katiethebookvirgo's Reviews (419)

 

Wow this was a true thriller! When people ask me for a thriller rec I’m going to tell them to pick this up. Steve Cavanagh really knows how to write thrillers well. I’ve read a few of his books and they are a real page turner with a great twist at the end. This book was no exception. I was hooked from the beginning, two sisters blamed for killing their father. Who is the killer? Sofia or Alexandra? I liked the chapters titled “She” . You didn’t know what sister it was, but boy was she a killing machine. I was surprised at how well she got away with things and also her motorcycle skills. 

I would say pick this up, it’s a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing till the ending. I had to know what happened so I binged the last 30% of it in one sitting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for an advanced copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

 

I'm liking this series, will continue!

I previously enjoyed Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant and was excited to see she had another book out. This time about killer aliens. This was a creepy science fiction horror book about an alien invasion. We follow Anastasia who was a converted alien at three years old. She lives her whole life telling everyone she is an alien and that her species will be coming soon to take over the planet. No one believes her until the aliens come to take over the planet.

I liked the vast array of characters in this book. We had trans representation and Mexican American representation. I liked Anastasia as a character, but I would have liked her to kick some butt in this story, she was rather bland. I wanted to see more of an attack, we have a brief encounter at the end, but I would have liked a bit more excitement throughout the story. It was a lot of talking between characters. More action, less talking. 

I liked this book and will continue reading books by Mira Grant. She puts a new spin on sci fi horror and it's always a fun read.

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

 This was a historical novel about Elizabeth Van Lew. She was a Southern abolitionist, a philanthropist who also happened to be a spy! I love reading about women in American history. I had never heard of her and many of the people in this book. I love books that make me do a deep dive into history. We met lots of people from the American Civil war including Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, Ulric Dahlgren, Ulysses S. Grant and other key players of the war. It was interesting learning about their backgrounds and how Elizabeth was always working behind the scenes going unnoticed.

I was really impressed with Elizabeth, especially the way she freed so many slaves and fought for their rights. She befriended so many of them and they trusted and respected her. She also freed prisoners and just did some really bad ass things and she never got caught!

Truly an interesting read and something I will remember. I really want to visit the south, I tend to always go North, but I really want to travel south to Virginia to see some of the historical spots.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper for an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review. 

 I've been following Nate for awhile on Instagram so when he announced he was coming out with a book I was really excited. I was curious about his upbringing and how he became a comic. His memoir was funny and had me laughing out loud at certain points. He is super relatable and is similar to my age so I could relate to a lot of his stories. The blank pages parts had me laughing, if you follow his standup you will get that joke. I listened to the audiobook and would highly recommend reading it that way because he narrates. 

Some of my favorite parts were the random food things, the Harry Potter ride, and the stories involving his dad or his wife Laura.

Nate will tell you in the beginning that this  is not the most amazing piece of literature, but it is a good time and will make you laugh. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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

 This is my fourth book by Alex Finlay and I was highly anticipating it. This was a fast paced thriller about a girl who is found dead and 5 college students who go missing during Parents weekend at a college in Northern California. We are following quite a few families in this book as well as FBI agent Sarah Keller. Apparently she was in past Finlay books, but I don’t remember her.

I liked how this book had short chapters, and was very fast to read. I think I liked the chapters with FBI Agent Keller the most. I thought the story wrapped up pretty quickly at the end, I would have liked a bit more building up to the ending. It was a good story but it was just missing some excitement and action. The parents had similar problems as well as the kids.  Overall, I liked this story but it wasn’t my favorite Alex Finlay book, I will definitely continue reading his books.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

We are following FBI agent Lana Burrel, who is investigating a murder case in Napa Valley whom her father is in prison for. When similar deaths happen again and Lana is determined to free her dad and find the killer.

I thought this book was ok,I was a bit bored at times and didn’t love Lana as a main character. I hate to say that it sounded like she was written by a man, but it did. The whole “omg did I shave my legs” before sex made my eyes roll and just other ways she talked would not be how a woman would talk. It’s your typical alcoholic, horney female main character that I don’t really enjoy.

I didn’t guess the killer so that had a nice twist at the end, but I would have liked to see what happened with her dad. The ending was a bit abrupt. I would give this author a try again in the future.

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

I started this book in October 2024 and finished in April 2025 if that gives you any indication on how this book was.

This was kind of like reading a history book so that's why it took me so long. It was both interesting and boring at the same time. 

I did enjoy reading about the years of Connecticut and the witch trials. Hugh and Mary Parsons are an interesting couple and I believe wrongfully accused. I think they both had mental health issues and obviously were not witches.

 This is book two in the Castle Knoll’s Files, I read book one and wanted to continue on with the series. I find these well written and an enjoyable mystery. I like our main female protagonist Annie and her friend Jenny. They have a fun dynamic and I like how Jenny is down to help Annie with anything.  Many characters from book one are in book two and I would recommend reading book one first. I liked how we got more of Frances in this book through her diary entries from 1967. Frances was investigating a car crash that connects to our current timeline and mystery. I enjoyed how both stories were woven together and the mystery had me guessing. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.