Tag: Thriller

REVIEW – Your Life is Mine by Nathan Ripley

Aimeeeliz

Your Life is Mine reads like an episode of Criminal Minds. There are twists you will likely predict, but others that will be a gut punch.

The best way to summarize this book is: You’re in a cult, call your dad. (Fellow Murderinos will understand!) The cult aspect of this book was eerie – Chuck Varner is like a cross between Charles Manson and a Columbine shooter. The mindset of those who will blindly follow a deranged, violent cult leader is chilling.

Overall, it’s an interesting, gritty thriller. I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in true crime – there’s definitely some true crime elements in this story.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an ARC to read and review!

REVIEW – The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

Aimeeeliz

First of all, I want to apologize to Jennifer McMahon for taking so long to read one of her books.

The Invited is incredible. I loved everything – the characters, the rich history, all of the back stories.

Oddly enough, I don’t read a lot of ghost stories. But this book has convinced me that maybe that needs to change.

[slightly spoilery comments ahead]

I had my suspicions about who the real “monster” was in this story, but there were some twists towards the end that caught me off guard. I also didn’t expect this to be sad, but it works so well.

REVIEW – The Last by Hanna Jameson

Aimeeeliz

If I could describe this book in one word, it would be: claustrophobic.

I’m so used to post-apocalyptic books involving a lot of movement and travel and discovery, but we spend the majority of The Last inside L’Hotel Sixieme – and it WORKS.

I don’t want to say too much because I think it’s worth going into only knowing the synopsis. I know it’s probably being compared to Station Eleven, but this also gives me some Bird Box vibes.

One of the blurbs on the back of the book says “It’s Stephen King meets Agatha Christie” and I think that’s fairly accurate. The Last features a cast of characters who aren’t all what they seem, and also there’s horror in the mundane and routine (which is the most chilling part of this book).

We only know what’s happening from the perspective of one character, so I’m sure there’s a lot going on at the hotel that we miss. He also seems to be unreliable at times, but that just adds to the feelings of isolation and insanity that run underneath the main plot.

Don’t sleep on this book – it’s a great one (and make sure you visit the dentist regularly!)

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

REVIEW – The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Aimeeeliz

The Silent Patient is first and foremost a VERY well-written book.

I read a lot of thrillers. The twist in this book wasn’t anything incredibly shocking to me (I started to piece it together leading up to the reveal) but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book. I think the overall premise is unique and I look forward to what Michaelides will write next!

REVIEW – Verity by Colleen Hoover

Aimeeeliz

WARNING: This review contains major spoilers!

Verity had me hooked from the first sentence. I tore through this in one day – although I will say it’s not incredibly long and it reads fast.

The main “twist” was predictable, but that also could be because I read a lot of thrillers. Or it could be that from basically the minute we meet Verity, we are led to wonder if it’s all an act. And how the hell did she fool countless doctors and nurses into thinking she was legitimately injured?

Ultimately, I’m left not knowing exactly what to think. That ending – wow. I honestly believe that the letter was written as a ploy to save her, vs her actually being a decent person…I just can’t imagine a sane person pretending to basically be disabled and practically brain dead for months. It doesn’t add up.

Verity’s voice reminded me a lot of Amy from Gone Girl, but multiplied by a thousand. Absolutely insane.