Review: Trace

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.

What is especially intriguing about this book is that it is both about the case the podcast Trace investigated, and the story behind all it took to put the podcast together.

Brown, host and reporter, takes readers back to the very beginning, when she was first drawn into the cold case of the murder of Maria James. Readers become emotionally invested along with Brown, as we and she learn more about the sons whose lives were irrevocably shattered by the brutal loss of their mother, and about the slip ups (and possible cover ups) during the original police investigation.

This is a dark, at times difficult, read. It went to a place I hadn't expected and wasn't prepared for. Brown pulls no punches as she shares with readers the terrible truths she learned and the possible conspiracies she uncovered. She is open with the way the investigative process on her side works, and how not everything can be tied up in a neat little bow.

This book makes me want to listen to the podcast and keep updated on the case, so while it is not the  best true crime book I've ever read, it definitely is an interesting and compelling read.

2019 Reading Wrap Up!

**2019 Reading Stats**

Number of Books I Read: 165

Number of Re Reads: 9

1) Best Book I Read in 2019?

 

2) Book I Was Excited About and Thought I Was Going to Love More But Didn't?

3) Most Surprising (In a Good Way) Book I Read?

4) Best Series I Started in 2019?

5) Best Book From a Genre I Don't Typically Read/Was Outside My Comfort Zone?

6) Most Thought-Provoking/Life Changing Book of 2019?

7) Book I Can't Believe I Waited Until 2019 to Finally Read?

8) Shortest Book I Read in 2019?

103 pages

9) Longest Book I Read in 2019?

720 pages

10) Book That Shocked Me the Most?

11) My OTP (One True Pairing) of the Year?

Alex & Henry

12) My Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year?

The Super Six (Alex, Henry, Bea, Pez, Nora, and June)

13) Best 2019 Debut I Read?

14) Hidden Gem of the Year?

I was so lucky to have read so many great books this year, too many to give recognition to in this entry-here's to another great reading year in 2020!

Review: Paw of the Jungle

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.

As a dog mom, I'm always intrigued by any cozy mystery featuring a dog, especially one that is helping solve the crime.

But unfortunately Paw of the Jungle, though having a kick butt dog named Brigit featured, was merely a meh read.

Most importantly for me, there wasn't enough mystery. There was absolutely no way for the reader to figure out who was taking the exotic zoo animals, which took a lot of the fun out of reading. The secondary subplot mystery about stolen rings was actually much more intriguing, and I was really excited to solve it right before the main character did.

There were too many points of view used, and I found it especially strange when the author chose to have certain small chapters from the dog's point of view. These chapters typically added nothing to the storyline, and simply described actions the main character could have described.

I really liked the romance between the main character and her firefighter boyfriend, and the ending almost tempted me to try the next book in the series to see where their journey took them, but I know that there wouldn't really be anything else to keep me turning pages.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

This book is so good. Just so so good.

The protagonist is Pip, who, for her final school project, has chosen to reexamine an infamous cold case that happened in her hometown. While everyone around her believes what the official police investigation stated-that Sal Singh killed his girlfriend Andie Bell and then killed himself-Pip believes there's something more there. As she digs deeper into the secrets and lies, Pip discovers that someone doesn't want her to keep looking-and that finding answers could be more dangerous then she ever imagined.

This book has everything I love-a twisty mystery, secrets from the past, a romance I rooted for from the start, unique characters, a strong female narrator, use of unique formats, suspense, and surprises. The comparisons to Serial (Season 1) and Making a Murderer (both of which I also loved) are spot on, but this is also a book that more than stands on its own.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is one of my favorite reads of the year. Get your hands on a copy as soon as possible and make it one of yours as well!

COYER Winter with Friends Sign Up!

Better late than never! I always love COYER, and while this has been such a busy time for me, reading is always so wonderfully cozy and relaxing.

I'm mostly focused on clearing physical books from my TBR shelves, but I also have a lot of ARCs on my Kindle that I want to read as well, so those eARCs will be for regular COYER!

I don't plan to do any Buddy Reads, but I love Readathons!

My reading recommendation is for a book by a lesser known author who I absolutely love. Both his books are great, so I highly recommend both, but I will pick Dominance by Will Lavender as my recommended read. It's an amazing literary thriller I've re read many times.

COYER:

1)

FFS, I Suffer From FOMO Readathon (December 15th-28th)

1)

Review: The Family Upstairs

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.

Title: The Family Upstairs

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publication Date: November 5. 2019

Genre: Psychological Suspense

Recommended If You Like: twisted family stories, secrets from the past

The Book:

When Libby turns twenty-five, she receives the documents she's been waiting for-papers with the identity of her birth parents, and the announcement of the empty mansion she has now inherited. She also finds out that even though she was found as a happy healthy baby in the upstairs of the house, downstairs three people were dead and the other children had vanished. As Libby explores her past, she finds it colliding into her present in ways she never expected.

What I Liked:

This book kept me guessing from the very start! Just when I thought I had something figured out, Jewell completely turned everything on its head. I startled my dog a few times by gasping out loud. Despite being completely exhausted, I curled up on my couch reading for hours to finish this book, because I had to know where everything was going.

Anything I Didn't Like?

At first, I found the jump in perspectives a little confusing. But this didn't last long, and didn't affect my enjoyment of this book.

So...?

Definitely read this book! I might recommend a hard copy edition so you can flip back and forth in the beginning if you get confused a little, but a few chapters in you will not be able to put this book down. And that last sentence...it still gives me chills.

Review: The Furies

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.

Title: The Furies
Author: Katie Lowe
Publication Date: October 8, 2019
Genre: Thriller/Supernatural
Recommended If You Like: exploration of the power and dynamics of female friendships, spells, women as viewed in ancient and modern times, the power of the past, stories centered around schools

The Book:

Violet, a teenage girl with a tragic past, is a new student at Elm Hollow Academy. She has no close friends until her art teacher, Annabel offers her to chance to join a special small study group. There she befriends Robin, Alex, and Grace, and grows almost obsessively close with Robin, whose former best friend disappeared the year before.

But as Violet learns more about the school's past, and the past of her new friends, she finds herself drawn into the world of The Furies, full of revenge, ancient spells, and deadly consequences.

What I Liked About the Book:

The book opens with a bang, the reader already being told that one of the teenage characters dies, having been found on a swing in a white dress with no indication of what (or who) killed her. We have no idea which character it is, or what happened, but we are immediately thrust into the story with Violet, our narrator. This builds up so much suspense and makes you have to keep turning pages.

Anything I Didn't Like?

I just wanted to shake all the characters, especially Violet, and tell them just to stop doing what they're doing. I also didn't really like any of the characters, which seemed like the point, but I tend to struggle with books like that.

The very last few pages also just didn't work for me. That last-minute plot development didn't really seem to fit with what came before.

So...?

I liked this book, but didn't love it like I was hoping I would. It's a creepy, eerie, suspenseful read, but it can get confusing, and the characters are so hard to like.