ARC Review: The Drowning Kind

 

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.

In The Drowning Kind, readers meet Jax, a social worker who has worked hard in her own therapy sessions to draw firm boundaries between herself and her sister, Lexie. Both Lexie and their father, Ted, have had manic episodes for as long as Jax can remember, so when Lexie calls over and over again, Jax ignores her. 

Then she gets the call that Lexie is dead, found drowned outside her home in the famous natural pool-famous because for decades, people have believed the springs feeding the pool can cure ailments and grant wishes. 

But everything comes with a price.

I am a big fan of Jennifer McMahon. My collection of her books has a special space all to itself. And while Burntown and The Invited, her two most recent full-length novels, were not my favorites of hers, I still enjoyed them.

But oh how I loved her newest book. The Drowning Kind is right up there for me, giving me The Night Sister (another McMahon book) vibes in all the best ways. McMahon does a really great job of weaving in journal entries from the past, building a crucial backstory using the personal papers of a woman visiting the "miracle springs" when there was an entire hotel built around the waters. The Drowning Kind is that fabulous kind of creepy where you don't quite know what is real, because the characters don't either. There is so much eerie suspense here, I still get chills thinking about the ending paragraphs. 

When you draw the curtains to settle down at night and read this chilling tale, make sure to light a candle to keep you safe. In the world of The Drowning Kind, they can get to you in the darkness.

ARC Review: Broken (in the best possible way)

 

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.

I should start by saying, I am a huge fan of Jenny Lawson. She is not only so open and honest about her mental and physical illnesses, but she is also so, so funny. When someone asks me for recommendations of books about mental health, anything by Jenny Lawson is always at the top of my list.

Broken (in the best possible way) just continues my love for Lawson. Some chapters had me laughing so hard for minutes on end, and some chapters were so personal and meaningful they almost made me cry. Lawson not only keeps this balance beautifully, but she also makes sure all her readers know that they are not alone. She is such an important voice in the mental health community, and I absolutely recommend reading not only this book, but every other one of her previous books.

ARC Review: At Any Cost

 

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: At Any Cost: A Father's Betrayal, A Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice

Authors: Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar

Genres: True Crime/Non-Fiction

Publication Date: April 6, 2021

Right away, my first thought about this book is how in the world I had never heard of this crime before. There are so many twists and turns, so many egregious actions by both the murderer and the police--if this was the plot of a fiction book, I would have dismissed it as being far too unbelievable. But this is all too true. I won't spoil anything for anyone who like me walked into this knowing nothing about the case, but there are moments after moments that will make your jaw drop. 

My second thought is how well-written this book is. The facts are laid out in a narrative format, which really helps the reader get to know the people involved, the crime itself, and the shocking aftermath. Despite how complex and complicated the layers upon layers could get, Rosenberg and Algar make sure that the reader never gets lost.

I have read a lot of true crime over the years, and this is an excellent addition to the genre. It will open your eyes, engage your mind, and tug on every single one of your heartstrings. 

ARC Review: Under the Cover of Murder

 

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

Addie is known both as a bookseller and as a bit of an amateur detective, someone who can't help but be intrigued by the mystery of a crime. So when one body is found, and then another, surrounding the luxury yacht where an over-the-top wedding has just occurred, Addie starts exploring the library in the hope of picking up some clues. When the guests and staff are all kept on the yacht as suspects, Addie knows she must hurry before the killer strikes again.

This was a fun, enjoyable read. Even though I haven't read the rest of the series, I didn't really feel confused or unable to follow the relationships and side plots. I really liked the relationships between Addie and her close friends, and Addie and her boyfriend. 

The solution to the mystery seemed a bit out of left field-there didn't really seem to be any way a reader could have figured it out from the previous pages. But the characters were well-done, and I loved that the mystery centered around books, especially an Agatha Christie.

ARC Review: She's Too Pretty to Burn

 

I've 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.

The Book:

Where Veronica, Nico, and Mick collide, chaos sparks.

Nico and Veronica have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Nico is an installation artist consumed by his plans to truly make a statement, while Veronica is a photographer looking for her inspiration. Then Veronica meets Mick at a party, and sparks fly immediately. But Mick is a girl who hates having her photograph taken.

As Veronica and Mick fall in love, they are pinned in on all sides by Nico's fevered determination, Veronica's desire for fame, and Mick's desperate hope to find somewhere she truly belongs. This is not a trio meant to live life peacefully...or possibly to live at all.

What I Liked:

I love the book The Picture of Dorian Gray, which the author credits as an inspiration, and I thought centering around a photograph instead of a painting was a really clever and unique take. 

This book is full on suspense, with heightened emotions and situations on almost every page. I truly did not know what to expect from one chapter to the next, let alone one word to the next.

The look into the different aspects and impacts of being an artist was fascinating, as Heard truly takes the readers on a ride into the extreme possibilities of what this world can hold.

Anything I Didn't Like?

I had a really hard time liking the main characters at many points in the book. They felt self-centered, or cold, or cruel. But to Heard's credit, I think this was truly the point, and the ones you need to be redeemed really are as you get to understand more of their motivations and internal struggles.

So...?

This book is like a wild fever dream, you truly never know where it is going to go next. I got completely lost in it and could not put it down.

ARC Review: The Lost Village

 

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.

This book had my attention from the very start. The premise is absolutely fascinating, and the kind guaranteed to hook me right away. An entire village disappeared in 1959, and now a documentary filmmaker with familial ties to the village's past has arrived to try to make the film that will save her career. 

Though the village has supposedly been completely abandoned, Alice and her ragtag crew with complicated pasts keep seeing shadows out of the corners of their eyes, and would swear they are not the ones breaking their filming epuipment. And then someone goes missing.

This is one scary eerie creepy book. Sten does an amazing job of setting the scene, and I really felt like I was right there with the characters. The use of the occasional flashes of "Then" that build to a crescendo as you near the end of the story served to heighten the suspense and keep you guessing. 

Ok, so this is definitely a strange book, but Sten makes it work. In the hands of someone else, I really think this story would have fallen apart, but Sten makes it all come together.

ARC Review: Forget Me Not

 

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.

When I had just started this book, and was trying to explain what I was reading to a librarian friend, I prefaced the description by saying "I know this sounds like a very different book than I usually read", a statement that is definitely true. My desire to read this particular book stemmed from how much I loved Oliva's previous book The Last One.

Forget Me Not is definitely a book that makes me very glad I tried something new.

From the start of the book, readers are immediately thrust into Linda's difficult and overwhelming world. She was raised completely isolated from the rest of the world, and after even the only family she had ever known left, she climbed the wall and found herself out in a brand new world. Every facet of life outside her previous home is baffling, frightening, and anxiety provoking, especially the realization that her mother had carefully crafted her birth in an attempt to genetically resurrect her dead daughter.

Social media (hashtag #CloneGirl) continues to make Linda feel hunted and afraid, and her tenuous connection with her biological father doesn't bring her much comfort. So when her childhood home suddenly catches on fire, Linda finds herself drawn back into a reckoning of what happens when the past you thought you understood suddenly meets the truth.

This book is fascinating and completely gripping. There is a mysteriousness to it that calls what readers and Linda think they know into question constantly, which is what grabbed me the most about this book. There were also these strange chapters that seemed to be completely disconnected from the rest of the story, but came back to matter in a big way, and I liked the guessing game of trying to figure out where those fit in.

 Oliva does not pull her punches when it comes to the big twists, and this book had them in spades-I was completely shocked by the way things unfolded, but everything made sense looking back. The ending also left me feeling really satisfied.