Wow did this effect me! Zack’s memoir is so powerful and so many things he said about his bipolar diagnosis was so relatable to me. I myself have bipolar II and when Zack describes his illness as a tornado off in the distance I was flabbergasted. The storm in the distance is a statement I’ve been making for years about my illness! If you have any sort of experience with mental illness or even trauma, you will relate to this touching personal memoir.

A classic piece of literature! Short and heartbreaking, the Maus books are perfect examples of important documents that need to be protected for all future readers. It’s a very quick read but it packs a punch! I recently had someone comment on my Bookstagram when I posted about this book and they said some horrible things. It’s sad that books like this one are being brutalized and hated. Maus is one more reason to protect banned books.

I find if I read WW2 era books every so often that I end up really enjoying them as palette cleansers. I read this on kindle and had been warned about how long it was, but it wasn’t until I finished it that I looked up the page total! This is a hunker! So be warned about that. And it’s not the most simple of contents so it tends to feel very long reading it.

I will give this book props for the multiple plot twists it had! I pretty much was surprised by all of them and didn’t see them coming. Although I felt lost most of the time when they mentioned the code breaking bits, I feel like you can still enjoy this book if those parts confuse you. I liked the mental institution/traitor plot line and that added to the suspense.

I read this book with the SoCal Story Swappers bookclub!

I guessed the plot twist!!! Oh no! This book would have gotten a way higher rating had I not clued in to the ending by page 20. Maybe it’s a me problem.😂 I did enjoy how fast paced this one was. Some of the POVs I preferred over others. I think that’s pretty normal though. Even though I guessed the ending, I did think the twist was original and very different than typical thriller arcs. The setting was great too and made this a “cozy” read.

I read this book with Thrillers by the Bookclub SoCal

I flew through this book! Written in a very simple, knowledgeable way, this book dives deeply into the lives of Charles, Diana, Harry, William, Kate and Meghan. I loved how the author chose to blend all their love stories together in a creative way. My only gripe with this book is that I could hear the bias from the author towards particular members of the family. I much more enjoy these types of books when it’s written neutrally.

I always know if a thriller stuck with me or not when I go back to review weeks later. This book just wasn’t for me. I don’t think it’s bad, and if you’re a fan of court room/legal thrillers this one might be a fave of yours. Those types of thrillers are not mine. I didn’t find the twist to be extra-ordinary. I think it was a tidy thriller but nothing to scream about. I don’t think I’d bother reading this author again.

This was a buddy read with Nicole @talklessreadmore on instagram

The book that got me out of my two month reading slump! Major trigger warnings for this book, which the author kindly places in the beginning of the book. Make sure to look those up.

Going into this book I knew some basic details such as it being a cult based book and very dark. Anything else I had no clue what to expect! If you know my reading habits, I love a very dark book! I’m not triggered by anything so I didn’t feel apprehensive about this book beforehand. The mix of dark sexual themes and general creepiness made me fly through this book. I kept picturing it as a movie too.

At thriller bookclub, we discussed this book thoroughly and I fully appreciated the feelings of my fellow bookclub members. Some felt the cult aspect of the book shouldn’t be marketed as thriller fiction and should only be shared as nonfiction. The damaging stories could diminish the seriousness of cults in our real world. I think that’s a great point! So if you decide to read this book, keep in mind the real cults that are out there and maybe give some time to research them.

I'm going to start this review by explaining that I read this book in the middle of an intense book slump! So I am not going to harshly judge this book.

While I didn't absolutely love this book, it did give me plenty of spooky vibes, which was appreciated for the fall season. I'm a sucker for cozy and spooky settings, and the snowy mountains in an old sanatorium is the perfect place to get creeped out. I didn't mind the characters and the plot was decent. A lot of it did seem very farfetched though. Not really believable. But if you're wanting a creepy book, this is a good one to start with. A pretty simplistic thriller.

This was a buddy read with @rilee_reads on instagram!

What a gutwrenching memoir! I give major props to McCurdy for her style of writing and the ability to share such difficult topics in her life. Major trigger warnings, so look those up! This memoir was such an easy and quick read, but that doesn't mean it wasn't written well and with skill. The topics weren't easy, I should say! As someone who didn't know much about Jennette besides maybe seeing a clip here or there of her character on iCarly, I appreciated this in depth look at her career thus far and family struggles. I kept googling information and pictures as I read this memoir, which I think helped add another layer to her life story. 

Ruth Ware is such a comfort author/read for me and so I always look forward to her new books. This was one of my most anticipated this year! I was a little weary of it being a dark academia setting since those types of books aren’t always my favorite. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the setting of this book though! Ruth Ware is always great at creating these cozy, spooky atmospheres and this book was no different. I read this book with my thriller bookclub and a lot of the other members enjoyed the past timeline in the multiple timeline of this book. I felt differently! I definitely preferred the present timeline since it was set in Scotland. I also liked the crime solving plot of the main character in the present timeline.

I was not able to guess the plot twist and that was a good thing. I think any of the characters in the book could have been the “murderer”. I really had no issues with this book, but I just didn’t fall head over heels with the plot. It reminded me a lot of The Maidens and They Never Learn.