Meg

First I'm going to pick my jaw up from the floor.....Now I'll proceed.

Go Ask Alice was a very influential book for me in middle school and in high school (2000's era). I took so much away from the book and connected with it on such a personal level. It shaped me.

With that being said, the deep dive into the history of the publication, along with other diary style titles and how they impacted a toxic culture blew my mind. Satanic panic has been a topic I find endlessly fascinating and this book did not disappoint me in adding to my growing knowledge. The details on drugs and the war on drugs had me shocked. And I won't even begin to discuss Beatrice Sparks and the endless ways she slipped through every filter there was because I think reading about her with fresh eyes is the best way to go. The state of publishing, libraries, and bookselling is touched on and another interesting aspect of the book. I went through the emotions of shocked, sad, mad, furious, and heartbroken. This is a story that took so long to tell, which is such a shame, but Rick Emerson did a great job.

When it comes to non-fiction books, I enjoy them, but I tend to take a longer time to read. I need to really let the information sink in. With Unmask Alice, however, I couldn't read it fast enough. I needed all of the information ASAP. Emerson's writing is very readable and the mix of his personal touches (and opinions) I felt added to the readability. While authors' opinions can detract from the information in non-fiction, I thought it added to it (maybe this is because I agreed with all of them, but you never know).

There's so much more I want to add, but I don't want to spoil anything for readers. I highly recommend reading Unmask Alice!

I love Jeneva Rose's writing and this did not disappoint!

Three siblings reunite to handle their mother's estate after she passes, but it's more like three strangers. Beth is the oldest and had stayed and cared for their mother all the way up until she passed. And her final words to Beth has Beth feeling confused along with bereft. Nicole is the middle child and battles substance abuse leaving her on the outs with everyone in her family. And Michael, the youngest, got out of their small town and now lives a life of luxury. He hasn't been back to his home town in seven years. With old wounds opening along with the fresh wound of their mother's passing they are more than eager to go through their mother's things and get the estate settled. However, when they stumble upon an old VHS that was meant to be their home tape from summer of 1999 but ends with the image of their father in bloodied clothes, a body, and their parents stating they plan on hiding the body, the siblings are left shocked and wondering what they should do with this information.

I really enjoyed how the story opens and progresses. It's told in the perspective of all three siblings and it's fascinating seeing how each sibling sees themselves and each other. The memories of their childhoods differ and each has a different perspective on how to handle this new knowledge they've gained. As the story unfolds I had several different ideas of what the twist was going to be. Jeneva Rose does a great job of making you feel like you've figured it out and then throwing another wrench in your theory. Overall, I did guess the twist but the lead up to its revelation was still fun. I especially enjoyed that there weren't too many characters involved, making it easy to keep up with the story.

After their horrific encounter at the Hearst Hotel the Ghost Gang now have over a million subscribers, a manager, and more opportunities. When they get invited to take a cruise on the Queen Anne, a ship with a bloodied past but is now a luxury cruise liner, the gang is excited to investigate and get a little vacation while they're at it. However, from the moment they step on the ship strange things start happening and they soon realize this is like no haunting they've experienced and they don't think they're equipped to handle it.

While this is a sequel to Horror Hotel it can be read as a standalone. Though, I do recommend reading Horror Hotel, not only because it's great but because it gives a lot of backstory to the characters and you'll understand a bit more of what they're going through in Cursed Cruise. I love is all of the characters - Emma, Kiki, Chase, and Chrissy are so lovable in their own way and I love the relationship they have with one another. Told from each of theirs perspective you get to really get to know each character and what motivates and scares them.

This is definitely YA! Getting to read from each 18 year olds perspective you also get to read how each character talks. So there is a lot of new slang (for example “sus” is used instead of suspicious). So there is no mistaken that these are young characters and this is a YA book. Which is completely fine, if at times a bit striking for this millennial. One thing I do love is that these characters aren't trying to act or be portrayed older than they are. Many YA characters always seem to act more adult or be put in more adult situations than many adults I know but these characters are portrayed as typical newly graduated from high school 18 year olds which is refreshing.

And, finally, the plot of this story. I LOVE a good haunted ship story and am always sad that there aren't more movies or books on the subject. The perspective of the ship was a nice touch. There were so many cliques throughout and it touched on many of the haunted ship tropes. I enjoyed how each character was having a different experience but there were also collective experiences that made it undeniable that the ship was haunted. And not only haunted but cursed which added an extra layer of mystery. Some of the descriptions are down right terrifying!

If you're looking for a fun (yet creepy), quick read I recommend this!

Set in 1995, while traveling to a motel to celebrate their honeymoon April and Eddie take a wrong turn. While trying to find their way back to the road they should be on they see a young woman on the side of the road. They decide to stop and give her a ride which ends up changing their vacation plans altogether. The girl is not only wounded with blood everywhere but there's a truck that's now chasing them. After outrunning the truck and taking her to the hospital where she dies they become suspects in her murder. They end up staying in the small town as the police start their investigation but they soon realize that this may not be a new investigation but an ongoing investigation as there have been other murders on that deserted road they picked up the girl on. This may be the work of a serial killer. April and Eddie start trying to find their own answers and they go down a haunting path.

Simone St. James is amazing at blending a crime novel and a paranormal novel. Her characters always feel well rounded and a bit gritty but likable and this book was no exception. The setting of a small town in Michigan in the summer of 1995 is perfect for a murder investigation possibly involving a serial killer. While reading I could so vividly see the Blockbuster as we past by it on a hot day with the air conditioning barely keeping us cool. Also the frustration of getting lost but the uncertain confidence that we'll find the way back to where we're supposed to be. I got my license in the era of Mapquest that soon turned into GPS and have no idea how people would stay so calm getting lost with only a map as their directions but that's all I ever witnessed as a kid.

The mystery surrounding so many different aspects of this book kept me reading straight through. Not only the mystery of the murders and the possibly supernatural elements but the mysteries surrounding the different characters. Some, like April and Eddie I immediately loved but had so many questions and others I disliked but needed to know more. The way they interacted throughout the book built on the mystery throughout.

Though I saw the twist coming a mile away I was still very entertained and excited by it. While not my favorite Simone St. James novel this is still a solid one and did not disappoint. Definitely recommencd!

This was a slow one but if you keep with it the ending is a good payoff.

After a fateful night when they were younger, twins Lenora and Cassie have relied on each other. Currently living in a cabin on a secluded campground they live a pretty peaceful existence; at least from the outside world. After the passing of the owner of their campground a new woman has bought it and moved in. Then a couple and their teenage daughter come to stay for the weekend and all three of the cabins are occupied. When the teen goes missing and is soon found dead the twins start to suspect everyone that was there at the campground. They even start to suspect that each other knows more than they are sharing. Their peaceful cabin is now riddled with danger and they must figure out what's going on before one or both of them are next.

This book is very slow. Luckily the writing is good and it makes reading it enjoyable. I found both sisters to be frustrating but overall good characters and learning about them made reading it enjoyable as well. However, about halfway through I became frustrated. The story is told from the perspective of both Cassie and Lenora and also a third perspective that isn't revealed until the end. For the first half of the book I was collecting more and more questions and was not getting any answers which is why I was getting frustrated. Luckily I kept with it and by the last quarter of the book I got most of the questions I needed answers to. And the answers I didn't get weren't that pressing to the story. The twist was exciting and made sense which also made the payoff worth it.

I recommend but I'd go into this knowing that it's a slow build.