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The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Perfect Wife

Author: J.P. Delaney

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publish Date: August 6, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney

BOOK BLURB

Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of who she is or how she landed in this unsettling condition. The man by her side claims to be her husband. He’s a titan of the tech world, the founder of one of Silicon Valley’s most innovative start-ups. He tells Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. He says she had a terrible accident five years ago and that, through a huge technological breakthrough, she has been brought back from the abyss.

She is a miracle of science.

But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins to question her husband’s motives—and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together forever? And what really happened to her, half a decade ago?

Beware the man who calls you . . .

THE PERFECT WIFE

The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney

MY REVIEW

Tim lost his wife Abbie in a suspicious accident five years ago. He is a tech genius, and creates a robot that looks, sounds, and acts like his missing wife. Abbie, the robot, awakens to a world where she knows and remembers some things, but there are large gaps in her memories. She soon wants to know more about what happened to the real Abbie, and she starts to look into her disappearance.

Told with multiple points of view that are a little confusing. Mostly told from Abbie the robot’s viewpoint, but also includes an unknown narrator. This novel uses second-person POV, which I didn’t really enjoy.

The setting is Silicon Valley and centers around a man who runs a tech company and creates an AI robot. The man was infatuated with his wife, and after losing her, he creates the perfect wife… an AI robot. Kind of creepy. The story is about Abbie the robot and what she is, how she fits into society, and what happened to the real Abbie.

A combination of science fiction and psychological thriller. There is a fair amount of tech talk, but nothing too complicated. The characters are unreliable and make for an entertaining thriller. I was disappointed in the ending and how everything came together. I can handle some unanswered questions, but this story had more plot holes than I was comfortable with. Unsettling and unique.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by J.P. Delaney:

  1. The Girl Before
  2. Believe Me
  3. Playing Nice
  4. The Perfect Wife
  5. My Darling Daughter
  6. The New Wife
Book Review

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Turn of the Key

Author: Ruth Ware

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publish Date: August 6, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

BOOK BLURB

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the home’s cameras, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder—but somebody is.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

MY REVIEW

Rowan answers an ad for a live-in nanny position. The position seems a little too perfect, but Rowan ignores the warning signs. After getting the job, Rowan experiences some unexplained and disturbing events in the home. Her time there is difficult, and Rowan admits she made mistakes. When one of the children dies, Rowan insists she is not the killer.

Told from Rowan’s point of view in letters from prison to her attorney. Rowan attempts to explain everything that happened during her time with the family, and what led to her arrest. Strange events in the home, the creepy smart features of the house, and the behavior of the not-so-perfect children. Rowan is not a likable character, but she is realistic and evokes a little sympathy.

I enjoy the atmosphere that Ruth Ware creates in her novels. She is a master at writing creepy and atmospheric psychological thrillers. The setting for The Turn of the Key is a remote smart home in the Scottish Highlands. The property is large and has a dark history.

The Turn of the Key is a slow-burning and eerie psychological thriller. While there are some predictable things in the story, there are enough twists to keep it interesting. Fans of Ruth Ware are sure to enjoy The Turn of the Key. Creepy, unsettling, and atmospheric.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Ruth Ware:
  1. In a Dark, Dark Wood
  2. The Woman in Cabin 10
  3. The Lying Game
  4. The Death of Mrs. Westaway
  5. The Turn of the Key
  6. One by One
  7. The It Girl
  8. Zero Days
  9. One Perfect Couple
Book Review

Because You’re Mine by Rea Frey [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Because You’re Mine

Author: Rea Frey

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publish Date: August 6, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 5/5

Because You're Mine by Rea Frey

BOOK BLURB

But it’s the lies that keep you safe.

Single mother Lee has the daily routine down to a science: shower in six minutes. Cut food into perfect squares. Never leave her on-the-spectrum son Mason in someone else’s care. She’ll do anything—anything—to keep his carefully constructed world from falling apart. Do anything to keep him safe.

But when her best friend Grace convinces her she needs a small break from motherhood to recharge her batteries, Lee gives in to a weekend trip. Surely a long weekend away from home won’t hurt?

Noah, Mason’s handsome, bright, charismatic tutor—the first man in ages Lee’s even noticed—is more than happy to stay with him.

Forty-eight hours later, someone is dead.

But not all is as it seems. Noah may be more than who he claims to be. Grace has a secret—one that will destroy Lee. Lee has secrets of her own that she will do anything to keep hidden. And what will happen to Mason, as the dominoes begin to fall and the past comes to light?

Perhaps it’s no mystery someone is gone after all…

Because You're Mine by Rea Frey

MY REVIEW

A group of friends go on a girls’ weekend getaway. Two of the women are Lee and Grace – best friends who are keeping secrets from one another. At the end of the weekend, someone is dead.

Told with alternating points of view and timelines. The three points of view are Lee, Grace, and Noah. Lee is a single mother. She is protective of her autistic son Mason, and all her actions revolve around providing for him. Grace is Lee’s best friend, and also a single mother. Grace is keeping something from Lee that threatens their relationship. Noah is Mason’s tutor, who Lee has a crush on. Most of the novel takes place in the present time, but there are chapters from the past that fill in the blanks to explain current actions of the characters.

Because You’re Mine is a domestic thriller that is slow-building and captivating. Lee and Grace are both single mothers raising sons. They formed a friendship and have confided in one another over the years, but they have been keeping their darkest secrets hidden. Flawed and unreliable characters with intriguing backstories. A story with dark and unpredictable turns. Fantastic ending.

Because You’re Mine is Rea Frey’s second book, and I found it slightly better than Not Her Daughter. Both are good books though, and I recommend them to readers who enjoy a combination of women’s fiction and domestic suspense.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Rea Frey:
  1. Not Her Daughter
  2. Because You’re Mine
  3. Until I Find You
  4. Secrets of Our House
  5. Don’t Forget Me
Book Review

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Someone We Know

Author: Shari Lapena

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publish Date: July 30, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

BOOK BLURB

Maybe you don’t know your neighbors as well as you thought you did . . .

“This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much. . . My son broke into your home recently while you were out.”

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses–and into the owners’ computers as well–learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they’re telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighborhood, it’s not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide . . .

You never really know what people are capable of.

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

MY REVIEW

A nice, quiet neighborhood. Well, except that a man’s wife goes missing and a teenager is breaking into houses and hacking into computers. Everyone in the neighborhood is hiding something, and one of them is a killer.

Someone We Know has a lot of characters, and is told with alternating points of view. Some of the characters are better developed than others. All of the characters are keeping secrets, and most are suspects in a neighbor’s murder.

I enjoyed the mysterious plot, but had a hard time connecting with the characters. The setting is one of my favorites – idyllic neighborhood where everyone has something to hide. The ending isn’t a big shock, and a lot of readers will likely figure it out, but there are enough suspects and twists in the story to keep most readers guessing a bit.

Someone We Know is an entertaining and twisty thriller. Suspenseful, fun, and clever.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Shari Lapena:
  1. The Couple Next Door
  2. A Stranger in the House
  3. An Unwanted Guest
  4. Someone We Know
  5. The End of Her
  6. Not a Happy Family
  7. Everyone Here Is Lying
Book Review

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Escape Room

Author: Megan Goldin

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: July 30, 2019

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 5/5

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

BOOK BLURB

Welcome to the escape room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive.

In the lucrative world of finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are at the top of their game. They’ve mastered the art of the deal and celebrate their success in style—but a life of extreme luxury always comes at a cost.

Invited to participate in an escape room challenge as a team-building exercise, the ferociously competitive co-workers crowd into the elevator of a high-rise building, eager to prove themselves. But when the lights go off and the doors stay shut, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary competition: they’re caught in a dangerous game of survival.

Trapped in the dark, the colleagues must put aside their bitter rivalries and work together to solve cryptic clues to break free. But as the game begins to reveal the team’s darkest secrets, they realize there’s a price to be paid for the terrible deeds they committed in their ruthless climb up the corporate ladder. As tempers fray, and the clues turn deadly, they must solve one final chilling puzzle: which one of them will kill in order to survive?

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

MY REVIEW

Four coworkers attend an escape room challenge. They are trapped in an elevator, where the puzzles they are presented become increasingly personal. As tempers rise and egos bruise, it seems that not everyone will make it out of the elevator alive.

Told using multiple points of view and multiple timelines. The book is largely told from Sarah’s POV. Sarah is a former coworker, with her story starting when she took a finance job at a top company. Sarah is a recent graduate with a desire to succeed. The coworkers in the elevator are Vincent, Sylvia, Sam, and Jules. As they come to terms with their present situation, bits and pieces from the past are included to pull it all together. Vincent is the boss, Sylvia is the seductress, Sam is the charmer, and Jules is the alcoholic. They are all workaholics and ruthless in their rise to top.

Interesting characters in a unique setting. I enjoyed the trapped elevator with puzzles to get released. Besides that, it’s the world of Wall Street finance, with workaholic, extravagant, and outrageous behavior. The four escape room characters aren’t all that likable, since they are greedy, corrupt, and selfish. Sarah, the former coworker, is mostly likable. She is smart and driven, and struggles to fit in with her team.

I found this to be a fun and intriguing read. The Escape Room is a revenge type story against some greedy Wall Street investors. Everyone on the team is out for themselves, and more than willing to throw the others to the wolves. Recommended for readers of finance thrillers. Complex, absorbing, and entertaining.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Megan Goldin:
  1. The Girl in Kellers Way
  2. The Escape Room
  3. The Night Swim
  4. Stay Awake
  5. Dark Corners
Book Review

What You Did by Claire McGowan [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: What You Did

Author: Claire McGowan

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish Date: August 1, 2019

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

What You Did by Claire McGowan

BOOK BLURB

It was supposed to be the perfect reunion: six university friends together again after twenty years. Host Ali finally has the life she always wanted, a career she can be proud of and a wonderful family with her college boyfriend, now husband. But that night her best friend makes an accusation so shocking that nothing will ever be the same again.

When Karen staggers in from the garden, bleeding and traumatised, she claims that she has been assaulted—by Ali’s husband, Mike. Ali must make a split-second decision: who should she believe? Her horrified husband, or her best friend? With Mike offering a very different version of events, Ali knows one of them is lying—but which? And why?

When the ensuing chaos forces her to re-examine the golden era the group shared at university, Ali realises there are darker memories too. Memories that have lain dormant for decades. Memories someone would kill to protect.

What You Did by Claire McGowan

MY REVIEW

Six college friends gather for a reunion 25 years later. When one of the women stumbles inside after being raped, it puts relationships to the test and challenges who can be trusted.

The characters are six so-called friends – Ali, Mike, Karen, Bill, Callum, and Jodi. Ali and Mike are married and hosting the reunion at their home. Karen is Ali’s best friend, and the rape victim. Bill has been living away, but is back after breaking up with his girlfriend. Callum and Jodi are married and expecting their first child.

Told from Ali’s point of view. When Karen claims Mike raped her, Ali has to make a decision to stand by her husband or her best friend. As the story progresses, more secrets are revealed. Some secrets are newer ones, but some go back to their college days.

What You Did was hard for me to get into, mainly because the characters were all unlikable people. Some of the things that happen were hard to believe, especially where Ali was concerned. Her naive behavior was difficult to read, and I would have preferred a stronger female protagonist.

What You Did is a domestic thriller with a lot of drama. The story was interesting, but the characters left a lot to be desired.

Books by Claire McGowan:
  1. The Fall
  2. What You Did
  3. The Other Wife
  4. The Push
  5. I Know You
  6. The Vanishing Triangle
  7. Are You Awake?
  8. Let Me In
  9. Truth Truth Lie
Book Review

Recursion by Blake Crouch [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Recursion

Author: Blake Crouch

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Publish Date: June 11, 2019

Genre: Sci-fi & Mystery

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Recursion by Blake Crouch

BOOK BLURB

Reality is broken. 

At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself.

In New York City, Detective Barry Sutton is closing in on the truth—and in a remote laboratory, neuroscientist Helena Smith is unaware that she alone holds the key to this mystery . . .and the tools for fighting back.

Together, Barry and Helena will have to confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

MY REVIEW

Barry is a New York City police officer who gets intrigued with a case concerning False Memory Syndrome – a mysterious disorder where the victim remembers a life they never lived. Helena is a scientist working on a project to help preserve past memories. When dangerous technology threatens past memories, Barry and Helena work together to save the future.

Told using various timelines and the alternating points of view of Barry and Helena. This is a mind-bending time travel thriller. The first part of the book is a little slow as the story builds, but once it comes together, it becomes an action-packed read.

A captivating sci-fi thriller about memory and time travel. Unique, riveting, and exciting.

Books by Blake Crouch:
  1. Dark Matter
  2. Recursion
  3. Upgrade
Book Review

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: A Stranger on the Beach

Author: Michele Campbell

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: July 23, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

BOOK BLURB

Caroline Stark’s beach house was supposed to be her crowning achievement: a lavish, expensive space to showcase what she thought was her perfect family. But after a very public fight with her husband, she realizes things may not be as perfect as they seem: her husband is lying to her, the money is disappearing, and there’s a stranger on the beach outside her house.

As Caroline’s marriage and her carefully constructed lifestyle begin to collapse around her, she turns to Aidan, the stranger, for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aidan’s infatuation with Caroline, her family, and her house becomes more and more destructive. But who is manipulating whom in this deadly game of obsession and control? Who will take the blame when someone ends up dead…and what is Caroline hiding?

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

MY REVIEW

Caroline Stark is living the dream life. Well, until her husband shows up late to their housewarming party… and with another woman. As Caroline’s marriage falls apart, so does her fancy life. When Caroline meets a stranger on the beach, Aiden, they have a brief fling. It’s clear from the start that Aiden’s feelings are stronger for Caroline than hers for him.

A Stranger on the Beach is told with the alternating points of view of Caroline and Aiden. Caroline’s POV is first person, while Aiden’s is third person. It’s clear their stories don’t match, but which one is lying is not clear. An entertaining unreliable narrator psychological thriller.

A Stranger on the Beach is the second book I’ve read by Michele Campbell, and I enjoyed this one slightly more than She Was the Quiet One. For avid readers of domestic suspense, A Stranger on the Beach isn’t too hard to figure out. Still, it was a fun, fast-paced read. Suspenseful and exciting.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Michele Campbell:
  1. It’s Always the Husband
  2. She Was the Quiet One
  3. A Stranger on the Beach
  4. The Wife Who Knew Too Much
  5. The Intern
Book Review

Her One Mistake by Heidi Perks [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Her One Mistake

Author: Heidi Perks

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publish Date: January 8, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Her One Mistake by Heidi Perks

BOOK BLURB

Charlotte was supposed to be looking after the children, and she swears she was. But while her three kids are all safe and sound at the school fair, Alice, her best friend Harriet’s daughter, is nowhere to be found. Frantically searching everywhere, Charlotte knows she must find the courage to tell Harriet that her beloved only child is missing—and admit that she’s solely to blame.

Harriet, devastated by this unbearable loss, can no longer bring herself to speak to Charlotte again, much less trust her. Now, more isolated than ever and struggling to keep her marriage afloat, Harriet believes nothing and no one. But as the police bear down on both women, trying to piece together the puzzle of what happened to this little girl, dark secrets begin to surface—and Harriet discovers that trusting Charlotte again may be the only thing that will reunite her with her daughter….

This breathless and fast-paced novel—perfect for fans of Big Little Lies and The Couple Next Door—takes you on a chilling journey that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Her One Mistake by Heidi Perks

MY REVIEW

Harriet leaves her 4-year-old daughter Alice in the care of Charlotte, another mom and friend of Harriet. While at the school fair, Charlotte loses sight of Alice. When Harriet returns home, she discovers her daughter is missing.

Told with alternating points of view (Harriet and Charlotte) and alternating timelines (before and after). Harriet is reserved, anxious, and a bit overprotective. She has never left her daughter in anyone else’s care, and the first time she does, her daughter goes missing. This is a gut-wrenching experience for all involved. Charlotte is social, friendly, and generally well-liked. When Alice disappears under her watch, she becomes the target of everyone’s outrage.

A gripping suspense that deals with motherhood, friendship, and family. Her One Mistake combines domestic suspense with a bit of police procedural. While the police points of view aren’t told, much of the story deals with the investigation into Alice’s disappearance.

Her One Mistake is a fantastic psychological thriller. Recommended to fans of domestic suspense that focus on motherhood. Absorbing, twisty, and thought-provoking.

Books by Heidi Perks:
  1. Beneath the Surface
  2. Her One Mistake
  3. Come Back For Me
  4. Three Perfect Liars
  5. The Whispers
  6. The Other Guest
  7. For the Last Time
Book Review

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Never Have I Ever

Author: Joshilyn Jackson

Publisher: William Morrow

Publish Date: July 30, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

BOOK BLURB

In this game, even winning can be deadly…

Amy Whey is proud of her ordinary life and the simple pleasures that come with it—teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club. Her greatest joy is her family: her devoted professor husband, her spirited fifteen-year-old stepdaughter, her adorable infant son. And, of course, the steadfast and supportive Charlotte. But Amy’s sweet, uncomplicated life begins to unravel when the mysterious and alluring Angelica Roux arrives on her doorstep one book club night.

Sultry and magnetic, Roux beguiles the group with her feral charm. She keeps the wine flowing and lures them into a game of spilling secrets. Everyone thinks it’s naughty, harmless fun. Only Amy knows better. Something wicked has come her way—a she-devil in a pricey red sports car who seems to know the terrible truth about who she is and what she once did.

When they’re alone, Roux tells her that if she doesn’t give her what she asks for, what she deserves, she’s going to make Amy pay for her sins. One way or another.

To protect herself and her family and save the life she’s built, Amy must beat the devil at her own clever game, matching wits with Roux in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets. Amy knows the consequences if she can’t beat Roux. What terrifies her is everything she could lose if she wins.

A diabolically entertaining tale of betrayal, deception, temptation, and love filled with dark twists leavened by Joshilyn Jackson’s trademark humor, Never Have I Ever explores what happens when the transgressions of our past come back with a vengeance.

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

MY REVIEW

Two very different women. Both with secrets they want to keep hidden. Amy is happy with her ordinary life. When new neighbor Roux shows up at book club, and suggests the women play a variation on the game Never Have I Ever, Amy fears her secrets may be revealed.

Amy has worked to keep her past hidden. She has a secret that, if revealed, would upend everything she has. When Roux attempts to blackmail Amy, Amy isn’t going along with Roux’s plan. As Amy learns more about Roux, she finds out that Roux has secrets too. Deceptions and betrayals aplenty… with it being anybody’s guess who will come out on top.

Never Have I Ever is a combination of psychological thriller and women’s fiction. This book has one thing I love in domestic suspense novels – it takes place in idyllic suburbia. Amy and Roux are neighbors that get involved in a dark game of deceptions. The relationships with their families and other neighbors strengthens the story.

Never Have I Ever is a good book for readers who enjoy some drama with their suspense. Gripping, twisted, and clever.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Joshilyn Jackson:
  1. Gods in Alabama
  2. Between, Georgia
  3. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
  4. Backseat Saints
  5. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty
  6. Someone Else’s Love Story
  7. The Opposite of Everyone
  8. The Almost Sisters
  9. Never Have I Ever
  10. Mother May I
  11. With My Little Eye
Book Review

The Current by Tim Johnston [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Current

Author: Tim Johnston

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Publish Date: January 22, 2019

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

The Current by Tim Johnston

BOOK BLURB

In the dead of winter, outside a small Minnesota town, state troopers pull two young women and their car from the icy Black Root River. One is found downriver, drowned, while the other is found at the scene—half frozen but alive.

What happened was no accident, and news of the crime awakens the community’s memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may still live among them.

Determined to find answers, the surviving young woman soon realizes that she’s connected to the earlier unsolved case by more than just a river, and the deeper she plunges into her own investigation, the closer she comes to dangerous truths, and to the violence that simmers just below the surface of her hometown.

Grief, suspicion, the innocent and the guilty—all stir to life in this cold northern town where a young woman can come home, but still not be safe. Brilliantly plotted and unrelentingly propulsive, The Current is a beautifully realized story about the fragility of life, the power of the past, and the need, always, to fight back.

The Current by Tim Johnston

MY REVIEW

Two college friends are in a tragic accident when their vehicle goes in the river. One is found alive, but the other is killed. The police investigate to determine if it was an accident or intentional. The accident reminds locals of a similar case from ten years earlier, when a young woman was killed at the river and the case was never solved.

Two different mysteries combine in this intriguing and slow-burning novel. One mystery concerns the current car accident involving two young women. They had an unsettling encounter at a convenience store, and there is a question of whether their car going into the river was accidental or if someone was intentionally trying to harm the girls. The other mystery involves an old, unsolved murder case. The current case brings back old memories, and a link between the cases. The surviving girl’s father was sheriff when the earlier murder occurred. He and a few others have been haunted by the unsolved case. Various connections from the past come into play, and secrets are revealed to old unanswered questions.

I love a good slow-burn mystery, but this one was a little too drawn out for me. The ending was great though. This is definitely not a book that is easy to guess what’s going to happen. Recommended for fans of character-driven mysteries. Atmospheric, dark, and mysterious.

Books by Tim Johnston:
  1. Descent
  2. The Current
Book Review

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim [Book Review]

Posted on by Darinda
Book Review

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BOOK INFO

Title: Miracle Creek

Author: Angie Kim

Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books

Publish Date: April 16, 2019

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

BOOK BLURB

How far will you go to protect your family? Will you keep their secrets? Ignore their lies?

In a small town in Virginia, a group of people know each other because they’re part of a special treatment center, a hyperbaric chamber that may cure a range of conditions from infertility to autism. But then the chamber explodes, two people die, and it’s clear the explosion wasn’t an accident.

A powerful showdown unfolds as the story moves across characters who are all maybe keeping secrets, hiding betrayals. Chapter by chapter, we shift alliances and gather evidence: Was it the careless mother of a patient? Was it the owners, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? Could it have been a protester, trying to prove the treatment isn’t safe?

“A stunning debut about parents, children and the unwavering hope of a better life, even when all hope seems lost” (Washington Post), Miracle Creek uncovers the worst prejudice and best intentions, tense rivalries and the challenges of parenting a child with special needs. It’s “a quick-paced murder mystery that plumbs the power and perils of community” (O Magazine) as it carefully pieces together the tense atmosphere of a courtroom drama and the complexities of life as an immigrant family. Drawing on the author’s own experiences as a Korean-American, former trial lawyer, and mother of a “miracle submarine” patient, this is a novel steeped in suspense and igniting discussion.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

MY REVIEW

A courtroom drama that recalls the events leading up to the night of the explosion. Told with the alternating points of view of the patients and the family that ran the Miracle Submarine. The Miracle Submarine, an experimental medical treatment, explodes. Two people are killed and others injured. The investigation into the explosion leads to a patient’s mother on trial for murder.

The Miracle Submarine is a pressurized oxygen chamber that is large enough for multiple people to receive treatment at the same time. The patients that are involved in the treatment include Matt (infertility), Teresa and her daughter Rosa (cerebral palsy), Kitt and her son TJ (autism), and Elizabeth and her son Henry (autism). Matt is the only adult undergoing the treatment. The others involved are receiving treatment for the children, though the chamber allows the mothers to accompany their children. Each of the families has something to contribute to the mystery of the submarine and what happened on the night of the explosion.

The family that ran the treatment facility – Pak, Young, and Mary Yoo – are Korean immigrants. Pak and Young are married, and Mary is their teenage daughter. Their facility was a target of local protests in the small town of Miracle Creek. Since it is an experimental treatment, some viewed it as dangerous. Family drama (secrets and not really understanding one another) comes into play for the Yoos.

Intriguing mystery with unique characters. With so many characters, there are multiple stories. Things are happening in each character’s life, and it all culminates into a disastrous event. Everything is not as it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets. Captivating and powerful.