Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Edelweiss for this egalley in exchange for my honest review. When I read Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll, I remember grudgingly liking it. Why grudging? Well, I started reading it and didn’t like the beginning but pushed through anyways with the expectation that it would just get worse …. and then had to…
Drama
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
I have a penchant for finding disturbing stories. Most of the time, I love the stories despite their gruesome nature. I like the different perspectives that these novels give me about what it means to survive, and how a person can be affected by trauma. It’s also interesting to see how cruel or twisted someone can be. I picked up…
The Night Child by Anna Quinn
Don’t judge me but I selected this book because the cover was so intriguing and pretty. The premise was interesting, too, but I am definitely one of those people that go after books with pretty covers. I had an inkling of what I thought the story would be about … but I was completely taken aback when I started reading…
All Things Bright and Strange by James Markert
I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis (Goodreads): In the wake of World War I in the small, Southern town of Bellhaven, South Carolina, the town folk believe they’ve found a little slice of heaven in a mysterious chapel in the woods. But they soon realize that evil can come in…
Odd Child Out by Gilly MacMillan
I was a little hesitant to read this novel because I hadn’t enjoyed The Perfect Girl. However, let it never be said that I am prejudiced against an author or their work; I always try to read at least one more book by that author to see whether I can gel with the author’s storytelling style. I was also intrigued because this…
Only Child by Rhiannon Navin
One of the things that drew me to this book was the number of comparisons it had to Room by Emma Donoghue. I absolutely adored that book. I was wondering if this novel would live up to that comparison… It most definitely did. Synopsis (Goodreads): Squeezed into a coat closet with his classmates and teacher, first grader Zach Taylor can hear gunshots ringing…
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
I remember reading Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng with more than a little trepidation. I shy away from tragic stories because I absolutely hate turning into a sobbing mess. While that novel was definitely sad, it was well worth the effort because of the beautiful story it told. With that in mind, I decided to try this new…
The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White
This novel was definitely not something I would normally pick. But the cover and title were just too alluring and I decided to get out of my comfort zone. Here is my review: Recently divorced, Merilee Talbot Dunlap moves with her two children to Sweet Apple, Georgia. All she wants is to start her life over, but an anonymous local…
Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan
I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I waited a long time before getting into this novel. Something about this story just made me hesitant. And then I got bogged down by work and other novels and never got a chance to go back to it (which is terrible since I’m…
The Party By Robyn Harding
This novel has been on all the trending reading lists. I really wanted to know what the hype was about. There’s been a trend in stories that talk about parties going wrong, but this one seemed unique in that it was not just told from the perspectives of adults but also from teens. Here is my review: Sweet sixteen: it’s…