Kathleen Haagenson

This story was a mess and not in an entertaining intriguing family drama way but a pathetic I want the time I wasted reading this book that I should've DNFed mess.

The majority of this book is focused on Rachel suspecting her husband of having an affair with his brother Wills fiancé Ali. She has multiple opportunities to confront them about it but fails to do so. Instead she spend a great portion of the book ruminating about the situation and hating Ali without any concrete proof of the affair. It was maddening!

Then she worked herself in a tizzy about a one night stand she had with her best friend Noah 20 years ago and went on about if Jake and Noah's wife her best friend Paige knew it would implode their relationships and create problems. Maybe I'm dumb but I didn't get why this was such an awful situation it happened 20 years ago and y'all moved on married other people and built families with them. It's water under the bridge at this point.

And then Noah claiming there's a possibility that her son Josh is his. And then stupid Rachel oh no he might be. Despite her being confident on the dates back when she found out she was pregnant now she has doubts. GTFO.

The twist was slightly predictable when you sat and thought about it. It all made sense except of course to oblivious Rachel.

And the ending was ridiculous and unnecessary. It felt like a last ditch effort to create drama just for the sake of it.

This book was full of contrived drama drawn and stretched out to build a story. But it's not a very good one. The characters are either unlikeable or completely daft. And the story itself was so tenuous and weak it barely had a leg to stand on. Not a fan.

I enjoyed this story very much despite Mallory getting on my nerves a little bit but sometimes you need the protagonist to do crazy things to push the story along. So in that case she did her job.

I appreciated how quickly Mallory identified that something was up with Teddy and was adamant about getting him help and getting to the bottom of what was going on. I didn't have to read pages upon pages of her being in denial or oblivious. I like when protagonist are sharp and quick to jump into action.

While I didn't completely work out the twist I knew something was off and suspected something out of the ordinary to be at play.

The ending was super tense but I found the conclusion of events to be quite satisfying.

Despite me finding Kit to be a bit dramatic and over the top I really enjoyed this book.

I appreciated the gothic vibes and overall mysterious atmosphere created within the Hope mansion. It felt like it was burdened with the weight of untold secrets and a monstrous history.

Kit while at times annoying was an interesting character and her dogged fixation on unearthing the truth led to the shocking discovery at the end.

I also liked that suspicion was cast on all the characters at some point making it hard to see the twists that occurred at the end.

All in all a really good read.

4.5 ⭐️

This was a stunning and well crafted story. I loved the descriptive prose and use of analogies. They brought the setting to life making it feel so rich and palpable.

While this isn't a romance book Isabel does a lovely job of creating romantic tension. The longing and angst between Nena and Nestor is all consuming. I found their love story compelling and their chemistry electric.

Then there's the monsters in this story. The creatures that stalk the night and once attacked Nena and the Anglo settlers that preyed upon the ranchos in a desperate attempt to claim their land as their own.

Both are scary albeit for different reasons however the threat to their livelihood remains the same. Isabel wove these elements together seamlessly. Every element fit and served the purpose of expanding the underlying themes of this novel.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work in the future!!

4.5 ⭐️

For my full review check out my blog post: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/vampires-of-el-norte-by-isabel-canas/

I truly don't get the hype with this one. I mean it started out strong I was giggling, kicking my feet and screaming.

Unfortunately, this was just mid for me. The writing style lacked emotion and depth. It felt a little bit like an outline of events. The characters were okay but came across as flat and dispassionate. It made it difficult for me to feel anything about the story and events transpiring.

The pacing was interesting it kind of felt all over the place and I couldn't catch my bearings. The shifts between past and present events were confusing as they would randomly occur without warning or proper transition.

Also, the way events unfolded with many of the twists felt unremarkable to me. There wasn't much buildup or suspense surrounding them they just occurred in the middle of the story and bam it was over.

The ending was ok. We got a resolution to events and a final reveal but again it was so anticlimactic. This just didn't work out for me at all.

For my full review check out my blog post: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/things-we-do-in-the-dark-by-jennifer-hillier/

Excuse me while I proceed to pick my jaw up off the floor. This book was AMAZING. From the first paragraph, I felt a general sense of unease and trepidation that only increased the more I read. And I felt all the emotions from fear, anxiety, grief, confusion, and absolute shock.

Additionally, the atmosphere Kliwer created was full of dread and unease and provided immaculate spooky season vibes. The mixed media elements also added to the sense of foreboding that something just wasn't right.

Also, the pacing was superb there wasn't a single moment that felt stagnant or dull. It was full throttle from start to finish. And that ending! What a mindfuck and so trippy!! I know it leaves a ton of unanswered questions but I felt it was perfection considering how events played out.

This book met and exceeded my expectations. What a helluva first book well done Kliewer looking forward to the next one!

Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/we-used-to-live-here-by-marcus-kliewer/

Wow!

From the opening sentence, this book had me in a chokehold. It was an amazing and spooky experience full of foreboding and dread. The gothic atmosphere also helped to create the ideal backdrop for this sinister tale.

The characters are dynamic and well-developed. And I really appreciated the sense of found family and love they had towards one another. My favorite character by far was Van Helsing he was the one who set the wheels into motion with his wisdom and quick thinking. The group wouldn't have gone far without his input.

I loved all the vampire lore that was in this book and how villainous Dracula was. The description of him smelling like decay and having long fingernails with a pale appearance was so ghastly. Quite different from the modern-day vampires we've romanticized and lust after.

And the pacing came full circle. We started with a rather shocking beginning as Jonathan Harker traveled to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula and the hellish discoveries that were made during his stay. Then we transition to a slower pace as we witness the unfolding of Dracula's diabolical plan to overtake London for his devilish enterprise.

Towards the end, the pace picks up again as the characters race to meet Dracula for the final showdown. Even though the story slowed considerably in the middle the mysterious circumstances that occurred were enough to keep me entranced.

While I'm still kicking myself that I haven't read this classic masterpiece sooner I'm glad that I chose it now. It was the perfect read to kickstart the spooky season. A must-read for those that love vampires.

Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/dracula-by-bram-stoker/

While I found the familial drama entertaining and my need to know how everything played out compelled me to finish this book I have to admit it didn't impress me much.

The Alvarado family experiences a tumultuous year following an accident that occurs while the matriarch Kelia is babysitting her twin granddaughters. It did not skimp on the drama because everything that could've happened did.

This included a drowning incident, multiple divorces, marital strife, secret businesses, a life-threatening brain tumor, kleptomania, an illegal embryo transfer, ongoing trauma due to rape, extramarital affairs, gentrification, a bi-coastal non-traditional marriage and a coming out of a non-binary character.

Interwoven in this story is the complex LA weather pattern and how it's been impacted by climate change.

And while this story wasn't boring by any means it just didn't hit for me and left me wanting more. I generally seek a lot of complexity and depth with characters and events when reading a contemporary/literary fiction novel. Events and circumstances should put characters in challenging positions that force them to reevaluate, grow, evolve, and change. I also seek to find a key takeaway from the overall theme and feel of the story. But this didn't accomplish that for me.

The reason I felt this book missed the mark could partially be due to my having grievances with all the characters. It wasn't that they were unlikeable which is fine as long as they are dynamic, complex, and have a good backstory I don't mind that so much. But in this case, these characters lacked these qualities and they didn't have any major growth or progression.

I mean these major life events happened to them and we didn't spend much time diving into the far-reaching consequences of their actions, behaviors, and decisions. We rush through them to hop onto the next dramatic event. It was all very superficial.

I feel Keila and Oscar had the biggest character arc whereas the daughters/sisters had minimal growth. We see little peeks at them trying to work on their flaws but we don't see how it manifests in their lives. I wish I could've witnessed their progression in more depth so that I could understand these characters more. Their lack of complexity made them come across as flat and one-dimensional.

However, I did appreciate the familial growth as they went from living separate lives distant from each other to unification and being more involved with one another.

Themes surrounding gender identity and sexuality were explored providing LGBTQIA+ representation but as I'm not part of this community I can't attest to whether this representation is accurate or not.

Additional themes focused on the environment and climate change are also prominent in this book. This discussion emphasized the necessity for individual and societal responsibility for caring for the environment and earth to preserve our planet and ensure a safe home for future generations.

And while these themes were important they didn't help with connecting me to the story or making me feel more invested. It felt like they were just thrown into the mix to add to the drama and upheaval experienced by this family.

This book left me feeling meh. It didn't wow me but it wasn't awful. So, I come away feeling indifferent to all that I read and experienced.

Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/la-weather-by-maria-amparo-escandon/

This was twisty and mind-bending pulling me in so many different directions but left me with a major headache at the end.

I struggled with connecting to Isabelle. She came across as flat and emotionless. But, i tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and thought that this woman hasn't had a decent nights sleep in over a year so that tracks with her being void and blank.

Still though her decision making skills and thought process was weak and didn't always make sense. It was like she was incapable of reading a room and utilizing context clues to navigate situations.

And I completely understand this is a tactic utilized when setting up a character as an unreliable narrator but it felt forced. I get that the insomnia and sleepwalking make her questionable but show me more about how she's untrustworthy in a high stakes way that makes sense.

Maybe I don't like the unreliable narrator trope.

What a captivating tale that weaves you through the trials and tribulations of a well lived life.

Born in the 1920's Violeta Del Valle recounts her life story spanning 100 years in a detailed letter sharing her trauma, romantic encounters, heartbreak, grief, impoverishment, rise to wealth, business acumen, and joy.

Her life also bore witness to vital historical events such as the Spanish Influenza epidemic, WWI, The Great Depression, WWII, the women's rights movement, and political unrest.

Her story is one of passion, bravery, resilience, and perseverance.

I was moved by Violeta's story. Everything she experienced and went through was so impactful. To witness her growth and evolution over her lifetime and watching her transition and come into her own was a beautiful and inspiring process.

This book will definitely inspire you to reflect on your life and search for ways you can evolve into a better version of yourself.


Allende did an amazing job with this story it's truly breathtaking. Violeta comes across as a real three dimensional person. She literally jumps off the page. Looking forward to exploring more of her novels in the future.

3.5 ⭐️

I wasn't wowed. I wasn't shocked and I wasn't thrilled but I did find this to be an interesting read with an unpredictable ending.

At her first year at Oxford Hannah develops a fast friendship with her roommate April Clarke Clivedon. By chance at dinner they meet Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily and form a tight-knit friend group. But,at the end of the term Hannah comes home to find April dead.

Ten years later Hannah has moved forward with her life despite the pain and grief. She's happily married to Will and they're expecting their first child.

Then she learns that John Neville the man convicted of April's murder has died in prison she finally feels the past is done and dusted and she can finally move on.

That's until a journalist reaches out with evidence that John Neville may have been innocent. Hannah becomes determined to uncover the truth once and for all. As she reconnects with her friends and digs deeper into April's mysterious death Hannah begins to realize that maybe she doesn't know her friends as well as she believed. And maybe just maybe they're capable of murder.

This mystery thriller is most definitely a slow burn. It didn't feel action packed and it took its time building and establishing the story. Maybe too much time at some points. For example the “will I won't I” , “should I shouldn't I” back and forth with Hannah regarding deciding whether to look into April's death took more time than we needed.

Ware did a good job of throwing suspicion at multiple characters making it impossible to accurately pinpoint who the culprit could be. I truly suspected everyone at some point. Well everyone except the actual killer because I had that figured out all wrong.

And the conclusion was ok. It wrapped everything up. We identify the actual killer and get a makeshift motive as to why they did it.

Overall, this book was good I was invested til the end and liked the story but it just didn't stand out to me.

What a gut wrenching story that had me feeling all the emotions.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz chronicles Lale's journey as he is imprisoned by Germans at the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau and forced to tattoo his fellow prisoners. It is during this time that he meets Gita and falls in love with her vowing to marry and start a life with her after they are free.

Over his two and a half years he witnesses horrific crimes against humanity and barbarianism. Each day is a fight to stay alive. Additionally Lale risks his life by helping the other prisoners by smuggling extra rations and medicine in exchange for jewels and money.

His story is one of resilience and survival against all odds.

I see the low reviews for this book and I get it the writing isn't the most spectacular writing. But for some reason it just didn't bother me and I failed to take notice because I was so wrapped up in Lale's story.

I felt a rush of emotions from fear, anxiety, hope,anguish, and frustration. I continually pondered how truly evil and inhumane a person must be to strip a persons dignity, autonomy and identity from them for the racial purity. To perform sadistic medical experiments and sterilize them. To randomly shoot and kill people just because you see them as inferior to you. I was gobsmacked.

I hoped against hope that Lale could make good on his promise to Gita and they would get the future they deserve.

I found beauty in the reality that despite so much pain and so much horror there was still compassion and a willingness to help each other survive and pull through.

So, no I didn't notice the plain basic writing and lack of description and flourish. I was to transfixed by the recounting of Lale's story and how he found freedom. Unlike others I didn't struggle to feel anything for the characters or connect with the story I felt all the things.

It's truly unfortunate this recounting of real life events didn't work for some but it definitely worked for me.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again and created a heartfelt and emotional story that is so real and raw.

After a six month whirlwind romance Elsie Porter elopes with the love her life Ben Ross in Las Vegas. And as they are settling into the excitement of newlywed life tragedy strikes and Ben is killed in a freak accident.

In the aftermath Elsie meets her mother in law Susan for the first time. And they both must come to terms with the their shared loss and learn how to navigate a life without Ben together.

What a beautiful exploration on the far reaching impact of grief following the loss of a loved one. This story showed the raw and ugly journey towards healing.

Elsie's pain was palpable and leapt off the pages. I commiserated with her in her grief because I would be as inconsolable and last without my husband.

I enjoyed the inclusion of the mother in law Susan who played a major part in helping Elsie to heal and process her loss.

And the tender friendship with the older library patron George was so sweet.

This book broke my heart and simultaneously put it back together piece by piece. Such a powerful book.

This domestic thriller sneaks up on you and delivers a powerful punch. This story is set in two locations Chicago and a small town outside of Chicago near Lake Michigan. And it's told in two alternating POV's on the same timeline.

In Quinn's POV, we follow her discovery that her roommate Esther is missing. In her absence, she discovers a mysterious letter addressed to My Dearest and thinks maybe she doesn't know Esther as well as she believed.

In Alex's POV, we witness a dishwasher who works in a cafe develop a crush on a beautiful and mysterious patron that he later nicknames Pearl because of the pearl bracelet she always fidgets with.

We don't know how these two storylines are connected but are drawn deeper into each narrative as reveals are slowly unraveled until these two stories collide in a climactic finish.

What I enjoyed about this story is the slow buildup of suspense that's present in both viewpoints. The pacing was superb. The transition to each viewpoint at key moments in the story creates tension compelling you to turn the page.

And while this is a slow-burn thriller with little reveals spaced out throughout the book I felt Kubica added other key details and layers within the backstories of the characters that aided in maintaining interest. At least for me anyway.

And the ending wow the ending was totally unexpected. Every single prediction I had was wrong. And as I looked back I saw the subtle hints that linked back to the epic conclusion. Hints that I paid no attention to because I didn't see the relevance to the story. Brilliantly done!

Excited about reading my next Mary Kubica!

Li is a young girl who adores her best friend, Mirabae, and loves her Father and sister dearly. And seemingly she has a perfectly ordinary life. However, she and her family are hiding a big secret that could cost them all their lives. Li is a human. All humans were eradicated from Earth after Abdoloreans took over the planet sixteen years ago.

But Li's father was a human sympathizer, who rescued Li from extinction when she was a baby and raised her to act, think, live, train, and become an Abdolorean. Much of Li's life has been focused on protecting this secret and keeping a low profile not bringing attention to herself. All that changes when she meets Ryn. Will Li risk it all for a chance at true love?

Ok, I loved this story I thought it was an interesting coming-of-age story transpiring under unique circumstances. I mean trying to discover yourself and come into your own while simultaneously hiding your identity and being forced to pass as an alien race that finds your very existence offensive and would kill if they knew the truth. I found that very interesting and enjoyed the story immensely.

However, I'm not oblivious to the shortcomings and limitations of this tale. For starters, there are some very compelling themes around colonization, genocide, xenophobia, indoctrination, the true definition of humanity, and the burden and loneliness associated with being the last of your kind.

These themes were not explored at all. They were presented and introduced into the story but not fully fleshed out. I don't know if this was due to this being a YA novel and the author feeling the exploration of these topics wouldn't work for the audience or what but this couldn've made the story more powerful than it was.

Additionally, I found that for Li to be a human trying to pass as an Abdolorean, things came easily to her. She shares how Abdoloreans are superior to humans because they're faster, more intelligent, and she has to work twice as hard to achieve the base level of skills.

However, the story doesn't reflect this struggle. She seems to excel during her tests and examinations and ranks high among her pupils. She's even the teacher's favorite. While we see her training extensively and studying long into the night, I just felt that for her to be so inferior to the aliens, we should've seen her struggle a bit more. She met little to no resistance.

I didn't mind the romance between Li and Ryn. It was very insta lovey but it's a YA novel I expect instalove and love at first sight vibes. I mean when you're a teenager everything is so dramatic and intense so it makes absolute sense to me.

Also, there's a plot twist at the end that doesn't make sense to me. It puts into question Li's entire life amongst the Abdoloreans, making everything pretty much all for nothing. And the ending itself doesn't provide an actual conclusion; it kind of just stops making it feel unfinished. Like are we missing a final chapter?

Although I really enjoyed this story, it worked for me I don't know why. Perhaps I connected with the original premise and I was able to hyperfixate on that despite all the shortcomings. You know how you're obsessed with the guy that's all wrong for you and you ignore the red flags because he's fun and sexy. That explains my love of this story.

However, upon deeper reflection, I must admit it's a bare bones of a story and doesn't go into depth for many key points, which is why I see it rated so low. This is a shame because it holds so much promise.

My high rating purely reflects my enjoyment of a silly, goofy story and my ability to completely suspend my disbelief and just go with the flow. But unfortunately, I don't recommend this story for those looking for more complex, in-depth storytelling.

My first novel by Ashley Poston and it was a win. I adored this quirky romance with a dash of magical realism.

This story opens with Eileen a literature professor traveling to her annual book club retreat to enjoy some quality time with her favorite romance books. However, her car unexpectedly breaks down leaving her stranded in a quiet small town that seems eerily familiar. That's because she's somehow stumbled into Eloraton the the town of her favorite romance series.

Eileen becomes convinced that her mission is to finish where the late author left off and give the town the happy ending it deserves. However, Anders the mysterious bookstore owner with stunning mint green eyes, sharp with and wonderful book taste would rather she leave this story unfinished.

But the longer Eileen stays the more entangled she becomes until she realizes that the town's happily-ever after might be connected with hers.

I appreciated that this romance didn't just focus on physical attraction and sexual chemistry there was actual depth with these characters. They were both heartbroken individuals at a crossroads in their lives scared to take the neccessary steps to move foward to the next phase of their life.

But just because Poston focused mostly on crafting a super emotional romance doesn't mean it lacked in chemistry. Although, Anders was a bit grumpy in the beginning he slowly came around to Eileen and vice versa. I felt Eileen and Anders had amazing chemistry. Their banter was adorable. The lengths Anders went to to try and impress Eileen was swoonworthy.

Also we can't talk about this book and not mention the setting! Poston created every book lover's dream the ability to get lost in your favorite fictional world. This element was so well done. I liked how Eileen connected to the characters and felt the need to give everyone their happy ending even if it was a little awkward at times.

The ending was perfection. We got to appreciate Eileen's character arc which I so enjoyed.

I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author!

I wanted to love this so much. The writing was excellent, the premise intriguing and the beginning kicked off with a bang but it swiftly went downhill.

Felicity Lloyd is a glaciologist who's working on the remote Antarctic island of South Georgia. She chose this job because it provided safety and isolation from her past mainly Freddie a man who after his recent prison release relentlessly pursues her. And he won't stop until he reaches her.

Meanwhile, in Cambridge Joe, a psychologist is frantically working to uncover the truth about Felicity and Freddie's relationship. What he discovers is the key to setting Felicity free of her past and protecting her future. It's a mad race to get to Felicity before Freddie does. Will he make it in time to help her?

Every plot twist in this book disappointed me. Mainly because one of the major plot twists utilized a specific type of trope that was mishandled and dealt with poorly. I saw Bolton setting up for this twist and immediately knew what she was angling at. And when we get to the big revelation boy did I feel let down. While I can't speak to the representation of this particular trope being adequate I felt it tacky to use it as a twist in a story.

And, as if using this common trope as a plot twist wasn't enough they had another character essentially “out” the person to their co-workers before they even spoke to the character about it. Yikes!

Wait it gets worse there was an exploration of an inappropriate and unethical relationship as a romantic subplot which is just wrong on so many levels.

Felicity's handling of the Freddie situation became questionable when instead of discussing with her co-workers at the station that she had a stalker situation and filling them in on what was happening they would have definitely helped her. Instead, she chooses to flee into the wild to camp out alone during a dangerous snowstorm. Completely illogical.

And Freddie why are you chasing a person halfway across the country to “just talk”? Sir, you are fracking bizarre.

Things got even worse in the end. There was another shocking twist! Come to find out they're chasing the wrong person. The resolution to this twist is resolved within a paragraph while 95% of the story was written with a particular person being the culprit. The way this was done was anti-climactic for me, especially after the great effort they took in chasing down their person of interest.

Looking back at this review it's so vague but I didn't want to spoil anything in case someone wanted to check it out.

** 2.5 Stars **

A beautiful premise for a story but the execution didn't work for me.

We're introduced to the Edgie Family as they're in the middle of moving on following a tragic accident that resulted in the loss of their eight-year-old daughter Phoebe (Bee). So, the mother decides they need a new start in a new location and decides the family should move. To be able to afford this move they need to sell the family estate in New Hampshire. So, Marie and her husband pack up the three remaining children Hannah, Pen, and Brandon, and travel to the estate to spend the summer renovating and preparing it to be sold.

However, there's one little hitch. Davina Lister, a disfigured army veteran, resides on the property in a small off-the-grid cabin. She received permission to live there from Marie's deceased grandfather and has done so with no issue for over twenty years. The problem is for the Edgie family to sell the estate Davina must vacate the premises. But Davina doesn't want to move.

This private battle quickly becomes public as sides are chosen within the community and the family. Tension reaches a fever pitch until a fateful event decides the future for everyone involved.

Ok, my main issue was that I couldn't connect with the characters. This was perhaps for two main reasons. First, there are too many alternating first-person viewpoints. Every family member had a viewpoint and then we also got Davina's viewpoint. While I love first-person narrative I would've preferred a third-person narrative for this particular story since there were multiple characters.

Second, I didn't like the characters. I know some stories create unlikeable characters intentionally because they serve a specific purpose. But, I don't believe the goal of the author in this story was for me to hate almost every character.

I detested Marie and felt she was a raging bitch for 90% of the book. The reason the conflict with Davina reached the epic levels it did was because of her excessive aggression, anger, and attitude when speaking with Davina. I understand she's grieving and not healthily processing her grief but that doesn't give you a pass to be unnecessarily rude in delicate situations and expect a positive outcome.

The husband was a wimp and allowed his wife to walk all over him. He wasn't active in the decision-making process for example when she brought up moving he just went along with it even though it would stretch their budget and he didn't want to move. He was weak and ineffective when he spoke with Davina about relocating. And he had absolutely zero authority with the kids it was always Marie. I had no respect for him.

Brandon was a spoiled, disrespectful child. He got a pass on much of his poor decision-making and horrific actions.

While I empathized with Davina's situation she also was problematic. You're on someone else's property illegally. You don't have a leg to stand on. Digging your heels in and being difficult because of a promise from a deceased man that wasn't written down is ludicrous. She could've worked towards finding a way to ease the tensions of this situation as well but instead played the victim.

The ending was not truly satisfying either. Marie's character arc felt fake. Davina's happy ending was ok I guess. However, the aspects of how certain things went down involving the relocation didn't feel plausible.

Overall I just didn't like these people and didn't fully enjoy my time in this story.

** 4.5 Stars **

This riveting psychological thriller will have you in a chokehold! My experience reading this book was quite the opposite from when I read her other thriller The Night She Disappeared. I felt it was too safe and that Jewell didn't go there. But wow she holds no punches in this one.

It all begins when two women, Josie Fair and Alix Summers, meet by chance at a restaurant and discover that they are birthday twins sharing the same birthdate, and age and were born in the same hospital. A few days later as luck would have it the two women bump into each other again and strike up a conversation where Josie shares she's listened to Alix's podcast and believes she has an idea for a new series featuring her as the subject.

Although Alix finds her a tad bit eccentric and awkward she's ready to take her podcast in a new direction and agrees to give it a shot. But as the recording begins Alix learns about the dark secrets Josie has been hiding. And with every revelation she falls deeper into Josie's madness. Before she knows it Josie has disappeared resulting in a traumatic aftermath that threatens to destroy everything Alix holds dear.

What I loved about this story was Jewell's masterful foreshadowing. Through the mixed media elements of the documentary-style podcast excerpts we know that things go horribly wrong we just don't know what or how. This led me to eagerly turn the pages and created an atmosphere of suspense and foreboding.

Another favorite was how well Josie was written. We're made to see her as an unassuming, perhaps obsessive, oddball who's lived a traumatic life. I had conflicting emotions towards her. Despite the red flags and questionable behavior, there was a part of me that felt empathy towards Josie. And I perceived her just as Jewell wanted me to.

To say that I didn't see the ending coming is an understatement. I didn't believe for one second Jewell would take it where she took it but she did. And wow mind blown. I didn't expect such a sinister conclusion from her. But I really vibed with it.

** 4.5 Stars **

This story was an emotional rollercoaster that left me stunned. It opens with a mystery where skeletal remains are discovered in Pottstown, Pennsylvania where digging has begun for a new housing development. To uncover the truth of who the skeleton is and how it got there leads us to the impoverished neighborhood of Chicken Hill where Jews, Blacks, and European immigrants reside. A community rich with secrets bound by an insatiable desire to survive.

It took me a bit to get settled within this story because it was a bit slow in the beginning and there are a lot of characters with detailed backstories. I confess I did wonder if this was necessary but after completing the book and seeing how everything came together in the end I realized that it was.

I enjoyed the overall theme of community and how despite the differences and challenges they faced they were still able to band together to help their fellow neighbor.

This is my first James McBride and it won't be my last!

Sam's structured no-nonsense approach to life has led her to build a successful career in HR and craft the perfect orderly life with her fiance Jack. But during a getaway to her parent's summer house where she's set to tour wedding venues, she runs into the one complication she didn't see coming. Her first love Wyatt who broke her heart when she was seventeen.

And as the days unfold Sam begins to reminisce on a time long ago when she and Wyatt were inseparable and their future lay before them before the fateful moment that led to the end of their love story. The more Sam remembers the more she begins to question who she is and if she's making the right decisions with her life.

This second-chance romance fell flat for one main reason I didn't buy the romance between the FMC (Sam) and MMC (Wyatt). They were in their teens when they dated and fell in love and now 13 years later, they have the same intense feelings despite having lived their own lives and evolving into the adults they are now. This just wasn't believable for me.

I also felt the ending was a little rushed we didn't get much time to experience the depth and complexity of the events that transpired. It was like everything fell into place with little to no effort.

While I couldn't push past my dislikes I can say I enjoyed Annabel Monaghan's storytelling skills. Despite my feelings, I was invested in Sam's journey and personal development. What would she eventually choose?

Additionally, her writing style is a fresh approach to crafting an emotion-packed contemporary romance that includes depth and layers. With a lot of focus placed on character development and growth as well as crafting a love story complete with chemistry and a happy ending.

I also enjoyed her family. They not only displayed a solid support system for Sam they added depth and complexity to the story.

I am looking forward to reading other books by this author but this just didn't hit the mark for me.

An eerie, atmospheric mystery thriller that's full of suspense and mysterious events that leave you wondering if it's a trick of the imagination or if a paranormal element is to blame.

Ailsa Calder is a journalist who has partially inherited her childhood home following her mother's death, a Scottish manor known as The Manse which is nestled in a small town in the Highlands. Due to the peculiar disappearance of her father twenty-seven years ago and the fact that he is co-owner of the Manse, she has to file a presumption of death to sell the manor and move on with her life.

So, Ailsa and her half-sister make a trip of it planning to spend a few months there giving her enough time to settle her affairs while also reconnecting with her half-sister. However, the Manse has other plans. Upon arrival, a series of strange events begin to unfold pulling Ailsa to the edge of her sanity calling her to question everything she thinks she knows.

This story uncoils itself slowly with each event and revelation building on the other til it reaches its climactic finish.

While I found the pacing to be a tad slow in the beginning I learned to appreciate it because its purpose was to build solid, complex characters while crafting an atmosphere of suspense and mystery.

I was able to connect deeply with the characters so much so that I felt the confusion and panic that Ailsa experienced with each bizarre incident. This left me completely unaware of the final reveal and I was properly shocked.

I also found Ailsa to be a strong female character. She was vocal in expressing her suspicions and quickly sought to uncover the truth. No waiting around and pretending that things weren't happening or acting aloof. She was on it from the get-go. I appreciated her fastidiousness and astute observations.

I appreciated the complexities of Ailsa's relationship with her half-sister and how they began to learn to reconnect with each other and move forward letting go of the past. I also found the uncertainty that Ailsa was experiencing regarding the direction of her life. How it humanized her and made her more relatable and added another layer of ambiguity to the overall story. Will she or won't she?

This was a perfectly lovely read that I enjoyed my only disappointment was not having the plot take the turn that I was expecting it to take. Which is why I didn't rate it higher. However, the ending was perfect for this story and the twist isn't what you imagine it to be at all.

3.5 stars.

Ellie Brown a former med student turned paramedic is forced to return to the hometown of Broadlands Illinois a place she desperately wants to escape after her father suffers a severe stroke. She returns to help her older sister Amelia with caring for her father. However, her life is upended when she receives a 911 dispatch at her sister's house where it's discovered that both her sister and brother-in-law have been shot after a home invasion leading her sister to remain in critical condition. It's after this tragedy as Ellie tries to piece together what happened that she uncovers secrets and revelations about her family that will test her loyalties leading her to make difficult decisions that will change her future trajectory.

This was my second Emily Bleeker novel and I'm sad to say it wasn't for me. For starters, I felt the story dragged a little in the beginning. It's told in dual alternating timelines with Ellie's POV showcasing events that happened during the discovery of the shooting and Amelia's POV displaying the events that led up to the shooting. I struggled to get pulled into the story because I felt yanked out of the current events following the shooting to flashback to the events leading up to the shooting.

Additionally, I didn't like Ellie or Amelia. I found Ellie to be a little overbearing and aggressive at times for no seemingly good reason. Yet when I felt she could've stood actually to lean into her aggression she didn't and became a little bit of a pushover. Whereas with Amelia I felt she was gullible and spineless when it came to holding her ground with her husband.

Finally, the ending left me dissatisfied as there wasn't a resolution to the events that occurred near the end. And Ellie infuriated me with her actions at the end.

All in all, this just didn't hit the spot for me but I'm looking forward to trying out another novel by Emily Bleeker in the future.