katiethebookvirgo's Reviews (419)

 

This was my first book by Julie Clark and I definitely want to read more from her. This was a hard to put down thriller and I really enjoyed it. 

Olivia Taylor, a ghostwriter, is assigned to write her father’s memoir. He was accused of killing his two siblings Poppy and Danny in 1975. Olivia’s father has lewy body dementia and she doesn’t have that much time to get her father to relive his past and uncover the truth about the night his siblings were murdered. 

The story is a little slow in the beginning, but at 50% it’s almost impossible to put down. I loved the flashbacks and I loved Poppy’s storyline. I also enjoyed how we are uncovering clues at the same time Olivia is, it really added a thrilling element to the story. I would highly recommend picking up this thriller novel this June.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

This wasn't for me. I didn't care about Part 2

Did I finish this in one day? Yes. Was it great? Also yes. 

This is another twisty thriller from  Liv Constantine I have really grown to love their books and was really impressed with this one. I didn’t see the twists coming and I just had to keep reading to see what would happen next.

This twisty tale follows Annabelle who seemingly has the perfect life; perfect husband, perfect kids, perfect job, nice house in Connecticut, except for one thing, she’s having these disturbing dreams and the dreams are coming true. She has a dream that her teenage daughter Scarlett  is in danger and feels someone is after her. We get Scarlett’s perspective as well, and she is talking to a mysterious man online named Ben. Is Ben the one after her? Is Annabelle’s dream premonition going to come true? You will have to read to find out!

I would highly recommend this thriller for a summer read. It’s a quick popcorn thriller that you can’t put down!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

 

If it’s a book about a haunted house it’s an automatic read for me. This book is a mix of a creepy haunted house and a domestic thriller.  After a terrible accident Emily and her husband Freddie move into a home in the English countryside. As they start to settle into the house Emily feels a dark presence and feels something is terribly wrong with the house. 

I first thought this was going to be a traditional haunted house story, but it actually had a surprising twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. I thought it was very clever. I also liked the inclusion of the Raven’s and the Edgar Allan Poe references. This was my first book by Sarah Pinborough and I would read more from her. 

If you’re looking for a haunted house thriller that is refreshingly different, I would add this to your TBR!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 

 "Nobody sees," the man says. "And nobody cares."

This was a very gripping thriller book. When Dan Garvie was a child he had an encounter with a strange man and a little boy in a restroom at a rest stop. That little boy was found dead shortly after. That encounter has haunted Dan his whole life.  Turns out the strange man was a serial killer, and Dan becomes obsessed with his crimes. As an adult he is a criminal profiler, seeking justice for innocent victims. When his father mysteriously dies, and leaves a note that says “Notify my son” Dan goes to investigate. Is his dad’s death related to the serial killer? This is a classic cat and mouse chase and I was hooked!

There were some really thrilling moments in this story. I was driving during one particular scene and I was in my car yelling “Run out of the house now!!” So yes, this had me on the edge of my seat. This book definitely has a dark tone to it, and both father and son reflect on their past throughout the story. They really feel regret over that night at the rest stop. Overall, a great thriller. Can’t wait to read what’s next from Alex North!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 

 

I’ve been to quite a few bachelorette parties, but nothing like this…

 We have dual timeline’s, the first follows friends Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina ten years ago who travel to this remote island every year to reconnect and have some fun. Then we follow the present timeline with Tessa and her group of friends who happen to travel to the same remote island for a bachelorette party. Things seem to be going well, it is your typical bachelorette shenanigans until someone is found dead and then things start to unravel.

I liked this, it gets a little slow around the 20-40% mark, but then it speeds up a bit when someone dies and the story picks up. I didn’t mind the dual timeline, but there were a lot of characters so sometimes I had trouble figuring out who everyone was. I thought Tessa’s backstory was interesting, but I didn’t really see how that fit into the story.  I never read anything from this author and I would read from her again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 

 I'm torn on this one. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great. It was very long and there wasn't any thriller to it. It was a lot of characters and they were all a bit bland. I really didn't care where Barbara was and honestly didn't care too much about Bear. I was curious about how the book would end, but was very let down. I don't get how this won a GR awards for mystery/thriller. I don't know, this book didn't wow me. 

 This is the last book in the Secret Bookcase Mystery Series. I was sad to realize this is the last one in the series because I have been enjoying it so far. I loved the Agatha Christie mystery themed bookstore and the cast of characters. I thought the premise of this book was interesting, lot’s of high tech bookish things. I personally am not interested in that, but I thought it was a different concept. In this book not only does Annie solve a mystery at the Bookfair she is attending, but she also finally solves the mystery of her friend Scarlet that was murdered ten years ago.  This has been an ongoing storyline in this six book series.

Apparently, Ellie Alexander is starting a new series called The Novel Detectives with Annie and Fletcher so if you like these characters like I do, you might want to check out the new series, I know I will!

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

This book comes out June 16, 2025