Happy Place by Emily Henry

Rarely do I purchase a brand-new book and start reading it immediately, thinking that my other 400-plus to-be-reads will somehow be jealous. But the internet has nothing but good things to say about Emily Henry's latest novel, Happy Place, and I had just cashed in $50 worth of coins, so I decided, why the heck not? A fluffy, heart-warming, story, that's a fun read, but one that I didn't enjoy as much as I do the two new outfits I also purchased with said coins.

Coming-of-age friends, Serena, Perth, Cleo, Kimmy, Wyn, and Harriet are coming together for their yearly trip to Maine for Lobster Fest, only this trip will be their last since Serena's father decided to sell their summer cottage. On top of that, Serena and Perth have decided this to be their wedding weekend, and the icing on this cake is that no one knows that five months prior, Wyn and Harriet decided to call it quits on their seemingly fairy-tale romance, and have yet to tell their closest friends. They'll need to fake it this week, for the sake of their friends, and for the sake of their memories.

Happy Place is a Hallmark movie - the best of friends, on their best behavior, eating the best food, with the best views, where even the conflict isn't even that conflicting -  a since-broken-up couple who clearly still want to be together. A frothy, fun book that epitomizes summer, I would have found Happy Place to be far more relatable had I read it some 20-years ago; I can't relate to the concept of having close, life-long friends, much less having close, life-long friends who I travel with. The book is a bit overly descriptive, sometimes losing track of where I actually was, and the book is quippy, but with way too many one-liners, everything comes off a bit contrived; forced; extra cheese to go with all of their wine. I caught the "twist" way too early, and the ending droned on, a beating of the dead horse of miscommunication and deep insecurities, which is also why I have a hard time relating to these characters; life takes on a new shade when you hit 40 with three kids and a divorce under your belt. But this story did make me fall even more in love with my boyfriend, so there's that. Many people will - and have - enjoyed Happy Place, I'm just not one of them. ⭐⭐⭐/5 on my goodreads.

Verity by Colleen Hoover

 

Like many of you, I don't even know where to begin with this book, unless you're a Goodreads reviewer, in which case, you have a lot to say and most of it consists of, "Are you kidding me?!" Verity, by Colleen Hoover - or CoHo, as she is so lovingly dubbed by her loyal and extensive fan-base - is...a book. Is it a good book? No, I definitely wouldn't call it a "good book." It's a...book...that you will...read. And then you'll go, "Huh." 

Lowen Ashleigh - let's just take in that name for a moment - is a struggling writer with zero money but has just been offered the job of a lifetime: completing the highly popular, and highly successful, series of novels for the now-incapacitated author, Verity Crawford. The only problem - or bonus - is that she will be doing most of her work in the home that Verity shares with her husband, Jeremy, who Lowen quickly develops feelings for (of course). Then Lowen stumbles upon a manuscript, an autobiography that was never meant to be read, and quickly gets sucked into a dark world of sex and manipulation and violence.

This book definitely gets you hooked right from the first sentence, and keeps you hooked so you're able to get through some truly triggering scenes. It's gripping and intense, an undeniable, character-driven, page-turner, with a hint of eroticism that has a tendency to lean towards the ridiculous, and can be kind of foul. Verity is a book you either love or you hate, with an ending that you will either think is genius or too easy, but it's definitely an ending worth reading the book for, a vast contrast from Behind Her Eyes. You will absolutely read to find out if your assumptions about Verity are true, and I spotted a new edition at Target that boasted a Bonus Chapter, so I am very intrigued as to what is in that.

There is one redeeming quality to Verity and that is the writing. It is rough and not at all elegant, and even brutal at times, which only adds to the sinister underbelly of this story. And although Lowen isn't the most popular of characters on Goodreads, I think she is a necessary catalyst to get the reader to form their suspicions. From Verity, I can see how "CoHo" is a true talent, I'm just not sure about this book. I honestly don't know how many stars to give it. Three, I guess? I don't even know.

That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

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If you read any book this summer, make sure it's That Summer by Jennifer Weiner, a story that is both uplifting and unforgiving; heart-breaking but also heart-warming; compelling yet - unfortunately - a timeless story. But Weiner's is a tale that needs to be told.

Daisy is a seemingly contented housewife, but only because she tells herself that it must be so. She has a nice house, a kitchen with all of the frills, a husband who could be worse, and a daughter who can be difficult but is also brimming with confidence and intellect. Then Daisy starts receiving misdirected emails that are meant for Diana, which are mostly invites to fancy parties and events, tugging at Daisy's heart, wondering if settling so soon meant that she had missed out on her dreams. But Daisy didn't receive those emails on accident, Diana is not who she says she is, and what unfolds is a story that is poignant and relevant, a mystery reminiscent of Rosie Walsh's Ghosted, and a true testament to how the Universe works in mysterious ways.

Written with Weiner's trademark wit, That Summer unpacks all of the real dirty laundry that unfolds with every traumatic, life-changing event.  This book goes beyond what we think we know and understand about assault, cutting deep into what the real, long-lasting price of trauma is, for both the victim and the predator, and in being in the horrifying position of bystander. That Summer is about everything that happens afterwards, and comes at the question "What Would You Do If It Were You?" from every possible angle, a harsh though true exercise in empathy for even the most unfortunate of characters. But each of them is heartfully developed, and there are so many moving parts to this story that encompass what it truly means to be a human being, and what it means to have past selves, future selves, and how we reconcile those two in order to live in some form of peace.

I will admit, based on the cover and the synopsis - those on which we shall not judge - I was expecting That Summer to be frothy and fun, but what I got was so much more. It is mysterious and intelligent, thoughtful and relatable, and funny and unrelenting; just like every summer. I've read seven of Weiner's novels, and That Summer is another one of her wins for me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on my goodreads.

The Lion's Den by Katherine St. John

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Awhile back, my friend and fellow book-lover asked me to recommend a good thriller, and I had nothin'. The thrillers I had read were mediocre at best, and there was one I couldn't even read at all, so definitely nothing I felt worthy of slapping my recommendation on. Now, allow me to invite you into - or rather, aboard - The Lion's Den, a completely addictive, very clever, novel from Katherine St. John, an author who proves to be a real talent of the thriller genre. You'll down this dazzling debut like free-flowing rose on a hot day, the perfect read for your very un-perfect vacation, or to make you glad you didn't take one at all.

The Lion's Den is In a Dark, Dark Wood meets The Woman in Cabin 10 but with a lot more glitz, glam, and daylight, though the level of intensity and heat is the same. Summer and Belle, friends since childhood, have drifted apart over the last few years as Belle works to forge her acting career, and Summer hones her proclivity for wealthy, older men. But for Summer's birthday, Belle - along with Wendy, Claire, Amethyst, and Summer's mother and sister - has been invited aboard The Lyon's Den, a luxury yacht owned by John, Summer's latest May-December romance. Though Belle has her doubts - things that sound too good to be true usually are - she accepts, and - of course - things aren't at all what they seem and are about to get all kinds of fishy up in this boat.

Written with wit and humor and intelligence, the story is brilliantly plotted, expertly spanning one week of vacation while also covering a decade of early adulthood. So well organized and detailed is this book that the two stories manage to run parallel to each other while also heading straight on a collision course, with a slow build-up in the beginning that lures you into a false sense of thinking you know what to expect. Though the set-up, combined with the synopsis, makes one major twist a bit too obvious, the Devil is still in the details, and is followed by a smattering of twists that you absolutely do not see coming. And the way in which Belle handles these turns and navigates her precarious position is both elegant and fierce, a character to truly appreciate.

The Lion's Den is a taut thriller and an entertaining read that also engages our brains to assemble the puzzle; St. John cleverly hands us all of the pieces, deftly making every last detail invaluable, and it's ultimately very satisfying as they begin clicking into place. These are the authors you want to keep coming back to, and this is definitely a book I would want to recommend to my friend. So, here you go, Franny. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on my goodreads.

Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land

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We often wonder how much of ourselves is the direct result of where we come from; what is predetermined by what is running through our veins, and what is the result of our surrounding environment. And it's often an inconclusive venture to discern nature vs nurture when determining why someone did or didn't do something, and no one understands this more than Milly Barnes, facing her daily struggles of Good Me Bad Me. Daughter to a serial killer, the one and only witness to her mother's crimes, and the one to turn her into the police, she is placed in an affluent foster home and enrolled in private school. But as her mother's trial approaches, Milly is constantly faced with a choice: which wolf to feed? 

Good Me Bad Me is a thrilling twist on the age-old question, how far does the apple fall from the tree? Is that something we can even control, and to what extent? Milly and everyone in her world are about to find out.

Hers is a story unlike any other. Hauntingly and disturbingly seductive, it definitely highlights a horrific twist on an all-too-common crime. Good Me Bad Me is unsettling yet captivating and will crawl under your skin and suck you even though you may not want it to. It is brutal and unforgiving, the skillfully disembodied prose giving the story structure and depth and texture, with odd moments of humanity and tenderness, if any exists in such a terrifying scenario. Land - by way of Milly - leaves no stone unturned, and although there isn't the proverbial climactic twist at the end, the book positively drips with suspense. I read it in two days and I suspect you might too. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on my goodreads profile.

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The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

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I did something all us bibliophiles swear to never do but actually do with every one of our book choices and I picked The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine based solely on the cover. I was headed off on vacation, with ample amounts of pool-time in my imminent future and if there's one thing I love, it's a good theme. The cover screams "pool read," and the story requires minimal focus so you can still succumb to all of the "Mom, watch me!"s coming from your kids in the water.

Amber Patterson has a grudge. Not against anyone in particular, just whoever looks like they might be enjoying their life just a little too much. Growing up poor and forgotten, Amber has set her sights on rich, center-of-the-affluent-Universe, Daphne Parrish, in a manipulative scheme to usurp her. But what could have been a Master Class in Manipulation, turns cheap and tawdry and is more like Manipulation for the Mindless.

With insipid characters and a storyline to mimic The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a colossal disappointment, but the Devil is in the details. This book is painfully despicable, tasteless, disturbing, crude, and isn't so much duplicitous as it is easy and skanky. The writing is cheesy and inauthentic, and the story is overly long and drawn out and never actually reaches its synopsis, making it feel exhausting.

I didn't feel compelled to award any stars to The Last Mrs. Parrish on my goodreads profile, if you are looking for a good Domestic Noir, look elsewhere. 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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I picked up The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides in much the same fashion as everyone else who has ever decided to give it a go - obvious curiosity for "But why does she not speak?" (Euripides) But as I started to burn through the pages, I developed a different reaction to this book altogether. I stopped caring about, and wanting to know why, Alicia Berenson - a famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer - refuses, or is unable, to speak, and I just got it. I absolutely get why, after shooting her husband in the face five times while he was tied to a chair, Alicia never spoke another word. And by the end of the book, I was ready to shoot every character in the face five times.

Alicia Berenson is tucked away at a secure psychiatric unit in North London when, like most in the field, Criminal Psychotherapist, Theo Faber, becomes entranced by the story. Also like most in the field, he is positive that he is the one to rescue her, to save her from herself, and to save The Grove from imminent closure. Alicia's case quickly becomes his main focus, questionably blurring the lines between patient and therapist in a self-satisfying effort to truly understand her.

The story is intricate and well-told, with a lot of moving parts that Michaelides deftly keeps from getting too complicated. It is a definite page-turner, and offers up a serious twist that will make even the most seasoned reader gasp. It irritatingly reads more like a crime novel, the upside being that Faber is not actually a Detective, which, for some reason always gives characters a level of arrogance I cannot stand. The Silent Patient shouldn't necessarily be categorized as a psychological thriller, either, but more of a dramatic thriller, reminiscent of You by Caroline Kepnes.

The writing is clear, concise, and invokes some serious introspection, which all novels are meant to do, but this book far surpasses the norm, at least for this reader. In much the same way the book discusses transference, Alicia stops being simply a character and becomes a representation; I am her and she is me. We think of death as the cease to function by our physical bodies, not realizing or acknowledging how many times we die on the inside, while our bodies continue to plug away like machines. 

I really had to think about my goodreads rating before I made it and ultimately settled on ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. The Silent Patient will definitely leave a lasting impression.

The Widow by Fiona Barton

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I happened across a goodreads review of The Widow by Fiona Barton that lamented the book description - or lack thereof - on the book jacket, labeling it as "misleading." I can understand that assessment, but I am one of those readers for whom the limited description is written. In fact, I would never have purchased the book (albeit for dirt cheap) had the synopsis been any more detailed. There is one particular element of which the entire story revolves, even though it is actually quite secondary to how everything generally unfolds, that I don't like, and if you read The Child, it's that. But the surprising plot and unsettling narrator kept me reading to an unpredictably predictable ending.

After years of being the dutiful wife, helping her husband through the literal trials and tribulations of being accused of horrible crimes, Jean's husband is suddenly dead. And the things she held to so tightly, things she believed, things she wanted to believe, and things she suddenly couldn't ignore, come rushing back to the surface and people are just dying to know what she knows. But the big question looms - what on earth could she possibly say? And can she be trusted to tell the truth?

Jean is quite possibly one of my favorite narrators, the last line of the first chapter hooking me and reeling me in: "Everyone was very kind and trying to stop me from seeing his body, but I couldn't tell them I was glad he was gone. No more of his nonsense." There is no way most of us can relate to exactly what Jean is dealing with throughout this novel, but there is always something us readers can recognize within ourselves; "It was my fault, too. Because I was the wife." The story, though unsettling, progresses well and clearly, the most uncomfortable aspects handled with grace and dignity. The alternating perspectives and timeframes can get a little muddy, but the story still flows nicely and offers up some very intriguing twists and surprises and laugh-out-loud moments. Oh, that Jean!

The Widow is a compelling novel that you'll find yourself reaching for out of impulse and a slight voyeuristic compulsion, with a story that is methodically and articulately laid out but still able to keep us guessing. Barton expertly, though sensitively, brings to light broken facades we usually find such security in, like the media, police work, and our friends and family. You will definitely want to know how it all ends.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads

A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

Domestic psychological thrillers are obviously nothing new, but with the seemingly simultaneous launch of Gone Girl and social media - and using social media as the new word-of-mouth - the authors of these novels have started to become even more well-known than King, Grisham, and Patterson. A common theme throughout Breanne's Bookshelf is, in fact, Instagram-popular authors, so that is how I came to read The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena and how, even though I was grossly disappointed and unimpressed by the book, I learn about every subsequent novel she has published since. I'm too wary to purchase one at full-price, but when I came across A Stranger in the House at a book sale and read the synopsis, I felt it was worth a shot, and - praise the book gods - it was.

In what is quickly becoming cliche, Karen is your typical housewife (though that seems pretty indefinable these days), without so much as a parking ticket to her name. As she prepares dinner one night for her and her husband of just two years, the phone rings. It's a call she always expected to get but hoped never would, and in a flash, she's left the house, leaving behind her phone and purse, and without locking the door. The next thing she knows, Karen is in the hospital after slamming her car into a telephone pole in a rough New York neighborhood that she's never been to before. To add suspicion to injury, Karen can't remember what she was doing there in the first place, what happened before the accident, and why.

The story is mysterious enough to capture my interest throughout the first half of the book, but after that, the shocking twist - the Big Reveal - is mostly that I've abruptly turned to reading for the last page, as that is the next most interesting thing to happen. Up until the very last chapter, the story and characters don't extend beyond what we're so used to in pretty much all domestic psychological thrillers these days.

A Stranger in the House is written well enough, it's a quick read that will provide you a moment of fictitious escape, or - like it did for me - make you want to (re)watch Desperate Housewives. Does anyone else just *love* Brigid?! 🤩 And even though I did enjoy - and am surprised by - the twist that comes in the last chapter, it also left me a little disappointed and gypped; what an underdeveloped character Karen turns out to be! I came to realize, as I closed the book, that she could have been a lot more dynamic, dimensional, and interesting, which is why I gave it ⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads.

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Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Of the Liane Moriarty books I've read, I'm about 50/50. I loved The Hypnotist's Love Story and Big Little Lies, but I did not enjoy My Husband's Secret or Truly, Madly, Guilty. Each story she creates is so intriguing and intricate that each book needs to be taken independent from the others, unlike some authors who disappoint you once, shame on them; disappoint you twice, shame on you, and aren't worth going back to. After reading her latest, Nine Perfect Strangers, Moriarty proves she is an author worth your attention and effort.

Each for their own personal and confidential reasons, nine strangers arrive at a remote Australian health resort prepared for what is promised to be "transformative." Run by an enigmatic, beautiful, former Corporate Executive who was inspired to start Tranquilliam House after her brush with death, things start out as normal as possible for a remote health resort - massages, Yoga, meditation, smoothies, no technology, etc. Suddenly, during a moonlight meditation, things turn kooky, and then just plain crazy. You, the Reader, quite honestly cannot guess what will happen next.

This story is creative and compassionate, even as it underscores the snap judgments we make about strangers for the sole purpose of unburdening ourselves of our own insecurities, complete with cute nicknames like Loony Woman and Serial Killer. The book jacket boasts that you "will laugh and gasp" and that is most definitely true. Nine Perfect Strangers is unexpected and nutty with a charismatic cast of characters who are witty and interesting with just the right amount of drama to perfectly reflect...life. The writing is clear and jocular, dramatic fun that is not overly horrifying but still gives you pause. Definitely one of Moriarty's better novels, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads.  

Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

I never considered myself to be particularly particular when it comes to my habit of seasonal reading. That is, until I started making more of an effort to find winter-related and/or set-in-winter novels to read during...wait for it...winter. As I looked around, it became apparent that while summer seemed to be a character in and of itself, winter was merely something that occurred alongside the story line.

I found Elin Hilderbrand's Winter in Paradise during one of my many trips to the book section of Walmart and - armed with a Christmas gift card burning a hole in my wallet - decided to see if Hilderbrand can be to winter what she is to summer. Given my detest for her Winter Series, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ultimately enjoyed Winter in Paradise, and how I am actually looking forward to the next in this new series, What Happens in Paradise.

Irene Steele lives a seemingly idyllic life in Iowa City. Her husband adores her to sky-writing proportions, her perfect house has been perfectly designed by her, and her grown sons are off thriving with families, jobs, and hobbies of their own. Then, on New Years Day, her world comes crashing down along with the helicopter that held her husband, Russ, the pilot, and a local woman. Adding confusion to heartbreak, Russ's helicopter crashed in the Virgin Islands, miles from where he was supposed to be. What was he doing there? Who was the local woman, and why was she with Russ that fateful day? Irene and her sons begin to unravel the mystery surrounding their husband and father, while piling on some mysteries and secrets of their own. Hilderbrand's shift from Nantucket summers to St. John's winters takes us on a dramatic, emotional, and cliched journey that is inexplicably intriguing with sharp characters who are surprisingly relatable.

Quickly written, with a plot that sucks you in despite not being anything more extraordinary than your basic Soap Opera, the story is compulsive and voyeuristic, and the imagery is nothing short of exquisite. Winter in Paradise is the perfect read for sitting on the beaches of St. John's yourself, or if you're snuggled up in your snowbound chalet, dreaming of a tropical paradise. Either way, you'll never want to leave.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

What I once actively gravitated towards, and even went so far as to contemplate purchasing at what Costco and Wal-Mart consider "full-price," has now made me approach with trepidation; the newest Ruth Ware novel used to illicit a certain amount of readers' excitement from me but now just makes me want to read something else. Mysterious, overly-dramatic, and often with imagery that is a character all its own, what has promise of a decent premise is often overly padded with fluff then abruptly ended in an obscure, slightly disturbing way (*cough* The Lying Game *cough*). Ware's latest tale, The Turn of the Key, isn't as gross or as boring, but finding the point is an exhausting process.

Rowan Caine becomes the latest in a string of nannies to be hired for Heatherbrae House, taken in by the lush remote Scottish countryside and mountain views, the Smart house technology that puts everything at ones' fingertips, and the charming, though shy, little girls that are to be her charges. She quickly learns that four nannies before her have cut and run after they were taken in by all of the amenities, as well as the rumors of the mansion's supposed paranormal activity. The luster from Rowan's interview quickly turns sour as she's left alone on her first day for no less than two weeks, the girls turn nasty, and the pre-teen away at boarding school returns to wreck havoc. And now she's hearing footsteps pacing in the boarded-up attic above her bedroom.

What is, apparently, a retelling of The Turn of the Screw, Ware's The Turn of the Key is a modern take on ghost stories, replacing the ghouls and goblins of the childhood of yore with the legitimate fears of today's omnipresent technology. Ware bluntly underscores how the shine of new and innovative technology wears off pretty quickly. But as a story, the book is long and ultimately fruitless with some spooky moments peppered throughout what is mostly misadventures in babysitting, and gets a little Lifetime movie-ish. There is also an inordinate amount of focus on the architecture of the house, which does add an interestingly creepy element to the story, but with that amount of attention given to it, it's never really explained why. The ending does offer up some good surprises, though the second-to-last scene is a little obscure; it took me a minute to "get," you might need the collective brains of your book club to enlighten everyone.

The Turn of the Key is a perfectly fine read, though not particularly scary or interesting. ⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads. 

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

It seems like the only books these days are psychological thrillers and self-help celebrity tell-alls so, if you're like me, it's gotten more challenging to find a domestic noir novel that is interesting, well-told, and offers the requisite surprises. Nothing will shock me like The Burning Air, so I've given up there, and I've gotten to the point where I roll my eyes every time I see an advance praise that includes the words, "fans," "Gone Girl," and, "love," so I was pleasantly surprised when I found that Samantha Downing's My Lovely Wife contains none of these. It isn't the best murder mystery I've ever read, then again none of them are, earning just four out of five stars on Goodreads from your's truly. But I have definitely read worse (*cough* The Couple Next Door *cough*). Dark, disturbing, emotional, and dramatic, My Lovely Wife is an unputdownable book that makes you feel like you know everything, and nothing at all.

Millicent and her husband are the epitome of Middle Class; living in a home they can't afford, paying private school tuition they don't need, and murdering random people simply for the fun of it (like we all haven't thought about it at least once). What started as an act of self-defense, slowly morphs into murder for pleasure and an unlikely bonding exercise for the married parents of two attitude-riddled teenagers. The story is sexy and seductive, and manipulative and twisted, and definitely makes you wonder if all of the new people you've met in the last year were actually trying to decide if you fit a serial killer's victim profile.

I enjoyed the way in which the book is written, appreciating the one perspective of the husband throughout the story, though he sometimes comes off as a bit of a wank. The Owen letters are a bit too cheesy, and make things just a little too easy and cynical. While I agree with Downings portrayal of the information super-highway and the subsequent trial in the court of public opinion, in this day and age especially, we are more prone to suspicion than simply believing what we are told. So while it was an interesting element to the story, it doesn't make the mystery any better or worse. In that regard, the Big Surprise isn't all that shocking, but all of the mini-surprises that prop up the larger one, aided by quick, succinct chapters, are what keep the pages turning. I definitely could not put down My Lovely Wife. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads.

The Break Down by B.A. Paris

Is Cass cracking up? Or is she unwittingly a witness to a terrible crime?

Driving home late one night from a post-work get-together, and despite her husband's wishes to avoid the dark, forested short-cut back home, Cass comes across a car parked on the side of the road with only a woman staring vacantly from the driver's side window. Unsure of what she could do, how, exactly, she might be able to help, and in preservation of her own safety, Cass drives on home, only to discover the next morning that the woman in the car has been brutally murdered. Wracked with guilt but also consumed with a possible memory-loss problem, Cass begins to think she's spiraling out of control. But is she really, or is she just being fucked with? And so begins another in the long line of psychological and domestic thrillers.

First off, I appreciate a good double entendre, which you get with the titles of both The Break Down and B.A. Paris' first novel, Behind Closed Doors. The Break Down is deeply mysterious, and makes the reader physically breathless as Cass sharply vacillates between extreme guilt and extreme fear/paranoia/anxiety/panic. But there are particular scenes that come off a bit too dramatic and contrived and, quite frankly, a little hard to accept. Paris makes clear Cass' heightened nerves, which was made even more evident by my own heightened nerves for personal, non-book-related reasons. But the true test of any author of the psychological thriller genre is, can the story be written well enough to trick the reader, without the use of bald-faced lies (Paris does not lie, but authors sometimes utilize this avenue)? Unfortunately, in this particular instance, the answer is no.

Any reader worth their salt begins to guess whodunnit by the end of the prologue or first chapter. I won't be arrogant enough to say that I "figured it out" on page three, but I'll admit that nothing about the ending was at all surprising. Ok, there was one thing that was surprising, but mostly I appreciate how Paris, once again, takes the main female character and deftly transforms her from victim into...something else, and it is encouraging, real, and empowering, not to mention written extremely well.

Although I only gave this book ⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads, the story pumps out faster than a slit throat, is fluidly written, and keeps you wanting more; you might figure out the major plot twists sooner than you'd like, but the little twists and turns are fast and sharp enough to keep even the most persnickety reader entertained. If you want your mind fucked with, this isn't your read. But if you want something fun to flip through while at the beach, or when you sense the impending end of summer but don't want to let go of summer reading just yet, then this should be your pick.

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is the undisputed Queen of the Beach Read, despite The Rumor being set mostly amongst a lush Nantucket garden that would drive even Martha Stewart wild with desire. But she does not reign supreme simply because most of her novels take place during the summer, but because you can sit somewhere - maybe on a beach - and burn through the pages faster than a marshmallow at a bonfire. Her plots are creative, surprising, and well-crafted, with engrossing and quick characters, and The Rumor just makes me want more.

Madeline King and Grace Pancik have been best friends for two decades and the envy of Nantucket society. As summer descends on the island, so does the droves of visitors, seasonal residents, and everyone cooped up and restless from another relentless Nantucket winter. Anxious for things to happen and anxious to make things happen, a minor misunderstanding gets the rumor mill spinning. Is Madeline having an affair with Grace's husband? Is that why she had to get her own apartment? As everyone is about to learn, while rumors aren't the pillar of accuracy, the truth can end up being so much worse.

The Rumor is non-strop, unputdownable drama. The twists and turns offered up during this Nantucket summer are surprising, well-executed, is a jolt of pure entertainment, and has me wondering if Hilderbrand has ever been approached - or thought - about any of her books going the way of Big Little Lies and being turned into, at the very least, a Lifetime mini-series. And, in truth, Hilderbrand's novels would serve up a lot more meat than BLL, a show with a second season despite not having a sequel to the book.

In The Rumor, Hilderbrand highlights that even picturesque island-living comes with its own form of isolation, and that even if we know a lot about the lives of our neighbors, we might be oblivious to the goings on of our own. Hilderbrand also subtly points out that gossip - like an affair - is fun in the moment and facilitates a bond, but is also bad juju in the same way that when we point fingers at someone, we have four more pointing back at us, and that we can't sling mud without getting some on ourselves. And just to make it a solid three cliches, to keep in mind the Golden Rule of treating people the way we want to be treated, including our level of desire to be the talk of the town.

While for The Rumor, I sing nothing but praises, I find Hilderbrand as an author to be a bit of an enigma. Having loved the first novel of hers that I ever read - Barefoot - I was excited to learn just how expansive her collection actually is, and that she is currently in the process of growing her other collection, the Winter series. Unfortunately, I find those novels awful, absolutely awful. But I will happily add one of her Nantucket novels to my repertoire of summer reading every single year. Until then, I gave this one in particular ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads.

Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik

Like most things in the world today, I was encouraged to read Into the Jungle by Erica Ferencik via social media, though once finding it at my local library, the book jacket synopsis had me sold.

Lily is a 19-year old girl who spent her life in the foster care system, too young for her old experience, cynical, bitter, and used to being abandoned more than anything else. Lying, cheating, and stealing in order to survive, Lily meets Omar in a crowded Bolivian bar and, in what is quite possibly the most tumultuous way to begin a new relationship, is swept away to his home village in the jungle so that he can help his family hunt the jaguar that killed his nephew. Lily's next 10-months in the jungle are fast-paced, gritty, horrifying, but also heartwarming and extremely educational; a lot can be learned from this book, aside from just how to live and love in the jungle.

A lot had to have gone into writing this book, the imagery alone is lyrical and beautiful and haunting, a true talent given that the jungle is a place constantly on a quest to kill you. Ferencik's inclusion of political and industrial policy, weaving it into the delicate lives of those who remain in the jungle, is genius and poignant and does a great honor to a land so taken for granted. Ferencik expertly, though heartbreakingly, articulates the sad truth that the issues that face this land and these people are shouted into the wind and carried away forever, like the brown river water. "...it's not over, this bad story no one can get away from. There will be other poachers. This is not the end of those bad men, of these terrible times..."

Into the Jungle is gripping and powerful, scary and romantic, tough and fragile, and the writing is truly above par, which is why I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads. It is a very entertaining, engrossing story that is not only interesting to read, but has a fair amount to teach us about our own capabilities and limits and how both might be just figments of our imagination.

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Unless you live under a rock, you probably still have WiFi, so you've seen The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen all over Instagram and book blogs. Well, here it is again, and I don't feel quite the same way that my fellow bookstagrammers and book bloggers do.

This book, another in a long line of domestic thrillers, is billed to be a lot more sinister than it actually is, and the mystery is far surpassed by the emotional drama. In terms of sub-categorizing the domestic fiction genre, I believe The Wife Between Us would make better company among novels like Ghosted and anything by Liane Moriarty. It offers up enough twists and turns to satisfy the thriller-seekers, but, really, this book ultimately dives deeper into the characters, the tangled webs they weave and why, all wrapped up in an empathetic story line.

Like the book jacket suggests, you will read this book and assume you are reading about a heartbroken ex-wife, left by her wealthy, powerful husband for his younger, blonder, Assistant (they don't call them Secretaries anymore). You will think that she is obsessed with her replacement and yearns for the life she once had. Then comes the twist, so sharp you get whiplash and, like Erin Kelly's The Burning Air, you are almost tempted to go back and flip through the last section just to make sure that, yup, she/they did just do that. This twist, though sharp, is also a bit watered down; Kelly still reins supreme.

The Wife Between Us is a well-written, well-crafted story that comes full-circle, but not without throwing out the odd detour here and there. And though psychologically mind-bending, it is more heart-warming than the synopsis would have you expect. It lives up to the hype, serving up several twists and turns, they just come on too sharp, start to become predictable, and one twist is sorely over-used in novels these days. The characters are deep and interesting and garner sympathy, but Vanessa's role in particular is a bit of a stretch, and I find her role hard to believe given the past that Hendricks and Pekkanen created for her.

Though a definite page-turner with compelling storytelling, I don't think this book is as good as the online hype; or maybe I am just tiring of the predictability that seems to be the way of domestic thrillers these days. I was expecting something different and a little darker and The Wife Between Us is just more of the same and left me a little underwhelmed, which is why I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads. I've said it before and I'll say it again, just read The Burning Air instead.

A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell

I seem to be coming across more and more reviews on Goodreads that I find particularly confusing or...inaccurate, for lack of a better word. I don't usually read the reviews in order to determine if I will read a book or not, mainly because people like to play it fast and loose with the details. But once I am done with a book, I'll peruse the reviews out of curiosity, and those of Darcey Bell's A Simple Favor - yes, the very same as the movie starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick - are some I didn't agree with, but not because I feel like A Simple Favor is some kind of literary masterpiece.

One review in particular that shows up first says that Bell is lucky to have her "contrived," "stinker of a novel," purchased for the movie rights, when the very first thing that I thought was, I know exactly why this book was purchased for the movie rights.

Stephanie is an isolated Stay-at-Home Mommy-blogger (not unlike myself) who suddenly finds herself immersed in her best friend, Emily's, life once Emily goes unexpectedly missing. What is artificial on the surface - the juvenile writing, the blatant ineptitude of the would-be protagonist (if one actually exists in this story, and I don't think one does), and the story as old as time - actually speaks to more complex themes and explores different ideas, and *that* is why I think it was snatched up to be made into a movie, and why the multi-faceted talents of Kendrick and Lively were picked to play the main characters.

The foundation of the book, that everyone has secrets, is the stable ship that carries some very unstable people. And where other Domestic Noir novels work extra hard for character empathy and elaborate reasons for unreasonable actions, A Simple Favor simply tells the story of best friends behaving badly. And in direct contrast to my usual complaints that every mystery thriller is compared to Gone Girl, I am going to go ahead and compare it to Gone Girl in that it is exactly like Gone Girl if Gone Girl was about two female best friends instead of a husband and wife; and, just like Gone Girl, everyone deserves each other.

Also on the surface is the cheesy, over-used theme showcasing the underbelly of misrepresenting ourselves online. Stephanie is an insipid character who is subtly narcissistic and manipulates the tragedy of others to gain validation from online strangers. She is that special kind of willful ignorance who avoids the truth in favor of feeding her own ego and self-interests, though she tries (unsuccessfully) to be remorseful for her ideas and behaviors.

Unlike Stephanie, Emily makes no attempt to veil her unfavorable thoughts or actions, which speaks to present day real life in that most of us do things that we know are wrong simply because we want to do them. In reading this book, I found that I have more empathy for these women than I did in any of the other domestic thrillers I have read *because* there is no special, overly-detailed, vengeful reason for why they do what they do. And it certainly isn't as a result of some dumb male acting dumb. This book makes the movie unlike any other - where the men sit back and enjoy the ride. I find that, currently, nothing is more relatable than these two characters.

This certainly isn't the best book I have ever read, which is why I gave it three out of five stars on Goodreads, but I feel the need to defend it to a certain extent. I would enjoy seeing the movie, I'm curious to see these characters acted out on screen, and if - also like Gone Girl - the intentions of the characters remain the same. This book is definitely a page-turner, but not one to read if you need to like any of the characters; you will definitely not like any of these characters.  

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

No doubt the Russian bots over in Europe are well-versed in my constantly-touted Top Five Fave List, because it is so coveted and all, and due to my tremendous pull in the literary world. 🙄 But I have decided to permanently name it the Phenomenal Phive, and it exists only in my mind. Rather than being an ever-rotating tabulation, I envision my list like slots waiting to be filled. And although I read, on average, 30 books a year, and I award a lot of five stars on Goodreads for the simple fact that I am able to appreciate most everything I read, only a handful of books have ever really given me all the feels; and that is what makes a phenomenal book. Ghosted by Rosie Walsh is, in a word, phenomenal. Fortunately, I have a lot of other words to use to describe this incredible, beautifully-crafted story with multi-layered, heart-breakingly complicated characters. Where Heart's Invisible Furies fell flat in the drama of missed opportunities; and reminiscent of what made The Woman in the Window utterly heartbreaking, Ghosted absolutely shines and takes its rightful place among phenomenal books.

Sarah Mackey is a trans-Atlantic mover-and-shaker who has convinced herself that she is happy. A chance meeting on a particularly challenging day and suddenly Sarah is certain her happiness lies in Eddie David, a large, handsome, charming man tending to a stray sheep. After a whirlwind week together, they part ways and he says he'll call. Only he doesn't. And seems to disappear altogether. But Sarah is convinced it is more than just a simple change of mind. What follows is a heart-twisting tale packed with romance, mystery, drama, heartbreak, love, loyalty, desire, and betrayal set against a backdrop of beautifully-engineered imagery. The writing is exquisite, packed with such standard, though powerful, details that give the book wings, and sparkle, and flavor, and to read it is to feel like an elephant is sitting on your chest. Ghosted made my heart race, made me yearn for the unanswered questions, made me laugh out loud, and moved me to tears. This is an extraordinary book that is - according to the Goodreads reviews - not given its proper due, which is truly unfortunate. The basic premise - the infamous guy who never calls - is so much deeper and more poignant that what the book jacket suggests, which is perhaps why this book does not meet certain readers' expectations. But, wow. Just, wow. This book is absolutely stunning and is one of those I wish I could give a million stars to.

But with every book I find absolutely phenomenal, there are reviews of it that I absolutely do not understand. Case in point, the reviews of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things truly make me angry. Some reviewers thought Ghosted to be, "blah," but this book is a wonderful example of the importance of reading every single word; the "Eddie" section alone is pure romantic torture. I hope people read this book and see the life in it; see the joy and sorrow that is burdened on every person who walks this earth, and how some feel that their mere existence is a cause for pain. And I hope people read this book and see the power, and love, and new life that can suddenly be sprung on us at any moment. This is definitely a book that could be read in a weekend and you might need a handkerchief come the final chapter. But, wow, is it a tremendous book and I happily award it a slot on the Phenomenal Phive.

Final Girls by Riley Sager

I finally read Final Girls. By Riley Sager, Stephen King had praised, “The first great thriller of 2017 is here!” And further reviews compare it to the likes of Gone Girl because I guess that’s what we do now – compare all thrillers to Gone Girl. Personally, I found no such comparisons between the two. In fact, Final Girls reminds me a lot of the great ‘90’s slasher-flick series, Scream; particularly Scream 2 where Neve Campbell is still scared and always looking over her shoulder even though the obvious threat has been eliminated. Rare is a book that starts with everything out in the open but that is Final Girls. The crime scenes cleaned, the killers cold underground, the cases closed. All that’s left are the survivors. So what could possibly go wrong?

Some people kill for no reason; just go on murderous rampages not for vendettas or betrayals or avenging, but just to feel the sensation of a sharp blade moving through human flesh like a warm stick of butter. Those left in the wake are the survivors; people – women – left to endure the psychological and emotional pain that come with gruesome murders. Quincy Carpenter and Lisa Milner thought they had it all figured out. Lisa was turning her evil into good by helping troubled women, and Quincy moved on to a normal, quiet life as a baking blogger and would-be fiancé to a Public Defender. Another “Final Girl,” (as the press liked to dub them because what would tragedies be without cute catch-phrases?) Samantha, is in hiding as her coping mechanism of choice. But then Sam shows up on Quincy’s doorstep and Quincy learns she doesn’t have her shit together as much as her Xanax and wine would like to make her believe.

With sharp characters who make dark choices, Sager creates a pointed example of the perilous decision to ignore our emotions and try to convince ourselves that we’re “fine,” especially after dealing with anything traumatic. Quincy is a generous depiction of things resurfacing, often in violent ways, with Sam and Quincy’s boyfriend, Jeff, as the proverbial angel vs. devil, both taunting Quincy with what they think the know about her and what they think she wants or needs. Soon, after Sam’s arrival, Quincy is conflicted, and unsure of what is real and not real.

The book is written well, and the story is dark, deeply mysterious, and only gets more so with every turn of the page. There are shocking twists and constant turns, all built on the solid foundation of you not knowing the true nature of the mystery in the first place: we know the killers, we know how, and why, and where, and it’s done. So why is Final Girls so mysterious? Even so, it is.

We follow along with Quincy, but get an outsiders perspective of the events at Pine Cottage because her memory has chosen to store them in an inaccessible part of her brain. Her lack of memory doesn’t seem to be an issue, until suddenly it is. What I didn’t appreciate, and why I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads, is the section from several weeks after Pine Cottage to two years after Pine Cottage. I would prefer if this section just simply didn't exist; or if was put into a conversation between the two women; or maybe even part of an Epilogue. I guess I am a picky reader in that I like to be treated like a character and not a reader, learning things I otherwise wouldn’t know simply because I’m in the audience.

I’m not sure if any other great thrillers followed Final Girls in 2017, but this one definitely met my expectations. It was intense and creepy, but also human and empathetic. We all have a bit of “Final Girl” in us; survivors; after Buffy transferred her Slayer Strength to every future Slayer.