Welcome to Litsy!

This was so good. So creepy. Tons of twists. I couldn‘t put it down when I picked it up. I love this author so much. She really knows how to take something spooky and make it real and feel like it could actually happen. Definitely a must read if you enjoy horror and thrillers. Didn‘t see the ending coming at all.

Creepy and unsettling in that trapped way when a character has no clear path to success (indeed, no clear sense of what success is, even) and no allies. It feels like a metaphor for motherhood, and as a result, it is both scary and depressing (but rather more the latter for me).

4.25⭐
⬗ This story slowly pulls you in and builds dread rather well. It was intriguing and creepy AF, but the ending was somewhat frustrating.
⬗ The narration by Hillary Huber with Kitty Hendrix having a small part was fantastically performed.

I have never given a Jennifer McMahon book less than a 4, and I am giving this book a 1.... a 1!!! What the heck is going on?? I hated this book. None of the characters were good, was ridiculous, not scary, boring, boring, boring. I fell asleep twice reading this because I was so bored. This trope should not be boring. Just ugh! 1/5

Not usually that crazy about demons, but couldn‘t put this one down. Alison and her brother Ben were abused by their mother as kids, and now that their mom is dying, she has moved in with Alison and her family. What‘s that demon up to? The last fifty pages were page turners with a smash ending.

#NewYearNewBooks

I thought the tagged book had a #GreatPlotTwist & it‘s a newer read (December) for me. 😱

For some reason I never read Sharp Objects & I hear there‘s a great plot twist in it. It‘s on my #Roll100 list so hopefully I‘ll get to it this year & it will be a new book for me in 2024.

This was a weird book about a woman who may or may not be going crazy because her dying mother may or may not be possessed.
There were parts I liked and parts I didn't. The ending was a bit predictable, and none of the characters were very likable.

Thanks for the tag @Eggs
1- The Victorian Era
2- My Darling Girl
3- The Lord of the Rings followed closely by It and The Stand 🧡
Want to play @Coleen_Nieto @Sleepswithbooks @CoffeeNBooks @AprilMae
#WondrousWednesday

Reading while my daughter hosts her first play date. Cleaned all morning and hope to read all afternoon!

I like this author‘s stories. Thus didn‘t disappoint!

Unreliable narrator or there are demons among us!

A brother & sister are tortured by their mother.

Decades later Alison is a mother herself to a 6 & 16 year old. A gloriously happy family. Until gramma comes to live the remainder of her life …. In a hospice situation.

If you like this author‘s thrillers you‘ll like this one too! I read it strait through on the edge of my seat!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New years breakfast and a book!

Another great slice of horror from Jennifer McMahon. This one is for those who are partial to possession stories. Eerie and tense in all the right ways.

Spent my afternoon devouring this sinister tale set during the Christmas season. She really got me with that ending—eek!

#CloakandDaggerChristmas #BOTM

Wowza!!! This creepy Christmas tale hooked me from the start & never let go! A #OneSittingRead for sure! Alison & her mother have a complicated relationship— between her artist mother‘s drinking, mood swings & abuse, it‘s a wonder she speaks to her at all. When her mother‘s assistant calls with Mavis‘ health, Alison reluctantly agrees to have her mother move in with her family. Tensions escalate between mothers & daughters in this gripping read!

Such a good, creepy book. McMahon is becoming a favorite of mine.

#Rushathon

Woo Hoo! With this book I completed my #BOTM Challenge (the 1st time since I joined). I enjoyed this one! Set during Christmas, it was sufficiently creepy without being too scary & it kept me turning the pages. Who doesn‘t want a little possible demonic possession for the holidays?! 😉😱 I did yell at the MC multiple times in my head for her decisions, but that‘s nothing new. The audiobook narration was great. TW for childhood abuse.

#NaturalLitsy #MidwinterSolace

📖What are you reading today? The tagged book is one of my current audiobooks.

📖How far into it are you? About halfway.

📖Was it recommended? It was a #BOTM pick.

📖Would you recommend it? Yes, so far. It‘s set at Christmas & there‘s a VERY creepy vibe.😱 I‘m not sure where it‘s going & I like that.

📖Have you read the author's work before? Yes. About 6 of them I think. The last was The Children on the Hill.

This book was so creepy that I thought I‘d need to set this down during evening hours because Rat King! However, I thought the story lost its fear factor when it confirmed Mavis‘ issues, so the last third didn‘t have me seeking daylight after all. Still a pick though.

Had a brunch to attend & a bunch of errands to run today, but at least I got to listen to one of my #BOTM selections this month in my travels. So far, the tension & “creep factor” are escalating & it‘s set over Christmas, so seasonal.😉

And in other news, I tried the peppermint chocolate cold foam over a vanilla sweet cream cold brew & it was quite the holiday flavor explosion. 😋

Could not put this down! Very unsettling psychological horror about a family who takes in their dying matriarch. The ending, which I will not spoil, wasn't what I wanted nor what I expected...and that's a GOOD thing!
This book really resonated with me as my mother moved in with us a few months ago.

And she brought a pretty stone with her.

This book was the definition of “ok” for me…if it was an emoji it would be 🤷🏼‍♀️. The twisted relationship between the main character and her mother was interesting and pretty shocking but I found the big reveal of what was really happening lessened my enjoyment. The overall story was still good, though, and I listened to the whole thing in a day (my new job seems made for audiobooks 🤣). 🌟🌟🌟

The first half of McMahon‘s latest is plenty scary, particularly when we wonder if what Alison O‘Connor comes to believe about her dying mother is true, or if Alison is descending into madness. Initially, McMahon walks that terrifying tightrope very well. Unfortunately, as the evil takes a concrete form, the story becomes a bit absurd. It‘s the difference between the truly scary, “Turn Of The Screw”, and the more predictable “Rosemary‘s Baby.”

#BOTM charged me another credit so now I have two. None of the choices looked good but then I saw audiobooks and got this one. She‘s pretty consistent with the good thrillers so 🤞🏻. November 2023 choice 😁

3.5 ⭐️ I appreciated the spooky-factor in this book, it was scary but didn't destroy me. At the heart (or black tourmaline-streaked stone, IYKYK) of this story is a woman reckoning with the death of her abusive, alcoholic mother, made more compelling by the author who grew up with an alcoholic and unpredictable mother. Unsettling, infuriating, and sinister...this is a great read for the Halloween season.

This book is wicked!

https://reecaspieces.com/2023/10/04/my-darling-girl-by-jennifer-mcmahon-bookrevi...

I REALLY wanted the McMahon, but it was only an add-on, so I‘ll try this ghost story too.
#BOTM

What might have been my last BOTM was a good one. I had three credits and used them all.
For those who have it, which books did you choose?

Dark and creepy, this novel is compelling as are all of McMahon‘s! Ali‘s abusive (now dying) mother comes to live with her, the two girls, and her husband and all hell breaks loose (literally)! Old tales, demonic possession, and family secrets all collide in this crazy book!😱
#NetGalley