reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)

I overall, loved the inclusivity and diversity in this book, but some of the writing did come off a bit heavy-handed.

This was also an instance of a ya novel’s characters feeling very ya (Brynn was so annoying with all of her jumping to conclusions), but I could see this being a great book for someone younger!

After their mother passes, three estranged siblings come together to sort out their parents’ estate. As Beth, Nicole, and Michael go through their parents’ belongings, they find some old VHS tapes that reveal something sinister from their past that none of them have recollections of. Do they leave the past in the past or dig, dig, dig?!

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE by Jeneva Rose may be my new favorite by the author (ya girl loves drama and ONE OF US IS DEAD delivered that for me 😂)

The small town Wisconsin setting, the siblings coming together after taking vastly different life paths, and this long buried secret were all so intriguing and kept the story fresh and interesting.

This one leans more towards domestic suspense and focuses on the relationships of Beth, Nicole, and Michael and their newfound feelings toward their parents, but that didn’t keep the pace from slowing down!

This one ultimately has me curious to continue reading Rose’s future work!

Huge thanks to Libro.fm and Blackstone Publishing for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: April 30

Anna Bright is the founder of the company BrightLife, where the up-and-coming product, BrightSpot is readying to be launched. However, when journalist Jamie Roman manages to snag a last-minute interview with Anna, she catches glimpses behind the veil of Anna’s manipulation and will stop at nothing to share the company’s harmful secrets. 

As a huge spectator of anything and everything Elizabeth Holmes, ANNA BRIGHT IS UP TO SOMETHING immediately hooked me!

It was full of satire, powerful women, and an intriguing product launch that helped create a fast pace to the plot.

I love a good con story and this one was no exception - watching Jamie piece her story together while maintaining the integrity of a good journalist made it easy to root for her (and even Anna’s commitment to work and changing the world was cheerable at times 😅) 

I highly recommend this one if you’re intrigued by startups, Theranos, and women doing anything to get shit done 😤

Thanks to BookSparks and the author Susie Orman Schnall for including me on the Anna Bright Review Tour!

Publication Date: June 4

Ethan was ten years old when his best friend Billy went missing from their tent in his backyard. Thirty years later, Ethan finds himself back on Hemlock Circle where mysterious things start happening in the middle of the night and they all point to Billy. Ethan begins looking into it and enlists the help and answers of his neighbors who were also there thirty years ago…

It’s absolutely no surprise that MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Riley Sager was one of my most-anticipated releases of the year…but I’m here to tell you that it didn’t fully hit the mark for me (IT’S STILL FOUR STARS, OKAY!!!)

Let’s start with the good - the setting and atmosphere were everything! The cul-de-sac vibes are the epitome of small town, while also creating a tiny, very close-knit group of people - I could wax poetic on these details forever and ever (also a big reason for the four stars!!)

There’s also a kid named Henry in this who’s my absolute favorite little nugget of all time (literally protect him at all costs) and we also get some queer rep in this book!

With all of that greatness, there’s also the not-so-great (Michael-Scott-face-cringe while I’m writing this)…….

the twists were not twisting 😬

And honestly, I blame Riley for giving us some of the most unbelievable twists known to man for making my expectations so high(?) for this book. But the twists were very mehhh.

There were also some elements that were brought in, but then just fizzled out that felt very unlike Riley as well, BUT THE ATMOSPHERE. This book has got that!

I’ll obvi still continue to read Riley’s work and truly did enjoy most of my time reading this, but I am extremely nervous for the harsher Riley readers to hop in the chat 👀

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: June 18

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Review to come!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for an early copy of this one for review - Publication Date: June 18

While on a book tour in Italy, all Eleanor can think about is killing off one of her main characters, Connor. But when the real-life Connor’s life seems to be actually threatened while traveling the Amalfi coast, Eleanor puts pen and paper aside to find out who else could want him dead.

Pack your snorkel and get those beach towels out because EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION SOMEONE DIES by Catherine Mack is going to be the perfect beach read this summer!

This story is full of snark and sass and footnotes galore, which added so much character to our main girl Eleanor, and the plot itself.

This one is fun with a little bit of romance and a whole lot of murder, and did I mention THE PASTA?!? Ughhhh, chef’s kiss!

Just such an enjoyable read with some great fourth-wall breaking that already has me ready for the next installment!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: April 30

No rating because my thoughts on this author are rocky.

This book was definitely a slow burn (which I love), but at around the 100 page mark, even I became tired of it. It also managed to hook me in from the start, but once again, lost that luster as the pages went on.

The twist was also not my fave - I've read other books with the same twist and it just doesn't feel like it works as an "ope, gotcha there" the way these authors seem to think it does.

As I'm writing this review, I'm realizing I really didn't like much about this book besides the beginning, so...do not recommend lol.

It’s been a minute since I binged a book and this one did it for me!

The alternating POVs and short chapters made this one so hard to put down. I loved seeing everything come together and definitely understand the hype behind this one!

I’m also just always intrigued when stories go the Strangers on a Train route and thought it was utilized really well here!

**Just a note that this book does deal with very heavy topics**

Did I just find my new favorite Megan Miranda book???? I think so!

This one was slow and atmospheric in the best way and I immediately felt fully immersed in the setting.

The small town and the secrets were everything, and the whole cast of characters was great! 

This is definitely one of those books that would make for a perfect vacation read!

Out April 9!

I expected this to get a lot more sinister/spooky and it just never did. It ended very ambiguously, which was also a letdown.