reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)

10 years ago, the summer before leaving for college, Bess, Joni, and Evangeline vacationed in Greece, but not all of them made it back alive. Now, Bess and Joni find themselves in the throes of a similar crime and Bess looks to the past for answers.

BEFORE WE WERE INNOCENT by Ella Berman exemplifies toxic friendships at their finest. This one was mysterious, glamorous, and full of betrayal.

The characters all felt unique from one another (despite all bearing some semblance of wealth) and the locations had me absolutely yearning for a vacation! With maybe less death, drugs, and alcohol… 

This book was a true work of literary fiction that I haven’t yearned for as a reader in quite some time!

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

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

I really really wish the setting of this one was more of a focal point. I only occasionally got the feeling and sense that the characters were trapped or isolated in this apartment building.

The whole whodunnit also goes a bit off the rails in a way that didn’t feel too creative to me.

All that said, I did have a hard time putting this one down, and there were plenty of intriguing aspects! Just missed the mark on a few points for me. 

Five teens go camping in the woods. Only four return and are under investigation.

TELL ME WHAT REALLY HAPPENED by Chelsea Sedoti was fast-paced and benefited greatly from the way it was written - first-person interview accounts of the night in question.

Each chapter was headed with an interrogation question and what followed was four different points of view on what really happened. I COULD NOT PUT THIS ONE DOWN and the chapters seemed to fly by!

Each of the characters and POVs was very unique and made it easy to keep their stories straight, and the whole setting of a camping trip gone wrong was devourable.

How everything wraps up is where it falls one star short, but the journey was a wild one nonetheless!

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

Publication Date: April 04, 2023

After a tragic accident leaves their daughter in a coma, parents Ed and Tamsyn are handed a lifeline in the shape of an AI medical trial. In addition to their daughter being reanimated, they’ll be given all the money and gifts they could ever want or need, a fancy new apartment, and around the clock care for their comatose daughter, Scarlett. Things seem to be better than okay when Scarlett makes a recovery and comes face to face with her twin.

THE NEW ONE by Evie Green was a wild, wild ride! This one is a dash of thriller, a sprinkle of dystopia, and a pinch of sci-fi, making it an easily bingeable read.

The twists had me thinking about my own conscience and brain matter, and I could easily (yikes) envision this plot unfolding in the real world a la Black Mirror. 

I think this is going to be a big hit among readers!

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

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

I quite enjoyed this one, though I wouldn’t consider it a Marple mystery since she’s only in it for a handful of pages. 

I wasn’t a big fan of the romance at the end, but sometimes your mystery needs a bow around it, I guess.

Definitely recommend the audiobook of this one if only for Simu’s raw emotion alone. 

I was a big fan of him in Kim’s Convenience and it was eye-opening to see where his life trajectory took him. 

It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve picked up a dystopian novel, and it felt akin to coming home after a long journey.

After seeing how long this book was, I told myself I’d pace it out to make it more manageable, and wouldn’t you know, I devoured it in two days 😂 

I loved (and hated) so many characters in this, and thought the setting of a quarantined community on a giant cruise ship was extremely creative!

It was missing just a little something that made it miss the bar held by some of my favorite dystopian novels, but I’m tempted to pick up the second when it releases!

A hesitant four stars mainly because Lana was hard to root for at times.

I loooved Seth as the male lead and I really enjoyed the messages of self-love and strength 🖤

Thanks to Enticing Journey Book Promotions and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

HOLY COW - this book was intense! I'll start by saying that this book does get extremely graphic and gorey when it comes to the serial killer - The Skull Keeper (TSK), so be prepared if you plan to pick this one up.

THE SKULL KEEPER was extremely fast-paced with short chapters and witty female leads. The alternating POVs, nods to bookstagram, and an unhinged friendship really kept this book feeling fresh. TSK was a truly terrifying character and was made even more horrifying by the reveal at the end.

Whitcomb used a ton of character names from the show Brooklyn Nine-Nine and it made me sooo happy whenever a new name drop happened, so bonus points for that alone!

If you're looking for a darkly humorous and complex serial killer book, then I recommend picking this one up!

Publication Date: March 20, 2023