sarahsbookstack's Reviews (2.55k)

This was my most anticipated book for this year!
The Kind Worth Killing is a favorite thriller that I have read but I didn't need to reread it because this book was good at slipping in parts when necessary (like when Lilly comes into play). 

I loved all the plot twists (even though we get early look into what happens in the book and then get to watch it play out) and how eerie at times it made me feel. Joan and Richard were an intense pair. The way that Joan enjoyed the things she partook in was just so creepy. Kimball has an interesting journey from teacher to police officer to private eye and the way he feels and protects Lily still is a weird but likeable relationship.

As a fan of historical fiction but not a big reader of paranormal, this book was the perfect blend to keep me interested.

Hayden was such a great character in his growth throughout the book was interesting. He was just a factory worker who got to go to war and died. He was somehow resurrected and through an item called an infernal artifact, he was able to become what they call the Corpse Walker. The military needs his help to stop a demon posing as a man that wants to unleash demons into the world.

It was nice to read a historical fiction set in Hawaii and Guam which I don't see often. I was surprised by one character's arc just because I wasn't expecting it of that person. I'll be excited to see where the story continues..

I want to start out by saying that I really enjoyed the Facebook mom group that were at the beginning of each chapter. It made me laugh and roll my eyes at some of the comments but it was really fun.  The townspeople, of course, can't help but mettle in affairs that aren't there own or their business anyway.

Noelle, oh boy! She had such a hard family life. I felt so bad for her but also felt so amazed at how Jeff was able to help her see how toxic it was when he was alive. She is just trying to do her best for her son and I was so mad that people didn't want to help her. How could they not see that she was struggling in certain ways? Her family (with small exceptions) was just bizarre. 

Peter was a pretty patient person! I would not have been in his situation that his sister put him in (and all without his knowledge). I really struggled to like Vanessa especially when she wouldn't even try to get to know Noelle. But she redeemed herself quite well. The barn scene- I was cheering her on! 

I enjoyed this book of 3 strong but in some ways flawed women on the island of Nantucket in the days leading up to a big fire that destroys a lot of the island.

Eliza is married to a whaling captain but has spent a mere 9 months of their 20 year marriage alone on the island. Everyone but her seems to know why her husband keeps to the sea (he's doing a very worthy and helpful thing). She can be prejudicial and it takes a lot for her to own up to it and change.

Meg is a Black woman who, with her husband, is trying to buy a building they've been renting in for their business all while dealing with prejudices against them. When she goes into labor during the fire, she has to turn to the home of the most unlikely source for help.

Maria is a local teacher with a big secret. She's in love with her friend Linley, but because of the time period and the strong Quaker presence of the islanders, they have to keep it secret. The fire will change everything for them and they will have to choose to stay secret or lose each other.

I really enjoyed learning about this place that I only know the barest amount about.

I really like the progression of this book how it would go from before they say I do to after In each chapter. I didn't want this to be another one of those books where "the one who got away" is the one they end up with, so I was pleasantly surprised about how this went.

The things that happen before the wedding are just a bit crazy but it tends to work for Audrey to really figure out what she wants and who she is. Even Fred showing up (the one day guy,the what if guy) had a purpose. After the disastrous wedding, I love the plane scene and I love the scene at the hotel where Audrey starts singing!

I felt that Audrey's mother having been married and divorced so many times kind of threw her for a loop as her wedding day got closer and closer. And while I don't agree with all of Audrey's mother's choices I'm glad that she chose to believe her daughter over one of the men.

A con artist always has a bit of truth in the stories they tell and it's hard to know with Cammie. 

Cammie brings two people into her life.. Shelby, who recently lost her wife and seems kind of lost and who joins a support group that Cami is part of and Gibson, who is an older and recently divorced man that she finds in a bar.

There are lies that she tells each of them that mostly line up but when they both figure out that she has been calling them both Shelby and Gibson become confused. They like her and they do want to help her, But are confusing those feelings because they were conned.

It's a fast read at under 200 pages but there's no real character growth I felt. Parts at the beginning are kind of boring and long and tedious.

Beckett is just the sweetest guy! Yes, he grunts a lot but he has a good heart! He has struggles with too much noise but still shows up for his family and friends.

Evelyn is feeling pressure from her social media job. She wants to find what truly makes her happy and Inglewild (and most importantly Beckett) helps her find out that slow and steady helps her find her happy.

I love the townspeople. The town meeting had me rolling with laughter (seriously, the waited posters put up in windows because of naughty tourists!) and felt exactly like a Gilmore Girls Stars Hollow meeting. 

The heat and chemistry between Beckett and Evelyn is fantastic and sweet.

This book is intense right from the start! Right away, you find a girl naked Mary Jo raped at age 12 by a family friend, Roger...an older adult. She becomes pregnant and what does the family do? Protects the "upstanding" man and sends Mary Jo away to have the baby and pass it off as a surprise baby of her mom's.

There are a lot of skipping timelines but the chapters are named with the character and the year it's in. I was a little put off by how much it jumps at times. But oh how I ached for Mary Jo and her baby! I was furious with the adults! Roger should have been punished. The secrets were too big to be hidden.

Maggie inherits the house that her late father wrote a book (which Maggie believes to be all lies...) about from their experience of living in the house for 20 days. It's a straight up Amityville Horror type story. When Maggie starts experiencing things that are in the book, she's starts to wonder if it wasn't total fiction.

While this book never scared me (because it takes a lot to scare me), it was tense filled with for an enjoyable reading experience. I loved getting to read the book her father wrote to break up Maggie's adult timeline.

I applauded Maggie in her need to go back to the house to find out the truth. She didn't believe anything in her father's book and was determined to learn the truth.  

I didn't know what to expect from the outcome of this book, but I knew that most of what was going on had to have a sane explanation  But I still appreciated the stuff I had to suspend belief for.

I loved the Gothic creepiness of the whole story and the many different creepy ways flowers are mentioned. 

Now, I felt Holly was very naive in her pursuit of the mystery of her brother's supposed suicide. I mean, she didn't know Maura at all so why would she risk living in her house? She should have stayed with her college friend and gotten to know/investigate Maura from a safer distance.

Maura was not trustworthy in the LEAST BIT! She had violent mood swings and at the first one, I would have bolted!

I did however appreciate the flow of the story and the way it was written, as it made it for an easy and page turning read.