August, September, and October Reads and Reviews
Everything I read in these 3 months and general, super short thoughts about them all to see if they’re worth adding to your own TBR!
Whoooopsie. Well silly me hasn’t written book reviews in several months but quite transparently, I haven’t read a ton because I’ve just been feeling veryyyy crummy these last few months.
So you’ll also have to forgive the lack of my hand modeling holding book covers because there are very few books and mostly audiobooks in these last few months.
Reading actual books or even things on my Kindle has made me feel nauseous which is super fun since reading is one of my favorite things to do.
Anyway, let’s get into what I’ve read (or mostly listened to) these last few months!
- The Wishing Game – Meg Shaffer
- The Match – Harlan Coben
- The Kind Worth Saving – Peter Swanson
- That Night – Chevy Stevens
- Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six – Lisa Unger
- The Only One Left – Riley Sager
- A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks. of Scientology – Mike Rinder
- The Drowning Woman – Robyn Harding
- The Coworker – Frieda McFadden
- In a Quiet Town – Amber Garza
- My Dark Vanessa – Kate Elizabeth Russell
- You – Caroline Kepnes
- Hidden Bodies – Caroline Kepnes
- You Love Me – Caroline Kepnes
- Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
- For You and Only You – Caroline Kepnes
- Phantom Limb – Lucinda Berry
- Top 3 Reads of August, September and October
- SHOP ALL BOOKS
This post may contain affiliate links which help me pay for things like web hosting, site security, email services and bottles of wine from Aldi when the aforementioned things aren’t working. They cost nothing for you, but help me continue to provide free content to you fine, beautiful people!
The Wishing Game – Meg Shaffer
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.2 stars
How I read it: Kindle
Read if you like:
- Magical realism
- Books about books
- Feel good fiction
What I loved: The story was just SO fun and had a perfectly wrapped ending
What I didn’t love: Somewhat predictable
Book Blurb
“Make a wish. . . .
Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.
But be careful what you wish for. . . .
Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.
For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.
. . . You might just get it.“
My thoughts
This one took me by surprise.
Mostly because you guys know by now that most books that are hyped up don’t live up to the hype for me (Hellooooo ACOTAR)
BUT this was just so fun and the story was genuinely so sweet and it was like watching a childhood dream come true for Lucy and you were just rooting for her and sweet little Christopher the entire time.
It’s not often that I can read a book and remember most of it months later since I read so much, but when it sticks with you, it’s getting a good rating from ya girl.
My rating
The Match – Harlan Coben
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.2 stars
How I read it: Kindle
Read if you like:
- Family drama and secrets
- Genealogy
- Multiple POV
- The One by John Marrs
Content warnings: Talk of rape/sexual assault, child abandonment
What I loved: The killer’s first person POV
What I didn’t love: Felt “unfinished” like I had questions at the end or wanted to see a bit more how things shook out
Book Blurb
“After months away, Wilde has returned to the Ramapo Mountains in the wake of a failed bid at domesticity that confirms what he’s known all along: He belongs on his own, free from the comforts and constraints of modern life.
Suddenly, a DNA match on an online ancestry database brings Wilde closer to his past than he’s ever dreamed, and finally gives Wilde the opening he needs to track down his father. But meeting the man brings up more questions than answers. So Wilde reaches out to his last, most desperate lead, a second cousin who disappears as quickly as he resurfaces, having experienced an epic fall from grace that can only be described as a waking nightmare.
Was his cousin’s downfall a long time coming? Or was he the victim of a conspiracy as cunning as it is complex? And how does it all connect to the man once known as The Stranger, a treacherous fugitive with a growing following whose mission and methods have only turned more dangerous with time?“
My thoughts
I have read several Harlan Coben books in previous months and I feel like he’s always good for a well paced thriller.
This was probably my least favorite of his, BUT that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it while reading it. More so that the entire time I was thinking about The One by John Marrs which just BLEW my friggin socks off every 6 pages or so and this didn’t quite do that.
There were a LOT of characters to keep up with here including police and investigators so it felt confusing at times, and the twist at the end was pretty good too!
My rating
The Kind Worth Saving – Peter Swanson
Amazon rating: 4 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.69 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Psychological thriller
- Multiple POV
- Medium paced
What I loved: The continuation of characters and storylines from the first book (The Kind Worth Killing)
What I didn’t love: Felt meh to me overall
Book Blurb
“There was always something slightly dangerous about Joan. So, when she turns up at private investigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her husband, he can’t help feeling ill at ease. Just the sight of her stirs up a chilling memory: He knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher, when he was at the center of a tragedy.
Now Joan needs his help proving that her husband is cheating. But what should be a simple case of infidelity becomes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a FOR SALE sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.
Is it possible that Joan knows something about that day, something she’s hidden all these years? Could there still be a killer out there, someone who believes they have gotten away with murder? Henry is determined to find out, enlisting help from his old nemesis Lily Kintner—but as he steps closer to the truth, a murderer is getting closer to him, and in this hair-raising game of cat and mouse only one of them will survive.“
My thoughts
I read The Kind Worth Killing in July but since this book came out in March of this year, there was a bit of a wait list for this one.
This was a decently paced thriller and I did find myself getting invested in the characters pretty quickly; even the new ones to this book.
It wasn’t anything that left me reeling or anything super memorable with the story or plot, but it was an enjoyable fairly quick and easy listen.
Admittedly, I’m not totally sure why people were waiting on pins and needles for this release; although good, it wasn’t something I thought warranted a “cult following” of sorts.
My rating
That Night – Chevy Stevens
Amazon rating: 4.4 stars
Goodreads rating: 4 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Psychological thriller
- First person POV
- Fast paced
What I loved: Real good at building tension/suspense
What I didn’t love: A little predictable
Book Blurb
“As a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn’t relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren’t easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night.
Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison.
Now thirty-four, Toni, is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she’s doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy—not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni’s innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni’s life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night.But in That Night by Chevy Stevens, the truth might be the most terrifying thing of all.“
My thoughts
Chevy Stevens quickly became one of my favorite authors and I’m doing what I can to work my way through all of her books.
She’s really good at hooking you in immediately and letting the story take off from just about the first chapter.
Most of her books usually have a good couple of twists and she wraps them up quite nicely. Admittedly this wasn’t my favorite one of hers, but it was still a good and easy read.
There were a few characters I wanted to slap around and knock some sense in to, but that’s what makes a good book, am I right?
My rating
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six – Lisa Unger
Amazon rating: 4 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.4 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Lots of characters
- Multiple POV
- Locked room thrillers
- Alternating timelines
What I loved: Ummmm……
What I didn’t love: SO many characters; felt incongruous
Book Blurb
“What could be more restful than a weekend getaway with family and friends? An isolated luxury cabin in the woods, spectacular views, a hot tub and a personal chef. Hannah’s generous brother found the listing online. The reviews are stellar. It’ll be three couples on this trip with good food, good company and lots of R & R.
But the dreamy weekend is about to turn into a nightmare.
A deadly storm is brewing. The rental host seems just a little too present. The personal chef reveals that their beautiful house has a spine-tingling history. And the friends have their own complicated past, with secrets that run blood deep.
How well does Hannah know her brother, her own husband? Can she trust her best friend? Meanwhile, someone is determined to ruin the weekend, looking to exact a payback for deeds long buried. Who is the stranger among them?“
My thoughts
This book has been on my TBR for a hot minute so I was pretty happy when I saw the audiobook available from my library.
And then I started it lolz.
This book is like if “doing too much” were a novel. There’s just SO much going on.
A lot of perspectives, a lot of storylines, a lot of tertiary characters. I don’t know; this just didn’t hit the spot for me.
My rating
The Only One Left – Riley Sager
Amazon rating: 4.4 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.17 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Family secrets
- Locked room thriller
- Dual first person POV
- Dual timelines
- Verity by Colleen Hoover
What I loved: Decently paced and the alternating POV kept it an interesting read/listen
What I didn’t love: Saw the twist coming a mile away
Book Blurb
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.“
My thoughts
I swore off Riley Sager books back when I finished the one with all the freaking snakes back in January of this year.
BUT this one was hot off the presses and people said it wasn’t paranormal or crazy like his other ones so I went for it.
Say what you will about Colleen Hoover, but I really did love Verity. And while the story was very different and it unfolded in a different way, this book reminded me of it.
I thought the story was interesting enough, but I really am just to the point where I don’t think Riley is for me.
My rating
A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks. of Scientology – Mike Rinder
Amazon rating: 4.7 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.3 stars
How I read it: Started with a physical copy, ended on audiobook
Read if you like:
- Memoirs
- Cults/life after cults
What I loved: I am FASCINATED by how people get involved and sucked in to Scientology
What I didn’t love: Lots of Scientology terms that are hard to follow on audiobook, BUT if you have the physical copy, you can see the glossary in the back
Book Blurb
“Mike Rinder’s parents began taking him to their local Scientology center when he was five years old. After high school, he signed a billion-year contract and was admitted into Scientology’s elite inner circle, the Sea Organization. Brought to founder L. Ron Hubbard’s yacht and promised training in Hubbard’s most advanced techniques, Mike was instead put to work swabbing the decks.
Still, Rinder bought into the doctrine that his personal comfort was secondary to the higher purpose of Hubbard’s world-saving mission, swiftly rising through the ranks. In the 1980s, Rinder became Scientology’s international spokesperson and the head of its powerful Office of Special Affairs. He helped negotiate Scientology’s pivotal tax exemption from the IRS and engaged with the organization’s prominent celebrity members, including Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley, and John Travolta.
Yet Rinder couldn’t shake a nagging feeling that something was amiss—Hubbard’s promises remained unfulfilled at his death, and his successor, David Miscavige, was a ruthless and vindictive man who did not hesitate to confine many top Scientologists, Mike among them, to a makeshift prison known as the Hole.
In 2007, at the age of fifty-two, Rinder finally escaped Scientology. Overnight, he became one of the organization’s biggest public enemies. He was followed, hacked, spied on, and tracked. But he refused to be intimidated and today helps people break free of Scientology.
In A Billion Years, the dark, dystopian truth about Scientology is revealed as never before. Rinder offers insights into the religion that only someone of his former high rank could provide and tells a harrowing but fulfilling story of personal resilience.“
My thoughts
The human mind baffles me most times, especially when it comes to cults.
I’ve been dying to get my hand on this because I watched every episode of the Scientology series that Mike did with Leah Remini and it was fascinating.
Scientology is 100% a cult and the things they do to people who are not only out of the cult, but who are actually still inside are WILD. It’s insane.
I really enjoyed this, even with the difficulty of all the Scientology terms sometimes. There’s just so many groups and acronyms and honestly straight up insanity.
If you’re into cults and want to learn more about Scientology, this will be a great read. And yes, I’m fully aware that this is one person’s POV and experience; however, watching the show, I know he’s not the only one by FAR who has experienced situations similar to this.
My rating
The Drowning Woman – Robyn Harding
Amazon rating: 4.3 stars
Goodreads rating: 4 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Psychcological thrillers
- Dual POV
- Short chapters
What I loved: Well paced, POV changing kept it interesting
What I didn’t love: Sometimes felt all over the place and redundant
Book Blurb
“Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets—no one ever does—but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move—until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life.
Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.“
My thoughts
If you don’t like a story that is a constant roller coaster, this may not be the one for you.
There were plenty of times I didn’t know who or what to believe, but it’s what kept me wanting to know more.
This story seems to have created some super polarizing opinions on Goodreads, but I happen to be in the camp that thought this was a decent thriller.
My rating
The Coworker – Frieda McFadden
*Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon rating: 4.2 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.88 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Fast paced
- Workplace drama
- Dual timeline
- Dual POV
What I loved: The insider drama with the emails
What I didn’t love: Not nearly as captivating as her other books
Book Blurb
“Dawn Schiff is strange.
At least, everyone thinks so at Vixed, the nutritional supplement company where Dawn works as an accountant. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.
So when Dawn doesn’t show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell―beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running―is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…
It turns out Dawn wasn’t just an awkward outsider―she was being targeted by someone close. And now Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who’s the real victim?
But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff.
Enough to kill.“
My thoughts
Listening to this on audiobook reminded me of the main character in The Maid by Nita Prose.
You could tell her voice was meant to feel a little different on purpose. As in, she has little self awareness or that she may have been on the Autism spectrum.
Reading other reviews of this book, that was weird for some people but it didn’t bother me at all.
While this was an easy and fast paced thriller, I will definitely say I did not like it nearly as much as some of her other books I’ve read. It just fell flat for me and didn’t shock me with any super good twists or jaw-dropping revelations.
Good, not great.
My rating
In a Quiet Town – Amber Garza
Amazon rating: 3.9 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.5 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Family drama
- Alternating POV
- Short chapters
What I loved: I resonated with the mom (more on that later)
What I didn’t love: Forgettable (also more on that later)
Book Blurb
“Tatum hasn’t seen her daughter, Adrienne, in years, not since Tatum’s husband—the pastor in their small California town—all but disowned her. When she finally gathers the courage to secretly reconnect with Adrienne, Tatum’s thrilled she’s even willing to talk to her. But then—Adrienne disappears.
Tatum tries desperately to get the police or her husband to take her daughter’s disappearance seriously, but no one will listen, until a mysterious man shows up claiming to be Adrienne’s fiancé. It’s a relief to finally have someone who believes her, someone who’s trying as hard as she is to find out where Adrienne is. But can she trust that this stranger is who he says he is? And can she find her daughter before it’s too late?“
My thoughts
The reason I resonated with the mom in this story is because she’s married to a pastor and has to maintain a certain persona. Being in the south and being around church culture, I feel that on a serious level.
While I do remember bits and pieces from this plot, I can not for the LIFE of me remember how it ends.
I’ve looked up spoilers for forever and still can’t find any that let me know how it ends.
I remember being interested in the story, but that’s about it. Oopsie.
My rating
My Dark Vanessa – Kate Elizabeth Russell
*Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon rating: 4.3 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.1 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Alternating timelines
- Single POV
- Long chapters
- Stories told over decades
Content warning: Teenage sexual abuse/grooming, suicidal ideation
What I loved: The alternating timelines; hard to read/listen to at times
What I didn’t love: I couldn’t figure out how to feel about this tbh
Book Blurb
“2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.
2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?
Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.“
My thoughts
Okay full disclosure, this is a heavy book at times and while it doesn’t necessarily bother me because I’m a sicko, I know this is not going to be for everyone at ALL.
This is a story about a relationship between an older teen and her teacher and follows her through her adult life.
I thought the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job and I really enjoyed it on audiobook because they did an interview with the narrator and the author and getting to see a little behind the scenes and the thoughts behind the story.
This is one that will stick with you, either in a good way or not so good way.
My rating
You – Caroline Kepnes
Amazon rating: 4.4 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.95 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Single first person POV
- Serial killer
- Villain POV
- The Dexter series/books
What I loved: Audiobook narrator is perfect for this role
What I didn’t love: Main character is super unlikeable
Book Blurb
“When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.
There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.
As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.“
My thoughts
This book (series) has been on my radar for a very long time and I was finally glad to be able to dig in.
The first few pages, I already hated Joe. He was a psycho narcissist, but in the same breath, I loved hearing how his mind worked.
Also fun fact – the voice of Joe in this entire book series is Hanz from Frozen! Apparently he’s hella good at playing the villain.
I can totally see why they made this into a series because this definitely read like a movie or TV show for me.
My rating
Hidden Bodies – Caroline Kepnes
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.7 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Single POV from the villain’s POV
What I loved: Picked up right where the other one left off
What I didn’t love: Nothing I didn’t love
Book Blurb
“Joe is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.
In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They reemerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice…“
My thoughts
Joe is starting to get more likeable here.
I started to feel like I could understand him and what makes him tick, even if he doesn’t have a normal way of thinking.
This book in the series paints him almost more as a vigilante vs. plain lunatic.
My rating
You Love Me – Caroline Kepnes
Amazon rating: 4.4 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.68 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Single POV
- The other books in this series lolz
What I loved: I started rooting for Joe here
What I didn’t love: I started rooting for Joe here lol
Book Blurb
“Joe Goldberg is done with the cities. He’s done with the muck and the posers, done with Love. Now he’s saying hello to nature, to simple pleasures on a cozy island in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time in a long time, he can just breathe.
He gets a job at the local library—he does know a thing or two about books—and that’s where he meets her: Mary Kay DiMarco. Librarian. Joe won’t meddle, he will not obsess. He’ll win her the old-fashioned way . . . by providing a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand. Over time, they’ll both heal their wounds and begin their happily ever after in this sleepy town.
The trouble is . . . Mary Kay already has a life. She’s a mother. She’s a friend. She’s . . . busy.
True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He’s ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kay will do the right thing and make room for him.“
My thoughts
It’s crazy the difference I felt towards Joe’s character here than I did in the first book.
I started rooting for him because he started to feel more normal. He still had murder-y thoughts, but didn’t act on them.
I also love his asides because they’re very much like my own (minus the murder parts lol)
This was the book that convinced me to start watching the series on Netflix and while I’m only a couple episodes in, I already really like it. Usually Netflix does a HORRIBLE job with book to series or book to movie adaptations, but I’m fairly impressed (at least so far).
My rating
Dark Matter – Blake Crouch
Amazon rating: 4.4 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.1 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Sci-fi-esque books
- Psychological thriller
- Dual POV
- Single timeline
What I loved: For being sci-fi and it not being my genre, I enjoyed this storyline
What I didn’t love: Hard to wrap my brain around the concepts
Book Blurb
“Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.
Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.
Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”
In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.“
My thoughts
This book kept popping up on my feed and IG explore page and Goodreads so I decided to go in totally blind not really knowing anything about it.
Sci-fi is really not my jam, but all things considered, this book stuck with me.
Although the concepts felt a bit out there since this isn’t something I read a lot, the story was still rather compelling and I remember when I finished it I was just like “WUUUTTTTTT was that” lolz but it painted some wild imagery.
I would say if you’re not a sci-fi person like me, there’s a chance you still may vibe with this book, even though it feels a bit out there.
My rating
For You and Only You – Caroline Kepnes
Amazon rating: 3.8 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.5 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- The other 3 You novels
- The things that were in the other 3 You novels lol
What I loved: Enjoyed Joe still trying to stay on the right path
What I didn’t love: My least favorite of the 4
Book Blurb
“Joe Goldberg is ready for a change. Instead of selling books, he’s writing them. And he’s off to a good start. Glenn Shoddy, an acclaimed literary author, recognizes Joe’s genius and invites him to join a tight-knit writing fellowship at Harvard. Finally, Joe will be in a place where talent matters more than pedigree . . . where intellect is the great equalizer and anything is possible. Even happy endings. Or so he thinks, until he meets his already-published, already-distinguished peers, who all seem to be cut from the same elitist cloth.
Thankfully, Wonder Parish enters the picture. They have so much in common. No college degrees, no pretensions, no stories from prep school or grad school. Just a love for literature. If only Wonder could commit herself to the writing life, they could be those rare literary soulmates who never fall prey to their demons. Wonder has a tendency to love, to covet, but Joe is a believer in the rule of fiction: If you want to write a book, you have to kill your darlings.
With her trademark satirical, biting wit, Caroline Kepnes explores why vulnerable people bring out the worst in others as Joe sets out to make this small, exclusive world a fairer place. And if a little crimson runs in the streets of Cambridge . . . who can blame him? Love doesn’t conquer all. Often, it needs a little push.“
My thoughts
Yes I did binge all 4 of these in just under a month. I had to.
It felt like the “old Joe” came back a little in this one, which I liked and didn’t like.
I do feel like this one felt unfinished and when the audiobook narrator came on to say the final credits, I audibly said, “Wait what?” because it didn’t feel time.
I have no clue if she’s writing more in this series or if she’s done, but it did feel like she was wrapping things up with murder-y old Joe.
I was glad to knock these off of my TBR and thought as a whole, it was good, not great.
My rating
Phantom Limb – Lucinda Berry
*Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon rating: 4.2 stars
Goodreads rating: 4 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Psychological thrillers
- Unreliable narrator
- Single first person POV
Content warnings: Suicidal ideations, self harm, child abuse/neglect, child sexual assault
What I loved: Pretty well paced to keep you interested
What I didn’t love: I saw the twist coming
Book Blurb
“Emily and Elizabeth spend their childhood locked in a bedroom and terrorized by a mother who drinks too much and disappears for days. The identical twins are rescued by a family determined to be their saviors.
But there’s some horrors love can’t erase…
Elizabeth wakes in a hospital, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak. The last thing she remembers is finding Emily’s body in their bathroom. Days before, she was falling in love and starting college. Now, she’s surrounded by men who talk to themselves and women who pull out their eyebrows.
As she delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Emily’s death, she discovers shocking secrets and holes in her memory that force her to remember what she’s worked so hard to forget—the beatings, the blood, the special friends. Her life spins out of control at a terrifying speed as she desperately tries to unravel the psychological puzzle of her past before it’s too late.“
My thoughts
Okay so maybe I’ve just read too many thrillers but I called this twist.
Not right at first, but getting into it, I could feel it coming.
I will say, I still liked how the storyline unfolded and thought it was a good medium-paced thriller, but I still felt like it was missing something. When I finished it, I just felt like I wanted it to have more.
My rating
Top 3 Reads of August, September and October
Oddly enough, this was one of the hardest times I’ve had finding a top 3 because SO many were a solid 3 or 3 and a half stars, but if you’re looking to only add a few, here were my top 3 for this month that I would definitely recommend:
3 – Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry
2 – The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
1 – A Billion Years by Mike Rinder
SHOP ALL BOOKS
CLICK BELOW TO SHOP OR ADD TO YOUR TBR!
