been a longtime fan of the author, she has written some of my favorite bat shit crazy thrillers so I knew I was going to be in for a wild ride here. I just wasn’t prepared for how bananas and off the rails things would get in the end and I can’t say I was a fan. There was a lot to like here though, you have a strong opening that hooked me and at first the timeline switches made sense for me. You also have a great setting with a remote island housing an institute for the criminally insane, that was actually probably the strongest aspect for me, so creepy and atmospheric. Where things went too far for me was in the very last bit, way too over dramatic and unbelievable in the vein of a bad soap opera. I just couldn’t get past the big twist, it just read as silly. Like I said before though I’m a huge fan of the author so I absolutely will read her again this was just a bit of a miss for me. 

I am a huge reality TV fan, I love it all including competition style shows so the description of this was right up my alley. A game with such a huge prize meant the stakes were very high here and I knew that meant the contestants would be cutthroat and man was I right. Some of the challenges were terrifying and the lengths these people would go to in order to win was insane and it was such a fun premise for a truly entertaining thriller. From the start you know each contestant had secrets in their pasts but I really liked how the author worked it all together in the end. The pacing was a steady climb to an action packed ending and I was pretty gripped the whole time. It was a bit over the top and some things were kind of a stretch but I didn’t care because it was just a really fun read. 

Every time I review one of the authors books I find it hard to review because even discussing the plot a little could give something away and I never want to do that. So I say go into this knowing as little as possible, trust that the author is excellent at what she does and just enjoy the ride because it was a really fun one. I will say that this is a slow burn but it was somehow still a binge worthy and pretty fast read. There’s a couple of different mystery threads running throughout and I was really impressed by the way the author pulled everything together. The city setting with some awful things happening to women made for some very uneasy reading and added an additional creep factor to the story. Add in some good twists with a super solid one that made me do a double take and this was a really well executed thriller that I throughly enjoyed.

This had such an odd yet fascinating premise, three childhood friends are the only survivors after everyone else in their neighborhood is turned into ghosts. It was really eerie and super unsettling and I had no idea what to really expect from it but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It’s part psychological suspense, part gothic horror and that combo worked well for me. I don’t want to spoil anything but the themes were powerful and memorable. If you want something unique try this.

This series is so cute and you can’t beat the Napa Valley vineyard setting either, talk about some gorgeous scenes. Much like in the first book I was captivated by the behind the scenes look at what running a vineyard actually looks like and then combine it with these tropes and I was all in. Tropes include billionaire, brother’s best friend, age gap, close proximity and a small little mystery. I loved PJ in the first book and really enjoyed getting to know her better here. Colin was a perfect compliment to her with his quiet yet steady support and they balanced each other perfectly. If you’re looking for a really sweet and cute romance with some spice and a great setting try this! 

This was a huge letdown for me across the board. I expected a fun spring break romance that would get me excited for a new season and it ended up being a total flop for me. From the start I didn’t connect with Grace, she was annoying in her obsessiveness with her ex to the point she just looked pathetic. The secondary characters weren’t much better either, they were all one dimensional and just weren’t bringing anything of value to the story. Last bummer thing for me was the majority of the book was set in Cancun so I expected some great descriptions of the setting and to maybe even feel like I was there myself instead there was no culture, no great descriptions and just following the three friends as they got drunk and acted stupid and immature. Blah. 

This was a bit of a departure for the author, she’s well known (and really good at) writing super fast paced and twisty thrillers and this had a different vibe. It was slower and quieter, more of a coming of age story with some mystery elements and romance too. There’s dual timelines, both from Carmen’s POV one in the past when she first moves to Hunters Hollow and one in present day as she comes home. The past timeline is where the coming of age vibes comes into play as it follows her from being a new teenager through college aged. When the past collides with the present day things start to get more tense and the authors trademark suspense begins to shine through but at it’s heart this is about grief, loss and tragedy with romance playing a heavy roll, things even got a little steamy 🥵 I’m always in awe when an author does something a little different for them and this definitely impressed me.