When I talk about a popcorn style thriller this book is exactly what I mean, the very definition of one for me. It’s juicy and fast paced, it’s wickedly fun and twisty and it’s addicting and unputdownable. Really I couldn’t want anything more and if I was worried this wouldn’t be quite as good as the first book I shouldn’t have even wondered for a second. I don’t even really want to discuss the plot at all, it’s too fun for me to even allude to anything but just know if you enjoy devious thrillers this is a must. 

I don’t read YA books super often but when I do they’re usually by Emma Lord. She writes the most adorable, heartfelt and quirky books that always leave me feeling warm and cozy and this was no exception. I swear if you started this one and were in a bad mood you wouldn’t be by the time you finished, it’s too cute! Andie is the most endearing heroine and I loved her personality and sense of humor and her growth throughout the book felt so authentic. I was utterly charmed by this from beginning to end and highly recommend this sweet book as a mood lifting treat.

When a book is compared to Big Little Lies I’m always curious and then if the book lives up to the comparison I’m thrilled. I’m happy to say I think the comp was pretty spot on here, it had that same juicy and entertaining feel to it. I’m such a sucker for suburban dramas featuring rich and entitled people behaving badly and this one had plenty of those types making questionable decisions. I loved all the secrets the characters were keeping and while some of them were fairly obvious I was still wildly entertained by them. There are several viewpoints that switch back and forth between chapters and I enjoyed the bird’s eye overlook of what was going in the characters lives and the town in general. Some of the characters actually made me laugh so despite this being super dramatic I also found it to be humorous. Overall I definitely recommend as a fun popcorn thriller.

This was a pretty cute friends to lovers romance with some sunshine/grump energy. While this is the third book in a series I think you could easily read it on its own as each book focuses on one of the Jansen brothers. Since Wes and Hailey start off firmly as just friends this is a super slow burn and it’s also closed door so if you’re thinking the wait may be worth it as far as heat goes it won’t I don’t mind no steam books occasionally though especially when they’re as sweet and quirky as this one. I loved that Hailey owned a salad shop and I’ve never wanted a salad more in my life after reading this. Found family has been one of my favorite things in books lately and I really enjoyed seeing Hailey create her own support system here. Recommended if you’re in the mood for a light and playful romance.

This one sounded really good and exactly like the kind of domestic drama that usually works for me but unfortunately it was just ok for me in the end. The writing itself was strong but maybe a bit too verbose for my liking. It spent a lot of time diving deep into the characterization aspect and it just went too deep for me. But if you enjoy character driven suspense this may work for you. There were also a lot of characters too which is usually ok with me but the way things jumped around between them was odd for me. The plot was decent enough and several pieces were clever but in the end it just wasn’t enough to wow me. 

This was such a fun read and it felt like a guilty pleasure as you’re getting a glimpse into high society life. I immediately liked Sam, her hard work and drive to succeed was impressive. I loved her relationship with her mom, it was really sweet and the fact that most of her reason behind wanting to better herself came from the desire to set her mother up with a better life was adorable. All of the relationships here were great actually now that I’m really thinking about it, Sam and her friends scheming was just so fun especially set against such a glitzy backdrop. Everything was so well described, from the fashions the socialites were wearing to the decadent food and the party decor you really felt like you were attending fab parties with Sam. Definitely recommended if you like Crazy Rich Asians with a side of The Devil Wears Prada.

I loved this one, the nostalgia, the celebrity romance, the second chance trope, the glitzy and not so glam side of Hollywood just made this such a fun and escapist romance. I was missing some steam a little, Liv and Ransom’s chemistry was super hot already so I would’ve liked to see more 😉 but overall such an entertaining and gossipy read. 

Well this author has now firmly cemented herself as an auto read for me after impressing me with her debut and her follow up. I’ve been putting together my best of the year lists over the last few days and I noticed that as much as thrillers are my first love, 2022 wasn’t great for me in that genre. Yeah, there were a handful that I really loved but my favorites were romance by a landslide which actually made me a little sad. But all of that rambling to say, when I find a good thriller and I rave about it just know that I’ve gotten pretty picky and I’ve gotten stingier with my thriller ratings so I really mean it when I say SW is a thriller author to get excited about. One of the things that I enjoy most about her books is that she writes the type of thrillers that I truly don’t want to put down. She’s got the whole gripping and addictive thing down and I was invested in this one from start to finish. The suspense was a steady and methodical build up that culminated in a strong ending that satisfied me. Karissa Vacker is such a pro, her narration was outstanding so I highly recommend the audio version of this one, she’s just so incredibly talented. Definitely recommended by me, it was both fun and entertaining as well as twisty and tense.