Hello, readers! Happy Friday! Today I’ve got a handful of mini book reviews, mostly mysteries and thrillers with some YA horror and romance.
The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
An alcoholic flight attendant wakes up in a hotel room in Dubai next to a dead man who’s obviously been murdered. That’s how this compelling psychological thriller begins. It’s definitely a slower build, and that didn’t bother me at all.
Recommend if you like the trope of the somewhat unlikable character (or at least one who makes poor decisions consistently) finding themself in an unlikely, dangerous situation that they must navigate.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
I blame the fact that I picked this up on Litsy. It’s a delightful, funny take on a rom com that I enjoyed. Pro baseball player Gavin and his wife Thea have just separated, and Thea wants a divorce. The straw that broke the camel’s back for her was Gavin’s reaction to finding out that Thea has been faking it in bed their entire marriage. Enter the secret romance book club his friend runs. They convince him to read a Regency and use what he learns to save his marriage. What ensues is an emotional, steamy, humorous romance about a couple putting in the work to save their marriage.
The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
What a well done thriller, a perfect summer read. I read it in one day. It’s my first book by Megan Miranda, but it won’t be my last.
The twists were impressive, as was how Miranda handled the issue of trauma’s potential reverberations throughout one’s life. I can see this making a good thriller movie or TV series.
TW/CW for child abuse, stalking, and gaslighting.
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
I loved this. It pretty much has everything I like in YA: a horrific monster, young women claiming their power, the setting as a character, sisterhood, female friendship, weird nature things happening, feminism, and queer rep. So of course I quickly gobbled it up. That being said, it’s not a perfect novel; sometimes the teen characters communicate with each other in ways that didn’t seem believable for Gen Zers, but I easily overlooked that.
If you like YA horror with a powerful sense of place and atmosphere, I definitely recommend picking this up.
TW/CW for child abuse, harm to children, animal death, threat of rape, racism, and sexism/misogyny.
Don’t Look for Me by Wendy Walker
Hello? 911? I’d like to report a murder. Yes, the final twist in this book murdered my ego, which likes to think it can guess all the twists of a mystery/thriller. Not so with this one.
TW/CW for child abuse, death of a child, complex grief, and gaslighting.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
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