Review

Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the digital advance reader copy.

In Yes, Daddy we follow Jonah as he tries to make his way in the world. In pursuit of a glamorous filled, decadent life, Jonah finds himself under the thumb of a very wealthy partner as he spends the summer at his secluded estate in the Hamptons.

This is my favorite read of the year so far. It was a page turning insightful look into the dark underbelly of the abuse of power and money.

Even though Jonah made many questionable decisions, he was a character that I truly rooted for. I felt his heartbreak, his struggles, his hurt. Even though the characters in this book are LGBTQ, I think that this story will resonate with any and every reader. It’s a story of abuse and pain and recovery.

This book is so well written and so readable. The words flow smoothly even though the content is raw and graphic. It is a book that stayed with me days after reading it.

I would and will recommend this book to everyone.

Review

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the digital advance reader copy.

In How to Kill Your Best Friend, longtime friends gather for a memorial for one of their friends who has recently died on the island of the resort in which she owns. Her death is a mystery and the friends soon find themselves in strange circumstances and dangerous situations.

This book has one of my favorite tropes in a thriller. A group locked together and a mystery to solve.

The friend group was believable and the characters felt genuine in the story. Their connection to swimming made the group feel more tightknit. And, it was interesting to read the parts where they all swim together. I learned a little about the sport of swimming along the way.

I didn’t think that the sea monster that was introduced to the story added anything significant to the plot and really could have been left out. I understood it’s intention but it didn’t feel like it was a strong enough plot point to be used.

Overall, this was a quick thriller that’s perfect for readers who aren’t avid thriller readers. For someone who reads thrillers often, I felt like there wasn’t anything that I hadn’t already read.

Review: The Hunting Wives

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the digital advance reading copy.

Sophie is obsessed with Margo. She wants to be her, be with her, be noticed by her. So, when Sophie is invited into Margo’s secret clique of “The Hunting Wives”, she is thrilled. Sophie gets pulled into this secret life of shooting skeet and partying all night until a young girl is found dead in the woods near the cabin where the women meet.

At the beginning of the story, I was really into it. The idea of this woman becoming a part of a clique not intended for outsiders. But, the plot turned sour for me when I found out that there were under age boys involved and when Sophie turned into a character with absolutely no spine.

The way that Sophie looked at her circumstances and how she responded was so infuriating. She acted like she had no choice in what she was doing. Like it was just happening to her and there was nothing she could do. I can’t explain how grating on my nerves it was to read her get herself into trouble. And her husband? He was unbelievably understanding. Like, to a fault. Like, there’s just no way a real person would be THAT understanding unless they had no skin in the game to begin with. And maybe that was it. But, his constant forgiveness and support made me ball my fists.

The underage boys made this story almost unreadable for me. It was hard to follow as some of these women treated these boys like men. It was stomach turning.

The dead girl found in the woods near the cabin felt like an afterthought in the plot. It felt like it was thrown in at the end of the book to make it a thriller.

Again, just the way these women viewed high school children, both boys and girls was so off putting. I just didn’t vibe with this one at all.

_{The Hunting Wives will be released May 18, 2021}

Review: Too Good To Be True

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the digital advance copy.

Told from three points of view, Too Good To Be True is the story of heartache, revenge, betrayal, and love. At first, I was unsure about where the story was going. It took awhile for the connection to be made with the three points of view. But, once the connections began, the plot took off and from one page to the next I was left questioning everything I thought from the previous page.

Even though I saw some of plot laid out for me, the author would set me up with a whiplash of a reveal that would leave me with that exciting “gotcha” feeling.

This is a fun read with flawed and interesting characters.

The ending was safe, but satisfying.

I can’t wait to chat about this one with fellow thriller readers. It makes for a great conversation.

Review: Every Last Secret

Thank You Amazon Publishing/Thomas Mercer for the digital advance reader copy.

Neena is determined to move up in the world and will stop at nothing to get there. Neena wants what her neighbor Cat has. Her money, her man, her life. She becomes so obsessed with taking over a new life that she underestimates Cat.

This is such a fun, page turning thriller.

There were delightful, unexpected twists that kept me invested in the story from beginning to end. I enjoyed the way that the author exploited my bias for one character over another and left me slack jawed with each reveal.

Every character is flawed but interesting and worth investing in.

This is a unique and gripping domestic thriller that I will definitely be recommending to my fellow thriller readers.

Review: Flowers of Darkness

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the advance digital copy.

Clarissa moves into a state of the art apartment in Paris set in the near future. She begins to feel like she is being watched by someone in her new residence. A residence that is equipped with cameras in every room and unique requirements for its residents.

Although the plot is a bit weak, the storytelling pulled through enough to make this a worthwhile read. I really enjoyed following Clarissa as she finds her new apartment, tries to get over her husband’s recent betrayal, and deals with the demons from her past. It was interesting to be witness to her journey of paranoia as she becomes more and more convinced that something sinister is underway in her new home.

Clarissa is a well written character and I was invested in her story.

I wanted more. I felt like as the reader, I was left hanging on some of the major plot points of the story and it left me frustrated. Even if it was the purpose of the author to leave questions unanswered, it made the plot points that were left unfinished feel pointless.

There is a twist in the story that felt too strange. For me, it didn’t co exist well with the rest of the book. I understand that it is supposed to be the reason for Clarissa’s uncertainty in her new home, but it just felt too strange when set along the rest of the book.

I was happy with the ending and with Clarissa’s growth as as character.

Overall, it was a unique read that kept me interested but left me a bit unsatisfied and a little weirded out.

The Push

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin Random House for the gifted finished copy!

From Goodreads: Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had.

But in the thick of motherhood’s exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter–she doesn’t behave like most children do.

Or is it all in Blythe’s head? Her husband, Fox, says she’s imagining things. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well.

Then their son Sam is born–and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she’d always imagined with her child. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth.

Thoughts: The Push was my first read of 2021 and it did not disappoint! I’m hoping that it is setting the tone for the rest of my reading life this year.

This beautifully written thriller is haunting, melancholic, and disturbing. The reader is pulled through all of the emotions that Blythe experiences as a mother. It’s brutally honest and refreshing in it’s portrayal of motherhood.

The characters were all well written and had me engaged and invested from the beginning. Violet is calm and calculated in her evil and it is horrifying. It was heartbreaking to see Blythe try not to believe what she knows is the truth about Violet. I was so frustrated with her husband for constantly blowing her off and telling her that she was over reacting with Violet. I felt the frustration in Blythe.

No one ever wants to believe that a child can be capable of the things that Violet gets away with. And the believability of Violet’s actions is what makes this book so terrifying.

From start to finish, I was captivated by this novel.

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Anticipated Fantasy/Sci Fi Books for 2021 (January-May)

Fantasy and Sci Fi excel at completely taking me into another world. I don’t read it as much as other genres and I think that it’s probably because it usually takes a lot out of me. I have to take my time with the unique verbiage that is often used in Fantasy and Sci Fi. But, the fantasy and sci fi that I do read, are usually ones that stick with me.

Anticipated Romance Books for 2021 (January to May)

I think that romance is always a great choice when it’s time for a breather. Whether that be from life or even after a heavy or emotional book. I fully support and take part in reading the steamy gems out there. But, I also love a good rom com or even a sweet story of love. I am picky when it comes to my romance. It can’t be cheezy, it has to be well written, and those steamy scenes can’t make me cringe. I am, though, a sucker for witty banter and sweet, romantic lines.

Anticipated Thrillers Releasing January – May 2021

After creating the first post a few days ago for new releases in 2021, I noticed that there were many more that I wanted to mention. The only logical next step, of course, was to create multiple, genre specific posts. Because thrillers are one of my favorite genres, I decided to start with them. Oh my, it looks like 2021 is going to be a great year for thrillers.

(Click on the book for links to the synopsis)