Definitely sinister, but the twist became a little too glaringly obvious. A quick page-turner! 3.5 ⭐️

For some reason I'm just in the mood for easy thrillers right now, and this fit the bill. After her college boyfriend confessed to killing 5 girls ten years ago, she shut herself off from the world. But now, new girls are being murdered with a similar MO. Is it a copycat killer or has he been innocent all along? I was compelled to keep turning the pages and definitely entertained!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I like the look of the covers in my December #BOTM box! I've already read all 5 of the BOTY picks though, so they're giving me a credit to use next month instead. This month is my birthday month and I'm looking forward to these!

This was a perfect travel day page-turner! Flew back home after spending time in NC with family for Thanksgiving, started it on the plane, and finished before bed. I thought the premise was unique and the twist was effective. A solid psych suspense that held my interest! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

December #BOTM picks!

Another Lisa Gardner nail biter! That mid-book twist had me like 😱

PS: long time no see, friends! Been in a little bit of a slump reading-wise, but mostly because I have a boy crush going on IRL and it's been very distracting 😆

Happy Halloween weekend, friends! 🎃🐈👻

My #BOTM picks! I'm glad one of the main picks finally piqued my interest enough to let me get the Rooney as an add-on 😆

Mark your calendars - new standalone Slaughter coming August 2022 👏🏽

Word on the street is that this will be available as a #BOTM add-on. Her books always leave me an emotional wreck.

November #BOTM picks! 📚

I've never heard of this book or read anything by the author, but this was a great impulse pick from the library! The does she or doesn't she have multiple personalities angle made for an interesting psych thriller. And while I found the ending a little too implausible and rushed, I certainty didn't see it coming! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ya'll know I love me some Lisa Gardner, but for some reason I just cannot stay engaged with this one! The premise sounds great, a woman who helped convict her serial killer husband is now on the run and looking for training on how to protect herself after he escapes (presumably to get his revenge). The pacing just feels all over the place. And one of the main characters, JT, definitely gets on my nerves. Gonna throw in the towel for now 🤷🏽‍♀️

Why on Earth have they started featuring new books mid-month, after most people have locked in their boxes? At that point it just seems like you'd wait until November. Weird. #BOTM

Damn, this is the first year I've already read all 5 of the BOTY finalists. I wonder if they'll let me use my credit on something else 🤔 #BOTM

I'm rooting for Razorblade Tears to win! Though I have a sneaking suspicion that The Four Winds could also take it given its popularity.

Every so often a book comes along to remind me why I don't dole out 5-stars on a regular basis. This blew me away! So insanely heartbreaking and captivating. I started it before bed last night and stayed up way too late because I just couldn't stop turning the pages. Duchess will stick with me for a while. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on this one but I quite enjoyed it! Solid premise - what happens when you realize the relationship with your best friend is toxic, and there's no good way to end things because she's controlling and literally knows where the bodies are buried. Things slowly begin to unravel, and the tension built nicely. I just thought the ending dropped the ball a bit. I see why Reese picked it up, would be a good movie! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Starting the tagged book and this graphic is so accurate! I think Moxie likes the smell of library books 😂🐾

Ooh, this was fun! A little over-the-top and maybe one too many twists crammed into the ending (don't think I've ever said that before!), but overall a very entertaining read for a lazy Saturday. The finale never once occured to me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Is it me, or does reading in the fall just hit a little different? Ha! 🍂

I thought this was excellent! Definitely gives true crime vibes even though it's fiction, down to the way the ending plays out. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Accurate AF! Bring on all the cozy, creepy Fall books 🎃

Swung by the library to return a few things and figured I'd kill some time browsing. I've been in the mood for creepy things lately and this thriller jumped out at me. It wasn't previously on my radar but sounds good! Have any of you read it?

Moriarty has a way with words, no doubt, but this dragged on and on and on while very little actually happened. I can't for the life of me figure out why it needed to be 450 pages long (spoiler alert: it didn't) 🍎

My library doesn't have fines anymore.

*Mental note: this does NOT mean that there are no due dates. Thy should still be kind to my fellow bookworms on the waitlist 😂*

Finally pulled the trigger and skipped #BOTM. My library got more copies of The Ex Hex so I'm just gonna wait the two weeks and borrow. Still so bummed that there weren't any good seasonal/spooky picks! 👻

One of my most anticipated library holds came through, delivering the spooky fall feels I was craving (and didn't get) from the BOTM choices 🎃🍂☕️

I'm kinda bummed at the lack of spooky #BOTM add-ons for October (I haven't read Practical Magic so the sequel isn't an option for me 😬)

I'm on the library waitlist for The Ex Hex and I've seen reviews for Everything We Didn't Say comparing it to YA which makes me hesitant to purchase. So without a compelling add-on, I'm on the fence about skipping (again!!) 😩

Excellent!! Perfectly twisty with an unexpected conclusion. I couldn't stop turning the pages and gulped it up in one day 👏🏽 4.5⭐️

Whoop! Two more library holds came in, and I'm really excited about them both. And perfect timing on the new Moriarty because it freed up a spot in my #BOTM box 😆

This book is phenomenal! Beautiful, heartfelt, and deeply personal. I really appreciate how deftly Hoang tackles brutal reality and raw emotion - learning to be true to yourself, overcoming the burden of expectations, the complexities of caregiving. And somehow that's perfectly balanced with sizzling chemistry and authentic vulnerability. Anna and Quan felt so real. Helen Hoang is a treasure and the world needs more romance like this. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this! TJR has such a great way of breathing life into her characters and making you feel invested in what happens to them. While I did personally find the first half to be stronger than the second, it was a compelling read overall. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #BOTM

PS: pic is a throwback from my weekend in the Bahamas. I brought this book but ended up reading something else at the time 😬

Eh, it was ok. I didn't necessarily have high expectations going in, so I suppose in a sense it wasn't all that disappointing. It just seemed to be lacking something. Suspense maybe? Perhaps the fire burned a little too slowly. Though it's moments like this where I'm particularly grateful for the library, I would be more bummed if this had been a purchase!

My reading buddy on the other hand - A+ 😸

Excellent! The characters were all great and it had the perfect balance of twists and red herrings. Flora was back, and I thought the crossover with her backstory was super effective. I never did figure out the big picture so I just enjoyed the ride. Love the D.D. Warren series! 👏🏽

Swinging by the library to pick up holds never feels less satisfying 📚

October #BOTM picks! Any initial thoughts?

(TBD on add-ons)

I liked the idea of this offshoot series featuring Tessa Leoni, from one of the previous DD Warren books, but I wish she were featured more heavily. Overall I struggled to connect with the kidnapped characters for some reason. Well constructed and tense as per usual, but I suspected the ending early on and (without being able to say too much without spoilers) the twist, while crazy, kind of irked me when I was right. 3.5⭐️

#BOTM has opened the first round of voting for Book of the Year and I must say, this is the first year in a while that I haven't read a lot of them (many didn't appeal to me).

My personal opinion is that Razorblade Tears will (and should) win. But in this first round I'm voting for Once There Were Wolves because if it's a finalist that's the free book I'd choose 🤣

Side note: is it me or does it seem like September is too early to talk BOTY? Lol

In case anyone is interested (and didn't pre-order), heads up that the new Liane Moriarty was added as a #BOTM add-on.

That moment when library holds come through at times that aren't ideal. I don't know that it was my brightest idea to stick with a highjacking plot this close to the anniversary of 9/11. And no, I did not actually have the guts to read it during my flight (into JFK no less) 😳 ✈️

But I digress - Some of the twists were predictable but overall a very tense, action-packed premise with some nail biter moments and a slightly heavy handed finale 3.5⭐️

Stack ranked against the rest of the DD Warren series this is my least favorite so far. But even Gardner's weakest book (in my opinion) is still better than most of the mediocre thrillers out there, so I'm not complaining. In theory I enjoyed the return of Flora from the previous installment, though I thought the amount of leeway that DD gave her with her own vigilante investigation was a bit far fetched. 3.5⭐️

Coming home to snuggle with this cutie takes the sting out of vacation being over 🥰

Not a Happy Family, indeed. Unfortunately this just isn't the type of "thriller" that interests me, the writing and characters are falling flat and the suspense feels forced. And while there are multiple reasons for many of these (entitled, selfish) people to have committed murder, I find myself not caring who actually did the deed or who gets the inheritance. So instead of forcing myself to continue, I'm bowing out. Glad I didn't buy it ? #BOTM

I must say, Karin Slaughter pulled no punches with this one - whew, that was intense! A tale of two sisters and the secrets they keep, plus the long term effects of teenage trauma. While certainly not for those sensitive to trigger warnings, this might be my favorite Slaughter "standalone" so far! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

PS: the resort I'm staying in has a lounge called The Library, so basically the perfect spot for a pre-dinner glass of wine and a book ?

This picture doesn't begin to do today's reading spot justice ? - I've escaped to the Bahamas for a few days of R&R and it's lovely. Now, you might say "Ashley, this is not your typical beach read", but for some reason all I seem to be in the mood for lately is murder (I'll overanalyze that later) so it felt like the perfect time to start the latest from one of my favorites!

At this point I'm at the "I'll be more shocked if at some point I *don't* like one of her books" stage of my relationship with Lisa Gardner. Another fantastic book that sticks the landing.

Although one of the only trigger warnings that gets me is self-harm. Graphic descriptions of cutting always make me feel light-headed. So there was that. But still a great whodunnit.

I may not have been thrilled with #BOTM's picks the last few months, but whoever is in charge of their social media content gets an A+ 🤣

Damn. Hell must have frozen over, this is my third #BOTM skip in a row! I mostly just wanted the Rooney add-on but none of the main picks were tempting enough to pull the trigger. I *almost* caved and went with the tagged book, but then noticed the "mama drama" tag they had given it and promptly changed my mind. Here's hoping I'm excited for October!

And these are the #BOTM add-ons. On the one hand, excited that my prediction about the Rooney was right! On the other hand, I'm bummed that it's not a main pick because I'm not into any of those.

Might be a skip again for me this month 😭

Confirmed #BOTM picks for September! Looks like they'll be live soon!

Another phenomenal book from Lisa Gardner! A chilling case, and just as twisty and suspenseful as the rest.

Though in my haste to queue up plenty of her books from the library, I accidentally skipped one and read this out of order - oops! By the time I realized I was already 25% through, so I just got on with it. Turned out fine, just a few minor (in the grand scheme of things) spoilers on DD's personal life 😬