I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell

Alex Marks moves to New York City hoping for a fresh start—just a quiet life with her copywriting job. But when she hears about the murder of her childhood hero, Francis Keen, everything changes. Keen wasn’t just any journalist; she was the beloved voice behind Dear Constance, a famous advice column. Her death shocks everyone, but the killer was never caught.

On a whim, Alex applies to take over the column, never thinking she’ll actually land the job. But once she does, strange letters start showing up at the office, making her wonder—why hasn’t the murderer been found? And could her new boss, the powerful editor-in-chief Howard Dimitri, have something to do with it?

As Alex digs deeper, she realizes she’s not just uncovering Keen’s secrets—she’s stirring up ghosts from her own past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. Can she solve the mystery before she ends up just like Francis Keen?

I loved the premise of this book. It felt almost comfortable and literary at first, before unsettling things came into play. One slight pet peeve was that I felt like Lucy was too obvious - not who she was necessarily, but how she fit in. I think that reveal came a bit too early and was too heavy-handed. 

Overall the book was a page-turner and I wasn’t sure who did what until the end.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

I always thought I would hate a book about covid and lockdown but I guess… we’re far enough from it now (while possibly being on the cusp of another?) that it almost seems… quaint?

I’m sure that’s not the right word but it almost fits.

The memories of everything shutting down, the quiet cities, and uncertainty of interacting with others works so well to establish an unsettling premise here. Add in the possible romance and moving in with someone you’ve been on just a few dates with and the stakes are certainly high!

I think the twists were really good because you think you have one figured out, then the rug is pulled out from beneath you right at the end. And not in an underhanded way - you have all the information all along, it’s just not what you expect. I liked the time jumps and how more was revealed each time.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Though I'm writing this in the new year, I actually finished this book on Christmas. I read it in about two days, but once I finished, I needed to sit and think before reviewing it. I gave it 3 stars right away because it kept me turning pages and I had no clue what was going to happen, which definitely makes for an interesting read and deserves credit.

Even weeks later, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The premise was amazing. I knew it was a thriller but the idea of attending a writing retreat and just escaping real life for awhile was so enticing, especially since I was reading it over the holidays so "real life" didn't even feel like a thing.

Potential spoilers ahead...

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Alice Lawrence’s life is a wreck—her family’s fallen apart, she’s living in a sad little apartment that smells like bologna, and, worst of all, she’s the only witness in her sister’s murder case. Claire, her sister, was everything Alice wasn’t: popular, gorgeous, and the star of the theater, while Alice was the quiet, horror-movie-loving science nerd. But they were inseparable—until Claire was killed.

Now, as Alice heads to court to testify against the man she’s sure killed her sister, something unbelievable happens. She’s attacked in the courthouse bathroom, and when she wakes up... it’s a year earlier, on Halloween night, the night Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to change the course of history and stop her sister’s killer.

This title absolutely grabbed me (and then the R.L. Stine quote made me feel strangely squeamish... just me?). I'm not big into horror movies or final girl concepts but the way it was written definitely seemed like something I could see on the screen. However... the ending?

Wait, before I go there, can I share something petty? I kept forgetting this book was basically set over a few hours (that infamous midnight deadline) because so much was happening. And I understand a lot can happen in a few hours, like in some of the horror movies mentioned in the book, but it just dragged out a lot for me. I kept wondering why, and then I realized it was the weather.

I know weather can change quickly, especially in fall and in Nebraska, but it went from being a perfect day with "all that glorious October sun" to, at the climax, "Snowflakes have begun to fall, the mushy, wet kind that are almost rain and melt the second they hit the ground."

Okay, I buy that it could start to snow on Halloween. Yet in the next paragraph, "The snow has almost covered the yard..." But didn't it melt the second it hit the ground? Because that was just said in the previous paragraph... 

I know it's petty in the scheme of things and not my biggest issue with the book, but it pulled me out of the climax to the point where I was flipping back to the front. I realize weather can change on a dime and it can go from sunny to snow in Nebraska, but explain the melting yet covering the yard.

NOW, to the juicy part. The ending. Spoilers ahead!

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

On the surface, the Barclays appear to be a picture-perfect family, but underneath, they’ve spun a tangled web of lies.

When their young nanny falls to her death—was it an accident or something darker?—things spiral out of control. Nine-year-old Rose, who witnessed the fall during her parents’ bitter divorce, has gone silent and developed a chilling habit of collecting sharp objects. Enter Stella Hudson, a lawyer tasked with uncovering who’s a victim and who’s a potential murderer. But good luck finding the truth when everyone’s hiding something.

Stella usually avoids clients under thirteen because of her own troubled past, but her mentor, a respected judge, insists she’s the only one who can handle this case.

The moment she steps through the ornate iron gate of the Barclays' lavish DC mansion, Stella realizes things are more twisted than she imagined. The house feels eerily plastic, devoid of glass.

As she digs deeper into the secrets the Barclays are desperate to keep hidden, Stella finds herself in a dangerous game where her past collides with the present. Everyone’s a suspect in the nanny’s death: the mom, the dad, the grandmother, the nanny’s boyfriend, and even little Rose. Can Stella protect the girl who might just be the one she needs to watch out for?

I love books that make you suspect everyone, and this certainly did the trick. Not only does Pekkanen make you distrust the entire Barclay family, you also start to distrust the people she’s working with in a professional capacity. 

I had no clue who did what and who was going to betray Stella until the end of this book, which is always a good sign, in my opinion. I hate figuring out the mystery too early, as satisfying as it may be to get it right. I think the ending here was really touching and hopeful, too.

The Doll's House by Lisa Unger

The Doll's House by Lisa Unger

This popped up for me on Kindle Unlimited and, since I've read a few Lisa Unger novels, I decided to give it a try. I love flash fiction and short stories, so the idea of finishing this in one sitting was really appealing.

It ended up taking me... four weeks? Not of constant reading, mind you, but more like picking it up, not getting into it, and putting it back down. I was determined to finish it though, and in a way, I'm glad I did, but not because it was an amazing work of fiction.

My biggest issue with this story is that it should have been a novel. At least, with everything contained in it now, it should be a novel to do each point justice.

Possible spoilers below.

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

 Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

I’ve been hit or miss on Kubica’s books (two with one star and one each of two, three, and four stars), but I keep coming back for more, so I feel like that says something. (However, I do the same with Ruth Ware but overall dislike her books so maybe I’m not the best judge.) My feelings on this book were a bit conflicted… 

First, some pettiness: I’m so sick of titles about women/girls/wives/couples. The Perfect Couple, The Golden Couple, The Couple Next Door, One Perfect Couple.

Also somewhat petty: I’m tired of prologues. Some can be well done, but many in thrillers just throw you into a random scene with no context. I understand it’s supposed to grab you and pull you in, but I often skim or skip them because they do nothing for me. This prologue was especially worthless to the story, in my opinion. I went back to it after I finished the book and pieced it together to figure out where it went in the book, and it was still meh. It didn’t add anything. So… why have it? To meet a word count? Because every suspense book seems to have them these days? Who knows.

The writing style was also a bit lacking and felt like Kubica was saying the same thing in many ways to meet a word count. I know there needs to be some rise and fall in suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat, but this was a LOT of slowness that made me want to skim ahead to see what the point was. Lots of mundane details that didn’t matter to the story except to bring it to a halt.

Begin the spoilers: 

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

Lyla’s post-doctoral research is going nowhere, she’s pretty sure her contract won’t get renewed, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, are hanging by a thread. So, when Nico gets the chance to join a new reality TV show called The Perfect Couple, Lyla auditions with him.

Fast forward and suddenly she’s on Ever After Island for the show. They’re competing against four other couples for a big cash prize, but paradise quickly turns into a nightmare. A huge storm cuts them off from the mainland and their already-limited supplies quickly dwindle.

I’ve had a hit-or-miss relationship with Ruth Ware’s books, but the premise of this one hooked me right away because I can’t resist a good reality show plot. I just wish the whole competition had lasted longer! Everything went wrong so fast that it stopped feeling like a reality show and started feeling like a typical suspense thriller. I feel like playing up the reality show aspect could have created more confusing motives because you don't know if people are just acting "good" for the camera or what they may be hiding.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Lucy and Savvy were the kind of girls everyone envied. However one night, Lucy is found covered in Savvy’s blood and the whole town thinks she's a killer. Years later, Lucy’s rebuilt her life in LA, far away from all that small-town gossip. She can’t remember a thing about that night, but she’s moved on. Or at least, she thought she had—until a true crime podcast, Listen for the Lie, decides to dig into Savvy’s murder for its new season. The host wants answers and Lucy returns to the town she’s avoided like the plague. She’s determined to find out what really happened, even if that means facing the possibility she could be the one who did it. I flew through this story in a day—it had me hooked from start to finish. I don’t even listen to podcasts anymore (I used to be obsessed), but the way this story uses that format is so compelling. Tintera nailed it.

The Housemaid Trilogy by Freida McFadden

I’ve been hearing a lot about Freida McFadden lately, so when someone recommended her Housemaid trilogy to me, I figured I'd give it a shot. I’ve seen people debate whether she "borrows" too much from other books, but honestly, I was coming out of a reading slump and needed something to pull me back in. And I have to admit, she did it.

The Housemaid
This one came at the perfect time. I needed a book that would grab my attention, and The Housemaid did just that. It’s the kind of psychological thriller that makes you keep turning the pages because you just have to know what happens next. I tore through it in a day or two, and honestly, it helped me rediscover my love for reading. Sure, there might be familiar plot elements that have shown up in other thrillers, but when you’re hooked, you’re hooked. It was a fun ride, with enough twists and tension to keep me fully engaged.

The Housemaid’s Secret
Going into the sequel, I had my reservations. Sequels are tricky—so many times they fall flat, especially after a strong first book. But The Housemaid’s Secret delivered more of that same addictive, page-turning energy. McFadden managed to keep the suspense high without feeling like she was just rehashing the first book. It was a solid follow-up, and while it didn’t have quite the same “lightning in a bottle” feeling as the first book, it kept me invested in the characters and story.

The Housemaid is Watching
Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me. By the time I got to The Housemaid is Watching, the magic had faded a bit. I wanted to finish the trilogy and see how everything wrapped up, but this third book felt more like a slog. It didn’t have the same pacing or intensity as the first two, and while I was curious to see how the story would conclude, I found myself pushing through rather than eagerly devouring each page. It was still worth finishing for the sake of completion, but it just wasn’t on the same level as the others.

Overall, McFadden’s Housemaid trilogy pulled me out of my reading slump. Even if the third book didn’t quite live up to the first two, I don’t regret diving into this series. If you’re into fast-paced thrillers that are easy to get lost in, it’s definitely worth checking out. Just be prepared for the final installment to feel a little less exciting than the others. I'll also mention that I tried to read another standalone title by her (Never Lie) but the twist made me swiftly move it to the "trying too hard"/unreliable (and poorly done) narrator camp.

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell

I already loved Tasha Coryell from her Split/Lip Press collection (which you can get your hands on HERE) and was really excited to read a full-length book from her. She always has interesting perspectives on things and the “quirky” narrator here definitely fits the bill.

This book stands out because Hannah is not the typical female protagonist and I loved that. She's unlikable at times and has desires and reasonings behind those desires that most main characters avoid completely... or kind of brush under the rug at best. But that made her feel real, because people are multi-faceted and might make "strange" choices, then double down on those choices, and then get completely caught up in the outcome.

Overall, the story felt like I was listening to a true crime podcast or watching a documentary since the narrator was all up in the action. (Which, I mean... it's a modern thriller - it's at least going to be a mini-series on Netflix, right? RIGHT?)

And then that ending... whew. I love the ending and hope for a sequel! But will be happy to just read more Coryell books, period.

With that said, Coryell mentioned at the end of this book that it was inspired by one of her short stories. I'd previously read Hungry People back in 2020, so I pulled it out to re-read. I easily found the story that she was referring to, and it was great in its own right. I'm glad it's a short story and I'm glad it found a slightly different way of being as a novel. But the other stories? I forgot how good they were. Like... take you to a whole other world good. So seriously - get a copy of that book! Split/Lip Press is one of the most fair independent presses when it comes to book prices and what the author gets, so buy directly through them!

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

 

"The truth won't change anything, but that doesn't mean it should never be exposed."

I saw this in a bookstore, and the title alone grabbed me, along with the cover image! But as petty as it may sound, the Colleen Hoover blurb on the front cover made me second-guess my initial thoughts. I've read a few of Hoover's books, and I later realized I'd read The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose and only gave it two stars. But overall, the synopsis sounded great, and I felt like I hadn't been reading much lately, so I was in!

"He closes the door behind him, leaving me to fend off the monsters on my own. But they're not under the bed anymore. They're in me."

The story was quite different from what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I felt like all three siblings were very unique and realistic, and they all had distinct voices, which can be tough in a multi-POV book. The way the siblings started uncovering information about their parents' past was really well done, too. I could have read anything about their childhood up to this point and been completely invested.

"As we age, we shed layers of ourselves, disintegrating like any other organic material, but some of us just break down faster than others."

The twist was okay, but I felt it was almost anti-climactic. It felt a bit rushed, and everything seemed to happen quickly after such a great build-up of the siblings putting the clues together. (Funny enough, I thought the ending of The Perfect Marriage ruined the book for me, so maybe that's just a constant for my experience with Rose's books, though this one didn't ruin it.) The final resolution also wasn't a home run for me - it seemed a little too sappy. Overall, this was still a good read that kept me turning pages, so I'd recommend it.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Over the past few months, I've been re-reading Sally Hepworth's books. I first read her more literary novels when they came out in 2015 and 2016. I really loved how she handled realistic topics and wrote so eloquently. She pulled at my heartstrings without trying to be overly emotional.

Some of her later books veered into domestic thriller territory, which is fine! I love those books too. But I usually love the stories in those books more than the writing style, and I did feel like Hepworth's writing changed accordingly for that market. I still read each of her books because I'm a fangirl, but they didn't hit me the same way her earlier work did.

The truth is, I'll never turn down a Sally Hepworth book, even though I've rated two of them (The Family Next Door and The Younger Wife) as two stars (after her first three being solid five star reads in my opinion). So when I saw Darling Girls at the library, I knew I'd read it.

I feel like this is getting back to her literary roots. There's still a fair amount of suspense, but it's more of a buried mystery than current danger. The story is told between four points of view - three foster sisters and another person who is revealed later. I think the mystery was woven into the story really well and the resolution was satisfying and realistic.

You can read my reviews of Hepworth's other books on Goodreads.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

My mom got this book from the library and said she read 3/4 of it in one day. I feel like I've been in a reading slump since the new year, so I was definitely in the mood for a book I couldn't put down.

And this really delivered! It's something I would call a cozy thriller, in that it doesn't really mess with my emotions but the suspense does keep me turning pages. (Okay, is there really a sub-genre called cozy thrillers? I love me some cozy mysteries but I won't lie - some of these thrillers almost give me a heart attack because they're so over-the-top. I want the suspense but I don't want to put my health at risk.)

In all seriousness, I call it that because I didn't really care about the main character. She was interesting and unique and I had no clue what her backstory was or what she would do next, but I wasn't invested in her survival. She was somewhat flat, and I mean that in a good way! I didn't want to care about her - I just wanted her to entertain me.

And she did. I read this book on Sunday, start to finish, and I genuinely had no idea how it would end. I call that a job well done.

With that said, I feel like trying to explain the story would either confuse you or give it away, so I'd suggest reading the blurb and seeing if it strikes your fancy. And if it does, comment so we can talk about it because I got lots of thoughts!