mrsalwaysreading's Reviews (624)

Gold

By Raven Kennedy

Plated Prisoner # 5

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

So. I read books 1-4 and decided to listen (2.2 speed) to this one to ‘get through it’ after reading reviews. I’m looking forward to finishing the series. 

My takeaways: 

So. Much. Filler. 

Missing memories. 

No Slade/Auren steamy scenes. 

SO pumped for Argo. 

Overall, I don’t think this book was a waste but it was also not entirely necessary. We all knew this was coming before the conclusion in book 6. 

The Boyfriend
By Freida McFadden
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I don’t know if it is residual feelings from the last book I read that I was completely annoyed by, but this one got on my nerves. 

Or, rather, Sydney (the FMC) got on my nerves. 

The twist came out of no where. I thought I knew who the bad guy was. 

I thought wrong. 

Over all, I’m glad I read it. But I’m still not a Freida fan. 

Meh. 

This isn’t my first Natasha Preston book. I know she writes about the late teens/early 20s demographic. 

I can mostly overlook that. 

But this book just really fell flat for me. 

There was some mysterious happenings, and some dark secret hovering just under the surface for the first 2/3. 

It kind of felt like the book adaptation of the movie Scream. Same corny dialogue and everything. 

Then. 

The worst ending. 

Listen, if you’re being hunted by a serial killer and you have a choice to run and hide inside the murder house or run outside and try to get away, for the love, RUN. AWAY. 

The Author’s Guide To Murder

By Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had a lot of promise.

The story is told in dual timelines, and follows in the third-person, three women authors who are conspiring to ruin a man who ruined them. Only the man winds up dead. 

A lot of drama surrounding the victim, and no one feels sorry for his demise. 

I wanted to love this book. And at first I did. The first 25% really hooked me. But the middle half was just so much filler that it stopped being entertaining. 

At some point I just wanted to yell “GET ON WITH IT”. 

The ending was anticlimactic. 

House Of Glass

By Sarah Pekkanen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I’m trying to wrap my head around what I just read. 

No spoilers, so I’ll leave you with this:

At some point, I thought everyone had motive. I even thought the narrator was making stuff up. 

This is a hold-on-tight thriller because if you don’t pay attention, you’ll fall off and get lost. 

The only thing I didn’t like was the Charles/Stella stuff. It was too convoluted, tied up too nicely, and had not a lot to do with the progression of the story in the plastic house. 

Thank you@Lovenotes.pr and @kelcookesbooks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

WHAT did I just read?! Listen, I typically stay away from books that entice FEELINGS. It's just not my thing.

Unless it's a spicy love story or a Thriller, I don't want it.

But this book... it made me feel all the things. And I am so glad I read it.

I felt so much of what Cam, the FMC, felt. I have been in similar situations and have felt the heartache, anxiety, despair, joy, trepidation and shame.

I also know what it feels like to score a second chance with your soulmate and plow forward, full steam ahead.

I appreciate the nod to mental health and the importance of therapy for traumatic experience recovery.

I also deeply appreciate that suicide was written about.

Too many authors shy away from telling real-life stories, or including hard topics in lighthearted books. As a survivor of suicide loss, it makes me feel seen. It's hard to explain. But it endeared me to this story all the more.

Bottom line: it's worth the time to read it.

Check trigger warnings.

Spice is mild, l'd give it a 1.5/5.

The Maid’s Secret

By Nita Prose

Molly The Maid # 3

Release date: April 8, 2025 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had to sit with this book after I finished because I just couldn’t decide how much I liked it. 

I admit, I don’t think I gave the other 2 books in the series more than 3.5 stars. But honestly, I enjoyed this installment more. Maybe it’s due to the familiarity of the characters? 

It was a typical kind of cozy mystery. But the nostalgia and the plot were well executed. 

At times it drug on a little bit, but I really enjoyed the back-and-forth between Gran’s journal and the sentimentality of the memories, and Molly’s present and the sentimentality of Gran’s trinkets. 

In the end, everything came together and everyone (mostly) got their happy ending. 

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own. 

Skyshade

By Alex Aster 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m not quite sure how I feel about the 3rd installment of the Lightlark series. 

I loved the first book. I enjoyed the second book. 

This one felt… off… some parts felt like they were included purely for filler. Some parts felt important but glossed over. 

This series was originally supposed to be 3 books but after this one, I bet Alex Aster is going to try to pull a 4th from the ashes… possibly a 5th? 

That means more filler and more who-do-I-love drama that honestly I am finding annoying. When will Isla learn to be a big girl and just put all her cards on the table?!  

Last One At The Wedding

By Jason Rekulak

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The main character, Frank Szatowski - father of the bride, is ANNOYING. But I think it lended itself well to the story. 

I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller but there was some intense mysterious stuff going on. 

The characters were pretty simple and straightforward which made this an easy, quick read. 

Witness 8

By Steve Cavanaugh

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC provided by NetGalley. 

All opinions are my own. 

I first read this author this year and ‘Kill For Me, Kill For You’ was one of my favorites. 

This is book 8 of the Eddie Flynn series but they can all be read as standalones. 

This book surrounds the premise: what if a witness is more unreliable than the suspect? 

I read this book on Christmas Vacation, while my family binged episodes of Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix… at points it felt like the show and the book were the same type of story. So, if you wanted to know what the book is like, I’d say it’s like Lincoln Lawyer meets Gone Girl. 

The twists were SO good. 

This book will be released by Simon & Schuster on March 25, 2025.