Tag: ARC

ARC Review: The Women by S.E. Lynes

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Goodreads: The Women
Publisher: Bookouture
Publish date: 22 May 2019
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery

Panda Rating:


The night she moves in with Peter, she’s so happy, so exhilarated, so in love. Later, she will remember a much smaller feeling, a tiny one percent in her gut. And she will remember pushing that feeling aside…Samantha Frayn doesn’t know why Peter Bridges picks her – a nobody with bitten fingernails and a troubled childhood behind her – but she falls quickly. He’s older, charming, likes fine wine and French films, and his beautiful home has real art on its walls. Peter transforms Samantha’s life in an instant. He sees the better version of herself – the one she’s always wanted to be. It’s only normal that there’s a little friction, when she moves in, over domestic matters like where things are kept, or the proper times to eat, sleep and shower. She’s lucky to be with someone who can help her find a new job, move on from childish friends, and speak with greater sophistication. But as Samantha notices, more and more, Peter’s temper, she starts to wonder if there might be consequences to breaking the rules of the world he has so quickly built around her. And then she receives an anonymous note that makes her ask: is she the first woman to feel trapped by Peter? Is she being paranoid, manipulated, or could she be in danger? You can tell the truth about your life, but someone needs to be listening. Someone needs to trust you. And someone needs to save you from the man you thought you loved.

This was a fascinating, slow-burn psychological thriller that packed a powerful punch and tackled a very important issue. The author illustrates well the power of charm and sophistication, and how abusers can manipulate you, get under your skin and into your head before you even know it’s happened.

The story starts off at the end, so we already know that something bad is going to happen. Through the characters’ words and actions, we also know that there’s a deep underlying current of tension, anger and guilt. Peter’s ugly character already begins to shine through in this first chapter, and I knew right off that he’d be the worst kind of character. But on the surface, Peter wasn’t seen as a “bad guy”, which made him one of the most dangerous types of people out there. The ones that can charm and disarm. The ones with a seemingly thick layer of sophistication and perfection that only just masks the teeming ugliness that’s slick under the surface.

The characters were well developed. As we got further into the story, more and more layers of Samantha’s and Peter’s characters are peeled back like layers. When they first meet, Peter is a charming, handsome, and intelligent history professor that has a reputation as a ladies man, but surprises Samantha with how courteous and respectful he is. Their “relationship” moves very quickly; from Samantha visiting his house that first night, to sleeping with him the next, and then moving in with him very soon after that. Peter is persuasive and showers Samantha in compliments and assurances that he has never met someone like her and that she’s his one. However, Peter’s actions slowly become more manipulative and controlling, and I was shocked at the ease in which it happened. Samantha unknowingly relinquishes her autonomy to him and very quickly lets him dictate all aspects of her life. I particularly enjoyed how Samantha’s character grew–going from this naive young woman, to someone dogged by paranoia, anger and shock, and then she takes all that emotion and strengthens herself with it to undertake the “final act”. Her empowerment and determination after meeting “the women” who survived Peter’s abuse, made me feel somewhat giddy, just as much as it made her feel excited and emotionally high in the novel. There were many twists and turns as more of Peter’s past is revealed, and although it wasn’t very unpredictable, I was hooked and wanted to speed through to find out what happens to lead them to that final scene.

What made this book frightening was how realistic the situation is. The relationship between Samantha and Peter sady isn’t uncommon. There were times that I found myself frustrated that Samantha was defending Peter and seemed unwilling to open her eyes to his scumbag ways; but then I realized that in real life, this is the dynamic that exists in these relationships. The abused have their views so warped by the abuser, that they’re unable and sometimes unwilling (for their own sanity) to believe that something so perfect from the start could actually be the worst thing to happen to them. I thought this book was well-written and covered the topic well. Although until recently people haven’t openly spoken about the issue (at least to my knowledge living in Asia), that’s even more reason why it needs to be given greater attention. Especially with the current “Me Too” movement. I was very pleasantly surprised by this story, and I’m looking forward to reading other books by S.E. Lynes!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read The Women or is it on your TBR?

#WWWWednesday: 29 May 2019

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Friends, we’ve come to the end of yet another month. I realize this is what happens when each day and week ends, but my head’s spinning at the fact we’re already moving into JUNE. What have I done with all these months that have passed?! Damn. So it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

In the last week I finished Final Girls by Riley Sager, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren and I Spy the Boy Next Door (ARC) by Samantha Armstrong (read my review). I absolutely ADORED Josh and Hazel–they were adorable and their story of friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite kinds. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book as fast as I did theirs. You can read my full review here. I’m so excited to read more Riley Sager because I really enjoyed Final Girls. The twists and that ending was completely different to what I expected to happen and it blew my mind (and everyone at that Starbucks on Sunday morning can attest to how shocked, as I started swearing out loud–oops)! 🤦🏻‍♀️ My review for this one will be coming soon.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. This is another one from my #APICelebrAsian list and I’m hoping that I can finish it soon, although it’s the kind of book that I don’t feel like rushing through right now. I’m loving the characters and their stories–I honestly just want to give Sam the biggest hug in the world, and then stick him in a room with Penny SO THEY CAN TALK. This was admittedly a cover buy because I couldn’t resist this gorgeous millennial cover, but I’m happy to say that I can enjoy the content as well. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m still pretty behind on reading my galleys, but I am determined to slowly make my way through them! I started The Women by S.E. Lynes and it’s been interesting so far, but I think because I can anticipate this one making me pretty anxious, I’m not racing to pick it up again.

What will you read next?

Besides the MANY MANY ARCs that I will be reading, I’m really looking forward to starting Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I won my first ever giveaway on Instagram at the end of April, and the book I requested was Crawdads. Y’all have no idea how happy I am that this book is finally in my hands! As I’m sure many of you know, the hype for this book has been unreal and even months after its release, it’s still getting hyped. So you know it’s bound to be a great read, right? I’ve heard some say that they really didn’t like it, but mostly because they’re not fans of historical fiction, so I think it’s safe to say that I won’t find myself relating to them because I love historical fiction!

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

ARC Review: I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong

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Goodreads: I Spy the Boy Next Door
Publish date: 25 May 2019
Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Four p.m. spy sessions are the highlight of Mallory Taylor’s day. Observing the boy next door—one with a body and an attitude to match—has her perched beside her window so often it can’t be healthy.

When she finally convinces her mom to let her go to public school, Mallory comes face to face with her neighbor, Troy Parker. And he makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her. His rejection awakens a newfound tenacity and maybe even a touch of recklessness. But when Troy starts to show up when she needs him the most, Mallory can’t help but wonder if there’s more to him than he’s let on.

Taking chances, breaking rules, and following her heart is all new to Mallory. And no one warned her just how fickle hearts can be. When she discovers that Troy isn’t at all the guy she imagined him to be, secrets rise to the surface that will change her life forever.

When I first read the synopsis, I thought that it sounded like the perfect summer read. What’s not to love about a cute, young adult romance with a good girl and seemingly tough bad guy? It’s cheesy, cliched and sometimes, you just need a little ‘mindless’ fun to cleanse your palate after endless thrillers and heavier contemporary fiction reads. I was also intrigued that this was classified as both a mature young adult/new adult read. If I read this when I was in high school then maybe I would have loved it. As it is, I unfortunately didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped to. The plot felt all over the place and a key twist introduced towards the end surprised me but also left me feeling a little baffled/confused. There was so much going on here and I honestly don’t know where to start my review… The writing style, a mix of chat messages in between text, was easy and fun. This was a very light summer read that I think would be perfect for more mature young adults, probably in high school.

Having been homeschooled all her life, Mallory has led a sheltered life. After a kidnapping incident when she was a child, her parents become overprotective, so Mallory doesn’t have friends and is pretty naive. As a result of this incident, Mallory also frequently suffers from anxiety attacks. The highlight of the last five years has been getting to spy on her hot neighbour, Troy Parker. He rides a Harley, is completely tatted up, and has a body to thirst for, and Mallory basically lives for the moment she gets to watch him. When she’s in her last year of school, she manages to easily convinces her parents to let her go to public school so she can experience a normal student life. At school, she meets brooding Evie and exuberantly gay Jamie, and finally comes face-to-face with Troy, who is extremely hot/cold around her. Mallory also very quickly starts to become a wild child: sneaking out at night to go to illegal boxing matches, and wild house parties and getting completely wasted.

This is where things started to get really frustrating for me because it basically ended up being a book about Mallory’s obsession with Troy. I mean, I get it. I’ve been there too. I was a raging hormonal teenager who had all-consuming crushes that I couldn’t stop thinking about, and made me lose the ability to speak when they walked by; but I felt that this was next level cliche. I’m all for the cheese, but when Mallory describes how “Troy’s gaze pierces her and fills her soul with life”, it just got a bit too much for me. This was definitely steamier than most of the YA novels I’ve read (with the exception of SJM books) but the sexy scenes, and Mallory’s openly sexual thoughts, are the only reason this book could be qualified as NA. Otherwise, the characters were definitely way too YA.

I thought the characters also lacked depth–I wanted to know more about Jamie and Evie, and even about Mallory (beside her obsession). Her parents’ care and support was very sweet, although with how overprotective they were supposed to be, they very easily let her go and do her own thing, no questions asked. I got no hint of their overprotectiveness and paranoia, especially when Mallory was able to sneak out of her house the week of her first day of school? I also thought that the ‘plot twist’ really came from out of the blue. While I was pleasantly surprised by it, I was equally baffled about how this all made sense.

SPOILERS: one minute we’re deep into a love-story-obsession, and the next minute we get the FBI, witness protection, the Colombian drug cartel, a murderous rage born of jealousy, hundreds of thousands in hidden cash, and a shoot out. What?!

It was a little too far-fetched to be realistic, and I felt Armstrong really rushed the ending, trying to resolve everything in a very short amount of time. I personally thought that this book could have been much shorter than it was. There wasn’t much going on in the storyline until the end, and then it was like everything all at once. Overall, I had high hopes for this novel, but in the end it just wasn’t for me. Samantha Armstrong’s writing isn’t bad though, so I would maybe be interested to see what else she comes out with.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Does this sound like something you might be interested in reading? It was published 25 May, so keep an eye out for it in stores/online!

ARC Review: Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea

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Goodreads: Some Choose Darkness
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publish date: 28 May 2019
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Rating: ★★★★

A modern master of suspense, critically acclaimed author Charlie Donlea returns with a taut, gripping novel about the deadly secrets hiding in plain sight . . . 

The truth is easy to miss, even when it’s right in front of us. As a forensic reconstructionist, Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late father’s law office a week after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case come to life once more.

In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies and no clues behind—until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, whose unorthodox investigation skills appear to have led to his identity. But before police could question her, Angela disappeared. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder—the only crime the DA could pin on him. As a former client of her father’s, Rory becomes reluctantly involved with the killer—though he continues to insist he didn’t murder Angela. Now he wants Rory to do what her father once promised: prove that Angela is, in fact, still alive.

As Rory begins reconstructing Angela’s last days, another killer emerges from the shadows, replicating those long-ago murders. With every startling discovery she makes, Rory becomes more deeply entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell—and in The Thief’s tormented mind. Drawing connections between past and present is the only way to stop the nightmare, but even Rory can’t be prepared for the full, terrifying truth that is emerging

This was my first Charlie Donlea book and it had me questioning how on earth I was sleeping on his books before this. How is it that he wasn’t even on my radar?! Shook. But you can believe that I will be remedying this from now on because “Some Choose Darkness” was such a great read! It wasn’t that it was entirely unpredictable, but the suspense was kept high from the start, and the characters and storyline were engaging throughout. The story is told in alternating narratives, shifting from the past with Angela Mitchell and the present with Rory Moore, with some other character perspectives thrown in there at the start. Through Angela’s chapters we learn about how she discovered the identity of a serial killer known as The Thief in Chicago in 1979. With Rory’s chapters, we learn about how that past ties in with the present when her father passes away and his cases, one of which concerns The Thief who her father represented, gets passed on to her.

I really appreciated the fact that both Angela and Rory are characters on the spectrum and that being autistic was what really enabled Angela to discover the truth and what makes Rory so great at her job as a forensic reconstructor of cold cases. I can’t speak to the accuracy of how they’re portrayed, but I thought Donlea did a really good job of representing characters with autism and OCD. Reading Angela’s chapters often left me feeling itchy and restless and had my heart galloping so fast and I became so immersed in the mystery in Rory’s chapters. When it came to the “big reveal” of The Thief, Donlea kept me guessing until Angela’s most pressing discovery, when my jaw dropped in disbelief. I would have frozen cold and probably died if I had been in her shoes. I was so convinced it was someone else and the person it turned out to be wasn’t even on my radar to start with! The rest of the story was slightly predictable; I was able to easily guess about something significant to Rory’s character as I was reading, but that said, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.

I did think the ending was rushed and Rory’s actions didn’t make sense to me at all (personally, I thought it was completely out of her character), so that was a bit disappointing. To be honest, it was a little anticlimactic and very ‘easily done’. I also didn’t understand how the cold case Rory was initially involved in was relevant to the story. It did make a nice segue to a big part of Rory’s life and personal character, but mentions of it kept popping up throughout the story, and I never really understood why. Is Donlea going to continue Rory’s storyline as a forensic reconstructor? It would be interesting if he did and I’d definitely read a series with her in it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in reading? Keep your eyes open for when this book comes out on 28 May 2019.

#WWWWednesday: 22 May 2019

Dini @ dinipandareads2 Comments

Is it really only Wednesday? It feels a little like it should be Friday already, but this is probably the side effect of having my holiday end on Monday, instead of at the weekend. It’s only been a day since I’ve come back to the office and the struggle is really real, y’all. All I wanna do is go back to that poolside bed and get sunbaked with a book in one hand and an iced coffee in the other. It’s times like these I really question why I don’t read for a living? Lol.

But before I drift off into my dream world, it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

Since last week, I managed to finish reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang and Some Choose Darkness (e-ARC) by Charlie Donlea. I haven’t written my reviews for any of these yet, but hope to post one for Little Fires tomorrow (probably). I thoroughly enjoyed these reads though and they all received a 4/4.5 star rating from me! Little Fires Everywhere has been hyped a lot since last year and I was honestly scared to read it, but I’m so glad that my decision to take part in #APICelebrAsian / the #AsianReadathon pushed me to finally open it because I was impressed! I can’t wait to read more of her books and I’m so excited Little Fires is being made into a movie! The Bride Test was a fast, fun and super sexy read that I finished poolside while on holiday. Hoang won me over with The Kiss Quotient and she has done it again with The Bride Test! I loved the characters and the inclusiveness with characters on the spectrum. I loved the family relationships and the exploration of Asian (Vietnamese) culture and society. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a heart-fluttering feel-good read! My first finished ARC of the month, Some Choose Darkness was also my first Charlie Donlea read and it had me wondering how I hadn’t heard of him before because I loved it! While not entirely unpredictable, it still kept me on my toes and was fast-paced enough that I never felt bored. I devoured this and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! My full review for this will also (hopefully) be coming soon!

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Final Girls by Riley Sager. I have heard so much about his books on bookstagram over the last few months that I couldn’t resist buying this when I came across it at the bookstore last week. I started it by the pool last week, but put it down because of my buddy reads, but now that those are out of the way, I’m back on it! Because of my hectic schedule and staycation, as well as my inability to really plan reads, I’m still also reading The Wedding Planner (Whisper Woods #3) by Eve Devon and How to Find Love in A Bookshop by Veronica Henry. The pub date for The Wedding Planner has already come and gone (03 May), but I just can’t seem to get into the story. It’s honestly too confusing jumping in without knowing the backstory between the characters and pairings. I’m feeling iffy about this, but I’m going to speed read and push through because you know I hate to DNF! As for the bookshop, there’s definitely no rush and I’m going to take my time reading it and perhaps using it as a palate cleanser between the thrillers I’ll be reading!

What will you read next?

So. Many. ARCs. Ohmygoodness, I just crept onto NetGalley on my lunch break today and there are so many ARCs that I need to get to reading. Why is my ass so lazy and disorganized? Seriously. I send myself into a tailspin every single time I go on the site to check what books need to be read. But literally 90% of the books waiting for me are being/have been published in May! Here are some of the ones I have to read because the pub dates have already passed or are coming up quick: The Vanishing Season by Dotch Hutchinson (21 May), The Women by S.E. Lynes (HAPPY PUBDAY! 22 May), and I Spy The Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong (25 May). Welp. Why do I do this to myself again?

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these? If you’ve done a WWW Wednesday post today, leave your link in the comments below 🙂

ARC Review: Between You and These Bones by F.D. Soul

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Goodreads: Between You and these Bones
Publish Date: 14 May 2019
Genre: Poetry
Rating: ★★½☆☆☆

First of all, this cover and the title are simply beautiful. They are what made me pick up this collection in the first place because this is my first encounter with F.D. Soul, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book.

I wanted so much to love this poetry collection but I didn’t connect with the majority of the work. I’m not a heavy reader of poetry, I dabble here and there, so I don’t know if that was the cause of most of the words flying over my head. I did connect to some of them though; there were poems or certain lines in poems that would jump out at me and make me think “wow, this is so beautiful” and then I’d wish that I felt that way about the whole collection. Most of the ones that I connected with related to their experience of discovering love, finding home, and dealing with dark moments and fighting “that battle” (mental health, depression). I wished there was more that I connected to! The illustrations were beautiful and although there weren’t that many, I thought they illustrated the poems they were made for so well. While reading I was thinking that I could see these illustrations being made into tattoos because they’re not unlike ones I’ve already seen inked on skin. I could totally see myself getting one!

I don’t doubt that there will be many people out there who love these poems and feel connected to many of them. For me, this was a nice introduction to F.D. Soul’s work, and although I didn’t connect with many of them, I would still be curious to see what else they’ve made. I’ll definitely be checking out their social sites (@featherdownsoul).

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this free copy in exchange for an honest review. Are you a big fan of poetry? This collection comes out 14 May 2019, so be on the lookout if you’re curious!

ARC Review: Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

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Goodreads: Little Darlings
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publish date: 30 April 2019
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Supernatural Thriller
Rating: ★★★½

“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and Aimee Molloy’s The Perfect Mother.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things. A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley—to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies. Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.

Oh wow, this one really took me ages to read! I think I kind of psyched myself out of reading it because it’s a supernatural thriller and the supernatural isn’t really my jam. I had no clue when I read the blurb that it would have these elements, I honestly thought it would be about a woman who was suffering from postpartum depression or something along those lines. I don’t really see this as a thriller but perhaps more of folk tale inspired slow burn mystery. That said, I don’t think my apprehension to read this affected how I felt about the story. I didn’t dislike it, but it did fill me with a lot of anxiety, though I enjoyed the uncertainty of not knowing what was real and what wasn’t.

The story is told in alternating perspectives between Lauren and Detective Sergeant Joanna Harper. Harper’s POV was pretty much standard police procedure and detective work, although there was a lot of personal conflict with her character. She felt pity for Lauren but also understood her situation as a mother, which led her to taking the leap and believing something that should’ve been completely ridiculous. Ultimately though it was for the wrong reasons and only added to make the situation worse.

Lauren’s anguish, depression and loneliness was palpable throughout the book. It left me feeling anxious about what would happen next, and sad for her character and what she was going through. My least favorite character in this novel was her husband, Patrick, who was honestly such a weak and spineless man; I wanted to push him off a cliff with how patronizing and selfish he was! To be honest though, since we only saw his character through Lauren’s eyes, I wasn’t sure whether he was really like that or if it what we saw was clouded by Lauren’s depression and mania.

Perhaps the reason why I didn’t absolutely love this story was because I don’t have children, and at this point in my life, I’m leaning towards not having any of my own. This story is fully about a mother’s love for her children and her willingness to do just about anything to get them back, and I couldn’t really connect with that anguish and desperation. While I’m not saying that it’s necessary to have children to understand the intensity of this novel and Lauren’s character, I think it definitely helps to connect with it.

I thought this was a fairly well-paced mystery, although certain parts in the middle really slowed it down for me and got boring. I liked how every chapter began with excerpts from various folk tales–it definitely added to the creepy supernatural vibe of the story. I will also admit that this was a lot less creepy than I thought, although many things to do with babies and the supernatural kind of freak me out in general 🙂 There ended up being quite a lot of elements in this story and at first I was wondering how Golding would tie it all together, especially when a new one was introduced so late in the book; but while the climax was slightly unrealistic, this was inspired by a folk tale so it fit with the overall story arc. One thing I will say is that this novel kept me guessing throughout and although I knew none of it could be real, I still couldn’t help but wondering “what if“. Overall, I’m impressed with how Melanie Golding packaged everything for a satisfying, if not slightly sad, conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free copy in exchange for a free copy. This book was published on 30 April 2019.

First Impression Friday & Friday 56 w/ Little Darlings (ARC)

Dini @ dinipandareads1 Comment

There’s a brand new meme hosted by JW Martin called First Impression Friday! It sounded like a fun way to reflect on a new book, so I thought I’d play along! Here’s what it’s about:

First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther.Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end. Did you think you’d love and ended up hating it? Or did you think you’d hate it and wound up loving it? Or were you exactly right?

I started Little Darlings (ARC) by Melanie Golding during my lunch break today and by the time lunch ended I got to about 5%. I won’t be continuing this tonight as I’ll be waiting for the sun to guide me through what I feel will be a fairly dark and creepy read! I’ve probably mentioned this a few times by now but supernatural thrillers are not my thing. I have an insanely wild imagination that gets away with me, so I like to stay away from things that I know will easily induce nightmares. However, when I requested this on NetGalley, I didn’t actually realize it had supernatural elements (otherwise I would’ve stayed far away, duh). My first impression: there’s a sinister air that hangs over the story from the beginning. I feel that Lauren Tranter might give me anxiety but also frustrate me, her thoughts so far remind me a little bit of a the mother’s nightmares from The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent. I think I will end up giving this read a ★★★½☆☆ but I could end up surprising myself and really love it by the end. Anything can happen!

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda @Freda’s Voice, with the rules as followed:

– Grab a book, any book.
– Turn to page 56 or 56% on your eReader/book.
– Find any sentence (or a few, just don’t spoil it) that grab you.
– Post it.
– Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It’s that simple

Doctor Summer followed Patrick into the corridor. As the door to the therapy room was closed and locked behind them by the nurse, the doctor peered at each boy in turn, giving them a little squeeze.

56%, Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

What are you currently reading? Have you done a First Impression Friday or The Friday 56 post? Leave a link in the comments and let’s chat books 🙂

#MiniReviews Monday with A Lost Man, A Summer Friendship & Naughty Princesses!

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In several attempts to get over my two-book hangover, I actually finished and started a few books over the last few days. These “palate cleansers” took a few days for me to get through but as we’re starting a brand new week, I think my being is finally ready to move on from the outback!

The Lost Man by Jane Harper – ★★★★.5☆

Honestly, this deserves more than a mini-review and I’ll probably post my full review later on in the week, but to cut to the chase: Jane Harper also stole my heart with this story (hence the two-book hangover). This was another slow burn mystery set in the outback and that was just as atmospheric as her debut–the rich imagery put me right back in the unforgiving heat where I lost myself completely to this story. CW: physical and sexual abuse. The Bright family was full of complex characters that were endearing, frustrating and terrifying. My theories about whodunit were (of course) dead wrong but it only served to make the reveals a surprising whirlwind that delighted me when it all finally clicked. I also found myself delighted to stumble across a connection between the characters in The Dry and for a short flashback, we got to revisit Kiewarra and learn more about a family there. Harper did a fantastic job bringing all the elements together and the final scene, although maybe a little too easily resolved, left me feeling hopeful about second chances and a fresh start for the Bright family.

The Goodbye Summer (ARC) by Sarah Van Name – ★★★☆☆

I will be posting my full review later this week closer to the publication date (01 May 2019). I think this is the first YA novel I’ve read in a while where I can say that I get people who say they no longer read YA because it’s just not targeted to them. While I didn’t dislike it, I know I would’ve enjoyed the story much more had I read this in middle/high school. This was very character driven but I unfortunately found myself feeling frustrated with Caroline, the MC, more than anything else. I did enjoy the blossoming summer turned lifetime friendship between Caroline and Georgia. It was a solid, supporting and positive relationship that changed the MC for the better, and her obvious growth as a result was satisfying to witness. That said, the pace was slow and I thought how it was written made this better suited to be a TV show rather than a book. Despite the pace, this was a fairly short read that I’m sure many young adults will be able to enjoy and perhaps relate to!

The Naughty Princess Club (Series) by Tara Sivec – ★★★★☆ (Overall)

At the Stroke of Midnight (Book 1) was the first book I picked up after finishing both Jane Harper’s novel and I honestly couldn’t have picked a more different book if I tried! 😂 It really took awhile for me to get into the story and I almost stopped at one point, but I’m so glad that I pushed through because I ended up loving this series! The books were super sexy, romantic, funny and actually very empowering. It was great to read about Cindy, Ariel and Belle, as they worked hard to get themselves out of their “men-made funks” by starting a home stripping business called The Naughty Princess Club. I loved their friendship and how they supported each other throughout the series and their close bond reminded me of what I have with my besties. Sure, it was a bit cheesy at times but it had me breaking out in belly-aching laughs so often and made me feel lighter after each book ended! If I had to pick a favorite of the three it’d have to be Kiss the Girl (Book 3) about Ariel (obviously), even though she was actually my least favorite character at the start. I related the most with her issues, but I also really loved the sweet, easy-going and supportive relationship between her and Eric! Fair warning though: if you’re into steamy reads, this series isn’t for you!

Hope you enjoyed my mini-reviews! Have you read any of these? I hope you’re having a great/good Monday wherever you are in the world!

ARC Review: Don’t Even Breathe by Keith Haughton

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Goodreads: Don’t Even Breathe
Publish date: 18 April 2019
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak has seen hundreds of brutal murder cases, but when she is called out to investigate the charred remains of a young woman, in what appears to be a Halloween prank gone wrong, she is confronted with a twenty-year-old secret. The body is formally identified as that of school counselor Dana Cullen, but a distinguishing mark makes Maggie look again. She believes it is the body of her school friend Rita, who perished in a fire twenty years ago. Maggie’s hunt for the truth behind the murder takes her back to a cruel high school trick she’s desperate to forget. And when another body turns up, Maggie realizes she too may be the target of a sinister plot creeping toward its final act. Maggie needs emotional distance to do her job, but she’s so close to this case that she can’t even breathe. Will Maggie be able to uncover the truth of who wanted Rita dead? Or will her past mistakes catch up with her first?

Don’t Even Breathe was more of a slow burn murder mystery than a fast paced thriller. I don’t know if I would even consider this a thriller but the element of mystery was thick throughout the whole novel. The writing style was simple but engaging and it hooked me in from the first chapter; however, Maggie’s narrative was filled with heavy introspection that often times brought the pace down to a crawl. From the beginning, you get the sense that the plot is more complex than what it seems on the surface, and I was constantly left wondering how the different storylines would tie in together.

Maggie’s character was very intense. She was a typical detective, strong and determined with her focus reserved solely for work, and who allowed herself little to no time for a social life. While I found most of her relationships–whether with her boyfriend or father–to be strained and a little detached, I really enjoyed her partnership with Loomis and I thought they made a great team. His character brought a welcome levity to the story and I looked forward to the more active scenes that involved him, and less of Maggie’s inner dialogue. For much of the novel, there were hints of a terrible incident in her teen years that changed everything in her life and was (what she believed to be) the cause of all the ensuing devastation. This was so built up that when the incident was explained, I was disappointed with its execution–it was vague and patchy and fell short of my expectations.

I don’t know if I was entirely convinced of her detective work, it seemed that half the time a second party would be filling in the blanks and connecting the dots for her. But what I found most surprising (and a little irritating) was that, for as great a detective as she was claimed to be, she didn’t realize how her theory of ‘whodunit’ made very little sense. Everything clicked for me at the 80% mark and although the showdown itself felt a bit rushed, I thought Keith Houghton did a good job pulling it all together for a reveal that was a little surprising but not entirely unpredictable. It’s a good lesson in how certain acts in high school, particularly related to bullying, can spread its poison well into adulthood.

This was my first read by Keith Houghton and while it was filled with the typical elements of a detective murder mystery, I enjoyed it enough to be want to pick up another of his books. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers Thomas & Mercer for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

Does “Don’t Even Breathe” sound like a book you’d be interested in reading? It’s out on 18 April 2019 so be on the lookout for that awesome cover!