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2086 reviews
Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent
3.5
Read Completed 3/7/25 | 3.5 stars | Book #29 of 2025
This was a quick, easy thriller that I managed to inhale in one day. If I had stopped it while I was reading it, I don't know if my interest would have waned, but I had a whole chunk of time to listen to the audiobook from start to finish and it was very readable!
I think for an extra twist, the author could have made this even darker, but I'm also kind of glad it wasn't. There was the resistance to make this too over-the-top and I appreciated it. The ending was maybe a little OOT, but I liked that the whole book didn't go off the rails.
While I wouldn't necessarily be rushing to recommend this, it was also still a solid read that I'm sure plenty of others may fall in love with!
This was a quick, easy thriller that I managed to inhale in one day. If I had stopped it while I was reading it, I don't know if my interest would have waned, but I had a whole chunk of time to listen to the audiobook from start to finish and it was very readable!
I think for an extra twist, the author could have made this even darker, but I'm also kind of glad it wasn't. There was the resistance to make this too over-the-top and I appreciated it. The ending was maybe a little OOT, but I liked that the whole book didn't go off the rails.
While I wouldn't necessarily be rushing to recommend this, it was also still a solid read that I'm sure plenty of others may fall in love with!
The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
2.75
Read Completed 3/6/25 | 2.75 stars | Book #27 of 2025
I enjoyed THE PLOT and was really interested in where we went from there, so I didn't wait long to pick up THE SEQUEL. Ultimately, I was a little disappointed. The book was readable enough, but it was too much of the same thing. We basically just went through the same steps of THE PLOT, with similar motives, the SAME EXACT CONCEPTS, and it just really didn't present anything new. I felt like this was just repeating the whole plot of... THE PLOT and it just really didn't have its own story in any way. We really didn't learn anything new to add to this story to make it worth writing. There were certainly events that had some shock value, and with what we know of Anna, you know there's going to be something unhinged happening here.
I didn't really feel like this was a good character arc, either. It just really didn't feel satisfying. I guess when someone is a psychopath, you may not end up with a lot of character growth, but there was something a little fun with a Joe Goldberg type vibe. We do dig into some things that were set into motion in book 1 and before that made things interesting, but ultimately, I felt like there was so much more to explore here. I really wanted this book to be its own and it just felt like we were repeating Jacob's story all over again. I found it a little hard to believe that Anna was magically some gifted writer who wrote a book so effortlessly too. I'm a reader and I read tons of books but that doesn't make me a writer. I've tried writing a book and it's wildly hard and it was utter crap. Maybe with proper motivation it's a little easier but for her to just sit down and blurt out a best-selling novel? I supposed some people just have the talent to do it, sure, but something about it didn't feel right here. Like we were just forcing her into this role because it was easier for the plot rather than it being something true to her character.
The ending was fine. We already know Anna's character and sometimes villain stories can be a little anticlimactic when you already know what they're capable of and it isn't a surprise. I don't know. It just should have hit me harder than it did, but I'm sure others have loved it and will love it.
I enjoyed THE PLOT and was really interested in where we went from there, so I didn't wait long to pick up THE SEQUEL. Ultimately, I was a little disappointed. The book was readable enough, but it was too much of the same thing. We basically just went through the same steps of THE PLOT, with similar motives, the SAME EXACT CONCEPTS, and it just really didn't present anything new. I felt like this was just repeating the whole plot of... THE PLOT and it just really didn't have its own story in any way. We really didn't learn anything new to add to this story to make it worth writing. There were certainly events that had some shock value, and with what we know of Anna, you know there's going to be something unhinged happening here.
I didn't really feel like this was a good character arc, either. It just really didn't feel satisfying. I guess when someone is a psychopath, you may not end up with a lot of character growth, but there was something a little fun with a Joe Goldberg type vibe. We do dig into some things that were set into motion in book 1 and before that made things interesting, but ultimately, I felt like there was so much more to explore here. I really wanted this book to be its own and it just felt like we were repeating Jacob's story all over again. I found it a little hard to believe that Anna was magically some gifted writer who wrote a book so effortlessly too. I'm a reader and I read tons of books but that doesn't make me a writer. I've tried writing a book and it's wildly hard and it was utter crap. Maybe with proper motivation it's a little easier but for her to just sit down and blurt out a best-selling novel? I supposed some people just have the talent to do it, sure, but something about it didn't feel right here. Like we were just forcing her into this role because it was easier for the plot rather than it being something true to her character.
The ending was fine. We already know Anna's character and sometimes villain stories can be a little anticlimactic when you already know what they're capable of and it isn't a surprise. I don't know. It just should have hit me harder than it did, but I'm sure others have loved it and will love it.
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
3.75
Read Completed 3/4/25 | 3.75 stars | Book #26 of 2025
No major spoilers but if you want to go in blind, proceed with caution.
Gillian McAllister’s books are so readable and this was a very enjoyable novel! She has a great way of weaving a plot together and the amount of intrigue to kick this book off really had me hooked!
Admittedly, the pacing lost me just a touch having flashed forward seven years after the events that kick off the book. I understand the reason why buuuut I could have also easily see it continue without such a big break. There’s a major point to the story that does need some time to develop, so if you take some time off, why not seven years, I guess? But it did slow that exciting pace down for me a little too much.
I really enjoyed the twists and how everything really went around and around as things started to unfold. The ending was just a *tad* confusing for me due to what it all actually was.I didn’t really know enough about the crime families to really feel attached to them as a huge part of the events and the reveal. The names also really kind of weren’t used enough — especially as an audiobook listener — to really get a grip on who everyone was. Some of them I had no idea who they were and I didn’t really care. They were barely a part of the plot but played such a big role.
I ended up giving this 3.75 stars because I was very interested and it was such an easy book to fly through! I really wish the ending would have stuck with me more to give it a little extra bump, but I’d still recommend it!
No major spoilers but if you want to go in blind, proceed with caution.
Gillian McAllister’s books are so readable and this was a very enjoyable novel! She has a great way of weaving a plot together and the amount of intrigue to kick this book off really had me hooked!
Admittedly, the pacing lost me just a touch having flashed forward seven years after the events that kick off the book. I understand the reason why buuuut I could have also easily see it continue without such a big break. There’s a major point to the story that does need some time to develop, so if you take some time off, why not seven years, I guess? But it did slow that exciting pace down for me a little too much.
I really enjoyed the twists and how everything really went around and around as things started to unfold. The ending was just a *tad* confusing for me due to what it all actually was.
I ended up giving this 3.75 stars because I was very interested and it was such an easy book to fly through! I really wish the ending would have stuck with me more to give it a little extra bump, but I’d still recommend it!
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
3.0
Read Completed 3/3/25 | 3 stars | Book #25 of 2025
Well, curiosity got me here. This was a disappointed 3 stars, but it wasn't a horrible book. It just felt like the kind of books I got forced to read in school that I never connected to and ended up being forced to analyze to pieces.
This was a character driven MYSTERY -- not a thriller. It's so hard when mystery & thriller are lumped together because I find mysteries to be much slower and sometimes the answer to the mystery doesn't really pay off for me. Seeing so many places call this a thriller really did it a disservice -- well, to my reading experience, anyway. I can be all for a character-driven mystery (see my previous enjoyment of DON'T TELL ME HOW TO DIE), but this one didn't do it for me. I have to care about said characters and while the intrigue was there, I always felt like there was this big wall between me and the book where the author wasn't quite letting me in. Some of the narration was a little dry. The third person narration didn't really work for me. It wasn't bad, but it did keep me from getting to feel for the characters as much as I wanted to.
The mystery was... fine. I thought there was going to be this huge reveal at the end based on the reviews and it really wasn't anything huge. It was just okay. Not really worth being encouraged to wait for the ending and see. I probably could have been more satisfied DNFing and just spoiling the ending for myself.
I'm giving it three stars though because I wasn't really ever BORED. I wanted to know what was going on, I was curious, and I cared enough to keep reading. It wasn't a bad book, but it was mostly 100% not my style. I kind of figured it wouldn't be going in, but I don't know until I try! I love when books surprise me and sometimes surprises make the reading experience that much more enjoyable. This was a little swing and a miss, but I can't love them all.
Well, curiosity got me here. This was a disappointed 3 stars, but it wasn't a horrible book. It just felt like the kind of books I got forced to read in school that I never connected to and ended up being forced to analyze to pieces.
This was a character driven MYSTERY -- not a thriller. It's so hard when mystery & thriller are lumped together because I find mysteries to be much slower and sometimes the answer to the mystery doesn't really pay off for me. Seeing so many places call this a thriller really did it a disservice -- well, to my reading experience, anyway. I can be all for a character-driven mystery (see my previous enjoyment of DON'T TELL ME HOW TO DIE), but this one didn't do it for me. I have to care about said characters and while the intrigue was there, I always felt like there was this big wall between me and the book where the author wasn't quite letting me in. Some of the narration was a little dry. The third person narration didn't really work for me. It wasn't bad, but it did keep me from getting to feel for the characters as much as I wanted to.
The mystery was... fine. I thought there was going to be this huge reveal at the end based on the reviews and it really wasn't anything huge. It was just okay. Not really worth being encouraged to wait for the ending and see. I probably could have been more satisfied DNFing and just spoiling the ending for myself.
I'm giving it three stars though because I wasn't really ever BORED. I wanted to know what was going on, I was curious, and I cared enough to keep reading. It wasn't a bad book, but it was mostly 100% not my style. I kind of figured it wouldn't be going in, but I don't know until I try! I love when books surprise me and sometimes surprises make the reading experience that much more enjoyable. This was a little swing and a miss, but I can't love them all.
Back After This by Linda Holmes
3.75
Read Completed 3/1/25 | 3.75 stars | Book #23 of 2025
I'm a little sad! I wanted to love this but something about it just never really panned out for me. Sadly, I don't think the audiobook narration helped. The author, Linda Holmes, narrated it herself, and she did a fine job, but if I didn't know it was the author, I would have been really disappointed in it. The narration was flat and not super varied. I do appreciate when the author narrates their own books sometimes because I know we're getting it exactly how they wanted it delivered, but it was a little lacking for me.
I liked the characters and the romance. Cecily had a great connected with her love interest and they had awesome chemistry. I really liked their connection, their banter, and their story.
I don't know! There's just something missing here for me where I always felt on the outside of the story, like it just never really pulled me in. I don't know if it was an audiobook barrier or something else. I enjoyed the book, but I'm left a little disappointed for some reason.
I'm a little sad! I wanted to love this but something about it just never really panned out for me. Sadly, I don't think the audiobook narration helped. The author, Linda Holmes, narrated it herself, and she did a fine job, but if I didn't know it was the author, I would have been really disappointed in it. The narration was flat and not super varied. I do appreciate when the author narrates their own books sometimes because I know we're getting it exactly how they wanted it delivered, but it was a little lacking for me.
I liked the characters and the romance. Cecily had a great connected with her love interest and they had awesome chemistry. I really liked their connection, their banter, and their story.
I don't know! There's just something missing here for me where I always felt on the outside of the story, like it just never really pulled me in. I don't know if it was an audiobook barrier or something else. I enjoyed the book, but I'm left a little disappointed for some reason.
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez
5.0
Read Completed 2/27/25 | 5 stars | Book #22 of 2025
Okay, but can I please have this as a full length novel now? I'd reread it all over again. How does Abby Jimenez pack so many feelings in such a small novella!? I loved the chemistry between these two, I laughed out loud multiple times, we even have a a secondary romance that I somehow also loved!? And as usual, we have a serious topic that packs a huge emotional punch as well. I absolutely loved this little read. I really wish there was more 😂
Also listened to via audiobook on 3/1/5
Okay, but can I please have this as a full length novel now? I'd reread it all over again. How does Abby Jimenez pack so many feelings in such a small novella!? I loved the chemistry between these two, I laughed out loud multiple times, we even have a a secondary romance that I somehow also loved!? And as usual, we have a serious topic that packs a huge emotional punch as well. I absolutely loved this little read. I really wish there was more 😂
Also listened to via audiobook on 3/1/5
Run by Blake Crouch
2.5
Read Completed 2/27/25 | 2.5 stars | Book #21 of 2025
This was not very good. The writing was intense, fast-paced, and VERY action-based. In fact, there's really not a plot at all. You can summarize the plot in one sentence, and that's all you get from the whole book. RUN is entirely that: running. The main characters flee their home when the entire country starts going homicidal after witnessing an aurora in the sky. Aaaaand. That's it! That's the whole book!
If you like action and don't mind a lack of plot and character development, then maybe this will be an exciting book for you! It really could have benefitted from SOME quiet moments where the characters calm down, share things about themselves, have touching moments, create some other interesting points of the story. It almost happened... once. We didn't get to see the other parts of the book that would have given it depth.
I kind of expected this because Blake Crouch's earlier works just don't seem to have the development that I like of anything from DARK MATTER on, but I still wanted to try it. At least it was fast and kept moving!
This was not very good. The writing was intense, fast-paced, and VERY action-based. In fact, there's really not a plot at all. You can summarize the plot in one sentence, and that's all you get from the whole book. RUN is entirely that: running. The main characters flee their home when the entire country starts going homicidal after witnessing an aurora in the sky. Aaaaand. That's it! That's the whole book!
If you like action and don't mind a lack of plot and character development, then maybe this will be an exciting book for you! It really could have benefitted from SOME quiet moments where the characters calm down, share things about themselves, have touching moments, create some other interesting points of the story. It almost happened... once. We didn't get to see the other parts of the book that would have given it depth.
I kind of expected this because Blake Crouch's earlier works just don't seem to have the development that I like of anything from DARK MATTER on, but I still wanted to try it. At least it was fast and kept moving!
The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
4.0
Read Completed 2/25/25 | 4 stars | Book #20 of 2025
This was a fun read! I wasn't sure what to expect because the beginning was honestly not really my style. The writing was a little too... pretentious? But I also think that was the kind of point because Jacob was supposed to be this great literary writer who ends up writing a thriller and he kind of doesn't even know how to do it. I really wasn't sure if I was going to like the book if that was how it was going to be written the whole way, but as the thriller side of the book picked up, the tone changed just a bit as well.
The best part of the book was the lead up to what THE PLOT actually was. Jacob is a teacher of creative writing in a special program, and one of his students, a total self-centered jerk, tells him he has the most amazing plot for a book that no one has ever done before. When the book never gets published, Jacob looks up the student a few years later to find out that he's dead. With a struggling writing career never taking off after his one successful release (and multiple other failures), he makes the plot his own and writes his own story based off that very specific concept.
As the book goes on, we aren't outright told what the plot is, so I really enjoyed the way that the author chose not to give everything to the readers. Jacob's version of "the plot" is revealed little by little as we the readers get pages of his story, so there's really a suspense building there. As this suspense is building, Jacob is also starting to get threats from a person who is going to reveal that he stole this idea from his former student who died, and Jacob is slowly breaking down as the threats get bigger and start being posted publicly, so there's a WILD sense of dread there that I felt alongside Jacob. Reputation ruining stories always hit me in the gut, so it was such a tense book for me!
As for who the threat is... I DID figure out that twist. From the beginning, I had strong suspicions at who this person was and how they were involved, but I just didn't really know why yet. Once we started finding out what "the plot" was, I put those pieces together pretty easily, but still got a few things wrong until the other twist started coming into play. It was definitely still fun even though I knew the twist, so it wasn't shocking for me -- as a thriller reader -- because I'm used to picking up on these types of twists. If you're not a thriller, maybe you won't see it coming!
As for the plot itself... sure, it was a good twist, but it's been done before 😅 Again, as a thriller reader, it wasn't the most shocking thing I've ever read in a thriller book and there are even true stories like that out there. But I really did like how it was incorporated into this novel!
The ending was just a bit lackluster for me. I wasn't ever rating this 5 stars at any point, but I almost didn't give it a full 4 stars because of the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a little too villain speech-y and it basically just dropped all that suspense quickly. I wish there was a little more tension in the finale because even though it was a little wild, it all just fell off and could have ended with a little more bang instead of a quieter... ending.
There is a sequel now, and I highly recommend NOT even looking at it until you've read this book because the concept of the book itself is a huge spoiler. I brought this on vacation with me and had a fun time reading it, so that also added to my enjoyment!
This was a fun read! I wasn't sure what to expect because the beginning was honestly not really my style. The writing was a little too... pretentious? But I also think that was the kind of point because Jacob was supposed to be this great literary writer who ends up writing a thriller and he kind of doesn't even know how to do it. I really wasn't sure if I was going to like the book if that was how it was going to be written the whole way, but as the thriller side of the book picked up, the tone changed just a bit as well.
The best part of the book was the lead up to what THE PLOT actually was. Jacob is a teacher of creative writing in a special program, and one of his students, a total self-centered jerk, tells him he has the most amazing plot for a book that no one has ever done before. When the book never gets published, Jacob looks up the student a few years later to find out that he's dead. With a struggling writing career never taking off after his one successful release (and multiple other failures), he makes the plot his own and writes his own story based off that very specific concept.
As the book goes on, we aren't outright told what the plot is, so I really enjoyed the way that the author chose not to give everything to the readers. Jacob's version of "the plot" is revealed little by little as we the readers get pages of his story, so there's really a suspense building there. As this suspense is building, Jacob is also starting to get threats from a person who is going to reveal that he stole this idea from his former student who died, and Jacob is slowly breaking down as the threats get bigger and start being posted publicly, so there's a WILD sense of dread there that I felt alongside Jacob. Reputation ruining stories always hit me in the gut, so it was such a tense book for me!
As for who the threat is... I DID figure out that twist. From the beginning, I had strong suspicions at who this person was and how they were involved, but I just didn't really know why yet. Once we started finding out what "the plot" was, I put those pieces together pretty easily, but still got a few things wrong until the other twist started coming into play. It was definitely still fun even though I knew the twist, so it wasn't shocking for me -- as a thriller reader -- because I'm used to picking up on these types of twists. If you're not a thriller, maybe you won't see it coming!
As for the plot itself... sure, it was a good twist, but it's been done before 😅 Again, as a thriller reader, it wasn't the most shocking thing I've ever read in a thriller book and there are even true stories like that out there. But I really did like how it was incorporated into this novel!
The ending was just a bit lackluster for me. I wasn't ever rating this 5 stars at any point, but I almost didn't give it a full 4 stars because of the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a little too villain speech-y and it basically just dropped all that suspense quickly. I wish there was a little more tension in the finale because even though it was a little wild, it all just fell off and could have ended with a little more bang instead of a quieter... ending.
There is a sequel now, and I highly recommend NOT even looking at it until you've read this book because the concept of the book itself is a huge spoiler. I brought this on vacation with me and had a fun time reading it, so that also added to my enjoyment!
Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby
3.25
Read Completed 2/21/25 | 3.25 stars | Book #19 of 2025
I was nervous and excited to pick up BLACKTOP WASTELAND after so many glowing reviews! It was a good read, but I never really quite got into it the way that I had hoped. This reads a bit more literary fiction and less niche genre than I usually read, and while I expected it, I still just didn't click with it as much as I had hoped.
I really liked the characters, and Beauregard was a great main character, and yet, I still wanted to get to know him even deeper. As something that leaned more literary than thriller, I just wanted even more character development from everyone. I think the audiobook narrator's performance had a bit to do with why I didn't feel as much for this as I wanted to. I really loved his voice but the performance was a little flat, and I think maybe a bit more from the narration would have really amped up the action and suspense.
The plot was a little hit or miss for me too. This had a touch of The Fast and the Furious with Bug being the wheelman on these jobs and some drag racing (I was not into cars at all but that was one of my favorite movies as a teen lol), and I enjoyed all of the heart-pounding action scenes. I'm all for character-driven books and have been known to enjoy many of them, but there was just something I was missing here in some way. Sometimes that happens! I can really love a character-driven book and it's a new favorite because I love them so much, but when I don't quite click in, it just gets lost on me a little.
I'm really glad I read this and even though it wasn't a new smash hit for me, it was a good read! I just didn't quite end up loving it the way that I had hoped.
I was nervous and excited to pick up BLACKTOP WASTELAND after so many glowing reviews! It was a good read, but I never really quite got into it the way that I had hoped. This reads a bit more literary fiction and less niche genre than I usually read, and while I expected it, I still just didn't click with it as much as I had hoped.
I really liked the characters, and Beauregard was a great main character, and yet, I still wanted to get to know him even deeper. As something that leaned more literary than thriller, I just wanted even more character development from everyone. I think the audiobook narrator's performance had a bit to do with why I didn't feel as much for this as I wanted to. I really loved his voice but the performance was a little flat, and I think maybe a bit more from the narration would have really amped up the action and suspense.
The plot was a little hit or miss for me too. This had a touch of The Fast and the Furious with Bug being the wheelman on these jobs and some drag racing (I was not into cars at all but that was one of my favorite movies as a teen lol), and I enjoyed all of the heart-pounding action scenes. I'm all for character-driven books and have been known to enjoy many of them, but there was just something I was missing here in some way. Sometimes that happens! I can really love a character-driven book and it's a new favorite because I love them so much, but when I don't quite click in, it just gets lost on me a little.
I'm really glad I read this and even though it wasn't a new smash hit for me, it was a good read! I just didn't quite end up loving it the way that I had hoped.
The Wife Before by Shanora Williams
3.0
Read Completed 2/19/25 | 3 stars | Book #18 of 2025
This has been on my TBR for a long time and I'm glad I finally read it! It ended up just being an average read for me, which was kind of disappointing because the bones of the story were actually really good. The writing was just a little too lackluster for me to ever really get into it. The plot was solid and interesting, but the use of the journals was a little too heavy at times. Ultimately, I think the characters were just a little too flat and the writing felt the same. There was a lot of telling the reader what was going on and it was just one foot in front of the other, leading us to the ending. I really could have used a little more suspense and atmosphere to really hook me, but still a very readable book!
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was also fairy dry. Her style really wasn't my favorite but I really wanted to read this one so I kept going. It was a little too stiff of a performance for my personal tastes so that didn't help the book get a leg up in performance.
This has been on my TBR for a long time and I'm glad I finally read it! It ended up just being an average read for me, which was kind of disappointing because the bones of the story were actually really good. The writing was just a little too lackluster for me to ever really get into it. The plot was solid and interesting, but the use of the journals was a little too heavy at times. Ultimately, I think the characters were just a little too flat and the writing felt the same. There was a lot of telling the reader what was going on and it was just one foot in front of the other, leading us to the ending. I really could have used a little more suspense and atmosphere to really hook me, but still a very readable book!
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was also fairy dry. Her style really wasn't my favorite but I really wanted to read this one so I kept going. It was a little too stiff of a performance for my personal tastes so that didn't help the book get a leg up in performance.