Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are ruthlessly ambitious high-flyers working in the lucrative world of Wall Street finance where deception and intimidation thrive. Getting rich is all that matters, and they’ll do anything to reach the top.When they are ordered to participate in a corporate team-building exercise that requires them to escape from a locked elevator, dark secrets of their team begin to be laid bare.

The biggest mystery to solve in this lethal game: What happened to Sara Hall? Once a young shining star—”now gone but not forgotten”.

This is no longer a game.
They’re fighting for their lives.

My Thoughts

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This was a great book. I fully enjoyed myself. It had one of my top tropes in a mystery/thriller, a game.

I loved the plot of this book. The idea of a thriller set mostly around an escape room is amazing. I really wish that there was more of a game element than there actually was considering that is what drew me to this book. In the end though, the story still kept me hooked despite what little ‘clues’ to escape the elevator was actually given.

Nothing really shocked me, I could see what was happening for the most part straight away, but honestly that’s okay for me. I don’t mind if there are no shocking twists as long as the story is compelling. Which it was.

Man, I seriously hope the Wall Street isn’t really anything like this, but I am a little worried is just a bit. It is a side of humanity that I just wish I could forget.

The reason for the 4 and not 5 star rating is mainly that the writing style for me left it just a little lacking. It felt more like facts of an event being thrown at me instead of allowing me to be fully immersed. There were times when the time line felt off, but I couldn’t pin point exactly why which threw me a few times.

I will definitely be picking up another book from this author!

**I received this novel from Netgalley and St. Matins Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Kim Loomis is a social media star, homemaker and mortician. With her husband Norman, they’ve been bringing in a dark harvest. But death is an infrequent visitor to a small town, and when they struggle to meet demand, Kim decides there is a profitable alternative. Except Norman doesn’t want any part of his wife’s horrific plans. He wants to leave Kim, but no one leaves America’s homemaker.

It was plain sailing for assassin Melody Morgan until she executes a drug cartel’s bagman. Hunted by highly efficient killers, Melody is forced to accept a job from Kim. But not everything is as it seems. Kim is hiding something, a secret so terrifying there may be no way out for anyone.

My Thoughts

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I received this novel for free from BookishFirst and the author in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of this book was really good. It was thrilling, and gruesome, pretty wild from the very beginning. I don’t recommend if you are even a little squeamish! The characters are unlikable, but in a way that makes them intriguing. The narration was a bit stilted, but I think that is beacause you get so many POVs. The plot was great, up until about halfway through.

By the middle of the book I was so frustrated. I felt like I was reading two different books that only vaguely had anything in common. It began to feel a bit convoluted.

3 Stars. I’d still check out more from this author.

Lauren Shippen’s The Infinite Noise is a stunning, original debut novel based on her wildly popular and award-winning podcast The Bright Sessions.

Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.”

Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb’s ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb’s life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam’s feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb’s feelings in a way that he can’t quite understand.

Caleb’s therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.

“What if the X-Men, instead of becoming superheroes, decided to spend some time in therapy?”

My Thoughts

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Infinite noise is a beautiful coming of age story with a little bit of magical realism to it. I had never even heard of the podcast that this is based off of, but now I feel like I definitely missed out. I am so glad they decided to write this book.

I am going to talk about the story first. The plot is very minimal. An X-Men style setting without the cool school for mutants. Mutants in this sense are called A-typicals. Individuals that can do things normal people can’t, such as reading minds, controlling emotions, or being one hell of an empath. The story follows two boys; one who has just been diagnosed as an a-typical of the extreme empathic variety, and an out gay teen with some extreme depression. The story builds mostly around these two boys discovering a friendship and then something more. There is a little about a government agency experimenting on A-typicals, and possible danger for Caleb, the a-typical boy, but this plot side is very minimal and barely even addresses it. 80% of the story being about Adam and Caleb and their growing relationship.

Which brings me to Adam and Caleb. My absolute favorite part of this book! I loved them so much. Adam who is diagnosed with a sever depressive disorder just hit all of my tender feelings. I wanted desperately to wrap him up in my adoration and sooth him. Caleb, took me a little longer to get attached to. In fact I still think my love for Caleb stems from his love for Adam. Still I couldn’t love these two anymore than I do. I adored seeing them get close and weather everything thrown at them.

I am absolutely thrilled to have been given the opportunity to review an advanced copy. I loved this book, I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2!!!

Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher for providing this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Blindsided by Kate Watterson

A young woman encounters the killer she accused years earlier—and finds herself drawn back into a vortex of evil she thought she’d left far behind her.

I received this book for free from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for a review. This review is in my own words and completely honest.

My Thoughts

This is my first Kate Watterson book, and I fairly enjoyed it. The plot was solid. I was definitely digging that. Dr. Cadence Lawrence has just run into the man she accused of murder back in High School. He may or may not now be stalking her so she high tails it out of Indianapolis for a while and then, ends up stuck in a snow storm with Mick. Her now knight in shining flannel.

While I was all for the plot, I didn’t feel much for the characters. They felt very one dimensional. The dialogues started out pretty strong, but as the book continued it got weedy and unrealistic. I think on their own each character was strong, but once brought together it kind of fell apart a little.

I think with a little character developing, a bit of polish on the interactions between the characters and this could definitely be a 4 star contender.

I will say though that I completely thought this was a thriller, but it was definitely more of a romantic suspense I think. If you don’t like that genre definitely don’t go into it thinking it is straight up thriller.

Happy Reading!

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Memory makes reality.

That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. Neuroscientist Helena Smith already understands the power of memory. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious moments of our pasts. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent. As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it. But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

My Thoughts

Well another complete mindfu**ery from the absolutely brilliant Blake Crouch.

I can’t even begin to succinctly tell you how good this book was. There are so many chances of spoilers that I’m scared to really even say anything. I want everyone to feel what I felt during this reading journey! I highly suggest going in blind.

However, I am going to attempt to review this book.

You follow a dual timeline throughout a portion of this book, actually you fall many timelines. Time gets a little muddied. The main characters being Barry who seems to just kind of fall headfirst into the insanity, and Helena who is ultimately the very catalyst for everything that happens.

I loved both characters, but honestly its the story that really kept me pulled in. There is so much happening and so much riding on certain aspects of the stories that you are on the edge of your seat pretty much from the very beginning.

The plot is so exhilarating, and frightening, and it’s not a Crouch novel without a little existential crisis going on.

All I can say for certain is 5 stars with a standing ovation. Get this book in your hands!

Happy Reading!

This will be the start to my weekly reading progress. I would like to check in every Monday and take a look at what I accomplished the week before and what my plans are for the week ahead.

So let’s start with a look at what I read the last week.

Starting from last Sunday, June 30 I have started 8 books, finished 5, and am in the middle two from June. Let’s start with my highest ratings.

I’ll start with the books I have finished

Pretty Things by Devon McCormack. I rated this 4 stars. I really enjoyed it.

A M/M somewhat forbidden romance between an older man with many secrets and the romance to his friends much younger son. I don’t have anything bad to say. I pretty much just enjoyed it.

The Dead Girl in 2A by Carter Wilson I gave this 4 stars.It was really a wild ride. It never did anything particularly original or in your face. If I hadn’t been on the edge of my seat and so anxious for these characters this would have been a flop. I was ALL of those things though. Very enjoyable.

Ice Planet Barbarians Books 1-3

Book 1 starts it all. 5 woman abducted by aliens to be intergalactic human trafficking, only to be uncerimoniusly abandoned on an icy planet where their only survival lies with a tribe of blue aliens looking for their forever mates.

Raunchy and kinda fun. 3 stars

Book 2 follows Liz and Raashan. I can’t say I liked this one nearly as much. I have many problems and felt more cringey then anything steamy. 2 stars

Book 3 brought the series back for me! I loved Aehako so much and just adore Kira. Of course the whole series is so ridiculous and over the top but so much fun at the same time. 4 Stars.

Alright let’s get into the books I am still reading that have moved into this weeks reading agenda

I am still reading book 4 in the Ice Planet Barbarians series. Recursion by Blake Crouch. Blindsided by Kate Watterson. The Infinite Noise by Lauren Shippen.

Now for the books I plan to pick up this week, are really just continuing the Ice Planet Barbarians series and if I have the time I want to start American Home Maker by John Kaine and The Escape Room by Megan Goldin.

Large thank you goes out to Netaglley and subsiquant publishers for providing me ARCs of Blindsided and The Dead Girl in 2A and The Escape Room; and to Bookish First for providing the books The Infinite Noise and American Homemaker.

That is all my bookish friends. Let me know what your plans for the week are!

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