Book reviews, book recommendations and funny book quotes!
So far I have had a great year of reading and I have read so many great books. Being only half way through the year, I can’t wait for all the other amazing books to read. Here are a few of my favorites. I also loved The Unhoneymooners but I don’t have a hard copy of that one so it’s not pictured. What have been your favorite reads so far this year?
Y’all this book! So many crazy secrets and one mind blowing twist at the end. I really enjoyed this one and the author did an amazing job of bringing you into the story and leaving you shell shock because of all the books strange events. It takes you on one story line and you think you have all the answers and then it takes you down a crazy ass story of the insane next door neighbor and you’re completely mind blown. I didn’t expect the last 1/4 quarter of this this book and I think that’s why I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed the main character Lucy because she was trying to figure out who she is and learning to be confident in that and that allowed her character to be relatable. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC of this book.
Synopsis:
Ever since Lucy was two, she’s been on the run alongside her mother. She’s never understood the reason for a lifetime of paranoia, aliases, and lies. All she understands are the rules: never lock eyes with strangers, never let down your guard, and always be ready to move on. Finally, after thirteen years and eleven states, their next hideaway seems perfect. An isolated, fortresslike place in the New Hampshire woods is the new home they share with its owner, a gentlemanly pianist, and his lonely daughter, Gretchen. She’s Lucy’s age and soon becomes Lucy’s first real friend. But Gretchen and her father have secrets of their own—and an obsession with puzzles that draws Lucy into a terrifying new game of hide-and-seek. Lucy’s dark past is about to come calling. And this time, for her and her mother in the house on the hill, it might be too late to run.
WOW! This book was suspenseful, nail-biting and creepy and I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t put it down and read it within two days of starting it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. I love that it had a creepy saying that told you a little about who The Whisper Man because that brought it to a whole new creepy level. I also find that very creative on the author’s side of writing. If you love a good mystery thriller book then definitely add this one to you list. It will be published August 20th. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the ARC. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Synopsis:
After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank. But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed “The Whisper Man,” for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night. Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter’s crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man. And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window…
I have just recently gotten into Ruth Ware books and all I can say is, where the hell have I been. I have read at least 4 of her books this year and have really enjoyed all the four. My first one was The Woman in Cabin 10 and right after I read that I decide that I needed more Ruth Ware books in my life so bought a few of her other. She is a great mytery/thriller writer. I was able to read her newest book The Turn of the Key is advance and it’s probably my favorite of hers so far. Her writing always has me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next twist and turn. I can’t wait to read more of her books and become an even bigger fan.
Karin Slaughter does it once again. I bought this book right after I read her book Pretty Girls and for some reason continued to put off reading it. I think I was nervous that I was going to compare them and Pretty Girls was/is one of my favorite thrillers. So with that being said, I loved this book. I loved that Karin (yes, we are on first name basis), dives right in with details and although some are graphic, I absolutely feel that it truly makes the story. She doesn’t cut corners and I love that about her writing. I enjoyed the main character Will Trent. He extremely relatable and I enjoy his awkwardness. This is the first book in the Will Trent series and I have already bought the second book to start reading. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It’s definitely a great book for the first in the series.
Synopsis:
From Atlanta’s wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael’ s lover before she became his enemy. But unbeknownst to both of them, another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer’s trail in the most coincidental of ways—and who may be the key to breaking the case wide open.
This is my first book by JT Ellison but definitely won’t be my last. I loved this book. If you are looking for a thriller with so many dark twist and turns, then this is the perfect book. The more I read the more I became completely obsessed with what was going to happen next. I love the complexity of this story, JT Ellison left nothing out with all the details in the story as well as the characters. It had been while since I read a thriller that kept the story going with more twist than I can count, which is another reason I love this book. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫. Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollinsus for the ARC. This book will be published December 30th.
Synopsis:
Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous. In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide. But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.
If you are looking for a great thriller than I highly recommend any book written by Riley Sager. His stories completely take over you and hold onto you from the beginning until the very end. There are always twist and turns that have you guessing all the way through. I have enjoyed every book he has written and I look forward to the new books he will write. In order of my favorite, I would have the say that Final Girls was my favorite followed by Lock every Door and then The Last Time I Lied. These are some of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time and I encourage you to read them as well.
When you are sent a copy of Lisa Jewell’s newest book then you drop everything and read it immediately which is exactly what I did. This book takes you down a story of family drama and secrets that will rock you to your core. The beginning was a little confusing because it is told from different characters but once I was understanding what was being told, I couldn’t put this book down. The story completely swallowed me and I was so intrigued by the secrets this family held all from different perspectives that I had to keep going. I read this book in two days and really enjoyed it. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for a review.
Synopsis:
Be careful who you let in. Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am. She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them. Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.
I can’t believe it’s already July. I feel like this summer is going by so fast, but I’m not complaining. I have three kiddos at home this summer and while I love them I am counting down until school starts back. 😂 I have read so many great books so far this summer but these two books have been my favorite summer reads so far. The Unhoneymooners by Christina lauren was an easy, fast paced, hilarious book that I had a hard time putting down. I caught myself laughing out loud through out this book. The setting takes place in Hawaii with an amazing character named Olive and a chiseled man named Nate. They have a funny back and forth witty relationship. You see there friendship/relationship unfold and it takes you on a fun ride. My next favorite book I’ve read this summer is The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda. This is more of a thriller/suspense summer read and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It focuses around a friendship between Avery and Sadie who are inseparable until Sadie is found dead. While the police rule it as a suicide, Avery must uncover what really happened to her best friend. If you have time this summer to read then I highly recommend both of these books.
I’ve heard of author Harlan Coben but this is the first book I’ve read by him. I was give an ARC of this book by Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for a review. This was a great quick thriller read with a lot of twists that continued until the end. I felt that is was easy to get into from the first page and really enjoyed the story dynamics. Not only was this book full of action and also had a deep emotional underlying story as well. The storyline was a little hard to follow because I felt as if there were so many characters that I couldn’t quite keep track of everyone where they connected in the story. I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2. It was fast paced but it was also easy to get lost behind all the characters that continued to be presented.
Synopsis:
You’ve lost your daughter.
She’s addicted to drugs and to an abusive boyfriend. And she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be found. Then, by chance, you see her playing guitar in Central Park. But she’s not the girl you remember. This woman is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly in trouble. You don’t stop to think. You approach her, beg her to come home. She runs. And you do the only thing a parent can do: you follow her into a dark and dangerous world you never knew existed. Before you know it, both your family and your life are on the line. And in order to protect your daughter from the evils of that world, you must face them head on.
This Girl's Bookshelf 