October Reads and Rapid Reviews
Here’s what I read in October and some quick hit reviews to see if they’re worth adding to your TBR pile!
BOOKS
October Reads and Reviews
Another month, another list of books that equal all the home projects I did not complete.
In my defense, I *did* work on some built ins for our living room (think what we did in our super cool playroom makeover, but sexier).
We also have a mountain house Airbnb project that has been taking up a lot of my brain space.
Anyhoooo, here’s what I read this month so you can see if you should all of these to your stack to be read!
- Where The Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
- The Husband's Secret – Liane Moriarty
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid
- The Lies I Tell – Julie Clark
- An Anonymous Girl – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
- Finding Grace – Janis Thomas
- Book Lovers – Emily Henry
- The Innocent Wife – Amy Lloyd
- A Flicker in the Dark – Stacy Willingham
- In My Dreams I Hold a Knife – Ashley Winstead
- Insomnia – Sarah Pinborough
- The Last Thing He Told Me – Laura Dave
- The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
- Where There's Smoke – Sandra Brown
- The Dream Job – Kiersten Modglin
- Top 3 Reads of October
- Monthly Giveaway!
- SHOP ALL BOOKS
Where The Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
Amazon rating: 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.43 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Southern settings
- Family drama
What I loved: Ummm….
What I didn’t love: Predictable, long chapters, slow burn that never went anywhere
Book Blurb
“For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.”
My rating
My thoughts
Wait, FIVE stars on Amazon?! Why???
Y’all, I do NOT get the hype in this book. I can not believe it was made into a movie and quite honestly, I don’t plan to see it.
This was SO boring to me. I kept expecting it to go somewhere or something wild to happen and it never did. Even the plot of the dead guy was boring. This was not it for me. There’s just so many better books out there and I am stunned at the number of reviews this has and that a book can even have 5 whole stars on Amazon.
The Husband’s Secret – Liane Moriarty
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.95
How I read it: Kindle
Read if you like:
- Domestic thrillers
- Multiple stories intertwining
What I loved: Well developed storylines and characters, different stories kept you turning pages
What I didn’t love: Long chapters
Book Blurb
“Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not only the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. And then imagine that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive…
Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. But that letter is about to change everything—and not just for her. There are other women who barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they, too, are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.”
My rating
My thoughts
This was a longer book with long chapters, so if you’re looking for a quick and easy read this ain’t it.
However, if you’re willing to stick with those 2 things, the story is incredible.
I will say because there are no titles, it took me a second to realize that some chapters are written in different POVs, but I really loved the way they all merged together and how everything tied up in the end.
It’s probably a good thing I read this on my Kindle because sometimes if I see super thick books, I get overwhelmed and won’t read them, but I really am glad I read this!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.46 stars
How I read it: Kindle
Read if you like:
- Romance
- Glamour/Hollywood
- Journalism trope
What I loved: The actual love story behind all the husbands, the way it was written to describe each of the husbands
What I didn’t love: Definitely not a thriller
Book Blurb
“Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.“
My rating
My thoughts
This was out of my typical genre, but I will say the story was really well written!
I loved the storyline between Evelyn and her true love (which I won’t say so I’m not spoiling anything), but she pissed me off a lot, ha!
She was selfish and hurt a lot of people to try to protect herself which I don’t vibe with, but to read about it made for a really interesting story. I was glad I picked this up!
The Lies I Tell – Julie Clark
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.14 stars
How I read it: Physical copy (borrowed from my local library)
Read if you like:
- Few characters
- Revenge
- Domestic thrillers
- Dual POV
What I loved: Super fast paced, incredible twists, short chapters
What I didn’t love: I loved everything!
Book Blurb
“Meg Williams. Maggie Littleton. Melody Wilde. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. She’s a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be—a college student. A life coach. A real estate agent. Nothing about her is real. She slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear, and by the time she’s done, you’ve likely lost everything.
Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years for the woman who upended her life to return. And now that she has, Kat is determined to be the one to expose her. But as the two women grow closer, Kat’s long-held assumptions begin to crumble, leaving Kat to wonder who Meg’s true target is.
The Lies I Tell is a twisted domestic thriller that dives deep into the psyches and motivations of two women and their unwavering quest to seek justice for the past and rewrite the future.“
My rating
My thoughts
I could not put this one down!
It had super short chapters and I felt like I flew through it, but that storyline was THICC LIKE THESE THIGHS, y’all.
I’m talking SO good. And that ending was EXACTLY what I wanted to see happen.
Revenge stories typically aren’t my thing, but this was so so good.
An Anonymous Girl – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
*Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.81 stars
How I read it: Physical copy (borrowed from my local library)
Read if you like:
- Domestic thrillers
- Academia settings
What I loved: Easy to read
What I didn’t love: Fell flat, missing something
Book Blurb
“Seeking women ages 18-32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.
When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave.
Question number one: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding.
Question number two: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.
Question number three: Should a punishment always fit the crime?
From the authors of the blockbuster best-seller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new audiobook about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.”
My rating
My thoughts
Maybe it was last month I read The Wife Between us by theses authors and LOVED it, but this fell flat for me.
It seemed like it was going to be so interesting, but it felt a bit repetitive and predictable.
Still, I will say this was a good one to read, but I’ll just say it did feel “forgettable” and I wish that weren’t the case.
Finding Grace – Janis Thomas
Amazon rating: 4.5 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.95 stars
How I read it: Audiobook
Read if you like:
- Family drama
- Paranormal
- Multiple POV
Content warnings: Child neglect/abandonment
What I loved: Fast paced, really fun and easy to follow audiobook narrators
What I didn’t love: Slow burn, title didn’t make too much sense