Here I thought this would be too much like McFaddens Housemaid, this book stood out on its own. Engaging quick read with action throughout. I liked that the MC Claire was a little crazy and had quite the vendetta against Hannah. Her vindictiveness made me laugh. The ending wasn‘t expected and was wrapped up perfectly! I recommend 🙂

This book wasn‘t terrible, but I felt like it dragged on way too long. I skimmed parts as I felt like it was unnecessary filler or repetitive. Cam wakes up to hear her sweet, innocent husband has taken hostages in a warehouse. A behavior totally unlike him. All he has left behind is a note that doesn‘t explain a thing. Years of investigation finally find a truth but I truly felt the years as I read this. It just dragged 😕

I see a lot of mixed reviews on this one but I liked it. Haven‘t read a book by Jewell I haven‘t liked. This one has a bit going on and I don‘t feel like all the characters stories were fleshed out but still an enjoyable thriller with an ending I didn‘t see coming.

I think this is my second dud from Reese‘s Book Club. This book was written well but just boring. Soooo boring. Set during Covid with all her daughters home, a mother decides to tell her girls her life story and all her glory playing Emily in Our Town. I think I made it 100 pages in and was just over Our Town at that point. I would definitely try this author again but just couldn‘t get through this one. #hailtothebail

This was just ok for me. Half siblings reunite to figure out if their father‘s death was truly an accident as the police claim. With a little mystery mixed in, I felt like this was more of a family drama focused on dysfunctional relationships between themselves and their romantic relationships as well. The story held enough appeal to finish but took me 2 weeks to finish which is rare for me.

Can this woman write a bad book? Although, The Inmate starts a bit slower than her other novels, it gains stream in the middle and doesn‘t let off. McFadden always surprises me with something in her endings and this one did not disappoint ☺️

Buckle up if you‘re ready for a series because this one ends with cliffhanger that introduces the next novel! This was a pretty decent read, although it did have a little lull in the middle. It was a refreshing story with the time period and innocence of the main character when it came to relationships. On the fence if I will read the sequel. I think I‘ll wait for my coworker to read it and see if she recommends 🙂

Saw a lot of mixed reviews on this book. Nora is depressed and decides to take her own life but instead of dying she finds herself in what is called The Midnight Library where she can go back in life and try to live the lives she regretted not living before. I thought the story was very introspective and had a lot of good points to make you appreciate the life you have. Not my favorite but a decent read nonetheless.

Knowing she was adopted, Sloane never thought twice about her birth parents until submitting her DNA to a genealogy database for her fellowship assignment. Results show she is Charlotte Margolis, a baby that went missing 30 years prior. This news takes Sloane on a quest for what truly happened to her and her missing parents. Unique story, fast-paced story. I finished it in 2 days. Definitely recommend!

Decent thriller although easy to figure out. A mother dies and three estranged siblings reunite only to come across a VHS tape containing video of their parents with a missing dead girl from 1999. They are now tasked with figuring out what really happened that night and who was truly responsible for little Emma‘s death.

It‘s a 100 pages in and I feel like this story has made no progress. Alice is still in the hospital and still doesn‘t remember anything. I‘m bored, I‘m over it , I‘m out!

#hailtothebail

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery, the characters, the setting of the story all made this story engaging. There are a few characters to keep up with and a jumping timeline but I liked how all the little pieces of the story that were revealed all fit together in the end. It was kind of reminiscent of All the Colors of The Dark which I thought was great as well. Definitely recommend!

It‘s a good day when you find a good book in the lending library and cover color matches your scrubs!

Another goodie by Frieda. If you ever watched Pretty Little Liars, I can totally see Ian Harding playing Nate Bennet. There was a good twist in the end but it left me asking a few questions but can‘t say here without spoiling it. Definitely a quick, fun read 💜

A sad but also inspiring story of the first black woman to win an Oscar. The book takes you through the ups and downs of Hattie McDaniel‘s life and the major struggles she endured even though she won Hollywoods most coveted award. This book inspired me to finally watch Gone with the Wind and in the character of Mammy you can see the spunk the real Hattie had even though her character has been a controversial figure. Definitely an eye opening read.

Lisa Jewell never disappoints. Another solid slow burn thriller. A girl and her boyfriend mysteriously disappear one evening and a year later, clues to their disappearance start to appear. I really didn‘t have this one figured out till the end and there was still a surprise at the end that I totally didn‘t read into or have on my radar.

I was a big fan of Full House growing up although not a big fan of the character Stephanie Tanner, I still wanted to see what led to her downfall after coming from one of the most wholesome shows on TV. It was a fast read, nothing truly eye opening. Just another childhood star falling into a downward spiral. A few interesting tidbits on Full House were revealed but other than that it was kind of a lackluster story.

Boring..simply just boring. I don‘t even know how I finished it but I did and the ending made me even more unhappy that I didn‘t DNF it. I‘ve loved Hawkins other books but this one for me was truly a dud.

#fanofthepan

I had to cut half the cover of this book off to get my dogs reaction because it perfectly sums up this book. So I‘m not going to lie, this book is pretty gruesome. I definitely like the horror genre but this book was just a little too far out there for me. It was almost borderline fantasy with all the creatures in the black farm. The story was decent and what made it better was the underlying messages in it. If disgusted easily do not read.

Decent YA thriller. A 17 year old girl goes missing and the main suspect is her boyfriend, Drew. Local police are dragging their heels when looking into new tips so Drew and his friends take it upon themselves to find Lola and clear his name.

I just can‘t do it. I‘m 120 pages in and this book is just not doing it for me. How this is the same writer as “The Woman in The Window”? I feel like I‘m just sitting here reading the most boring conversation between two people with random people peppered in and I could give not a single crap who they are. I‘m out #hailtothebail

Wow, what a story! If I hadn‘t been at work while reading this I would have cried my eyes out at the end. What a beautiful but heartbreaking story of two sisters living in German occupied France during WW2. I believe they are trying to make a movie from this book but I can‘t see how they will fit such story into a 2 hr movie. If you like historical fiction, I definitely recommend!

So this is not a story for everyone. It went to places I don‘t normally seek when reading. It was graphic in parts that were just plain out there & gross at times. But, this book took me out of my comfort zone and put me into a mind that is very unlike mine. That‘s the great thing about reading though, it transports you into another world or life. I gave this a so-so because I don‘t feel like I walked away with anything profound from it. Just eh

Good story, but a little long in my opinion. I enjoyed reading a story from a Native American perspective and learning a bit about tribe life. I really liked the MC Daunis. She is smart, strong, and a bad ass. Daunis is pulled into an FBI investigation as a CI to figure out from the inside who is responsible for meth distribution and deaths within the tribal community. An easy but not so quick read 🙂

Imagine a road trip where everything that could go wrong, goes wrong and more. Beautifully written and a good story but I did skim some parts as it just became long winded. I think I would have enjoyed this more if there weren‘t so many characters telling the story. But if you are up for an epic adventure story I would definitely recommend this!

I didn‘t love this book but everything tied together in a way I never figured out. A posh manor opens in a small seaside town but unbeknownst to the guests the property has a sordid past. The past comes back to haunt its grand opening with murder, flames, and a cast of characters with a vendetta.

This book was readable but pointless. Geared more towards YA might explain the weak storyline. A young girl hears voices telling her to kill people but for the most part everyone she kills is bad. She‘s kind of like a female Dexter. Anyway glad this was a Lending Library Freebie otherwise I never would have picked it up.

I think I read this in 2 days. It‘s not a twisty thriller but it‘s a story that captures you right away and takes you on a wild ride. Although you know the pieces of the mystery pretty quickly,I still had to see how it ended. This will be a story that sits with me for a bit. Heartbreaking but also bittersweet.

Dark Corners was just ok for me. A podcaster gets entangled into a missing girl case that potentially leads back to murders in the past. The pluses are I like how all the details eventually connect but the minuses are it‘s a slow process to get there. The peek into an influencers world was a little interesting albeit annoying at times as well.

This book is a good, easy read but something about the ending just didn‘t sit well with me. I was like that was it? I had to go on Reddit to see other people‘s thoughts and then it finally made some sense but still didn‘t really make it any better. There‘s still a part at the end where I felt all the dots were not connected but as I said for the most part it was a pretty good book.

Cam returns home after 10 years to his inherited beautiful estate in the mountains after some convincing from his wife. Once they arrive the truth of the woman who adopted and raised him comes to light from some papers in his mother‘s desk. I don‘t know if I just wasn‘t in the mood but this book just did not capture me and I found a few plot holes wondering why certain information was even brought up. Just ok to me.

I didn‘t feel this book was as cohesive as it could be. I felt there was a lot going on between issues in the mothers life and issues in the daughters life. Everything connects in the end but I kinda just felt pulled all over the place. It was still an entertaining and easy read though.

Loved the show, love the book. It‘s funny how much you can enjoy the life of a sadistic man and walk away wanting more and not hating him. I have the second novel on the my shelf just waiting to be read!

A low pick for me, but nonetheless still a quick and easy read. Amy,a medical student gets locked in Ward D overnight as part of her training. She has a passcode to get out if anything goes wrong so it can‘t be that bad right? If you know mcfadden style, you know everything goes wrong. I really didn‘t figure this one out until the reveal point so kudos to Mcfadden for stumping me again.

This book introduces us to Lexington, one of the greatest race horses of all time. Based loosely on real people throughout history comes a fictional story that captivates you into the race horse world and connects three time lines in history to one amazing horse. This book starts out strong, but then hits a lull in the middle, then finishes strong. Just like a race horse should lol

This was a low pick for me. Story kind of started off slow for me and I wasn‘t motivated to pick it up and read some days. The twist definitely got me though and went in a direction that I wasn‘t expecting.

Franks daughter is getting married to the son of a multi millionaire. All he wants for his daughter is to be happy and be supportive of the upcoming nuptials ever though he‘s been estranged from his daughter for some time. As the wedding day approaches Frank realizes there more to this wedding then he could even dream of. More of a domestic thriller w/o the thrills that highlights the dysfunctional relationship between a father and daughter.

This book started out so good. A good coming of age story with some creep factor to it. But then about three quarters of the way in it takes a weird turn that lost me. I love strange and mind bending books, but this one definitely left me a little confused. I also love how intricately layered Wards books are but for me this one just went way too out there for me. If you like analyzing stories check this out.

For being a sociopath, Patric still lives a pretty good life. I didn‘t get a feel of how bad being a sociopath truly made her life. The book definitely gives a lot of insight into sociopathy and sadly the lack of information that was out there in her formative years. This story just didn‘t capture me. I felt like I was just reading about a privileged LA girl with some mental illness sprinkled in. Good for her though being so successful in life 🙂

Not my favorite by McFadden but sill a decent read. When Natalie‘s weird coworker goes missing she somehow becomes wrapped up in being a potential murder suspect. Lots of twists and the author always finds a way to weave a story that I don‘t see coming.

Growing up you only hear about Amelia Earhart as one of the first woman aviatrix because her story was so dramatic. This book includes all the other woman that paved women‘s way into the air and into jobs that were normally for men only. Interesting historical non-fiction read ☺️

It was a toss up between a pick and so-so for this one. I‘m hoping McFadden retires the Housemaid after this. Millie moves into the burbs of Long Island with her family and notices the Housemaid next door is strangely watching her. Is something sinister with the maid or the house she is cleaning? This book could have been shortened and was easy at least for me to figure out. Still it was a quick read and still enjoyable 🙂

I would totally stay in a Hitchcock themed hotel so I was excited for this book! I was hoping this would have been a little more creepy but mostly it was just drama between old college roommates. What made this a pick was there were a few good twists that I did not see coming. I was hoping there would have been a Norman Bates like shower scene 🔪 but no luck! 😛

I haven‘t read a lot of Colleen Hoover but I know this isn‘t her usual type of romance. It‘s dark, gritty and sometimes cringey. It wasn‘t the most exciting story and is predictable but still a good, quick read that passed the slow moments at work. Definitely does not beat out Verity which is still my fav by her.

Super quick read, definitely entertaining! Lots of little things that made me giggle or smile. McFadden never disappoints 😊

Between lots of characters and lots of time jumps this story just lost me. I didn‘t like that it would jump from the past, to the future to the present. It just was not cohesive enough my brain to follow. The ending was kind of rushed and didn‘t really explain the purpose of the House that seeked these Shining Girls. What was the shine and why was it making people kill over it. I don‘t know, I‘m confused over this one.

This was probably the best book I‘ve read all year. Yes it‘s long, but wow, what a story. The story of Patch and Saint is heartbreaking, uplifting, and just totally immersive. If you like Tartts “The Goldfinch” you will probably like this as well. It‘s definitely takes you to dark places but for me it was a story I couldn‘t stop reading. How everything came together at the end solidified what a beautifully written story this was. 💕

Ok I‘ve officially read two of Malermans books and I disliked both. I can now say I am not a fan of his writing style. This story is told from a child‘s perspective and gets annoying because it‘s repetitive, sometimes you don‘t know if she‘s thinking something or saying it out loud, and best of all the ending sucks. I stepped away from this book thinking what the hell did I just read? The only bonus was it was a quick read. 👎🏼

This was quite a wild ride that I did not let off the gas for most of it. Sally‘s already broken world shatters even more after her father passes away and she is caught trying to cremate him herself. This story has so many layers I‘m still trying to process all that happens. It‘s disturbing, heart breaking, funny, psychological, and part thriller. Loved it and definitely recommend!

Mallory a recovering addict takes on a new job as nanny for a little boy Teddy. Teddy seems a little reclusive, has no friends besides an imaginary one & wears the same outfit every day. A few days into her new job Teddy starts drawing some strange pictures that begin to concern Mallory. As the depth of these pictures increases so does the mystery behind what their meaning is. Good, fast paced supernatural thriller that I finished in 2 days.