My SPOILER ALERT Book Reviews!

  🧠 Ward D by Freida McFadden Five-Word Review: Twisty, creepy, dark, shocking, brilliant My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 out of 5) 🏥 Welcome to the Night Shift from Hell If you’re on a Freida McFadden binge (same), Ward D might just shoot to the top of your favorites. It’s funny , claustrophobic , deeply unsettling , and full of twists you won’t see coming . This entire book takes place over a single, horrifying night at a psychiatric hospital—and it’s absolutely unputdownable. 📚 Plot Recap (Spoilers Ahead!) Amy Brenner , a nervous med student, reports for her required overnight shift in Ward D , the psychiatric hospital’s most intense unit. She’s especially on edge because she’s been hallucinating lately of a little girl and fears that by sunrise, she might not be considered a doctor—but a patient. Her friend Gabby drops her off, promising to pick her up in the morning. But inside, things feel off almost immediately. Amy’s awkward surprise: her ex-boyfriend Cameron is also on...

  💒 The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak Five-Word Review: Wealth, weddings, lies, and blackmail My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 out of 5) 🧨 A Promising Start That Fizzled Fast After loving Hidden Pictures , I was excited to dive into another Jason Rekulak novel. The Last One at the Wedding started off strong—quirky, fast-paced, and full of intrigue. But somewhere along the way, it lost its spark. The suspense thinned, the twists felt flat, and the emotional stakes just didn’t land the way I hoped. Still, it wasn’t a total miss. There were some fun, darkly humorous moments—especially involving the very rich, very weird Gardner family—and the central mystery kept me turning the pages. 👨‍👧 A Father, a Daughter, and a Lot of Baggage Our main character is Frank Szatowski , a blue-collar single dad who raised his daughter Maggie after losing his wife, Colleen, to a sudden aneurysm when Maggie was just ten. But the relationship between Frank and Maggie hit a major rough patch aft...

  🌲 The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk Five-Word Review: Gothic, eerie, strange, and bold My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5) 🩺 A Gothic Tale Set in a Tuberculosis Sanatorium The Empusium is not your typical historical novel. It’s weird. It’s eerie. It’s hauntingly gothic — and I loved every strange twist it threw my way, even if the big twist was a little out there for my taste. Set just before World War I, the story follows Mierczysław “Mieczyś” Wojnicz , a 24-year-old student suffering from a mild case of tuberculosis. To recover, he checks into the Empusium—a health resort that supposedly helps TB patients heal. 🏥 Life at the Empusium Guesthouse Since the main sanatorium, the Kurhaus , is full, Mieczyś is placed in the guesthouse , owned by the mysterious Wilhelm Opitz . Early on, Mieczyś meets Wilhelm’s wife, Klara , who serves him breakfast but is soon found dead under strange circumstances. Oddly, the death barely causes a ripple among the guests, which sets the tone for how st...

  💋 Every Last Secret by A.R. Torre Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5) Quick Take: Twisty. Cutthroat. Deliciously dark. Mood: Rich people behaving badly — and it's so addictive. 💬 The Premise: How far would you go to get what you want? In the sunny, privileged neighborhood of Atherton, California, wealth hides wicked secrets — and the gloves are off. 🏡 Two Houses. Four People. One Deadly Summer. Every Last Secret follows two women locked in psychological warfare: Catherine “Cat” Winthorpe , the queen bee of a tech empire dynasty, and Neena Ryder , her ambitious, social-climbing new neighbor. Told in alternating POVs (and timelines), the story peels back the layers of status, seduction, and secrets in the world of Silicon Valley’s elite. Let’s break it down: 🧠 Neena & Matt: Buried Secrets Neena and her husband Matt have a very dark past. Years ago, Matt — her childhood neighbor — saved Neena from her abusive father by strangling him to death. Together, they buried his ...

  📚 Book Review: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell Rating: ⭐️⭐️ ½  (2.5/5) Genres: Psychological Thriller, Family Drama, Mystery Perfect for fans of: Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn, or stories about dark family secrets and cult-like dynamics 🧠 My Thoughts I usually love a dark family mystery, but The Family Upstairs didn’t quite land for me. If you enjoy stories with multiple timelines, POVs, and a giant web of characters to untangle, you might be into it more than I was. Personally, I prefer a twisty plot that feels earned, not just convoluted. This one had the classic “let’s complicate a simple story to make it mysterious” vibe, and the payoff wasn’t worth the effort. That said, the concept is intriguing—and the ending does bring closure—so I didn’t completely hate it. Now let’s untangle this twisted tale, in actual chronological order. 🏚️ The Real Story of the Lamb House (Told Chronologically) In the late 1980s, the wealthy Lamb family—Henry Sr., Martina, and their two ch...

 

  🏚️ The Tenant by Freida McFadden – A Twisty, Addictive Thriller You Won’t See Coming Rating:  ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ½  4.5 out of 5 stars What a ride. THIS is why I keep coming back to Freida McFadden’s books—they’re twisty, fast-paced, and just plain FUN. The Tenant isn’t trying to be some literary masterpiece. It’s a popcorn thriller in the best possible way—suspenseful, devious, and full of jaw-dropping moments. 📖 The Setup: A Downward Spiral Blake Porter is having the best day… until he isn’t. He’s just gotten a promotion and is flying high—until his boss, Wayne, suddenly fires him for allegedly leaking a company project to a competitor. Blake swears he’s innocent, but no one will listen. Worse, Wayne blacklists him across the industry. Just like that, Blake's career goes up in flames. At home, Blake leans on his fiancée Christa. She works at a laundromat and tries to stay supportive. But between losing his job, burning through savings, and trying to pay a mortgage on their t...

  📦 Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent – A Dark Family Mystery That Didn’t Quite Work for Me ⭐️ Rating: 2 out of 5 stars You know those books that everyone seems to love, and you pick it up expecting to be blown away… but it just falls flat? That was Strange Sally Diamond for me. This psychological thriller is highly rated , but honestly? I found it kind of boring. For a book with kidnapping, murder, abuse, identity changes, and secret messages, it somehow still felt like nothing really happened. No tension, no real twist, and it gave off serious déjà vu from other books like Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine , These Silent Woods , and Keep It in the Family . Not a bad book—just not a gripping one. 🕯️ Meet Sally Diamond: Socially Awkward and Social Media Famous The book kicks off with a bang— Sally Diamond , a socially awkward 40-something woman in rural Ireland, tries to cremate her father's body after he dies in his chair. Why? Because he once joked, “When I die, just thro...

  🧳 Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody – A Memoir That Left Me Frustrated, Not Inspired ⭐️ Rating:  ⭐️ 1 out of 5 This memoir should have been empowering. A woman survives spousal abuse, endures the unimaginable, and escapes against all odds. That’s what I expected from Not Without My Daughter . What I got instead? A story that felt self-centered, bitter, repetitive , and—frankly— xenophobic . This bestselling book is supposed to tell the harrowing true story of an American woman escaping with her daughter from a controlling husband in Iran. But as I read it, I couldn’t help but feel like the author missed every opportunity to show grace , made terrible decisions repeatedly , and offered little to no gratitude to the people who risked everything to help her. 🧕 The Setup: Betty, Moody, and a One-Way “Vacation” to Iran Betty Mahmoody married Iranian-American doctor Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody , known as “Moody.” In the early days of their marriage, he seemed like a kind...

  💍 Maybe Now by Colleen Hoover – The Perfect Ending to a Beautiful Love Story ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  5 out of 5 stars Genre : Romance / Contemporary Fiction Themes : Illness, new beginnings, friendship, forgiveness, love, and legacy If Maybe Someday pulled you in, and Maybe Not made you laugh, then Maybe Now will leave you grinning through tears. Colleen Hoover absolutely delivers in this heartwarming, funny, and deeply emotional conclusion to the Maybe series. We’re reunited with Sydney, Ridge, Warren, and Bridgette , but this time, we get a much deeper look at Maggie —a character who totally deserves her moment in the spotlight—and the new man who unexpectedly turns her world upside down: Jake . ✈️ Maggie's Bucket List... and a Freefall Into Love The book kicks off with Maggie , living life on her own terms. After her painful breakup with Ridge, she’s focusing on living boldly despite her serious health conditions: cystic fibrosis and Type 1 diabetes . Her bucket list i...

  💥 Maybe Not by Colleen Hoover — A Hilarious, Steamy Novella You Didn't Know You Needed Can we just take a moment to thank Colleen Hoover for blessing us with Maybe Not ? 🙌 This novella is short, spicy, and completely addictive. It’s technically a spin-off of Maybe Someday , and it focuses on everyone’s favorite disaster couple: Warren and Bridgette . If you loved the witty banter and “will-they-won’t-they” tension in the original Maybe Someday , this book is a chaotic, flirty gift. Let’s dive in. 👇 📚 What Is Maybe Not About? While Maybe Someday focused on Ridge and Sydney’s swoony slow burn, Maybe Not is a frenemies-to-lovers novella centered around Ridge’s best friend Warren and their super spicy roommate Bridgette . They live in the same apartment with Ridge and Sydney. Warren is messy, loud, sarcastic, and basically a human golden retriever. Bridgette? She’s ice cold, snarky, and basically allergic to feelings. The tension between them is chef's kiss . Warren is ...

 

  💙 The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins – A Sculpted Mystery with a Bleak Afterglow Rating: ⭐⭐ ½    (2.5/5) Genre: Literary Mystery / Suspense Themes: Obsession • Art • Betrayal • Death Tone: Slow-Burning • Bleak • Psychological 🌌 First Impressions The title The Blue Hour immediately drew me in. If you’ve ever watched the sky turn a moody blue after the sun sets or just before it rises — that in-between, almost magic hour — you know it’s beautiful but eerie. The kind of beauty that tricks you into forgetting something’s missing. That’s the vibe of this novel. It’s all about illusions, and what’s lurking beneath what we call art, love, and even friendship. Sounds poetic, right? Unfortunately... the execution didn’t quite live up to the concept. It started with an intriguing mystery — a human bone hidden in a famous sculpture — but the story veers into unnecessarily dense territory and spends a bit too much time trudging through diary entries and foggy motivations. 🖼️ P...

  🕵️‍♀️📚 Someone We Know by Shari Lapena — A Twisty Suburban Thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 out of 5) "A secret is only safe if everyone who knows it is dead." Shari Lapena does it again with Someone We Know . If you love twisty, domestic psychological thrillers where everyone is hiding something and the gossip is just as deadly as the secrets—this book delivers. It's set in the fictional town of Aylesford (also the setting for Not a Happy Family ), and the atmosphere is peak HOA suburbia: nosy neighbors, immaculate hedges, and enough drama to fill ten therapy sessions. 🧨 The Hook: A Hammer, a Homicide, and a Hacker Teen We open with a chilling scene: a woman is attacked with a hammer. We don’t know who she is. We don’t know who did it. But we know it’s going to get messy. Shortly after, Robert Pierce reports his wife Amanda missing. And let’s just say—he is not winning any Husband of the Year awards. He’s cold, suspicious, and secretive. But since this is a psychological...

  💰 Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena 📚 Genre : Domestic Thriller / Psychological Suspense ⭐️ Rating : 5 out of 5 stars 📍 Set in the fictional town of Aylesford "A dysfunctional family drama where everyone has something to hide... and a motive to kill." 🧬 What’s It About? The Merton family looks picture-perfect from the outside—wealthy, successful, upper-class. But behind the glass walls of their mansion? It's one hot mess of resentment, betrayal, and lies . The novel kicks off on Easter Sunday at Fred and Sheila Merton’s home, where the couple hosts their three adult children and their partners for dinner. What should be a wholesome holiday quickly devolves into a disaster when Fred—a harsh, controlling patriarch—drops a few bombs : He’s selling the family estate . No one’s getting an inheritance unless he says so. And he’s disappointed in every single one of his kids. Let’s break down this charming little family: Catherine : Oldest. A wealthy der...