4.5 Stars

Okay, wow! I loved this - it's been a while since I've sat & devoured a book in less than a day, but this encompasses everything I love about YA thrillers: fast-paced, great characters, original storyline, solid twists - all set within the realm of a YouTube reality show with a true crime angle.

When I opened my Kindle & saw there were 144 chapters, I nearly died - but, don't despair! The chapters are really short & most leave off on a cliffhanger, you'll fly through the pages trying to figure out what's coming next! I loved Jess as our protagonist here, she was confident & driven, yet also vulnerable - I wasn't expecting the story to delve into grief as much as it did, but the author did such a great job with it. It added so much depth to Jess & her father, as well as the other "left behinds", & made her journey to catch the Magpie Man that more harrowing. Sometimes the story moved a little bit too quickly, but at the same time all the pieces game together great in the end.

I had such a great time with this & would highly recommend it to those looking for a fun, fast-paced thriller! I think this would translate amazing on screen, too (fingers crossed!) Thank you so much to Vincent Ralph, NetGalley & Sourcebooks Fire for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!

4.5 Stars

This was a really smart, well-crafted story, a genre hybrid that read like contemporary fiction & a thriller, with some satirical commentary on being a writer thrown in there, as well - I'm staring to realize I thoroughly enjoy these kinds of books!

Jean Hanff Korelitz is a fantastic writer - the writing was really strong here & keeps you turning the pages. It's definitely more of a slow burn, & while it lulls in one or two places, I found that I couldn't stop reading. I loved the whole "book within a book" aspect, & without giving anything away I'll say this went a few places I was genuinely not expecting it to go, at all - this got dark! "Crib" was something else! I love a complex protagonist & we got just that with Jake, Korelitz did a great job at making us feel empathy for him while also having us question his morality - the way plagiarism (in its many forms) was tied into the overall plot was fascinating. Again, this is more of a genre hybrid, so adjust your expectations accordingly, but it was extremely well done - this would be a great book for book clubs, there's a lot to unpack!

I'll definitely be reading more from Korelitz in the future, I can't wait to get myself a finished copy! Thank you so much to Jean Hanff Korelitz & Celadon for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amanda Jayatissa, you did that! This was so, so good you guys - wow, what an amazing debut!

At the outset, I'd say go into this as blindly as possible, so I'll keep this relatively general. I love an unreliable narrator & Paloma might be, hands down, my favorite unreliable narrator, ever - her inner commentary at times was just brutally vicious, yet bluntly honest, & I found myself cackling at her thoughts more than once. I'm a huge fan of alternating timelines & Jayatissa balanced the past & the present with such finesse. I particularly loved the chapters set in Sri Lanka, it was refreshing to read about a location hardly, if ever, featured in the thriller genre. I really enjoyed the paranormal elements, as well, they were really unique & added lots of creep factor to the overall story. This was more of a slow burn, but this was a slow burn done right - there were so many layers to this & everything was done incredibly well, by the end not a stone was left unturned & all questions were answered. & I'm still catching my breath from that ending!

I really, really loved this & I highly recommend going out & grabbing a copy - I can't wait to see what Jayatissa comes up with next! Thank you so much to Amanda Jayatissa, NetGalley & Berkley for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review, & to Berkley for having me as part of the blog blitz for the book's release!

Okay, wow! This was everything - fast-paced, thrilling, & twisted, what an amazing debut!

This is the second thriller I've read this year with a college reunion setting & I've got to say, I'm really into it - a lot goes down in college, particularly within the confines of the Greek system, something that was highlighted so well here (cue the intense flashbacks to being Greek in college & caring about rankings, lol). This diverse cast of characters was expertly crafted, as were their secrets - I just loved the alternating timelines, how the story twisted & turned, weaving the past & present together seamlessly & keeping the shocks coming aplenty. The book touched upon so much & was done so well, each of the issues the characters faced felt like real world issues I know many students still face to this day (Frankie & Jack's scenario hit home hard) - there really is something to be said about the pressure to achieve perfection, no matter what the cost. & I'm still reeling over the ending - this was wicked, in the best way possible!

I highly, highly recommend picking this up, easily one of the best thrillers of the year! & thank you so much to Bibliolifestyle, Sourcebooks, & Ashley Winstead for providing a gifted copy!

(Mini-Review) This was wild! I'm keeping this super short because honestly, this is one you need to go into blindly - just pick it up & let it take you along for the ride. It was gorgeously written & read like a dark, spooky fairy tale. There were a ton of WTF moments throughout, I kept asking myself "What the hell is going on here?", & then it all clicked & I was absolutely floored - seriously, holy shit

4.5 Stars

If you're like me & enjoy books about rich people behaving badly, you've got to make it a point to pick up Eliza Jane Brazier's "Good Rich People"!

This was the first book I've read of Brazier's & I really enjoyed her writing style - the structure of this was so smart & provided for some great twists. There's a ton of amazing, searing commentary in here on the rich vs. the poor, & I loved that Brazier made it a point to shine some light on the homelessness situation going on in LA - the way that particular plot was woven in was done brilliantly, in my opinion. I honestly had no idea where this was all going to end up, but was so satisfied by how it all played out. This easily has one of the best finales of any thriller I've come across recently, channels some major "Ready or Not" vibes. There was one big question I had that I wish was answered, but sitting on it more, it didn't take away from the overall story whatsoever.

Spoiler

I just wish we were able to find out who "Demi" REALLY was, like what was her actual name? But, again, it's not too important, & TBH I kind of like that it's open-ended, she can essentially just be anyone.

All in all, Brazier really nailed that balance of dark comedy & genuine suspense - this was wicked good fun! I'll definitely be reading more from Brazier in the future!

Thank you so much Eliza Jane Brazier, NetGalley, & Berkley for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review, & to Berkley for having me as part of the blog blitz for the book's release!

4.5 Stars

Personally, short story collections can be very hit or miss for me - more often than not, I find that I don't vibe with at least a handful of them, throwing off the collection as a whole. As a big fan of V. Castro's work, however, I decided to give Mestiza Blood a go, & I'm so happy I did - this is easily one of the best short story collections I've come across, not a single story in here was a miss!

V. Castro is an expert at weaving together horror, mythology, & social commentary, & every story featured within Mestiza Blood, no matter how big or small, had something to say. Her writing is truly hypnotic, & the stories are incredibly diverse & unique. The standouts for me were "Cam Girl Sally", "Dancehall Devil", "Street Fighter", "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Truck Stop", & "The Final Pornstar" (slasher fans, you need this collection purely for that story alone), but my favorite was easily "The Cold Season" - what an incredible story! Probably the most sci-fi out of the collection, it revolved around the idea of being able to extract your consciousness/soul out of your old & dying body & planting it into a clone of yourself to be reborn, living a fresh, new life but with all the knowledge you've gained in your previous life. I thought it was incredibly fascinating & well done, very Black Mirror-esque, & really made me take a second to think.

I highly recommend picking this up, along with all of V. Castro's other work - you definitely want to keep an eye on her! Thank you so much V. Castro, NetGalley, & Flame Tree Press for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!

There's just something about an abandoned amusement park that makes it the perfect backdrop for a horror novel, & Kiersten White truly hit it out of the park with Hide!

The initial setup does require a little bit of patience - there's a pretty large cast of characters (14 competitors alone including Mack, the MC), & while I was initially worried about keeping track of them all, White did a really fantastic job of making sure each had their own, distinct personalities. There was some great character development for such a big cast & a shorter book, you really came to care about (& loathe) a handful of them by the end - Mack, Ava, LeGrand & Brandon (my favorite) were truly the stars of the show.

Spoiler

I won't even lie, I actually teared up a little bit when Brandon died, & I just thought Mack's entire backstory with her dad & sister was so, so effective. Ava's was definitely effective, too, but I wish we got a little more out of hers, especially since she was one of our two queer MCs!

This isn't the type of book that grants you answers right away - you're kept in the dark as to what's going on for a majority of the time & there aren't any actual reveals as to what's really happening until you're over halfway in, but I found that to be incredibly effective. Trust me when I say it's worth the amount of times you'll be asking yourself "what the hell is going on?"

Spoiler

I mean, a Minotaur?! I sure as hell didn't see that coming, I knew they were being eaten by something but a Minotaur?! I'm not well versed in Greek mythology though, so take that for what you will, lol. Rich white people making sacrifices to keep their wealth & prosperity in tact just really isn't far off from some of the vibes we've got going on in 2022, that's for sure.

& while this does go into full-blown horror territory, I wouldn't say this is too scary by any means for those who're hesitant to pick up the genre - there is some gore though, so fair warning! I would've liked just a little bit more out of the ending, but all in all I was really satisfied with how everything wrapped up.

This was highly original & I just had so much fun reading it from start to finish - I've really got to make it a priority to dive into White's backlist, & I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! Thank you so much Kiersten White, NetGalley, & Del Rey Books for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!