bookreview

Review

Published 5.18.21

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

Available 8.17.21

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.