Murder at Haven’s Rock by Kelley Armstrong My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Reading Murder at Haven’s Rock felt like crashing a reunion where everyone else already knows each other—and you weren’t even invited. Kelley Armstrong throws readers straight into the thick of a story that assumes you’ve completed her entire Rockton series beforehand. Newsflash: I hadn’t. And apparently, that means this book was not meant for me. The Details Right from page one, I was lost. Characters popped up like old friends at a high school reunion, dropping references I didn’t understand and engaging in relationships I couldn’t care about. I kept flipping pages hoping for some…
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The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds
The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman hooked me from the very first page. This novel blends a captivating mystery with a heartwarming small-town vibe, creating a reading experience that feels both comforting and exciting. The Details The story centers on Josephine Reynolds, an ordinary woman who disappears without a trace. But this isn’t just a typical mystery. Moorman uses Josephine’s disappearance as…
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The Vacancy in Room 10
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Gist Seraphina Nova Glass once again proves her skill at crafting smart, character-driven suspense with The Vacancy in Room 10. This psychological thriller grabs you from the opening chapter and keeps the tension simmering until the final page. It’s eerie, emotional, and impossible to put down. The Details The story follows Anna Hartley, a woman who’s been through hell. She’s running from a messy life—loss, addiction, regret—and lands at the weathered Sycamore Motel, nestled along the quiet Texas coast. Her plan is to disappear. But when she learns that a woman vanished from Room…
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Starling House
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Starling House lured me in with its promise of Southern Gothic atmosphere, mysterious magic, and a heroine haunted by both grief and ghosts. I was ready for lyrical storytelling and a deeply unsettling house with a mind of its own. What I got instead was a meandering non-story drowning in its own metaphors—and a narrator whose dreamy tone nearly lulled me into a coma. The Details A Plot as Hollow as the House I’m not even sure how to describe the plot. The setup takes forever, the stakes feel imaginary, and the so-called climax arrives so…
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The Frozen River
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Let’s be honest: historical fiction often walks a fine line between reverence and reinvention. In The Frozen River, that line isn’t just crossed—it’s erased. Ariel Lawhon dramatizes the life of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife whose actual diary inspired the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. But instead of adding something new, this version repackages history into fiction that feels simplified, flattened, and uncomfortably polished. The Details Martha Ballard wasn’t a fictional construct. She lived, worked, and recorded the world around her with honesty and grit. Her diary opened a rare window into…
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Finding Grace
Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild My rating: 1 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Finding Grace in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist The longer I think about Finding Grace, the angrier I get. Seriously, this book wasted my time like no other. From start to finish, it felt like a huge, sloppy joke disguised as a novel. I can’t believe I fell for it. First off, the characters. Or should I say, the empty shells pretending to be people. None of them had any depth. None of them felt real. The protagonist,…
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Corpse Walker: The Night Parade
Corpse Walker: The Night Parade by Ralynn Kimie My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Corpse Walker: The Night Parade in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I went into Corpse Walker: The Night Parade with cautious optimism. The synopsis was intriguing—dark folklore, mysterious parades of the dead, and a lyrical writing style that immediately drew me in. Ralynn Kimie has crafted something thoughtful and unsettling, with the potential to be deeply moving for the right reader. Unfortunately, I now realize this book was never going to be a good match…
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Now You Are Mine
Now You Are Mine by Amanda Brittany My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Now You Are Mine in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I picked up Now You Are Mine expecting a tightly woven psychological thriller—the kind that keeps you up too late, eyes flying across the pages, heart racing. The premise had promise: a missing woman, buried trauma, and a protagonist whose past refuses to stay hidden. But despite that setup, the story quickly lost momentum and never found its footing again. The Details The protagonist felt frustratingly…
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The Bluff
The Bluff by Bonnie Traymore My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Bluff in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist The Bluff by Bonnie Traymore is the kind of thriller I hope for every time I pick up a suspense novel. This one delivered. No eye-rolling, no skimming, no groaning at unrealistic choices—just clean, sharp tension that kept me glued to the page. I was fully engaged the entire time, and the pacing never once dipped. The Details The story follows a woman who moves into a coastal home perched…
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Only One Survives
Only One Survives by Hannah Mary KcKinnon My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Only One Survives in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist Only One Survives is a chilling, fast-paced psychological thriller that tears the mask off fame and exposes the rot festering underneath. From the very first chapter, Hannah Mary McKinnon pulls readers into a twisted world fueled by ambition, secrets, and the relentless pursuit of celebrity. She reveals just how far people will go—lie, betray, even kill—for their moment in the spotlight. The Details At the heart of…
