Author: writingkat95

Posted in Book Review

Review: People Like Her, by Ellery Lloyd

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

Emmy Jackson makes a living as an influential mommy blogger, exaggerating and even fabricating details of her life to appeal to an ever-growing audience. She hasn’t realized yet that someone wants to hurt her and her family, but she will soon. Someone believes Emmy deserves to lose it all- and she just might.

My impressions:

This book may look like a fun, zippy read, but make no mistake, it is DARK. I went in with assumptions about the tone and was pleasantly surprised that it was a lot more tense and suspenseful than I expected. The author skillfully built incredible tension even during seemingly innocuous scenes. Something as simple as a child’s birthday party felt sinister, and the entire story had my stomach churning with anticipation.

I would caution that if you are a parent, this book might hit a bit close to home. Parts of the plot revolve around danger to the protagonist’s children, and some readers may find that particularly upsetting. However, I can say without spoiling too much that I think readers will find the ending satisfying, and the journey getting there is certainly full of compelling twists.

Fans of Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware will likely enjoy this fast paced thriller. I certainly found it to be impossible to put down until the ride was over.

-Happy Reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Herd, by Andrea Bartz

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

When the leader of a notorious women’s only workspace group goes missing, journalist Katie seizes the opportunity to look into the truth behind the glamorous image of The Herd and its enigmatic missing leader Eleanor.

My impressions:

Whether or not social commentary and parody are your bag, this mystery is compelling and compulsively readable. Tightly plotted and full of interesting characters, this book holds up as an excellent thriller without relying too heavily on it’s gimmicks to stay interesting. The writing style is snappy and flows well, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read. I dare you not to finish it in a single sitting!

Fans of “People Like Her” and “A Simple Favor” will love the stylish prose and darkly funny wit in this hit novel. If you’re looking for something to scratch that elusive itch of humor and murder, this is absolutely the book for you. I highly recommend it to both veteran mystery fans and newcomers to the genre, as it makes for a great entry point into the mystery thriller world.

-Happy Reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Last Time I Saw You, by Liv Constantine

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

Estranged best friends Kate and Blair are reunited after Kate’s mother is found murdered. When Kate starts receiving threatening messages, she finds herself leaning more and more on Blair for support. But is Blair hiding something?

My impressions:

As usual, Liv Constantine blew me away. It’s rare that I find myself rooting for characters who are doing objectively bad things, but every character in this book is so compelling, I couldn’t help but root for all of them, if only to see where their actions would lead. I particularly enjoyed the way the book explored themes of friendship and codependency, and how those lines can get blurred. I love the way Constantine writes such memorable characters, each with their own complex motivations and often fascinatingly messed up moral codes.

Fans of Gillian Flynn and Lisa Jewell are bound to enjoy this author’s work as well, and while I can’t say too much without spoiling the plot, I highly recommend this book as a good starting point on Constantine’s writing. If you’re looking for one last phenomenal beach read this summer, this is the book for you!

-Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Stranger in the Lake, by Kimberly Belle

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

Rumors swirl about wealthy widower Paul after the death of his wife, but his new wife Charlotte disregards the town’s suspicions as nothing more than hurtful gossip. When another body shows up in the same lake Paul’s wife drowned in, Charlotte is forced to wonder if maybe her husband is not so innocent after all.

My impressions:

I’m personally a huge fan of this kind of fish out of water story wherein a character from a humble background gets swept up in a world of wealth, only to discover that the wealthy are hiding dark secrets. It’s an entire subgenre of mystery, and this book falls solidly into that category. Charlotte is an outsider among Paul’s wealthy friends and neighbors, and this gives her a unique perspective as she uncovers the dark underbelly of her husband’s past.

One of my favorite things about this author’s writing style is the way she makes the setting come alive. The whole time I was reading I felt like I could practically see the action playing out in front of me. The cold lake, the fog, all of it felt so immediate, and it really leant itself to the atmosphere of the mystery. If you’re looking to escape the summer heat, this might be just the book to escape into, because it’s sure to give you chills!

Fans of The Girl on the Train and The Good Sister will likely enjoy this snappy and engrossing thriller. I highly recommend this book as a perfect summer escape!

-Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

New to town, Piper Reynard sets her sights on Leo Drakos, undeterred by the wedding ring on his finger. Meanwhile, supportive Joanna, who has been patiently waiting for Leo to seem like the man she fell in love with again after depression put a wedge between them. As Piper grows more determined to win Leo, Joanna becomes increasingly suspicious of the other woman’s past and her intentions towards Leo and his children.

My impressions:

Absolutely one of the most heart pounding suspense novels I’ve read this year! I couldn’t put it down, desperate to see what would happen between the complicated cast of characters as tensions rose and rose.

Both of the point of view characters had much more to them than met the eye, and I can’t say much more on that without hinting at spoilers, but suffice to say I loved peeling away the layers of artifice and learning what these enigmatic ladies were hiding. There’s not much as satisfying as a book where both sides of a conflict get point of view characters, letting the audience watch the conflict unfold from both perspectives.

The descriptive details and writing voice were lush and added to the enjoyment of the book overall. I highly recommend it as a beach read or just to add a little suspense to a busy week.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: “The Au Pair” by Emma Rous

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

Still grieving the loss of her father, Seraphine finds some photos of the day she was born- the day her mother died- that leave her with unanswered questions. Questions her family seems to want her to stop asking.

My impressions:

I’m absolutely a sucker for anything with old family secrets and dodgy characters with too much to hide, and this story scratched that itch beautifully. Honestly I had been hoping for some sort of Turn of the Screw retelling, given the popularity of The Haunting of Bly Manor and the like. Still, despite the fact that this was a very different kind of story, it was thoroughly satisfying, and the twists were scandalous and intriguing.

I would recommend this book highly as a beach read sort of thriller, the type that will keep you hooked and reading to the end without keeping you up at night after. The characters aren’t the most relatable, but they’re easy to root for, and you’ll certainly find yourself wanting to unearth all their secrets.

Where this book really succeeds is in the pacing. It isn’t necessarily as breakneck as some mysteries, instead it unfolds one petal at a time until the full blooming picture is there for the reader to see and the characters to react to. If you like stories about complicated families with long buried secrets, I’ve got your next summer beach read!

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: “The Power Couple” by Alex Berenson

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

In this Taken-like thriller, the daughter of an intelligence agent and a programmer is kidnapped while on vacation. Her parents’ already strained marriage is put to the rest as they search Europe for their daughter, each of them with their own egos and agendas affecting their efforts to save her.

My impressions:

This was almost too intense for me, I’ll have to admit. If you’re at all squeamish about gore, you may want to skip some of the scenes near the end of this book, but all in all, it’s a solid thriller with some memorable twists. I liked that the characters all had agency in their own ways, as sometimes stories with a kidnapping can lean too hard into the helplessness of either the victim or their loved ones.

For such a suspenseful book, I was surprised by how often the pacing seemed to meander, the narration wandering off to chase down subplots with only tangential connections to the main storyline. This might frustrate some readers, but if you’re willing to stick with it, I think the pacing can serve to build the suspense even further. Just be prepared to wait for the story to move forward and enjoy the ride.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: “You Are Not Alone” by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

A young woman witnesses something traumatic, and is taken under wing by an enigmatic group of women with dangerous secrets.

My impressions:

This book was so deliciously disturbing it will stay with me for quite a while yet. There were moments so tense I found myself digging my nails into my own arm, bouncing at the edge of my seat while I waited to see what would happen next.

In my opinion, some of the best suspense in media comes from the audience realizing things the protagonist has not yet. This book does that with spectacular results, slowly revealing more and more unsettling things to the audience while the protagonist remains unaware of the danger she is in.

One of my favorite elements of this story was the way it switches points of view and timelines, layering together threads of different stories until they come together into one paranoia inducing plot. I was practically ready to scream at the protagonist to run away on multiple occasions, and I won’t spoil anything, but there was one reveal that made me gasp out loud in surprise and dread.

I absolutely recommend this book for mystery and thriller fans. It’s not your average beach read, so go in prepared for a genuine scare.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

New parents Anne and Marco leave their infant daughter alone asleep in their home, popping next door for a “grown ups only” dinner party. Despite their misgivings, they make it through the party, frequently walking back to their house to check on the sleeping baby and keeping the baby monitor on them the whole time. Yet somehow, when they return home, the baby is missing.

My impressions:

This was a twisty book that kept me guessing all the way through. Despite not finding the characters all that relatable, I still found myself thoroughly engrossed. The twists were well executed, with just the right amount of foreshadowing to keep things from feeling too out of left field while still being surprising.

If you’re looking for a good domestic thriller, this is definitely one I would recommend. Shari Lapena’s writing style is perfect for the genre, creating suspense and planting questions in the reader’s mind, only to answer them in surprising and twisty ways.

I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say it left me wild-eyed and adding more of Lapena’s books to my to-be-read pile.

Happy reading!

Posted in Book Review

Review: The Perfect Guests, by Emma Rous

Posted on by writingkat95

The hook:

In 1988, young Beth goes to stay with the wealthy family at Raven Hall as a companion for their little girl. In 2019 an actress named Sadie is hired to participate in a Clue-like mystery night party at Raven Hall. Over the course of their alternating perspectives, the connections between the two girls are slowly revealed, as well as the dark secrets Raven Hall has kept hidden all these years.

My impressions:

This book was about as tailored to my tastes as it gets!

The combination of alternating timelines and semi-reliable narration make for an unsettling read in the best way. I really loved the fractured feeling of the narrative, tension hyping up in one timeline only to leave you hanging for a while when the narrative leaps back to the other timeline.

With a glamorous backdrop and secretive cast of characters, this book felt like an invitation to a murder mystery dinner party, just like the one Sadie attends. As each new twist surfaces, the sense that there’s something we’re not being told grows more intense. When the pieces all finally fall into place and the twists are all out in the open, that unsettling feeling becomes surprise and horror and half a dozen other reactions as the characters react to the secrets that have, for better or worse, been revealed.

What really struck me about this book was that I didn’t find myself actively rooting against any of the characters, even once their dirty secrets started coming out. I don’t know that I was rooting for them either, but I was fascinated by the whole cast of characters, and I wanted to know everything they were hiding.

I highly recommend this book for fans of The Haunting series on Netflix, or for anyone who enjoys games like Clue and Betrayal.

Happy reading!