I just can‘t do it. I‘m 120 pages in and this book is just not doing it for me. How this is the same writer as “The Woman in The Window”? I feel like I‘m just sitting here reading the most boring conversation between two people with random people peppered in and I could give not a single crap who they are. I‘m out #hailtothebail

Wow, what a story! If I hadn‘t been at work while reading this I would have cried my eyes out at the end. What a beautiful but heartbreaking story of two sisters living in German occupied France during WW2. I believe they are trying to make a movie from this book but I can‘t see how they will fit such story into a 2 hr movie. If you like historical fiction, I definitely recommend!

So this is not a story for everyone. It went to places I don‘t normally seek when reading. It was graphic in parts that were just plain out there & gross at times. But, this book took me out of my comfort zone and put me into a mind that is very unlike mine. That‘s the great thing about reading though, it transports you into another world or life. I gave this a so-so because I don‘t feel like I walked away with anything profound from it. Just eh

Good story, but a little long in my opinion. I enjoyed reading a story from a Native American perspective and learning a bit about tribe life. I really liked the MC Daunis. She is smart, strong, and a bad ass. Daunis is pulled into an FBI investigation as a CI to figure out from the inside who is responsible for meth distribution and deaths within the tribal community. An easy but not so quick read 🙂

Imagine a road trip where everything that could go wrong, goes wrong and more. Beautifully written and a good story but I did skim some parts as it just became long winded. I think I would have enjoyed this more if there weren‘t so many characters telling the story. But if you are up for an epic adventure story I would definitely recommend this!

I didn‘t love this book but everything tied together in a way I never figured out. A posh manor opens in a small seaside town but unbeknownst to the guests the property has a sordid past. The past comes back to haunt its grand opening with murder, flames, and a cast of characters with a vendetta.

This book was readable but pointless. Geared more towards YA might explain the weak storyline. A young girl hears voices telling her to kill people but for the most part everyone she kills is bad. She‘s kind of like a female Dexter. Anyway glad this was a Lending Library Freebie otherwise I never would have picked it up.

I think I read this in 2 days. It‘s not a twisty thriller but it‘s a story that captures you right away and takes you on a wild ride. Although you know the pieces of the mystery pretty quickly,I still had to see how it ended. This will be a story that sits with me for a bit. Heartbreaking but also bittersweet.

Dark Corners was just ok for me. A podcaster gets entangled into a missing girl case that potentially leads back to murders in the past. The pluses are I like how all the details eventually connect but the minuses are it‘s a slow process to get there. The peek into an influencers world was a little interesting albeit annoying at times as well.

This book is a good, easy read but something about the ending just didn‘t sit well with me. I was like that was it? I had to go on Reddit to see other people‘s thoughts and then it finally made some sense but still didn‘t really make it any better. There‘s still a part at the end where I felt all the dots were not connected but as I said for the most part it was a pretty good book.

Cam returns home after 10 years to his inherited beautiful estate in the mountains after some convincing from his wife. Once they arrive the truth of the woman who adopted and raised him comes to light from some papers in his mother‘s desk. I don‘t know if I just wasn‘t in the mood but this book just did not capture me and I found a few plot holes wondering why certain information was even brought up. Just ok to me.

I didn‘t feel this book was as cohesive as it could be. I felt there was a lot going on between issues in the mothers life and issues in the daughters life. Everything connects in the end but I kinda just felt pulled all over the place. It was still an entertaining and easy read though.

Loved the show, love the book. It‘s funny how much you can enjoy the life of a sadistic man and walk away wanting more and not hating him. I have the second novel on the my shelf just waiting to be read!

A low pick for me, but nonetheless still a quick and easy read. Amy,a medical student gets locked in Ward D overnight as part of her training. She has a passcode to get out if anything goes wrong so it can‘t be that bad right? If you know mcfadden style, you know everything goes wrong. I really didn‘t figure this one out until the reveal point so kudos to Mcfadden for stumping me again.

This book introduces us to Lexington, one of the greatest race horses of all time. Based loosely on real people throughout history comes a fictional story that captivates you into the race horse world and connects three time lines in history to one amazing horse. This book starts out strong, but then hits a lull in the middle, then finishes strong. Just like a race horse should lol

This was a low pick for me. Story kind of started off slow for me and I wasn‘t motivated to pick it up and read some days. The twist definitely got me though and went in a direction that I wasn‘t expecting.

Franks daughter is getting married to the son of a multi millionaire. All he wants for his daughter is to be happy and be supportive of the upcoming nuptials ever though he‘s been estranged from his daughter for some time. As the wedding day approaches Frank realizes there more to this wedding then he could even dream of. More of a domestic thriller w/o the thrills that highlights the dysfunctional relationship between a father and daughter.

This book started out so good. A good coming of age story with some creep factor to it. But then about three quarters of the way in it takes a weird turn that lost me. I love strange and mind bending books, but this one definitely left me a little confused. I also love how intricately layered Wards books are but for me this one just went way too out there for me. If you like analyzing stories check this out.

For being a sociopath, Patric still lives a pretty good life. I didn‘t get a feel of how bad being a sociopath truly made her life. The book definitely gives a lot of insight into sociopathy and sadly the lack of information that was out there in her formative years. This story just didn‘t capture me. I felt like I was just reading about a privileged LA girl with some mental illness sprinkled in. Good for her though being so successful in life 🙂

Not my favorite by McFadden but sill a decent read. When Natalie‘s weird coworker goes missing she somehow becomes wrapped up in being a potential murder suspect. Lots of twists and the author always finds a way to weave a story that I don‘t see coming.

Growing up you only hear about Amelia Earhart as one of the first woman aviatrix because her story was so dramatic. This book includes all the other woman that paved women‘s way into the air and into jobs that were normally for men only. Interesting historical non-fiction read ☺️

It was a toss up between a pick and so-so for this one. I‘m hoping McFadden retires the Housemaid after this. Millie moves into the burbs of Long Island with her family and notices the Housemaid next door is strangely watching her. Is something sinister with the maid or the house she is cleaning? This book could have been shortened and was easy at least for me to figure out. Still it was a quick read and still enjoyable 🙂

I would totally stay in a Hitchcock themed hotel so I was excited for this book! I was hoping this would have been a little more creepy but mostly it was just drama between old college roommates. What made this a pick was there were a few good twists that I did not see coming. I was hoping there would have been a Norman Bates like shower scene 🔪 but no luck! 😛

I haven‘t read a lot of Colleen Hoover but I know this isn‘t her usual type of romance. It‘s dark, gritty and sometimes cringey. It wasn‘t the most exciting story and is predictable but still a good, quick read that passed the slow moments at work. Definitely does not beat out Verity which is still my fav by her.

Super quick read, definitely entertaining! Lots of little things that made me giggle or smile. McFadden never disappoints 😊

Between lots of characters and lots of time jumps this story just lost me. I didn‘t like that it would jump from the past, to the future to the present. It just was not cohesive enough my brain to follow. The ending was kind of rushed and didn‘t really explain the purpose of the House that seeked these Shining Girls. What was the shine and why was it making people kill over it. I don‘t know, I‘m confused over this one.

This was probably the best book I‘ve read all year. Yes it‘s long, but wow, what a story. The story of Patch and Saint is heartbreaking, uplifting, and just totally immersive. If you like Tartts “The Goldfinch” you will probably like this as well. It‘s definitely takes you to dark places but for me it was a story I couldn‘t stop reading. How everything came together at the end solidified what a beautifully written story this was. 💕

Ok I‘ve officially read two of Malermans books and I disliked both. I can now say I am not a fan of his writing style. This story is told from a child‘s perspective and gets annoying because it‘s repetitive, sometimes you don‘t know if she‘s thinking something or saying it out loud, and best of all the ending sucks. I stepped away from this book thinking what the hell did I just read? The only bonus was it was a quick read. 👎🏼

This was quite a wild ride that I did not let off the gas for most of it. Sally‘s already broken world shatters even more after her father passes away and she is caught trying to cremate him herself. This story has so many layers I‘m still trying to process all that happens. It‘s disturbing, heart breaking, funny, psychological, and part thriller. Loved it and definitely recommend!

Mallory a recovering addict takes on a new job as nanny for a little boy Teddy. Teddy seems a little reclusive, has no friends besides an imaginary one & wears the same outfit every day. A few days into her new job Teddy starts drawing some strange pictures that begin to concern Mallory. As the depth of these pictures increases so does the mystery behind what their meaning is. Good, fast paced supernatural thriller that I finished in 2 days.

The story opens with a murder. Who is it and why did it happens slowly unfolds through the book as we meet all the wonderful women of the Briar Club. Quinn has her touch of historical fiction highlighting life in the 50‘s giving each character a piece of what woman struggled with in that decade. It‘s a great story of women coming together and how their lives intertwined. Satisfying ending as well ☺️

OK, I am going to have to Google the ending on this one because my husband kept talking to me while I was trying to read the last part of the book & I feel like I completely missed something. Book was just ok to me. I am over the people trapped on an island with a murder, but this one was a little different & did a little more character building than focus on the murder but still the ending is something that I gotta read up more on to understand.

This one got me! I thought I had it figured out but no, Freida never makes it that easy. A few twists and always a satisfying ending…Frieda does it again 😊

Sadly this book started out strong with the creepy cop and creepy house in the middle of nowhere but then it just went downhill. Another couple along with some other characters gets introduced and the flow of the writing gets confusing. I didn‘t know what or who was going on in parts. I took this book with me on a two week vacation and only picked it up twice. A sign to #hailtothebail

How cute are these earring I found for Halloween and for one of my favorite authors!! I am currently in Maine on vacation and lots of people struck up a conversation over these earrings 🥰

I almost DNFed this book. The beginning just didn‘t hold my interest, the story builds very slowly and the fighting between the MCs cousin and her husband was just thoroughly annoying. Like it‘s consumed half the book. Kari‘s mother‘s disappeared 30 + years ago & no one ever knew what happened. A magic bracelet comes into her life that unlocks visions of her mother that will lead her to the truth of what happened to her mom all those years ago.

I remember when this show first premiered introducing the Duggar‘s. I was immediately intrigued by this large family and their way of living. As years passed and that initial documentary blew up into a full series, I watched in curiosity to see how these children would grow up, date, and navigate adulthood. I never realized how strict their upbringing really was. This was a very insightful look into their lives but also quite disturbing.

In a small town in Vermont, a young girl is found dead in a field. With a plethora of characters to sift through the suspect list is long. Even with a lot of characters this was still an enjoyable read. I didn‘t figure it out till towards the end but than again I was sleep deprived working a 36 hour shift through Hurricane Milton so that doesn‘t say much. I was looking for a story to kill time and this delivered!

McFadden does not disappoint again. Erika has the perfect son but she knows something is not so perfect with him. When a local girl goes missing that has ties to her son, Erika is beyond worried that he had something to do with it. Is her son truly evil or is there more to the story than what Erika expected?

I‘ve never read Malerman before and not sure if how this book was written is his normal writing style. If so, not a fan at all. It‘s so choppy and repetitive that I lost interest every other paragraph. I was looking for a good scary book & instead read about someone‘s anxiety with a few murders sprinkled in for fun. I‘ve got my own anxiety. I read books to escape from my thoughts, not to make me think more about my anxiety. Skimmed most of it 👎🏼

I didn‘t realize this was part of a series but this stood alone if you haven‘t read the first one. Creepy house, messed up family, murder and ghosts. All the elements for the spooky season 👻 Definitely recommend!

Honestly, I would have never read this book if I just based it by the cover and if it wasn‘t recommended by 3 coworkers. Cheesy romance /smut is not my thing but this was actually a pretty darn good story and good for the spooky season. I finished this in two days and the ending had a pretty good twist! This is definitely a case of not judging a book by its cover 😂

Although not as good as the first of this series this book definitely has a satisfying ending. All the old characters are back Jackson, Amber, Daphne and we are introduced to a new one Daisy Mae. They all become intertwined into one happy ending haha. Well happy for some 😉 Sometimes a book doesn‘t have to tie up loose ends but I think this second novel is justified in that aspect.

I was so excited to read this book as I‘ve really enjoyed St. James‘s books but this one fell a little flat to me. The plot sounded great..a potential serial killer on a remote road, takes place in the 90‘s, has a little bit of supernatural and a little bit of reality. I guess I just didn‘t like the cop heavy investigation of the story. It just bogged the story down. The twist at the end was pretty good but didn‘t save the story.

I hate when they say a book is like another like this one that was compared to Where the Crawdads Sing. Just because a book has some aspect of a swamp in it does not make it like Crawdads. This story was just kind of boring, choppy in places, and I had to skim many portions as it just dragged. On the plus side the writing was good, I just wish the story had been more captivating.

Wow, this was one crazy book! It‘s unlike anything I‘ve read. It immediately hooks you in with its story of a missing young girl. What unfolds though was not what I was expecting. This story is all sorts of messed up and crazy but then it slowly comes together in the end in a heart breaking way. I almost want to read it again as the details are so intricate that you almost get lost in what is going on. Definitely recommend!

Getting in the mood for the spooky season! I am usually not a fan of short stories due to how quick they develop and most times abruptly end. This collection though was just great. Hill definitely has his dad‘s dark mind & talent for writing but has his own style as well. I loved his atmospheric writing and uniqueness of each story. Voluntary Committal is the shining star in this book and I wish they would make a movie like they did Black Phone.

This book was not terrible but it was a little underwhelming. Maya loses her best friend Aubrey in a mysterious way in the presence of her strange new boyfriend Frank. Years later Maya comes across a YouTube video of another woman mysteriously dying and guess who is sitting across from her as she passes away? Maya‘s ex Frank! Maya goes on a search for the answers to why these mysterious death happened. Is Frank responsible?

I‘m a mixed bag on this one. It was slow and repetitive in parts, very depressing, and ended kind of abruptly. There were some funny and interesting parts as well but I definitely would not recommend this book to anyone. Kind of surprised it won a Pulitzer but what do I know 🤣

This was a tough one. Definitely a story that will stick with you long after reading. Perry‘s life seemed so perfect on the outside but he was never able to find the things to fill the voids in his life except drugs and alcohol. So tragic to read his struggles, to know he feared death, to read of his suffering with no relief besides the vicious cycle of using drugs. The book ends with hope but sadly his real life has a different ending. RIP Matty