Tag: Thriller

REVIEW – The Retreat by Sherri Smith

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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.

REVIEW – The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

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You might not be aware that you want to read a fast-paced thriller with a heavy Wolf of Wall Street vibe, but trust me…you do.

The perspective alternates between present day in the elevator and chapters set in the past, leading up to what got Vincent, Sam, Jules and Sylvie in this situation. Needless to say, I’m not too excited to ride in an elevator ever again.

There are some really sad moments in this book, but by the end it’s just pure fun.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this book!

REVIEW – A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson

Aimeeeliz

“People are prepared to put aside everything in the way of ethics and morals to protect their families.”

A Nearly Normal Family is a slow-burning thriller/crime drama. Told from three perspectives (the father, the daughter, the mother), the book takes its time leading you to what really happened. (And I was dying to find out!)

It’s a great read for those who love thrillers/mysteries but either aren’t fans of gore or maybe need a break from heavier, more disturbing novels.

REVIEW – Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

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This was a fun read that kept me guessing until the very end.

I did find it to be a little confusing, and I kept reading primarily just because I wanted to know what the heck was going on.

All in all, it’s a good middle ground thriller. Good enough to keep you interested, but it didn’t blow me away.

Feeney’s writing is good and I look forward to reading more of her work!

REVIEW – Killman Creek by Rachel Caine

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“I’ve seen people make those choices. Maybe they love their families. Love their pets. But that doesn’t stop them from being monsters when they get the chance.”

I finished Stillhouse Lake and immediately downloaded and read the second book. This story didn’t quite captivate me as much as the first, but it was a good continuation of the story.

The depravity of Melvin Royal goes much deeper than anyone knew. I didn’t LOVE the more investigative, detective angle of this book but I think it wrapped up nicely.

I look forward to reading the third book!

“But the past never leaves us. It’s in every breath, every cell, every second. I know that now.”

REVIEW – Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine

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“Normal life. Comfortable life. Not perfect, of course. Nobody had a perfect marriage, did they?”

This book is bananas! My heart was pounding for the last few chapters and it leads perfectly into the second book (which I’ll probably pick up next).

Gwen is a badass. She’s a survivor. She’s done what she needed to do to protect herself and her children. She finally settles down in a nice, peaceful community. Then, a body is found in the lake next to her house. And the nightmare starts all over.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers, crime shows, true crime, etc. It has an action movie element to it that I feel a lot of thrillers sometimes lack.

REVIEW – An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Aimeeeliz

Woof. This book was…fine.

It was a bit too long. Way too repetitive. And took way too long to get to the point. I also felt that most of the “twists” were hinted at so heavily throughout the book that once revealed they simply confirmed my suspicions instead of being shocking surprises.

I thought the first half of this book was great – I was on board, I was interested and I was ready to learn more. Then it just kept going…and going…

I enjoyed The Wife Between Us so I will give these authors another try if they write more books.

REVIEW – The Summer We Lost Her by Tish Cohen

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The Summer We Lost Her is an absolute gut punch. Tish Cohen has written amazing, complex and, in some cases, despicable characters.

This book is incredibly atmospheric – I could vividly picture Lake Placid and imagine myself right alongside Elise and Matt. Even though I knew Gracie was going to go missing, the moment in the book where it happens was still incredibly emotional.

I absolutely hated two characters in particular, to the point that my husband had to ask if I was okay because I scoffed so loudly after reading a chapter. Cohen’s writing is THAT good.

An amazing read for anyone who likes deep domestic fiction with just a dash of thriller/suspense.

Thank you Scout Press for providing me with a review copy of this book!