Book Review: An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

An Anonymous Girl

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An Anonymous Girl 〰️

I love how this book is told. We get Jessica in first person. But then we have Dr. Shield's POV, which is told in the second person. It's not often I come across this POV. I think the only book I've read with this POV was "You" by Caroline Kepnes. (Granted, I did read a book once that had this POV in small parts for certain chapters, but "You" used it the whole way). I think having Dr. Shield's chapters told in the second person is perfect for her personality. It reads like a clinical report, which to me, gives the impression that this is what she would write after each session with Jessica. It also really helped differentiate each character's chapter and gave each of them a distinct personality. It made for an interesting read.

The book was interesting from the start, but it was reading more like a four-star read for me until the halfway-ish point. As soon as Jessica starts to doubt Dr. Shield's motives and sees something more sinister is happening with the experiment, the book gets interesting. Not that it wasn't before. But before that point, it was mostly just Jessica doing random questionnaires, then random (to Jessica) experiments Dr. Shield asked her to do. Nothing odd other than she was being paid a lot of money just to meet (seemingly) random people and accept some gifts. But then Jessica starts to question everything, wondering if everything she does is a test, which is a valid response. It's a normal response. As I said, what really made it interesting was when we realized there is more to Dr. Shield's experiment than beneath the eye.

Then a whole web of lies hidden beneath truths comes out to play, and we question if everything means something. And it turns out, yes. Jessica was just a plaything for Dr. Shield. All the doctor wanted was to see why her husband cheated and see if he'd do it again by using Jessica as bait. Add in some murder and some deep philosophical questions, and we've got ourselves a worthy read.

I'm not sure how co-authoring works. Maybe one author writes one character, and the other writes the second. Maybe not. But what I do know is that Hendricks and Pekkanen worked extremely well together and wrote a compelling story. I'll be honest in saying I probably wouldn't have picked up this book if it wasn't given to me for free by a friend who was moving. But I'm glad I got it and read it because it was one helluva ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It makes me wonder what I would have done in Jessica's shoes.

Book review: Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Sometimes I Lie

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Sometimes I Lie 〰️

Holy mother of twists, Batman! This book hooked me right from the first page and held me right until the end. (Sequel, anyone? It was kind of left open for a sequel, and I wouldn't be mad if there were one. I need more. I feel like there is more to the story because of how it ended. But if not, it still has such a great ending).

We always wonder if those we love who are in a coma can hear us. In this case, Amber, who is in a coma, can do just that. She can feel and hear everything but is unable to react physically. No one knows she is aware of everything as she tries to piece together the mystery of what happened to her leading up to her accident that got her in this situation. But Amber is an unreliable narrator (love that), and because of that, we are on the edge of our seats the entire novel.

I'm not one for guessing twists or picking up clues that are usually obvious to most readers, but if there were hints as to what happened to Amber and her relationship with Claire and her ex, I didn't see them. The whole book was a wild guessing game as to who did what and why. And when you think you have it all figured out, Feeney pulls a fast one and hits you with twist after twist. I personally didn't see them coming.

When Amber was in the "now" chapters, you first took everything she heard at face value. But then, as time goes on, when you realize she often hallucinates (which I don't blame her; coma brain and all), you wonder what is real and what isn't, and it all adds to the mystery.

I love how the "now," "then," and "before" chapters all tell separate stories but blend into one in the end. Feeney is truly an expert storyteller. She can keep you guessing and wondering what we would have done in Amber's situation.

Loved this book from beginning to end and can't recommend it enough.

Book Review: Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls

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Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls 〰️

Well this book was a rollercoaster from start to finish. There were so many twists I didn't see coming. Especially when it comes to the dead girl, well, not being dead. And when the ending line of the books blurb says "Now Delia is dead. And June owes it to her to find out the truth... which is far more complicated that she ever could have imagined." Well. It wasn't kidding. It was way more complicated. In that sense I'm not saying the story itself was a complicated read, just that all the plot twists were a kick in the gut for June over and over, until she can barely tell reality from fabrication.

I feel for June. She was the best of friends with Delia. But then they grew apart, as some friendships do. (Especially if you see your bestie kissing your boyfriend). But when she learns of Delia's suicide, she realizes all the potential their friendship had and how she'll never get the chance to be there for her friend again.

I was hooked right from the very beginning. Though I will admit, the first half of the book reminded me of Holly Jackson's "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder." I loved that book (the whole trilogy really). But I wasn't sure I was into reading another story about someone trying to solve a murder. (Well, suicide in this case). But then the first big twist happened. I'm sure people probably say it coming, but I'm very clueless a lot of the time so I was blinded when it happened. Never expected Delia to fake her own death. I was truly thinking this was going to be AGGGTM kind of story where June goes down lots of crazy rabbit wholes to discover the truth about her friends death.

But here we are! She's alive! And we now have a new POV, from Delia. And we can see how manipulative and obsessive she really is. It was all of June. It was like Delia knew what would happen to them in the future and planned it out from the first moment they met. Maybe she had some grand scheme. Maybe she only thought of her plan later on. Either way, it was a wild ride to read.

The only thing I didn't really like about this book is that it portrayed bisexuals in a negative light. Because I kind of see Delia as the villain and wether is is bi, pan, gay, whatever, her and Ashling make the LGBTQ+ community seem a bit crazy. Not saying you should never have a queer villain. It just puts queer people in a bad light when the only LGBTQ+ people in your novel are doing bad things.

All in all, this was an excellent and quick read and I highly recommend.

Book Review: Firestarter by Stephen King

Firestarter

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Firestarter 〰️

Actual rating 4.5/5

So I actually saw the movie (remake) first before I read the book. I really enjoyed this book, but I may have enjoyed the movie a bit more because of the changes they made. I won't go into detail stating all the changes, changes between books and screenplays are necessary, but I think the remake improved upon the story. (With the exception that they added a scene where Charlie has to kill a cat she hurt, and that made me ugly cry on the plane. Thankfully, no cats were harmed in the book. Other animals were, but I'm very sensitive when it comes to cats).

The story was engaging and piqued my curiosity from the beginning. I did feel like it dragged a little in the middle once Charlie and Andy spent months locked in The Shop. But the first half of the book and the climax and ending were perfect.

Some of the stories didn't age well, and I wonder if King was a woman if he'd be cancelled for his thoughts on casual racism and homophobic slurs that he always uses. I know many writers (mostly female) who have been called out and cancelled for less, but because King is, well, a king of writing, he gets away with it. Granted, I haven't read much of his more recent works, so I don't know if he's changed. And if he has, great. But people love bringing up the past and cancelling them for it even if they did change. (Which, if they changed, shouldn't that count for something?)

Aside from that, King really knows his stuff. He's an excellent writer and storyteller, and there's a reason we love his books so much we turn almost all of them into movies and even later remake those same movies. This story is a classic, and I loved it. The characters were unique. The storytelling enthralling. The pacing, for the most part, is perfect. All in all, a really enjoyable read. A great addition to anyone's Stephen King collection.

Book review: Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Five Survive

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Five Survive 〰️

I've been waiting to read this book for a while. I had it pre-ordered and everything. I ended up reading Jackson's Good Girl Guide to Murder series first while waiting (loved it so much). And then I read other books in my TBR. But I finally got around to reading it, and it was well worth the wait.

I love love, loved the writing style in this book. Jackson really made it unique and fitting for Red. You could see her past trauma and PTSD over what happened to her in the past and how it still affects her to this day. I know what happened to Red happened years ago, but trauma like this never goes away. I can maybe see how some people may be annoyed with Jackson's writing style in this book, but I personally loved every second of it. (Though now that I think of it, we never did find out what the pattern was in those darn curtains, and I, as well as Red, would love to know, haha).

Because of how this was written, as well as the story premise, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This book was a real page-turner, and I'm here for it. I never saw anything coming. (Though I'm sure other readers could have. I'm not very perceptive).

However, I will say that only one small thing bothered me. Something the characters should have done but didn't. When Red spilled her secret, and everyone was trying to decide if they should chuck her out of the van, I wondered why they didn't radio the sniper, asking if this was the correct secret and save them all the trouble. I mean, it didn't matter in the end that they didn't do this thing, but I kept screaming at the book because they did it with Oliver and Reyna's secret, and thus they didn't have to leave the van. And yes, Red was the one they were after, but like, you'd think they'd ask the sniper if it was Red who they wanted before voting whether or not to send her out to die. Again, it didn't matter in the end, as it was Red who held the answers they were looking for, but you'd think the group would want to check first before blindly sending her to her death.

Aside from that, the pacing was great, the characters worked well off each other, and I loved learning about everyone's secrets and Red's past. It was a compelling read, and I highly recommend it. I think now that I've read the Good Girl's Guide to Murder series and this book and loved them all, I think Jackson will now be a new auto-buy for me.

Book Review: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

The Writing Retreat

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The Writing Retreat 〰️

Actual rating 4.5 stars

I picked up this book solely on the title alone. Well, that and I saw a friend of mine reading it on Instagram, and the cover looked interesting, and I was looking for a new read. I glanced at the blurb, and it sounded interesting enough, so I took a chance. I'm glad I did. If I didn't, I would have missed out on this gem.

As a writer, I know firsthand many of the writlery struggles the characters feel in this book. If you are a writer, you'll for sure find that part of the book very relatable. However, I found it odd that the characters were shocked to hear they'd have to write a whole novel in a month. It's doable. I've done it. NaNoWriMo is a thing. I've never taken part in it, and granted, the goal is 50k in a month (the length a book is officially considered a novel), not 80k (average novel size), but still. It's also doable. I've known people who have written their first 80k draft in a month, so this shouldn't be too daunting for the characters whose only task to do in a day is to write.

That said, there is a larger story than just writing a novel in a month during a writing retreat. This is a thriller and a damn good one. Bartz lets you know something sinister is going to happen early on, and even though you're ready for it, it still hits hard. Like, people die, and I love it when an author commits to killing off characters.

However, I will say that the villain villains are a bit too hard at some points. She was veering close to Disney villain territory. Not that that is a bad thing. But it was close to being cartoonish to me. I did love her reasoning behind her plans, however. It was interesting to see Roza kill to become a famous writer, despite never being good enough to warrant such fame.

I loved that Alex and Wren, though reconciled at the end, don't become friends again. It really subverted my expectations, and that was a nice change. Like, we all wanted them to become friends (or maybe more?) again, but I love that Alex has accepted it wasn't a good relationship for her and moved on.

All in all, this was a gripping read, with a few good ghost stories tied in between. I would recommend giving this book a shot. It may surprise you.

Book Review: The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

The Children on the Hill

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The Children on the Hill 〰️

I would have never heard of this book if it wasn't for my friend. She told me she was reading a book about a mental hospital with kids who live there, and then one day, their grandmother just dropped a random girl in their house and basically said she's your sister; treat her as your flesh and blood with no context as to who she was before. And I was intrigued. So, thank you, friend, because, hot damn, this was one helluva good read.

This book essentially has two storylines, the past, taking place in 1978 and the present (which in this novel's case is 2019). Both past and present tell their own stories and slowly intertwine and become connected. In order to understand the present, we need the story told from the past and vice versa.

And when my friend told me she did not see the big twist coming, that it was a twist she hadn't seen pulled off so well in such a long time, she wasn't lying. Because wow. That twist! I nearly threw my book across the room in disbelief. Yet, if you really think about it, it made sense, and I love that I didn't see it coming. I knew there was a twist coming, thanks to my friend, but she didn't spoil it. So I spent the whole novel trying to guess it for myself. It's safe to say I got nowhere near guessing correctly.

I applaud McMahon for her storytelling. This was a gripping and chilling read from start to finish. The characters and their motivations felt so real that I could believe this story was based on actual events. (And really, with the way people are, who is to say it isn't in some way?)

After reading this book and the synopsis of some of McMahon's other books, it's safe to say I'm a fan. I'll be diving into McMahon's other works in the future. If they are anything like this book, they are definitely worth the read. The Children on the Hill is now a book I highly recommend.

Book Review: Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

Wrong Place Wrong Time

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Wrong Place Wrong Time 〰️

Where do I begin? This book sold me from the blurb and delivered on its promise of one helluva story. The plot of solving why the MC's son stabbed someone is a good story. But that's not what made this book outstanding. It was the fact that it was all done in reverse! It was such a cool concept.

Imagine witnessing something so terrible as a murder, and done by your own son no less, only to go back in time to find out it hasn't happened yet. And then not only are you not going forward in time every time you sleep, or even repeating the same day, but you just keep going back and back. Like imagine you had to relieve your whole life again, but going backwards. It's insane! I'd worry that even if I solved the crime and uncovered all the answers I needed to know that I would still just keep going back until I was a baby, and then poof, I'm not born. That thankfully doesn't happen to Jen, our MC, but she does go back 20 years, and that's still insane.

What's cool about this concept is that Jen keeps learning things that will help her understand the future, but with each new day, she's like a new person. She's got all this information that she will technically have only learnt in the future, but the people in Jen's life haven't yet revealed it to her. It's just mind-boggling how things are solved in reverse and how far back the mysteries go.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I'll be thinking about it for days. The plot is so fascinating; the characters somehow get well developed, even though we see them as a before rather than a later self (if that makes sense). And somehow, Jen even changed the present while still being able to live the life she had before. This book is for you if you want a fantastic read filled with unique twists and excellent writing. I'd rate it higher if I could.