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I‘ve been curious about Winstead for a while, so I finally dove in. I almost bailed very early when the main character discovered and fell in love with Twilight. (No, no, no.) Then I convinced myself that maybe she would start learning that women can have agency and aren‘t beholden to me. Now, just over halfway, her best friend/boyfriend “let her” do something and I‘m all done with this crap.

I read it pretty much in one sitting, if that tells you anything. Ruth, the daughter of an evangelical preacher, and Everett, son of an abusive alcoholic, become friends because of a horrific act of violence. Their friendship and loyalties are tested by the corrupt and suspicious backwater town in which they live. Lots of elements I really loved, including the main characters.

Not my favorite - very few books make me want to throw them across the room on the last page 😡

I'm off today for working Saturday. I finished The Other Side of Disappearing late last night and now I'm starting this #aardvarkbookclub.

New author for me and I loved this one. Old secrets abound. I‘ll definitely be reading her backlist!

4⭐️/5⭐️

I tried I really did but I‘m so bored and I just don‘t think this book is for me 🫠🫠

There‘s a reason why I don‘t make a resolution about not buying any new books. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a gift for a student. The Grimrose Girls and Check & Mate are for my classroom library. So, if I do the math, that‘s technically only three for me.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It seems to have been written for fans of Twilight. It was quite accurately set in small town Louisiana and is about two psychopaths and their relationship. Ruth is obsessed with Twilight and her best friend, her very weird and pale best friend, Everett. And the myth of the vampiric Low Man.

This moved too slow and the wrap up was too convoluted. The main character got on my nerves and the audiobook narration was odd. Just didn't work for me

There is twisted darkness that lives at the heart of Bottom Springs, LA and the Holy Fire Baptist Church. It takes Ruth, daughter of Pastor James Cornier, an interminable time to see it, but when she does, hellfire literally rains down. Ruth‘s psychological abuse, at the hands of her parents, would have broken her without her friend Everett‘s flawed intervention. Not any true redemption here. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

1. I really enjoyed Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

2. Looking forward to The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence and a correct month re-read of Joe Hill's N0S 4R2 (Brit published title as I think the R is an A elsewhere) - I first read it one summer ha ha.

Consider yourself tagged if you want to be.

@TheSpineView

You‘ve been in love with love your whole life. It‘s in all the books you read. It‘s all you used to talk about as a teenager. Of course you want it.” - Midnight is the Darkest Hour

#aardvarkbookclub #midnightisthedarkesthour #ashleywinstead #thriller #southerngothic

“Where the Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise in this brilliantly realized, totally original thriller. Absolutely sensational—I couldn‘t put it down.”
– Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author

#aardvarkbookclub #midnightisthedarkesthour #ashleywinstead #southerngothic

Next read from current selection on #kindleunlimited

5 glowing, awestruck stars ✨ Midnight is a heart-stopping, enraging, shrewd examination of morality and justice. Addictive and intriguing, systems are acutely demonstrated and dismantled through a mesmerizing love story that played in my head like a hypnotic orchestral symphony. Ashley Winstead is a compelling power, simmering with a depth, intellect and understanding of human nature that renders the reader breathless.

Omg @Laughterhp I am in complete aweee. Plus this cover of Midnight 😍😍 in love with everything & super excited that the one request strictly from you was also on my wish list. Everything from the candle to the Poe notebook is perfect. Tysm, happy Halloween/samhain #HHS @wanderinglynn 🎃🎃

Wrapping up spooky season with a great gothic, mystery story of murder, obsessive love, and the dark secrets beneath the surface of a small Louisiana town.

While there were moments when the pacing felt a tad uneven, with occasional lulls in the story it was still a great read that reminded me a lot of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING.

I couldn‘t resist doing another #ThriftedGhostPainting! And this made for quite the engaging listen to accompany my project! Ruth yearns for a bigger life than being the Bottom Springs librarian & making her pastor father happy. When a skull is found the same day her best friend returns to town, the book reveals Ruth knows more about the skull-& just may wish for more than friendship with Everett. The local legend of the Low Man adds to the fun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ashley Winstead does ?? not ?? miss!! Midnight serves a southern swampy atmosphere à la Crawdads, Colleen Hoover-level romantic feels, an unexpected homage to Twilight, a heavy dose of fire and brimstone, and Winstead‘s darkly brilliant mind to deliver a knockout of a read about power, morality, and justice. I‘m reeling from the unforgettable punch of the ending and predict a killer book hangover tomorrow!

I picked this one up with high hopes because I've loved this author's other books, but I'm struggling to get in the groove with this one. I'm not sure what about it isn't working for me, but it's just not capturing my attention like her first 2 did. Anyone else have some feedback on this one?

This was a page-turner! Wonderfully atmospheric with a touch of horror and creepiness. Winstead writes in a beautifully poetic prose style that doesn‘t get in the way of the plot: Two unconventional, misunderstood soul mates get to the bottom of sinister happenings in their southern Louisiana hometown. (Triggers a plenty in this one: substance abuse, family violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, and murder.)

This is a solid thriller, with hell & brimstone Southern Baptists, murder and hints of paranormal. I really like Winstead‘s authorial voice. This does not quite have the gut punch of her previous book, but it was still a fun read. 4⭐️
#Scarathlon #WordSearch - 400! #HHC
6 hours of reading

#bookspinbingo #falling4booksbingo #bookwormbingo
#Afterdarkbingo
#bookishoctoberbookbingo #halloweenreadathon #2023scaredycatreadingchallenge ⬇️

#Scarathlon Photo Challenge Day 6 prompt - Shadow

So excited to read this one, and I love the shadowy moon cover. Just became available on Hoopla!

#HHC

@bookmarktavern @dabbe @liatrek @jessclark78 @chrissyreadit @thedaysgoby @vonnie862 @ladyCait84 @sresendez12 @kelli7990 @JessieKB

This is a dark story about two teens being raised in a small town where many practice an extremely fundamental religion and the girls are only supposed to want to be wives & mothers. It is told in two time lines, six years apart. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a lot of sympathy for both Ruth and Ever. The story is one of abuse, power, young love, and revenge and has some good twists along the way. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC. 4/5