Angel White
I’ve enjoyed this author’s work in the past, so I was really looking forward to diving into this one—especially since horror is my go-to genre any time of year. Life’s been a little hectic lately, so I’ve been playing catch-up with my ARCs, and this one was at the top of my stack. The timing felt perfect too, with the weather cooling down and Fall creeping in.
The book starts off with all the right spooky vibes: a small-town setting, a girl who swore she’d never come back, and the boy she once had feelings for still there. Their reconnection under eerie circumstances sets the tone perfectly... and then things get weird.
Now, I loved the horror and supernatural elements the story leans into—but it starts spiraling into chaos a little too fast. While I get what the author was going for, the pacing felt rushed and the plot lost some of its grounding. It gave off strong B-movie horror vibes, which I usually enjoy, but here it left me wanting more depth—especially around the connection between Skyler and Madi.
I hovered between a 3 and 4, ultimately settling on 3 stars. I think (for me anyway) this could’ve benefited from just a bit more development between Skyler and Madi. That said, it’s a fun pick for Spooktober—just maybe skip it if you're squeamish about gore or if small children in horror aren’t your thing.
Big thanks to Quirk Books for the review copy! I’m still excited to see what this author writes next.
An easy five stars—and another favorite of 2025.
This author never misses. The writing is consistently beautiful, immersive, and emotionally resonant—I always find myself crying at some point, and this book was no different.
I’m a sucker for dual timelines, and this one had the perfect balance between historical fiction and the present day. The Shakespeare conspiracy is a fun addition and added a lot to the story for me.
Both love stories—past and present—completely stole my heart. They were tender, deeply felt, and full of emotion. And that ending? 😭
I don’t usually go for domestic suspense, but this one kept me interested. It’s a bit slow at times, and some of the characters got on my nerves, but overall it was a quick and easy read.
I liked Stella as a character, though some of her parts felt a little out of place and maybe not totally necessary. Still, I enjoyed the mystery and how the secrets came to light.
The ending felt a bit rushed and wasn’t quite what I expected, but it tied things up well enough. I’d recommend it to fans of this author or anyone who enjoys a twisty domestic suspense.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!
This one sat on my shelf for ages, and I’m glad I finally picked it up as I was craving a doorstopper.
Yes, it’s long—and at times it feels long—but I wouldn’t cut a page. As the first in the series, it needs the room it takes: the scope, the darkness, the ache, and the slow unfurling of its characters. Trimming it would ruin it.
If you’re up for a slow burn with richly developed characters and a story that lingers, move this to the top of your TBR. The pain, grief, and beauty are all there, and the writing makes every heavy moment worth it.
I picked this one up on a whim while I was at the library. Started this and finished in less than day. I love this author's writing and every book I have read by them I finish super fast because I just get so drawn into the story. This is a perfect one for Spooktober. It is especially good for those that want spooky, thrills, chills, and don't want the gore.
As a long-time true crime fan, I was intrigued when Celadon Books offered me a review copy of The Tragedy of True Crime. The author, an inmate himself, brings a unique perspective that immediately piqued my interest.
While the insider viewpoint is interesting, the book’s structure leaves much to be desired. Within the same chapter (and sometimes paragraph ) the different stories are mixed together without clear transitions, making the narrative feel jumbled and disjointed. The author frequently inserts his own story mid-way through another, which disrupts the flow and made it hard to stay engaged.
That said, the inmates’ stories—how they ended up incarcerated and how they cope— were compelling. Despite the frustrating format, the content itself is worthwhile.
This one wasn’t quite for me, but true crime fans who can look past the structural flaws may find it a fascinating read. The Tragedy of True Crime releases September 23, 2025—thank you to Celadon Books for the review copy.
When Plan A Fails is the second book in this series and, like the first, it grabs you and keeps you invested. There is so much going on within this story that I was worried about feeling lost or having things become convoluted. Thankfully, the author does a great job of keeping things clear, separated and flowing well.
I was completely surprised at the end when the big twist came to light. That was a pleasant surprise because normally I can figure things out early on. I really enjoyed following Izzy's investigation as she put things together. I did miss having more of her Tita Maggie in the story. I am hoping the next installment will have her more involved.
This series is definitely a good one for those who love mysteries with a splash of the supernatural. I sincerely appreciate the author for the review copy.
Interesting premise and easy read. I was gifted this book by a friend and finally decided to dive in. I don't usually do well with domestic suspense, but this one wasn't bad.
The chapters sometimes felt a little long for such a short book. Overall a good read and one I would recommend for fans of this genre.
Just wow! It has been a very long time since I flew through a book this big. 500+ pages. Whew! I want more!
Thank you, thank you Entangled Teen and Red Tower Books for the review copy!! I LOVE that my copy is marked so I know what number of ARC I have.
There wasn't anything I didn't love about this book. Odessa is endearing and I felt connected to her as I can relate to how she feels and much of what she does though. Ransom is amazing and the two of them together is magic.
I did figure out who Ransom is from the very beginning, in the throne room, but that didn't ruin anything for me. I just kept waiting for the big reveal so I could be like aha! LOL
The next installment cannot come out soon enough for me. The ending has me on pins and needles. I knew there was something more to Odessa when she first meets Brother Dime, and knew she felt what others couldn't. Now I have to wait and see what it is and what her part in all this is. CANNOT WAIT!
I wanted to love this one, but it just didn't do it completely for me. It starts off great, and has a quick pace throughout. The articles thrown in here and there interrupted the flow for me so that is part of the issue. The other part is that it's just too many questions and not enough answers.
It has a creep atmosphere and at times had me chilled. For those that want scary but don't want a lot of gore, this is a good read for that.
Overall, I liked this...just not a complete love.
Sometimes you just need to read a book like Everything We Never Said. Even though it's easy to see where this is headed, the ride getting there is an experience.
If teenage angst, drama and thrills are your type of jam then add this one to the list and enjoy.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
The Spanish Diplomat's Secret is the third installment in this series. I really wanted to love this one, but it took a lot for me to finish it.
I love the setting, the characters and the time period. What I didn't love was the pacing and the tediousness of Jim's investigation. He and Diana are both smart, capable people so I feel like it should not have dragged on the way it did. That alone made it hard for me to even want to finish reading this.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
Man I love this author. Everytime I grab an Eddie Flynn book I am sucked in and it's hard to come back to the real world. I keep running back to these pages because I just have to know what is happening next.
I must be getting better with deciphering this author's intent because two of the biggest twists I actually figured out ahead of when they were revealed. That in no way took away from the book as a whole because until the twists were revealed it could have gone either way.
Absolutely love this author's writing. If you enjoy police procedurals and legal thrillers, grab anything by this author. I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
I've enjoyed this series so far and was excited to snag A Violent Heart. Police procedurals are one of my favorite genres. Whenever I pick up a book by this author I am captivated and finish the story quickly.
I love Archer and Quinn. They make a great detective duo and keep the story flowing well. Definitely a good one for those who enjoy mysteries, serial killers and police procedurals.
Eh. This wasn't really for me. I didn't like the main character, at all. She just reinforced the reason why many people, including me, have a hard time respecting or even liking reporters. Jolene was tolerable at best.
The story itself was just ok. I skimmed a lot because there was so much about journalism and political undertones that it took away from enjoying the book as a whole.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
As a seasoned horror reader, The House of Last Resort sounded great. I love the setting, the main characters and the storyline. Overall, however, it didn't completely do it for me.
Is it creepy? A little. Is it dark and sinister? Teeny bit. Did I want more? Yes.
It starts off great. New home in a new, but old, country. A town desperately trying to breathe new life back into it. The home purchased has... vibes and things happen. Eventually the history of the home comes to light. Kate and Tommy are now wary of noises and incidents they passed off. Time passes, more things happen and we get to another, even darker secret, a twist I didn't see coming, and...the end.
For someone who hasn't read much horror I think this would be a good one. It would be a good read for Spooktober as the atmosphere is perfect for Fall reading.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
For such a short book this took a very long time to get through. While the food descriptions were great, the book itself was hard for me to get into. This was a very interesting idea for a cozy mystery series, but I felt having the same scenario, just with different people, thrown into one book made it hard to enjoy.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
When I first read the premise for this one, I was very excited. I love anything to do with time, and the idea of a time loop was interesting. I really tried to get into this one, but it ended up falling flat for me.
The beginning was great, and was flowing together nicely. As the chapters wore on, however, it quickly started to lose its appeal. I found myself skimming just to get through the pages and found that I didn't miss anything important when I did. That in itself says a lot.
The main character was overly dramatic and annoying. That was the main reason it was hard for me to get into this book. I am sure this is just a me thing, and I encourage others who think they would enjoy this book to grab it and give it a read.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
Who doesn't love an amusement park? Even if you don't want to ride the rides there is plenty of food to eat and games to play. Plus it does set a nice, creepy background for a thriller.
While parts of Wonderland was predictable, I enjoyed it overall. I would say this is a good one for the Spooktober season. It's especially good for those readers that like scary and creepy but don't want gore or overly terrifying.
I love the Little Mermaid and was looking forward to reading a reimagining of it from the darker side's perspective. While I did enjoy Venesa and Enzo I could not stand Aria. I get that is supposed to be the point but her character was overwhelming and not in a bad but good way...it was just bad.
Otherwise this wasn't a bad read overall, just not completely enjoyable.
Chasing Eternity has been high on my list to read for a while. I absolutely LOVED the first two books but put this off because I was worried about closure. There was so much happening in the first two books I didn't want to be let down.
While I enjoyed reading this one it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. This felt rushed and hastily put together to just get the series done. I honestly felt like there should have been another book to better detail Natasha's journey. She is such an amazing character and to have her come into her destiny the way she did, at such an accelerated pace, was off-putting.
The ending isn't really an ending BUT with time travel and the infinite ways things can happen I get it, and I was ok with that part. Did I wish for better closure, yes. Was I hoping for more backstory with Arthur? Yes. Did I want more struggle before the expected perseverance? Absolutely. However, as readers, we don't always get what we want.
Overall, not a bad read but definitely didn't follow in the footsteps of the previous two. There are quite a few who enjoyed the conclusion more than I, so I would still recommend this one for those who love time travel and history.
I sincerely appreciate Entangled Teen for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
Whelp .. that was a fun read. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this one but it quickly became a whirlwind of a ride. I enjoy multiple POVs and short chapters and this has both. The story was interesting and had me flying through the pages. The ending?! Definitely wasn't expecting that!
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.
