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…

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene is a tense, emotional thriller that blends sisterhood, secrets, and suspense. Lindsey Fadley returns to Southern State University, where her younger sister Jessica disappeared during freshman year in 1998. Decades later, a new clue pulls Lindsey back, and she’s ready to uncover what really happened. The Details The story moves between two timelines: Lindsey’s present-day search and Jessica’s final days on campus. The suspense builds steadily. Greene nails the eerie tone—empty dorms, foggy walks, hushed conversations. Lindsey’s grief and guilt feel raw and real. Her need…

Gone too Far by Natalie D. Richards My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist Gone Too Far opens with an intriguing idea. Piper, a high school senior, finds out someone is using her photos to expose cruel classmates. She gets pulled into a dangerous game of vigilante justice. The setup feels fresh and full of potential. But the story never quite takes off. The Details Piper is meant to be relatable. She’s quiet, thoughtful, and trying to do the right thing. But she often comes across as naive and indecisive. Her thoughts loop in circles, and she hesitates too long before taking action. In a thriller, that hurts the…

One Was Lost by Natalie D. Richards My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist One Was Lost starts strong. A group of teens heads into the woods for a school camping trip. Then a flash flood cuts them off from their teachers. When they wake up, they find disturbing words written on their arms—like Damaged and Deceptive. One adult is unconscious. No one knows who to trust. It’s the perfect setup for a tense psychological thriller. The Details But while the idea is great, the execution misses the mark. The tension fizzles as the story goes on. Much of the middle drags. The characters wander, argue, and worry—but not…