Review: The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

"His mistress is dead. His wife is his only hope." The tagline immediately made me want to read The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose. I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint!

Sarah Morgan is a BOSS (are the kids still saying that nowadays?). She is partner at a prestigious law firm and one of the most successful defense attorneys in the Washington, D.C. area. Her life is dedicated to her job and while she loves her husband, it's obvious from the start that her marriage comes second. Adam, a struggling novelist, does not enjoy living in his wife's shadow and spending so much time alone while Sarah works late into the night. It's only a matter of time before he begins having an affair with a waitress. He comes to love both women for different reasons and can't decide which one he should leave the other for. Adam's choice is made for him when his mistress is found stabbed to death in his bed. Facing a murder charge that includes a death sentence, Adam is facing an uphill battle as all the evidence points directly to him. If he has any chance of proving his innocence, he needs his wife's help, but can he trust that she has his best interests in mind after all he's done to her? 

This was a solid thriller that will surely entertain fans of the genre. The novel moves along at a quick pace, alternating narration between Sarah and Adam. There are plenty of red herrings and a shocking twist at the end that readers won't see coming! I was actually really satisfied with the ending despite finding it disturbing. The biggest complaint I had with Rose's story is that Adam was a complete tool. I honestly couldn't stand his character and was hoping Sarah would just leave him to fend for himself after all his douchebag antics. While the twist at the end was great, I felt it was a little implausible, at least without answering a few more questions for me.

Overall, this one is definitely worth all of the hype it's being given! Give it a read and you won't regret it.

My Rating: ★★★★ out of 5 

*Thanks to the author, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!  

Review: Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen

Why is it I have such a hard time writing a negative review for a book? I know I have nothing to feel bad about because my reading experience is my own and completely subjective. Maybe I just don't want to admit that I wasted precious reading time on something less than at least mildly entertaining. Anyone else have this problem? Unfortunately, my review for Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen is far from positive. I really like the show 'Derry Girls' and a lot of comparisons were being made between the show and this novel. Since one of the show's actresses narrated the audiobook, I decided to give this one a listen instead of reading.

I have no idea how this book has received so much buzz lately. I like character novels, but this one couldn’t have been more boring. The setting is interesting enough with Majella living on the northern border in a war-torn Ireland, but this is a book about nothing really. A lot has happened to Majella in her life, but for whatever reason the reader is given only seven mundane days of her life (the chapters are split into days-Monday to Sunday) with flashbacks of her childhood thrown in to help explain why Majella is the way she is. Other than learning who Majella is, the reader never gets to see her change, for better or for worse. She’s just kind of there...existing.

I might usually caution at this point that I’m about to give some spoilers, but that doesn’t seem possible since NOTHING HAPPENS throughout the entirety of this book. We tag along with Majella as she works her nightly shifts at a fish and chip shop where she occasionally shags her coworker in the storage room after they close for the night. Then we follow her as she goes home where she lives with an alcoholic, codependent mother who is insufferable. (Her father was a member of the IRA and disappeared years ago, presumably killed for his involvement in the civil conflict.) It’s more or less the same routine for 6 out of the 7 days, with a lot of graphic masturbation and menstrual period talk. It’s like the author realized there was nothing happening to really challenge Majella to grow or overcome or change in some way so she decided to throw a period into the mix. Not to mention there are a few scenes depicting animal abuse which I didn’t see the purpose of since it did nothing for the storyline. 

Ugh...I just honestly don’t get it and I wish I had the time I spent on this book back. 

As far as the audio goes, it took awhile to get used to the narrator’s accent for me. It wasn’t the accent so much, but she did mumble and speak far too fast at times for me to understand what I was listening to. Based on the narration alone, I’d have given the performance 3/5 stars.

My Rating: ★★ out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it more.

Review: Unfaithful by Natalie Barelli

My first encounter with Natalie Barelli was when I read The Housekeeper over the summer. I couldn't get enough of the diabolical narrator in that one, so I snatched this November release up as soon as I saw it was from the same author. Unfaithful is definitely as "unputdownable" as the cover claims.

Anna is an associate professor in mathematics at a decent university. She seemingly has a perfect life that includes a satisfying career, a husband she adores, and two adorable children. From the outside, Anna appears to have it all, but it doesn't take long for her world to start tearing at the seams. A grad student Anna worked with to crack a previously unsolvable math concept suddenly kills himself in front of her. While this is bad enough, his death could also take away her hard-earned chance at a prestigious professional prize. She makes the shady decision to claim his work as her own, which leads to a whole slew of stress and anxiety as she waits for someone to find out what she's done.

I thought this was going to be the major problem in this novel, but it turns out Anna's life is a veritable s**t-show. Her husband's cheating on her and his mistress rubs it in her face every chance she gets; Anna has zero friends and a toxic relationship with her mother; she's somehow become the target of a dangerous stalker; and to top it all off, she finds herself the prime suspect in a murder case. Oh yeah, she lies and drinks every chance she gets. I'll be honest, I don't really blame her for imbibing excessively because this book filled me with anxiety. I'm still not sure if this a good or a bad thing, though. 

I will say that this is definitely one of those books that you won't be able to put down for long. I was so engrossed with Anna's crazy life that I couldn't wait until I could begin reading again. It was suspenseful and the ending was both unpredictable and satisfying. At first, the number of major obstacles the narrator had to face seemed excessive, but I'm honestly impressed with how smoothly Barelli was able to pull it all off. Besides the stress this story added to my life, my only real complaint about Unfaithful was all the unlikable characters. I never did end up liking Anna, primarily because of how she handled her cheating husband, but she also lied and whined way too much. In the entire book, there was only one character I even kind of enjoyed, but she got annoying at times too. 

Overall, this is a fantastic, suspenseful thriller that will keep you reading way past bedtime. If you can get past the objectionable narrator, I think most mystery fans will enjoy the ride!

My Rating: ★★★★ out of 5 

*Thanks to the author, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

I read Jane Eyre when I was in high school and I remember being drawn into the dark magnificence of the gothic romance. It became an immediate favorite, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard about The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. It is more or less a modern retelling of Bronte's plot, but there is plenty of originality in this twisty tale. The mood of this gothic domestic thriller also reminds me of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, since Jane is always trying to live up to her seemingly perfect predecessor. However, there is no brooding Mrs. Danvers in this version and the house in Thornfield Estates where Jane and Eddie live doesn't quite have the same larger-than-life character that Manderley did. Despite the obvious similarities to these two classics, The Wife Upstairs stands on its own as a modern mystery full of twists and turns that readers will devour in no time at all!

Jane is a young woman who is running away from a troubled past. She is utterly alone in the world until she meets Eddie Rochester, a recent widower who owns a large estate in the posh neighborhood where Jane works as a dog walker. Sparks fly when the two meet and a romance blooms between the unlikely pair. Jane slowly learns how to live in a life of luxury, but is always keeping true happiness at arm's length, subconsciously fearing it's all too good to be true. She becomes obsessed with learning as much as possible about the late Mrs. Bea Rochester, the founder of a successful business who was declared dead after disappearing during a tragic boating accident that also killed her best friend. It is presumed Bea drowned alongside her friend, but her body was never found. Jane finds out soon enough that things aren't quite as they seem when the police determine the two women's deaths were actually homicides and Eddie is a prime suspect. Jane can't seem to figure out who is the bigger threat to this new shiny life that's waiting for her- her fiancé or his dead wife.

Fans of Jane Eyre will recognize major elements of the plot, but Hawkins does a wonderful job recreating this tale for the twenty-first century. Jane herself isn't quite as pure and innocent as the original. She is running from a terrible secret in her past which she fears could destroy this new life she's made for herself if it were to ever be discovered. Bea is also a very modern woman, the creator of a popular southern lifestyle brand called 'Southern Manors' that reminds me of Reese Witherspoon's Draper James clothing line. Unfortunately, something is lost in the reinvention of these characters because I couldn't connect with any of them, Jane especially. I wanted to like her, but I just didn't. She was a little too hard and flat throughout the novel and even when she voiced her vulnerabilities, it didn't come across as genuine. 

The lack of character depth is my only complaint about this novel. I would still highly recommend it to fans of the domestic suspense and thriller genre. You don't have to have read the classics I mentioned to enjoy this title, although it will definitely give you a better idea of the mood the author was trying to create. I couldn't put this one down and felt like it was a wonderful take on some of my favorite gothic romances!

My Rating: ★★★★ out of 5

*Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At the time of this review, this title will be available to purchase on January 5th, 2021.

Plus-Size Heroines You'll Want to Meet

 My interests primarily stray towards the mystery and thriller genres, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy getting down and dirty with some quality chick lit every now and again. In fact, I used to read quite a bit of authors like Jane Green and Jennifer Weiner back in the day. After being frustrated that I couldn't easily find titles that featured plus-sized heroines above a size 14 (pfft!) with whom I could relate, I took a break from the genre.

I was intrigued by the premise of One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London when it appeared as an option for my Book of the Month Club selection this summer. The novel follows Bea, a plus-size fashion blogger, as she navigates the world of reality TV in an effort to get over a recent heartbreak and find her true love. I'll admit that I have watched a few seasons of 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' in my college days, and I thought it might be a lot of fun to see how a show like that could serve as a setting for a novel. As soon as I learned that Bea was plus-size and dealing with a lot of the same issues modern plus-size women face, I just knew I had to take a break from my lengthy TBR list and give it a try. 

As an overweight woman myself, I appreciate how relatable Bea and her experiences are. I know all too well what it feels like to deal with the crap that comes along with being fat: low self-esteem, unsolicited weight-loss advice, feelings of unworthiness, stores not carrying your size, negative self-talk, body shaming, internet trolls, etc., etc., etc.  That all sounds pretty depressing, but Stayman-London does an amazing job of balancing Bea's strengths and weaknesses. From the first chapter, the reader gets a sense that Bea will overcome all the sh*t life plans to throw at her, all while wearing an amazing outfit! With that being said, her weight is a constant source of vulnerability for her and that is a recurring theme in the novel. Any woman who has been forced to deal with weight issues will certainly she herself in Bea at some point in this novel. And the best part about this book? Bea doesn't have to lose weight to get her happily ever after, sending the message that bigger women are just as worthy of being loved as slimmer ones.

My Rating: ★★★★★ out of 5

If you've read One to Watch and are looking for other novels with plus-size heroines, you might want to check out Jemima J. by Jane Green and The Next Big Thing by Johanna Edwards. They both has female protagonists you'll remember for a long time and one also includes a reality TV show! 

Like I said, it's been awhile since I read any chick lit, so my recommendations are probably a little outdated. But, I still remember these novels and their stories after all this time, so I think there's something to be said for that.

Review: What My Husband Did by Kerry Wilkinson

What My Husband Did by Kerry Wilkinson starts off a little differently than most murder mysteries. A twelve year-old girl is found barely alive in a stream on a cold, wintery night. She was last seen getting into a man's car outside a gas station in a quaint little village town where everyone is in the middle of everyone else's business. The protagonist, Maddy, is more than a little concerned when her husband is revealed to be the driver of the mystery car. She's sure her husband can offer a reasonable explanation that would quiet the unsettling rumors that are beginning to spread, but there's only one problem- he never returned home. This only fuels the gossip and suspicion surrounding her husband's involvement in the terrible crime. The title and first chapter alone do a pretty convincing job of pointing the finger at Maddy's husband, but as all good detectives know, small towns are good at keeping big secrets.

I wasn't sure if I was going to be into this story after reading the first few chapters, but somewhere around 25% in, I was hooked. Maddy is a strong character and I appreciated that she wasn't portrayed as some naive, devoted housewife who refuses to believe her husband might be capable of keeping secrets from her. Her reactions came across as authentic and I was very much rooting for her. There were many suspenseful moments and suspicious characters that kept me on high alert. Several of the townspeople have prominent roles in the story and I enjoyed learning their backstories in addition to Maddy's. The small town setting and cliquey women reminded me a lot of the characters in Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. 

While the characterization in the novel was excellent, there were some issues with the plot that kept me from being able to rate this book higher. There's a secondary storyline within the novel that flashbacks to show Maddy's relationship with her father who was imprisoned for a violent crime. While at first this backstory added to the intrigue of the story, it ended up feeling like an unnecessary addition. It didn't end up affecting Maddy much in the present-day, or at least not to the level one would expect, so I'm confused as to why it was even included. The novel ends in a flashback with what was clearly meant to be a shocking twist, but it just left me confused. To avoid spoiling anything, I can't go into too much detail, but the last chapter felt misplaced. To have any kind of impact on the reader, it needed to have had a larger impact on Maddy. Had this "reveal" been earlier on in the novel, the author could have given herself time to show how Maddy was left damaged from that piece of her past. Instead, it just feels like it was slapped onto the end as a way of throwing one more surprise at the reader. 

If you enjoy mysteries with authentic characters in an intimate setting, you will probably enjoy this book. There was plenty of suspense and twists that I didn't see coming, but the ending was disappointing.

My Rating: ★★★ 1/2 out of 5

*Thanks to the author, Bookouture, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At the time of this review, this title will be available to purchase on November 17th, 2020.

Review: Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

I finished Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane the day I saw it was one of the November choices for the Book of the Month Club. I wasn't surprised at all to see it had been chosen. It's a tightly woven murder  mystery that is sure to please fans of the domestic suspense genre.

Right from the start, this novel hooked me. Lila is a trophy wife who is sick of taking her husband's abuse and finally decides to put an end to their marriage in the most vengeful way possible. She's plotted his murder out to the tiniest of details, but things do not go as planned. Instead of the police knocking on her door to tell her that her husband's body has been found, she answers it to find Aaron's boss instead. He tells her that Aaron didn't show up for work that day, which isn't a surprise to Lila. Dead men don't show up for work. What is a surprise, however, is that his car isn't where she left it and there is no sign of Aaron's body anywhere. Dead men also don't come back to life and drive away...or do they?

To make matters worse, Lila starts receiving threatening notes. She doesn't want to believe it's Aaron, but who else could possibly know what she tried to do? As if she doesn't have enough to worry about, Lila has become the target of a bulldog detective who isn't buying her clueless wife act. Lila feels the walls begin to close in around her as her husband's disappearance becomes connected to a series of missing women. She's not sure what to believe anymore, but one thing she knows for certain- if Aaron is still alive, he won't rest until he's killed her.

This novel was a thrilling ride from start to finish. I loved every twist and turn and even though I was able to figure out some of the ending, Kane did a wonderful job explaining all the whys and answering all the questions I had. The story was fast-paced throughout and I'd give it a solid 4.5 stars out of 5. My only complaint was in the characterization of Lila. Despite having valid reasons for portraying her as cold and unfeeling, she was just too hard a character to connect with. She was flat and lacked the depth I was really hoping for. If Kane had developed Lila the same way she did Ginny, the bulldog detective, then this would have easily been a 5/5. Despite that small critique, this was a gripping novel perfect for a chilly fall or winter night and I encourage you to pick up a copy if you're a fan of domestic suspense.

My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2 out of 5

*Thanks to the author, HarperCollins Publishers, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At the time of this review, this title will be available to purchase on December 29, 2020.

Review: Little Bones by N.V. Peacock

 I was really excited to read Little Bones by N.V. Peacock for two reasons. The first being that the plot was unique and stood out from the average missing child thrillers I often read. The protagonist is the daughter of Mr. Bones, a serial killer who murdered little boys and used their bones to create macabre works of art. Cherrie has given herself a new name and a new life in an attempt to escape her previous life as "Little Bones," the nickname she received at 8 years-old when the public discovered she was a potential accomplice in her father's crimes. Considering her involvement in the kidnappings of eleven young boys when she was a child, Cherrie is not the typical protagonist.  The second thing that lured me in was the mention of a true crime podcast that stirs up Cherrie's life and leads to the subsequent abduction of her young son. I enjoy listening to true crime podcasts myself, such as "Serial," "Teacher's Pet," and "Up and Vanished" to name a few, so I was interested in seeing how the author incorporated her own version of this popular media into the story.

The book had me hooked from the beginning and I was not able to put it down for the first 60% or so. I was rooting for Cherrie to find her son and was very intrigued by her relationship with her serial killer father. Unfortunately, the last 40% of the novel did not live up to the beginning and I was left feeling disappointed and confused. While there were several red herrings introduced, the "bad guy" wasn't a huge shocker. I had suspected the culprit multiple different times throughout the story so the final reveal was less than shocking. My other complaint is that I lost my connection with Cherrie as soon as she switched into vigilante mode. I'm all for a bad ass protagonist, but Cherrie almost came across as being manic where she'd be frantically plotting and scheming on how to run her own investigation into her son's disappearance and the next minute she's sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal and watching Grey's Anatomy. Thankfully, my child has never gone missing, but if she did, I could promise you that I would NEVER be able to chill out and watch mindless television just a few days into her disappearance. One minute she'd talk about not being able to sleep because her mind is racing with fears for her son and the next minute, she's calmly going to bed early as a way of passing time as she waits for developments. It just seemed so unlikely to me that a mother in this position would act the way she does. Her actions made me dislike her which was frustrating because I didn't start the novel feeling that way.

Overall, this was an entertaining enough read, but the inconsistent characterization of Cherrie ruined it for me in the end.

My Rating: ★★★ 1/2 out of 5

*Thanks to the author, Avon Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

At the time of this review, this title will be available to purchase on October 31, 2020.

Review: The Zenned-Out Guide to Understanding Auras by Cassie Uhl

I first discovered Cassie Uhl’s work when I read The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals (see review here) and practically devoured it in one sitting. I knew immediately that I wanted to check out the other two books she has available as part of this series on auras and chakras. If you’re familiar with any of these books, you’ll already know that they provide a wealth of information on the topic in an easy-to-understand and visually-appealing way. 

I was excited to dive into The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Auras because the subject has always fascinated me, even long before I started trying to figure out my spiritual beliefs. The book covers a wide range of knowledge that readers of all experience levels will be able to appreciate. It begins by giving background information about auras, including what they are and the various ways people can experience them. Explanations behind the various colors and what they mean about you and your energy are provided along with very pretty illustrations and infographic pages that sum up key ideas. Uhl teaches you how to protect, cleanse, and heal your aura. She gives a variety of options for each of these so every reader can find the method that works best for him/her. The final part of the book is about how to conduct aura readings for others, both quickly and more in-depth. This is not probably something I will try, at least not until I become more experienced in reading my own aura, so I didn’t try any of these techniques myself.

While I was skeptical when Uhl claimed that almost everyone is capable of “seeing” at least parts of auras in some way, I gave the exercises she suggested a try. Much to my surprise, after using a piece of amethyst on the third eye and a brief meditation, I was able to determine three colors of my aura. I kept an open mind and had no preconceived notions about the colors I might “see” during my meditation. Uhl says that it might take some time of practicing the various exercises she gives in the book before you can determine your aura’s colors, but she also provides a simple quiz that could help with this information too. I’ve been doing a lot of intuition work recently, so I believe that’s why I was lucky enough to get results on my first try. I plan on continuing to use the techniques daily and work them into my regular spiritual practices.

While I still have some questions, this book gave me the foundation and the confidence to continue exploring auras. Since auras and the chakras are connected, I think I’ll have a better overall understanding once I get a better handle on my chakras. If you’re new to the idea of auras or want to know more about them in depth, I highly recommend The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Auras!

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Quarto Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: She Lies Close by Sharon Doering

I just finished reading She Lies Close by Sharon Doering and I have to say that it exceeded my expectations! I've read a ton of mysteries involving missing children, but if you asked me to give you details about one, I probably wouldn't be able to. While plenty have been great- full of suspense and shocking twists- they just don't have characters that stick with me. Doering's take on the popular theme caught me by surprise as I found myself laughing and connecting with the protagonist in a way I hardly ever do. There's one point in the story where the main character is annoyed at being delayed on her way home because all she is looking forward to is taking off her pants. (Lady, I feel you!) That's not to say the plot doesn't check all the genre's boxes; it is suspenseful and creepy and sad in all the right ways.

Grace Wright is a recently divorced mother of two who is just trying to survive each day. Her first priority is taking care of her young children, which seems all the more challenging when she realizes her next-door neighbor is a suspect in the disappearance of a local girl, Ava Boone.  Grace does her best to appear "normal," but it's not hard to see that she's a hot mess. She already struggles with ADD and anxiety, and on top of that her insomnia is keeping her up for days at a time, causing her to hallucinate and black out in the middle of the night. She obsesses over her neighbor, convinced he is grooming her three-year-old daughter to be his next victim. One day, she thinks she sees little Ava in her neighbor's house and that pushes Grace to act. She breaks into his house and finds disturbing evidence that only make her all the more certain he is responsible for kidnapping Ava, but no one will listen to her concerns. When the neighbor turns up dead, Grace finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

This novel has a lot of dark humor that makes it stand out from typical books in this genre. Grace is snarky and sarcastic, which I loved! If I could choose a fictional best friend, she'd definitely be in my top three. She comes across as so real and vulnerable which is so refreshing. The plot itself is solid, but I will remember She Lies Close because of the life Doering brings to her characters. Readers who are not fans of crass language or sexual details in their books should probably stay away from this one, but I'd highly recommend it to anyone else looking for a well-written mystery with memorable characters.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Titan Books, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals by Cassie Uhl

I am very new to crystal work, but have dipped my toe casually into other forms of magick over the years (tarot, meditation, spellwork, etc.). Crystals just never seemed to

interest me in the past, partly because I was skeptical of their power since I didn’t have a good understanding of how they work. In recent weeks, I’ve made more of an effort to at least learn more about crystals before judging them. That’s where “The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals” by Cassie Uhl comes in.

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in working with crystals, but it is an especially useful resource for those who were a lot like me. The author provides a comprehensive (but not overwhelming!) background on the

science behind crystals and how they work. This was my favorite part of the book because it truly made me a believer and eradicated all my skepticism.

After the educational introduction, the book continued to wow me as it answered every beginner question I had regarding crystals. From how to connect to various stones to the cleansing, charging, and programming of your crystals, Uhl thinks of everything. I loved the informative and beautifully illustrated infographics that are scattered throughout the various chapters to review key ideas and useful information.

Even more advanced crystal users can appreciate parts of this book, such as the chapter on crystal grids which was definitely too advanced for my current abilities. The crystal guide at the end of the book which shows many useful correspondences is worth the price of the book all by itself! I've read that this author has similar titles on auras and chakras, so I'm definitely going to be checking those titles out.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to the author, Quarto Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Flowers for the Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite

Flowers for the Dead by Barbara Copperthwaite follows protocol for the all-too-familiar thriller/police procedural plot, but still manages to create a very unique and terrifying serial killer. 

The novel bounces back and forth between multiple characters, including Mike who is a recently widowed police detective. Nothing stands out about Mike. He's the typical damaged detective trying to balance his life as a single father with his career hunting the bad guys. He may be a little rough around the edges, but it's a given that he has a heart of gold. Laura is a young woman trying to bring herself out of the pits of depression after being the sole survivor in a horrific car accident that killed her entire family. There's nothing too memorable about her, but I did enjoy watching her evolve from a victim to a proactive and confident woman. 

While dealing with her grief, Laura unknowingly catches the attention of Adam, the psychotic serial killer and star of the story. Adam is unusual because he spends a significant amount of time wooing his victims. When he finds a woman who seems perfect for him, he falls fast and he falls hard. He sends these unlucky ladies messages via the types of flowers he sets on their doorsteps. He buys them groceries and tidies up their homes for them while they're sleeping. He puts their every need in front of his own. Sounds like a catch, right? The only problem is he does all of this in complete secrecy, using hidden surveillance systems to spy on the women who have no clue who Adam is. They all react to his attention differently. Some start to believe they're going crazy, while others just assume an ex is pulling out all the stops to get back together. One thing that stays the same, however, is that Adam eventually feels unappreciated, hurt, angry, etc. That doesn't bode well for the current recipient of his affections.

What I found to be unique about this novel was that the reader spends much of his/her time watching the story unfold through Adam's perspective. Most thrillers I read either ignore the serial killer's POV entirely as a way of keeping the mystery and fear factor high or they only give brief glimpses into the bad guy's thought process. In Flowers for the Dead, the author uses flashbacks to show the reader Adam's entire life, beginning with his childhood as a young boy and up to the present time. His younger years are not simply glossed over. While this does make the story's presentation stand out from a lot of the other novels in the same genre, I'm not sure if it was the best use of the reader's time. In fact, one of my complaints is that I feel there was far too much time spent on Adam's backstory. His experiences are quite heavy and if the point was to show how he evolved into becoming the monster he is later in life, that could have been accomplished in about half the number of pages. The extra background slowed the momentum of the story and caused me to feel like I was slogging through at a glacial pace.

Overall, the writing was great and the storyline was definitely very creepy. Readers with sensitivities should be aware that there were grotesque descriptions as well as disturbing child sexual abuse in the novel. Had I known about the latter, I probably would have skipped this read altogether, but that is my personal preference. If you're looking for a scary thriller to keep you up at night, this would definitely do the trick!

My Rating: ★★★★☆

*Thanks to the author, Bookouture, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Search Party by Simon Lelic

"A missing girl. Five friends. Not everyone will make it home alive."

This mystery centers around Sadie Saunders, a popular teenager who has gone missing. Everyone in town believes she has to be dead after being gone for more than a few days. As the cops are searching the nearby woods and using dive teams to explore the bottom of the powerful river that winds around the sleepy town hidden in the middle of nowhere, everyone knows it's a body they're really searching for. Enter Fleet, the typical damaged detective with a heart of gold. This is the first time he's returned to his hometown since he lost someone he loved here a long time ago. The locals aren't shy about voicing their doubts about Fleet's ability as an investigator. They put pressure on the police force to solve the mystery of Sadie's disappearance and Fleet's boss is ready to lock someone up just to appease them, justice be damned. Obviously our detective's moral compass cannot allow this and so Fleet sets out to uncover the truth and apprehend the real party or parties responsible for Sadie's disappearance. 

Meanwhile, rumors swirl around the town and seem to settle around Sadie's closest friends. There's Abi and Cora, who are constantly competing to be Sadie's BFF. Mason has been the subject of most of the rumors as he's Sadie's boyfriend and is known to have quite a bad temper. There's also Fash, a kind kid from a strict household, and Luke, Sadie's twin brother. These five teens take it upon themselves to conduct their own search party in the woods after coming to the conclusion that the cops are planning to have Mason take the fall. Poorly prepared, they set out into the wilderness to find their missing friend and quickly realize that they all have their own motives for wanting Sadie gone. Their distrust of one another erupts into violence and one member doesn't make it back from the search party alive.

The tagline for Simon Lelic's The Search Party immediately grabbed my attention. It was oozing with suspense, so I decided to give it a try. I'd previously read another of Lelic's works earlier this year, The New Neighbors, and while I liked it, it didn't blow me away.  So I thought it only fair to give the author another shot. There were plenty of good things about this book. Mysteries involving crimes among a close-knit group of friends are a dime-a-dozen it seems, but Lelic's smooth writing and genuine characters made the familiar premise feel fresh and exciting. Each of the teens was presented authentically with his or her own realistically flawed personality. The dialogue seemed natural and kept the story moving quickly. On the other hand, Fleet's character was far too stereotypical to capture my interest. Throw him in the mix with a bunch of other mystery novel detectives and you'd never be able to pick him out. Besides the characters, the overall narrative was just one note for me. The climax never reached the level of intensity I was hoping for, partially because the final "twist" wasn't as unexpected as I think the author intended it to be. The Search Party was entertaining enough, but it's not a book that is going to stay with you long after you've put it down.

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

*Thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Heatwave by Katerina Diamond

After a few disappointing reads, I was in desperate need of a great thriller. You know the ones; the kind where you don't even realize you've spent hours reading because the plot is so compelling. I picked up The Heatwave by Katerina Diamond because I saw a friend with similar tastes had recently left a promising review about it. It absolutely did not disappoint! Books like this make me happy and remind me why I love to read in the first place.

The storyline alternates between the past and the present through the use of two narrators. Felicity is a wife and mother of two who drops everything to return to her hometown when she sees on the television that a teenage girl has mysteriously disappeared there. This strikes a nerve with her because when she was growing up, another teenage girl went missing under similar circumstances. For reasons that aren't immediately revealed to the reader, Felicity feels like she is the missing link that connects these two disappearances. She sets out to do some investigating on her own, hoping to get answers to questions that have plagued her for years and save the latest missing girl. This is the first time she's returned home since she left as a teenager after having done something terrible. Jasmine is the narrator for back "then" when the first girl went missing. She is best friends with Felicity and lives a privileged life, spending her summers with her parents traveling the world as they do charity work. This particular summer, however, plans have fallen through and Jasmine is excited by the prospect of actually getting to experience a normal summer vacation. Jasmine's family has recently relocated and taken on a renter, Tim, who lives in a small garden house in the backyard. Jasmine can tell immediately that Tim is not the picture-perfect man her parents believe him to be. She embarks on a dangerous journey when she decides to find out what Tim might be hiding. Felicity and Jasmine's stories interweave seamlessly to tell a thrilling tale full of deception and depravity.

This book was just what I was hoping it would be! I have never read anything by Katerina Diamond before, but she is definitely an author I will be following from now on. I don't typically think too much when I read mysteries. I'm not a reader who is constantly trying to figure out the twists before they come. I simply read it and let the plot unfold as it may, but I wouldn't have been able to figure out the ending of this book no matter how hard I tried. There were several twists and reveals that I never saw coming. This book was just so...effortless. It was so easy to get sucked in and before I knew it, I had finished it! This would definitely make a great summer beach read and has been one of my favorites of 2020 so far.

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on June 25, 2020.

Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Those Who Hunger by Owen Banner

I do not often read supernatural novels, but I make an exception when I find a title that seems especially original. I am drawn to stories that attempt to weave supernatural elements into well-established settings because it seems like such a difficult feat. I was blown away by the credibility of Seth Grahame-Smith's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Being a fan of Amish-based mysteries (like the wonderful Kate Burkholder series), I've also been curious to see how authors integrate the supernatural with the rigid social confines of an Amish community. So I didn't hesitate to snatch up Those Who Hunger: An Amish Vampire Thriller by Owen Banner as soon as it became available.

This "horror" story surrounds a series of vicious murders within an Amish community that hides a terrible secret-many of its members are vampires, cursed to hide their hunger for human blood or risk losing everything that matters to them. The Zook family knows this curse all too well. There are more vampires in their family than non-vampires. Haddie Zook is an Amish teenager who realizes she has the mark when a terrifying encounter with a predator initiates her transformation. She struggles with her new identity as she learns to keep her hunger in check. Meanwhile, Jacobo, a detective assigned to the violent murders in the community, is keeping a close eye on the Zook family, suspecting one of them is responsible for the heinous deaths of several innocent people.

It's difficult to go into much more detail than this without risking spoiling parts of the story for potential readers, so I'll jump into my review. This book was WAY TOO LONG. I've read plenty of 500+ page novels and I never shy away from a big book, but there's nothing more annoying than wasting precious reading time on something that could have easily been condensed into 300 pages. I felt like I was slogging through this and was horribly dismayed when I saw I was only 32% of the way through the story. The suspense and excitement did pick up once I got to about 80%, but I read for hours and felt like I was getting nowhere because the author spent so much time detailing random tangents that ended up having nothing to do with the main plot. (If someone else reads this, please come back and tell me what the purpose of the drug dealer scene was because I'm still annoyed by that.)

This story could have been easily streamlined if the author cut down on the number of narrators. I counted no less than a dozen different POVs within the first third of the book, some of which we only heard from the one time. This made things confusing for the reader and just added information that could have been more efficiently shared in other ways. In my opinion, the only people we needed to hear from would have mainly been the Zook family members: Haddie, Esther, Nehemiah, and maybe Roy for an outsider's perspective. Jacobo's random detective excursions were pointless and Mel's experiences, while tragic, really didn't need to be included. 

While this novel is listed as part of the "horror" genre, I would argue that it's more of a coming-of-age supernatural mystery with some gratuitous gore thrown in every now and then. Even the violent vampire attacks felt like they were over-the-top and more for shock and awe than anything else. Potential readers should also note that there are sex scenes and a few instances of animal abuse in the novel as well.

I struggled with how to rate this book. At times, I was thinking about one-star and others, I got up to a 3.5, so I'm settling on 2 because of pacing issues and how far-fetched I felt the ending was. There were too many questions left unanswered for me to be comfortable with the culprit(s) that were finally revealed. On the other hand, the writing was good and the story was detailed, even if excessively so. Fans of Amish characters and vampires will enjoy the mash-up of the two very different subjects. However, if you'd like to read about the worlds of vampires and the Amish colliding and don't want to devote your time wading through so many unnecessary pages, I'd recommend you try The Hallowed Ones series by Laura Bickle. I read these back in 2014 and remember liking them quite a bit more than Those Who Hunger.

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

*Thanks to the author and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Guest List by Lucy Foley

I chose this title for my April Book of the Month selection and it was a fantastic read! I was worried when I saw that the chapters were written from the viewpoints of so many different people because I sometimes can have a difficult time remembering who's who, but that was not an issue this time around. Foley is adept at weaving through multiple POVs in a way that is not overwhelming for the reader. I actually enjoyed the constant change between characters and the unique insights each one was able to add to the plot. The characters include:

• Aoife, the Wedding Planner: Along with her husband, she has rented out her remote Irish island for an extravagant wedding at a deep discount in the hopes that the publicity will spur future business. She is cool-headed and no-nonsense and knows how to handle any issues that threaten to ruin a couple's big day.
• Jules, the Bride: She knows what she wants and heaven help anyone who tries to stand between her and her desires. She's the visionary behind a wildly successful online magazine. Her confidence comes across as arrogance most of the time. She strives to maintain a perfect image in all regards.
• Olivia, the Bridesmaid: She's Jules's younger, gorgeous half-sister. She's really struggling to come to terms with something that happened in her recent past and resorts to self-harm as a way of dealing with her trauma. Overall, she's an emotional wreck and Jules sees her as a potential wedding liability.
• Hannah, the Plus-One: Married to Jules's best man and the MC of the wedding, Hannah is in her mid-30s and reveling at the thought of a weekend getaway with her husband away from the kids. She's hoping they can rekindle their former passion, but her husband's relationship with the bride is a constant source of conflict for the couple.
• Johnno, the Best Man: He's the groom's childhood friend from boarding school. Time hasn't been as kind to him as it has been to the groom however, and Johnno is regarded by everyone as a pathetic screw-up who reflects poorly on those who know him.

The reader knows from the off-set that something terrible has happened on the wedding night that results in murder. The who and the why are not answered until the very end, which provides constant suspense and keeps the reader invested. The short chapters that alternate POVs also helps the pacing of the novel. I found myself sitting down with the book, only intending to read for a few minutes before noticing that an hour or more had passed. Even though, as some discontented reviewers pointed out, the backstories of the main characters are very slowly revealed, the constant change of time between the wedding night and events prior kept me interested. I personally never felt bored as I learned each character's past. The characters were very three-dimensional and the way their stories intertwined so seamlessly was fascinating to me.

Overall, I think fans of the suspense and thriller genre will enjoy this book, although there's not much "thrill" per se until the final few chapters. It's very reminiscent of a few Agatha Christie classics, but with original twists that will keep you guessing until the end. This really is a perfect summer read and I think I'll check out Foley's previous novel The Hunting Party since I enjoyed The Guest List so much.

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on June 2, 2020.

Review: Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker

My go-to books are edge-of-your-seat thrillers. There are so many books published every day that promise to scare me, keep me up at night, etc. They very rarely live up to their hype, so I was skeptical when the tagline for my latest read promised to "make your skin crawl." My obsession with the thriller genre began by reading R.L. Stine's Fear Street books way back in middle school. Even then I could tell the writing was subpar, but they were quick reads and I loved trying to figure out the bad guy. Later on, I graduated to reading adult thrillers and I can still remember Dean Koontz's Intensity in vivid detail all these years later. I enjoyed that story so much and it's been quite awhile since I've found a book that scared me in such an effortless way. And then I read Secrets of a Serial Killer by Rosie Walker.

Holy cow! This book is phenomenal! I could not put it down. The writing is superb and the plot is creepy and full of suspense. There is some violence and gore, but none of it feels like it's there for shock and awe. It serves a purpose in creating suspense and fear, but it doesn't get out of control. This could be easily turned into a terrifying horror movie. I know it may be hard to believe, but I don't have a single complaint about this book. Not one!

When I began reading, I was worried that I would have difficulty keeping track of all of the narrators. There is Zoe, a 17 year-old girl dating an older man, much to her parents' chagrin. She thinks she has all the answers and is fiercely independent, as you'd expect of a teenager. Helen is Zoe's mother and she works as an architect, specializing in repurposing historical buildings into modern living spaces. Her current project involves an old insane asylum. She is divorced from Zoe's father and tends to put all her energy into micromanaging her daughter's life. We also have Thomas, a prepubescent boy who lives next door with his journalist mother. He's consumed with finding out what happened to his father who left suddenly without explanation. He spends his time with his cousin, Maggie, who loves to explore and pretend she's a detective. And then we have HIM, the elusive serial killer the police claim doesn't exist. He's determined to make Zoe his next victim and has twisted things in store for her. Despite the numerous narrators, I needn't have worried. The points of view are masterfully woven together into a seamless story line that had my heart pounding from start to finish. The characters feel very real and authentic in their roles.

Great characters aside, the setting of this novel is also spot on. The time is set in the present in Lancaster, UK, but there's a lot of talk about the history of the lunatic asylum Helen is developing. A famed serial killer was kept there for some time in the 1980s and there seems to be quite a few coincidences between his crimes and several girls who have recently gone missing. The cops chalk it up to a bunch of runaways, but Thomas's mother causes problems for the authorities when she claims there's a serial killer on the loose in her articles. The abandoned asylum and its surrounding woods create the perfect ambiance for such a terrifying story. I could actually smell the mildew from the old caravan in the woods. The writing was that descriptive. I was able to visualize every single scene in this book without any problems and it really was a total creep fest. There's no way this story would have been half as engrossing as it was without such a dynamic setting.

After doing some research on the author, it appears this is her debut novel, but I will definitely be reading whatever Rosie Walker comes up with next. If you're a fan of thrillers and are looking for a truly scary reading experience, you've really got to check this one out. You won't be disappointed!

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 17, 2020.

*Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

I have read a few of Lisa Jewell's books before and she always does a great job with her mystery/suspense novels. This one is no different.

In Invisible Girl, three narrators masterfully guide readers through an intriguing plot with memorable characters. We have Saffyre, a teenage girl who has not had it easy. She's been abused and orphaned, causing her to self-harm. This behavior gets her sent to see Roan Fours, a child psychologist. Her relationship with this therapist is the catalyst for a lot of the events that take place in the story. Then we have Cate, a naive, hardworking mother of two and the wife of Roan Fours. She spends her days taking care of the house and making sure dinner is ready for her husband when he gets home, whenever that might be. Every part of her identity seems to be wrapped up in her role as doting wife and mother. Finally, there's Owen. (Oh, Owen!) He's a 33 year-old bachelor who lives in his aunt's spare bedroom which is situated across the street from the Fours family's apartment. He teaches coding to teenagers at a local school and is unique in that he is a virgin. Owen's life is upended when students at his school accuse him of sexually inappropriate behavior. He is pretty sure he is innocent, but he doesn't exactly remember the night in question, so that's a problem. The accusations light a fire in Owen and kick off a series of cringe-worthy attempts to reinvent himself.

When Saffyre suddenly goes missing after last being seen talking to Owen outside of the Fours family home, an investigation ensues. At the same time, a series of sexual assaults are being committed throughout the neighborhood. Everyone is on high alert, especially Cate, who fears for her teenage daughter's safety. She sees Owen as the creepy, lurking predator across the street and sends the police his way. Owen has had a lot of time on his hands since being out of work and has not used that time productively. In fact, a lot of his choices end up making him look quite guilty when it comes to new accusations being made against him. Owen claims to be innocent, but (yet again) cannot completely remember what happened the night that Saffyre disappeared. Even though Owen seems to fit the requirements of a sexual predator, Cate isn't quite sure if he actually is the culprit behind these crimes. After all, there's a lot of unanswered questions she has, such as why was Saffyre, her husband's former patient, standing outside of their home the night she went missing? Where was her husband when the girl disappeared?

While I enjoyed this book, I did have a few critiques that kept this from being 5 stars. First of all, Cate's naivety was really quite annoying. She had every right to question her husband about her concerns, but she was worried that would make her seem too "crazy." I sympathized with her for the first half of the novel and then after that, I was just mad that she wouldn't stand up for herself. Secondly, the ending felt too rushed. After spending so much time building up to the climax, it felt like everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow in just a few pages. I wanted some more explanation regarding the resolution to the sexual assaults especially because without it, I'm just not fully buying into the last twist. It just seems really unlikely as it was presented.

Overall, the plot of Invisible Girl is really engrossing. I read the book in just a few sittings. The story is fast paced and suspenseful. There are twists that will keep you guessing. Some of the characters, Owen especially, are very original, which is refreshing when you read a lot of mysteries that all seem to recycle the same kinds of characters over and over again. This book will surely not disappoint and makes a great summer read. If you've enjoyed any of Lisa Jewell's previous works, the chances are you'll enjoy this one as well.

My Rating: ★★★★☆
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on October 13, 2020.

*Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: Outsider by Linda Castillo

Kate Burkholder, everyone's favorite ex-Amish Chief of Police, is back in Linda Castillo's latest novel, Outsider. This is the 12th novel in the series that follows the life and cases of the aforementioned cop in the small town of Painter's Mill, Ohio.

This time around, Kate comes face to face with her past in the form of Gina Colorosa, an old friend from her police academy days. Gina is discovered by Adam, a young Amish widower, after crashing her truck during a snow storm and almost freezing to death in the elements. His Amish nature compels him to bring the strange woman home despite his gut telling him that there is more to this story than an innocent accident in a blizzard. Gina, having barely escaped with her life, is on the run from some supposedly crooked cops who see her as a threat to their illegal activities. Despite the falling out that resulted in the former friends not seeing or speaking to each other in over a decade, Gina asks to see Kate because she has nowhere else to go. The two women get snowed in while at Adam's house and are forced to spend the next few days with him and his young children. Kate listens to Gina's story about being framed for heinous crimes by angry colleagues, but she has her doubts about Gina's culpability and sincerity. She wants to believe that her old friend isn't capable of the things she's been accused of doing, but how well did she ever really know Gina? With the help of John Tomasetti, Kate must put her old feelings to rest in order to find the truth and make the tough decision of protecting Gina or turning her in to the proper authorities.

This was a great addition to the Kate Burkholder series. The storyline is solid and suspenseful. It kept me reading late into the night. The twists made the story entertaining, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't see them coming. While the main plot doesn't focus on the Amish this time around, the reader still gets a lot of insight into the Amish way of life through Kate and Gina's time with Adam and his family. I enjoyed learning about some of the family's winter customs, such as ice skating on a frozen pond and going on sleigh rides. I was also happy to get more of a glimpse into Kate's past after she decided to leave the Amish way of life. Castillo sheds some light on Kate's struggles as she learns to navigate the English world alone and how she ultimately ended up pursuing a career in law enforcement. The reader can also look forward to seeing how Kate and Tomasetti's relationship continues to develop. One thing that is missing from the story is the other members of Kate's team. Because of the blizzard, Kate is stuck at Adam's farm and has almost no interaction with the rest of the characters I've grown to love throughout the series. Other than that small complaint, this is an enjoyable read that lives up to the rest of the series. While all the novels can stand alone, I highly recommend starting from the very first book in order to fully understand and appreciate the complicated protagonist that is Kate Burkholder, Chief of Police.

My Rating: ★★★★☆
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on July 7, 2020.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

I don't quite know how to begin this review other than to say that The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is an amazing read! If you like murder-mysteries and are a fan of true crime podcasts, then this book will be right up your alley!

The story follows Rachel Krall, a podcaster who has made quite a name for herself in the true crime genre, much like the real-life Serial. The latest season of her hit podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" centers around a violent rape case very reminiscent of the Brock Turner scandal that was in the news a few years ago. A rich, talented college kid is accused of brutally raping a high school girl. He claims that the sex was consensual and she's made up the rape story because she was angry when she found out he rated her sexual performance poorly to his friends. His family has money and pays everyone and anyone they can to portray their son as this angelic, kind-hearted young man on his way to earning a spot on the Olympic swim team.

Rachel attends the trial and records her podcast episodes in real time as a way of putting her listeners "in the jury box." The chapters in the book alternate between Rachel in real time, her podcast episodes, and letters from Hannah (more on her later). The rape trial itself is very interesting. Goldin does a great job making the trial experience seem authentic and suspenseful. She shows how rape accusations divide people. Defendants of the accused claim that women can be vengeful and falsely cry rape whenever they get their feelings hurt and want to destroy a man's life. Defendants of the accuser cry out against the unfair treatment victims often undergo after they've summoned the courage to come forward. Some would say that victims are violated all over again by the justice system when they go through the painstaking process of testifying in court only to see their rapists set free because of reasonable doubt. 

I was very invested in the court case and loved how Goldin was able to tie it into a second mystery within the same novel. While she is attending the trial and recording her podcast episodes, Rachel is sent several messages asking for her help in finding out the truth behind a murder decades earlier. This subplot revolves around Jenny, a young girl who supposedly drowned while swimming in the sea at night. Her sister, Hannah, knows that her sister was murdered, but needs Rachel's help to figure out who was responsible. Rachel divides her time between the rape trial and this murder mystery from the past. It turns out the two cases are connected, but in a way that I wasn't expecting. 

Overall, I couldn't put this book down. I loved every bit of it. Goldin did a wonderful job weaving the two storylines together seamlessly. The story was fast-paced and kept me reading late into the night. There are some scenes that were hard to get through because they were so heartbreaking and unsettling, but Goldin handled the sensitive material in a way that kept it from crossing a line for me. I will absolutely be checking out what this author comes up with next! 

My Rating: ★★★★★
At the time of this post, this title is set to be released on August 4th, 2020.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Review: They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry

I immediately jumped into reading They Did Bad Things when I saw it was by Lauren A. Forry. It was awhile ago, but I read and reviewed her novel, Abigale Hall, and absolutely loved it. (Read my review here!) While the premise of this novel seemed quiet different from Forry's previous novel, I loved the horror movie vibe the summary was giving. I'm sad to say that this was one of those books I expected to love, but ultimately disliked it enough that I almost didn't finish it.

The premise of They Did Bad Things is interesting enough. A group of college kids are brought together by the dilapidated, rundown house in which they each rent a room. The students couldn't be more different than each other, but they somehow make coexisting work until it, well... doesn't. The morning after a crazy party, the roommates awaken to find that one housemate has been murdered, clearly by one of the roommates themselves, but no one knows who for sure. After covering up evidence and making the crime look like an accident, the surviving roommates go on to live their lives for the next few decades until they are all lured to a mysterious hotel on an island in Scotland under false pretenses. It quickly becomes clear that no one will be checking out of this hotel alive until the truth about what happened all those years ago is revealed and justice has been served. Death and mayhem ensue and the rest of the novel plays out like your cookie-cutter horror movie.

Now, normally, I would like this, except something just doesn't work here. I could envision the story in my mind and I bet it could be a successful movie, but it just wasn't working as a novel for me. I found it very confusing to follow. The story is told from several narrators' perspectives and jumps from the past to the present to the near-past to the long ago past again, etc. Three of the characters were very similar and I kept getting them mixed up in my mind. I feel like this is something that needed to be cleaned up a little bit to make the experience less arduous for the reader. The twists and turns were far from shocking and even the gruesome bits felt like the author was trying too hard. So much of the mastermind's plan is laughably far-fetched (getting plastic surgery to assume someone else's identity???). None of the characters were likable and the ultimate reason the roommate was killed in the first place never made much sense to me. I also never fully understood how the bad guy knew which one of the roommates was responsible for the original death.

I'm frustrated because I really thought I was going to like this novel. I hate to rate it so low when I've loved her previous work, but I almost quit several times. It's never a good sign when you've made it to 90% completion and you still aren't sure the last 10% is worth your time. Forry did do a nice job when it came to creating a creepy setting in both the college rental house and the Scottish manor, but everything else just fell way short.

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
At the time of this post, this title will be available June 2, 2020.

*Thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!