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.

Book Review: The Ivies by Alexa Donne

The Ivies

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The Ivies 〰️

This book held a lot of promise when I read the premise, and for the most part, it held true. I recently read a series where the plot was similar (keyword 'almost'). Where a murder happens, and a journalism student tries to solve it. Many plot points were the same, but make no mistake, the series and this book are still vastly different.

As much as I loved Oliva and her drive to solve the case, the more that I read, the more I wondered why she was in the Ivies in the first place. Sure, she admitted to some of the Ivies traits, but she was basically nothing like them. (As she clearly states herself multiple times). Though, in the end, she does admit a bit more about why she was an Ivie, it felt like she only became one just out of necessity and not because she admired them or wanted to be their friends. But this is the only negative. Well, there is one more, but I'll touch on that in a bit.

As mentioned, I loved Olivia's detective work. Her random uses of 'big words' plus her crime-solving helped us as a reader see how she got into Harvard.

As a Canadian, I found it fascinating to read what the pressure of getting into an Ivy League school in America was like. I've heard stories about the SATs, and I'm thankful I never had to take anything like that to get into school.

The last thing I will say, however, is that Tyler had real motivation for killing Emma but, in the end, did it because he wanted to write a better admissions essay? That felt a little off.

All in all, this was a delightful read with twists all over the place. I kept trying to guess who the killer was, but I never saw Tyler coming. Donne really nailed it there. A short read, but a great one nonetheless.

Book Review: As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

As Good As Dead

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As Good As Dead 〰️

What a thrilling end to this fantastic trilogy. I was slightly on the fence about book two, but this third one, there is no doubt. This one had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

I love how Pip's PTSD is handled. I love how we watch her slowly fall apart as she gets involved with a new case. I was floored when she was abducted, and if it wasn't for the fact that there was half a book left, I was sure she was done for. Her abduction to escape had me gripping the book so tight it left an impression. Then when Pip does the unthinkable, wow. We all wanted it to happen, but could we do the same? And cover it up so perfectly as she had done? I've always wondered if people who research a lot into true crime could actually get away with murder. Well, theoretically, at least in this book, they can.

I'm not usually into mystery/thriller books. But this series was so well written, so well thought out, that I couldn't put it down. Jackson truly knows her craft, and she delivers it with a punch to the gut. (Also, that ending!)

If you are looking for a new read, may I suggest this Good Girl series? (Though your definition of "good" may be warped in the end). Jackson is sure to be an author to look out for. I'll be keeping an eye on her future publications.

May Pip and Ravi find a wonderful life together.

Book Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

Good Girl, Bad Blood

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Good Girl, Bad Blood 〰️

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I for sure enjoyed reading it. But it almost felt like it was written because the first one was successful. Was it a story that needed to be continued? I'm unsure. But I will say I did love it. I also love that we got an explanation for the title of the first book in the form of the podcast. It felt odd having it be explained in book 2, but it was a friendly call back to the first book.

Good Girl, Bad Blood cover

I won't lie. The book was a little slow for me at the start. But when it picked up, it picked up hard. For me, anyway. I love the detail of every mystery and how Pip (and co.) solve the crimes that the police don't.

I will say, however, that Pip is highly knowledgeable about how the justice system and police work are done, which is fine. People have their hobbies, and she must have done a lot of research, most of which we saw in the first book. But it feels as though Pip should be more than just an eighteen-year-old girl solving crimes far beyond her years.

Is this book a worthy sequel? I think it is. I'm curious to see how the third book will play out. Something tells me it will be a continuation of the "Child Brunswick" storyline. The first book works as a standalone, and while this one has a fresh story, albiet similar to the first novel, it can also stand alone. But the ending also leaves a bit of ambiguity to continue. (Which is confirmed as it's a trilogy). I'm interested to see how it all plays out.

I don't think it's as strong as the first book until midway through the story, but this is still a worthy read.

Book Review: Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

Surrender Your Sons

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Surrender Your Sons 〰️

This book is powerful in more ways than one. Many queer novels are about romance, which is excellent, (and this one has a bit of it as well), but Surrender Your Sons isn't just about being in love. It's so much more.

This dark YA is about conversion therapy, (which, in my mind, 100% never works, and the staff are always "ex-gays," aka still gay but pretending they aren't in order to "fit into society"). It's also a murder mystery thriller, and I'm here for it.

Stories about new love, coming out, and found family are great, but reading a story about what could happen if you came out to your zealot mother and it goes terribly wrong, well, I think it's just as important to read. This novel brings up many serious topics, and I believe Sass handled them very well.

I was hooked right from the first page to the last, and I secretly hope for a sequel, considering how it ended. I can't stress how much I loved this book and that I think it's an essential read with an excellent story. Sass knew how to make me (and I'm sure many more) feel all the feels.

If you are looking for an exciting read with a dash of romance, this is the book for you. 10/10. I highly recommend it.

Surrender Your Sons

by Adam Sass

Book Review: When the Corn is Waist High by Jeremy Scott

When the Corn is Waist High

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When the Corn is Waist High 〰️

When the Corn is Waist High by Jeremy Scott

Okay, so not going to lie; it took me a while to get into this book. It was an insta-buy for me because I love the author and his other works. But when I started the read, the pacing felt very slow. I kept reading because the MC was interesting enough to keep me engaged.

Then the plot twist happened.

When it was revealed that the MC (of which this story was told in first-person POV) was the killer behind everything, I was hooked. It was terrific how Scott managed to keep the information that the MC was a killer from us despite having it be in first-person. But if you look back, everything made sense, and if I were to re-read the book, I'm sure some clues pointed to it.

At first, I didn't like Solomon for his actions (cheating with a married woman), but he was such a well-written character that I overlooked that fact. And then when he shanked her after she discovered his murder stuff, well, my face dropped. But like I said, I was invested. Now I wanted to know how the bok would end with him trying to catch the killer, but the killer was himself!

And boy, did I not see the ending coming. Okay, so I predicted a bit that he would plant the evidence on someone else, and he did. I didn't think he'd get away with it, but he did, and it made sense. But what really blew my mind was the even bigger double twist of the story that happened right at the end. I did <i>not</i> see that coming. All I know is that I'll be thinking about that last chapter for days.

For the twists, I recommend it—you for sure need to see how the MC did everything and why. The pacing picked up once the first twist was revealed, so that was great. And the MC is really fun to read. Scott really knows how to write his characters.

Book Review: The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

This was one helluva good read from start to finish. I love how Tremblay writes his characters. Each of them is so unique and interesting. With the perspective of each character, I felt like I really knew the character.

I love that for characters like Wen, for example, it read like the little girl she was yet at the same time it was still written for adult readers. I know, that doesn't make much sense but if you read it you would know what I mean.

Also, LOVING the LGBT+ representation and a happy family. Well, happy until their lives were destroyed.

This book had twists and turns that I was NOT expecting. Wen's death was the biggest one. She was such a main character and then she just wasn't. In fact, I didn't realize she was dead until later in the next chapter. I thought she just passed out but nope! She died!

The Cabin at the End of the World

by Paul Tremblay

I will say though, parts of the book frustrated me. The fact that Andrew and Eric never once ask "Why us?" really bothered me. Like, I'm sure they wouldn't have gotten their answer but they should have at least asked the question. I sure would want to know why my family is so special that one of us dying would stop the apocalypse.

I also felt like the ending was a little unresolved. I really wanted to see this apocalypse they created by not sacrificing each other. It still ended wonderfully. I'm just saying I wanted more answers than the author provided.

One more thing to add, on the positive, is that I love how we learn so much about the characters all while the horrible events take place. Each character remembers something about their backstory that plays into the present day. It was perfectly balanced and never felt like an info dump.

All in all, despite some frustration in not getting all my answers, I would highly recommend this book. It was truly an entertaining read.

Book Review: A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

I applaud Lapena for her writing style. The use of short, easy sentences, all in the present tense. really help suck you into the world and dangers of the story. The book was written to pull you in and keep you engaged. Make you feel part of the events taking place.

And I gotta say, it worked.

Lapena had me believing Karen was innocent right until the end. I honestly didn't see it coming. Between Karen and Bridgit's story and everything that happened up to the end, I really couldn't tell who killed Robert but I thought I knew for sure it wasn't Karen. What a twist the ending was!

A Stranger in the House

by Shari Lapena

I will admit, though, that I wasn't expecting a "whodunnit" kind of story. I thought the whole book would be trying to figure out what happened as Karen recalled her memory after the car crash. And yes, it technically is that way, but she recalled most of her memory pretty early in the book and I was wondering what could possibly happen for the rest of the 50%.

I also was expecting more of a stalker-type story, you know, with the title being A Stranger in the House and all. And it sort of is. Just not in the way I was expecting.

I guess everything I was expecting, didn't happen, and this is a good thing! It shows skills on Lapena's part.

I was also impressed with Lapena's knowledge of the police force and lawyers and such. She other has some first-hand experience (like knowing someone) or she did her homework. It all helped make the crimes of the aftermath of said crimes more believable. I really felt like I was Karen going through this hard investigation and I felt like I was in jail alongside her.

Overall, a good, quick and easy read.