bookshelfbytori's Reviews (66)

 How to Survive a Horror Story? The title has me hooked! The premise? Tantalizing, especially for those that enjoy horror and all its tropes. Mortimer Queen, a legendary horror author, has just passed. For the reading of his will, a group of other horror authors are invited to his eerie estate, Queen Manor. Each author is convinced Mortimer left them each something from his fortune and they are all too eager to get their hands on it. Unbeknownst to them, Mortimer had other plans. They find themselves trapped in a game of riddles. Each room will present them with clues and if they solve the riddle, they survive. But if they fail, the house will choose someone at random that will perish. Because as it turns out, the estate was built on a cemetery and like any true horror story, the ghosts are clamoring to get their hands on the living. 

This locked-room-meets-haunted-house thriller will give you all the chills and thrills of a blockbuster horror movie during Halloween. Told through seven POVs, this is a tense, creepy (and fun) story with sharp twists and turns that will have hungrily devouring every last bite. I loved the concept for this novel and do believe this could’ve given The Fall of the House of Usher vibes if it had been fleshed out a little more. How to Survive a Horror Story is a clever and creative take on revenge. 

If you’re looking for a popcorn thriller with horror vibes, pick this up on July 8th! 

 

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my eARC! 

Originally posted to BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

If you know me, you know I love thrillers with a heavy spoonful of horror that leave you feeling unnerved and edgy – in the best way. The Farmhouse did just that for me. This is an eerie story about a woman, named Emily, who just moved onto a rural farm in Nebraska with her husband, Josh, trying to escape her past. This is Emily’s dream, having wide open spaces and no neighbors for miles, but it quickly turns into a nightmare. 

Strange things start happening, specifically related to the dilapidated barn on their property. During Emily’s insomnia episodes, she notices her mother’s favorite songs playing loudly from the barn and the light turning on. When she goes running, she starts counting the steps it takes to get to the barn, convinced it is haunting her by moving closer to the house. Emily is starting to feel claustrophobic and alone because Josh doesn’t believe her. Now Emily is on a mission to find out the truth about why this farm was for sale in the first place. 

Three years prior, the teenage girl that lived on the farm vanished without a trace then her mother unexpectedly died. As Emily digs deeper into the farm’s history, she starts to unearth secrets that have been long buried. In this ghostly, twisted, gritty speculative thriller, Conradt draws you in with this chilling page turner that crawls under your skin and stays there. You’ll be questioning your own reality and start to wonder, what if the past really could haunt the present? I highly recommend curling up on the couch on a dark, dreary day to read this atmospheric debut thriller by Conradt. 

Thank you Sourcebooks Poisoned Press and Hamptons Whodunit for my ARC! 

Originally posted to BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

 The Lake Escape is a summer thriller that promises the perfect lake vacation vibes: sun, swimming, fun, and a little bit of nostalgia. Set at a gorgeous lake in Vermont, Julia, Erika, and David, meet for their annual 2-week vacation. What they don’t anticipate is David’s girlfriend going missing. Lake Timmeny has a mysterious past – two women have disappeared 30 years apart and now another woman disappeared without a trace. 

As the suspense builds, the story unfolds revealing secrets, lies, and jaw-dropping twists. Day skillfully uses multiple POVs to allow you to see different aspects of the story and how complex each person really is. Unfortunately, I thought this story was confusing and had too much going on. The twists seemed forced and rushed at the end. I also didn’t understand why no one was concerned about Fiona going missing. While this was an enjoyable read, the last third of the book was tough for me to get through. 

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my eARC! 

 This was one of my most anticipated books of the year because Peter Swanson is one of my favorite authors. I could not wait to get my hands on this book! Luckily for me, I acquired a copy at Hamptons Whodunit from William Morrow! So, thank you for my ARC! 

Thom and Wendy Graves have been together for decades, currently living in their dream home on the north shore of Massachusetts. Their lives are going well, albeit a little boring. Thom works at the university teaching English Lit, Wendy is a published poet, and their son is all grown up and moved out. What more could they want? Well, Wendy has this nagging feeling that she wants to murder her husband. 

This is the story of how Wendy and Thom got to this point in 2022. Told backwards leading all the way to their first meeting as kids in 1982. This was such a clever take on the demise of a marriage recounting the instances and secrets that have defined their lives. This is a slow burn but the intrigue of Wendy as a brilliant, competent, and devious woman will keep you turning the pages. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss some key details. I thoroughly enjoyed this and audibly gasped during the last chapter then almost threw the book across the room. 

I’ll continue to read everything Peter Swanson writes!! Remember, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. OUT NOW! 

Originally posted to BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

 My favorite way to read a book is on the beach, in the sun, listening to the waves crash on the shore with a refreshing drink by my side. Saltwater has the perfect vibes for just that! It starts out with a newspaper clip from 1992 recounting the death of Sarah Lingate, a playwright that married into the wealthy Lingate family. Sarah was found off the coast of Capri, an island in Italy, where her family was vacationing. Sarah leaves behind her toddler, Helen, and husband, Richard. Her death was ruled an accident, but the community is convinced the Lingate family had something to do with her suspicious death. Fortunately for the Lingates, there is nothing to prove otherwise. 

Thirty years later, Helen is an adult and is unable to get out from under her family’s thumb. She feels suffocated by their rules being unable to live her life the way she wants. She promises the trip to Capri this year will be different because she has made a friend, Lorna, who happens to be the personal assistant to Helen’s Uncle Marcus. When they arrive on the island, Sarah’s long-lost necklace is mailed to the house, which begs the question: who sent it and why? 

Saltwater is a captivating, intense, twisty psychological thriller that will have you salivating for more. This book has everything you want: rich people behaving badly, secrets, lies, and, of course, murder. Hays tells this story through multiple POVs, which allows you to truly see who the characters are. Each character is complicated and morally gray with some bordering on villainous. The Lingate family, who radiate blatant arrogance and avarice, is not a family I would want to be renounced by. I suggest you put this book at the top of your TBR because it is an unguessable game with twists that will give you whiplash in the best way! 

Originally posted to BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

So Happy Together by Olivia Worley 

3.5 out of 5 Stars 

Jane, a 24-year-old playwright and hopeless romantic, falls in love with Colin after meeting him through a dating app. She can’t believe how lucky she is to have found the love of her life until he breaks things off after six dates. Jane is convinced that they are meant to be, and she will stop at nothing to get him back. It doesn’t matter that Colin now has a girlfriend, Zoe, who is perfect. Jane befriends Zoe and becomes a permanent fixture in Colin’s life to prove she is the one for him. Even when Jane breaks into Colin’s apartment and uncovers his dark secret, she is determined to prove to him she will love him through everything, for better or for worse, through secrets and lies, and especially in death. 

This book was brilliant because I had trouble differentiating between reality and fiction. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Michelle H. Lee and she did such a wonderful job immersing me in the story that I had to remind myself Jane was not a real person that I am friends with. Though, don’t be fooled, this is a thriller that will have you guessing until the very end. Worley’s creates a story that is tense, suspenseful, and compelling. I devoured this and if you’re looking for something unhinged this summer, look no further! 

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC! 

Originally posted to BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

 Their Double Lives by Jaime Lynn Hendricks 

4 out of 5 stars 

Everyone here knows that my dog, Luna, is my reading buddy and best friend. She’s a happy go-lucky pup that loves long walks, delicious food, and the occasional ball (except you can’t have it to throw for her). I’d love to say she’s also super smart – like majority of her breed – but she doesn’t have much going on behind those ears. Regardless, if Luna needed lifesaving surgery that I could not afford, I might do exactly what Kim Valva does. 

Kim Valva is a waitress at a country club that is going through it! Her boyfriend cheated on her, her social life is a disaster, and her goldendoodle, Murphy, needs surgery. One day she gets a package that could turn her luck around. A mysterious figure, calling themselves The Stranger, makes an offer she can’t refuse: put a pill in a new member’s drink and when he dies, she will have enough money to save Murphy. Unbeknownst to her, the target is her high school ex, Tony Fiore, and he’s with his fiancée, PJ Walsh. Kim couldn’t go through with it and vowed to find another way to help Murphy. Except, by the end of the evening, PJ is the one who ends up dead. 

I loved this game of cat and mouse and raced to the last page (by speeding up the audiobook). This book has it all: entertainment, comedy, murder, and so many twists your head will be spinning. Hendricks writes a well thought out premise through multiple POVs that draw you in for such a wild and addictive ride. I was fortunate enough to be provided with an ALC copy narrated by Emma Love, who does an AMAZING job! If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend getting this one! 

Thank you to Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for my ALC! 

Originally posted to BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

 This Stays Between Us by Sara Ochs 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

You’ll find I gravitate towards novels where the location, specifically tropical locations, is a big portion of the story. Thus, picking up Sara Ochs’ first novel, The Resort, was a no brainer for me as it was located on a remote island in Thailand and I loved it. When I heard Sara Ochs was writing another novel that would transport me to Australia, I couldn’t wait to read it! 

This Stays Between Us follows college students at a study abroad program like no other. For an entire month the students will travel through Australia experiencing everything it has to offer. It’s a dream come true, especially for Claire and her roommate/best friend, Phoebe. The student group quickly become friends partying night after night until Phoebe disappears. Ten years later, Pheobe’s body is found, and the Australian Police require them all to return to find out exactly what happened. 

This book immerses you in the Australian Outback with its stunning, but deadly, setting. The story progresses through multiple POVs, Claire’s in the present and Phoebe’s in the past, allowing you to see into their mindset. It is a slow-burning thriller that sizzles in the Australian heat with multiple morally gray characters that are bound by more than just an unforgettable study abroad experience. Each twist had me questioning who truly hurt Phoebe and just how far someone would go to keep their secrets buried. What was once a dream quickly turned into a nightmare. 

Don’t hesitate to pick up your copy on July 15th to find out what truly happened! 

Thank you Sourebooks and Netgalley for my ARCs! 

Originally posted on BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

 The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey 

4 out of 5 Stars 

About this time 2 years ago, I found my love for reading, again.  By the end of 2023, I read 50 books in less than 6 months and read every single day. I decided to join a book club, Thillers by the Book Club, and their pick for November 2023 was When I’m Dead by Hannah Morrissey. It was the third installment in the series, which meant I needed to start at the very beginning – Hello, Transcriber. I read all three books and thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Black Harbor. Thus, when The Unlucky Ones was announced, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. 

Sargeant Nikolai Kole is called to a homicide where the body of Tommy Greenlee is shot several times, wrapped in garbage bags then doused in bleach. His death as brings Hazel back to Black Harbor to find out what happened to her ex-husband and pulls her back into Kole’s orbit. With Black Harbor in shambles due violent crimes and drugs climbing to new heights, will Hazel be able to survive again 8 years later? 

The investigation into Tommy Greenlee’s gruesome murder takes place over 5 days through the multiple POVs of Kole and Hazel. Morrissey is able to pull you into Black Harbor by making the story come alive through raw and disturbing descriptions. The fast pace kept me quickly turning the pages as secrets and lies were unveiled. Overall, this book is dark, tense, and full of suspense (oh, that rhymes lol). If this is your first introduction into Black Harbor, I highly recommend starting at the beginning like I did as it will be a little difficult to follow without knowing the main characters.

Originally posted to BookshelfbyTori on Instagram! 

  The French Honeymoon by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau 

Taylor Quinn arrives in Paris, the City of Love, after hopping on a plane on a whim. She has no suitcase and no husband, but a honeymoon suite booked! Cassie and her gorgeous husband, OIivier, are actually on their honeymoon and seem to be enjoying every second of it. Thank goodness Cassie is documenting their every move making Taylor’s stalking efforts easy. Soon Taylor discovers that not everything is as it seems for the happy couple and sometimes, Paris is a terrible idea. 

The French Honeymoon captivated me from the beginning. Who doesn’t love a story of obsession, dysfunctional families, and most of all, forbidden love? Jouhanneau builds the tension by slowly revealing crazy drama between the three morally gray characters. This allows you to see their motivations that lead to manipulation and wild revenge plots that will keep you turning the page. Through multiple POVs, it is so easy to get caught up in these character’s lives because each one feels real, but incredibly twisted. 

How far would you go to get everything you ever wanted? 

Thank you to Hamptons Whodunit and Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau for my copy!! I absolutely love meeting you and cannot wait to read whatever you write next!