Who knew I needed a romance with a zoo and a troop of gorillas as the backdrop? Kerry Rea knew exactly what I needed even when I didn’t, I absolutely adored this one! 

Lucy was the kind of heroine we’ve all been waiting for, she’s child free by choice, fiercely passionate about her career and hilarious. This was full of witty banter between Lucy and Kai and there were so many funny pop culture references interspersed in their exchanges that made me laugh. While much of this was light and funny with the enemies to lovers trope being executed perfectly there was so much emotional depth as well. Both Kai and Lucy experienced trauma in their childhoods and have to work through their issues and this gave their story such a genuine and mature feel. I adored this one just as much as I loved The Wedding Ringer and highly recommend both books. 

I have to start by saying that if you haven’t read the first book in this series, The Family Upstairs stop reading this now. You have to read these in order and this one picks up right after the ending of TFU. But if you’re like me and loved the first book and have been waiting impatiently for this one you’re gonna be happy because LJ delivered with another intricate, well crafted and gripping mystery. I really don’t even want to say much about the plot, most of the fun is in discovering it yourself but if you’re a fan of the author this was excellent and if you’re new to LJ this series is such a great place to start. 

Ohhh this was a pacey and clever little thriller. I really liked the basic setup here, especially that Norah was able to trick a serial killer back when she was in high school into letting her go. Obviously I immediately needed to know how because I just knew anyone who could manage that was someone that would be interesting to read about. Norah was definitely fascinating, she took all her fear and anger surrounding her past trauma and channeled it into a career for herself as she’s now a famous MMA fighter and coach. Seriously badass! So I was definitely rooting for Norah and then you have this exciting and fast paced storyline that really kept me engaged. The chapters were short and many ended on a small cliffhanger which really made me want to keep reading. The author did a pretty good job at misdirecting the reader and I had fun trying to figure out who the killer was. My first by the author but definitely not my last, definitely a fun binge read with good tension and thrills.

There was really quite a lot to like about this one and while I did enjoy most of it, I did have some issues that left me conflicted in the end. I’ll start with what I liked, because again there was plenty to choose from. It didn’t waste time jumping straight into the story, you’re thrust right into things alongside Liv and I was really curious as to what the hell was actually going on. So as far as grabbing my attention right away goes this one definitely did that. Besides hearing from Liv you also hear from the detectives working her case and I loved the police procedural angle maybe even more than Liv’s chapters. I was pretty invested for the bulk of it too and never really got bored. As for what didn’t work, well…the entire premise is based on Liv needing to stay awake and not sleep and while she may not have memories she still knew she was in danger so I guess I kept thinking why won’t she just go to the hospital, police etc?? Sure, a few reasons were given for her hesitancy but I didn’t fully buy it. Parts of it did seem to drag on for the sake of tension too and I really think the police would’ve figured things out a little faster, they definitely weren’t incompetent. And then the ending just took the expected route and of course I would have preferred to had some surprises. So some minor issues but still a decent read and I did enjoy the audio version. Imogen Church and January LaVoy are both incredible voice actors and we’re both amazing here.

This was one of those reads that took me awhile to get into, but once I was settled in, I was super into it! For me the slowish start paid off in the end, so patience may be required but it does get interesting. 

The author did a great job with the format, it’s told both in the present and a few months before the wedding and there are interview transcripts interspersed from various wedding guests that reveal so much juicy gossip. I really liked the look inside Sri Lankan culture and traditions and the lavish wedding was so fun. There’s a lot of dark humor here which I enjoy in a thriller and I found it to be smart and sharp in such a wicked way. I think this is one of those thrillers where the readers enjoyment really hinges on the twist. I didn’t have it fully figured out ahead of time so I ended up really liking the direction it took, but if you guess it early I don’t think you’ll be impressed. I say this because I guessed the twist in the authors debut and I was bummed so just wanted to put it out there. But overall I do recommend it and think if you like whodunnits with lots of secrets this was a fun one. 

I absolutely loved the first book in this series when I read it last year and have been so looking forward to getting to read Nina and Ollie’s story and I’m so glad it lived up to the hype for me! It had a different feel to it than the first book, which was a good thing because to me it just showed that the author is multifaceted and able to still right such an amazing romance just with a different feel. I think the biggest difference I noticed was this one was more angsty, but not in an annoying way. Nina and Ollie’s pain came from such a relatable place and I was rooting for them SO hard. They had amazing chemistry which lead to some wickedly funny banter and so much sarcasm. If you like romances with depth, some summery vibes and are a fan of Below Deck this is a must!

2022 is definitely the year of the cult thriller and I’m so here for it! Seeing how people can get pulled into groups is always fascinating for me and Nicole was a really compelling character. I was super into this one almost the entire time and very curious to see how it would all end. This read very fast and had me engaged until the last quarter or so. Things went pretty OTT and unbelievable and just felt like too much for me. Overall this wasn’t bad, just a little off the rails at times but I did enjoy the majority of it. 

I used to basically only read British rom coms but it’s been awhile since I picked one up. This one sounded too good to miss and I’m so glad I decided to give it a try because it was cute, charming and sweet. 

While this was a romance I found it focused more on Aly herself with the romance playing only a small role in the end. That was fine, I’m ok with women’s fiction especially if the overall message is strong and it was here. It was about supporting others in both friendships and relationships and helping and relying on each other. Aly has such a great friend group and I always enjoy a found family. Overall this was a fast, sweet little read and the audio was a delight.