First of all, can we all just take a moment to acknowledge how much the cover for The Girl in the Mirror looks like the cover for Desperate Girls? Second of all...is it weird that I called the entire story, from beginning to end? Nothing about The Girl in the Mirror surprised me. Like, NOTHING. And I don't think it's because I'm just that brilliant (I'm not). It's because author Rose Carlyle dropped a lot of super-obvious clues throughout the...
I devoured The Whisper Man by Alex North in one weekend. I started on a Friday night, and then I just didn't want to stop. When I finally did, I had to take several deep breaths, then shake my head to clear away the intense, mesmerizing world I'd gladly lost myself in for hours on end. The Whisper Man eff'd me up Every cliché you hear about a good thriller should be applied to The Whisper Man-- because it actually deserves these...
I feel like Blanky is a cautionary tale about trusting people who can't spell. I mean, would you buy something from a shopkeeper advertising "BABY CLOSE" (i.e., "clothes") for sale? Nope. I sure as hell wouldn't. If for no other reason than on the principle of being a proud (and snobbish) English major who mastered second grade spelling. Unfortunately, main character Steve and his wife weren't as bothered about this obvious portent of...
I didn't think I was spooked by The Graveyard Apartment. I really didn’t. Then I had a dream that I was trying to herd my Japanese family (which I don't have) out of our high-rise apartment building (which I don't live in) that's teeming with ghosts. THAT'S when I knew this intensely creepy, Japanese horror story had really gotten to me. What's The Graveyard Apartment about? The premise of The Graveyard Apartment is admittedly...
I never wanted The Turn of the Key to end. I’ve read all of author Ruth Ware’s previous novels, save The Death of Mrs. Westaway. I liked In a Dark, Dark Wood. I really liked The Woman in Cabin 10 (though, admittedly, it did nothing to assuage my deep-seated fears of cruise ships… and/or small, confined spaces). I was pretty “meh” about The Lying Game, but I think we all were since no one really seems to talk about that one. The...
This hardly ever happens to me, but...I have no idea what to write as a book review for Lock Every Door. As I read a book, I'm usually furiously scribbling notes in my little journal; I know I won't remember bookish thoughts later on that come to me in the moment, so I make sure to jot them down as reference points for when I write my reviews. But, I didn't make any notes for Lock Every Door. Not a single one. I was too busy reading. I was...
The Sun Down Motel gave me mixed feelings. I'd been eagerly anticipating this one for months, especially after seeing SO much love for it from readers and other book bloggers. I was so excited when it came in from my local library just before they closed down because of COVID-19. I was quarantined, but I figured, Hey, I got THE book I was waiting for, so NBD. Ehhh, not quite. The Sun Down Motel is a good book; the story it delivers is solid...
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is So. Freakin’. GOOD. I’m not usually a fan of stories that blur the line between supernatural and psychotic – is there really something otherworldly going on, or is the main character just crazy? – but Little Darlings may be one of the best exceptions I’ve ever come cross. Fair warning: don’t read this book if you have an intense fear of child abduction. This book made me sleepless, and I don’t...
Whoever wrote the jacket copy for Catherine House should have written the actual book. Although I don't usually request ARCs, I couldn't help myself when I saw the offer for Catherine House pop up. Billed as a suspenseful, atmospheric, modern Gothic novel about a young woman who suspects her elite university is hiding a sinister secret, it sounded right up my alley. I hit "request" and eagerly awaited my copy in the mail. The ARC arrived. I...
Aunt Dimity and The King's Ransom is cozy AF. I know, probably not how you expected me to begin this book review. Especially with the name "Aunt Dimity" in the title. But, "cozy AF" is the best way to describe this light, cute, and almost wholesome mystery. It begins with a cozy family living in a cozy Cotswold village. *swoon* Main character Lori is overstressed, so her too-perfect-to-be-true husband books them a romantic weekend away at a...
