My SPOILER ALERT Book Reviews!

  🧠 Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 out of 5 stars) Genre: Psychological Thriller / Amnesia Noir 📢 Warning: Spoilers ahead — and I promise, they’re worth it. 😱 This Is the Thriller You Cancel Plans For Before I Go to Sleep gave me actual stress. The good kind. The kind where you’re muttering “oh no no no” into your book at 2am and then immediately reading the next chapter because you have to know what happens. This story completely wrecked my sleep schedule and I regret nothing . The concept is simple, but chilling: Christine wakes up every day with no memory of her current life. She thinks she’s in her 20s — until she looks in the mirror and sees a stranger. A much older version of herself. Every. Single. Day. She lives with a man named Ben , who patiently reminds her of who she is, what’s happened to her, and how to get through the day. But then she gets a phone call from a doctor, Dr. Nash , who tells her she’s secretly been keeping a journal. He hel...

  🔍 A Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5 stars) Genre: Classic Detective / Mystery 📢 Spoilers ahead! 📚 The Start of the Alphabet (and a Murder) Okay, confession time: I only picked this one up because of a reading challenge that required a book starting with the letter X . So naturally, I thought… Sue Grafton’s alphabet series! Let’s just start at the beginning and see what all the fuss is about. And you know what? For a book written in the early ’80s, A Is for Alibi held up better than I expected. It’s fast-paced, has a hardboiled detective vibe, and the main character, Kinsey Millhone, is sharp-tongued, cynical, and just the right amount of snarky. My kind of PI. That said, it felt like I was being introduced to a new character every other page — I wanted to make a flowchart just to keep track. The plot’s a web, and while the mystery is compelling, the sheer number of side characters left me mildly dizzy. But for a series starter? Not bad. Especially when you ...

  🔍 Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars) Genre: Domestic Suspense / Psychological Thriller 📢 Major spoilers ahead! 🏡 The Perfect Suburban Lie Ah, suburban neighborhoods. You know the type — manicured lawns, PTA meetings, and just enough scandal simmering under the surface to give Desperate Housewives a run for its money. In Everyone Here Is Lying , a nine-year-old girl named Avery Wooler vanishes into thin air after school one day. The entire neighborhood launches into panic mode. The police arrive. Secrets unravel like a badly wrapped birthday gift. And suddenly, everyone is a suspect — because yes, everyone here is lying. 🧠 The Setup: Charmer Dad, Missing Daughter, and Secrets Galore Avery’s dad, William Wooler , is a respected doctor, the kind of guy who gives off squeaky-clean “dad next door” vibes — if you ignore the part where he’s cheating on his wife with a nurse named Nora . On the day Avery disappears, William comes home early and f...

  🕊️ Maximum Ride Vol. 2 by NaRae Lee ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  4 out of 5 stars | Genre: YA Sci-Fi / Action Manga | Wings, whispers, and weird sewer science Welcome back to the high-flying chaos of Maximum Ride , where genetically engineered bird kids are still trying to survive, discover their pasts, and occasionally get chased by murderous wolf-men with identity issues. If you missed Volume 1 , check out my review there first. And don't forget to read Volume 3 next—because things only get weirder (and better). ✈️ Still on the Run... Still Sprouting Feathers Our flock of six winged teens— Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel —are still on the run from The School , the nightmarish lab that created them. Their goal? Figure out where they came from, what was done to them, and why their "parents" abandoned them . Not too much to ask, right? The group starts hearing about something called “The Institute for Higher Living” , which sounds like either a shady research center or a G...

  Absolutely! Here's a fresh rewrite of your review for Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, formatted for your blog with your signature tone and all the bells and whistles you requested: 📚 Book Review: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ | Psychological Thriller | 336 pages “The perfect marriage… or the perfect lie?” Buy it now on Amazon (affiliate link) 🕵️‍♀️ A Domestic Thriller That Had Me Screaming “DIVORCE HIM!” Every 5 Pages Let’s be honest. We all love a perfect couple... until we find out they’re not actually perfect and someone’s hiding a torture chamber in the basement. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris is the ultimate “what’s really going on in that house?” story. The writing is sharp, the suspense is high, and the sense of dread? Deliciously unbearable. This one had me flipping pages like my Kindle was on fire. 🚪 What's It About? Grace and Jack appear to have the dream life: Stunning house ✔️ Fancy vacations ✔️ Swoony romance ✔️ One tiny i...

  💍 In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware: A Bachelorette Weekend You'll Regret Attending Rating:  ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ½ -  3.5 out of 5 stars Genre: Psychological Thriller Perfect For: Anyone who's ever had a toxic ex-friend they still occasionally Google (no judgment) "Some friends are forever. Some friends you bury in the woods." Let me start by saying: this book pulled me in like a group text I knew would end in drama. Yes, it dragged a little in the middle, but In a Dark, Dark Wood kept me turning pages faster than you can say Clare is THE WORST . Maybe I liked this one a little more than I should have... because I, too, once had a Clare. (Let’s just say she’s probably still out there somewhere convincing people she’s the victim.) 🚨 Spoiler Alert! If you want to go in blind, turn back now. I’m about to spill all the tea. 🕯️ The Premise Nora Shaw, our main character, is a loner crime writer who gets an out-of-nowhere invite to the bachelorette weekend of her ex-bestie...

  💍 The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins – Book Review Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️  3 out of 5 stars A fast, flirty thriller with a slightly soggy ending. 🚨 Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read The Wife Upstairs yet and want to go in blind, skip this summary and scroll to the Final Thoughts or just smash that buy button and wing it. 🐾 What's This One About? Meet Jane , a broke dog walker with sticky fingers and big dreams. She walks dogs for rich people in the Thornfield Estates, casually pocketing a few trinkets along the way (because, you know, "rich people won't notice"). Honestly? Bold move. One of those rich people is Eddie Rochester , recently widowed (or so it seems). His wife Bea and her BFF Blanche went missing after a girls’ trip on the lake. Blanche’s body washed up. Bea’s? Not so much. Declared dead anyway. Jane smells opportunity and sets her sights on Eddie. Girl’s got ambition. And it works! Sort of. Eddie is mysterious, handsome, and (checks notes) maybe a m...

  😇 Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica When your “perfect” husband goes missing, and your “nice” friend might be a rock-wielding liar… Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars) Okay, first things first: This book had me flailing like a suspicious spouse watching their partner delete texts. Edge-of-your-seat suspense? Check. Jaw-drop twist at the end? CHECK. People doing dumb things for love? Double check. So, what’s it about? Let’s get into it. And yes, I will be bolding everything I’d scream out loud if this was a true crime documentary. 👫 Meet the Couples: This Is Not a Game Night Group You Want to Join There are two main couples in this twisty domestic thriller: 🧠 Jake and Nina Jake: a hotshot neurosurgeon with a rapidly disintegrating personality. Nina: a school teacher with a very suspicious mother and the patience of a saint. From the outside? Perfect couple. Inside the house? Not so much. Jake is annoyed that Nina’s always taking care of her “blind” mother. N...

  💥 The Crash by Freida McFadden – Book Review Rating:  ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½  3.5 out of 5 stars A chaotic mess in the best way—just maybe not Freida's tightest work. 🚨 Spoiler Alert! If you're planning to read The Crash and want to preserve your mind for maximum McFadden madness, skip the spoilers below and hit that 🛒  Buy Now button. 🚗 Buckle Up—Here Comes the Plot Tegan is broke, pregnant, and exhausted , which honestly would be enough drama for one book. But Freida McFadden had other plans. Tegan’s car crashes in the middle of nowhere, and she’s rescued by Hank , a guy who lives off the grid with his wife Polly . Now, Polly is the kind of woman who would offer you tea while secretly plotting to steal your unborn baby , so Tegan’s nightmare is only just beginning. As Tegan recovers, memories start returning. Most importantly: her pregnancy is the result of rape —and the rapist is Simon , (unbeknownst to her, is also her brother’s shady business partner.) Her brother...

🤥 The Widow’s Husband’s Secret Lie by Freida McFadden – Book Review Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  4 out of 5 stars Freida’s wildest short story yet—and that’s saying something. ⚠️ Spoiler Alert! This satirical short story is best read blind. If you're just here for the vibes, hit that  🛒 Buy Now button and thank me later. Otherwise, get comfy for a plot so ridiculous, it has to be Freida. 🕵️‍♀️ What’s the Premise? Meet Alice and Grant , the couple everyone envies. Rich, put-together, #marriagegoals—until you step inside their house. Because behind those granite countertops and golden retriever vibes… Grant is a controlling jerk . Alice decides she’s had enough. Enough of Grant. Enough of being micromanaged. Enough of having to fold towels a certain way. Time to kill her husband and cash in on the inheritance. 💸 🚗 The Crash That Started It All After a few failed attempts (including poisoning him with gluten-free brownies), Alice gets clever. She cuts the brake ...

  💔 Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell – Book Review Rating:  ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½   3.5 out of 5 stars Because when a turkey baster shows up in a thriller, things get weird. Buy it on Audible (affiliate link) ⚠️ Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read Then She Was Gone , turn back now or be prepared to learn way too much about creepy basements, secret babies, and reproductive horror. You've been warned. 👩‍👧 What’s the Setup? Ten years ago, Ellie Mack , the golden child of her family, disappeared without a trace. Her mom, Laurel , never recovered. Her marriage crumbled, her relationships with her remaining kids (Jake and Hannah) are strained, and she’s basically running on trauma and caffeine. But then: Ellie’s remains are found , giving the family some closure… sort of. Laurel finally starts opening up to life again. She even meets a charming guy named Floyd at a café who says all the right things and has a daughter named Poppy that looks suspiciously like Ellie. Too suspiciously...

  🕵️‍♂️ The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith – Book Review Rating:  ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  5 out of 5 stars Classic detective fiction meets high fashion, secrets, and scandal—with a twist you won’t see coming. ⚠️ Spoiler Alert! Yes, we’re going there. If you haven’t read The Cuckoo’s Calling , stop now and come back later. The final reveal is way too good to ruin by accident. 🕶️ What’s It About? Meet Cormoran Strike , a down-on-his-luck private detective with a prosthetic leg, a broken heart, and an empty bank account. But what he lacks in luck, he makes up for in sharp instincts and relentless logic. Enter: Robin Ellacott , his temporary secretary, who quickly proves she’s much more than just an assistant. Honestly, we love her from the jump. The case? The apparent suicide of Lula Landry , a glamorous supermodel known as “Cuckoo.” She allegedly threw herself off the balcony of her fancy London flat… or did she? Her adoptive brother, John Bristow , doesn’t buy it. So he ...

  🎭 First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston – Book Review Rating:  ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½   3.5 out of 5 stars A twisty con story that requires a seatbelt, a spreadsheet… and maybe a second read. ⚠️ Spoiler Alert! Spoilers ahead! If you’re planning to read First Lie Wins without knowing the truth behind the lies, come back later after you’ve untangled the web yourself. 🕵️‍♀️ What’s the Premise? Evie Porter isn’t who she says she is. In fact, Evie Porter doesn’t even exist. Our main character is a woman who assumes different identities for a living, taking covert assignments from a man known only as Mr. Smith —a handler who doles out new identities, objectives, and locations like he's playing puppetmaster. When we meet "Evie," she's living in a small Louisiana town, dating a rich Southern gentleman named Ryan Sumner , whose charm and mansion come with just a little too much backstory. Evie’s assignment? We’re not told upfront, because—of course—we’re on a need-to-know basis with th...

  🏔️ Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand – Book Review Rating:  ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½  4.5 out of 5 stars A slow-burn dystopian masterpiece that might require snacks, caffeine, and maybe a small sabbatical to finish. ⚠️ Spoiler Alert! This is a spoiler-friendly zone. If you haven’t read Atlas Shrugged and want to discover the meaning of life, economics, and John Galt on your own terms—maybe bookmark this for later. 🏙️ What’s It About? Atlas Shrugged is part dystopian epic, part political manifesto, and part 1,200-page weightlifting session for your wrists. Set in a crumbling future America where the economy is spiraling and everyone seems to have forgotten how to work , we follow Dagny Taggart , a badass railroad executive (yes, really) who's basically holding the country's transportation system together with grit, spreadsheets, and sheer willpower. She’s constantly trying to keep trains running , products moving, and industries alive, all while being sabotaged by government regulat...

  🕊️ Maximum Ride Vol. 1 by NaRae Lee ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  4 out of 5 stars | Genre: YA Sci-Fi / Manga | Wings, wolf-men, and one very intense strawberry patch Let me start by saying: this book is beautiful . It's been a very long time since I last picked up a manga—like, kindergarten-long—and this was a fantastic re-entry into the genre. Based on the Maximum Ride novels by James Patterson, this manga adaptation nails the pacing, artwork, and emotion , and sets the stage for a high-stakes, high-flying adventure. 🐣 Who Are the Flock? We meet six genetically engineered kids —Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel—who are living off the grid, completely on their own. They’ve all got avian DNA , which means yes: they have wings and can fly. Casual. They were raised in a lab called The School , and for two years they've been free, hiding in the mountains after their escape. Their only parental figure was Jeb , a mysterious scientist who disappeared two years ago. Max , the oldest, ...

  🚢 The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware – Book Review Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐ ½  3.5 out of 5 stars Murder on the luxury fjord express… or is it just cabin fever? ⚠️ Spoiler Alert Yup, I’m spilling the tea (and maybe some bloody mascara) on everything. If you haven’t read The Woman in Cabin 10 yet and want to stay spoiler-free, save this post and come back later. 📝 What’s It About? Meet Laura “Lo” Blacklock . She’s a travel journalist recovering from a traumatic break-in at her London apartment. She’s got PTSD, insomnia, and a suitcase full of bad decisions, but that’s not stopping her from boarding the Aurora Borealis , a tiny, exclusive luxury cruise ship heading into the picturesque Norwegian fjords. Lo is there to write a piece and hopefully score a promotion, but things go from spa-day to sinister pretty quickly. She’s assigned to Cabin 9 , and next door is Cabin 10 , where a young woman briefly appears to loan Lo a tube of mascara (as one does). Hours later, Lo hears a s...