tamlamreads's Reviews (175)

What would you do to cure your chronic illness? Agree to go to a yearlong retreat with 5 strangers and a promise to solve your problems even after you are cured? Set in a creepy, unsettling remote location in the woods with cult vibes this thriller pulled me in from page 1. Short, easy to read chapters and twists that kept me guessing, kept me engaged until the end. I did find some of the middle to be a bit repetitive, and I would have enjoyed getting to learn a little more about the other characters at the retreat.  The ending left me with a lot of questions and wanting more but, overall, I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it. Thank you, Red Raven Publishing, and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. 

 

Not every book is for every reader. By the end I was left unsure of how I felt about what I had read. While the writing was beautiful and descriptive and the setting was done perfectly, the nostalgia of the 80s could be felt throughout the book, the story felt more like a conglomeration of moments, memories, ramblings and magazine quizzes than a cohesive narrative. It felt repetitive at times, hard to follow (especially with switching between character names and nicknames) and it took me while to get through despite its length. But the story was also thought provoking and tackled complex issues like sexual abuse and and left me thinking about it long after I finished. Overall it was a 3.75 ⭐Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Pantheon, and the author, Nina McConigley, for this eARC 

The premise: Olivia is a ghostwriter whose career has gone off track until she gets an offer to write the memoir for best-selling horror novelist Vincent Taylor. Olivia is reluctant but with mounting debt and exile from the industry she loves, there is no other option than to take the job. However, Vincent Taylor isn’t just a best-selling horror novelist, he is Olivia’s estranged father who was suspected of murdering his teenage siblings in 1975 after they were found dead and the memoir, he wants to write is the truth about what happened. 

The dual timeline and multiple POVs add layers to this slow-burn mystery. The pacing was a bit sluggish in the middle, but the secrets and twists had me guessing until the end. This was a solid 4.25 ⭐read! Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance reader copy

Steve Cavanagh knocked it out of the park in this fast-paced legal thriller. It begins with the jury having made their decision on a murder trial in an unbelievable 48 minutes, followed by the frantic 911 call transcripts that introduce our two suspects. I DEVOURED this book sneaking in time to read before work and staying up late after 12-hour shifts to try to just get a few more pages in. Here’s the premise: two sisters both make a 911call within a minute of each other claiming the other has murdered their father, who happens to be the former mayor of New York City. We get the point of views from Eddie Flynn - Sofia’s lawyer, Kate Brooks who is representing Alexandra and “She” the point of view of the sister who committed the murder. From there the race is on to try to figure out which sister is guilty, and which one is innocent. The twists in this book are fantastic and kept me guessing. When I would decide one sister was guilty, some clue or twist would come along that took me back to having no idea! I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but this book is able to be read as a standalone. I didn’t feel I was missing anything or confused from not reading the previous books. This book was a solid 5 star read, and has me ready to read the previous books, just to get more of Steve Cavanagh’s fantastic writing and stay in Eddie Flynn’s world a little longer. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital arc of this phenomenal book!