Book Reviews & Thoughts |
Goodreads Synopsis: It's November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana's in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer. Josh Baxter, the man behind the wheel, is a virtual stranger to Charlie. They met at the campus ride board, each looking to share the long drive home to Ohio. Both have good reasons for wanting to get away. For Charlie, it's guilt and grief over the murder of her best friend, who became the third victim of the man known as the Campus Killer. For Josh, it's to help care for his sick father. Or so he says. Like the Hitchcock heroine she's named after, Charlie has her doubts. There's something suspicious about Josh, from the holes in his story about his father to how he doesn't seem to want Charlie to see inside the car's trunk. As they travel an empty highway in the dead of night, an increasingly worried Charlie begins to think she's sharing a car with the Campus Killer. Is Josh truly dangerous? Or is Charlie's suspicion merely a figment of her movie-fueled imagination? What follows is a game of cat-and-mouse played out on night-shrouded roads and in neon-lit parking lots, during an age when the only call for help can be made on a pay phone and in a place where there's nowhere to run. In order to win, Charlie must do one thing--survive the night. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55628983-survive-the-night This is the 5th and most recently published book by Riley Sager and also the 5th book I have read of his. Let me start by saying it did not disappoint! It was full of intrigue, suspense, mystery, fear, and plenty of twists! One of the things I love about Riley Sager as an author is the each and every one of his books are totally different while remaining within the psychological thriller genre. This newest book was a completely different style and storyline than any of his others. While it may seem slow moving for a big part of the book, it is doing an excellent job of building the suspense to a crazy level. **Spoilers Ahead** The twists present in the plot keeping you on your toes trying to figure out who is actually a 'bad guy' were excellently placed within the story. I did predict the second supposed 'bad guy', but not what that that person's connection to the story was going to be. I am not sure yet whether I like the final twist with the movie and the liberties that were taken with the events. It threw me off a bit to learn that some of the things I had just read hadn't actually happened and were added or changed for the film. This final twist is something I am going to have to let settle a bit in my mind. 4 Stars!
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Goodreads Synopsis: A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143347-we-were-liars This was a book chosen for one of the book clubs I am in and is not a book I would have chosen for myself. There was definitely something lacking from the story in my opinion. Many characters that I wished I could know more about and events that were left unclear. I enjoyed the romance and friendship present in the story, and the plot twist caught me off guard, but other aspects were cringeworthy. The overly dramatized emotions and reactions were somewhat confusing and ultimately annoying. The inclusion of the fairy tale perspective was unique and interesting at first, but as more and more occured I felt less would have been more. Overall it was much more 'YA' than I anticipated from reading the synopsis. 1 Star! Goodreads Synopsis: Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever. Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva. The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth. Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there. And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone. By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface. Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55404546-malibu-rising This was a wonderfully written story about the roller coaster ride that was this family's life! There were many characters which meant we didn't learn a ton about everyone, so I am hopeful that there may be future books following some of these characters! For instance, I would love to read more about Kit or Casey's journey through life! Very interestingly and uniquely this book is mainly focused around a 24 hour time period, with the book broken up into the hours rather than numbered chapters. I also loved that within the first half of the book, flashbacks were interspersed among the time periods (chapters or sections) to give readers more insight into the family and how they got to where they are now. 4 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: Three little girls missing. One family torn apart… Leah’s perfect marriage isn’t what it seems but the biggest lie of all is that she’s learned to live with what happened all those years ago. Marie drinks a bit too much to help her forget. And Carly has never forgiven herself for not keeping them safe. Twenty years ago these three sisters were taken. What came after they disappeared was far worse. It should have brought them together, but how can a family ever recover? Especially when not everyone is telling the truth . . . https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48667029-the-stolen-sisters This was a exceptionally twisty, creepy thriller that I did not want to put down. Having read 4 other books by Jensen, this one created the strongest sense of dread and mystery. Awesome read! 5 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: Fifteen years ago, summer camper Emma Davis watched sleepily as her three cabin mates snuck out of their cabin in the dead of night. The last she--and anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips. Now a rising star in the NYC art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings.. They catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of the very same Camp Nightingale--and when Francesca implores Emma to return to the camp as a painting counselor, Emma sees an opportunity to find closure and move on. Yet, it is immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by surfacing memories, Emma is suddenly plagued by a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca, and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian apparently left behind about the camp's twisted origins. And as history begins to repeat itself and three girls go missing again, Emma must face threats from both man and nature in order to uncover all the buried secrets--including what really happened all those years ago. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36626748-the-last-time-i-lied This fast paced thriller did not disappoint! I flew through the pages as there was never a dull moment. Excellent balance between present and past events. I did not want to put it down with all of the constant twists and turns keeping me hooked all the way through. The final series of twists was so unexpected and completely thrilling. I was on the edge of my seat trying to guess what was going to happening next! 5 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: In this all-new short story from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, worlds collide when government assassin Will Robie is caught in the crossfire with Oliver Stone and the Camel Club. Will Robie is closing in on his next target when he finds himself in the middle of a bank heist--and he's taken hostage alongside Oliver Stone. But is this just a simple bank job, or are the robbers after something even more valuable--and dangerous--than the cash in the vault? Available only as an ebook or audiobook. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18709246-bullseye Excellent, fast paced short story. It kept me guessing what was going to happen right until the very end. 4 Stars! Goodreads Synopsis: Will Robie is a master of killing. A highly skilled assassin, Robie is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate the worst of the worst-enemies of the state, monsters committed to harming untold numbers of innocent victims. No one else can match Robie's talents as a hitman...no one, except Jessica Reel. A fellow assassin, equally professional and dangerous, Reel is every bit as lethal as Robie. And now, she's gone rogue, turning her gun sights on other members of their agency. To stop one of their own, the government looks again to Will Robie. His mission: bring in Reel, dead or alive. Only a killer can catch another killer, they tell him. But as Robie pursues Reel, he quickly finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. Her attacks on the agency conceal a larger threat, a threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15791154-the-hit This was a fast paced book that really kept me on my toes. Filled with excellent descriptions to give me a great picture in my mind of the story. Twists and turns came around every corner to keep you guessing until the very end. Baldacci ended the story with a nice wrap up that left just enough loose ends to keep me wanting to know more about this series. I can't wait to find out what adventures are around the corner for the mysterious main character, Will Robie, in the next book! 5 Stars! |
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