katiethebookvirgo's Reviews (419)

I’ve never read from this author before, but I enjoyed her writing style and I would like to read a backlist title. This was an atmospheric fast paced mystery thriller, about a young girl who goes missing and family members try to solve the mystery of what happened to her.  I thought the characters were written very well in this book and it kept my interest throughout. The writing is reminiscent of Jennifer McMahon, because it follows sisters and has dual timelines. I love McMahon’s books so I think that’s why I enjoyed this. 

The story starts with Grace who is a young girl who has everything going for her, she’s smart, pretty and has a serious boyfriend. She wants to get out of their small town and start her life, but things don’t go as planned. Sisters Amelia and Kylee wake up in the morning, and the kitchen is covered in blood and Grace is nowhere to be found. Amelia and Kylee try to put together pieces and try to unravel the mystery. As they are searching for Grace, they uncover more girls that have gone missing and try to bring the killer to justice. What happened to Grace and are the other girls all connected to one killer?

Thank you Netgalley and Random House  for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This was a quirky rom- com mystery. If you are looking for a little romance and humor in your mysteries this is the book for you.

We are following Riley Thorn, a psychic, and her private investigator boyfriend Nick as they try to solve a glitter bombing crime that might be connected to other murders including the murder of a well-dressed corpse in the walk-in closet. 

I enjoyed this book, it was a nice escape from reality. While I do enjoy darker themed books, this had some funny moments that I enjoyed. Randomly the characters I enjoyed the most were the cow and Burt the farting dog (you will have to read it to understand). If you are looking for a light hearted mystery this is for you.

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This fast paced psychological thriller had me hooked right at chapter one. I liked the Alaskan setting and the characters. The writing of Hakoda reminded me a bit of Stephen King and I really liked the pacing and character development in this book.

We start off with the kidnapping and murder of a barista named Jolene and then more girls are killed. There’s a serial killer on the loose and Detective DeHavilland Beans has the task to find the killer. He deals with challenges along the way and because of the Alaskan climate animals have destroyed the bodies making it challenging to gather evidence. This book was loosely based on the Israel Keyes case, a case I didn’t know much about, but looked into after reading this book. The book had similarities to the case.

Overall I would recommend this if you want a fast paced thriller set in an icy climate.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated thrillers of the year and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed following the sisters throughout this story. I thought Hepworth did a good job explaining each unique backstory and I was really invested in the characters. The ending was good, at around the 50% mark I couldn’t put it down. The end had twists that I didn’t see coming which was an exciting surprise. I was really intrigued by the foster storyline, as a teacher, I have taught children in the foster system and some stories break my heart. Some parts of this book were tough to read, so trigger warnings for child abuse.

Overall a 5 star read for Darling Girls, I would highly recommend this captivating and fast past thriller. It had me hooked!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded like everything I wanted: murder mystery, ghosts, haunted house, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I found the writing hard to grasp. It was so flowery and metaphoric, the book needed some editing and was 200 pages too long. I wasn’t interested in the characters, they read and acted very juvenile to me. Poppy, Frankie and Cass were very hard to distinguish between and all felt the same. I really had no interest in discovering what happened to Sophia and that never changed for me throughout the book. I also don’t like when there’s a romance in my horror books, it’s unnecessary. I thought aspects of this story were creepy and I would have liked more of that instead it missed the mark for me. This book might be a good read for a younger reader. 

Thank you Netgalley and 47North for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I liked the creepy vibes of this book, it felt like a true horror. We are following Ashley Whitelam who is a psychic who can also see these figures called Heedful Ones. They are pretty spooky and haunt her daily life. Ashley has a dark background that is connected to a house, we revisit the house in the story and it definitely gives you the “stay away vibes.” 

I thought the pacing of the book was good and it kept me engaged. The end had me on my toes and the narrator of the audiobook did an excellent job keeping me engaged. If you like eerie creepy books this is for you! 

Thank you Dreamscape Media for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.