ARC Review: The Main Character

 Rory has agreed to be the newest main character in author Geneva Ex’s book, an author who interviews real people and puts them in her stories. As a reward, Ginerva has sent Rory on a trip on the Orient Express, as well as some people from her life Rory did not expect to see. With secrets spilled and tension rising, Rory senses something is about to happen, though she doesn’t yet know what. 

This was a good book, but not, for me, great. The characters are distinctive and each have a deeply personal stake in what is going on. There is an overarching mystery that is very intriguing. The descriptions of Italy are beautiful as well.

Where the book falls apart to me is the ending. Things seem to come out of left field, and characters suddenly seem wildly out of character. It’s a great premise, and the writing style is very good, but the plot just doesn’t work for me in the end. 

ARC Review: Attached at the Hip

 I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

Attached at the Hip by Christine Riccio

Orie Lennox is a mega superfan of the show Survivor and a woman longing for love. So when she pushes herself out of her comfort zone and is picked to actually be on the show, let alone a dating spinoff of the show, everything should be perfect. Especially as one of the other contestants is her “missed connection”, a high school crush. 

I loved this book so much! Orie is such a funny, relatable character who you definitely cheer for. The romance aspect is so well done, I was completely invested. But there are great friendships and other types of human connection as well. Plus, as a reality show fan, I absolutely adored that aspect. This book absolutely flew by. I would definitely recommend it. 

ARC Review: The House That Horror Built

 I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry

Harry, an avid horror movie buff, has become a house cleaner for Mr. Castillo, an infamous horror movie director whose son and wife disappeared years ago. Harry tries to keep her curiosity to herself, ignoring the strange voices and creepy costumes she sometimes encounters while cleaning Mr. Castillo’s mansion full of tributes to his films. But when her son, Gabe, becomes involved, Harry realizes she may have to dig a lot deeper.

This is a slow moving book, which means the suspense and thrills and horror are slow to build. When they get going, this is a creepy book for sure. Harry and Gabe are really compelling characters, especially given the situations they find themselves in. While this isn’t my favorite horror book ever, I did enjoy it, especially the twist at the end. If you enjoy suspenseful horror, I would recommend this book.

ARC: Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies

 I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review of it.

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack 

Mystery author Eleanor Dash can’t wait to remove the fictional Connor Smith and the real Connor Smith from her life. But she never expected murder!

This is a fun book. The idea of an author trying to figure out how to kill off her main fictional character while reckoning with his real life counterpart is really clever and well-done. The setting is fantastic-a tour around Italy-and the characters are all well-delineated. There’s a lot of murder attempts and murder, as well as romance. The ending is a great twist, and I would recommend this book.