Tag: New books

All Good People Here + Review

All Good People Here By Ashley Flowers

All Good People Here Follows the story of reporter Margot Davies and her endless quest to solve a cold case that has haunted her for more than 20 years. When Margot was 6, her friend and pageant princess January was brutally murdered. Margot was never able to get over the trauma of January’s death, and during Margot’s time as a reporter she came across another case that was eerily similar to January’s but was never able to tie the two together.
Margot travels back to her hometown, the town where it started all those years ago to help her ailing uncle and while she is there ANOTHER murder happens that is ALL to familiar. Will Margot be able to crack this case?

Ashley Flowers is the co-host of the true crime podcast “Crime Junkies”, and this is her debut novel! I’m a huge Crime Junkie fan, I listen to it all the time! I love Ashley and Britt, so I was super pumped when I was approved for this arc, and I had really high expectations! Ashley is an incredible story teller, and this book is very well written.

This book is written in multiple points of view, going from Margot in present day to January’s mom Krissy. I like how Ashley tied the story together between the present and past. This story is a SLOW burn, and it points the finger at literally everyone, so trying to figure out who done it is pointless, which I LOVE. Throughout the book the reader is pointed very convincingly at almost everyone.

One of the things that took away from this book for me was the murdered pageant princess plot. It’s a story we are all too familiar with, and one we all wish we knew the answer to. I feel like that aspect didn’t add to this story, and I wonder if Ashley meant for the parallels to be so strong? To me, it was almost a tired re-telling of that infamous case. While we do find out who and what, the ending felt so rushed for me, and it left a lot of loose ends. One minute we are in a very tense scene with Margot, and the next, its over. It just fell flat for me in that sense.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was very well written, and stellar for a debut novel. Thank you NetGalley & Random House for my copy of this thriller!

All Good People Here comes out on August 16, 2022

Pre-Order it HERE

Check out the early reviews HERE

Get to know the author HERE

Listen to the Crime Junkies podcast HERE

If you pick up this book, let’s talk about it! Happy reading, friends!

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What’s on my NetGalley shelf? Day 5

It’s the LAST day of my NetGalley series, and I CAN NOT wait to share this book with you! Today we’re going to talk about Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates. Gallows Hill is a gothic, paranormal, psychological ride, and I want on! I love a good coming home story, and this one sounds delicious!

DAY 5

Gallows Hill

Description

Darcy Coates brings you a brand-new horror novel that’ll take your breath away… Gallows Hill is:
Perfect for fans of Jennifer McMahon and Simone St. James
For lovers of ghost stories and anyone mesmerized by the twisted secrets of the past

The Hull family has owned the Gallows Hill Winery for generations, living and working on the beautiful grounds where they grow their famous grapes. Until the night Mr. and Mrs. Hull settle down for the evening…and are dead by morning.

When their daughter, Margot, inherits the family business, she wants nothing to do with it. The winery is valued for its unparalleled produce, but it’s built on a field where hundreds of convicts were once hanged, and the locals whisper morbid rumors. They say the ground is cursed.

It’s been more than a decade since Margot last saw her childhood home. But now that she’s alone in the sprawling, dilapidated building, she begins to believe the curse is more than real-and that she may be the next victim of the house that never rests…

All the vibes with this one! I love a good paranormal mystery. I haven’t read any books by this author yet, this will be my first, and I can’t wait to devour it!

Also By Darcy Coates:
The Haunting of Leigh Harker
From Below
The Whispering Dead
The Haunting of Ashburn House
The Haunting of Blackwood House
Craven Manor
The House Next Door
Voices in the Snow

Gallows Hill comes out on September 6, 2022

Thank you NetGalley & Poisioned Pen Press for my copy of this thriller!

Read the early reviews HERE

Check out the author HERE

Happy Reading, friends!

What’s on my NetGalley shelf? Day 4

Hey friends! It’s day 4 of what’s on my NetGalley shelf, highlighting 5 books in 5 days!

First, I just want to say that a NetGalley decline of one of my most anticipated books this year has led me to this book! If you’re new to NetGalley, let me leave you with this one nugget of invaluable advice-Always read your NetGalley emails! Whether it’s an approval or denial-it might lead you straight to your next favorite book!

DAY 4

The Ghosts of Paris

Description

A thrilling tale of courage and secrets set in postwar London and Paris, in which a search for a missing husband puts investigator and former war reporter Billie Walker on a collision course with an underground network of Nazi criminals

It’s 1947. The world continues to grapple with the fallout of the Second World War, and former war reporter Billie Walker is finding her feet as an investigator. When a wealthy client hires Billie and her assistant Sam to track down her missing husband, the trail leads Billie back to London and Paris, where Billie’s own painful memories also lurk. Jack Rake, Billie’s wartime lover and, briefly, husband, is just one of the millions of people who went missing in Europe during the war. What was his fate after they left Paris together?

As Billie’s search for her client’s husband takes her to both the swanky bars at Paris’s famous Ritz hotel and to the dank basements of the infamous Paris morgue, she’ll need to keep her gun at the ready, because something even more terrible than a few painful memories might be following her around the city of lights . . .

THIS COVER IS EVERYTHING. I mean how glamorous; I love all the details! Day 4 and I’m 4 for 4 on covers that I absolutely adore!

I don’t usually read historical fiction, but I fell for Billie Walker so hard you guys! It was love at first sentence. I’m a sucker for a strong woman, and I have to meet her! The Ghosts of Paris is the second Billie Walker novel, the first being “The War Widow”, which, by the reviews is CLEARLY a book I need to put on my TBR!

The Ghosts of Paris comes out on June 7, 2022 -go put it on your TBR!

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Group Dutton for my copy of this mystery!

Check out the early reviews HERE

Pre-Order it HERE

Get to know the author HERE

Happy reading!!!

What’s on my NetGalley shelf? Day 2

I’m highlighting 5 books in 5 days, and I’m back for day 2! Today we’re going to talk about a YA thriller from one of my FAVORITES- Courtney Summers!

Courtney Summers has written quite a few YA thriller/mysteries, a few of my favorites being “Sadie” and “Cracked up to Be”. Summers has a unique voice in the YA world- Her books are always thrilling and ALWAYS have me on edge, so I was PUMPED when I got an approval for this book!

Sidenote- Let’s talk about this beautiful cover! it’s perfect!

DAY 2

I’m the Girl

Description

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley’s older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.

A spiritual successor to the breakout hit Sadie, I’m the Girl is a bold and masterfully written account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?

I’m the Girl checks all of my thriller-bingeable-read boxes, and I can’t wait to start it! All 5 books highlighted on my blog this week will have reviews up this month, so watch this space, you might find your next favorite book!

Thank you NetGalley & MacMillan for my copy of this thriller!

I’m the Girl comes out on September 13, 2022

You can Pre-order it HERE

Check out the early reviews HERE

Learn more about the author HERE

Happy Reading!

The Younger Wife + Review

Happy PUB day to Sally Hepworth and The Younger Wife! Thank you Netgalley & MacMillan Audio for my audiobook ARC! This was a good listen, and I really enjoyed it!

The younger wife is a gripping tale of family drama and secrets. This book follows Stephen Aston, an esteemed heart surgeon at the top of his career, his two daughters Rachel and Tully, and his new fiancé Heather. The problem? Stephen is still married. The other problem? Stephens wife Pam has advanced dementia.
When Stephen and his fiancé Heather announce their engagement over lunch, the very FIRST time the girls meet her, they are understandably shocked!
As this story unfolds so does Stephen, he’s secrets, and who he really is.

This story is well written with relatable characters who we really get to know throughout the book. This was my first Sally Hepworth book, and I really enjoyed it. Throughout the book the reader is left questioning a lot about what’s really going on, and if what we think is happening is actually happening! This book is written in 3 POV- Rachel, Tully and Heather which made it interesting but I think it would have added a creepy layer if we were to also have seen it through Stephens eyes. I was left questioning a lot about him, his actions and motives. I mean a lot of times sociopaths don’t need motives BUT I wanted it!

This was a solid book for me, the only thing that I really felt took away from the story was the epilogue. It didn’t really go anywhere.

Overall I liked it and I will definitely pick up more books by this author! If you like family drama and juicy secrets, this is the one you will want to pick up!

Get your copy of The You her Wife by Sally Hepworth HERE

If you’re interested in all things Sally Hepworth Check out her WEBSITE

Happy reading, friends!

People we meet on vacation

“I’ve always felt like, when someone sees me deep down, that’s it. There’s something ugly in there, or unlovable, and you’re the only person who’s ever made me feel like I’m okay.”

SWOON! Poppy and Alex forever!

People we meet on vacation is the first book I have read by Emily Henry, and all I have to say is YES to this slow burning atmospheric romance.
Poppy and Alex have been best friends for ten years. He is stoic, reserved, and slightly neurotic, while she is the complete opposite. Bright, loud, and hilarious. Every summer they take the most epic of vacations together, all the while falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole that is their complicated love.
I fell in love with the cast of characters in this book right away, and it had me laughing out loud before I finished the first chapter. I fell completely in love with Poppy, she is funny, charming, and the chemistry she shares with Alex is complete FIRE.
This book is a slow burn, which I have to admit, I am not used to when it comes to romance. I am used to the fast paced, falling in love happily ever after romance books, and I can tell you right now, this is not that. Okay, I digress, there IS happily ever after, just not how I predicted it, which I LOVED.
People we meet on vacation is written in a dual timeline, switching between each year’s epic summer vacation, to the current summer, which I thought gave the book and the characters evolving relationship a lot of depth. The reader really gets to know them, and the changing dynamics of their love story. We get taken on such amazing adventures with these two characters, Canada, Croatia, Nashville, Vail….honestly, the adventure and atmosphere of everywhere this book takes us one thousand percent makes up for the slow burn.
While I was sitting there thinking, OKAY LET’S GET TO IT, Y’ALL LOVE EACHOTHER LET’S MAKE OUT NOW, I was also swooning over every new place we would be swept off to, wondering where the author would take us next.

I loved this book. It’s the perfect book to read in the dead of winter, curled up with a cozy blanket and hot tea. It’s the perfect vacation!

The Sundown Motel

Viv Delaney disappeared from the Sundown Motel in 1982, years before her niece Carly was born. When Carly’s mother passes away, she decides she needs to visit the motel where her aunt disappeared all those years ago. When she gets to Fell, New York and finally sets foot into the roadside motel that her aunt disappeared from, she realizes that nothing has changed.

The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James is a very compelling ghost story. I read this book after a very long reading slump, and I wasn’t disappointed…. but I didn’t love it either. It was good. I was following this book all over instagram, I was seeing it everywhere, it was one of those “Bookstagram made me buy it” books. The world St. James delivered was nothing short of creepy and I thought she did an amazing job of painting the picture of a retro roadside motel.

When Carly moves to Fell, the similarities between her life and her aunt’s life are eerily similar, which I thought added a nice touch to the atmosphere and characters. It was interesting to see how the mystery of her aunt’s disappearance unfolded and learning about the characters secrets was one of my favorite things about this book. If you think you know the characters, no you don’t. The characters surprise you up until the end, which, honestly, I live for! I love a good character twist.

For me, the story fell flat at the end, it was pretty predictable, and I did end up predicting the ending, so that was a bit of a letdown, HOWEVER, I feel like the character twists made up for that a bit. All in all, I enjoyed this book. This is the first book I have read by St. James, and I would definitely pick up another.

If you enjoy a twisty-ghost-revenge-mystery story, this one is it!

Whispers

💀BOOK REVIEW💀

Stacey is the coolest aunt EVER hands-down!
When she organizes a trip for her two sisters and their kids to the happiest place on earth, none of them could have ever prepared for the nightmare that awaited them!

This debut thriller by Bonne Bartron is everything I never knew I needed! It was a perfect spooky season read, and although I’m not a gal that is easily creeped out, as a mom, this one did me in.
If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE a strong female protagonist, and this book has three soooooo-I was sold on the first chapter.
This book deals with subject matter that is SO RELEVANT RIGHT NOW and that is one of the things I absolutely loved about it. I like a good twisty mystery that feels relevant, fresh, and scary all the while delivering those twisty blows I live for! This book is a slow burn that I devoured happily-with the lights on, and definitely not before bed.
Without giving too much away because I really want y’all to read this book, I will say this- step aside Slenderman & Momo, Mr. Tasty Treats is here, and he’s coming for your babies. 💀

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Untamed+Review

Short story- I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it.

Long story- I wanted this to be a life altering, perception changing, empowering book, but it just wasn’t that for me.

I’m not a self-help/memoir reader, so maybe I’m not the target audience for this book, but I had to read this empowering, feminist piece of work everyone on bookstagram was raving about. Im always up for a feminist tirade!

The first 1/4 was great! It was interesting, the stories pulled me in, and it felt relevant and real….after that it all went downhill for me. It was fluff peppered with cute motivational quotes.

This was not a memoir or self help book, it was a book of short stories about Glennon’s life, a book about how she CHOSE to be gay, how she has life figured out, and to achieve the best life you must be selfish, always choosing yourself over everyone else. If you’re not choosing you and your truth, are you even living? Sometimes I like to put my kids or husband first, and that feels good to me and my heart. It doesn’t make me a martyr. Sorry Glennon.

Im probably not the target audience for this book, but I gave it a good solid college try.

If you’re into motivational quotes and want a fast, feel-good read, you’ll love this book!

If I Disappear +Review

Eliza Jane Brazier's debut novel If I Disappear is a campy, culty delight! 

I live for the creep factor, the who-done-it mystery, where the fingers seem to point in every direction and you just can't for the life of you seem to figure any of it out. 

Sera is a lonely woman, a divorcee who has recently lost her baby, her husband, and is on the verge of losing her job and even her home when her favorite podcast host seems to have gone missing. 
Rachel is the host of a true-crime podcast called "Murder, she spoke." When Rachel suddenly stops airing episodes, Sera takes it upon herself to travel to Rachel's hometown to solve this mystery. At first Sera is unsure if Rachel is even missing, I mean, after all, she doesn't even really know this person, does she? 
Once she arrives at Rachel's family's summer dude ranch, she finds it in disrepair, not at all the idyllic ranch Rachel painted for her podcast listeners, and she quickly realizes something is amiss. there is a mystery to be solved here, a missing woman, and EVERYONE is a suspect!

This book is a slow burn, an unraveling of small clues. Just when I would have an AHA moment,  thinking I had it all figured out, I would be left with 12 more questions, and honestly, i'm not mad about that aspect of the story at all! 
The protagonist's personality wasn't developed enough for me to connect with her, and her personality fell flat for me. I feel like she was trying to be portrayed as strong and fearless but she felt very one dimensional. 
I was hoping to have an explosive ending after such a slow unraveling, but it wasn't that for me at all. So many loose ends needed to be tied up, leaving the reader with an open ending and even more questions, What happened to Rachel? What did Sera do? How did it end? I had Sopranos flashbacks all over again. 

Overall, this was a solid debut, it was a good book, and I can't wait to see what they do with the TV series!

If I Disappear will be out on January 26, 2021 (which happens to be my birthday, BTW!) So set a reminder, you’re not going to want to miss this one!

Thank you Berkley Publishing & Netgalley for my gifted copy of this book!