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thebookpear's reviews
135 reviews
The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Hikers find an injured woman on a trail who says she is Elizabeth Black and that she has been missing for two years. Detective Chelsey Calhoun, the lead on the original case is called in to investigate. Chelsey lost her own sister 20 years prior and is determined to find out the truth about Ellie’s disappearance since her own family never got answers.
This book was told in dual timelines that were equally compelling. This is Emiko Jean’s debut thriller (she is best known as a YA and romance author) and I was blown away. I grabbed this book in an airport bookstore, and it was the BEST choice. It was fast-paced, well-written, and I was completely sucked in right from page one. I did not stop reading the entire flight!
This book was told in dual timelines that were equally compelling. This is Emiko Jean’s debut thriller (she is best known as a YA and romance author) and I was blown away. I grabbed this book in an airport bookstore, and it was the BEST choice. It was fast-paced, well-written, and I was completely sucked in right from page one. I did not stop reading the entire flight!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
adventurous
dark
tense
3.75
I read this on a beach and it was an excellent popcorn thriller for vacation! One Perfect Couple follows Lyla and Nico who are cast on a reality TV show set on a remote island near Jakarta. Soon after filming begins, a storm hits the island and the cast of the show is stranded.
It did not feel like Ruth Ware’s typical style of thriller, but I didn’t mind at all. I enjoy when authors explore the genre. One Perfect Couple was so suspenseful and entertaining. I love a reality tv thriller! Something that worked really well was that even though there were a lot of characters to keep track of, the story was mostly told through Lyla’s POV, so it was not overwhelming. The storm happens right away and so does the drama and it does not let up until the final page!
It did not feel like Ruth Ware’s typical style of thriller, but I didn’t mind at all. I enjoy when authors explore the genre. One Perfect Couple was so suspenseful and entertaining. I love a reality tv thriller! Something that worked really well was that even though there were a lot of characters to keep track of, the story was mostly told through Lyla’s POV, so it was not overwhelming. The storm happens right away and so does the drama and it does not let up until the final page!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
What You Leave Behind by Wanda M. Morris
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
After her mother dies and her marriage falls apart shortly afterwards, Deena is forced to return to her childhood home in Brunswick Georgia. Home doesn’t quite feel like home since her father has remarried her mom’s best friend. She finds herself taking a drive to clear her head and stumbles upon an old widower who mistakes her for a realtor trying to steal his land. Deena begins looking into the man’s claims and realizes something insidious is happening in her hometown.
Wanda M. Morris weaves together history and suspense in such a unique way. Her characterizations are excellent. I was rooting for Deena, she was incredibly relatable as she rebuilt her life after the death of her mother. The story starts off a little on the slower side, but it really ramps up halfway through and becomes unputdownable (my favorite bookish word)!
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Are you ever blown away by just how much you loved a book? I was hesitant going into this one because I wasn’t too sure how a time traveling romance would work or if I would like the magical realism. I joined a book club talk with @booked.with.allie that gave me the push I needed to dive in and let me tell you! Ashley Poston wrote a gorgeous heartfelt book about love and loss through time or really through “timing”. I love when a book explores character growth through grief and Clementine was really going through it. 🥺 Clementine and Iwan were so lovable and so were their friends. The time slipping was just the PERFECT amount, it didn’t overwhelm the plot. I enjoyed this one so much!!
Middletide by Sarah Crouch
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
Middletide is a beautifully written literary mystery/thriller. The suspicious death of a beautiful young doctor turns a small town upside down. The evidence points to a reclusive young man who moved back to Point Orchards after his writing career failed to take off.
This is not a fast-paced popcorn thriller. It is a quiet thriller that completely sucks you into the character’s emotions. Where Middletide really shines is the wholly immersive setting. Sarah Crouch creates an atmosphere of complete seclusion and loneliness deep in the woods. The time jumping was a little disorienting in the beginning, but once the characters are established it becomes easier to keep track of the years. In the end I was very emotional about this story. It was gorgeously written and very sad.
This is not a fast-paced popcorn thriller. It is a quiet thriller that completely sucks you into the character’s emotions. Where Middletide really shines is the wholly immersive setting. Sarah Crouch creates an atmosphere of complete seclusion and loneliness deep in the woods. The time jumping was a little disorienting in the beginning, but once the characters are established it becomes easier to keep track of the years. In the end I was very emotional about this story. It was gorgeously written and very sad.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Dr. Sloan Hastings is pursuing a forensic pathology career, and her fellowship research project requires her to submit her DNA to an online genealogy site. She does so a little apprehensively because she is adopted and has never tried to find her biological parents. Her DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to a decades old cold case, the mysterious disappearance of a baby and her parents.
I really enjoyed Long Time Gone! I loved how it kicked off with a crime fiction type storyline involving forensic pathology and genetic genealogy. I was immediately hooked by the plot, sucked into mystery of Baby Charlotte, and intrigued by Margolis family's hold on the small town of Cedar Lake. The dual timelines and short chapters propelled the story forward at a perfect simmering medium pace. Donlea writes characters that really stick with you, I was rooting for Sloan and Eric to find the truth and heal from their traumatic pasts. You do have to suspend disbelief a tiny bit at the end, but overall I thought it was an incredible story!
4.5 rounded up!
I really enjoyed Long Time Gone! I loved how it kicked off with a crime fiction type storyline involving forensic pathology and genetic genealogy. I was immediately hooked by the plot, sucked into mystery of Baby Charlotte, and intrigued by Margolis family's hold on the small town of Cedar Lake. The dual timelines and short chapters propelled the story forward at a perfect simmering medium pace. Donlea writes characters that really stick with you, I was rooting for Sloan and Eric to find the truth and heal from their traumatic pasts. You do have to suspend disbelief a tiny bit at the end, but overall I thought it was an incredible story!
4.5 rounded up!
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
4.75
HIGHLY ENTERTAINING THRILLER! In the age of true crime podcasts, I love a thriller that includes a hit podcast host investigating a cold case mystery. When Lucy stumbles out of the woods covered in blood, she is immediately suspected of the murder of her best friend Savannah. When the case goes cold, she leaves town to escape the small-town gossip and scrutiny. Years later she is forced to return when a hugely popular podcast, Listen for The Lie, investigates the case. Tintera does an excellent job creating page turning tension, this book was totally bingeable. I enjoyed Lucy’s character so much, her dark humor through her grief really resonated with me. Listen for The Lie was thrilling and twisty without being too dark. I would highly recommend if you are looking for something fast-paced!
The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas
tense
slow-paced
3.0
I was interested in this book because of the comparison to White Lotus. While there are some similarities, like broody rich couples on vacations in a creepy hotels, it did not thrill me as much as the show. The Sleepwalkers is told in long form letters that are unfinished due to damage to the paper they are written on. The plot was very disjointed. I think it was written this way on purpose, but I had hard time following the story. I am not entirely sure I understood the ending. There is an audience for this book! It is incredibly unique and lovers of cerebral literary fiction on the weirder side will enjoy this one.
Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, and Infidelity
Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh
dark
tense
fast-paced
5.0
FIVE STARS! Wow, I loved this thriller. I have read a lot of thrillers marketed "in the vein of Strangers on the Train", Kill for Me, Kill for You did it in such a unique way. The pacing was just right, I was totally engaged from page one and I read it in two days. The multiple POVs worked well and the POV of the investigator gave it a crime fiction feel that I loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, and Child death
No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez
medium-paced
3.25
I think I might have missed something, I’m confused about the motivation for everything?! The first 50% was so so good!