reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)

Meg works undercover at a casino, busting loan sharks and never folding. Her sister Haley, a famous actress, finds herself on a different path leading her to a fancy rehab clinic. When Meg hears her sister has died by suicide within the clinic’s walls, she doesn’t believe it, so she goes undercover as a patient to get some answers.

THE CLINIC by Cate Quinn is a quick-paced, atmospheric, experimental thriller.

This is my first read by Quinn and I had such a fun time with it! The short chapters and alternating POVs had me cruising through and the frequent cliffhangers made it hard to put down.

I loved getting to know the characters and the setting of a fancy, exclusive, remote rehab facility was fun as well!

Definitely one I’d recommend and might have me dabbling in some of Quinn’s backlist 👀

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: January 23

This was definitely a “bookstagram made me do it” read for me and I found it to be just fine.

I cringed quite a bit at some of the details while reading it and it might just be that books historically set in the 1800s are just not for me 😂

I get why people might enjoy this one, but am a bit confused by all of the high praise I’ve seen from thriller readers!

The synopsis of this book definitely had me expecting more from it.

The storm didn’t feel as effective as a character as it could have been (outside of getting our main characters to be trapped together) and the overall mystery and drama that unfolded felt a bit predictable.

As far as debuts go, this one was good, but I’d be more interested to see what Parekh comes up with in the future!

This one started off fun with some great female empowerment, but then our main character Zoe became the most naive, oblivious person I’ve ever encountered, like girl, you lived in New York for years in the CUTTHROAT FASHION INDUSTRY and you’re somehow still this gullible?!?!

Le sigh, the fun parts were really fun, but this one was ultimately a miss for me 😞

Thank you the Berkeley for an early copy for review - this one is out January 16!

I don’t pick up coming of age novels nearly enough and this one was absolutely beautiful.

The culture, setting, and characters were so full of detail and life and I found myself unable to put this book down!

I loved this lil book!!

I haven’t read a ton of middle grade in my adult years, but this one had all the fun of Lemony Snicket with a huge pour of murder mystery.

The wordplay was clever and the characters unique. I can’t wait to see what adventures await the Swifts in the sequel book!

Max and Annie have moved on from London to start a glamping business in the wilds of Cornwall. With their business nearly ready, they invite a group of their friends and their kids along for a test run. As the weather turns and isolation creeps in, one of their own goes missing…

THE SEARCH PARTY by Hannah Richell is a destination thriller that dives into old friendships and the lengths a parent will go through to protect their child.

This is my first read by Richell and it pulled me in immediately!

The atmosphere really built an eerie tone and the rotating POVs and mixing in of the police investigation kept me wanting to read more.

By the end, I did feel the “destination” aspect of this book wasn’t utilized as much as it could have been and some of the story choices didn’t fully click, but it was an intriguing read regardless!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: January 16

Camden McTavish is called by his estranged family back to the infamous Ashby House after a recent death in the family. As they gather, tensions rise and secrets are revealed.

Any time I dive into a new Rachel Hawkins book, I’m always surprised - no two of her books are the same - and THE HEIRESS was no different!

This book alternated POVs between Camden and his wife Jules (and we also got some mysterious letters from the heiress herself, Ruby McTavish), which made for a quick read.

The mystery and setting (a gothic mansion!!)  were intriguing and the book was really fun overall.

Definitely a hit when it comes to Hawkins’ work!

Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: January 9

I’ll be interested to see the adaptation of this and to find out who Ella Conway actually is 👀 

With that being said, this book was a slog for me to get through, I found the reveal to be extremely predictable, and I felt like, as a reader, I didn’t really get a good grasp on who most of the characters were.

A lot of action, but missing a lot of story.

Thanks to the publisher, Bantam for an early copy for my honest review! Publishes January 9.