Narration: 5 Stars
Story: 4.5 Stars

I don't know what it is about this subgenre of thrillers focused on rich people behaving badly, but I can't get enough of them - if you're looking for a fun & entertaining read that's perfect for fans of Ready or Not, look no further than Catherine Steadman's The Family Game!

This was the first book of Steadman's I've picked up & I thought her writing was fantastic - this started off as a bit of a slower burn, but everything was so meticulously planned & plotted out, my attention was immediately piqued. & once the games get going, man do they get going! What does it say about me that I'd lowkey love to take part in the Krampus game?

Narration: 5 Stars
Story: 5 Stars

This was the queer 90's teen horror movie of my dreams!

Andy Mientus, what an absolute knockout! Mientus' writing was really strong, especially for a debut - the characters all acted & sounded like teens in the 90's, but the book itself read like more of an adult dark academia story, so if you're not too big into YA, don't fret! We get three POVs - Zooey, Daniel & Leo - & I loved that each character had their own distinct voice, this was great at spotlighting many different types of queer men (Leo was my favorite). The first half of this read like a queer coming of age story with slight witchy undertones, & then once the witchiness gets fully introduced, well - shit hits the fan & it's near impossible to put down. This gave me major The Craft vibes, but make it queer! & I thought this had a ton of really important discussions about issues still prevalent within the queer community, like code switching, racism, & toxic masculinity, to name a few. Mientus doesn't shy away from the AIDS crisis, either, given that the book takes place during the 90's, & I thought those aspects of the story were heartbreaking yet extremely powerful. & I've got to give it up to all three of our narrators - the author himself, Kyle Beltran & Daniel K. Isaac - they did such a phenomenal job, this was an incredible audiobook! I was living for the vibey music in between each chapter!

All in all, I had such a blast listening to Fraternity & think more people should be talking about this - I would give (almost) anything for an adaptation! & I really hope Mientus keeps dabbling around in queer horror, this was such a gem!

Narration & Story: 4 Stars

I finally managed to read a Jennifer Hillier book & I completely understand why she's so loved within the thriller community, Things We Do in the Dark was truly a masterclass in suspense!

I'm finding that with most thrillers these days, you can't get into specifics without giving anything away, so I'll keep everything baseline - but trust me, you'll want to go into this blind. Hillier's writing was instantly captivating & the pacing was perfect - the twists & turns were so meticulously plotted throughout, & I thought the way this was structured was genius (I absolutely loved the courtroom & podcast elements). There are trigger warnings galore for this, particularly with child abuse, both physical & sexual, so please be mindful & do some research before picking this up - I won't lie, some things were pretty difficult to read, my heart just broke time & time again for one specific character.

Spoiler

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse for Paris/Joey - physically & emotionally abused by her mother, sexually abused by her mother's boyfriends, physically & emotionally abused by her aunt & grandmother...then we add sexual abuse from the uncle?! Ya'll, it was just A LOT.

Underneath all of the deception, dramatics, & murder, there's a very human story, & I was both fascinated & satisfied with how that particular storyline ultimately played out. & I have to say, it was so refreshing to read something in the genre with such a diverse cast - I gave the audiobook a listen & our narrator did a great job, especially with all of the Filipino dialect!

All in all, I'm really happy this was my introduction to Hillier's work, this was an engrossing, suspenseful read from start to finish - I can't wait to dive more into her backlist, ya'll have been recommending Jar of Hearts for the longest time!

Narration & Story: 4 Stars

If you've been on the hunt for a cozy, fun, & queer Halloween-centric romance, look no further than Roan Parrish's The Rivals of Casper Road - this was adorable!

Parrish has been on my radar for a while now & I can't believe it's taken me this long to pick up one of her books! This is part of the Garnet Run series but can be read as a complete standalone (although trust me when I say you'll want to go back once you meet the other books' MCs). Bram was the lumberjack-adjacent cinnamon roll hero of my dreams, he was so freaking cute & I loved how he helped break down Zachary's walls & pushed him to become more confident in both his architecture & himself. They had great chemistry & I was pleasantly surprised with the steam!

Narration: 5 Stars
Story: 4 Stars

If you're a fan of dystopian stories with a hint of sci-fi & some social horror, you've got to pick up Lamar Giles' The Getaway - this was the perfect book to close off spooky season with!

I've seen a few reviewers describe this as Disneyland meets Black Mirror & I couldn't agree more, I think that comparison is spot on - this wasn't what I was expecting it to be at all in the best way, there's a ton of twists & turns! Giles' pacing was perfection, I was immediately drawn in & really enjoyed the way the book was structured - we get these ads & updates for Karloff Country throughout the story & I thought those were a lot of fun. Jay was a great MC & I liked that we got peeks into Connie, Seychelle & Zeke's POVs, as well! I've seen some say this isn't quite horror, but I disagree - there are some truly horrific things that happen in Karloff Country, this is absolutely social horror & pretty reflective of a lot of the views that conservative, wealthy, & (mostly) white Americans hold today. & I don't get squeamish at much, but this definitely gave me the heebie-jeebies a few times so be sure to check TWs!

Spoiler

Cannibalism just grosses me out ya'll, you should've seen me watching that movie Fresh lmfao

I gave the audiobook a listen & I thought all three of our narrators - Karl T. Wright, Imani Parks, & P.J. Ochlan - did a fantastic job, this was such a great audiobook performance if you're an audiobook fan!

All in all, I had a great time listening to The Getaway & think it would make for such a cinematic & timely movie or limited series adaptation (you hear me Hollywood?) - highly recommend giving this a go!

Narration & Story: 5 Stars

Festive, hilarious, & utterly swoon-worthy, Timothy Janovksy's You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince was the perfect book to kick off the holiday season with!

I was a big fan of Timothy's debut & was happy to see so much of his humor & warmth present throughout Matthew Prince as well. Matthew was a great MC, definitely a brat but a loveable brat who had some amazing character development throughout the book. I adored Hector & Matthew's grandparents & really enjoyed all of the other side characters (shoutout to Noel, too!) - but Matthew's mom was a piece of work, I had very strong opinions about her, lol

Narration & Story: 5 Stars

He's my other half. My unexpected inevitable. My fucking everything.

When was the last time a book completely took your breath away? C.E. Ricci's Don't You Dare was truly a breathtaking romance, a deeply emotional & realistic story that'll easily be going down as one of my all-time favorite books.

I fell hard & fast for Aspen & Keene - friends to lovers isn't a favorite romance trope of mine but here it was done to absolute perfection. You could tell how much these two cared for each other right from the beginning, they had such a deep, lifelong connection & it was beautiful seeing them go from friends to something more. The stakes felt extremely high, parts of this really broke my heart & I've got to attribute that to Ricci's impeccable writing, she writes raw, honest emotion so damn well - but other parts made my heart soar, I just loved these two so much

Narration & Story: 5 Stars

I love you more than my past. I love you more than the obstacles the present is throwing our way. Because you're my future. And I'm going to love you forever because you're my always.

Marley Valentine's Without You has been recommended to me time & time again since joining booksta & after finally sitting down to read it, I completely understand why - what an incredible story!

Ya'll should know at the outset that this story deals with some pretty heavy subject matter (be sure to check triggers), but Valentine tackles it all in such a beautiful, touching way. Grief is such a complex emotion that no two people necessarily handle the same way & we really got to see that here with Deacon & Julian. I loved seeing the way these two came together

Narration & Story: 5 Stars

Meryl Wilsner's Mistakes Were Made is the ultimate best friend's mom romance, a heartwarming, sweet & super spicy story that'll easily be going down as one of my favorite romances of the year!

Cassie & Erin had scorching chemistry right from the beginning, when I tell ya'll the steam starts pretty much instantaneously, I'm not kidding. But this was so much more than just a steamy best friend's mom romance, Wilsner gave both women so much depth & the character development throughout the story was amazing - their balance of sexy & charming moments throughout the story was perfection & I love that they allowed breathing room for Cassie & Erin's relationship to develop into something more. The dual POVs worked incredibly well here, both women were fully realized with their own hopes, dreams & fears, & it was so beautiful seeing them work towards finding their own happiness, both within themselves & with each other. This may get semi-spoilery, so read the next few sentences with caution. I'm so, so thankful there wasn't a third act breakup here, it really strengthened the relationship between Cassie & Erin & the story as whole - & without getting too much into it, I really admired Parker's reaction to everything, her & Acacia are truly BFF goals. & of course, I've got to give an audiobook shoutout - both narrators, Quinn Riley & Stephanie Németh-Parker, did an amazing job bringing the story life, highly recommend checking out the audio if you're an audiobook person!

All in all I had a great time listening to this & it really took me by surprise in the best possible way, I can't wait to check out more of Wilsner's work in the future!

Narration: 5 Stars
Story: 5 Stars

He catches my face between his hands, his painted fingernails twinkling like stars, and when he kisses me it feels a bit like fear and tastes a bit like tears, but it’s as bright and sweet as sherbet, and I decide to call it joy.

This book was, quite simply, extraordinary.

I'm a big fan of Alexis Hall & this is easily my favorite book of his yet. Whereas Boyfriend Material was romcom gold, Glitterland was a deep, steamy, tender romance, a story that'll stay with me for a long, long time. I could relate deeply to Ash - while I can't speak about the bipolar angle, I can speak to suffering from severe depression & I think Hall presented those struggles in such a realistic, honest way. I really felt for Nile, in particular, despite not always agreeing with his decisions regarding Ash. But Darian - Darian was truly something special, the most kind, lovable glitter pirate, the way he approached living life, loving himself, & being with Ash was just beautiful. He will forever go down as one of my favorite romantic love interests & I highly, highly recommend the audio, because Nicholas Boulton narrated him with so much energy & love - I had the biggest smile on my face every time he spoke. I honestly loved the entire Essex crew, those are the kinds of friends you need in your corner, especially Chloe! I know this is just the start to the Spires universe, & I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the series!

All in all, take this as me shouting from the rooftops that ya'll need to read this book (but stressing again, the audio was truly phenomenal)!