Heather
I never thought I'd say I found a Freida McFadden book predictable but this one I did. It's been my least favorite I've read of hers so far.
I called a couple of the twists early, the ones I didn't didn't surprise me. I loved the setting and the vibe but the story just fell flat.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was great and kept it interesting.
I didn't ever not want to finish and I am glad I listened to it. But it felt just very generic in the end.
Absolutely loved this book & it was perfect timing my library loan for it popped available on a road trip through Michigan.
My first experience with this author was The Sun Down Motel, I thought she was more of a horror writer and didn't appreciate that one as much as I should have.
This one took everything I loved about that and made it so much better. The twist was obvious but I felt like it was supposed to be. This was more of a journey and I loved it so much! Well written and a great story.
Thank you Net Galley and North Star Editions for an ARC of this book to read and review.
Wow this was such a different, beautiful, and haunting story. It's definitely a slow burn and you don't really know where it's going for a while but that's what makes it so good.
In all honesty if I had known it was such a tale of trauma I might have not read it, at least right now, but I'm still very glad I did.
It really was a true tale of coping and healing. One quote toward the end that really resonated with me was “You can't just ignore things and expect them to go away.” And that really sums up this story and life in general.
I especially loved that Boone, NC was such a special in this story. It's such a special place to me as well and I'm packing up to head there as I finish this story. It really made it even more a perfect timing to read it.
The only reason I stayed at 4.25/5 is I wish the Lonely Places were fleshed out a bit more and I also wish the initial “night” with Guthrie had a bit more to it. Those both left me wanting a little more.
Otherwise if you want a haunting summer read, this is perfect. But maybe don't read it in the woods 😂
Thank you NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this book to review.
This one was fun and fast thriller that definitely reminded me of a Freida McFadden tale.
I liked the story a lot and this had me hooked and a was a fast read. However, the twist really fell flat IMO and was too rushed at the end. Plus I'm not 100% what the truth was either and I'm not a fan of when a story ends that way. I also wish the therapist was left out of the story, I just think a line was crossed a little there but I know that's common in psychological thrillers. I also really didn't like or cheer for any of the characters, they were all super flawed.
All in all it was a fun read but wasn't one I would put in a top reads of the year, thus a 3.5/5.00. If you want something quick and twisty I still would recommend and found it enjoyable.
Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC.
Was this a romance? Was it a sci-fi? Was it apocalyptic? It was all of the above. Honestly I wasn't completely sure what to expect with this book but the description called to me. I'm so glad I read this, if was such a fun journey and so cute! I'm usually not a romance fan but I really loved what this added to the book. It was a great mix of heartwarming moments and action.
The only reasons this wasn't a 5 star read were:
1. I hated Molly, detested her, and didn't feel like she added like the rest of the characters. That blip made me ready for her part to be over every time she popped in.
2. The chapters were SO LONG. Plus my Kindle wasn't showing the time left in a chapter. So I kept having to quit mid-chapter and that always throws me off. I'm a big short chapter fan though so could just be me.
Overall this was a great book, I loved all the characters (except Molly 😒) and would highly recommend it if you want a quirky and different romance adventure.
This was a SLOW start and I was not expecting it at all after the past two books. There was a LOT of new characters and many I didn't know why I was getting to know them. I also didn't love the start of Celaena's story though expected after the past two books. Honestly I was struggling to get through the first half and did not like it.
However, halfway through it all came together. It started making more sense. And I loved where most of the story went. I'm excited to see where the story goes next. But I wish this was a shorter book because it felt like a connector and not a full book like the last two.
This never caught my attention. It was way too descriptive and just never seemed to have a plot. I usually love Darcy Coates but I hate slashers so maybe that's the issue.
Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
This was a really entertaining YA mystery thriller. I really enjoyed it. The setting on an island with a creepy old house was great. I loved the main character. The pacing was great!
My favorite part was the two storylines and honestly I wish there was more on the historical side.
Either way I really enjoyed this, it wasn't too predictable or too young even as an adult reader. It made me remember how fun a YA mystery can be.
Brought this on a trip to the NC mountains to read with me since it was the setting of the book and it was the perfect mountain read.
This was a beautiful mysterious telling of small town life and all it's secrets. It kept me guessing until the very end and I didn't see the twist going.
I've never read a Megan Miranda book before but definitely will be adding more to my TBR. Really enjoyed this thriller!
This was definitely an interesting read. I started it on vacation in Florida during spooky season... Because well it's a vacation horror. It was the perfect fit.
The horror I wouldn't say scary in a traditional horror sense. However, the family? That was true horror! They were awful, truly.
I really liked Anna a lot and totally understood her. She was a great character. Though I wish the ending of Josh wouldn't have happened. That went a little far and seemed out of character.
This definitely was a unique and fun read! Would definitely recommend, especially if you've ever been the Black Sheep or don't quite fit in.
5 star journey with a 3 star ending.
I absolutely was hooked on this book through the whole journey. I thought it was going to be a Wayward Pines-esque small town psychological thriller. I was 100% sure it was going to be a 5 star read.
But the ending just was messy. I didn't see one of the twists coming but the others seemed obvious. I'm usually not a big person to rate on an ending alone but I really hated the end. I won't say more because spoilers
So is this journey worth reading? Yes but be prepared you might not like the end either.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for this ARC.
Honestly I was so hyped for this book with all the raving reviews and the beautiful cover. I wish I had DNF-ed it instead unfortunately.
Now don't get me wrong, there were so many pieces that could have been great. The romance, the dark academia, the mystery, the amazing amount of representation. This should have been amazing.
But the story DRUG along and I struggled so hard staying in it. And the language is so flowery I was finding myself skimming to get to the point.
Then the twist, well it was obvious the whole time so I'm not sure why I took the journey. And the ending is completely open.
I really was hype to see a LGBTQIA+ story with full representation. This just ended up getting lost in the forest (pun intended).
I absolutely LOVED this book. Like really, really LOVED it. Like others have said, you think it's starting off “slow” but it's really just giving you an insight into the world. I am absolutely obsessed with dystopian novels, and this one of the very best. I really, really felt like I knew the world, and that I knew how cold the people in the world was. There wasn't a silly “Oh this is the one, absolutely perfect, doesn't fit in this world” characters. All the characters you can tell they came from this world and changed their thinking, unlike a lot of dystopian novels where the main characters seem like they are from our world instead of the world they are in.
Seriously if you love dystopian novels, well even if you don't, read this! You will LOVE it, I promise. It's WAY better than a lot of the well known dystopian novels, it's so good!!
