"To the Women." Author Liza Rodman dedicated her memoir, The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer, "to the women." I always read dedication pages, and when I saw this phrase at the beginning of the book, I thought the sentiment was sweet. But, that's about it. Because I didn't know yet. I didn't know what I was about to read. By the time I finished reading The Babysitter, the full impact of "to the women" hit me like a brick. The...
First of all, can we all just take a moment to acknowledge how much the cover for The Girl in the Mirror looks like the cover for Desperate Girls? Second of all...is it weird that I called the entire story, from beginning to end? Nothing about The Girl in the Mirror surprised me. Like, NOTHING. And I don't think it's because I'm just that brilliant (I'm not). It's because author Rose Carlyle dropped a lot of super-obvious clues throughout the...
I devoured The Whisper Man by Alex North in one weekend. I started on a Friday night, and then I just didn't want to stop. When I finally did, I had to take several deep breaths, then shake my head to clear away the intense, mesmerizing world I'd gladly lost myself in for hours on end. Every cliché you hear about a good thriller should be applied to The Whisper Man-- because it actually deserves these accolades. "Heart-pounding."...
I never wanted The Turn of the Key to end. I’ve read all of author Ruth Ware’s previous novels, save The Death of Mrs. Westaway. I liked In a Dark, Dark Wood. I really liked The Woman in Cabin 10 (though, admittedly, it did nothing to assuage my deep-seated fears of cruise ships… and/or small, confined spaces). I was pretty “meh” about The Lying Game, but I think we all were since no one really seems to talk about that one. The...
Who else pounces on a new Mary Kay Andrews book the minute it comes out? My copy of Hello, Summer arrived a few days before Memorial Day Weekend, and it made me so excited to kick off the summer season. I'd devoured another beach read last MDW, and I figured a book titled "Hello, Summer" would be a shoo-in to invoke the easy, beachy, summertime vibes. Um, no. Hello, Summer combines two things that I couldn't give two hoots about: politics and...
The Sun Down Motel gave me mixed feelings. I'd been eagerly anticipating this one for months, especially after seeing SO much love for it from readers and other book bloggers. I was so excited when it came in from my local library just before they closed down because of COVID-19. I was quarantined, but I figured, Hey, I got THE book I was waiting for, so NBD. Ehhh, not quite. The Sun Down Motel is a good book; the story it delivers is solid...
Um, who's about ready for a beach vacation? THIS GIRL. While we may not be taking actual vacations anytime soon, I'm here to tell you that you can take a vicarious one with Summer Rental. I feel like this novel could've easily been called "Summer of Secrets," because that's pretty much the sitch in this easy, breezy, beach read from Mary Kay Andrews. It's admittedly an older book from this popular author, but it's a goodie. I loved Andrews'...
Whoever wrote the jacket copy for Catherine House should have written the actual book. Although I don't usually request ARCs, I couldn't help myself when I saw the offer for Catherine House pop up. Billed as a suspenseful, atmospheric, modern Gothic novel about a young woman who suspects her elite university is hiding a sinister secret, it sounded right up my alley. I hit "request" and eagerly awaited my copy in the mail. The ARC arrived. I...
It's like the main character of The Invited has never seen a scary movie. Or, knows nothing about Lorraine and Ed Warren's Occult Museum. Or, seen an episode of -- or even a commercial for -- the Haunted Collector. Okay, okay. I realize many of you are scratching your heads right about now, and I acknowledge that I have a niche knowledge of all things supernatural thanks to my life-long obsession with the paranormal. But, still. I think we can...
It'd been awhile since I read a new thriller, so I was pretty excited when Beautiful Bad arrived from the library. Before you get too excited, though, you should know that this book ended up on the DNF pile. *Womp womp* Apart from it sounding like a good thriller, I was originally drawn to Beautiful Bad because of the exotic locations in which part of the story is set. While the novel starts with a present-day crime scene, a lot of the first 100...
