It's been a minute since I read a hardcore thriller so when I was deciding my next book after the Fourth Wing series, I knew it had to be one that would satisfy that urge. Ever since reading The Family Plot by Megan Collins, she's become one of my favorite thriller authors so when I got an ARC of her latest novel, Cross My Heart I knew I would be in for a treat. 

Cross My Heart was published on January 14th, 2025 so yes, I am a little more than a month late but it was worth it. This was one of the most interesting book plots I've ever read and had the hairs on the back of my arms standing up more than once. 

If you need an interesting, thoughtful and thrilling book to sink your teeth into, that isn't predictable or too gory, Cross My Heart is that book.

There are a few authors who I will read anything they write, no matter what and Riley Sager is one of them. Whenever Sager has a new book coming out, I immediately add it to my TBR and I'm excited to dig my feet into it when it is released.

The Only One Left is his latest novel that was released on June 20th and I had it as a Book of the Month choice. I finally read it (because I barely read anything in June and July) this month and I think I can confidently say this is my favorite Riley Sager book yet. It has so many incredible elements of the thriller genre without being over the top. 

If you love thrillers, if you love Riley Sager, you will love The Only One Left.

I'm calling it right now-- The Family Game by Catherine Steadman is one of my favorite books of the year. I had an ARC of it in my Netgalley shelf and didn't even realize it until I went looking for it. I saw one of my favorite bookstagrams Crime by the Book post about the book and immediately went looking for it. I was pleasantly surprised when it was already in my Kindle library.

I gobbled this book up in a few days and it left me breathless. I was thrown off, confused, and left utterly speechless. It was twisted, weird and completely thrilling, albeit, a little gory too. It was perfection.

 Megan Miranda is one of my favorite mystery/thriller authors ever and whenever she releases a new book I immediately pre-order it. I know her stories are easy to read, have tormented characters and will always deliver a nice twist.

I knew her latest, "The Last to Vanish", published on July 26th, wouldn't be any different and I was right. I flew threw the book within a few days and it was a solid read. It definitely wasn't my favorite book by Miranda but I enjoyed it and would recommend to mystery lovers and those who enjoy an easy, mild mystery with a handful of twists. 

After having this ARC sitting in my Kindle for a while I finally decided to read it and boy, am I glad I did! I've never read anything by Jennifer Hiller and I was delighted to see how unique and interesting her writing style is. I was enthralled from the very first page.

This story is truly unlike anything I've ever read before and had so many different elements, I didn't know where to put my focus first. It also had one of the more explosive, interesting, unforeseen endings I've experienced in a thriller in a while. 

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hiller will be published on July 19th.

Let's get into the review! 

When I realized that "The Golden Couple" was written by the same authors as "The Wife Between Us" I knew it was going to be my Book of the Month pick for February. That was one of the wildest books I've ever read with so many twists I had whiplash. I had high hopes and big expectations for "The Golden Couple" and while I was slightly disappointed, it's still a really solid thriller.

The story is so interesting, multiple POVs keep you on your toes, and the ending was something I didn't necessarily see coming. It was really interesting and what I would say has the 'thriller' formula down pat. 

I read "Local Woman Missing" at the beginning of the year when I was just getting sick with Covid. It kept my mind occupied and busy while I had the worst sore throat of my life and it was one of the best distractions I could've asked for.

This book had been on my radar for quite some time and I'd been meaning to get around to reading it but the stars aligned and it had my full attention for a few days. This was one of those traditional thrillers that grab your attention from the first page and kept me guessing until the last minute.

 

 I love Shari Lapena's books so when I saw that her latest, "Not a Happy Family" was part of the August 2021 Book of the Month, I had to have it. I know August was a really long time ago but I didn't get around to reading this until late December. I am not great at reading my BOTM picks when I get them; I usually let them pile up until I want to pick up a physical book.

Anyways... Shari Lapena writes thriller novels and "Not a Happy Family" was just that. It was definitely more of a slow burn versus something really fast, twisty, and ever-changing. I don't think it got the best reviews so I went into it cautiously. Turns out, I loved it.

I think you have to be a specific type of thriller reader to enjoy this book; you have to appreciate good pacing and the psychological gymnastics of trying to figure out who is the criminal and what the reasoning behind their crimes are. 

Publisher's Summary

My Thoughts

This was such an interesting plot to a book... probably one of the most interesting domestic thriller/mystery novels I've read to date. It was unique because I've never read a protagonist like Frankie and I loved the intertwined stories of the other people in Boston along with the very real-life issue of race, immigration, and low-income neighborhoods. 

Angelique is one smart cookie and the way her character is set up is truly awe-inspiring. It's wild that a teenage girl had the balls to do everything she did... also, you find out more and more about her as the novel goes on and it's just the best. She's an amazing character. 

When you find out everything that happened that led to Angelique's disappearance, it's pretty intense and not the traditional mystery plot that you expect from a novel like this. 

Frankie and her struggles with alcohol and saving people is a huge plot point and while it's interesting, it's not totally 'new'. However, what does set Frankie apart is that she isn't a detective... she's just a regular person who knows how to ask good questions, has great instincts, and a passion for finding people in a way to pay back a debt she feels she owes the world. 

All the characters in this novel were so different and brought something to the table. The writing was excellent and the character development was even better. 

This was also a story that kept unraveling... it didn't completely climax at one point, it rolled slowly toward a reveal of what happened to Angelique and why it happened. Her reveal and the reasoning did happen fast, combined with so many other reveals, I sped read through the pages because I couldn't believe everything happening. It was wild and intense and perfect.

The ending was semi-satisfactory... I love that we got the entire story of Angelique wrapped up in a bow but Frankie left me wanting more. 

I felt like there was so much more to the story that we could've gotten -- not that this wasn't bursting with plotlines and jaw-droppers but that there is so much story to tell about this small Boston town. I would like at least two more novels about the city with these characters. 

What are you reading this week?
xoxo
B

*This week's review comes early because tomorrow is September 11th and I like to commemorate the day without a blog post. 

This is another book that I received in my InfluencHer Collective Essentials box. I picked it up immediately after finishing "Where The Missing Go" but was a little skeptical about it. "Some Choose Darkness" didn't seem like my type of thriller but I was sadly mistaken.

Publisher's Summary

My Thoughts 

I have been killing the book game lately; just constantly reading and finishing books makes me feel like a superhero. Also, all the books I've been reading have been incredible! This book, "The Stranger Inside", I finished a month or so ago but haven't gotten around to reviewing it.

The Plot

Kimber Hannon comes home from a trip to find a stranger living in her house. She didn't rent her house to him, didn't sell it, and has no idea how this happened. What she does know is that she has a bad feeling from this man and he has her signature on paperwork for renting... paperwork she didn't sign.

From there, Kimber's life unravels. Secrets from her past start to come undone, her ex-boyfriend is her lawyer, she's lying to her best friend, and feels uneasy about the stranger living in her house. She knows he knows something about her and she knows that she wasn't the one who signed that paperwork but who was it?

Kimber eventually figures out the mystery of the man inside on her own and he knows about one of her secrets, a secret she has never revealed to anyone but that is only half the battle for her. There is so much that happens in this book, related and unrelated to the mystery man living in Kimber's house and it's more than she bargained for.

My Thoughts

The Stranger Inside definitely started out a little slow for my liking. It might've been my fault for not putting my all into it but it felt confusing and I couldn't figure out what was going on. The protagonist, Kimber, was slightly annoying so that made it more difficult to get into the plot.

However, that quickly changes once you are fully immersed in what's going on and clearly paying attention. You become invested in what this man might know about Kimber, what exactly happened all those years ago with her and her sister, and everything else going on.

Just like all my other favorite novels, this one had a few intense twists and a few that made me audibly yelp.

You definitely find out who the man is, what he knows and what his agenda is but that isn't half of the mystery. The ending is twisted, insane and incredibly satisfying.

There isn't anything that truly sets this novel apart from other domestic thrillers but if you like the idea of mistaken identities, failed love, friendships, sisterhood, and truly messed up characters you will definitely be attracted to this novel. And like I said, it has one of the wildest endings I've ever read and that is what changed the game for me. Without that final twist of fate, I might've not even reviewed this book!

What book are you reading this week?
xoxo
B

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a while and finally decided to pick it up a few weeks ago. I was craving a thriller and felt that this was the one I should go with. Once I started reading, I realized that I had previously started the book but never made it past the first chapter. That quickly changed and I flew through "The Perfect Mother" by Aimee Molloy within a week or so.

The novel starts out with a group of new mothers meeting in the park and discussing their babies various habits. We're introduced to their personalities and learn more about each of them but you can tell from the first few lines that Winnie and Midas are the main characters.



The "May Mothers" as they have dubbed themselves decide to go out at night for once, leaving the babies behind to treat themselves to a well deserved night out. Winnie, a single mother, was hesitant to leave her son, Midas, at home but after some convincing from the May Mothers, she agrees.

Of course drama follows and Midas is snatched from his crib while the babysitter is in the other room. Winnie and the May Mothers run to her house after receiving the horrible news and as you would expect, all hell breaks loose.

The police are looking at everyone, including Winnie and the Mothers, as suspects and everything starts to unravel.

Throughout the novel, we switch back and forth between the Mothers' points of view so we can get a better inside look at their individual lives and how they play into this mystery.

By the end, you kind of have a feeling of what is going to happen but like all good domestic thrillers, the rug is pulled out from under you and you're left stunned. Toward the end of the book, there are a few twists you don't see coming and when the mystery is solved, it's not what you were expecting at all.

Now for my thoughts...

When I saw that B.A Paris was coming out with a new book, I was so excited. She's written one of my favorite domestic thriller novels, Behind Closed Doors which is so crazy and out of this world, so I knew that this was going to be good.

And it was... boy, was it a good book!

I listened to this book on Audible, the first one I've listened to in a while and I was reminded why I love Audible SO MUCH. I canceled my membership a few months ago, after buying this book, because I was listening to more podcasts and didn't want to pay the monthly expense anymore.

Bring Me Back is a classic domestic thriller of a missing girl, and how her then boyfriend falls in love with her sister. Take it up a knotch and everyone starts thinking the girl might actually NOT be missing afterall... and you have an intense novel.

Here is the publisher's summary:

At first, it was a normal mystery. It started off slow but interesting, I was trying to figure out where the book was going and trying to solve the mystery. At first, you think you have everything figured out but like all good domestic thriller, true crime novels, a twist so big, so unexpected comes in and changes everything you thought was true.

I've read a lot of these types of books before and I'm consistently surprised. I will say, though, that I don't know if any thriller tops this one. The twist was insane, shocking and a little jarring.

It was such an amazing book -- a fast read, easy to understand, good writing and normal character development. I highly recommend!

What have you been reading lately? 
xoxo
B