Thriller/Mystery

In 2020, I set my goodreads goal at 60 books and I am happy to say I read 63! And it was an awesome year of reading! I read so many great books, it was hard to choose just 5 for my list if top reads! But, I will also say that there was no question what my top read was going to be as soon as I finished it! It may end up being one of my top reads of all time! It’s definitely the one I am recommending the most right now. And so far, everyone else I know who read it, loved it too!

So without further ado….I present my Top 5 Reads of 2020!

5. The Authenticity Project

To read my review of this one, click here

4. The Guest List

To read my review of this one, click here

3. The Wife Stalker

To read my review of this one, click here

2. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

To read my review of this one, click here

And drumroll please……..

My Top Read of 2020 was Anxious People!!

I read this one late in the year and so I never reviewed it on the blog. I will be doing a full review on the blog on Monday, so stay tuned!!

And since I read so many great books this year, here’s a list of some honorable mentions that would all fall in the thriller or suspense categories.

To read my review of Long Bright River, click here

To read my review of The Holdout, click here

To read my review of You are Not Alone, click here

To read my review of The Night Swim, click here

I will be adding reviews for the other honorable mentions next week!

So tell me in the comments, what was your “Top Read of 2020”?

Yesterday was release day for The Night Swim by Megan Goldin! It’s also a pick for BOTM club for August. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this one and I recommend picking it up or adding it to your box!

Summary: Reading The Night Swim by Megan Goldin will take you through so many emotions. It is equal parts sadness, anger, fear, and hope. The book follows two stories in the same town that occurred twenty-five years apart. The present day story involves a true crime podcaster covering the trial of an accused young rapist. The other story set twenty-five years in the past and told in flashbacks involves the death of a young teenager. The sister of the young teenager has returned to her hometown to seek justice for her sister, who she believes was murdered. She reaches out to the podcaster and asks for her help in getting to the bottom of what happened the night her sister died. The podcaster begins to help investigate and soon finds parallels to the current trial she is covering.

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

My Review:

What I liked: The story opens with a chapter that hooks you in immediately as you wonder exactly what happened to the young girl who died twenty-five years ago. It is told from the perspective of the younger sister Hannah and leaves you with so many questions that you want to keep reading to get the answers. I feel that the author did a great job of moving back and forth from story to story and weaving them together. I think early on the reader knows that there is a connection, but the author keeps you guessing on what that connection is. I also liked how in the present day story, the author took you through the events leading up to the crime in small doses. She would pause in the narrative and leave you wondering what happened for a couple of chapters before continuing with the story. This was also effective at holding the readers interest and making you want to keep reading. I will say that while the book contained very sensitive themes, I enjoyed the fact that the language was very clean throughout. I actually can only recall one instance of foul language in the entire story. And since I am a huge critic sometimes of book endings, I will say that I felt the author did a great job at wrapping up the story and giving the characters (and the readers) closure. I would even enjoy a sequel involving the podcaster Rachel and her next trial.

What I didn’t like: I don’t know that there was honestly anything I disliked. Except possibly for the crimes themselves and what happened to the young girls in this story. However, that has nothing to do with the actual book and the writing itself. The author, in my opinion handled a very sensitive topic well. She makes you consider how these types of crimes are viewed in society. And about how society in general treats both the accused and the accuser. She also makes you think of how events in the past can shape the future. And unfortunately how these crimes affect both the victims and their families.

Disclaimer: PG/PG-13 for language, but see note below

Do You Read Me?: Overall, a very well written plot with some surprise twists at the end. Some things I guessed, but others I did not see coming. I will warn people that it is somewhat graphic during the present day story and during the trial itself. So while the language is fairly clean, the subject matter may be too intense for some readers. Especially if someone has been a victim of this type of crime or knows someone who has been a victim. However, I think the book is worth reading for the way it makes you think about how victims are viewed and treated.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book!

Today is release day for Michelle Campbell’s new thriller, The Wife Who Knew Too Much! I was lucky to receive an ARC of this one several months ago, but you can go grab your copy today!

Summary: This thriller revolves around a women named Tabitha who reconnects with her childhood crush Connor. The only problem? He’s married to a very wealthy woman named Nina with an ironclad prenup. After a weekend spent together, he promises to find a way out of the marriage and the two part ways. Fast forward a couple of months and Nina is found dead in their swimming pool. The police rule suicide. But was it suicide or something more sinister?

Tabitha and Connor marry and move into the huge mansion previously inhabited by Connor and Nina. Slightly uncomfortable around the staff, Tabitha is ready for her happily ever after with Connor. But then Connor starts acting weird and becoming distant. Tabitha starts wondering what really happened to Nina that night. Did Connor have something to do with her death? Is Tabitha is danger? Then she finds Nina’s diary……

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

My Review:

What I liked: The story opened with Nina’s diary entry, which definitely peaked the reader’s interest about what actually happened to her. It was definitely a fast read. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that one of the characters whose intentions I questioned throughout the entire story, turned out to be a good person in the end. The ending was a little sad, but did provide closure for the main characters.

What I didn’t like: Tabitha was super naive and didn’t always make smart decisions. I found myself yelling at her in my head to run away and stop being so gullible. I found a lot of the story predictable. I figured out who the “bad guy” was about halfway through the story although I didn’t know the why until closer to the end. I also understand why the author did what she did with one of the main characters at the end, but I feel like I would have liked the story better had it not happened (sorry it’s hard to talk about without spoiling anything 😉).

Disclaimer: PG-13 for language

Do You Read Me?: Yes! This was probably my favorite of this author’s books so far.

Overall a good thriller! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!

First, let me begin by saying that I really enjoyed all of the author’s previous books. So needless to say, I was super excited when I was approved to read an ARC of her newest book, The Dilemma. I was expecting another fast paced thriller with lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending. That wasn’t quite the case…..

I’m struggling a little bit with how to review this one. I totally think that it was mislabeled in terms of genre. So if you are expecting a typical thriller, you will probably be pretty disappointed. Instead, I would label this as a general fiction/family drama novel. If you consider it that genre instead and don’t compare it to the author’s previous books, you may like this one.

Summary: Livia is planning her 40th birthday party to make up for the wedding she never had. Her husband Adam is planning a surprise for the party. Livia also has a secret that she is planning to tell her husband after the party. The morning of the party Adam gets news that could change his family’s entire life. Does he tell Livia now? Or allow her to enjoy her party before revealing the potentially devastating news?

Genre: it’s labeled as a thriller, but I would say more general fiction

My Review:

What I liked: This was a pretty clean read in terms of language. Typical thrillers tend to have a fair amount of foul language and I really can’t remember much (if any) foul language in the entire book. I also liked that the author made you think that you knew Livia’s secret, and then gradually showed you that you were wrong before revealing the actual secret. I was also wrong about why Livia was angry and distant with Max (who was her son’s best friend). So in that sense there were several plot lines that did have small surprises.

What I didn’t like: This is harder without giving away spoilers. I will say that I kept waiting and waiting for a surprise twist or for the ending to be wrong somehow. Neither thing happened. There was no surprise twist and the ending was really the ending and it was just downright devastating. At the same time, I feel like we didn’t get invested enough in each of the characters due to the fact that the entire story took place over three days. There was some backstory for sure, but not enough in my opinion. And I really don’t understand why the main character spent half of her life dreaming of an elaborate birthday party that ended up being a tent and a caterer and some music. It seemed so silly and also incredibly sad at the same time. I get that she was making up for the wedding she never had, but it seemed like EVERY decision she made from age 17-39 revolved around her 40th birthday party.

Disclaimer: PG-13

Do You Read Me?: This is a tough one. I say maybe?!? Again, I hate to discourage people from reading books in general. I would say read my final thoughts below to decide if this one is for you.

At the end, I was left questioning the author. What was the point of this book? Why did the things that happened happen? But if I reflect on the story overall and try to put a positive spin on it, I would say it’s a reminder of how short life can be, and how important communication is in any relationship. And also about how keeping secrets can lead to very negative consequences. So if this one makes you self reflect and possibly change the way you communicate with those you are closest to, than maybe it’s worth the read. It’s definitely a short read and pretty clean for a thriller. Just know that it won’t be anything like the previous novels by B.A. Paris.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a free ARC of this book!

I was super excited to read the newest book by Sandie Jones. I’ll be honest and say while I wasn’t a huge fan of her first novel, I did really enjoy her second novel. I was hoping this one would be along the same lines. Unfortunately, this one was mostly a miss for me.

Summary:

The novel is told in alternate viewpoints. The two main characters are sisters who have a somewhat strained relationship. This relationship is further tested when a young woman claiming to be their half sister shows up at a family dinner demanding answers. The only problem is that the father they all share and who potentially holds all the answers passed away 10 months ago. So the sisters and their mother are left wondering is this woman who she claims to be? And what does she really want from them?

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

My Review:

What I liked: It was definitely a fast read. I appreciated the last chapter, which fast forwarded a year into the future to tie up loose ends. There was some foul language, but not an overabundance.

What I didn’t like: I’m not even sure if I can pinpoint what I really didn’t like. All I can say is for some reason, this novel just didn’t work for me. It seemed very repetitive and not very suspenseful overall. I thought I had figured out a twist in the middle, which I now know the author intended for the reader to assume. This assumed twist was then shown to be false very quickly. The ending seemed somewhat rushed and overly dramatic especially given the resolution in the last chapter.

Disclaimer: PG-13 for language

Do You Read Me?: I’m torn on this one. Overall, this wasn’t a bad read, it just wasn’t one of my favorites. I recommend Sandie Jones’ The First Mistake if you are looking for a really good read by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book!