reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)

When Caz steps onboard the cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s for the vacation of a lifetime. In her fifties, she thinks she has finally met her life partner in Pete and is looking forward to spending this trip with him. However, when Caz wakes up on their second day out at sea, she comes to the realization that she’s the only one on the ship.

THE LAST ONE by Will Dean is my first read by him and was such a crazy ride!

This one is best to go in blind with (and the synopsis does a great job of revealing the bare minimum!) and is such a wild, claustrophobic story that was very difficult to put down.

The short chapters made it easy to binge (even at a whopping 448 pages) and the characters were interesting enough to keep me caring and wanting to engage with them.

Definitely excited to read Dean’s backlog after enjoying this one!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: August 8

I feel like I can’t delve too much into the details of this book without giving things away, but it’s about a boy named Wilder and the two friends he makes while summering in a small New England town where a serial killer is on the loose.

LOOKING GLASS SOUND by Catriona Ward was my first read by her, but it sounds like her other books include some of the same fuckery…

The first half of this book was really strong for me! It was atmospheric and eerie, and the mystery surrounding the Dagger Man had me hooked!

BUT it took a turn (many if I’m being honest) that had me thinking way too hard and tunneled me into a confusion spiral that I have yet to fully come out of.

This book felt like a million books squished into one book (iykyk) and my brain still feels a little fried from the information overload.

I thought I’d know how I actually felt about this book by the time I finished writing this review, but “This book is great, I hated it!” is all that’s running through my head 😂

I think this one will be divisive for sure!

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing, and Tor Nightfire for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: August 8

Popular podcaster Alix Summers is out celebrating her forty-fifth birthday when she runs into a woman named Josie Fair who declares that she’s her birthday twin. The two casually run into each other again and Josie tells Alix she wants to be on her podcast as she plans on making some big changes in her life. When Alix agrees, she’s not prepared for what Josie is about to unveil and she finds herself trapped in a dark, messy web of a story.

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell has already received a ton of advanced praise and I can see why!

This has easily become my favorite of her books and I had such a hard time putting it down! Jewell utilizes a multimedia format (LOVE), incorporating a podcast and documentary aspect to the story and I could not get enough!

The story was dark, twisted, and creepy and the way Jewell keeps you guessing from one chapter to the next had such a strong hold over me!

I think this one will be popular with a lot of people and I can’t wait to pick up my own physical copy!

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

Publication Date: August 8

⚠️ check the triggers on this one ⚠️

Rachel Krall is back in action when she’s pulled into an active suspected murder investigation in Florida. When an influencer goes missing while in town for BuzzCon, a huge influencer conference, Krall blends into the group to get the answers that could lead to the FBI finally IDing a serial killer.

DARK CORNERS by Megan Goldin was one of my most anticipated books of the year after absolutely loving the first book set in this universe, THE NIGHT SWIM.

I found the mystery to be intriguing and loved seeing Rachel interact with Agent Martinez! The influencer element was also just such a fun addition.

However, Rachel’s character seemed much more naive in this one and even boy crazy(?), which made me roll my eyes at some of her decision-making. The story also felt extremely repetitive and the podcast element felt really flat in this one.

Not my favorite, but I’m hoping if we get another Rachel Krall book, she’ll be back to who she once was!

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

Publication Date: August 8

This book was SO good.

John Carreyrou is clearly so good at his job and the level of investigative journalism that went into this work really shows. Such a fascinating and messed up story.

Ten years after Meghan’s murder, members of her family receive a letter inviting them to a cliffside home in Oregon where they’ve been told they’ll finally be given the truth of what happened that night. Things become tense as a storm tears through the area and they start to question if the person behind the letter is one of their own.

ONE NIGHT by Georgina Cross started off really strong for me -  the moment I started it, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!

The picturesque location and the eeriness of the letter had all of the makings of the perfect locked room thriller, but, unfortunately, the characters didn’t amount to much in this story.

They all seemed to be quite shady at times (adding to the mystery of it all, I guess) and none of them came off as super likable, making it hard to root for them in finding answers.

The big reveal felt messy and the number of conflicting stories held by each of the sisters added to that.

Overall, a fine read, but nothing to write home about.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine and Bantam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: August 1

In the elite world of luxury real estate, it’s often kill or be killed. When Saint Realty gets their hands on a $50 million dollar listing, the five agents will do anything for their buyer and offer to be accepted. On the night of the broker’s open, things seem to have gone too far when a body is found in the pool.

Anyone who knows me personally, knows I’m a sucker for luxury real estate drama, so add a twist and some thrills into the mix and I’m in!

TO DIE FOR by Lisa Gray was a fun, dramatic, cutthroat book that alternated among the various characters’ POVs - which I love, love, love in a thriller!

I enjoyed all of the drama that comes with the upper class though I do wish there was more of it?! I wanted everyone to be more catty to one another and felt that it lacked a little in that department.

The mystery was intriguing, though I wasn’t fully sold on the reveal.

Definitely recommend for all of you Selling Sunset girlies! 😂

Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Thomas and Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: August 1

An eleven-year-old boy spends his days exploring the coast of South Carolina with his dog and going on field trips with his parents. When his estranged grandfather makes an unexpected visit, tension between his parents begins to fester, and the boy himself feels a change within him.

WILD SPACES by S.L. Coney is a coming of age Lovecraftian novella coming in at 122 pages.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this book, the relationship between the boy and his dog, and the overall heartbreak that comes with him turning twelve.

For me, a lot of the faults I found ultimately came down to the length. I wanted so much more when it came to the building tension and I felt that the resolution all happened so fast that I wish there were more pages to really sit with it.

An overall enjoyable creature short, but I could have seen myself enjoying this more as something longer than a novella!

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

Publication Date: August 1

One year ago, Lucy’s sister, Nicki, went out to a pub with some of her friends only to never be seen or heard from again. One of a string of missing women cases to spring up around their town in Ireland, what unfolds is a fast-paced mystery in search of answers.

THE TRAP by Catherine Howard has easily become my favorite of her books - the opening chapter alone had my JAW ON THE FLOOR.

Howard does not hold back in her latest release and a lot of the situations she puts her characters through in this one had my palms sweating. She alternates from Lucy’s search for her sister, a detective and civilian working out other clues, and a nameless man driving in search of his next victim and somehow managed to have SO MANY cliffhangers!

I do wish this one was twice as long, so we could spend more time with the characters and get to know them better and I think(??) I’m mad at the ending(???) BUT I think a lot of readers will be pleased with this one!

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

Publication Date: August 1

Cute little spooky book that spoke to my anxiously depressed heart ❤️