4⭐ Genre ~ medical thriller Setting ~ Portland, Oregon Publication date ~ June 14, 2023 Est Page Count ~ 382 (p + 83 chapters) Audio length ~ 10 hours 41 4⭐ Genre ~ medical thriller Setting ~ Portland, Oregon Publication date ~ June 14, 2023 Est Page Count ~ 382 (p + 83 chapters) Audio length ~ 10 hours 41 minutes Narrators ~ Lisa Rost-Welling, Josh Wichard POV ~ single 1st & 3rd, present tense Featuring ~ dual timeline ~ now & then CW from the author ~ (view spoiler)[fatal illness and physician assisted suicide (hide spoiler)]
Chloe & fiance, Elton, move together to Portland for nursing jobs in the same hospital. It just so happens that her ex husband, Jameson, is a doctor on staff there. It's been a few years since she left him a note saying they were over. Will they be able to work together again when they each hold secrets about their past?
A high number of patients are dying soon after they've signed a DNR. Could there be a serial killer on the loose or are these deaths just a coincidence?
Love me a nice medical serial killer thriller and this one fits the bill. The conclusion is not shocking really, but it's super fast paced, engaging and well written. Give this author a try if you haven't already.
Side note ~ I found it odd that Chloe changed her last name before they were married.
I was able to listen to a copy as well. Narration notes: They both did a perfect job.
4⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Setting ~ Seattle, Washington Publication date ~ March 5, 2024 Est page Count ~ 357 (p+ 67 chapters) Audio length ~ 10 ho4⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Setting ~ Seattle, Washington Publication date ~ March 5, 2024 Est page Count ~ 357 (p+ 67 chapters) Audio length ~ 10 hours 45 minutes Narrator ~ Sarah Borges POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ dual timeline ~ now & 4 to 3 years ago, murder, jealously, revenge, stalking
Madeline narrates in the past her life with Benjamin and her "friends" up until she falls off a cliff. Rebecca narrates in the now her plans to avenge Madeline's death.
This is what I'm talking about with a revenge plot! Unfortunately, I had every last twist figured out early on, but that did not take away from my enjoyment at all. It was suspensefully fast paced with a perfect ending.
Y'all my legs ache and I need a nap just thinking about all the running these characters did. Oh hey lets meet up for a 7 mile run every day this week, yeah sure...oh wait it's a beautiful day, so lets do 10 miles. Sure I've run,..fine jogged,..fine walk/jogged 10 miles before, but more like over a 6 month period, not at one time. I did actually have a nice afternoon brisk walk with my pup today just so you know. Kudos to those that do love to run.
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
*Thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
4.25⭐ Genre ~ domestic thriller Publication date ~ July 24, 2023 Page Count ~ 346 Audio length ~ 9 hours 40 minutes Narrator ~ Heather Long POV ~ single 1s4.25⭐ Genre ~ domestic thriller Publication date ~ July 24, 2023 Page Count ~ 346 Audio length ~ 9 hours 40 minutes Narrator ~ Heather Long POV ~ single 1st & 3rd Featuring ~ dual timeline ~ now & then, flashbacks, abduction, infidelity, secrets, lies
Sarah's 4 year old daughter, Abigail, goes missing while the family is on holiday. Flash forward almost 14 years later and a girl named, Abi, shows up at the police station claiming she is Abigail.
Sarah narrates in the 1st and Abi in the 3rd, and we also have some chimes ins from someone unknown to the reader.
All along the way tiny breadcrumbs will be dropped and you'll follow them and think you know where you're headed. Psych! I had no clue where this was going. It was fast paced and twisty with quite a tense conclusion, just how I like my thrillers. That's all I'm saying about this one. I'll for sure read more of Lauren's work.
*Thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3.65⭐ Publication date ~ March 1, 2023 Page Count ~ 253 Audio length ~ 6 hours 49 minutes Narrators ~ Zoe Mills, Richard Burnip ~ a fine job POV ~ multiple3.65⭐ Publication date ~ March 1, 2023 Page Count ~ 253 Audio length ~ 6 hours 49 minutes Narrators ~ Zoe Mills, Richard Burnip ~ a fine job POV ~ multiple 1st person Featuring ~ secluded vacation, secrets of course
Nicola & Ryan & Kim & Lewis, along with children Emily & Cole head on vacation together. The ladies are bff's and the men are not fans of each other and seem to just tolerate each other.
So we're led to believe something is up when Nicola reads a text on Ryan's phone, but it turns out to be something way bigger than she expected. I felt too many chapters went by when she was just thinking about confronting him and not actually confronting him. Like, girl, just ask this husband of yours what's up.
This dude pops out books left and right and I felt this one was mostly true to Daniel's form. He builds up the suspense with having multiple narrators, but the intrigue is a little less since we know what's happening on the flip side. It was less of a thriller IMO too. Can't say I loved the last little zinger either. Not my favorite, but still enjoyable enough to hold my interest.
I was fortune enough to receive a kindle copy and an audio book to review. Either way worked perfect fine.
*Thanks to the author, Bookouture, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ARC and audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3.75⭐ Genre ~ contemporary fiction Setting ~ Texas Publication date ~ August 1, 2022 Est Page Count ~ 330 (48 chapters) Audio length ~ 9 hours 18 minutes Na3.75⭐ Genre ~ contemporary fiction Setting ~ Texas Publication date ~ August 1, 2022 Est Page Count ~ 330 (48 chapters) Audio length ~ 9 hours 18 minutes Narrator ~ Elise Roth POV ~ single 1st Featuring ~ debut, awful mother, curvy girl, fake dating, single parent, friends to lovers, slow burn, no steamage
Perci (28) is a people pleaser, but she's ready to make a change when she's publicly humiliated by being dumped on the radio.
Each chapter begins with a funny Mimi~ism. My favorites are: "A good friend'll help ya bury the body. A great friend knows how much rat poison you'll need." "Silence may be golden, but duct tape is silver and it's real cheap." Besides these nuggets of wisdom, Mimi was a great grandma to have on your side.
I winced every time Perci's mom opened her mouth because I just knew a rude comment would come out. She's someone who is always worried about what someone thinks of her. Always has something to say about Perci's weight, love life and life decisions. She even still picks out her clothes! A real annoying meddler. Perci has had enough and has no choice but to pretend she is dating her unhandsome neighbor, Nate. Good thing he goes along with the plan.
Nate is raising 8 year old, Lilah. She's a great kid that knows fun facts like "kangaroos can't fart". I didn't know I needed to know this, but now I'm thrilled I do and you do, too. Nate is a pretty sweet guy and I can't even be mad at him for the 3rd act breakup because I can relate with him on this aspect personally.
Perci has a wonderful best friend, Mathias. He's so supportive and gives good advice. I'm glad he found his own happiness, too.
Overall, I really liked this debut. Light on the romance, which I didn't hate because it's more about personal growth and learning to love yourself for who you are.
Yay for checking off one from the backlog!
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference.
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, dual timeline ~ now and then, young widow, manipulation, missing children
What would you do if your soon to be hus4⭐
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, dual timeline ~ now and then, young widow, manipulation, missing children
What would you do if your soon to be husband's ex wife tells you he can't be trusted and not to marry him? Well, you chose love and marry him of course.
Elena is widowed with a daughter, Phoebe, when she meets Jackson. He seems perfect until a few months into their marriage when she starts to see a darker side to him.
Jackson is the Mayor and another powerful, successful man that feels like he can manipulate people. He has people in his pocket that can make someone's life hell if you get on his bad side and don't follow his orders.
There were some times I wanted to knock some sense into Elana and tell her to get the heck outta dodge. I felt so bad for Phoebe's grandparents and how they were never allowed to see her.
Overall, a solid domestic thriller. I think the dual timeline was a good choice that gave us some edge of the seat moments.
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon for 11 hours, easy to follow at 2x. Overall she did a fine job, but I could have went for more emotion at times, especially when she was in the sea and her life was on the line.
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I switched back and forth between them and either way was perfectly fine.
*Thanks to Bookouture & Bookouture Audio, Jenna Kernan and NetGalley for the ARC and advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, before and now timeline, amicable divorced co~parents, secrets, crime, suspense
The prologue grabbed m4.5⭐ rounded up.
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, before and now timeline, amicable divorced co~parents, secrets, crime, suspense
The prologue grabbed me right away. A secret that drove a wedge in Matthew and Lillian's marriage haunts their present when a man is found dead in Lillian's bed.
Lillian and Matthew are the most amicably divorced couple in Anne Isle. Their 6 year old daughter, Mable, stays in the family home while Lillian and Matthew switch back and forth between staying there with her and in their shared apartment. They are in a groove and have always trusted each other, but when the investigation into the dead man begins they both start to question what they really know about each other.
Dual POV was the perfect way to tell this gripping story. There were so many different scenarios floating around in my head that I thought I was on a tilt-a-whirl at the county fair. I'm pleased to say I did not see the who in the whodunit coming ~ whoop whoop! It was thrilling and suspenseful with a dash of an easy on the eyes detective.
I am so happy about the last text that Lillian received in the epilogue because I was hoping it would turn out that way!!
Miranda is quickly becoming one of my favorite twisty suspenseful authors.
*Thanks to Bookouture, Miranda Smith and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, timeline in the present with a few flashbacks, references to an extramarital affair, death of loved ones
Tara has 4⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, timeline in the present with a few flashbacks, references to an extramarital affair, death of loved ones
Tara has been estranged from her sister, Beth, for 13 years when she perishes in a house fire. Now, she has custody of her 16 year old niece that she hasn't seen since she was 3. Even though she has a 12 year old daughter of her own it still takes some getting used to having this virtual stranger in her house. As the fire investigation goes on Tara has a feeling that her past has caught up to her and someone will be after her next.
Family drama mama with some shocking twists, some predictability and plenty of secrets. A wonderful fast paced day read that had me engaged throughout.
*Thanks to Bookouture, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Manipulation madness! Obviously us readers knew what was going down, but you can't help but feel bad for Sam. Poor, sweet, blind Sam.
So it's told in the 3rd person by Sam and Joyce (Sam's grandma) and there are some letters written in the 1st person by Naomi (Sam's ex) and Miranda (Sam's best friend/coworker) is 1st personing us too. It started off slow for me, but the pace flowed along nicely and before I knew it I was fully engaged and ready for the conclusion.
Overall, I did not care for all the pandemic talk, but this was on point as a psychological thriller. There were some suspenseful moments towards the end. This is my second winner from this author and I'll be back for more thrilling rides.
*Thanks to Bookouture, S.E. Lynes and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ single POV, references to off page r@pe
Katie and Sophie start a true crime podcast to discuss the mur3.5⭐ rounded up for this debut novel.
Featuring ~ single POV, references to off page r@pe
Katie and Sophie start a true crime podcast to discuss the murder of, Lacey, 5 years ago. Lacey was murdered at a beach party that Katie was at, so it makes her close to the case. As they start interviewing old friends of Lacey's more evidence and secrets are brought to light. I was blindsided by the murderer, I love when that happens. Yay!!
Overall, a solid debut novel. It was slow going in the beginning, but still fast paced and intriguing. I'd be interested in reading more from this author.
Side note #1~ I could have went for the blurb to hint at this really being about the podcast. I thought I was going to be at the party in real time.
Side note #2 ~ I have never once listened to a podcast, but this jumped out at me ~ when they were speaking during the podcast I found it odd that she would say her sentence then the word pause. Why say pause, instead of just pausing?
Side note #3 ~ I was cracking up when their "smells collided" ...more
Featuring ~ multiple 3rd person POV, dual timeline, parental physical abuse (off page), reference to rape (off page)
This one totally messed with my 4⭐
Featuring ~ multiple 3rd person POV, dual timeline, parental physical abuse (off page), reference to rape (off page)
This one totally messed with my head and was slow going, at times confusing, for me and didn't really pick up until somewhere in the 60% area. From there on it grabbed me and I was really interested in how it would all play out. I was mostly happy with the conclusion, but the last chapter ending before the epilogue was a little odd, rushed maybe?
Told in multiple 3rd person by Ailsa, Jonah and Callum in the present with some 'then' flashbacks. I think the fact that it was written this way made for some nice twists that I didn't see coming, but also some repetitiveness. My mama heart was thumping real hard on some pages.
I can't say I really liked many of the characters, especially the mean girls from high school. I really felt bad for Seth too. I enjoyed Kyle's fun facts about dogs ~ such as "their noses have a special pattern, and no two dogs have the same."
Overall, after it picked up and I got used to the Scottish terms it was a thrilling ride. First, but not my last time reading this authors work.
*Thanks to Bookouture, Wendy Clarke and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, fake dating~ish, no steamage
Bea received a call saying she has won a raffle for the wedding packa3.45⭐ rounded up.
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV, fake dating~ish, no steamage
Bea received a call saying she has won a raffle for the wedding package she signed up for months ago when she was with Ray (what a tool he is). A $50,000 wedding package for only $2,000 ~ what a deal! The only problem is that she doesn't even have a boyfriend, but she can't help herself from accepting the June 22nd date. Now she only has 8 months to find someone to marry. Her best friends, Oliver and Lucy, think she's crazy.
She sets her sights on her co-worker, Andrew, to pursue. After he gets over the shock of her plan, he's on board. I never really felt they had a connection. Yeah, it seemed like they got along well enough, but I just wasn't feeling them together at all. I wasn't invested in the work project of the story either.
For most of the book Bea was kinda self absorbed and wasn't a very good friend sometimes. Although this makes her an unlikable character, it also makes her relatable as I'm sure we all worry about ourselves over others from time to time. I was happy with the wedding at the end. I did like how each chapter ended in a to do list too.
I am rounding up my rating because I know that the author put in a lot of effort to give us a somewhat original plot and not the usual fake dating trope. I, also, appreciate that she wrote a letter to the reader thanking us for taking the time to read it and explaining why she wrote it.
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon for 9 hours and 13 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. She did an alright job. Not overly in love with her male voices though.
Side note ~ what kind of food truck that uses peanut oil does not have signage to say so in this day and age?
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I started out reading it, then switched to audio, then back again and ultimately my favorite was probably the e-book.
*Thanks to Bookouture, Bookouture Audio, Jessica Hatch and NetGalley for the ARC and advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3 couples that have never met gather at a posh resort on an island and become holiday friends.
Sam and David are on their honeymoon after only a short courtship of 6 months. How well can you really know someone in such a short amount of time? He's well off and she never had money, so she scooped him up quickly before he could realize he didn't want her. Sam has major self-esteem issues. David gave me a sleazeball vibe right away.
Daisy and Tom are a confident and appealing looking couple, but she's older by 8 years and having a tough time coping after losing a baby. They're away to try to work on their marriage. Can they let go of the sadness they are both feeling and find their way back to each other?
Becky and Josh are away to take Becky's mind off some issues she's having. Josh is always insisting Becky can't drink, needs to take pills and rest. Is he controlling or is something else going on? For all the running Josh does I'd expect his legs to be made of steel.
Stella is a bartender, yoga instructor and a waitress. Easy on the eyes and everyone notices, which in turns makes everyone a suspect when she turns up dead on the beach. All of the characters were maddening at one point or another. There's plenty of jealousy, secrets, suspicion, insecurity, drama and lies going on that it'll make your head spin.
I do like that it went back and forth between the characters perspectives. Each chapter ending leaves you on a bit of a cliffhanger, which made me want to turn the pages quickly to try to keep up and see if I had everything figured out. I had an inkling right away about who was involved in each little mystery. I second guessed what I thought was going on so many times because of this particular writing style, but in the end my initial thoughts were correct. I even had the hat wearer pegged from the get go.
One thing that seemed odd to me was that it was always so hot in the rooms ~ isn't this a ritzy resort that can ensure the rooms have adequate air conditioning? And if it's so hot all the time why are people wearing hoodies?
Overall, this was a quick read and fast paced too. I'll be sure to look for more of Sue's work in the future.
*Thanks to Bookouture, Sue Watson and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3 solid ⭐ Family drama to the max coming from six ways to Sunday.
TW ~ mental illness, suicide, self harm, death of a child, racism
Bill and Alice (decea3 solid ⭐ Family drama to the max coming from six ways to Sunday.
TW ~ mental illness, suicide, self harm, death of a child, racism
Bill and Alice (deceased) have 2 daughters, Sara (30) and Lucy (18). Sara moved away and hasn't been back home in over a decade. Now a detective in Australia she has found new evidence that perhaps her mother did not kill herself after all. She takes a 6 month sabbatical and goes back to London to try to figure out what really happened to her mother.
Bill is now married to the much younger, Carys ~ in fact, she is just 5 years older than her estranged step~daughter, Sara. They have a lovely 5 year old daughter, Binnie. Carys does her best to be a great stepmom and wife, since Bill is still suffering from injuries from an accident. They run a construction business together and are in the process of digging for a new development when bones are discovered. Thus sets forth an investigation into who the remains belong to and who put them there.
There's lots of secrets and lies, as what we'd usually expect from our psychological thrillers. For some reason this one took me quite a few days to get through ~ I didn't hate it, but it didn't grab me to want to quickly turn the pages in a day or two. Although written well enough, the characters were all unlikable and untrustworthy, except Nonna and Fig. For me it was predictable, but there were some times that it was all over the place making me second guess myself, but in the end it happened just as I'd first thought.
This is my first time with this author and I would try her work again.
*Thanks to Bookouture, Julia Crouch and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
From one abusive relationship to the next. Noelle Thomas escapes her abusive relationship with Michael and moves away to start over in Seattle. She is a nurse at Seattle General where she meets her current boyfriend, Dr. Daniel Ashcroft. Daniel seems perfect ~ a well loved anesthesiologist, handsome and protective. Soon she starts to see a different side to Daniel and Noelle comes up with quite the clever way to get away from Daniel. I can't believe that's a real thing either!
Back and forth between Noelle and Daniel's perspective ~ their story begins in the now and then flawlessly goes 14 months earlier moving its way to the present. Most of Daniel's parts are written as if he's directly speaking to Noelle, which I thought was a great way to really show how controlling he is.
Although I did have most of the twists figured out, there were still a couple zingers in there. That's the price I pay for having read 100's and 100's of thrillers. I didn't find it to be really fast paced, but sometimes I was on the edge of my seat.
If I have to nitpick about something I felt like Puget Sound was brought up way too many times. Also, (view spoiler)[ if she knew he was reading her emails, hello! why didn't she change the password?? (hide spoiler)]
I loved Jack and I wish there was more of him! I never really cared for Kari.
Overall, I was impressed with this well executed debut novel. Everything wrapped up just as it should. I really liked reading the letter from Jessica at the end. She seems really excited to finally reach her dream of becoming a published author. I look forward to see what other twisty thrillers Jessica writes.
*Thanks to Bookouture, Jessica Payne and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
This story line is similar to ones I've read many a time, with predictably galore, however Lesley made it her own and I did enjoy it. Mostly told by Rachel, but we get some chapters told by Tom and Heidi that go back and forth between the present and the past.
Rachel’s husband, Tom, disappeared close to 7 years ago. At the time of his disappearance he was shacking up with Heidi, who he recently left Rachel and his 2 children, Lara and Josh, for. Since they are still married, Rachel is close to being able to officially declare him dead when she gets a note from him saying he wants to come home to her.
I'd like to know how Rachel is able to continue being a stay at home mom long after Tom leaves her ~ where does she get the money from? And then when she does come into some loot she puts it into fixing up her house, craziness.
Heidi, Heidi, Heidi ~ I could see her involvement from a kilometre away. Not quite sure in what universe she thought she would be entitled to anything after only putting in a few months with Tom.
Now onto Lara, who is 12. 12!! I have a 14 year old, so I'm not too far off from remembering this age ~ my child was certainly not telling me she was going to the cinema and will be home by 9:30pm. Thank you very much little ma'am, but you will be home and in bed by 8pm, maybe 8:30 if I'm being nice! And Rachel doesn't even know who she's going with and how she'll get home ~ ummm, what? I don't know what happens over the pond, but 12 is way too young to be out and about at that time of night over here in the states. Maybe I'm a Smother. Josh seems like a delightful boy at age 8. I love that he was very passionate about drama club. Does Rachel ever have to lead the carpool though? I'm still not quite sure why she had such a late appointment and needed Heidi to pick him up that one time ~ don't you plan your appointments when the kids are at school when you're a SAHM and single at that?
I'm still not too sure how I feel about Freddie. It for sure was weird he contacted her after so many years have gone by. And only 2 months later for their happily ever after - eh.
This was a fast paced, quick read that definitely has some thrilling elements. Although mostly predictable for me I did find the how and what happened to Tom to be a surprise. Though, duh, looking back the title is quite revealing.
*Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
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