DNF @ Chapter 4

Thanks to Algonquin for this copy. I wish I couldn’t completed it.

If I’m being honest, I feel duped into reading this. People I trusted said this was dark academia but no one mentioned that it centered around one guy that eventually joined the army and one that became a Republican senator. 

Nothing was drawing me into keep going with the story. Maybe it got better, but reading about a kid joining a boarding school as a freshman holds zero interest to me. 

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eARC. 

Pub date: Jan 4, 2022

To sum it up: Locked room thriller, but make it deserted island with a creepy past full of 20-30 something’s. 

This may have been a slow burn to start off with, but I didn’t want to put it down. I finished it in about a day and I may have glared at any person that tried to talk to me while I was reading. 

I will say that I did predict the ending at about 75% in, but it was still fun getting to that point! 

I’d say this one is perfect for anyone looking to get into thrillers or anyone that prefers light thrillers as this isn’t to scary or violent. It’s also perfect for vacation.

HUGE thank you to Minotaur Books, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the galley of this Feb 1st release!

This is exactly the follow up that I wanted to Finlay Donovan is Killing It!

I couldn’t put it down. I basically read it in two sittings.

While this is probably an improbable in an actual suburban setting - the plot completely drew me in. The events surrounding Finlay and Vero had me completely on the edge of me seat at times. 

I will say that you absolutely need to read book one first or you will be confused. This takes place shortly after the first book ends so you get a resolution to what you find out at the end of book 1.

Who is FedUp? I have a feeling you’ll be surprised 

This was fast paced and good popcorn thriller to pick up, however I found it very predictable (until the end). I wanted more revenge and the secondhand embarrassment that I feel for Camille is unmatched. I have a low tolerance for watching smart people doing stupid things. 

Would recommend if you're looking for a quick, thriller read that you won't want to put down, but do be prepared for a bit predictability. 

TW: threats of suicide, adultery

What I liked: Annie really built a community in this new town after being cheated on by her husband, again. I loved her book club and loved to see her prosper in the cafe. 

This was full things I didn’t like: 
- serial adultery spread throughout the entire book
- the love interest didn’t even show up until maybe 44% into the book
- puts homeless person in a dangerous situation to draw the love interests closer
- love interest goes from mega grump to gaga eyes just like that 
- someone says ‘I love you’ after not even a date and drama

Too much internal thought for me to want to stick with it for 400 pages 

Thanks DoubleDay and NetGalley for this ARC - I did wait until I could get it from the library to read it since I couldn't get it on my Kindle though. It is hard for me to read on my phone for long periods of time. 

Say it with me: Depressing and horrific memories of three brothers do not make a thriller. This was not a thriller at all, more like a family drama with dark elements. 

It was very slow moving, but was very atmospheric. I did appreciate that - I felt like I was in Sweden at the cabin. 

I found myself cringing a lot. I felt like a voyeur into these cringe worthy memories of their childhood. None of the boys/men were likable (which would be fine IF this was actually a thriller).

Elements that I hate in stories kept popping up and it made me want to throw the book - talk of urination and siblings describing sibling genitalia. All of that could've been cut out because none of it advanced the story at all. 

I did like the dual timelines, but the time jumps within those dual timelines really threw me off. The twist? I'm just confused. Not sure if it was a twist, but I'm just overall confused who/what Molly is. 

The last one was my favorite (would rate that one 5 stars alone), but I found the others ended very abruptly. I usually love short stories that have an ambiguous ending, but when they all have an ambiguous ending, it’s hard to connect with them. 

Maybe I had my hopes set too high with how many people have raved about her writing? Maybe Milk Blood Heat just set my hopes for short story releases too high in 2021?

I hope Writers and Lovers is better suited to my tastes as it sits on my shelf right now