This just wasn’t quite working for me. The writing felt choppy and there were a lot of characters that were more caricatures. They were just flat and This just wasn’t quite working for me. The writing felt choppy and there were a lot of characters that were more caricatures. They were just flat and not worth following for me. A couple interesting points difficult to follow. I just wasn’t really enjoying any part of it so time to move on! I really wanted to like this one so I was bummed it didn’t work out. ...more
Marked as DNF 2/11/21 | This book just wasn't for me. It was marketed and shelved as a thriller in a lot of ways but it really wasn't a thriller. HalfMarked as DNF 2/11/21 | This book just wasn't for me. It was marketed and shelved as a thriller in a lot of ways but it really wasn't a thriller. Halfway in, it was more general fiction but with the concept of multiple personalities as a main focus, which is so often used as thriller twists, it certainly seemed like it. There may still be a twist somewhere here in the end but I'm just not here for it. I actually did like the different setting in which we see DID (dissociative identity disorder) and that it wasn't used just as a plot twist for a thriller, but I just really wasn't interested in the story and I was still expecting it to be a suspenseful or mysterious novel and it really wasn't catching those tones for me. I think it had a bit to do with the marketing of the book, but checking out reviews (which I don't do beforehand for fear of spoilers) would have confirmed this. I wasn't really getting into the story part of the book and it just wasn't holding my interest enough. I paused my audiobook mid-day and just had a hard time wanting to finish the rest of it the next day with 7 hours still to go so.... another DNF and just moving on to something else. ...more
Read Abandoned 2/5/21 | I made it about 25% into this read and it just wasn't doing it for me. It started off with a bit of action but it didn't reallRead Abandoned 2/5/21 | I made it about 25% into this read and it just wasn't doing it for me. It started off with a bit of action but it didn't really carry the story into anything interesting and it was just taking way too long to develop plot or characters. I just decided to move on to the next one. ...more
Read Completed 2/3/21 | Another quick, fun read. I didn't love this plot as much as I enjoyed the other two but I did like seeing Kasey's acting experRead Completed 2/3/21 | Another quick, fun read. I didn't love this plot as much as I enjoyed the other two but I did like seeing Kasey's acting experience come into play. I've been enjoying this series and I'll still be continuing! I think what keeps me coming back to cozy mystery series are getting to know the characters and even with how short these books are, I think the author is doing a lovely job on getting me connected with the characters. ...more
Read Completed 2/3/20 | Another fun read in this series and I really felt the development more here! Each book is only about 4 hours long (whatever thRead Completed 2/3/20 | Another fun read in this series and I really felt the development more here! Each book is only about 4 hours long (whatever that equates to in page form), so it's definitely fast and doesn't allow for as much development as other novels, but I really don't mind it! I like sticking to the story and adding in getting to know the characters without dragging things on too long as I'm so often looking to push forward in cozy mysteries.
Another book without a murder, and this is more a case of identity and fraud. The concept of this series almost reminds me a bit of Stephanie Plum but stands well on its own and is less silly. I'm really starting to like main character Kasey and seeing the Booker Brothers gain some spotlight and personality as well. ...more
Read Completed 2/3/21 | 3.5 stars A cute little cozy mystery, quick and easy to read. The audiobook only clocks in at 4+ hours so I was able to breeze Read Completed 2/3/21 | 3.5 stars A cute little cozy mystery, quick and easy to read. The audiobook only clocks in at 4+ hours so I was able to breeze through it to see if I wanted to continue the series and binge a few of the books at once. I liked the characters but wanted a bit more from them, so that was definitely motivation to continue!
This was a cozy mystery without a murder to solve, so the books are even lighter than other mysteries that kick off with a death. The first book dealt with a stolen painting and the story was all right but I enjoyed the set-up of this world more and getting to know the detective agency and all of the characters. The mystery itself didn't interest me as much. I also thought there could have been a bit more of Kasey's acting experience to be thrown into the mix to make that plot point relevant. A fun read and will continue! ...more
Read Completed 2/2/21 | 3.75 stars This was an interesting if disturbing thriller read that kept me interested the whole time, even if I didn't always Read Completed 2/2/21 | 3.75 stars This was an interesting if disturbing thriller read that kept me interested the whole time, even if I didn't always like how the book was developing. It was a little bit different than the "average" thriller due to the topic but I also kind of didn't like what the author did with Jack's character. I also think there could have been a bit more history and development for some of the characters that really would have made this feel that much more real.
I did end up enjoying the ending and I liked how everything wrapped up, so that left me feeling a bit more positive on my review of the book. ...more
Read Completed 1/25/21 | 3.5 stars I was expecting this book to be more of a thriller the way that people categorize it but it really is more of a dramRead Completed 1/25/21 | 3.5 stars I was expecting this book to be more of a thriller the way that people categorize it but it really is more of a drama and non-specific fiction. It does have more of that thriller aspect towards the end but it really didn't have that pacing in beginning. I guess the synopsis does call it a drama and not a thriller, but I went with cover looks and the way people were reviewing it.
It really was an enjoyable book! I wasn't really interested in the drama/lack of suspense (even if that's what it was supposed to be) so it really felt a bit slower than I was anticipating, hence a slightly lower rating. I may have enjoyed it more knowing that but in reality, I probably wouldn't have picked it up all together so I'm still glad that I did!
The story reminded me of HOME BEFORE DARK by Riley Sager (although I guess this was published first) with a child following their parent's published book and the fame, drama, and secrets that came from it. Having read HOME BEFORE DARK first, I liked the way that handled the telling of the book within the book better. I wasn't so interested in the fictional book KITTY in this story and it just didn't grab me. I kept waiting for those parts with portions of the book in it to rush on by.
The ending was interesting but I also wished a couple more things had been developed along the way. It felt like a bit of an ending info dump where sooo much got revealed and I think it could have been spaced out better. ...more
Read Completed 1/20/21 | 3 stars This was a fun first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring Odessa, a new employee at Untapped, a bookstore / barRead Completed 1/20/21 | 3 stars This was a fun first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring Odessa, a new employee at Untapped, a bookstore / bar combo. This book screamed for my attention with craft beer and book references and I knew I had to pick it up!
It was definitely an enjoyable read but I wanted juuust a bit more mystery and investigative work. Most of the investigation was obtaining the dead girl's cell phone and trying to unlock it with a few other minor turns but I think I wanted Odessa to really dig deeper (although she did literally dig through deep piles of trash...) and get a bit more of a mystery kick with some more clues! I know that it's a cozy mystery so it's supposed to have some cute content there too, which I enjoyed, but it did start to feel a tad more contemporary versus mystery for a while... or maybe it's just been so long since I've read cozy mysteries and I've been stuck on thrillers that I don't know what to expect anymore!
Despite a three star rating, I would definitely still be interested in continuing this series! I loved the cozy mystery theme hook of a bookstore & bar/cafe (which I would love to visit, by the way) and the set-up of characters was fun! I'd like to get to know them better, spend more time with them, and see where Odessa's story takes the readers....more
Read Completed 1/20/21 | 2.75 - 3 stars The beginning of this book felt a bit more like general fiction than a mystery/thriller, but the ending packed Read Completed 1/20/21 | 2.75 - 3 stars The beginning of this book felt a bit more like general fiction than a mystery/thriller, but the ending packed some punches. It had a little less "thrill" than I was looking for in the beginning and I was honestly a tad bored while the book was setting up. There was a lot of intro to the ranch, Rachel's family, and the townspeople and I felt like it took a while to really dig deep into the plot. The book surrounded Sera's obsession with Rachel's true crime podcast and I excepted a little bit more mystery and some clues along the way but it really took until the end of the book to get there.
I did like the creepy vibe on the ranch. It was definitely a visual series of chills and really brought a creepy atmosphere to the book that I appreciated a lot.
Another thing I was really missing though was that I feel like I don't even know who Sera was. Part of the premise of the book was that Rachel (and therefore Sera) are obsessed with the "missing" girls and women who disappear, physically and figuratively all at the same time. They don't have a lot going for them and don't have a big family or friend connection so there "isn't much to miss" when they go missing. Sera was supposed to fit that bill as well, being recently divorced and jobless aside from her pursuit of Rachel, when Rachel goes missing. I get that she was supposed to fit that profile but I still wanted to get to know her more. ...more
Read Completed 1/19/21 | This was deeper and darker than I thought it would be but that wasn't a bad thing! It was much more realistic, in depth, and Read Completed 1/19/21 | This was deeper and darker than I thought it would be but that wasn't a bad thing! It was much more realistic, in depth, and well-rounded than I expected and I really appreciate all of the detail that Tess Sharpe included in this book. It was a bit more of a difficult read dealing with several heavy issues, but I appreciated the way they were included in the book and how it discussed each one. ...more
Read Completed 1/13/21 | 3.5 stars I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first but I was glad to get into more character depth and connect with the Read Completed 1/13/21 | 3.5 stars I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first but I was glad to get into more character depth and connect with the two main characters more. This one focused much more on Annette which was great, and I'm curious to see how the next book will go with that split between the two. They're both very much present but so far it seems to be switching back and forth between who sort of "takes the lead". I guess Korner was still very strong here, taking the lead on the case and some of his personal life was also in the spotlight.
I also liked that we got other characters from the first book too! I'm hoping they'll continue to make appearances as well. ...more
Read Completed 1/12/21 3.75 stars, rounded up This was an interesting read, and I feel very interested in Nordic Noir. I haven't read much of it but I Read Completed 1/12/21 3.75 stars, rounded up This was an interesting read, and I feel very interested in Nordic Noir. I haven't read much of it but I love that it's a thing and I could totally be on board with that vibe.
I wasn't sure what to expect from THE TENANT but I enjoyed reading this one! I wasn't sure if it was going to be more of a thriller or a mystery (this was before I looked it up on Goodreads, and we know I don't look too far into synopses before reading for fear of spoilers), so I rather enjoyed a little departure from my normal thriller picks for more of a mystery aspect. The book follows detectives Korner and Werner who are investigating the murder of a young woman and mysteries ensue, though this book is much more Jeppe Korner and his perspective, so I'm hoping we get to see more of Anette's perspective later on (assuming they're translated to English as well).
The feel of the book was hard to pin down and I guess how do you really describe the vibe of a murder mystery.... but at times it felt very dark and twisted and other times it reminded me more of other lighter mysteries I've read. It definitely wasn't light but there was something about it that wasn't *as* bleak as it could have been.... I guess haha. Maybe I just read a lot of crazy thrillers so I'm used to things being really messed up, although it did get there in the end.
The answer to the mystery was a little wild, maybe a bit too far-fetched for me. I didn't dislike it but I also wished there were just one or two more clues along the way to hint at some things that could have clued the reader in. There were some definite surprises but some things I felt were a little too much of a surprise and could have been a bit smoother.
I'd definitely read more of this series and more from Katrine Engberg so hopefully the rest of this series gets translated as well! Looks like at least the second book just came out in English a few days ago so I'll have to go look for that one now. ...more
Read Completed 1/7/21 This was actually quite a good story, so I'm glad I read the whole book, but the beginning started off really slowly for me. I'Read Completed 1/7/21 This was actually quite a good story, so I'm glad I read the whole book, but the beginning started off really slowly for me. I'm okay with a slow-burn plot but I just felt like there wasn't enough suspense to really keep me interested and my brain wandered quite a bit while listening to this audio. Things started to really pick up plot-wise around halfway and I got interested but then the pacing sort of messed things up again and my mind wandered... again.
There were some really nice little bits of history that worked themselves out, secrets revealed, and ties to other characters shown, but it really didn't end up being enough to save the book. Actually, I probably would have rated it two stars without those twisty elements, so it did save a little something. It really wasn't bad but I just felt like for all the time we spent with these characters, I didn't feel like any one of them had a personality. I can't even tell you what the main character's name was (Peter? *checks* No, Paul. See?) and everyone was just so blah and dull. Even the creepy sinister kid wasn't as creepy as he could have been and no one really ended up being memorable for me.
I do love some good, twisty novels but I'm also okay with a slower pace. This, however, was just a little too slow getting to some important points in order to keep me interested. Some of the cooler plot points weren't developed enough and in part I can see why because of how they led to some reveals, but at the time I just felt like I wasn't getting enough information. No matter what part of the book, I just wanted a bit more. ...more
Read Completed 1/4/21 | I picked this up on a whim after quitting a different book and I ended up being pretty pleased with it overall! The beginning Read Completed 1/4/21 | I picked this up on a whim after quitting a different book and I ended up being pretty pleased with it overall! The beginning was a little more of a slower pace than I was hoping for but I really appreciated how everything wrapped up and came together in the end. There were a few things I saw coming (and I think you were supposed to) and others that unraveled at a quicker pace towards the end so you didn't see them coming as much. I had a few questions how things would be related -- because I knew they had to be -- and it was interesting to see how they finally were. This was my first Lisa Unger book and I'd definitely be interested in picking up more! ...more
Read Completed 12/29/20 | THE WIVES was one of my favorite reads of 2020 and was so memorable for me. THE WRONG FAMILY... was not. I was so excited toRead Completed 12/29/20 | THE WIVES was one of my favorite reads of 2020 and was so memorable for me. THE WRONG FAMILY... was not. I was so excited to read this and it just really fell flat in so many ways. If I hadn't loved THE WIVES and also if I hadn't accepted this for review, I would have DNFed this in the beginning. The beginning just felt so slow getting to the point. The characters were just so incredibly boring and flat.
Besides the other issues I had, I just didn't really care for the way the plot developed. In the end, I thought it was interesting and I liked how things came around, but it was just kind of weird in the beginning until I understood how things would connect. I think part of the problem was that I knew they had to, and I was more frustrated trying to figure out why Juno was important to the story.
I just didn't love this one in most ways and it was such a bummer! I would highly recommend THE WIVES but I just can't see myself recommending this one. ...more
Read Completed 12/14/20 | After really enjoying THE SUN DOWN MOTEL, I wanted to read more from Simone St. James and landed on THE BROKEN GIRLS! I someRead Completed 12/14/20 | After really enjoying THE SUN DOWN MOTEL, I wanted to read more from Simone St. James and landed on THE BROKEN GIRLS! I somehow forgot how much horror was tied into the plot of THE SUN DOWN MOTEL and it was somehow a surprise in THE BROKEN GIRLS, but I went back and read my review and... yeah, the hauntings really were a big part of it so I shouldn't have been surprised here haha.
I think the horror/ghostly element did work a little better for me in TSDM than it did here, more so because I feel like the inclusion of the ghost of Mary sort of felt like an afterthought. I think it could have tied into the plot just a bit more. It was there throughout the whole book and so many of the characters interacted with Mary, and yet I wanted just a bit more of a reveal about her haunting and history.
I also just didn't quite enjoy the story the way I expected to. It was interesting and I was engaged throughout the whole book but this story and setting just wasn't something that clicked with me as much. ...more
Read Completed 12/11/20 I ended up really enjoying this one! I was a bit worried because of how the chapters were divided, but it really was necessarRead Completed 12/11/20 I ended up really enjoying this one! I was a bit worried because of how the chapters were divided, but it really was necessary in order for some big things to drop and for everything to set up properly. We get a huge chunk of Amber's POV first and then move to Daphne's, which I forgot that we were even supposed to get Daphne's perspective. It got a bit slow at the end of Amber's section, probably because she was getting bored in some ways, and I was waiting for things to get wild.
There were also some portions that were a little difficult to read because of some of the more abusive sections. It was something that really drove the whole narrative of the book but it was just so hard to read because it was so awful.
I liked how everything resolved in the end and it was an overall interesting read! ...more
Read Completed 12/8/20 | This was an interesting read that started off strong and finished strong! I did feel a little bit of a lull in the middle as Read Completed 12/8/20 | This was an interesting read that started off strong and finished strong! I did feel a little bit of a lull in the middle as things were developing, but it did add to important details and set up parts of the story that we'd need for that ending with a punch! There were a lot of threads that came full circle and I really liked how Rachel Hawkins was able to bring the whole story together. I also really appreciated spicing things up in the beginning of the book in order to hook my interest since a lot of times I'm looking for a fast start in a thriller. ...more
Read Completed 11/6/20 | 2.5 - 3 stars This was my least favorite Alice Feeney book (being the third that I read) for several reasons. It felt the slopRead Completed 11/6/20 | 2.5 - 3 stars This was my least favorite Alice Feeney book (being the third that I read) for several reasons. It felt the sloppiest to me, not really hashing out important plot points that maybe could have given some things away but also would have kept things connected and interesting. There was enough in the book to keep me engaged and interested, but I just really didn't care for Aimee and I think there were a lot of missed opportunities to connect with her. Maybe that was on my end since I kept waiting for a few things to pan out, but I just never really got there. There were a few points in the past story line that never really got answered and I think some more time could have been spent on keeping all those plot points flowing and connected versus random filler-scenes that spent time on their every day lives.
I would have probably rated it three stars for that feel alone, but then things got messed up for me... more than usual in a thriller novel, haha. It's something that can't NOT be talked about so --> (view spoiler)[ The incest plot was just plain gross and ridiculous. Aside from just having incest being involved, it was involved (or implied to be involved) in multiple ways, it was a part of the twist (her husband turned out to be her estranged brother!?!?), and it was just stupid and felt so unnecessary and yet it was like half the point of the book. Someone else totally could have been her fake husband and it did not have to be her brother. (hide spoiler)]
I also just didn't really love the plot. The way things came together just really didn't do it for me. There were chapters in the past from when Aimee was kidnapped/ran away that were uncomfortable to read, even though a lot of that was the point. I think often, a good thriller for me includes antagonists who have some redeeming qualities, whether fake or real, that make you not 100% hate them to really mess with your feelings. I just didn't really seem many or any redeeming qualities in Aimee's relationship with Maggie and it was just hard to read. I get that Maggie was supposed to have some serious issues, and that was obvious, but I also think it really would have messed with me more if she had good moments too. Most of the involvement with her was so negative that it made her a little too much like a villain and personally, I just like that grey area more. I think it would have been more interesting to see more of the good moments, since Aimee said there were some, and have that string of emotions just be a bit more complex. I also really thought a lot more could have been done with Aimee's identity. It played a lot more on the people around her and I wanted more of HER. There's all this "I know who you are" so I was expecting her past to come into play, like who she was before she was kidnapped, but that didn't really turn out like I thought it would.
This was just okay for me and I probably wouldn't have liked it as much if I didn't already know that I like Alice Feeney's writing. I'm really glad that this wasn't the first book I read from her because I probably wouldn't have picked up future reads based on this one....more
Brittany S.
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Books:
mystery-thriller-suspense
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