ARC Review: Shutter

 

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.

First things first: this cover is absolutely gorgeous, one of the best covers I've seen this year.

Now on to the story: After Betty's father's death, she flees her entire life, leaving everyone and everything behind to sleep on a childhood friend's lumpy couch in NYC. Her friend and her friend's boyfriend, it turns out, have connections to the infamous filmmaker Anthony Marino, who is finally making his second film. After meeting Anthony, Betty gets offered the role of Lola, and told the film will entail spending a month living in a cabin, on an isolated island, with just the other four people involved in making the movie. 

Betty has reservations, but she is already completely enthralled by Anthony, and it isn't until they arrive on the island that Betty truly realizes what Anthony meant when he titled his new film Fear.

This is one very creepy book. The scares build slowly, shrouded in mist and the forest, reminding readers just how isolated Betty is and how little she knows about what is happening around her and to her. By the time I reached those last few chapters, I was holding my breath and turning pages frantically, completely caught up in the terror.

This is a quick, gripping read, one I was very glad I was reading in the middle of a bustling city.

ARC Review: A Dark and Secret Place

 

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.

Heather Evans has returned home after her mother's suicide. As she's sorting through the attic, Heather discovers a pile of letters from serial killer Michael Reave, the "Red Wolf", known for a series of particularly grotesque murders over twenty years ago. Desperate to know what her mother's connection was to Reave, and attempting to help the police catch the person now committing copycat murders, Heather agrees to visit Reave in jail in hopes of getting him to talk. But Heather may not like what the Red Wolf has to say.

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book. The start was a little slow and confusing, and I had some trouble settling into Wiliams' writing style. But the plot intrigued me enough to keep going, and I'm glad I did. 

The story progressed into a suspenseful, scary tale containing complex characters, big reveals, creepy forests (stay out of the forest, fellow Murderinos!), serial killers, a commune that may be a ritualistic cult, families that are not okay, dark fairytales, very spooky birds, and a lot of secrets from the past. While this may not be the best book I've ever read, this certainly was a unique and creepy story that I couldn't put down.

ARC Review: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb

 

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 is one sweet, suspenseful, smoldering book.

Kit Webb used to be a highwayman, but tragic circumstances have left him running a coffee shop. Feeling unfulfilled and melancholy, he feels stuck in a rut, until one day Lord Holland (Percy) enters his shop with a job offer. Percy wants to rob his father, the Duke, of a special book, to protect himself and a childhood friend. Refusing the job, Kit nevertheless agrees to train Percy so he can pull off the job himself. As the two men grow closer, the deadline for the robbery grows nearer, and everything they want from life may be pulled from their grasp.

Sebastian has a great writing style that really makes the characters come alive, and the chemistry between Kit and Percy is palpable from the start. I was really rooting for them, their romance, and the success of their plan. They are both complex characters who learn from each other and are able to grow and change together. There are a lot of interesting side characters as well who all have an important part to play.

There are some great humorous moments, and some really suspenseful ones as well. The story is fast paced and kept me consistently engaged and invested. This was a book I really enjoyed reading.

ARC Review: Rabbits

 

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.

I remember listening to the Rabbits podcast when it first came out, and like essentially all of the Pacific Northwest Stories podcasts (The Black Tapes, Tanis, The Last Movie...) I found it absolutely fascinating, loved the twists and turns, and was left relatively satisfied but also confused and a bit frustrated.

I had a very similar experience with the Rabbits novel.

Our protagonist is K, who sees patterns and connections everywhere, and has been fixated on the game Rabbits since a traumatizing incident from his childhood. Rabbits is a game you don't talk in detail about, for fear of severe repercussions, a game most people have never heard of, but one that could take players anywhere. A clue could be a building that you swear wasn't there just a second ago, three people you meet in the span of three minutes who all share the same three-lettered name, or a hidden track on a vinyl record only available in one store you don't remember ever seeing before. 

This is the absolutely fascinating part, following along as clues are found, connections are made, and more is learned about the game. I love the idea so much of a mysterious game that is just hidden out there in everyday life, with what frequently seem to be the coolest clues and connections. I could read an entire series of novels where each book is a different iteration of the game, and we follow along with a player or players as they work their way through the clues.

Where the problem comes in for me, and has since the podcast (though it definitely felt more prominent here) is the extreme confusion that can come with some of the explanations and reasonings, in particular the reasoning behind the game and all the strange things that have been occurring. We get these explanations at various points in the story, but in particular towards the end. A lot of that aspect just did not make sense to me, I honestly could not grasp or understand what was being said. And I love a good fake out, or a twist within a twist, or a possibly unreliable narrator, but when in the last few chapters all that is thrown together plus maybe add in another level and some highly complicated scientific discussions, you have a story you still enjoy but that also becomes frustrating and somewhat unsatisfying.

I definitely liked the book. I was completely caught up in it, and enjoyed reading it a lot. It just felt like it fell into a trap-one that has led many fans of Pacific Northwest Stories' podcasts to get frustrated and stop listening to a show they once absolutely loved-of getting caught up in its own greatness and just not knowing when it's time to settle on one singular satisfying ending.

ARC Review: One Last Stop

 

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. 

Casey McQuiston's previous book, Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my all-time favorite reads (and re reads). RWRB feels like one of those magic books where quite literally everything works, a book I find myself returning to, especially during 2020, because it is wonderful and beautiful and gives me hope for a better future for the world. Just thinking about Alex and Henry makes me smile.

So I was crossing all my fingers and toes that One Last Stop would also be full of McQuiston's magic, and it absolutely was.

Our main character, August, has learned to keep herself closed off, and she thought moving to New York City would solidfy that. Instead, she's immediately adopted into her roommates' found family, and meets Jane on the subway. As she becomes closer and closer to Jane, August discovers that Jane is actually from the 1970s, somehow stuck in time and stuck in the train.

McQuiston makes this premise work so well. As a reader, I completely bought into it from the first page, no questions, no hesitations. There is a reason behind Jane's predictment, but I didn't need to know it to lose myself completely in the world McQuiston created. New York comes alive through the most vivid prose, almost its own character, and Jane makes the New York of the past come alive as well.

Every character in this book is fantastic, from August's group of roommates to the drag queen accountant down to the hall to her coworkers at the diner. I cared so deeply about every single one of them and their relationships and their lives. I was so invested in every single bit of this book, and McQuiston's incredible writing made me feel like I was right there with them, in a dirty subway car, at an epic drag show, in a booth at the diner.

This is absolutely a favorite read of the year, and I cannot recommend this book enough. I can't wait to read McQuiston's next magical story.

ARC Review: Playing the Palace

 

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 happens when an American event planner meets the openly gay and absolutely gorgeous Prince of Wales? 

A ton of fluffy fun that feels like a rom-com that leapt off the big screen.

You've got the openly gay but still conflicted over loyalty to his country Edgar, the just getting over a terrible break up with an actor Carter, and a meet cute at a political event Carter happens to be planning. There's chemistry, flirtation, and love at first sight. There's big humor that had me genuinally laughing out loud multiple times (who knew the Queen of England would end up being one of the funniest characters?). There's wry and supportive members of the Prince's team, very enthusiastic big sisters, and an aunt who always put a bread roll in her purse for later. There's big breakups and big makeups and lots of romantic drama. There's too many second hand embarrassment sequences for my taste, but that kind of thing always makes me cringe.

This may not be the greatest work of literature ever written, but that's not what I wanted when I picked it up. What I wanted wasa exactly what I got, a book that made me smile and laugh and feel good.

ARC Review: The Hunting Wives

 

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. 

Having decided the seeming idyllic life in small town Texas is what she wants for her and her family, Sophie now finds herself less interested in growing her lifestyle blog, and more intrigued by finding a way into the elite company of women who call themselves The Hunting Wives. Obsession, desire, and illicit activities soon have Sophie completely ensnared...and that's all before the murder occurs.

Cobb has done an excellent job of creating a story thick with atmosphere: lake houses and endless glasses of wine and seedy clubs and four wheelers driving towards a secret shooting range. 

It's the characters themselves I really struggled with. That they are deeply flawed, frustrating, and sometimes completely unlikable makes complete sense within the story and world Cobb has created, but that also meant I was reading about characters I did not like and/or just plain wanted to scream at for the choices they were making.

The ending twist was a really great one, and caught me completely by surprise, and I appreciate that Cobb went for it with darker themes and tones. I just personally tend to struggle with books where I essentially can't stand anybody I'm reading about.