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bernluvsbooks
4 surprisingly sinister stars for Good Girls Lie
A thriller set within an exclusive all girls boarding school? I'm so in! There's just something about sneaky, catty girls and sinister happenings that I find irresistible. Mix in some bad behavior, sexual surprises, secret societies, hazing and yes - murder and you have quite the page turner.
The book starts off with an unforgettable death scene that pulls you right in and and will have you needing to know what happened.
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A thriller set within an exclusive all girls boarding school? I'm so in! There's just something about sneaky, catty girls and sinister happenings that I find irresistible. Mix in some bad behavior, sexual surprises, secret societies, hazing and yes - murder and you have quite the page turner.
The book starts off with an unforgettable death scene that pulls you right in and and will have you needing to know what happened.
“
5 Hauntingly Beautiful, Riveting and Completely Devastating Stars for The Grace Year ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Full RTC but if you haven’t read this one - don’t waste another second - add it to your TBR
3.5 Alternating Timelines & Secrets Filled Stars (rounded up) for Recipe for a Perfect Wife
Told in alternating timelines Recipe for a Perfect Wife, tells the stories of dissatisfied wife Alice Hale who has given up a career in publicity to be a writer upon relocating with her husband to the suburbs.
Upon discovering a vintage cookbook buried in a box in her new home's basement, Alice becomes captivated by the cookbook’s previous owner--1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook’s pages Nellie left clues about her life--including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother.
While the recipes seem harmless Nellie's secrets appear to be anything but. Alice uncovers a sinister side to Nellie’s marriage as she faces mounting pressures in her own relationship. Their marriage has become one in which the truth is an inner monologue with so much left unsaid. I struggled with Alice's character and many of her actions (hence the lower rating) but I was absolutely taken with Nellie and her backstory.
I was intrigued by this book's format including (antiquated and at times laugh out loud hilarious) advice to women from 19th century publications. We’ve come a long way since then, yet many of our battles remain the same don’t they? Finally, the recipes - what a treat! Some of them made me roll my eyes in disgust while thinking, who would want to eat that? Others, I admit had me curious to try and see how they'd fare.
Overall, the plot was predictable and a bit cliche (I think that was the point though) but it was an entertaining read.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Dutton and Penguin Publishing Group for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.
Told in alternating timelines Recipe for a Perfect Wife, tells the stories of dissatisfied wife Alice Hale who has given up a career in publicity to be a writer upon relocating with her husband to the suburbs.
Upon discovering a vintage cookbook buried in a box in her new home's basement, Alice becomes captivated by the cookbook’s previous owner--1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook’s pages Nellie left clues about her life--including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother.
While the recipes seem harmless Nellie's secrets appear to be anything but. Alice uncovers a sinister side to Nellie’s marriage as she faces mounting pressures in her own relationship. Their marriage has become one in which the truth is an inner monologue with so much left unsaid. I struggled with Alice's character and many of her actions (hence the lower rating) but I was absolutely taken with Nellie and her backstory.
I was intrigued by this book's format including (antiquated and at times laugh out loud hilarious) advice to women from 19th century publications. We’ve come a long way since then, yet many of our battles remain the same don’t they? Finally, the recipes - what a treat! Some of them made me roll my eyes in disgust while thinking, who would want to eat that? Others, I admit had me curious to try and see how they'd fare.
Overall, the plot was predictable and a bit cliche (I think that was the point though) but it was an entertaining read.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Dutton and Penguin Publishing Group for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.
A stunning cover, an unsolved mystery and a motel harboring both secrets and ghosts = another winning read by Simone St. James!
I absolutely devoured this book and with good reason. Once you start reading, you just can't stop! It's such a page turner!!! Simone St. James has captured all those creepy thoughts we all have about those roadside, seedy looking motels and turned things ALL the way up. Talk about a place you want to run far away from!
The story is told via 2 POVs. The past - it's 1982 and Viv Delaney has dreams of making it in NY as an actress but she ends up in Fell as a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. What starts out as a temporary stop ends up being the last place anyone ever sees her. One night she simply vanishes and her family never hear from her again. The present - Viv's niece Carly is drawn to Fell after the death of her mother. She is determined to find out what happened to her aunt Viv. The two stories mesh together, to reveal the truth of the Sound Down Motel.
I love how St. James weaves ghosts into her stories and this one was really well done. It added such a spooky element to the storyline and a great twist to the mystery. This story was totally up my alley - a 80s vibe, creepy motel with ghosts and spooky happenings, a Nancy Drew-esque vibe with the main characters and it even had a hot guy! Needless to say, I enjoyed this so much! A highly recommended read for my fellow mystery and thriller fans.
Thank you Simone St. James, Berkley & Penguin Publishing and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this arc. All thoughts are completely my own.
I absolutely devoured this book and with good reason. Once you start reading, you just can't stop! It's such a page turner!!! Simone St. James has captured all those creepy thoughts we all have about those roadside, seedy looking motels and turned things ALL the way up. Talk about a place you want to run far away from!
The story is told via 2 POVs. The past - it's 1982 and Viv Delaney has dreams of making it in NY as an actress but she ends up in Fell as a night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. What starts out as a temporary stop ends up being the last place anyone ever sees her. One night she simply vanishes and her family never hear from her again. The present - Viv's niece Carly is drawn to Fell after the death of her mother. She is determined to find out what happened to her aunt Viv. The two stories mesh together, to reveal the truth of the Sound Down Motel.
I love how St. James weaves ghosts into her stories and this one was really well done. It added such a spooky element to the storyline and a great twist to the mystery. This story was totally up my alley - a 80s vibe, creepy motel with ghosts and spooky happenings, a Nancy Drew-esque vibe with the main characters and it even had a hot guy! Needless to say, I enjoyed this so much! A highly recommended read for my fellow mystery and thriller fans.
Thank you Simone St. James, Berkley & Penguin Publishing and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read this arc. All thoughts are completely my own.
3 Creepy, Disturbing and Left Me Off-Kilter Stars
At the age of 25, Libby learns she has inherited a house. Not just any house, but a mansion in Chelsea that is worth millions. The house has been vacant for the past 24 years, ever since her parents killed themselves and left her to be found. The police were never able to piece together exactly what happened in the house or what happened to the other people, including her siblings, rumored to have also been living in the house.
Told via multiple, alternating narratives, the mystery unfolds to reveal Libby's tragic family history. I enjoyed the different perspectives, told in quick, alternating chapters. Though I must admit I was thrown at times and had to take a moment to figure out which time period I was reading about - past or present.
The vibe of the book was creepy and sinister which I always appreciate but I found most of the characters to be unlikeable and none of the twists surprised me which unfortunately kept this one from being a higher rating for me. I enjoyed it. I just didn't love it.
Thanks to Lisa Jewell, Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
At the age of 25, Libby learns she has inherited a house. Not just any house, but a mansion in Chelsea that is worth millions. The house has been vacant for the past 24 years, ever since her parents killed themselves and left her to be found. The police were never able to piece together exactly what happened in the house or what happened to the other people, including her siblings, rumored to have also been living in the house.
Told via multiple, alternating narratives, the mystery unfolds to reveal Libby's tragic family history. I enjoyed the different perspectives, told in quick, alternating chapters. Though I must admit I was thrown at times and had to take a moment to figure out which time period I was reading about - past or present.
The vibe of the book was creepy and sinister which I always appreciate but I found most of the characters to be unlikeable and none of the twists surprised me which unfortunately kept this one from being a higher rating for me. I enjoyed it. I just didn't love it.
Thanks to Lisa Jewell, Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5 Stars - A real pulse racing, page-turner
"We were, for whatever reason, the lucky ones who survived when no one else had. Pretty girls covered in blood. As such, we were each in turn treated like something rare and exotic. A beautiful bird that spreads its bright wings only once a decade."
Ten years ago, Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and ended up part of a small group of girls dubbed by the press as the Final Girls: the only ones left standing after a horrific horror-movie style massacre.
There are 3 Final Girls: Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a deranged dropout with a knife; Sam, who survived an attack by the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and Quincy.
Quincy can’t recall the events of that night, which is one of the main reasons she has been able to live a somewhat normal life. Until Lisa is found dead and Sam mysteriously appears in Quincy’s life full of dares and secrets. Sam is intent on making Quincy remember the details of that horrific night, the question is...
"We were, for whatever reason, the lucky ones who survived when no one else had. Pretty girls covered in blood. As such, we were each in turn treated like something rare and exotic. A beautiful bird that spreads its bright wings only once a decade."
Ten years ago, Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and ended up part of a small group of girls dubbed by the press as the Final Girls: the only ones left standing after a horrific horror-movie style massacre.
There are 3 Final Girls: Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a deranged dropout with a knife; Sam, who survived an attack by the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and Quincy.
Quincy can’t recall the events of that night, which is one of the main reasons she has been able to live a somewhat normal life. Until Lisa is found dead and Sam mysteriously appears in Quincy’s life full of dares and secrets. Sam is intent on making Quincy remember the details of that horrific night, the question is...