BOOK INFO

Title: Little Secrets

Author: Jennifer Hillier

Publisher: Minotaur

Publish Date: April 21, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Overwhelmed by tragedy, a woman desperately tries to save her marriage in award-winning author Jennifer Hillier’s Little Secrets, a riveting novel of psychological suspense.

All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret…

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

Permanently.

MY REVIEW

Marin has a happy life, until her son is kidnapped. A year has gone by, and there are no new leads on the case. Marin hires a PI to find her son, but instead, the PI learns Marin’s husband is having an affair. This prompts Marin to learn what her husband has been up, and potentially, find out what happened to her son.

Marin is depressed and lost after her son’s kidnapping. It happened so quickly, and there are no real leads on the case. When she finds out her husband is having an affair, she now has a real enemy to go after. Marin seems a little unstable, but the people in her life are not that trustworthy either. Not knowing who to trust makes for an intriguing read.

Little Secrets is a dark and complex story. The main character is living a parent’s worst nightmare. A compelling psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages. Gripping, suspenseful, and twisted.

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

Books by Jennifer Hillier:

1. Creep
2. Freak
3. The Butcher
4. Wonderland
5. Jar of Hearts
6. Little Secrets
7. Things We Do in the Dark

BOOK INFO

Title: Darling Rose Gold

Author: Stephanie Wrobel

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: March 17, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Mothers never forget. Daughters never forgive.

For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.

After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes.

Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she’s forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score.

Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling…

And she’s waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

MY REVIEW

Rose Gold was raised by her mother, Patty, and she was seriously ill her whole life. Doctors could never figure out what was wrong with her, and Rose Gold eventually discovered that her mother was behind her illnesses. Patty went to prison, but it’s time for her release. She doesn’t have anywhere to go, and Rose Gold agrees to take her in. They say they forgive one another, but both have twisted plans.

Rose Gold was always weak due to her illnesses and missed out on experiences due to her controlling mother. Patty appeared to be a pillar of the community, and seemed a doting mother. Turns out, she secretly abused Rose Gold her entire life. Rose Gold was 18 years old when she testified against Patty in court. It’s a surprise when Rose Gold picks Patty up from prison when she is released 5 years later, and even more surprising that she lets Patty move in with her. Rose Gold is now a single mother herself, and doesn’t quite trust Patty with her two-month-old son.

Told with the alternating points of view of Rose Gold and Patty. Both are unreliable narrators, and make for unlikable characters. In fact, even the secondary characters are unlikable. It makes for an entertaining read, and one that kept me turning the pages late into the night.

A psychological thriller about a twisted mother-daughter relationship. Clever, dark, and gripping.

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

Books by Stephanie Wrobel:

1. Darling Rose Gold
2. This Might Hurt
3. The Hitchcock Hotel

BOOK INFO

Title: You Are Not Alone

Author: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Publisher: St. Martin

Publish Date: March 3, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Shay Miller wants to find love, but it eludes her. She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end. She wants to belong, but her life is increasingly lonely.

Until Shay meets the Moore sisters. Cassandra and Jane live a life of glamorous perfection, and always get what they desire. When they invite Shay into their circle, everything seems to get better.

Shay would die for them to like her.
She may have to.

MY REVIEW

Shay witnesses a woman commit suicide, and becomes consumed with wanting to know more about the dead woman. She befriends some of the woman’s friends. Shay wants friends. They have darker ideas.

You Are Not Alone is told using multiple points of view – Shay and the dead woman’s friends. Shay is lonely and struggling. She’s working as a temp since getting downsized at her last job. She’s single, but wants a relationship. Her friends are busy moving on, and Shay is feeling a little left behind. Shay is a data analyst and loves statistics. After witnessing a suicide, she uses her research skills to learn about the dead woman. When she meets the woman’s friends, they seem so glamorous, and she dreams of being accepted into their circle. The dead woman’s six friends have something they are hiding though.

A fun psychological thriller. Shay is relatable and a little quirky. Fans of this writing duo will likely enjoy this latest novel by them. Suspenseful, fast-paced, and wild.

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

Books by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen:

1. An Anonymous Girl
2. The Wife Between Us
3. You Are Not Alone
4. The Golden Couple

BOOK INFO

Title: The Other Mrs.

Author: Mary Kubica

Publisher: Park Row

Publish Date: February 18, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

A woman is drawn into a mysterious web of secrets in this twisty whodunnit from New York Times bestselling author Mary Kubica

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to a coastal island in Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. And as the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of what really happened that dark and deadly night. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

MY REVIEW

Sadie and her family recently moved to a small island town in Maine. Their neighbor is killed in her home, and everyone on the island is on edge. Sadie’s family is under suspicion, and she is determined to find out what happened.

The Other Mrs. is an atmospheric and twisty psychological thriller. The story is told with alternating points of view – Sadie, Camille, and Mouse. The viewpoints are all female, but very different.

I enjoyed the writing style and eerie atmosphere of this book, but wasn’t wowed with the story. I imagine occasional readers of this genre will be highly entertained, but more seasoned readers of domestic thrillers may be a bit let down. Dark, suspenseful, and twisty.

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

Books by Mary Kubica:

1. The Good Girl
2. Pretty Baby
3. Don’t You Cry
4. Every Last Lie
5. When the Lights Go Out
6. The Other Mrs.
7. Local Woman Missing
8. Just the Nicest Couple
9. She’s Not Sorry

BOOK INFO

Title: Behind Every Lie

Author: Christina McDonald

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publish Date: February 4, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?

Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.

Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.

Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, Christina McDonald has crafted another “complex, emotionally intense” (Publishers Weekly) domestic thriller. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell’s I Found You and Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her, Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.

MY REVIEW

Eva is determined to clear her name when she is suspected of killing her mother. On the night of her mother’s murder, Eva was struck by lightning, and she doesn’t remember anything from that night. As Eva tries to discover what happened that night, she learns her mother had secrets.

Told with alternating points of view – Eva and Kat, Eva’s mother. Eva’s story is told in the present day, while Kat’s story tells about the past. Eva is an unreliable narrator, since she’s been struck by lightning and can’t remember what happened the night of her mother’s death. Eva does have vague memories of being with her mother, but it’s unclear what happened that night.

Every person in this book is keeping secrets and telling lies, so Behind Every Lie is an apt title for this book. There is a complicated backstory and a lot of twists and turns. An entertaining read for fans of psychological thrillers. Suspenseful, dramatic, and intense.

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

Books by Christina McDonald

1. The Night Olivia Fell
2. Behind Every Lie
3. Do No Harm

BOOK INFO

Title: The Look-Alike

Author: Erica Spindler

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: January 28, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

From Erica Spindler, the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes The Look-Alike, a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago—but does anyone else believe her?

Sienna Scott grew up in the dark shadow of her mother’s paranoid delusions. Now, she’s returned home to confront her past and the unsolved murder that altered the course of her life.

In her mother’s shuttered house, an old fear that has haunted Sienna for years rears its ugly head—that it was she who had been the killer’s target that night. And now, with it, a new fear—that the killer not only intended to remedy his past mistake—he’s already begun. But are these fears any different from the ones that torment her mother?

As the walls close in, the line between truth and lie, reality and delusion disintegrate. Has Sienna’s worst nightmare come true? Or will she unmask a killer and finally prove she may be her mother’s look-alike, but she’s not her clone?

MY REVIEW

Sienna Scott returns to her hometown after being gone for ten years. She left town soon after she found a dead body while walking across her college campus late at night. Sienna believed she may have been the intended target that night, but nobody gave her worries any thought. The killer was never found, so Sienna’s fears were never confirmed nor denied. Coinciding with Sienna’s return to town, the case into the murder is being reopened. Sienna fears she may be a target again.

Sienna is an intriguing character. Her mother suffers from paranoid delusions, and Sienna is afraid she may be like her mother. With a killer on the loose, Sienna may be a target, or it may have nothing to do with her. She doesn’t want anyone thinking she’s crazy, so she’s not always forthcoming with her concerns and actions.

The Look-Alike is an intense psychological thriller that kept me wanting to read more. Slow-burning, atmospheric, and suspenseful.

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

Books by Erica Spindler:

1. Fortune
2. Copycat
3. All Fall Down
4. Bone Cold
5. Dead Run
6. In Silence
7. See Jane Die
8. Killer Takes All
9. Last Known Victim
10. Breakneck
11. Blood Vines
12. Watch Me Die
13. Justice for Sara
14. The First Wife
15. The Final Seven
16. Triple Six
17. Random Acts
18. The Other Girl
19. Fallen Five
20. The Look-Alike