Welcome to Litsy!

This book is not bad by any means but I found it frustrating at times. The main character is so annoying and this book is unnecessarily long imo. The audio is 10 hours and I think 4 hours could have been taken off and it would have been much better. Way too much introspection rehashing the same things over & over again. The twist at the end was nice but the others weren‘t hard to figure out. 3⭐️

#HauntedShelf
#FrightClub
#audiobook
#TBRread

The book had a decent story and even semi acceptable twists ,but you'd probably see it coming....but the thing that gets me is it's over written ,over worded soliloquy of a character that gaslights themselves that they are the problem while they continue to so unhinged shit. It's a trope I'm so very tired of ...this crazy bitch believes she's guilty so she does multiple crazy bitch things to prove she's not crazy..please come up with something new

I wasn‘t sure what to think of this story at first. A lot of the time I felt as if there was a lot of fluff, but once I got to the grit of the book it all made sense. There is some PPD- which I have not read a lot of and I enjoyed this being a part of the story. There is mystery, secrets and a lot of lies. Didn‘t see the ending - I was not able to call out the ending/didnt see it coming.

I did not want to put this one down! The MC is an unreliable narrator but you also don‘t know if you can trust the other characters. And then the last 1/4 of the book got pretty twisty!

#bookspinbingo - free space
#readaway2024
#24in2024

Quite a story. The main character is tortured about who she might really be. This makes for a intriguing story

My second #audiobook by this author and narrator combo, and again a wonderful one indeed! The storytelling is beautifully crafted so as to draw you in and make you, the reader, think you're figuring things out early on when in fact the author has taken a far more diverting and unforeseen direction. Several "oooh, I didn't see THAT coming" moments in this book that are bound to keep you guessing. Incredibly entertaining!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I fully recommend this book! I was engaged the entire book while trying to figure out what happened to Izzy's son. And I still did not figure it out until I was reading the end of it. So many twists and lots of negative family history that effects Isabel during this story.

"The worst of it is that now, with a startling certainty, I believe it, too." -Izzy

Starting this book while my newborn naps 🩵

This had so much potential, but I found the plot all over the place and a little sloppy.
I could not warm to Izzy, I sympathised with her after having her child taken from her but she was not likable at all. Quite an emotional book.
Trigger warnings for psychosis, death of a child, kidnapping, suicide, depression and more.

I kinda left this book on the back burner as my Libby app kept assaulting me with holds that I thought were weeks away and then they all come at once. Isabelle Drakes son Mason is missing and a year later she meets up with a podcaster to help potentially solve the case. Unreliable narrator, crappy husband, creepy neighbors, a haunted past. Who is really responsible for Mason going missing?

This was great! An very engaging thriller, lots of twists & turns. A quick, bingeable read.

This book was excellent. I could not put it down every time I picked it up. The writing and story both were perfectly constructed and kept me guessing until the end. The author really did a great job of not only telling a story, but using her words to truly make the reader become emotionally invested in the characters and the outcome. Full of twists and turns, this book is a page turner and definitely worth picking up.

Book 4📚 4.3⭐️

Very interesting twist on a child abduction!

How devious…

#12BooksOf2023

February: tagged!

@Andrew65

“One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally. Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn‘t slept in a year.”

This is seemingly an unpopular opinion, but wasn‘t a fan. There were some good twists. But hated the main character (I think some of that is intentional by the author as this is an unreliable narrator pov), hated the story (being a mom that‘s a heavy sleeper-too close to home), and ultimately not a fan of the ending. I did like Waylon and how he fit into the story and some of the messages the author tried to tell, but ultimately didn‘t deliver

There is a reflected moon on the Willingham cover and a bright moon on the Hardy Boys cover.

🌖💛🌔

#Moon

#AutumnPlease!

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Ugh so good, couldn‘t put it down.

Low pick for me on this one. #scarathlon @LiseWorks #teamcryptkeepers
@TheSpineView #spookoween @Andrew65 #outstandingoctober @Clwojick #onemorechapter

4.5⭐️/5⭐️

I am 1 1/2 months into a new job. I have read more (listened mainly) in this time than I have in over six months working at a bookstore. I think books became a job to me and lost their appeal. My favorite thing to do is sit under this window at lunch and listen to my audiobook to decompress. #audiobook

This book was beautiful. Yes, the real story is sad and tragic and will rip your heart out. But I loved the story within. How mothers will be held to a higher standard than anyone else. No matter what you do, you will be scrutinized. Everyone thinks they can do better than you. The guilt mothers have to carry around every day and still smile as if it's okay. If you're a mother, this story will absolutely hit different. 5/5

I listened to this one via BorrowBox,

I enjoyed it more than her previous one.

Read for reading challenges

4/5

What *really* happened. You‘ll just have to keep reading to find out. Don‘t skip the epilogue on this one either!

Today was a very readingful day, and I read this whole book in 2 sittings. It was really immersive and had unexpected twists! I will definitely go back and read the author‘s other book at some point.

Lately I feel like I‘m reading a ton not just because of loving to read but also as a way of avoiding the real world, which has been rough. Does anyone else do that? If so, sending hugs.

Starting this today! I have heard great things, so I‘m hoping I get sucked in to the story. I‘ve been in a reading slump for a few weeks.

Meet my newest reading buddy, Iris. She‘s a menace who will sit on the page I‘m reading or sit in front of my Kindle demanding attention. At least she‘s cute lol.

I thought this book was a little better than average. The thing that made it worth the read was all of the plot twists. They were all over the place but in my mind believable. And, the ending. Wow. The book reminded me so much of the show The Woman in the House (…) that was on Hulu. Characters were ok, plot development was ok, but I wasn‘t wowed. For those reasons, I have to give the book a…
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5)

The thing I like best about this novel is the way it plays with stories, the narratives we create (or accept from others) that shape how we see our lives and our role in other people's lives. However, the execution isn't as adept as it might have been. Words (like "eying") and similes are overused, the son doesn't seem real and his age doesn't align with his stages of development, and the MC is less sympathetic than I think she's supposed to be.

I liked the duel timeline; the action jumps between Isabelle‘s present and past, revealing tidbits of information at just the right time. It was hard to fully enjoy the book because I did not like Isabelle. I didn‘t like how her relationship with Ben began, and that, along with other character traits, may have affected how I felt about the novel. The audiobook was okay. The pace was way too slow for my tastes so I didn‘t feel any anticipation.

This ended better than it started for me. I think I have read too many missing baby stories and too many true crime podcast stories! These plot points are so so popular. The ending was okay though. Very soft pick.

This is a good book with lots of twists. Isabel is a mother whose son disappeared a year ago, and she spends all her time looking for him, which includes going to true crime cons. After her last one, she met Wayland, who has a true crime podcast and wants to help her. But that also means some of her old secrets will come out.
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#WickedWords #ring @AsYouWish

#BkYouOftenRecommend

#MarchMagic

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Just started this. Liked her first and the audio narrator is the same. Hope it is good!!

I will read any book that Stacy Willingham writes. This is her second book and it was just as good as her first. It kept me on the edge of my seat and sucked me in from page one! I definitely look forward to more from her!

Halfway through and it‘s really good!

Definitely a page turner - an easy, quick read!

BUT - did anyone else notice the number of spelling/grammatical errors in the text? SO MANY!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Felt this one! Mom guilt is real.

New read and new book sleeve. It‘s mermaid tail 🧜‍♀️😍

My book clubs pick for February! Finally diving in, and so far I‘m intrigued. 🤓

Willingham has pulled it off again after Flicker in the Dark! Tense and twisty, riveting and compelling mystery. One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room…
#Bookspin #Bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
#FabulousFebruaryReadathon Day 8 @Andrew65
#Pantone2023 @Clwojick

#7 of 2023. #BOTM December ‘22. Finally catching up a bit!! Excited to read her first novel now “A Flicker in the Dark”
Started: 2/11/23
Finished: 2/17/23
7 Days

💙💙💙💙💙 5/5 so dang good

Great story, incredible twists! I could not put this book down and I finished it in a matter of hours. My one wish was that the ending could‘ve been a smidge longer

𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝗪𝐫𝐚𝐩-𝐔𝐩

𝐎𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐄𝐧𝐝 by 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞 by 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘒𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘢⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐟 by 𝘐𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘢⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝗪𝐚𝐲 by 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘉𝘳𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘻𝘢⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 by 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 by 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘮⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Started off slow at first, but then BAM. So many revelations. Like the way everything unfolded, and that I had some pieces correct but not all of them.

It was a great month of reading for me. 3 books I walked away from but the 9 I finished were so satisfying. Antsy for February!

I don‘t have the emotional constitution for cold case or true crime murders, and I‘ve been this way since watching live TV as helicopters followed the slow movement of OJ Simpson‘s white Bronco. Fictional true crime, oxymoron as it is, is much more my cup of tea!

5/5 ⭐

A mother that is sleep walking since she was a child. Her son disappeared in the middle of the night without any trace. As she is trying to find her son and being help by a podcaster her past resurfaces.

It was so good. I highly recommend.