This book definitely exceeded my expectations. So good!! Just enough gore and suspense to keep that constant hum of anxiety alive in every chapter. This is definitely a 'just a few more pages' type of a book, that will leave you sleepy the next day but with no regrets. Ha.

This book had such a great premise and ended up falling flat. I hate when that happens! Boo. The pacing of the storytelling was off too. This just wasn't IT. I will award points for originality.

Gritty, dark, and violent. Great novel. One scene in particular was very intense. This is my first novel by this author, but I have a few more of his in my TBR stack. Glad I stocked up!

Loved this debut thriller! Short chapters and shifting perspective keep you wanting to read “just one more chapter“ deep into the night.

Audiobook pick:
This book is amazing!! If you haven't read this, you really should. The audiobook was narrated by the author and it was well done.

Happy July 4th!! Hope you all get some good pool and BBQ time today, followed by some gorgeous fireworks this evening.
This novel was actually my favorite, so far, from this author.

I just wasn't feeling this one and it's probably a “me“ thing. The writing wasn't bad. I'm just over some of the stuff being pushed in novels today.

This was an engaging thriller, so good! The ending didn't play out as expected....not necessary a bad thing, of course. I'm not big on travel, but parts of this story pull you into what draws people to wander. It also makes you feel how vulnerable it could be as well.

Audiobook pick:
This was my third book from this author, and probably my least favorite. The main character was interesting, but most of the other characters just didn't pull me into the story. The overall plot was okay, but honestly it could have been much better. Kind of a forgettable thriller.

This was a soft pick. I enjoyed the overall premise, but it definitely felt a bit too YA at times. I wanted it to be darker.
Picture with my youngest son while camping. Love spring camping! No bugs yet.

This book was intense. A 37-week pregnant woman is shopping in IKEA when a devastating earthquake hits, causing widespread choas and destruction.
The book is about her journey home on foot. I'm not a crier, but one chapter actually had me tears.
Expertly weaved in, is the story of her life up to that point. The ending could have been better, but overall this was really well written.

Solid thriller! This is one I didn't want to put down. Also a very satisfying ending overall.

This was a pretty fair read. I appreciated the mid 90s references. The story seemed to lag a bit and I wish it had more scares along the way.

Slow start, but about halfway through it picked up. Legit scared of Bigfoot now and being isolated after a natural disaster.

Ugh. This book started out so well. Great atmosphere and interesting premise. Loved the set up. Then the ending jumped the shark. Such a convoluted mess. I'm also pretty over the men-are-evil-and-women-would-run-the-world-in-harmony silliness. One paragraph legit made me stop and roll my eyes. Come on.

I didn't realize this was a third in a series, but it works well as a stand-alone. Great thriller with good twists. One of the better thrillers I have read in a while.

This was a cozy crime mystery, that was pretty cheesy overall. The romance was cringe. The mystery itself was kind of fun though. I always want to like books like this and then just don't.

This author has translated big, philosophical ideas into a magical story that opens the mind. It's mainly centered on connection...to each other, nature, and beyond. The main character (a recent widow in her 70s) seemed to live an ordinary life until the tragic loss of her young son years before. She moved to Ibiza after being gifted a home (from a prior acquaintance), and a strange journey ensues. This book was weird, but interesting.

This was a fairly good, fast thriller. My family is down with the flu this week, so our Thanksgiving plans were pretty much cancelled. I work tomorrow a half day (work from home), then probably another chill day at home. On the bright side, I will get some more reading in.

I loved the first novel, but not this one. It felt like a 300+ page lecture to “educate“ the reader. It was honestly a slog to get through and somehow the magic of the first story was lost. The villains fell flat. The saccharine family relationships felt overplayed. Boo.

This was definitely an unusual and disgusting horror novel. The beginning was a bit slow, but the end was oddly satisfying in a twisted way.

Set in the near future, people co-exist with AI bots in a very different world. A mother is being investigated for neglect of her children, after surveillance footage goes viral of a parenting mistake. This book also explores the crazy hold that technology has on society, where we are the product and the consumer. The scary thing is, that I can see many of the things in this book actually happening in my lifetime.

This was a soft pick because it took a bit for me to really feel invested for some reason. It really took me WAY too long to read. Don't you hate when that happens?.... I was still mixing up characters at the end too. After a while the side characters were almost too many people to worry about. That can pull attention away from a good plot. Boo. The ending was interesting. So more than a meh...less than a yay.

Audiobook pick: If you're into domestic thrillers, this was really good. I usually am so-so about this genre but this was a solid pick. Two women's worlds collide and nothing is as it seems.

This was an odd little book, which delves into anticipatory grief in such a unique way. It focuses on connection and meaning in a world that seems to often skip over the “important“ stuff of life.

Loved this twisted horror novel. So creepy! This author always gets pretty bizarre but in all the best ways. Cleaning out a hoarded, deceased family member's house in the middle of nowhere would be a big NO for me.

This was the sequel to Warcross and I actually liked the 2nd book even better. It's definitely YA vibes but has a solid sci-fi story with many layers. Overall it was a satisfying ending.

Audiobook pick: This was funny and interesting at the same time. A candid look at how much is too much. This covered what made her decide to quit drinking and all that led up to it. It isn't preachy and the parts on parenting young children (sleep deprivation, stress) definitely ring true.

Audiobook pick: This is my second book from this author and I'm officially a fan. He is just really funny. The good thing about being late to the party in an author's popularity, is he has a lot of books out there. His books seem like they would translate well to movies and they are full of action and snarky/absurd humor.

This was definitely a so-so novel for me. A very slow build, so I kind of had to push through the first half. I didn't quite guess the ending and parts of it were pretty implausible as it was revealed. Overall, it was a decent read.

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all the USA mommas! Hope you feel loved on today. 🌷

I adored this quirky book. It does get a bit repetitive, but that is literally the premise. When faced with a seemingly endless supply of husbands and different life outcomes, who/what will she pick? How does one even decide? I chuckled through much of this and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Current Saturday mood at my house.

Fast-paced Sci-Fi novel that has some Ready Player One vibes, but definitely is it's own beast. Emika Chen (hacker, gamer, bounty hunter) is a fun character to follow. I plan to start the sequel soon.

Audiobook pick:
This was a recollection of the horrific abuse suffered at the hands of his mother. It was so unbelievable and devastating to hear what he endured. What a survivor.

Audiobook pick:
If you like character driven novels, you will likely enjoy this. I usually need more action, but this was actually well paced. The backstories were good. I got invested in all their broken stories and how they converged.

Solar eclipse as seen in Des Moines, Iowa today. About 84% coverage at it's peak. Pretty cool!

This was a soft pick. The main characters and even their cat were unlikeable throughout this.
I will admit the cat did grow on me. Grumpy cats can be endearing.
It was one of those thrillers you speed through because you are so curious of what is going to happen. I didn't quite guess the ending.

This was good. It's an overarching murder mystery with elements of substance abuse and PTSD. The characters were well fleshed-out and interesting. The setting was a small lake town in northern Wisconsin, which I loved as I grew up in northern Minnesota.

Loved the setting, but the characters/plot/reveals were just okay.

Audiobook pick:
I think I may be in the minority, as I see some raving reviews on this one. I was bored for 75% of this. Later it did get a bit more interesting but not worth the slog to get there. Lots of telling vs showing in this novelist's writing. Not scary, just some moments of creepiness. I was overall very underwhelmed. The narrator was great though, loved his performance.

A very honest glimpse into the life of Tyrus. I've been a fan for some time and it was interesting to learn more about his background. This was fascinating and a quick read.

This book actually started out a bit...weird. But I gave it a chance and am glad I did. I loved the way this murder mystery unfolded at just the right pace. Told in a series of flashbacks and present day interviews, the multiple POVs reveal things bit by bit. It's set in Sri Lanka several days leading to a lavish wedding. The Instagram-perfect bride is missing and feared dead.

This is my 3rd book by this author and she continues to spin a sweet and complex love story each time.

This was pretty slow for a thriller, lots of repetitive scenes and waiting for anything to just happen. The ending was okay, but not worth the wait.

This was a fun ride, full of unpredictable turns with villains pitted against villains.

I didnt really have a lot of opinions about this artist going into this audiobook. I've seen her in and out of headlines. As I've grown older I've definitely learned not to believe what the headlines report. The most interesting point she made was-if she was too unwell to manage her life, why was she well enough to work?...that really calls out her family and their greed.

Audiobook pick: I really alternated between being disgusted with the author and then being inspired. There's a lot of hard things to digest in this one, especially concerning her kids. Overall it touches on her redemption. I wish the author and her family the best. This had to be tough to write.

This was more of a mystery than thriller and so uniquely different than anything I have read before. I liked it overall and definitely did not guess the twist, which is always a plus!

This started out very promising, but I wanted more. The ending felt abrupt. Loved the characters. It was described as Stranger Things meets Ready Player One; I can appreciate the comparison of genre.

This was really good. I couldn't put this one down. Such a creepy main character too. 😳