Cassidy is thrilled. Marisol and Nate seem like the perfect couple, and all Cassidy has to do a run errands and help out, and in return she has access to luxury. But as she gets to know the couple, Cassidy’s attraction to Nate grows. And it seems like he has the same feelings as she does. Marisol and Nate are constantly fighting, and and soon Cassidy realizes she has been hired for a totally different reason than she originally thought.
Thoughts: This was such a fun and dramatic story. It was so juicy and just a lot of fun. I think this is more of a popcorn thriller, as I was able to consume it quickly. I didn’t enjoy any of the characters at all, but they were they type I loved to hate. It had a lot of dialogue and each character had their own flaws and quirks. I thought there was a good twist, and this was a fun beach read, perfect to take on any vacation. ...more
Loading...
