20 years ago a carefree, teenage game in an abandoned cannery warehouse turns deadly. The group of teenagers were supposed to be shooting pellet guns, no one was supposed to get hurt. So how did Luke end up dead?

His half-sister, Rachel, was initially blamed for the shooting but with no gun shot residue evident on her hands the case never made it far. Although she was never found guilty, Rachel has lived with the guilt of Luke's death for the last 20 years. With no one held accountable, that night remains filled with unanswered questions. How did Luke end up shot by a real gun? Who killed him and why?

On the 20th anniversary of Luke's death things begin to take an eerie turn for everyone who was in the warehouse on the night of his death. Witnesses are suddenly found dead, killed in a brutal manner. Rachel's house is vandalized, she receives eerie texts from an unknown number and can't help but feel as if she's being watched all the time. Is she being paranoid or is someone out to even the score for Luke's death all those years ago?

Paranoid is a tale of secrets, lies, paranoia, guilt and ultimately revenge. Although I was fully engaged with the story from the beginning, I was able to figure out the current timeline's culprit very early on. That had me feeling a little disappointed but then Jackson completely threw me with the past timeline's whodunnit! I definitely hadn't figured out the who and why surrounding Luke's death and was pleasantly surprised by that twist! It actually took my rating from 3 to 4 stars!

Thank you to Lisa Jackson, Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review an arc of this thriller! If you're looking for a fast-paced, exciting thriller definitely pick this one up.

How exciting is it that this book is being made into a movie!!! 🙌🏼 I’m definitely excited for it! 😁

4 It PIERCED me right in the HEART stars for Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us!

This book evoked so many feelings in me. It is the kind of book you want to press into the hands of all the women you love and beg them to simply read. I went into the book having forgotten what it about and that turned out to be a blessing. My blissfully unaware heart was captured, enamored, confused, broken and ultimately filled with hope that sometimes if you "just keep swimming", things can change and be better than you dared hope.

"All humans make mistakes. What determines a person's character aren't the mistakes we make. It's how we take those mistakes and turn them into lessons rather than excuses."

This book deals with heavy subject matter and it does so with heart. Lily is the kind of character that you immediately find relatable. You are drawn in to her life and easily succumb to her story. Hoover expertly penned this tale. I was feeling the giddy-headedness of new love and then whoosh! I had the literal rug pulled right out from under me! I was in tears! CoHo, why do you do this to me? I swear it felt like everything Lily was going through was happening to my best friend. I was an emotional mess.

"Cycles exist because they are excruciating to break. It takes an astronomic; amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern. Sometimes it seems easier to just keep running in the same familiar circles, rather than facing the fear of jumping and possibly not landing on your feet."

I love how the story unfolded between Lily's present and her journals enlightening us on her past. Those journal entries were some of my favorite parts of the story. When past and present connect - magic! I was proud of Lily and her choices for both herself and her daughter. The promise made at the end between mother and daughter - the ugly cry tears were flowing!

The author's note explains a lot - don't skip it. This was truly written straight from Hoover's heart. My advice - give it a chance to work its way into yours.

4 Adorable, Rom-Com Dream Come True Stars!

You guys, I devoured this book in 1 sitting in the span of a few hours! Was it predictable and full of rom-com cliches - Yes! Yes it was! AND that's why I totally loved it. It was a perfect light-hearted, escape from reality. Is life anything like a rom-com? Absolutely not, which is why so many of us love them so much. Isn't it nice to gush over a meet-cute, know the banter between the main characters is obviously flirting before they know it, survive that misunderstood, plot twist moment where it can all come crashing down only to live happily ever after. I don't know about you but I need a little of that in my life every now & then and friends Waiting for Tom Hanks delivered it all and then some.

I found the side cast of characters enjoyable and the references to some of my all time fave rom-com movies were such a plus! See Annie is obsessed with her life being like a rom-com, which in reality would be pretty delusional but come on - this is a fun book and honestly, who hasn't fantasized about their life taking on a rom-comesque (I totally made that up but it should totally be a word!) or fairytale ending once or let's be real - a few hundred times. 🤣 It can't just be me! Right?!

So thank you Kerry Winfrey for the great escape you provided me with your book. I honestly can't wait to read Nick & Chloe's story in Not Like the Movies. 💖

What a CRAZY, frantic, page-turning ride! Michele Campbell hooks you from page 1 and never lets go!

Caroline Stark seems to have it all - a gorgeous new beach house, a successful husband and a daughter headed to college. Now it's finally time to focus on herself and revive her career. What better way than to throw a lavish party and re-announce yourself to the world - bigger, bolder and ready for the future?

Unfortunately, Caroline's perfect life is far from perfect. In fact, the shiny surface is riddled with cracks and they get wider with every turn of the page!

I refuse to give away too much here. This is the perfect book to just jump right into and enjoy the ride. You are in for one juicy, spine tingling, creepy filled treat with this one!

Thank you to Michele Campbell, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an arc of this thriller.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Dating was cute, funny and addictive with a side of steaminess!

Hazel is eccentric and unapologetically louder than life and true to herself. She was a breathe of fresh air and laugh out loud funny. There were times her antics felt a bit over the top but it worked to showcase how self-assured and content she was with herself. She was not changing for those around her. You simply had to accept her and love her for who she was. Those lucky enough to do so were rewarded with an amazing and fiercely loyal woman in their lives.

Josh was Hazel's opposite - grounded, low-key but just as loyal. He saw Hazel for who she was and not only accepted her but loved her for it. Their friendship was adorable and of course meant to be more. I loved how it evolved as they started fixing each other up on dates. There were so many hilarious moments. I honestly think I at least smiled (when not outright laughing) while reading this entire book.

If you are looking for a witty, fun and romantic read - look no further! Grab this one and enjoy!

Deviate totally lived up to my expectations! Now to await Book #3. How fast can you write Jay Kristoff?

Holy Steamy, Explicit Sex Scenes! Do NOT let that cutesy cover fool you,

A compelling and emotional thriller!

This book took a positive turn for me after book 2. I really enjoyed Mercedes' POV - she's such a strong character. Dot Hutchinson breathes so much life and emotion into her characters. You can't help but get caught up in the case right along with them.

*The storyline was graphic and involved children who suffered abuse and/or neglect at the hands of their parents which isn't easy to read about so it's definitely important to go in knowing that for sensitive readers.

So this one was (maybe) a 3.5 ⭐️ read for me. It took me almost 2 weeks to finish this 500+ page family saga. If I'm to be honest I found myself bored at times and absolutely enthralled at others. There were times when I put the book down and read another book in its entirety before picking this one back up. Yet, I felt compelled to see it through and finish. I could see glimpses of myself in Marilyn and that was one of the main reasons why I continued turning the pages.

The Sorenson family was messy, full of both heartache and triumph and quite relatable in their interactions. If family drama is your thing - this one will pull you right in.

"By whispering, whose secrets were we keeping anyway - ours or theirs? Whose interests did our silence ultimately protect?... we grew tired of whispering because what were we hiding, after all? We had stories, all of us. Would speaking up cost us? Maybe. But maybe it would cost them, too."

So while this book definitely speaks to an important and timely issue for women, I simply did not love how it was executed here. It's billed as a thriller that is part murder mystery and part manifesto - it is not. If you go into this expecting a thriller, you will be disappointed by the execution - in my opinion, it doesn't live up to the genre. I'd definitely classify this more as women's fiction with a whodunnit death thrown in.

Unfortunately, I had a hard time with this book. The characters never fully resonated with me and I kept putting the book down in favor of others I was reading. The Whisper Network definitely has a slow-burn build up and I'm generally not a fan of those. I did enjoy the end and despite having some thoughts on it, I didn't have the whodunnit figured out exactly which I appreciated. Still, the book was overall just an okay read for me. While I appreciate Chandler Baker's intentions (definitely read the author's note) and her desire to be a voice for women and support the brave women who have stopped whispering this is not a book I'd wholeheartedly recommend to friends or try to thrust in a fellow reader's hands.