reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)

Back in 2004, The Daydreams had it all: a cast of innocent-seeming teenagers acting and singing their hearts out, amazing ratings, and a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that steamed up fan fiction forums. Then, during the live season two finale, it all imploded, leaving everyone scrambling to understand why. Thirteen years later, fans are demanding a reunion special, and the cast comes back together for the first time.

THE DAYDREAMS by Laura Hankin was such a fun read that takes the reader behind the scenes of a big LA production company and their ultimate treatment of child stars. With the emergence of so many recent celebrity memoirs, this book felt true to life and the rawness of the characters really shone through.

This book alternates between timelines - present day and, the start of it all, thirteen years ago (2004), which had me gobbling up the story even faster. 

The characters were all unique and it was easy to feel their chemistry when they occupied the same space.

I think a lot of readers (and TJR fans especially) are going to really love THE DAYDREAMS!

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

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Mike and Lisa have been best friends with their neighbors Victoria and Russell since they first moved to town, so when Lisa is arrested for the murder of Russell one night, Mike and Victoria are both shocked and assume it must be a mistake. Lisa knew this day was coming, but she’ll do anything she can to get back to her kids and husband.

THE GUILTY MOTHER by Sam Vickery alternates POVs between Lisa and Victoria, which I found engaging until the two characters’ traits seemed to dissolve into one character.

One of my biggest issues with this book was being in the heads of Lisa and Vic, who were both devoted housewives who just wanted to make their husbands happy - I’m all for a suburban drama, but these characters made me cringe and their placid behavior had me yearning for it all to be over.

And *trigger warning* there was also a use of rape as a plot device, which was both cringe-worthy and felt unnecessary in moving the story forward.

There were some intriguing moments sprinkled throughout, hence the 2.5 stars, but this one was overall a miss for me.

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

Publication Date: April 28, 2023

When the fancy invites to a lavish villa party arrive on Simone, Vicky, and Hannah’s doorsteps, they’re shocked to find their ex-friend Jodie’s name emblazoned on them. With doubts, they decide to make the trip and maybe get some much-needed closure from when Jodie betrayed them years ago. However, Jodie is shocked to see them when they arrive, and bizarre things start happening the moment they all reunite.

THE BIRTHDAY REUNION by Claire Seeber packs a punch with short chapters, alternating timelines and POVs, and a lavish villa in Ibiza.

I really enjoyed the slow-burn pacing and the lead-up to all of the wtf moments, and liked seeing the pieces fall together as everyone’s past and present stories are revealed.

It was really easy to read “just one more chapter” since they were so short and normally ended on a cliffhanger, and that had me devouring this one relatively quickly.

However, the last 25% really took a nosedive with the amount of characters and motives, and the way the mystery was dragged out from chapter to chapter. It boggled me and I didn’t feel the payoff was really worth it by the end.

***tw: rape***

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

Publication Date: April 18, 2023

It took me a couple of tries to get into this one, but it ended up being enjoyable to read once I got into it!

The writing style wasn’t always my favorite and the twist wasn’t very surprising to me, but otherwise, and intriguing thriller dealing with race and class.

A quick-paced crime fiction novel!

This one had me hooked from the first two pages and I found Eve's search for answers regarding her daughter's murder keeping me on my toes. A story full of twists and heartbreak.

The writing in this one is rough…

And while I’m used to having to suspend my disbelief when it comes to some thrillers, this one was full of so many unbelievable scenarios in the first 30 pages that I found myself cringing and ultimately closing the book for good.

I actually really enjoyed this one!!

It gets a big outlandish, but I was definitely on board for the ride.

I can definitely see the similarities between this book and MEXICAN GOTHIC, but with the eco and body horror taken up a notch (not sure those are my favorite details to consume lol 😅)

There were a lot of intriguing elements, but I found the build-up to be slow and meandering at times, with some things not fully clicking into place for me.

The main character, Jade, and her identity and her relationship with her mom were some of my favorite parts of this book!

Will definitely give this author another go!

One of those atmospheric, nature-infused horror books that had a really nice message behind it all. 

A little bit bummed that it took so long for shit to really hit the fan in this one, and I wish there were more hints at what was coming, but all in all, really enjoyed this one!

This book had such a unique premise and format and gave me lowkey Grady Hendrix vibes 👀