REVIEW – The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames

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“The problems inside the pot are known only by the spoon who stirs it. In other words, only a family can know all its own secrets.”

Stella Fortuna has cheated death seven (or eight) times. With a name that means “lucky star” that must mean she has good luck, right?

Unfortunately, it’s the life that happens between each death that makes Stella’s story so sad.

Mostly family drama with a little bit of historical fiction sprinkled in, The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna is bleak, gritty, raw and disturbing.

This book is beautifully written but the subject matter is tough and it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s incredibly depressing without a single joyful story or event.

REVIEW – The Whisper Man by Alex North

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The Whisper Man is chilling, but it’s also very sad.

A good examination of father-son relationships and forgiveness, The Whisper Man offers up a slower-burning story that picks up speed towards the end. The last chapter is probably the most impactful and terrifying.

It’s a solid thriller with some interesting twists and an overwhelming sense of dread.

Thank you Celadon for the ARC!

REVIEW – Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

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“Love isn’t enough. Not even close.”

This book was just okay for me. I need to learn my lesson that drawn out, character driven family dramas are not my thing.

I was waiting for something to happen (I made the same mistake with Commonwealth).

I should be saying that it was a brilliant book about family, failure, forgiveness, but I was honestly just bored more than anything.

However, if you enjoyed Commonwealth or Little Fires Everywhere, I think you’ll like this book.

REVIEW – The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison

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“Some people stay broken. Some pick up the pieces and put them back together with all the sharp edges showing.”

I read this over the course of one afternoon and would recommend that other readers try to do the same. It’s a short book and although a lot happens in the story, it really only takes place over the course of two days.

It reads like an episode of Criminal Minds – it’s a disturbing page turner but isn’t really a “thriller” as it is a novel about a horrific crime, survival and resilience.

COZY MYSTERY REVIEW – Jealousy Filled Donuts by Ginger Bolton

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This is the first book I’ve read in the Deputy Donut series, but it won’t be my last!

The characters are likable, the mystery was interesting (and the killer wasn’t obvious from the start), and the town of Fallingbrook is charming and cozy.

I want to spend a morning at Deputy Donut Cafe. I want to get ice cream from Freeze!

This book is exactly what I hoped it would be. A perfect read for cozy mystery fans!

Thank you Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of Jealousy Filled Donuts.

REVIEW – Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

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“This place isn’t kind to gentle souls. It chews them up and spits them out.”

If you haven’t read any of his books yet, you need to know that Riley Sager is basically the new king of the fun, twisty, popcorn thriller.

Lock Every Door is no exception. I would put it more firmly into the mystery bucket (except in the last 80 pages where it flips to a major horror movie vibe with some Twilight Zone-ish elements).

The cast of characters almost reminds me of an Agatha Christie novel. Everyone is unique and everyone is…a little off. I had fun trying to figure out what was going on (I was right about some things and pretty wrong about some others!)

REVIEW – Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Aimeeeliz

“This is how the world ends, with both a bang and a whimper.”

A bang and a whimper – this perfectly explains how I feel about this book. It hooked me from the beginning. Wendig is a talented writer – he nails the thoughts, feelings, sights, sounds, etc of mundane, everyday life (interwoven with the impending apocalypse, of course).

As more details unfold, this becomes a chilling page-turner. I was dying to learn more, to figure out how it ends. But then…it’s just a bit too long. A little repetitive (we get it, bad guys are bad. The world is ending.)

And ultimately, the ending just…didn’t work for me. It should be terrifying, but it didn’t quite deliver the punch I think it intended to. A solid entry into the apocalyptic fiction category, but hindered by an excessive page count.

REVIEW – Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

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What a delightful, heartfelt book! Katherine Center does it right – makes a story emotional without being melodramatic, romantic without being cheesy. Things You Save in a Fire is a great book about family, friendship, love and forgiveness.

I laughed. I cried. Some things made me angry (they were supposed to!)

Cassie is a badass. The rookie is adorable. The firefighters are hilarious and wonderful.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for sending me an ARC of this book!

REVIEW – The Retreat by Sherri Smith

Aimeeeliz

A weekend wellness retreat with your best friends sounds great, right? In The Retreat, it’s an absolute nightmare

A cast of unlikable characters, a summer camp setting for adults. Yoga, spa treatments, murder…

I had the villain pegged from the beginning, but it didn’t make the process of reading this book any less enjoyable. It’s gory, it’s shocking and it’s disturbing in that fun, summer slasher movie sort of way.

Overall a solid summer thriller that makes me really not want to spend a weekend “relaxing” with strangers…

Thank you to the kind folks at Forge for providing me with an ARC of this book!

REVIEW – The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal

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The Doll Factory is an incredible book, meant for the patient reader. The buildup is slow, but oh boy does it pay off at the end.

Macneal does an amazing job of placing the reader right in the middle of gloomy, grimy 1850s London. Each chapter flawlessly leads into the next (seriously. When you start a chapter, go back and read the last sentence from the previous one.)

There are subtle, but terrifying, details that suggest not all is right with Silas “the Cadaver” Reed, but you have no idea the depths of his depravity until it all comes together at the end. There’s a revelation in the last few chapters that made me audibly gasp. It’s THAT good (and THAT horrible).

It’s almost impossible to believe that this is a debut. The way Macneal slowly builds to certain reveals is absolutely masterful.

Also, Guinevere is clearly the best character 😉

Thank you Atria for providing me with a copy of this book.