Book Review / The Missing Daughter by Emily Gunnis

 From the author of the runaway bestseller The Girl in the Letter comes a heartwrenching, twisting novel of betrayal, tragedy and a shocking family secret buried for decades.

1960. Thirteen-year-old Rebecca lives in fear of her father’s temper. As a storm batters Seaview Cottage one night, she hears a visitor at the door and a violent argument ensues. By the time the police arrive, Rebecca’s parents are dead and the visitor has fled. No one believes Rebecca heard a stranger downstairs...

2014. Iris, a journalist, is sent to cover the story of a new mother on the run with her desperately ill baby. But fatefully the trail leads to the childhood home of Iris’s own mother, Rebecca…Seaview Cottage.

As Iris races to unravel what happened the night Rebecca’s parents were killed, it’s time for Seaview Cottage to give up its secrets.

Published:  16th August 2019

Publisher:   Review

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Historical Fiction, Mystery and Thriller

Pages:  352, Kindle 

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  One of my most favourite styles of stories is the split narrative style story, where you have two characters who are more often or not in different time periods and you follow each to only find out that there's a connection somewhere that gets revealed near the end of the story.  This was one of those novels.  The suspense in this story was really good and certainly kept me hooked.   If I had to pick a favourite, I did really enjoy following Iris who is in the 'present day' and watching her investigate and look back.  

What I didn't like about this story...  If I had to be picky I wished there were more surprises, but this may have been me and not the book as I have read so many of these style of stories now and it does take a lot to really surprise me.  

Would I recommend...  A great novel and certainly worth picking up, especially if you are new to both historical fiction and split narrative stories.  

Book Review / The Only One Left by Riley Sager

At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.

Published:  20th June 2023   

Publisher:  Dutton

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Thriller, Mystery and Horror

Pages:   385 pages, Hardcover 

MY REVIEW 

What I loved about this story...  I can't tell you how much I loved this story, but I'll try!  I had to finish this book in one sitting. There was no choice.  I was hooked right from the very first page to want to find out what on earth was going on and by the time I got to the end, with all the twists and turns, I was finally ready to put the book down...  The suspense was on point with this book, along with the mystery of what on earth was going on.  Along with the twists and turns throughout and reveals, this was an amazing read for me!

Would I recommend...  Absolutely!   A great place to start if you haven't picked up a Riley Sager novel before also!

Book Review / Alone with you in the Ether by Olivie Blake

 CHICAGO, SOMETIME—

Two people meet in the Art Institute by chance. Prior to their encounter, he is a doctoral student who manages his destructive thoughts with compulsive calculations about time travel; she is a bipolar counterfeit artist, undergoing court-ordered psychotherapy. By the end of the story, these things will still be true. But this is not a story about endings.

For Regan, people are predictable and tedious, including and perhaps especially herself. She copes with the dreariness of existence by living impulsively, imagining a new, alternate timeline being created in the wake of every rash decision.

To Aldo, the world feels disturbingly chaotic. He gets through his days by erecting a wall of routine: a backbeat of rules and formulas that keep him going. Without them, the entire framework of his existence would collapse.

For Regan and Aldo, life has been a matter of resigning themselves to the blueprints of inevitability—until the two meet. Could six conversations with a stranger be the variable that shakes up the entire simulation?

Published:  20th June 2020

Publisher:  Tor Books

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Romance, Fiction, Contemporary and Literary Fiction

Pages:  288 pages, Hardcover 

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  For me, the best part was the romance and drama between Regan and Aldo.  From the moment they met right through until the very last page I just couldn't stop reading to find out what was going to happen and how they were both going to react in certain situations.  There's a few hard hitting subject lines covered in this story and I feel that was covered really well alongside the love aspect.  

What I didn't like about this story...  I felt a bit lost at times during this story and I don't think it was the plot.  The story was very beautifully written but at times the writing seemed too dense for what was happening in the story.  It was a very slow read for that reason and I had wished that the pace was faster.  

Would I recommend...  Absolutely.  Such a hauntingly beautiful story.  If you are not keen on dense writing that makes the story read slow, maybe this is not the story for you, but worth a go.  

Book Review / All They Need to Know by Eileen Goudge

 A woman escaping a violent past finds new friendships, romance, and tenuous sanctuary in an emotionally gripping novel by New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge.

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a neglected dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted group of women called the Tattooed Ladies Club. They’re there for Kyra—and for each other.

The maternal Frannie is a tattoo artist struggling with a troubled daughter. Suzy is a self-described fashionista grandma bearing a painful estrangement from her son. Then there’s Jo, whose enviable marriage is coming undone. And bookstore owner Marisol. She longs for the kind of romance she only reads about. For them, and for Kyra, fortunes can change.

Just as Kyra parlays her artistic talents into a new career, and finally meets a man she can trust in and love, her ex tracks her down. He has a twisted plan to upend everything she now holds dear. Marshaling her renewed power and wisdom, Kyra will stop at nothing to put the past behind her. Once and for all. Whatever it takes.

Expected Publication:   24th September 2024

Publisher:  Lake Union Publishing

Goodreads :   Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Netgalley Review Copy

Genres:     Fiction

Pages:  335 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW 

What I liked about this story...  Its been a very long time since I last read a book by this author (The Diary).  I really enjoyed this story.   The best part of this story for me was its laid back style of storytelling, so rather than being on the edge of my seat I was laid back but still wanting to figure out what was going on.  More than anything it was the suspense build up that kept me turning the pages.

What I didn't like about this story...  Most of the story was a little predictable to me, but that didn't spoil any of the enjoyment in reading this story.  I just would have loved a bit more surprise.  

Would I recommend...  Most definately.  Beautifully written and an interesting plot to get stuck into.  

Book Review / An Education in Malice by S T Gibson

 

Sumptuous and addictive, An Education in Malice is a dark academia tale of blood, secrets and insatiable hungers from Sunday Times bestselling author S.T. Gibson, author of the cult hit A Dowry of Blood.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua's College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

Published:  13th February 2024

Publisher:  Orbit

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Netgalley Review Copy 

Genres:     Fantasy, Horror and Romance

Pages:  352 pages, Hardcover

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  I went into this story completely blind.  The only aspect I knew about it was the title cover and it had something to do with education, hopefully.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the plot and the characters, especially given the fact that I didn't know anything about what was going on or who people were there was a character reveal that I completely didn't see coming (but should have looking back at the clues!).  This was such a fun read.

What I didn't like about this story...  If I had to be picky I would have loved to have seen more action in the story.  I felt that some of the time we were just being told what was going on rather than being shown.

Would I recommend...  100%  I would even go as far as to recommend going into this story not knowing anything at all about it.  It would make the surprises in the story all that much more enjoyable.  

Book Review / The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

 

From the bestselling author of Hidden Pictures comes a breathtaking work of suspense about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.

Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.

He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that delves deep into the heart of one family, The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense from a true modern master.

Estimated Publishing Date:  8th October 2024

Publisher:  Flatiron Books, Sphere

Goodreads :  Click here  

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Netgalley Review Copy 

Genres:     Thriller, Horror and Mystery

Pages:  352 pages, Hardcover

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  This is the first time I've read a novel by this author and it certainly won't be my last.  I adored the writing, which just pulled me in right from the beginning and didn't let me go right until the very last page.  The past aspect of this for me was the suspense.  I had to know what was happening and what was going to happen next.  There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me at the edge of my seat.  I honestly did not know what was going to happen next and what the characters, certainly Maggie, would do next... 

Would I recommend...  Absolutely!  This is such a fun thrilling read you need to pick this up as soon as you can get your hands on it!

Book Review / Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

 

A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Published:  4th October 2022

Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton

Goodreads : Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller and Contemporary

Pages:  455 pages, Kindle 

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  As with the majority of books by Jodi Picoult, this book makes me think, both before, during and after reading the entire novel.  I'm not sure how much of this book was written by Jennifer Finney Boylan, but I honestly couldn't tell the difference in the styles of writing.  It just flowed through beautifully.  This book kept me on my toes and really surprised me in the way the story turned.

Would I recommend...  Absolutely!  If you like books that make you question life, or the big questions on life, pick this up.  If you are new to Jodi Picoult, this book is no better place than any to start (but then you need to pick up all her backlist also!)

Waiting on Wednesday / Joy by Danielle Steel

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog that I really enjoyed blogging about in the post, so I thought I would bring it back!  Below is this week's pick! 

Allegra Dixon has never felt loved or wanted. Rejected by her mother - a cold, beautiful socialite - and her absentee military father, Allegra's only escape from her lonely existence is through books and her own rich fantasy world.

When she finds love with childhood sweetheart Shepherd Williams, her heart feels full for the first time. But as Shep follows in her father's footsteps, pulled into the dark world of military conflict, Allegra fears she will end up alone for a second time.

Expected Publication:  13th August 2024 (UK)

Publisher:  Delacorte Press

Goodreads : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202102031-joy

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Genres:     Romance and Contemporary

Book Review / How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

 

Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

Published:  17th January 2023

Publisher:  Berkley

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery and Paranormal

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  This has to be my most favourite book yet from this author!  I went into this story blind, not knowing much about it apart from what it said on the cover.  Not only did this author make me absolutely hate a particular character at the beginning of the novel to then turn it around to actually be my favourite character by the end of it!  Great suspense and there certainly were parts in this book where I was really creeped out...  

What I didn't like about this story...  Nothing - I loved this book!

Would I recommend...  Absolutely!  A fun horror with plenty of twists and turns along the way.  

Book Review / The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham

 

For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings. The vice was controlled by a small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumored to be members of the Dixie Mafia.

Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends, as well as Little League all-stars. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith’s father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to “clean up the Coast.” Hugh’s father became the “Boss” of Biloxi’s criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father’s footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father’s clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.

Life itself hangs in the balance in The Boys from Biloxi, a sweeping saga rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters.

Published:  *18th October 2022

Publisher:  Doubleday

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Mystery, Thriller, Crime and Legal Thriller

MY REVIEW

What I like about this story...   For me, the best part of this book was the characters.  Not only did you follow and get to know Keith and Hugh but you also got to know their backstory, their families and how they got to where they are in present day.  Alongside that you have the story of Biloxi itself and how the streets are 'run' and how they are kept 'clean'.   Corruption and vice are not the type of storylines that I would normally gravitate to but written by John Grisham just made it great.

Would I recommend...  Absolutely!  For those who like a good thriller filled with suspense, pick this up!

Book Review / Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?

Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.

Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.

How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.”

Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.

A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.

If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.

Published:  26th September 2024  

Publisher:  Penguin

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Netgalley Review 

Genres:     Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller and Suspense

Pages:  464 pages

MY REVIEW 

What I loved about this story...  The suspense and mystery were the best parts of this story for me.  I enjoyed seeing the predictions being made and seeing what happens afterwards, watching each of the characters reactions to this.  Its all very mysterious and certainly kept me on my toes throughout the story wanting to know what was going to happen next.  

What I didn't like about this story...  Honestly, for me there were too many characters.  Now this is more of a its me and not the book type of scenario.  I've not read many stories where there is a whole cast of characters and I've realised after reading this one that this type of story just isn't for me.  

Would I recommend...  If you like stories that keep you on your toes until the very end, give this one a go.  I would recommend but maybe not one for those who do not like a whole cast of characters to follow.  

Book Review / Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks

Dreamland is a love story about risking everything for a dream—and whether it’s possible to leave the past behind.

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known.

While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a life for them in a small town far off the beaten track. With money running out and danger seemingly around every corner, she makes a desperate decision that will rewrite everything she knows to be true.

In the course of a single unforgettable week, two young people will navigate the exhilarating heights and heartbreak of first love. Hundreds of miles away, Beverly will put her love for her young son to the test. And fate will draw all three people together in a web of life-altering connections . . . forcing each to wonder whether the dream of a better life can ever survive the weight of the past.

Published: 20th September 2022

Publisher:  Random House

Pages:  367 pages

Genres:  Romance, Fiction and Contemporary

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  Words cannot fully explain how excited I get picking up a Nicholas Sparks novel; even ones that I've read before and just haven't picked up in a while!  Also, with nearly every novel written by this author, this story pulled me in right from the very first word, made me feel all the emotions known to man and only loosened its grip on my on the very last page!

What I didn't like about this story...  I think I will need to re-read this story at some point (which no doubt I will) as there were parts in the novel where I did get a bit lost in the story and had to back track, but I think this is more of a me thing than this story to be honest.  

Would I recommend...  Most definately!  A gripping romance that you can't miss out on. 

Book Review / The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

 A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

This unhinged, propulsive, claustrophobic closed-door thriller will pull you in and spit you out…

Published:  21st February 2023

Publisher:   Atrica

Goodreads : Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Thriller and Mystery

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  The suspense would have to be the main aspect of this novel that drew me in and kept me reading.  I wanted to find out what happens next and where this book would take me.  I wanted to learn more about the characters.  There were a few surprises along the way that got me!

What I didn't like about this story...  I think this is one of those books that I might need to give another try to at some point in the future as, honestly, I got a bit lost with the story in places and struggled to keep up.  It was a bit strange in places.

Would I recommend...  I would but, for me, this was an average thriller but with great writing promise so I will be picking up more from this author as and when she writes more.

Book Review / Run Rose Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton

 From America’s most beloved superstar and its greatest storyteller—a thriller about a young singer/songwriter on the rise and on the run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive.

Every song tells a story.
She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her.
She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past.

Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her.

Run, Rose, Run is a novel glittering with danger and desire—a story that only America’s #1 most beloved entertainer and its #1 bestselling author could have created.

Published:  7th March 2022

Publisher:  Little Brown

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Mystery, Thriller and Romance 

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  This was such a fun read.  I've always been an American country music fan and, of course, I love reading so to merge the two made this book a really exciting story to read.  The best part of this for me was following the main character, learning about her past and seeing how she deals with that and what she is trying to achieve in the present day.  

What I didn't like about this story...  There were no surprises in this story for me.  I would have loved to have been surprised by a few twists and turns, but I had already anticipated them.  

  

Would I recommend...   This is a fun thriller that I would recommend.