Gosh, this was a month full of AMAZING books. I’m pretty sure that one will make my top five of the entire year.
I should preface by reminding you guys that my favorite genre is usually psychological thrillers and/or mysteries. Romance are always a close second, but i have to keep it dark otherwise I will get super bored with only romance. Anyone else in my boat?
First up, STILL BEATING.
There aren’t enough words to explain my love for this book. I’m not even sure how I found this book but when I read the synopsis I was immediately hooked. I can’t explain why, but it is so well-written you will understand when you read it for yourself.
Jennifer Hartmann did a spectacular job detailing the events of a horrific tragedy, and at the same time leading to so much hope.
I don’t want to give you too much because this is way better if you go in sort of blind. Only check the trigger warnings… if you must.
WARNING: This is a dark romance. This book contains subject matter that may be sensitive for some readers, 18+ only. Please read responsibly.
When Cora attends her sister’s birthday party, she expects at most a hangover or a walk of shame. She doesn’t anticipate a stolen wallet, leaving her stranded and dependent on Dean—her arch nemesis and ultimate thorn in her side.
And she really doesn’t anticipate waking up in shackles in a madman’s basement.
To make matters worse, Dean shares the space in his own set of chains.
After fifteen years of teasing, insults, and practical jokes, the ultimate joke seems to be on them. The two people who always thought they’d end up killing each other must now work together if they want to survive.
But Cora and Dean have no idea their abductor has a plan for them. A plan that will alter the course of their relationship, blur the line between hate and love, and shackle them together with far more than just chains.
Childhood friends to lovers, healing from trauma, and a bit of a mystery in this amazing read. If you aren’t afraid of an intense backstory and love a good romance, please read this book!
To the rest of the world, he was the little boy who went missing on the Fourth of July.
To me, he was everything.
My heart hasn’t been the same since he disappeared, but I’ve learned to build my life around that missing piece.
Twenty-two years later, the last thing I expect is for that missing piece to come back.
His name is Oliver Lynch, and this is his story.
This is our story.
** This book is not a sequel to Still Beating and you do NOT have to read it to understand Lotus. While there are references, and it does feature a secondary character from Still Beating, this is a standalone novel.
Maybe In Another Life – Taylor Jenkins Reid always
TJR has the most unique writing style. Not only does she captivate me with her unique plots and storylines but even more- she creates the most realistic characters, that make me want to be best friends with them.
Two timelines, two possible scenarios. I just love thinking about the concept parallel lives interwoven with fate. And thinking how the smallest decision can seriously impact the course of our existence.
Synopsis: At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.
Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?
In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?
Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.
The Maid –
Molly is a peculiar and quirky maid, she goes into a room to find someone dead. The story unfolds leading her to be one of the main suspects. She then finds friends where she least expected them.
I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was like a game CLUE; a bit of mystery, some dark comedy, and a mix of thriller vibes. It was the perfect mix! Truly a fantastic story about life, loss, and friends.
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
I have loved Rachel Hawkin’s other thriller, The Wife Upstairs so I thought this one would be just as great! This one started out pretty slow and took a while to pick up. When it did get moving, it was all so twisty that it became unbelievable for me. It wasn’t my favorite thriller, but it was ok.
Synopsis: When Lux McAllister and her boyfriend, Nico, are hired to sail two women to a remote island in the South Pacific, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Stuck in a dead-end job in Hawaii, and longing to travel the world after a family tragedy, Lux is eager to climb on board The Susannah and set out on an adventure. She’s also quick to bond with their passengers, college best friends Brittany and Amma. The two women say they want to travel off the beaten path. But like Lux, they may have other reasons to be seeking an escape.
Shimmering on the horizon after days at sea, Meroe Island is every bit the paradise the foursome expects, despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism, and even rumors of murder. But what they don’t expect is to discover another boat already anchored off Meroe’s sandy beaches. The owners of the Azure Sky, Jake and Eliza, are a true golden couple: gorgeous, laidback, and if their sleek catamaran and well-stocked bar are any indication, rich. Now a party of six, the new friends settle in to experience life on an exotic island, and the serenity of being completely off the grid. Lux hasn’t felt like she truly belonged anywhere in years, yet here on Meroe, with these fellow free spirits, she finally has a sense of peace.
But with the arrival of a skeevy stranger sailing alone in pursuit of a darker kind of good time, the balance of the group is disrupted. Soon, cracks begin to emerge: it seems that Brittany and Amma haven’t been completely honest with Lux about their pasts––and perhaps not even with each other. And though Jake and Eliza seem like the perfect pair, the rocky history of their relationship begins to resurface, and their reasons for sailing to Meroe might not be as innocent as they first appeared.
When it becomes clear that the group is even more cut off from civilization than they initially thought, it starts to feel like the island itself is closing in on them. And when one person goes missing, and another turns up dead, Lux begins to wonder if any of them are going to make it off the island alive.
