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Everything I Read in March 2024

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Everything I Read in March 2024

Everything I Read in March 2024

1. What Lies Between Us

I am not quite sure if I liked this book or not if I’m being honest. It kept my attention and I really wanted to know how it ended but I was so frustrated throughout the entire story. Nina lives with her mother Maggie and seemingly have a normal mother/daughter relationship, until you realize that Maggie is chained to her bed and is Nina’s prisoner. Their story begins decades prior during Nina’s teenage years where Maggie has to make some horrific decisions to protect her daughter. Maggie never shares the real reason for her decisions which ultimately makes Nina hate her mother and blame her for the state of her life. Once you learn all the details of their life, my heart absolutely breaks for Maggie and I was so frustrated for her throughout the entire story. Rating: 7

2. First Lie Wins

The reviews I came across for this book were all over the place and I wasn’t sure I wanted to put it on my TBR (to be read) list but I did. I finally got around to it and really enjoyed it. It wasn’t an instant favorite but it did keep my attention.

Evie Porter is happy and in love with her boyfriend Ryan, and they have just decided to move in together. But what Ryan doesn’t know is Evie is not who she said she is. She is working for someone named Mr. Smith. And is tasked with getting close to Ryan in order to divulge as much information about him back to Mr. Smith. But something goes wrong and Evie comes face to face with her past and immediately feels her life could be in danger. I thought I had the entire plot figured out but there was a major twist that threw me off which I always love. Rating: 8

3. Ask For Andrea

I’ve read something from this author before and to be honest didn’t love it so I was a tad hesitant to jump into another book. But I’m a sucker for a good thriller so I gave it a go. It was mediocre at best which was a big disappointment. I also tend to love realistic stories and nothing supernatural which this had so that also made it not as enjoyable.

Three women go missing and are all murdered by the same sadistic man but all come back as ghosts to try and do whatever they can to get him caught. The man was such a horrible person and made me so angry that it often distracted me from the book because I hated him so much. Also, the story bounces around from different years and I found it hard to follow along. Overall, it wasn’t a hit for me. Rating: 6

4. Confess

I love Colleen Hoover books though they can be a bit repetitive. This book is no exception and follows her formulaic writing of boy and girl meet, circumstances keep them apart. But they try to find their way back to each other. I will say the story starts out with a devastating scene and it was really hard to move past that at first.

Auburn is 21, new to Texas and trying to build a life for herself. She has only had one true love in her life and he passed away when they were young teenagers. When Auburn finds herself in need of a second job, she stumbles upon a local art gallery hiring and meets the owner Owen. Owen is charming, mysterious and unbeknownst to Auburn has a connection to her that he can’t ever share. Auburn’s life is complicated and Owen’s is even more so which makes it hard for them to be together but that is ultimately what they want. You already know how the story will play out by the very beginning. But it’s still an easy enjoyable read. Rating: 8

5. The Heiress

Ugh, this story dragged on for me and there were so many characters that I began getting confused. Camden and Jules are happily married living far away from Camden’s family, which is exactly the way he prefers. But when a death in the family forces Camden to return to his family home, he must face the trauma from his past head on. He was adopted and his mother was one of the wealthiest women in North Carolina with a traumatic past of her own. All of her husbands died mysteriously and Camden is still unsure as to why he was adopted in the first place many years ago. There is so much more backstory to all of this. But frankly it was so hard to follow and I ended up being very confused at the end. Rating: 6

6. The Guest

This mystery was a slow burn and some of the reviews said it was too slow. But for me I actually loved it. It’s not super fast paced but it kept my attention to the very end. And the end was quite the SHOCKER!

Iris and Gabriel return from their vacation to find one of their best friends, Laure, staying at their home. Laure found out that her husband cheated on her and fathered a child. And she needed somewhere to escape so she came to see Iris and Gabriel. This is devastating news to everyone because Laure and her husband are best friends with Iris and Gabriel. Laure asks to stay while she sorts out her crumbling marriage. But soon Iris and Gabriel start to wonder what is really going on. Laure’s husband won’t answer any calls from anyone and won’t say whom he had a child with. Things become increasingly more tense over time. And Iris and Gabriel aren’t sure they can have Laure stay with them anymore. I can normally figure out the ending with my mysteries, but this one completely shocked me. Rating: 8.5

PS. Books I Read in February 2024

All the Books I Read in February 2024

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All the Books I Read in February 2024

All the Books I Read in February 2024

1. The Locked Door

I keep reading more of Frieda McFadden’s books because I loved The Housemaid so much. But most of them don’t quite captivate me as much. This one is good and the ending will definitely keep you guessing, but it wasn’t a favorite for me. Nora is a successful surgeon and lives a quiet, peaceful life. This is her choice because of the horrific childhood she endured growing up. Her father was a serial killer and once he was caught became very famous. She has been trying to outrun his notoriety for years and has seemingly found anonymity. Until one of her patients is murdered in a similar manner to her father’s victims and she fears someone is a copycat killer. I did love that the ending was a huge twist that I didn’t see coming. But overall it was good but not great. Rating: 7.5

2. His & Hers

LOVEDDDDD! I loved this book! And to be honest, I have read a few other Alice Feeney books and didn’t love them but this was really captivating. This book is told from three different perspectives which I really enjoyed. It was easy to follow and interesting to see the story from varying perspectives.

Anna is a reporter for a British news station and is asked to cover a murder case in a small village nearby. She is hesitant to report on it because she knows the victim and has history with her. Additionally Anna has to communicate with the investigator, Jack Harper, whom she also has a past with and wants to avoid. Jack just wants to solve the case but when he realizes that HE also has a connection to this victim, things get really complicated quickly. The story is told from Anna and Jack’s perspective as well as the killer’s perspective which really throws you off throughout the story. The final reveal is totally shocking and unexpected! Rating: 9

3. The Last Party

Too many characters to follow and I kept getting confused as to who was who. Rhys Lloyd is a popular singer that is found dead on New Year’s Eve after hosting a huge party at his home. When investigators begin to question the partygoers, it becomes quickly apparent that Rhys Lloyd had many enemies and the suspect pool becomes quite large. Investigators also have to question all the people in the surrounding community. Which is very small but adds more complications to the investigation. The actual murderer was a complete surprise but getting there too way too long and involved too many people. Rating: 6

4. I Know You Know

Another disappointment sadly and I almost didn’t finish this book because it didn’t keep my attention. Cody Swift is a filmmaker that travels back to his hometown to investigate the deaths of his two childhood best friends. The case was never solved and Cody wants to try uncover new evidence that may lead to an arrest. Jess, the mother of one of the boys killed, is first on Cody’s list to speak with but she wants nothing to do with his investigation. Jess has her own sordid past that she doesn’t want to revisit but she is suspicious of Cody’s true intentions. Once Jess decides to ask her own questions about the case and remembers forgotten events from that fateful evening, the truth may not be what Cody is actually seeking. Overall, the story was a hard to follow and not that interesting. Rating: 5

5. Girl, 11

I saw a review of this book on Tiktok and immediately added it to my “TBR” (to be read) list. When I finally got around to reading it, it did leave me a tad underwhelmed.

Elle is a former social worker that now hosts a popular true crime podcast that focuses on cases surrounding missing and abducted children. She decides to revisit a serial killer case that was never solved but has haunted residents of her community for decades. Elle has a special connection to this case that hardly anyone knows about. But it is what drives her to try and catch this elusive killer. After being inactive for nearly 20 years, TCK (the countdown killer) seems to be terrorizing this community once again and Elle is determined more than ever to help the police find him. But when TCK’s next victim is a close person to Elle, she realizes that this may be more personal than she thought. Rating: 7.5

6. I Know Who You Are

This book was also written by Alice Feeney and after falling in love with His and Hers, I decided to try another one of her books (though I have not previously been a fan of hers). Sadly, this again confirmed my thought that His & Hers was a one-off for me because this book was not enjoyable. And to be honest, the ending was a tad shocking and not in a good way. Aimee Sinclair is a well-known actress with a troubled past. She has worked for years to distance herself from it. But when her husband goes missing she must face her past in order to figure out who could be targeting her. IF you do read this, just know that the final reveal is shocking in a truly gross way. Literally any other plot line would have been welcome except this one. Ewww. Rating: 5

 

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