Alright, the newest book review is live! Here are the five latest books I’ve checked off my reading list. Spoiler alert: THRILLERS! If you’re looking for more books to add to your list – check out my latest TBR list here.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Starting off the book review off with a book I did not end up finishing, all for the sake of transparency 😉 Believe me, I really wanted to love this book. After spending ~6 months in the “currently reading” section of my Goodreads account, I had to let it go.
The preface of the book is this: a psychologist, his wife, and his secretary are all tangled in a slightly abusive, very confusing love triangle – all great mix-ins for a psychological thriller but this book adds some fantasy/paranormal elements that just were not my cup of tea. The reader goes from learning about the three main characters to them running into each other via affairs and friendships and leads us to a dream magic portal?
The beginning reads quickly but the middle drags on thus my reading progress floated around 66% until I called it quits. There is a hashtag, #WTFthatending, floating around the internet about this book but I was so disconnected from the plot that I never made it to the twist ending.
You: A Novel by Caroline Kepnes
Addicting. Exhilarating. A tad raunchy. This is a must-read! I love the Lifetime/Netflix show because Hello, Penn Badgely, but the book is 100% better. You; A Novel is a fast and thrilling read through the point of view of an obsessive “nice guy”. Joe, the main character, takes his lust for Beck from 0 to 100 in a matter of chapters. It starts as a small crush when she enters his bookstore. From there it’s full-blown internet stalking, iCloud hacking, and even murder. But that’s just a small price to pay for love, right? It was so interesting to experience things from Joe’s point of view and internal dialogue. I enjoyed every moment inside Joe’s twisted mind.
Book one of a trilogy – I will definitely be picking up the next two books Hidden Bodies and You Love Me!Â
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone
Reads excitingly fast! Our main heroine, Jane, a self-proclaimed sociopath, is on a revenge mission to ruin the man that led her best friend to suicide. Jane takes a leave of absence from her high-profile lawyer job in Malaysia to become a low-level clerk at a company in her hometown in Minnesota. She pretends to be the complete opposite of who she really is (badass turned meek people-pleaser) in order to lure this man to his downfall. She feeds into his every whim until she has enough detail and opportunity to carry out her plot for revenge. Side note: his downfall is so hilariously perfect. I was mentally patting Jane on the back for it the entire time. Such a hidden gem of a book, fingers crossed it becomes a series!
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Another DNF… (please don’t ban me from the book review club!) I’m all for an unreliable narrator but there is a limit! The main character suffers from severe agoraphobia which for her means never leaving her home and keeping tabs on all her neighbors through her Nikon camera. Once you add in the agoraphobia-induced panic attacks, the excessive wine drinking (by the crate!), and a slew of prescription pills it all feels too overwhelming. I felt upset at the main character for getting herself tangled in this mess and not working on her mental health issues. Alas, the promise of an amazing twist could not hold my attention long enough to finish the book.
How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
My newest YA fiction fave because it was SO good! Publicized as “Salem Witch Trials meets Mean Girls”, I was immediately intrigued. This book encompasses essentially all my loves: thrillers, witches, teen angst, Salem history, love triangles, and (a new one for me) an attractive ghost? I LOVED THIS BOOK! As for the love triangle, all I want to say is Team Elijah all the way. I currently have the sequel, Haunting the Deep, on my shelf as well!Â
Okay guys, if you have any great book recommendations (thriller, YA, or any other must-read), please let me know in the comments. I can’t wait to discover my next read!Â
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