reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)

Beatrice has been happy with her life with her husband Josh. Sure, he has a secret family that he doesn’t know she knows about, but who doesn’t have a skeleton or two in their closet. When a boy gets abducted from their small community, Beatrice fears her own darker and deadlier secrets might begin to show.

LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON by Liv Andersson tried to do a whole lot without accomplishing anything really.

This book had so many interesting plot points (the red flag being there were way too many) and none of them actually came to fruition.

The weaving together of the timelines and various storylines also had many gaping holes and Beatrice’s actions in the end made next to no sense.

A stunning cover, but, unfortunately, a storyline littered with fragments of ideas led to this one not being a favorite for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: October 17

People have apparently just discovered ghostwriting and they’re mad 😭 

I don’t read a ton of historical fiction (though most of what I have read has been centered around WWII), but I enjoyed this one a good amount.

I had such a good visual of Nellie’s community and way of life, which I loved, and there were definitely parts I sobbed my way through.

With that being said, the pacing was off and the romance was a bit naive and not so necessary (read: cheesy as hell, but hey it’s WWII??)

I have so much respect for Cosby’s ability to weave humor into a story full of so many serious topics. This one was great on audio and I loved the lessons that were an integral part of the plot.

tw: homophobia, racism

This was such a fun one!

When Madison lands an internship with her idol, Judge Conroy, she thinks this could be the springboard for her future. But when she realizes her brother is currently being wrongfully-charged in a big drug case under Conroy’s court, Madison must uncover how far the corruption goes to save her brother and herself.

THE INTERN by Michele Campbell was definitely a fast-paced cat and mouse thriller!

I found myself, like Madison, also captivated by Judge Conroy and her backstory - her POV and storyline were my favorite when it came down to the storytelling in this book!

However, Madison, a second-year Harvard law student (top of her class mind) is so incredibly naive and seems to have an unwavering belief in the justice system that I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. On top of that, she didn’t grow up well-off, which made this naivete feel even more profound.

If Madison’s characteristics were shifted a bit, I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more.

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

Publication Date: October 3

Definitely a fast-paced thriller that went maybe a little too off-the-rails for my taste, but a quick, heart-pounding read regardless!

Might just not be in the right mood for this one right now.

Difficult to differentiate the characters and a bit of a slow pace to start.

This was a fun read that involved pulling out a piece of paper and grabbing a pen to list out the suspects, which I actually really enjoyed!

The overall story was fine, though there were a couple things within the plot that didn’t fully add up.