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 Lake
The Lake by Natasha Preston My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist I finished The Lake and realized something unsettling: I couldn’t remember a single meaningful detail. That says more than any plot summary ever could. This YA thriller sets out to build suspense around a group of friends returning to the summer camp where something terrible once happened. But instead of delivering chills, it barely made a ripple. The Details The premise had promise. A secluded lake, a haunting secret, and old trauma resurfacing—classic ingredients for a solid thriller. Unfortunately, none of it stuck. The plot meandered, then rushed, then meandered again. Twists landed with a thud because…
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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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Tell Me What Really Happened
Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Gist Every now and then, a murder mystery reminds you just how inventive the genre can be. Chelsea Sedoti’s Tell Me What Really Happened doesn’t follow a straight line. Instead, it builds suspense through fractured memories, clashing perspectives, and unreliable narrators—all teenagers, all under pressure. The Details The novel is structured as a series of police interviews after a camping trip goes horribly wrong. Five teens went into the woods. Only four returned. Now, each one is giving their side of the story—and none of them quite agree. There’s paranoia, miscommunication, drama, and plenty of…
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Lying in the Deep
Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist When I picked up Lying in the Deep, I was ready to be hooked. A semester-at-sea program. A murder on board. An isolated cruise ship full of secrets. That setup should’ve practically written itself into a suspenseful, claustrophobic thriller. And for a while, it really seemed like it would. But once I got past the first few chapters, it became clear that this book wasn’t going to lean into the eerie, locked-room mystery I expected. Instead, it swerved into full-blown teenage drama — complete with jealousy, romantic angst, and more irrational decision-making than I had…
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You Will Be Mine
You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Let me start by saying I don’t hand out 1-star ratings like candy on Halloween. I’ll usually find something, anything, to hold onto—a compelling plot thread, a charming side character, a sliver of emotional payoff. But You Will Be Mine? No. This book drained every last drop of patience I had, and by the final chapters, I was genuinely questioning my life choices. The Details The premise was promising enough: creepy letters, a group of college friends, someone stalking them, and people dying. I mean, that sounds like a good time, right? Classic popcorn thriller…
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No Place Left to Hide
No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Gist No Place Left to Hide caught me off guard in the best way. I didn’t expect the main story to unfold over a single night, but that choice worked. The tight timeline created nonstop tension. Every moment felt urgent. It added a sense of pressure that kept me flipping pages long after bedtime. The Details The protagonist was a mixed bag—and I kind of loved that. I had a strong love/hate reaction to them. At times, I wanted to yell at the page. Other times, I felt completely drawn in. They weren’t likable, exactly,…
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The Summer She Went Missing
The Summer She Went Missing by Chelsea Ichaso My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Let’s set the scene: small town, a girl disappears, secrets bubble just beneath the surface. You’re thinking ooh, juicy! Maybe this’ll be a tight, suspenseful mystery with compelling twists, layered characters, and psychological depth. You dive in; get comfortable. You prepare for thrills. The Details And then—BAM. The main character arrives and steamrolls every ounce of potential like a drama queen on a mission. Look, I enjoy a flawed protagonist. I really do. But what we’ve got here isn’t a flaw. It’s a full-blown character malfunction. This girl isn’t just immature—she’s emotionally stunted. You’d…
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Six Months Later
Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Gist Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards wastes no time pulling readers into a tense, mind-bending mystery. The story starts in a quiet study hall in May. Chloe nods off—and wakes up six months later, in December. She has no memory of what happened in between. The Details That would be chilling enough, but things get even weirder. She’s suddenly got perfect grades, a dream-worthy SAT score, and a popular boyfriend. It should be a dream come true. Instead, Chloe feels like she’s living someone else’s life. And she wants answers. From page one, the…
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The Island
The Island by Natasha Preston My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist Let’s start with this: The Island had one job—be entertaining. Unfortunately, it failed spectacularly. I picked it up expecting a tense, fast-paced survival thriller. Instead, I got a drawn-out group project written in emoji and sponsored content. The Details At first glance, the premise sounds promising. A group of young influencers gets invited to an exclusive retreat on a private island. Cue the danger, mystery, and chaos, right? Not quite. What follows is a painfully slow descent into nonsense with some of the dullest characters I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading. To begin with, these aren’t…
