Mini Book Review: Gaveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

Graveyard Shift
Publisher: Wildfire
Pub Date: 24 September 2024
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Panda Rating:

(4 pandas)

📖 SYNOPSIS

The bestselling author of international BookTok sensation If We Were Villains returns with a story of a group of misfits who meet in the local cemetery each night to unearth the secrets lurking in an open grave.

Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realise he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks — and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought.

Atmospheric and eerie, with the ensemble cast her fans love and a delightfully familiar academic backdrop, Graveyard Shift is a modern Gothic tale in If We Were Villains author M.L. Rio’s inimitable style.

“What must it feel like, she wondered, for the first time and much too late, to be so desperate for rest that you’d let a doctor[…]drop her experimental poison in your eyes?”

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2026 Reading Firsts Book Tag

Happy Thursday, friends! I totally forgot that this tag existed until I saw Jodie @ Witty and Sarcastic Book Club post it the other day so of course, I have to jump back on it. I’ve done this for the past three years and have enjoyed recapping my firsts of the year. While I usually do these ‘firsts’ based on books published in that year, I think I’ve only read one 2026 release so far, so I’m not going to do that this time! On that note, let’s dive right in…

Check out: 2023 | 2024 | 2025

This tag was created by Tanya Patrice @Girlxoxo.

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [321]

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

It’s Sunday evening already and I haven’t had the time to sit down with a book yet today and I’m not sure if I will round off my evening with one either! If I do, I’ll probably pick up A Drop of Corruption just as I’m getting into bed, as Charlotte and I are continuing our buddy read of the series. 😊 I’m so excited to dive back in!

What book do you have in bed with you this Sunday?

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Let’s Talk Bookish: Portrayals of Women in Books

✨ Welcome back to another week of LTB! ✨

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and co-hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits and myself! In this discussion meme, participants get to talk about certain topics, share opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! Learn more about LTB, past topics and future topics HERE.

This week’s topic is:

Prompts: We’ve previously talked about underrepresented women and women in STEM in books, but let’s take a look at portrayals of women in books. Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time? Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men? Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly? Are girls and women written more complexly in books today? Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

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Let’s Talk Bookish — April 2026 Topics

Happy Monday, book lovers! How is it already time to post April’s topics? The month is flying by but I guess this is how it always goes these years, right? We’re really excited about April’s topics and we hope you are too! Here’s what’s in store for ✨April 2026 LTB Topics!

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Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [320]

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent your time reading in bed or wish you had time to read today.

I’ll (hopefully) be spending some time in bed today with Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. Chris and I started our next buddy read the other day and I’ve not read half as much as I wanted due to family visiting and … Gaming. 🫣 I’m really enjoying this book though—it has such a unique premise and I’m loving how it’s playing out right now.

What book do you have in bed with you this Sunday?

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