Little Secrets, by Jennifer Hillier

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Paige

Book summary below provided by the publisher:

I went into this knowing little about it, which I think is the best way to go into most thrillers. There are twists along the way, and many of the characters are unlikable. The beginning, when Marin’s son goes missing, was very climactic. But shortly after the abduction scene, the remainder of the story mostly focuses on love affairs rather than the kidnapping and it lost much of its suspense for me at that point.

All that to say, go into this knowing the foundation is laid for a child abduction mystery…but then quickly detours and centers around adult love affairs. Though it heavily focuses on Marin’s marriage, it is still a thriller because of the plot twists, tension between characters, and the anticipation that leads up to the ending.

It is definitely a quick and easy read. It didn’t take me long to finish, and I liked it. But it isn’t at the top of my list and is not one that I had to think hard about, nothing mind-blowing, or something I thought long about after. I can’t say that I was completely shocked by the big twist at the end of the story. It was a good book, but not the whole package. I found her other novels more enjoyable, but think readers will still find this one exciting.

Jennifer Hillier is a best selling author and is widely known for writing psychological thrillers. Visit her website.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for Little Secrets.

Follow Jennifer Hillier on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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Lakewood, by Megan Giddings

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Paige

“You give yourself to make your country a better place. You give yourself to keep us safe.”

After her grandmother passes, Lena searches for financial comfort since her mother is medically unwell. She receives a letter offering more than enough to provide the comfort she needs if she moves to Lakewood and submits herself to the Lakewood Project. Accepting, Lena finds herself as part of a human experiment group.

“Why do you think they’re doing these experiments? What do you think they’re trying to learn?”

I enjoyed this debut young adult novel. It was a quick and easy read with a dark atmosphere. Lena’s race and socioeconomic status were rightfully featured as doormat for the government’s testing purposes. I kept wondering what was going to happen to Lena and the others that were part of the experiment group. There are a lot of unanswered questions for the greater half of the novel that build the readers suspense.

But at times it felt repetitive, and I just wanted the story to get on with it and progress. For example, the experiment group would do something they were told and the observers would watch what happened; this seemed to cycle around regularly for several chapters. The ending felt rushed for me. I didn’t feel complete closure for the full character of Lena. It skipped over a lot of the emotional and intellectual depth that was disclosed at the beginning.

Various though-provoking topics and questions surfaced throughout the story as a result of Lena’s background. What boundaries do humans have, and how do we set those boundaries? What are we willing to do to ensure the survival of our family and health insurance for ourselves and/or our loved ones? How do we justify the monetary value placed on someone else’s life?

Lakewood is Megan Giddings debut novel. Visit her website.

Read Boston Globe’s book review for Lakewood.

Read LA Times book review for Lakewood.

Follow Megan Giddings on Twitter.

Learn more about government experimentation by reading about the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, Operation Sea-Spray, Project Artichoke, or the San Quentin prison experiments.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

Darling Rose Gold, by Stephanie Wrobel

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Paige

“They don’t know the depths of this mother’s love.”

Does forgiveness come with limitations or should it be unconditional? Should mitigating factors be considered when speculating harmful behavior? The story starts out with Rose picking up her mom, Patty, from prison. Patty, imprisoned for aggravated child abuse of Rose, has caused a strain on their relationship and Rose’s future to be thwarted. But, is Patty the only one to blame? Where do they go from here now that she is out from prison? And, is Rose willing to look past the years of abuse her from mother…?

I really loved this one! I found both narrators so hard to trust, and as lies began to unfold the thrill of what was to come had me rapidly turning the pages. Nearly every chapter revealed a new lie or added a new element to one of the characters that seemed to put a twist on things.

The relationship between Rose and Patty is emotionally draining at times. Both characters are messy, and their story is not one that I would describe as a happy one. Rose’s life in particular unveils the superficial mask that society often has, and we see her frequently hurt by others around her. Patty’s background comes in bits and pieces, but also demonstrates a past reflecting a lifetime of pain.

I am not an expert on Munchausens syndrome, so I can’t attest to the validity of this illness as it is presented in one of the characters. If you work in the medical field, you might find fault within this presentation and might take this into consideration.

Darling Rose Gold is author Stephanie Wrobel’s debut novel. Visit Stephanie Wrobel’s website to learn more.

Publisher’s Weekly review of Darling Rose Gold calls Patty the “Mother From Hell”.

Go to this Popsugar page to read this first chapter of Darling Rose Gold for free!

Read BookTrib’s review of Darling Rose Gold.

Darling Rose Gold is also published under the title The Recovery of Rose Gold depending on your location.

Stephanie Wrobel, photo from Penguin Random House website.

Follow Stephanie Wrobel on Twitter.

Darling Rose Gold was selected as a March 2020 Library Reads book. To learn more, click here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

Please See Us, by Caitlin Mullen

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Paige

“In death, the women are still dressed to walk the streets. To attract clients with a slice of leg, cleavage. To mime desire with a cant of the hips, a toss of their hair. Dressed to be undressed.”

Missing posters are hung around Atlantic city for a missing girl. Clara, a psychic, sees the missing girls face and feels as if she can help find her. Clara meets Lily while she working and begs her to help. But Lily has her own dark past. Will they find the missing girl or become victims themselves?

“It seems both cheap and dear, the price of freedom- twenty minutes with a man.”

Chapters alternate between two main characters, Clara and Lily. Occasionally, a chapter will be from one of the bodies of the murdered victims (Jane Doe’s).
The writing style is opulent and the setting is well-developed because of the overgrown writing.

The story is heartbreaking. The victims voices are strong and reflect an image of their whole person as they lay dead in swamp blanketed in their afflictions.

If you like slower paced mysteries, then I recommend this book for you because the progression is slow. I would read a bit and then put it down. It took a while to get from point A to point B; the goal being to find the missing women. For example, the evolution of Lily and Clara’s relationship took center stage at one point for an extended period of time. If you like your mysteries fast paced, then this probably isn’t for you. If you like thought-provoking dialogue and contemplative situations, then you will probably enjoy this.

Something you might or might not be into: One of the main characters, Clara, sees visions throughout the novel. Her visions are a common occurrence and help piece together what happened to the women who were murdered.

There are several triggers in this novel including sexual torture, rape, and drug use.

Please See Us is Caitlin Mullen’s debut novel. Visit Caitlin Muller’s website.

Read Publisher Weekly’s Review of Please See Us.

Visit Simon and Schuster’s page for Please See Us to learn more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

The Missing Sister, by Elle Marr

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Paige

Shayna goes to Paris after her sister is found dead. While visiting her sisters apartment to pack up her belongings, she reads a message in their secret twin language that she is really alive so she decides to retrace the steps of her sisters last days to try and find her. She trusts no one and tells no one that her sister is really alive. Why is her sister hiding? Who tried to kill her?

Overall, this story was hard for me to get through. It was underdeveloped and the mystery was short lived. The ending was predictable and it was slow to get there. There is little to no build up for the suspense; I was continuously bored and just wanted to just flip to the last few pages because everything in between was so pointless. The whole thing was just a poor quality mystery/suspense novel. Meanwhile, the entire prose was absolutely ridiculous.

The main character, Shayna, is a pre-med student who is described as very intelligent in the beginning. Her character doesn’t seem to maintain this intellectual trait throughout the mystery though.

I kept reading hoping there might be a major surprise and revelation towards or in the end but there wasn’t. It was under 300 pages though, so I suffered through.

The Missing Sister is Elle Marr’s debut novel. Visit her website here.

Read Publisher Weekly’s review for The Missing Sister.

The Missing Sister was selected as one of PopSugar’s 31 new thriller and mystery books to look out for in 2020.

Follow Elle Marr on Facebook or Twitter.

|Purchase on Amazon|Goodreads Review|

Woman on the Edge, by Samantha Bailey

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Paige

In the first chapter, a scared woman that Morgan has never seen calls her by name and tells her to take care of her baby before jumping in front of a train. What was the woman running from and why did she entrust her baby to Morgan? How did she know her name?

Chapters alternate between Morgan, in the present, and the baby’s mother, Nicole, in the past.
Nicole’s situation as a new mother spotlights the reality of postpartum depression for women while Morgan’s circumstance demonstrates life as a widow whose spouse fell victim to suicide.

“Was this what motherhood felt like for everyone? A constant state of fear and panic?”

The overall situation and how things end up transpiring definitely seems implausible if you really think about it, but the suspense was so absorbing that I got caught up in all of it. Things were happening to Nicole that didn’t add up, and I wanted to know the truth.
The ending was a little over the top, but I was still turning those pages as fast as I could.

This was a short and fast-paced read that mystery and suspense readers will enjoy.

Woman on the Edge is Samantha Bailey’s debut novel. Visit her website.

Read Publisher Weekly’s Review for Woman on the Edge.

S. Bailey talks about her inspiration for writing Woman on the Edge.

Follow Samantha Bailey on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance read copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon|Goodreads Review|

Follow Me, by Kathleen Barber

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Paige

Audrey posts her move from New York to DC on her social media account for her millions of followers to view, like, and comment on. After her move, she notices someone is commenting very specific things on her posts that only someone following her would know. She starts hearing things outside her apartment. Things escalate. Who is following her?
Wait, doesn’t she want followers…?

Chapters alternate between Audrey, Cat, and Him. Audrey has the most chapters in the novel, and was certainly a naive and self-centered main character. Her best friend, Cat, is an attorney in DC and is socially opposite of Audrey. “Him” is the stalker.

Suspense throughout the story involves “Him”. Trying to unearth the identity of the stalker “Him” is the guiding light behind the tension of the novel.

There is a good twist in the end, but the questions and purpose buried beneath the conclusion spotlighted the main objective. It’s in the conclusion that the true essence of the novel is encapsulated, which made me really like it. Measuring accountability regarding social media is a subject of speculation that drives the novel home.

Visit author Kathleen Barber’s website.

Read Publisher’s Weekly review for Follow Me.

Kathleen Barber’s novel, Truth Be Told (formerly titled Are You Sleeping), is an Apple TV crime drama starring starring Octavia Spencer, Lizzy Caplan and Aaron Paul.

Follow Kathleen Barber on Twitter.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of Follow Me. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review|

Saint X, by Alexis Schaitkin

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Paige

“By late morning, a mother and fathers faith that their child will turn up any moment has given way to terror.”

While on vacation on Saint X, the body of young Alison is found dead. Several years later living in New York, her younger sister Claire is determined to find out what really happened to her sister Alison that night on Saint X.

The first 36 pages are truly hard to get through because of the lush descriptions. These pages focus on what the island was like during the family’s vacation on Saint X, and it was a tedious 36 pages that felt like 360 pages. But, if you can get through that…it gets better and the story takes off, though it does still contain countless descriptions and stories within stories throughout the novel. I started to get into the night Alison was killed, and continued reading. I was invested regardless of the wordy paragraphs and side-stories. I had to know what happened to Alison, how all the stories being revealed were connected, and find out the truth.

“She was what all the dead are: whatever the living make them.”

The characters are what boosted this rating above a 3 star for me. If you decide to read this, I encourage you not to skim…though you might be tempted because of the extraneous elements. The insights and voices of the characters are worthwhile and perceptive. Most of the characters were not likable, yet their observations were penetrating, intuitive, and emotionally charged.

“Are the things out the van window poverty, or just people living their lives?”

Overall, I’m glad I stuck with it. I enjoyed the book and think the ending has a good thematic message. I read this with a group, and it created great discussion. I recommend reading this with a book club or buddy!

Saint X is Alexis Schaitkin’s debut novel. Visit her website to read more about her book.

Saint X is a top 20 most anticipated book pick for Good Morning America.

Read Entertainment Weekly’s interview with Alexis Schaitkin about writing Saint X.

Follow author Alexis Schaitkin on Twitter.

Thank you to Celadon books for sending me an advance read paperback copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

The Other People, by C.J. Tudor

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Paige

“Other people, she thought. They were everywhere. And you never knew which ones where dangerous.” -C.J. Tudor, The Other People

In 2016, Gabe is driving home when he sees the face of his daughter from the back window of an unknown car in front of him. Thinking he must be mistaken, he pulls over to phone home. Answering his phone call though is not his wife nor his daughter, but the police who tell him it’s about his wife and daughter who are missing. After this first introduction chapter, the novel then fast forwards to 2019 where Gabe is still searching for his daughter who he believes to still be alive, though the police have dismissed his statement of seeing his daughter in the car in front of him. Gabe relentlessly pursues and uncovers piecing to his daughters mystery that were left untold. But, it seems even those closest with him have not been honest. Who can Gabe trust? And, what is Gabe hiding about his own past?

The chapters are short and writing style is absorbing. It’s a quick and easy read (under 300 pages). The chapters alternate between 3 characters, and are woven together towards the end as the mystery unravels.

I found myself suspending belief shortly into the story. But towards the middle and afterwards, I found so much unrealistic. I don’t mind suspending belief to help carry a story here or there, but the main story itself seemed too over the top. The reality was not there.
There is a small paranormal aspect that did not fit in well with the rest, and I did not understand what it had to do with the movement of the story or the finality of the plot.

Overall thoughts: I liked it okay. It was a good-ish read. It’s nothing that had me thinking long about it after I was done, no big jaw-dropping moments, and probably nothing I will recommend as an omg you will not believe this thriller. It was fast paced, but not thrilling for me. It’s a good read for vacation or by the pool.

Thank you to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Read Bustle’s article about The Other People.

C.J. Tudor is the author of The Chalk Man which won the International Thrillers Award for Best Debut Novel.

Follow C.J. Tudor on Twitter.

|Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review|

Nothing More Dangerous, by Allen Eskens

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Paige

“Boady, the men who beat and murdered those people for all those years, do you think they simply disappeared because someone passed a law?”

A colored, divorced woman, Lida Poe, goes missing in the small town of Jessup, Missouri in the 70’s. The town is painted in racism and composed of prejudice beliefs. Growing up in Jessup, teenage Boady Sanden considers himself an average young man and doesn’t realize the segregation and discrimination until he befriends his new neighbors and sees the reaction from certain town members. Boady begins to recognize his own racial thoughts while he and his new friend, Thomas, get pulled into the middle of the Lida Poe murder case. Was there more to her murder case than what was being disclosed?

“You’ll never change what a person thinks in their head or what they feel in their heart by passing a law. If a man doesn’t want to look at who he is deep down, he’s not going to much care what the law says about it.”

I really loved the setting of the novel and watching Boady purge the racial stigmas that he had grown up hearing and believing. The friendship he creates with Thomas, his neighbor, was my favorite part of the novel. While the book obviously centers on overcoming prejudices in the 1970’s, the target for the reader is identifying and conquering our own prejudices, even including predispositions, whatever those might be.

The focus of the story isn’t the murder of Lida Poe, but her murder is used in the growth of the plot and character development. The story centers around Boady and his surroundings; like his peers in school who are blinded by racism and let those feelings drive their actions.

**There is a lot of racial slander in this novel. Violence and hate crimes occur.**

Pictured below is the face of young Emmett Till who is mentioned in the book a few times during the dialogue. Beaten, drowned, and then burned alive, read about the murder of Emmett Till here.