reading_under_covers's Reviews (1.61k)

Honestly, disappointed with this one. I loved the satire, but none of the characters were likable and i was ‘big unimpressed’ by the writing and the overall story. 

It’s almost like this book was doing too much to even feel like it was doing anything 🤷🏼‍♀️ 😬 

Maria and William are a happy couple who seem to have it all…until their ex-employee David invades their home and secrets start to be revealed.

After the first few chapters of THE INTRUDER, I found myself actually having to put it down for fear that I would have nightmares - I thought I had found the book that would freak me out, while also keeping me engaged from one page to the next! I was wrong.

After the first several chapters, the story completely unravels, and I found it extremely predictable and boring. I honestly felt hoodwinked by the synopsis and it felt like I had picked up an entirely different book.

If you’re new to the thriller genre, you may enjoy this one because it is fast-paced and has a lot of typical “twists” that one would encounter in this genre, but as someone who’s read a lot of thriller, mystery, and action-packed books at this point, it was a miss for predictability for me.

I wish those first few chapters were an actual impression of what the book would become…

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: September 21, 2022

Maybe I need to read this at a different time (because I LOVED this author’s first book), but this one felt slow and predictable.

Loved how this book showcased women empowerment and becoming a badass even with the presence of sexism at every corner - it was both rage-inducing and extremely inspiring!

However, there were several moments in this book where intense and triggering subject matters were brought up, but then never fully resolved, or just brushed under the rug. It was almost as if the author was trying to hit a checklist of marks, without actually planning out what to do with them once they were in place.

When a college student goes missing while on vacation at a fancy resort in Mexico, FBI Agent Victoria Heslin takes on the case, dredging up her own sad history in the process. As she unveils more secrets and the local police start shutting her out, she takes matters into her own hands.

VANISHED ON VACATION by Jenifer Ruff  is the 6th book in the Agent Victoria Heslin series, and can be read as a standalone.

The premise and the cover of this book immediately drew me in, but, unfortunately, I found a lot of this book laughable and eye roll worthy.

The use of COVID in this book felt both messy and as a simple excuse to move the plot forward without adding anything to the overall plot. I understand that the last few years have and will continue to play a role in how authors choose to write their novels, but in this case, it felt like an unnecessary plot point.

The plot of this book was also extremely predictable and I spent a lot of time waiting for the agents to catch up and piece together what was happening. I was hoping for some wild twist that would prove me wrong, but that never came.

Lastly, the dialogue was EXTREMELY cringey at points (especially when describing women):

I’m sorry to say that this book was just not it.

It was a quick read, and had enough intrigue to keep me going until the end, but that’s about all it had going for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: October 07, 2022

WHAT A JOURNEY. That last word gave me actual chills.

As a series as a whole - LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOKS. Tim Curry is absolutely 👏🏻 phenomenal 👏🏻 and the soundtrack was spooky and quirky. 

Not at all what I was expecting when I first picked this one up. Loved the references to classic monster movies and the occasional Stranger Things vibes!