Welcome to Litsy!

Another one done! I'm not sure what drew me to this book, but it was a dark tale. There were some twists and turns to it that surprised me. Overall a good read. Probably not one I'd pick up again, as I think a lot of the mystery is gone from it after the first read, but still a good experience.

Afternoon reads on the deck.

I've donated to many a little free library, but I've never had the pleasure of borrowing something - until recently, when I snapped this out of a neighbouring library during a morning walk. I'm not sure what drew me to this book, but let's see if my gut was right to grab it! #BookTwentyTwoOf2025 (this is an older pic; you can tell by the mani!)

Predictable. Just not satisfying to read. Dumb ending.

#SavvySettings #7
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @eggs

So I‘m still trying to figure out what I just read…the story focuses on a disturbed friendship between Kit and Diane that just never resonated with me. It was just really weird. I was excited to see a book set in a laboratory as that is where I work but that excitement died as the story just dragged on and on. I managed to finish it but would I recommend it? Nah!

Almost DNFed at 49%, but the audiobook carried me over the finish line. I've never worked in a biology lab myself, but after 20+ years with a spouse in academic and industry labs, I have a sense of the culture, and the "now" lab bits ring false. The "then" portions are more realistic, but it turns out those were pulled nearly verbatim from a real-life mid-90s murder. The motivations of the characters make no sense, and there's no sense of place.

The story of two young scientist friends & their secrets & where life takes them. There‘s a fast rhythm to this book .. so I couldn‘t put it down for long. Some horror , and gory bits 😳. Thriller/ mystery. Some lovely thoughts

“Staring up at the sky Diane said it reminded her of the first time she ever saw micrographs of astrocytes, those exquisite star shaped brain cells & discovered the strange beauty of science. It was astonishing to me 👇🏻

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

I feel judged 🤨

My reading has been a disaster this week .. I cannot settle. I‘m hoping this one will work 🤞🏻

Thank you @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks for this fun birthday read 😀🌼🌸 I turned into a blanket burrito and read, read, read 🌯 📖

This book was a wild ride. I heard Peter Swanson recommend this author in an interview. Told in a non linear fashion this is the story of Kit and Diane. They met in high school and now are on the elite team with the mysterious Dr. Severin to study women who become violent during parts of their menstrual cycle. Diane‘s childhood is deeply warped and she shares her deepest secrets with Kit who has major problems of her own. Gripping !

Kit Owens and Diane Fleming were high school friends, until Diane told Kit a horrible secret. Kit immediately ended the friendship, hoping she would never see Diane again.
Several decades later, Diane re-enters Kit‘s life, with fatal results.
“Give Me Your Hand” wrings plenty of suspense from its premise, and it‘s a gripping story for most of its length. Unfortunately, the drawn-out ending diminishes the story‘s impact.

#curiouscovers Since Abbott's “The Turnout“ will be released in a little over a month, I thought this was the perfect chance to post about her last novel. Abbott is one of my favorite currently working crime authors, & “Give Me Your Hand“ might be my favorite to date. I also greatly enjoyed her earlier earlier books with the noir-pulp covers. #flowers @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Thank you, Misty! 💙💙💙💙

#LitsyLove
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This was a fun thriller about the past coming back to haunt a woman (in STEM!) when an old friend shows up at her lab as a new employee. Overall not quite what I expected, but worth the read.
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#givemeyourhand #meganabbott #thrillerbooks

This book is way better than I thought it would be.
Listening on Audible, which can ruin a book for me,
but the narrator‘s pretty good.

Busting out the roller blades this morning before it gets too hot. #audiobook

All things considered, these are my favorite reads, listens, & rereads of 2019! #faves #readingyear #goodreads

I expected so much more, but it was just ok.

An Introvert's Guide to Parties
Step 1: Stay home and read.

I really enjoyed this Megan Abbott book, much as I‘ve enjoyed her other work so far. This is a dark story (as expected!) with a feminist slant, in a competitive laboratory setting. I find her writing to be deeply psychological, with an original and very distinctive voice. My boys are away until this evening, so what a perfect excuse to finish this in bed this morning!

Really looking forward to getting stuck into this - love a good Megan Abbott!

Disappointing. Two ambitious women, chasing a career in science (which is not really relevant for the plot), know about eachother‘s secret. This results in a strange balance between them, waiting to be disturbed.
Megan Abbott wants to put so much in this thriller but in the end it‘s all rather far-fetched.

Excellent thriller about dark secrets & female competition! 5 stars. No wonder it was nominated for an Anthony Award by Abbott‘s peers. 2 bright girls share stories they can‘t forget. Two decades later, they meet again in the intense world of scientific research, with murderous results. Good performance. Highly recommend. #thriller #TeamSlaughter #girlsinSTEM #scarsthon @Clwojick

One good thing about all of this rain-it is great reading & listening weather! And this audiobook is very good! Come back inside, silly cat... #rainydaylistening

Loving this audiobook! So good I give up my other tasks to sit and listen more fully! #drivengirls #secrets

Dark crime novel centring on female friendship and rivalry, here in the context of the ultra-competitive world of research and academia. The chapters go back and forth between "Then" when the two main characters are in high school and "Now" set 12 years later when the two meet up again in the setting of a biochemistry research lab. The buildup to the first big reveal is slow and menacing and the final third ratchets up the tension most enjoyably.

Time to consign! Prepping my son‘s gently used clothes & books to drop off at a big consignment sale tjnighr. Megan Abbott is keeping me company. #audiobooks #anthonyawardnominee

Finishing this incredible thriller!!! Really enjoy it

Well. To be honest this felt like it dragged a bit. An interesting premise if it didn‘t entirely work for me

Bleh

Do you listen to audiobooks while you work? Thrillers keep me going during the day.

Next up...

#mayMovieMagic #yougivemesomething
@Cinfhen @rohit-sawant

This was quite the suspenseful story, at one point I was all “ no, no, no “ and I didn‘t want to keep reading and see it all go to hell. But I kept on and while the bodies piled up a bit more, the ending wasn‘t as horrid as I predicted ( not writing wise, bad people choices wise 🤣)

Pretty good read but the second death (murder?) wasn't quite believable. All came together well for the ending though, I just wish the murder/death/kill scene had been better.

For half the day I think of all the awesome things I will get done when school is finished, by afternoon recess I‘m just dreaming of my bed

Needed a new audiobook and I've loved nearly everything I've read of Abbott's so this looks just about perfect. Diving in!

🔪📚 ebook deal!

Review: https://bookriot.com/2018/12/06/rioters-favorite-mysteries-thrillers-and-true-cr...
(TW suicide)

Well after reading 'You Will Know Me' I was abit sceptical about reading another Abbott book but I'm glad I did.
A great psychological thriller that had me hooked. A very enjoyable read!
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Total brain candy - the story of two women who enter one another‘s lives in high school and then again twelve years later to disastrous results. Toxic friendships are always fascinating but this one is darker and more intense.

Megan Abbott writes flawed yet vulnerable characters that you root for, even though you know you shouldn‘t trust them. The tension she creates is unbearable, the danger palpable. She writes strong, difficult women, who go to the edge to get what they want - and sometimes over it.
In Give Me Your Hand, Abbott unravels the twists and turns of female friendships, layered with competition, soaked in secrets, wrapped in treachery.
Loved this!❤️📚

Now how am I supposed to turn the page???

Wait...😼... I think that‘s the point 😼

#catsoflitsy

More thrillers about women in STEM please! 👩‍🔬🔪🔬

I‘m pretty sure I know what‘s coming and I don‘t know if it‘s that I‘ve read so much Megan Abbott or that I just finished binging all of My Favorite Murder.

And these were my wine-fuelled purchases (it was only one glass, but I need something to blame it on, other than just lack of willpower)

1. Library, book stores are too dangerous!
2. Thus far, making dinner with my s.o.
3. Tagged (or anything by her!)
4. Eat, Pray, Love was very overrated imo.
5. @LiterRohde @davidjoseph @NikkiRobson73

@eggs #wondrouswednesday

If you come to this novel, expecting that framework- ambitious, clever, and strong female characters, questionable morals, a complex past, and a high risk present- then you won‘t be disappointed. I loved, that once again, Abbott has written a novel that is entertaining, but also foregrounds female achievement. She does so in such a way that acknowledges that high achieving women can be flawed. Much dialogue around female success fails to do this.