--Book mail-- I received an arc copy of When She Was Me by @marleebushwriter. This book was released last week and was a 5 ⭐ read for me. I thought I had the twists figured out, but I was wrong. I will definitely be reading more of this author's work. Thank you to @poisonedpenpress and @marleebushwriter for the arc copy. #marleebush #marleebushauthor #poisonedpenpress #newrelease #newbook #newbooks #booklover #bookstagram #booknerd #bookaddict #bookcommunity
The BOX! A thrill, even the fifth time around. The Hungry Bones comes out June 11th. #thebox #poisonedpenpress #sourcebooks #newzealand #forensics #hungryghost #crimefiction #crimefictionbooks #sistersincrime #northcarolinawritersnetwork
⛺️ WHEN SHE WAS ME ⛺️ REVIEW: Are you a twin? Or did you want to be one when you were a child? Meet Lenora and Cassie Lowe, identical twins, who have been living in Cabin Two, at the top of a campground site. The action moves quickly after a new family arrives at the camp and then a teenage girl goes missing. The twisting and turning of the plot tightens. Could something terrible that occurred fifteen years ago be tied to what is going on at this camp site now? I’m going to be honest. It’s creepy…real creepy. Who’s sneaking around outside with the trees swaying and the shadows moving? Did you hear something? And I couldn’t stop reading. The story is told in dual POV by both Lenora and Cassie, along with chapters from fifteen years ago by an anonymous narrator. We have a small group of suspects but so many questions. What are the twins hiding? Why are their mom and dad always so angry? Why does Lenora count in her head? “Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three.” Is there something a little off about the new campground owner, Sarah Hill? I kept switching sides with the twins, as Cassie and Lenora, struggled with scary inner thoughts and emotions. This is author Marlee Bush’s debut novel. She has degrees in Criminology and English, which means that she writes well, and she also knows all about deviant behavior and crime. Her favorite stories to tell are the ones that make you go back and double check the locks on your door at night. Oh, I hope she’s writing another one. #whenshewasme #marleebush #poisonedpenpress #wearebookish #suspense #thriller #psychologicalthriller #camping #campingtrip #campinglife #murdermystery #whodunnit #twins #debutauthor
💫⛰️𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀⛰️💫 One By One was an easy bingeable popcorn thriller. I was hooked from the beginning to a little over halfway, I couldn't stop reading. Then for whatever reason it lost my interest a little. The twist did redeem itself, but it was not my favorite Freida read. The characters were highly unlikeable, I did not like any of them, they were all liars, cheaters and manipulators. It was truly hard to root for any of them, which made me not care for any of their survival. I did not trust any of them. I did enjoy the atmosphere and the creepiness factor of being stranded in the woods. It did add the chill factor to the story. I was definitely shocked by that final twist which is what redeemed the book for me. Overall a fun ride. 𝕽𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊 𝕯𝖆𝖙𝖊 : April 02nd 2024 (Republished) - OUT NOW 𝕸𝖞 𝕽𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 : ✭✭✭ ✨️ Thank you to @netgalley, @poisonedpenpress for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. 💭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐲'𝐬 🩷 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲?
🍒💣 #bookreview 🍒💣 Title: My Darling, Dreadful Thing Author: Johanna van Veen Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Publication Date: May 14th, 2024 My Darling, Dreadful Thing (hereafter referred to as MDDT in this review) is an absolutely lovely, dark, and haunting piece of gothic fiction with delicious hidden pockets of horrid secrets tucked away like terrible treats right up until the end. We’re in the Netherlands and it’s the 1950s (probably early 1950s). Our protagonist is Roos, who is being examined by a psychiatrist (sadly, a Freudian) to ascertain whether or not she’s mentally responsible for the death of her employer, a Mrs. Agnes Knoop. Roos is of the opinion that she both is and isn’t. It’s a long story. MDDT is told in two timelines, with two formats: One is the main story, told from Roos’ first-person POV, and the other is in the form of interviews the psychiatrist has with Roos. I thought van Veen did an absolutely fantastic job with this format. The psychiatrist comes across as understandably and realistically skeptical, and even though he’s a Freudian thinker (yuck), he never comes across as vulgar or exploitative. The main story, Roos’ story, is the stuff gothic fiction dreams are made of. A cruel mother, a childhood full of suffering, and a rescue from that wretched existence by a rich and lovely widow who brings Roos to her estate, Rozentuin, ostensibly because she they are similar and she couldn’t stand to see Roos suffer in those conditions. Rozentuin, like Thornfield or Manderley, is where all the secrets have been tucked away and left to fester. With Roos, Agnes, their respective spirit companions, and Agnes’ slowly-dying sister-in-law all inside this old house with all their personal ghosts it’s not too long until things start to go terribly wrong. It was really a terrific book and satisfied every need I have when it comes to gothic fiction. #5starreview #gothicfiction #historicalfiction #lgbtqfiction #occulthorror #sapphicromance #arcreview #arcreader #arcreviewer #bookreviewer #bookinfluencer #netgalley #poisonedpenpress #johannavanveet #mydarlingdreadfulthing #comingsoon #bookworm #bookish #bookstagram #bookstagrammer
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this book on @netgalley and wow 😍 it did not disappoint. I tried to guess the ending every chapter and no matter how many try’s you could have given me I would have never guessed how it ended. It’s the first book I’ve read in a while that kept me up way past my usual bedtime because I just had to finish it. If you’re thinking about reading #whenshewasme you should definitely pick it up! Thank you @poisonedpenpress for this copy. Swipe for summary! 4/5 ⭐️
📚SATURDAY READING📚 Today feels like a good day to pick up a new book! What’re you reading this weekend? CR: When She Was Me by Marlee Bush #saturdayreading #currentlyreading #arcbacklist #bookish #kindlereads #whenshewasme #marleebush #netgalley #poisonedpenpress #bookish
Kerry Greenwood writes a highly entertaining book filled with mystery and mayhem, a delightful read. The story follows the main character’s journey, Phryne’s investigating strange events and a murder. I particularly love Phryne’s independence and colourful lifestyle, no conventional ways for her! An independent woman with two adopted children, a lover and an extremely busy life. The storyline is filled with suspense, flowing well to show the depth and understanding of life’s choices and history. A wonderful character, bringing warmth and wisdom to the pages. 4⭐️ #poisonedpenpress #kerrygreenwoodauthor #mystery #murderinwilliamstown #intrigue
Episode 133 of Making It Up is out and features Christopher Reich. Christopher is the New York Times bestselling author of The Take, Numbered Account, Rules of Deception, Rules of Vengeance, Rules of Betrayal, and many other thrillers. His novel The Patriots Club won the International Thriller Writers award for Best Novel in 2006. He is also the author of the Simon Riske series, an international spy thriller series, and his newest novel Matterhorn was just released in April 2024. Among other things, Christopher and I discuss writing in first person present, quitting a day job to pursue a career in writing, and the pressure of writing accurate historical fiction. At the end of our conversation, we make up a chilling story using a line from John Grisham’s A Painted House. Like all episodes, this is available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. #makingitup #makingituppodcast #carterwilsonauthor #poisonedpenpress #podcast #writingpodcast #thrillerbooks #mystery #currentreads #bookstagram #booknerd #instareads #readersofinstagram #thriller #lovetoread #bookcommunity #thrillers #authorinterview #authors #bestsellingauthor #thrillerauthorublishing #readingisfun #bookclub #bestauthors #ChristopherReich #ChristopherReichauthor #Matterhorn #SimonRiske #NumberedAccount #MatterhornChristopherReich
And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling And There He Kept Her is the first book of a series introducing detective Ben Packard. After the loss of his partner, Packard has recently moved to a small town in Minneapolis where he spent his childhood summers with family. Now, he is the acting Sheriff and buries himself in his work. When his cousin contacts him to let him know her teenage daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend are missing, Packard jumps into action. Separately, Emmett is a recluse in town with a dark past and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his secrets buried. I *loved* this book! I really enjoyed reading about Packard and am excited to get to know his character more in the next book. I loved the author’s writing and pacing- this is the perfect detective series to me! Highly recommend for fans of crime fiction! 🕵️♀️ #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ilovereading #tbr #tbrpile #toberead #boooks #booksbooksbooks #bookstack #bookster #readwithus #reader #readers #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookinfluencer #catsandbooks #booksandcats #joshuamoehling #andtherehekepther #poisonedpenpress
*Thank you partner @poisonedpenpress and @dreamscape_media for the #gifted egalley and audiobook.* 🎧 Pub Week Audiobook Review 🎧 WHEN SHE WAS ME by Marlee Bush (Available now!!) There's only one way out of these woods… Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost. Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable—they know better than anyone that so-called 'happy families' can be anything but—each sister suspects the other knows more than she's letting on…. Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened—and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts—before it's too late. _____ Gripping thriller that will keep your interest throughout. I really enjoyed the twin aspects of knowing everything about each other. There are so many lies and deceptions that you have to uncover to find the truth. The audiobook was really good. I enjoyed the narrator. I know that the alternative timeline is intended for the reader to figure out which character it is, but I would have loved a different narrator. Overall, a good thriller!! #audiobook #audiobookreview #pubweek #newrelease #poisonedpenpress #dreamscapemedia #whenshewasme #marleebush #bookreview #thriller #alwaysreading #booksofig #readsofig #booknerd #thrillerreader
[BOOK REVIEW] When She Was Me by Marlee Bush - 4⭐️ I really enjoyed it. This book is a slow burn that I flew through. I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. The story follows twin sisters, told from a POV of each sister. It also takes place in dual timelines (if you have been following my reviews, you know that I love multiple pov/timelines). This was done really well, in my opinion. At times, I thought I was confused, but once I got to the ending, it was an "OH " moment, and it all got wrapped up nicely. I'm not going to say too much, but what kept me from giving it a full 5 star rating was that I just wanted more on the twins. Throughout the story, it felt like it was leading to something major, and ultimately, it didn't come to a full boil, and I just felt a little unsatisfied. The twist, though!!!! did. not. see. that. coming. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 so good. Read this book if you enjoy: suspense, domestic thriller, isolation, wilderness, twin sisters, multiple pov, dual timelines, and slow burns. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, netgalley, and Marlee Bush for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own. . . . #grimdreadful #bookreview #marleebush #poisonedpenpress #netgalley #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #thrillerbooks #thriller #thrillerbookstagram #bookstagramcanada #bookstagram #booksta #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #suspensebooks
Pub Week Review Thriller Thursday 📖The story centers on identical twin sisters Cassie and Lenore. Most of their life is shrouded in secrets, but you know that there was a terrible night that resulted in the sisters living in one of three secluded cabins in the woods. Cassie likes to roam the woods barefoot and feels the need to always be there for her sister. Lenore has agoraphobia and rabbit holes in the lives of her neighbors believing that they are keeping secrets. The campsite they live on is sold to Sarah, who is looking for a change of pace from her previous life. She moves into Cabin one the same day renters come to cabin 3. In under a week weird things begin happening on the property, and everything seems to keep leading the twins back to that one terrible night in their past. When the teenager staying with her family in cabin 3 goes missing the lives of the twins becomes one long, waking nightmare. 💭OMG this book is great. This is a murder mystery that perfectly skates the line with a horror novel and has psychological tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. I am absolutely blown away by this debut novel. The story is told from both sister’s point of view and jumps between the present and a mysterious “then”. I get that sometimes you have to keep saying “what happened that night” in a secretive manner instead of telling the reader what happened that night, but oh boy do you really want to know. I love how the story ended up coming together and how I was sucked into the psychological aspects of the story and forced to doubt my own thoughts on what was happening. This book is a welcome addition to the thriller genre. This book is perfect for fans of Momento, The Woman in the Window, Gone Girl & The Girl on the Train. 🖤Thanks to @poisonedpenpress for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. @marleebushwriter thank you for that amazing wild ride, I can't wait to read what you come up with next! 🏷 #pubweekreview #bookrecommendation #bookreview #books #newbook #whenshewasme #marleebush #poisonedpenpress #sourcebooks #psychologicalthiller #suspense #thiller #booksofinstagram #booknerd
✨️🎉 PUB WEEK REVIEW 🎉✨️ WHEN SHE WAS ME by Marlee Bush Publisher : Poisoned Pen Press Pub Date : 5/7/24 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you SO much, @marleebushwriter, and @poisonedpenpress, for the #gifted book. What a great debut! This was one twisty thriller that had me turning pages to see what would happen next. Cassie and Lenora are identical twin sisters. They live together in a cabin deep in the woods on an isolated campground in TN. This is their safe space away from people. Ever since a tragic event happened in their past, Cassie has been taking care of Lenora. They have their peace and quiet until one day, a teenage girl goes missing. Tilly was staying at a neighboring cabin with her parents. This brings back old memories the sisters were trying to suppress. Each sister thinks the other knows more than they are letting on. Who's telling the truth? What really happened to Tilly? And what was so terrible in the sister’s past that they felt the need to hide away? Told in multiple POVs and dual timelines, this book was gripping. There were some slow parts, but the suspense kept me reading. I really needed to know what happened to the sisters in the past and what happened to Tilly. The ending was such a shock! I definitely didn't see that one coming. I loved the atomspheric setting of the cabin in the woods and the sisterly bond. Overall, I enjoyed this thriller and would definitely recommend it. I can't wait to see what this author does next. ❓️Would you ever live in a secluded cabin in the woods❓️If you were lost in the woods, would you know how to find your way back❓️ #whenshewasme #thriller #debut #poisonedpenpress #book #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booklove #booklover #booknerd #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #mustread #readersofinstagram
💭🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆💭 🖤When She Was Me🖤 Author: Marlee Bush Pub Date: 05/07/24 My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Now, don’t get me wrong. This book was definitely a thriller and relatively attention grabbing. However, I was confused most of the time, which was the intention so, that’s fine. But I didn’t enjoy being confused. Then the twist, it was twisty as all heck. I just didn’t love this story. It wasn’t bad and I wouldn’t say I don’t recommend it. I think there are lot of people who will love this book and gasp at the twist. I didn’t guess the twist but I also didn’t love the twist.. I also did not especially enjoy how long this book was, I tend to lean more toward 300 or less pages for a thriller. Thank you to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for letting me read this one early, I read this digital but received a physical ARC today, so thank you SO MUCH!!! I will be looking forward to what this author publishes next!
● Review! The Housemaid Is Watching • Freida McFadden The Housemaid Book 3 Pub Date: 6.11.2024 Thank you so much @poisonedpenpress & @fmcfaddenauthor for sending me this ARC … so excited to be an early reader on this one!! Gah! This book right here has got Freida Fans all over the globe counting down the days until June! It FOR SURE was at the top of my list as one of my most anticipated releases of 2024! Like all of Freida’s books, I devoured it!! And let me tell you right now, it did not disappoint! We catch up with Millie a little over a decade past where book two left off. Millie, Enzo & their 2 children are finally settling into their suburbia dream home & their much deserved happily ever after. But in true Millie fashion, things don’t stay calm & dreamlike. Because ... The Neighbors. There are NO spoilers here, so that’s all you’re gonna get from me other than you need to prepare yourself because Freida brings the twists & reveals that just make your head go boom! How she gets us to think exactly what she wants us to think … and then blows it all up is just WOW! 🫣🤯💥 I’ve heard that this is the final book in this series, but is it? I can see where there’s an idea for a spin-off to emerge & that would be ok with me! I guess Freida doesn’t save suspense for just her stories! We’ll just have to wait & see what she’s got for us next! Note to Housemaid newbies: because there are quite a few throwback references to previous books, I suggest reading them in order … you won’t be sorry! They are ALL 3 da bomb! 📖 Summary in comments .... #TheHousemaidIsWatching #FreidaMcFadden #PoisonedPenPress
𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 One by One by Freida McFadden • NetGalley Read 💫 Genre: Psychological Thriller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 Book 53/ 130 Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book! I have read multiple different books be Freida and I am always thrown off at who it could be. I enjoy reading her books and you are instantly sucked into them and need to figure out the mystery. I did not see that plot twist coming at all. I suspected the one character Warner as it just made sense but I wasn’t sure about everything else. I am always wrong about who it could be and why. She gets me everytime! This book was a super quick read and easy to make sense of. I enjoyed it! Everything flowed nicely and the plot was good. My opinions are my own. Q: do you like psychological thrillers? What is your fav Frieda book? #arcread #onebyone #freidamcfadden #lostinthewoods #groupoffriends #murder #plottwist #thriller #psychologicalthriller #horror #freidamcfaddenauthor #bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreview #netgalley #netgalleyreads #poisonedpenpress
Finished one of my CRs! ❤️📚 Wow on this one! This was my first Freida McFadden and I understand why her books are so popular in the #thriller community. This was a strong 4, almost 5 for me as I read a lot of thrillers and enjoyed this one. When a group of 6 with complicated relationships get lost in the woods and start dying #onebyone you are left with a true whodunit and constantly asking who is “anonymous” that we keep flashing back to?!?! The tone and style of McFadden’s writing is easy to read, almost conversational, with enough descriptive elements to pull you into the story and set the stage. This allows the story to be relatively fast paced. She drops enough hints and appropriately times perspective changes to really build suspense. The #plot twist was just the right amount of surprise and “darn it - I should’ve been able to figure it out” and for me that’s the perfect balance of what I like (not overly predictable but doesn’t feel like it came entirely out of left field. ) I will definitely be exploring more of McFadden’s titles and it’s feeling like a good go to for a quick suspenseful summer read. Fans of suspenseful authors and true whodunits from authors like Agatha Christie and Mary Higgins Clark will love this! Big thank you to #netgalley #poisonedpenpress and #freidamcfadden for this ARC! I thoroughly enjoyed it! #suspensethriller #plottwist #creepy #whototrust #mysterylover #adventuresintbrland
B O O K R E V I E W 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐞 𝐁𝐲: Marlee Bush 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: physical ARC ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to @poisonedpenpress for the #gifted advanced copy! I’m still in shock that this was a debut novel! It was so good! I really enjoyed the dual POV between the twin sisters, their differing personalities, and steady loyalty to each other. I thought the chapters set in the past added such a great element to the story and made the mystery even deeper. I felt like I turned this story upside down and inside out and that ending STILL caught me completely off guard! I absolutely love that🖤 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭: •unreliable narrators •remote campground setting •dual POV •twist you don’t see coming🙌🏼 💭what is a genre you feel you’d never read? » I’m not really much for sci-fi, so that’s what I’m going with🙃
When She Was Me just had a book birthday! #MarleeBush #NetGalley #PoisonedPenPress 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Have you read any debuts this year? Me: This book😀 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 Review Cassie and Lenora are twins living in a cabin far removed from people. When the campsite owner dies, a new person, Sarah takes over. She seems nice, but to Lenora, who suffers from the fear of going outside, anyone new is disturbing. Then a family comes for a weekend getaway and tragedy strikes. Cassie and Lenora’s backstory is slowly exposed, in the past, and in the present, along with an unknown narrator. While Cassie and Lenora are each hiding secrets, are either of them killers? It’s such an atmospheric location. Secluded cabins, people we know very little about, family secrets, oh, and don’t forget murder. I had the identity of the unknown narrator totally wrong. That also meant my guess regarding the killer was incorrect. I kept flipping the pages just needing to finish one more chapter. This was an excellent treadmill read as I stayed on way longer than usual. It’s also a debut and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next. #reneesramblings #whenshewasme #mayreads #mysteryandthrillerbook #booksofig #readinglife
📚 ARC REVIEW 📚 When She Was Me by Marlee Bush ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Publication Date: OUT NOW!!!! This was a great debut novel from this author! 👏 It had that out-of-nowhere twist that makes you go “Wait…what?!?? Ohhhhhh….”! 😱 Did not see that coming! ❤️ The ending though was a little predictable and I do feel like it dragged a little at one point. But that one twist! 👌 Overall, a great twisty read that I would definitely recommmend checking out! 🙌 Thank you to @netgalley @poisonedpenpress and @marleebushwriter for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! Look forward to reading more from you, Marlee! ❤️ ⁉️QOTD⁉️ What is one book you read that had a really great twist that you didn’t see coming? ~ OR ~ Would you ever live in a house that you knew someone had died in? #arcreview #netgalleyreview #netgalleyarc #netgalley #poisonedpenpress #whenshewasme #newrelease #thrillerbooks
Tucker Snow is back in The Broken Truth by master storyteller Reavis Z. Wortham. This time it's not only cattle that's disappearing, it is ranchers as well. Tucker has his work cut out for him and once again family plays a big part in the story. In my opinion this series is not the best one by this great author but it'is still a damn good read. I have never felt let down by any books from Wortham and he has a wonderful way of creating fantastic characters and settings, he has stories that spans most of Texas history now and there is another series I still haven't started yet but that is my fault. If you like stories about rural Texas and swift justice then I recommend that you try this author. I must thank #PoisonedPenPress and #Netgalley for supplying me with this advance copy of a great book. #WhatIamReading #LibraryOfAbibliofob #eARC #ReavisZWortham #Texas #TuckerSnow #TheBrokenTruth #BookstagramOfAbibliofob
When She Was Me by Marlee Bush Thank you @poisonedpenpress for this ARC! It was so fun. Do you like isolated mysteries? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Ever since a tragic night fifteen years ago, Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As twins they have always felt a connection, but now as they hide from their past in a remote cabin in rural Tennessee they lean on each other more than ever. This novel starts slowly with alternating chapters told by Cassie and Lenora. Cassie has a true crime YouTube channel and Lenora is a ghost writer that never leaves their cabin. When a new landlord shows up, the twins are thrown out of their usual routines. Then something terrible happens to a family that comes to vacation in the third cabin. Cassie is full of questions and doubt as she tries to figure out, did Lenora finally leave the cabin? Both isolated and claustrophobic, this book plays to many familiar thriller tropes. And you probably think you have the big twist guessed based on the title; I certainly thought so. However, this book took me for a ride after the halfway mark and actually surprised me. That’s no small feat for an avid reader of mostly thrillers and mysteries. I loved how the author weaved in past and present timelines and created depth in the characters while still shrouding them in mystery until the very end. I don’t want to give much away, because I think with the slow start having less information will help you get hooked into the story sooner. My only quibble is that I didn’t really feel wrapped up in this story until past thirty percent, but I can’t say I was disinterested either. I think this is going to be a popular thriller and if you’ve liked isolated settings or sibling stories in the past, it’s well worth trying! #MarleeBush #WhenSheWasMe #PoisonedPenPress #NewRelease
📚 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🌟 When She Was Me by Marlee Bush: A Compelling Debut with Surprising Twists Marlee Bush's debut novel, "When She Was Me," delivers a gripping narrative that skillfully weaves together past and present, secrets and suspense, in an isolated Tennessee campground. At the heart of the story are twin sisters Cassie and Lenora, who seek solace in Cabin Two after a traumatic event from their past. Their bond is unbreakable, but when a teenage girl goes missing from a neighboring cabin, long-buried memories resurface, threatening to unravel their tight-knit relationship. Bush's storytelling prowess shines through in the alternating perspectives between Cassie and Lenora, offering deep insights into their individual struggles and secrets. While the narrative occasionally becomes repetitive as different characters revisit the same events, this repetition adds complexity to the characters and creates a sense of doubt about their reliability as narrators. 🤔 The tension builds steadily as the search for the missing girl intensifies, culminating in a shocking twist that even the most astute readers won't see coming. 🌀 Bush's plot is masterfully crafted, prompting readers to go back and reexamine earlier parts of the book to fully appreciate its intricacies. Set against the backdrop of the isolating wilderness, "When She Was Me" creates a palpable atmosphere of unease and suspense. The sense of foreboding is heightened by the claustrophobic setting, making every twist and turn in the plot feel all the more impactful. 🏕🌲 Despite its occasional repetitiveness, "When She Was Me" is a compelling debut that keeps readers guessing until the very end. Marlee Bush proves herself to be a talented storyteller, delivering a chilling tale of secrets, lies, and the sinister truth lurking beneath the surface. 🕵️♂️
Happy Pub Day! When She Was Me Marlee Bush Out now ➡️ synopsis Wow! What a fantastic debut. This one is filled with all the twists and turns you want a good thriller to have and then more. I really thought I had the story figured out and nope I did not. I loved how the chapters were written with the two sisters povs and the flashback to then. Kept me turning the pages and wanting to figure it out. Special thanks to the tagged publisher for my gifted netgalley copy of this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you like a good psychological thriller definitely check this one out. #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ctbookstagrammers #whenshewasme #marleebush #debutauthor #thrillerbooks #giftedebook #netgalley #poisonedpenpress
Happy Release Day for When She Was Me by @marleebushwriter! I am currently 65% into this book and loving it! I 100% recommend picking up a copy! ABOUT THE BOOK Ever since that night, Cassie and Lenora are inseparable—they’ve been on their own, and that’s how they like it. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, the twins manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies but when a teenage girl in a neighboring cabin goes missing, the memories come rushing back. Each sister suspects the other knows more than she’s letting on—but what happens when the person you trust most is the person you’re most afraid of? Deep in the woods with only one way out, WHEN SHE WAS ME is the perfect add to reading lists dedicated to summer page turners for fans of Sally Hepworth and readers of These Silent Woods. Thank you @marleebushwriter and @poisonedpenpress for an advanced copy #releaseday #bookrelease #bookrecommendations #thriller #poisonedpenpress #bookrecommendations #bookinstagram
👁️ Spoiler-free ARC Review for The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden 👁️ The third and final installment in Freida’s viral Housemaid series! Taking place more than a decade after the events of The Housemaid’s Secret, Millie just wants the simple suburban family life she’s always dreamed of with her husband and children, but most of all to leave her past behind. With a nosy neighbor on one side and a judgmental neighbor on the other, Millie begins to wonder if this life she dreamed of is all it’s cracked up to be. Such a beautiful ending to a great series! I loved to see Millie begin to live her dream life as a wife and mother. Freida is so excellent at hooking readers. I started it this morning and next thing I knew, I’d finished it in one sitting. She’s the only author that happens with basically every time 😂 Character development is huge in this novel. We see characters we already loved grow into even better characters. We meet new characters that we love and others who get under our skin. Of course it wouldn’t be a Freida without some amazing plot twists! My mouth was gaping in surprise more than once. If you’ve read her other Housemaid books (if you haven’t, why?!) give this one a go! 👏 It releases on June 11th in stores and on Kindle Unlimited! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #ARC #arcreview #poisonedpenpress #freidamcfadden #thehousemaid #newbook
📖 BOOK REVIEW: WHEN SHE WAS ME by @marleebushwriter 📖 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🎉🎉 Happy Publication Day!! 🎉🎉 Thanks to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for an advanced copy of When She Was Me by Marlee Bush. Identical twin sisters, Cassie and Lenora, are bonded together by more than DNA ever since one fateful night...and they are living together peacefully at an isolated campground in Tennessee ever since...But when a girl goes missing from a neighboring campsite, memories come back and nothing is what it seems. For a debut novel, this was AMAZING. Typically I find myself bored with slow-burn thrillers, but this one had me captivated since the first chapter. Told from dual POVs (as Cassie and Lenora), you truly have no idea who you can trust as a narrator; for me, both were shady and unlikable for various reasons. Additionally, there are flashbacks to the night years prior, which caused the sisters to flee...however there is no way of knowing which sister is telling the story from her viewpoint, versus who was actually responsible for the incident that caused them both to flee. It was BRILLIANT. There were so many moving parts to this story I was 90% into it and had no idea how it was going to end. Not only was the plot cleverly set up, but there were also many spine-tingling , claustrophobic scenes that gave me chills and had me on the edge of my seat. This was an extremely well done, well-thought out thriller and I'm looking forward to more from Marlee Bush! #bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations #thriller #debutthriller #whenshewasme #netgalley #netgalleyarc #poisonedpenpress #publicationday
🌳Book Review🌳 ONE BY ONE by FREIDA McFADDEN Available now. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌳Thanks to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for access to an e-ARC. My thoughts are my own. 🌳Goodreads Description: From New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a dark, twisting thriller about a group of friends lost in the one by one, they each will fall, and only the killer will return home alive... A night spent sleeping on dirt and leaves is not how Claire Matchett expected to spend her vacation. She thought this would be a break from the stresses of work and raising her young children. A chance to repair her damaged marriage. A week of hiking and hot tubs with friends. It sounded like heaven. Then Claire’s minivan breaks down on a lonely dirt road. With no cell reception, the group has no choice but to hike the rest of the way to their hotel. But it turns out the woods aren’t as easy to navigate as they thought. Hours later, they are lost. Hopelessly lost. And as they navigate deeper into the woods, the members of their party are struck down mysteriously one by one. Has a wild animal been hunting them? Or is the hunter one of them? But as more time passes, one thing becomes Only one of them will return home alive. 🌳My Thoughts: I went between a 3 and 4 rating for this one. While I didn’t figure out all the pieces to the puzzle of motive and murderer, the plot and the character development weren’t strong enough to make me really care about how it all went together. This is a fast, weekend or beach read but won’t blow you away.
🥳🥳🥳Pub Day Review: When She Was Me by @marleebushwriter 🥳🥳🥳 Do you like slow burn psychological thriller with unreliable narrators? How about stories on sisterhood, of sibling love that will do just about anything to protect each other? If these tickle your fancy, then this debut novel by Marlee Bush is for you! When She Was Me started with POVs of reclusive twins Cassie and Lenora, living in a cabin at a remote campsite, away from the prying eyes of the public. From the get go, we know something happened to them 15 years ago. The book won’t tell us what it was until the end so it really will amp your anxiety and raise your suspicions. Both sisters claim to know one another, but at the same time distrusts each other. A past timeline interspersed with the present one serves to further throw us some backstory. But be warned, this could either clarify or confuse the heck out of you! I guessed part of the plot twist but it didn’t really matter. I still liked the story, especially as it portrayed strong sibling bond, specifically that of twins, which could turn toxic if left unchecked. Overall, this was a solid debut novel. I would definitely read anything Marlee Bush writes! Love her beautiful prose, dark characters and deeply atmospheric setting. Thanks so much @poisonedpenpress for my digital ARC of When She Was Me. This gripping thriller is out today! QOTD: Do you like camping in the woods? Or you prefer glamping? #whenshewasme #marleebush #tuesdaythrills #happypubday #pubdayreview #bookreview #thrillerbooksaddict #mustread #bookrecommendations #readingmama #booksandplants #bookishmomsandbeyond #booknerd #suspense #psychologicalthriller #poisonedpenpress
📚 HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY! 📚 When She Was Me by Marlee Bush was released today. Thank you, @netgalley, @poisonedpenpress, and @sourcebooks for the advance copy. Cassie and Lenora are identical twins who went through a traumatic event together and now live in a campground in Tennessee. Lenora is able to work as a ghostwriter, but barely steps outside their small cabin. Cassie does a true crime podcast, putting herself in the shoes of the victims whose deaths she covers. Cassie is always there to protect Lenora from others and from herself. Things begin to change for the twins when a teenage girl arrives with her parents for a short camping trip and goes missing. What happened to Tilly and what secrets are Cassie and Lenora keeping from each other? This book is told from both Cassie and Lenora’s present point-of-view as well as an unidentified person in the past. The story is intriguing, but at times confusing. Both sisters keep referring to an incident in their past, but the reader isn’t given details on what it was. The “past” narration is also kept purposely vague to keep up the suspense, but for me the repetition sometimes slowed the pace of the story. I was able to figure out some of the plot twists before they were revealed. After some slow chapters in the middle, the ending picks up and I was surprised when all of the secrets finally came out. Better pacing would have made the book more suspenseful for me, but it’s still an entertaining read. #bookstagrammer #newrelease #netgalley #arc #poisonedpenpress #sourcebooks #whenshewasme #marleebush #debutauthor #thrillerfan #thrillerbook #mysterythriller #psychologicalthriller #mysteryfan
✌🏼🆃🆆🅾 🅵🅾🆁 🆃🆄🅴🆂🅳🅰🆈 ✌🏼 ✨🅟🅞🅘🅢🅞🅝🅔🅓 🅟🅔🅝 🅟🅡🅔🅢🅢 🅢🅟🅡🅘🅝🅖 🅑🅡🅔🅐🅚 🅑🅞🅧✨ 📖 ᗷOOƘ ᖇƐᐯƖƐᗯ wнen ѕнe waѕ мe ᴮᵞ ᴹᴬᴿᴸᴱᴱ ᴮᵁˢᴴ🌲 & 🛶 wнaт мoтнer won’т тell мe ᴮᵞ ᴵᵛᴬᴿ ᴸᴱᴼᴺ ᴹᴱᴺᴳᴱᴿ 🌲When She Was Me is a suspenseful and thrilling story full of twists and red herrings to keep you guessing. I didn’t see the ending coming - the final twist truly came out of nowhere. The dual pov/timeline kept the story moving quickly, with short chapters & lots of eerily mysterious moments. I give When She Was Me by Marlee Bush ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Pub Date: May 7, 2024 Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Book Length: 400 pages 👉🏼Swipe for Book Blurb ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ 🛶 What Mother Won’t Tell Me is an eerie & suspenseful read. It is a fast paced read that you won’t want to put down until you know how it will end. The twists felt a little too wild at times for me but it did keep me engaged. I give What Mother Won’t Tell Me by Ivar Leon Menger ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Pub Date: January 9, 2024 Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Book Length: 256 pages 👉🏼Swipe For Book Blurb Thank you to @poisonedpenpress for the #gifted Spring Break Box containing these books in exchange for my honest review. 💬❔QOTD: What is the best show or movie you’ve seen recently? #whenshewasme #marleebush #poisonedpenpress #whatmotherwonttellme #ivarleonmenger #springbreakbox #happypubday #bookbirthday #bookrecs #readersofinstagram #thrillerbooks #bookreview #reader #mustread
Happy Release Day / ARC Review 👻When She was Me👻 by @marleebushwriter 🥳 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ // 4 stars I really liked the dual timeline/pov situation we got to go through with each character. Each character being an identical TWIN! Yes - this is a thriller with twins, Cassie and Lenora, who are hiding out on a rural campground…both suspecting that the other one knows more than she’s letting on. This was a nice read for a thriller and I’d recommend this to anyone seeking a riveting psychological thriller 🔥 thanks so much to @poisonedpenpress for my gifted copy! 💭do twins run in your family / do you know any twin friends? #poisonedpenpress #whenshewasme #thriller #marleebush #bookreview #books #booksbooksbooks #fiction #mystery #bookworm #booklover #booknerd #bookaholic #bookaesthetic #bookaddict #bookreader #reading #readingtime #readmorebooks #readmore #read #reader #readersofig #readersofinstagram #readersgonnaread #bibliophile #ilovebooks #psychologicalthriller
🎉 HAPPY PUB DAY 🎉 to TWO books today 🙌🏻 When She Was Me by @marleebushwriter Mother Knows Best: Tales Of Homemade Horror Anthology - various authors, an amazing foreword by @mother.horror and edited by @lindyryanwrites 🫶🏻 Are you ordering either (or both) of these today? 🤩 . . . #grimdreadful #marleebush #netgalley #poisonedpenpress #blackspotbooks #horrorbooks #thrillerbooks #suspensebooks #horroranthology #bookrelease2024 #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #books #reading #bookstagramcanada #bookstagram #psychologicalthriller
🪵Book Review🪵 * Summary; Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost. Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable—they know better than anyone that so-called ‘happy families’ can be anything but—each sister suspects the other knows more than she’s letting on…. Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened—and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts—before it’s too late. * Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ * My thoughts: thank you @poisonedpenpress and @marleebushwriter for the advanced copy, this one comes out today and it is so good !! This one is so creepy and atmospheric, I almost felt suffocated by the woods while I read it. I love a good thriller and this one will definitely keep you on your toes. I think it really came together beautifully at the end, I was second guessing myself all the way up until then. This was highly enjoyable and a quick read ! * QOTD- are you an outdoorsy person? Could you live in a cabin in the woods?! I absolutely could not 😂 * #whenshewasme #marleebush #bookreview #poisonedpenpress #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #bookobsessed #booklover #booknerd #bookworm #bookwormsunite #bookish #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #readersgonnaread #readmorebooks #readersofig
. 🪵🌳 𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 🌳🪵 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: 𝘔𝘢𝘺 7, 2024 (𝘛𝘖𝘋𝘈𝘠) This is more of a slow burn thriller and I would even say it leans a bit into the horror genre. There were definitely times when I was reading at night and got totally creeped out! Cassie and Lenora are identical twins living in a cabin in the woods of a campground. They are living an isolated life trying to put “that night” from their past behind them. All is fine, or so it seems, until their landlord neighbor dies. A new owner comes in, a teenage girl is found dead, and things get creepy! Told from dual POV and timelines, this one will keep you guessing until the very end. This was a good one! The character development was more full and detailed than you would usually expect in a thriller novel, which did slow down the pace of the book. This didn’t take away from MY enjoyment of the book, but if you are looking for a fast paced thriller from start to finish, this isn’t what you get here. The woodsy setting, among other things, made this one super eerie. Every character has you wondering if they really are who they say they are, and if they might be capable of murder. And the end… I don’t want to say too much, but it was a shocking conclusion for sure. A really well done, thoughtful, twisty debut novel. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for future work by this author! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 @netgalley, @poisonedpenpress, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝗤𝗢𝗧𝗗 - 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁: 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 ____________. . . .
A psychological thriller that will keep you guessing from the first page right until the end “When She was Me” will make you do a double take - where you gasp, stop reading, take a moment, shake your head, and reread several sentences - and then pause several more times as you finish the book to rejig everything you thought you knew about the book to fit what you now know. Were you able to follow that? I hope so, because Marlee Bush’s writing is a study of creating atmospheric tension that builds throughout the novel as you constantly question pretty much everything you know: what’s real, the definition of family, the lengths you will go to protect those you love, memories both real and imagined, who is deserving of your trust, and the human psyche. This debut novel is all the good things you hope to find in a thriller: suspense, intrigue, a shadowed past, slow burn moments, heart-pounding scenes, angsty characters, a beautifully dark setting, shadowy secrets, and a twist that I’m not sure anyone will see coming. And might I, perchance, recommend that you read this one when you are at home and not staying in a strange house or cabin in the middle of nowhere where even the most seasoned individual will need to sleep with the lights on? Trust me on this. As you read, keep in mind that, “they don’t warn you about this in school. They warn you about men in vans offering you treats to get inside. They warn you of drug use and STDs. But no one ever warned me about the dangers of my own thoughts. No one ever told me that there could come a time when trusting myself would be difficult and hating myself would be easy. What to do when the monster is you,” Marlee Bush. Thank you @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for the advance digital copy. I highly recommend this must read novel by @marleebushwriter #poisonedpenpress #sourcebooks #debutauthor #whenshewasme #marleebush #netgalley #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookrecommendation #bookreview #youshouldreadthis #thriller #thrillerbooks #suspensenovel #psychologicalthriller #bookgeek #booknerd #femaleauthor #femalewriter #debutauthor
📖Upcoming Release Book Review📖 When She was Me by Marlee Bush Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ >>>swipe for synopsis>>> Thank you to @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Not sure why exactly but this didn’t really work for me. Which makes no sense because it checked off so many boxes of things I like - the characters were interesting, the premise was unique, the atmosphere was creepy, and the mystery was intriguing. On paper, this should have been a hit. But I was kind of bored reading it? It never really hooked me the way I expected it to. That, and I really didn’t enjoy how there was clearly a big secret that was being hinted at but not divulged until way too far into the story. By the time I found out what was going on, I felt annoyed there was all that buildup for something that didn’t really excite me. That trope can work really well in these types of books, but it felt forced here. So all in all, this was a fine book, but a bit of a miss for me. But take my review with a grain of salt - I know a ton of people who loved this so definitely give it a shot if it sounds like something you might like! When She was Me comes out tomorrow! #2024readingchallenge #2024reads #2024release #bookreview #bookreviewer #mayrelease #bookreviewersofinstagram #reviewersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #newrelease #newbooktuesday #newbookreleases #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #poisonedpenpress #advancedreadercopies #pubday #thrillerbooks #thriller #thrillerbookstagram #arc #whenshewasme
My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen 📖 Gothic, bizarre, creepy, and unsettling, My Darling Dreadful Thing is a unique, dark, and original book. While reading there were times that I wasn't sure that I enjoyed the book, but I also didn't dislike it either. This book is unsettling, chilling, and creepy.😮 Roos Beckman has one good thing in her life and that is Ruth, a corpse like dead woman that has been around for centuries, that only she can see. Roos participated in seances that her horrible mother hosted until the day she caught the eye of Agnes, a wealthy widow, who asked Roos to come live with her in her crumbling estate. This should have been a bright new beginning for Roos but then someone is found dead...... The book is told in the past where readers are privy to Roos life doing seances, living with Agnes, and how the death occurred. In the other timeline, readers see Roos being treated by Doctor Montague, who is tasked with determining if Roos can stand trial. Is Ruth real? Roos knows she is, she has had a close and loving relationship with her... As I mentioned, this book is creepy, eerie, and bizarre. It is oozing with atmosphere and an underlying tension. This book played out like an old black and white movie in my mind, with the characters in the cold, dark, crumbling estate. Roos and her relationship with both Anges and Ruth were intriguing. The unsettling feeling of something not being right, in fact the feeling that something is quite wrong permeates throughout the book. Is Roos being haunted or is Roos the one doing the haunting or is something else at play. What is real, what isn't real? You will need to read to find out. 📖 Overall, I found this to be well written, gripping, and well thought out. I especially enjoyed the sections between Roos and Dr. Montague. I also loved the unsettling vibe in this book. I thought the author did a fantastic job setting the stage and providing a chilling read. #mydarlingdreadfulthing #poisonedpenpress #bookreview, , #openbookposts #bookblogger, #johannavanveen #horror
𝗠𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗦𝗜𝗦: Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth—strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries—is the only good thing in Roos’ life, which is filled with sordid backroom séances organized by her mother. That is, until wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop attends one of these séances and asks Roos to come live with her at the crumbling estate she inherited upon the death of her husband. The manor is unsettling, but the attraction between Roos and Agnes is palpable. So how does someone end up dead? Roos is caught red-handed, but she claims a spirit is the culprit. Doctor Montague, a psychologist tasked with finding out whether Roos can be considered mentally fit to stand trial, suspects she’s created an elaborate fantasy to protect her from what really happened. But Roos knows spirits are real; she’s loved one of them. She’ll have to prove her innocence and her sanity, or lose everything. 𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦: First can I say the cover is everything. Seriously it’s so gorgeous to me. 𝗠𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 was the epitome of gothic horror and I am so surprised it’s a debut novel. It’s tragic and dreary making it the perfect rainy day read. I felt so much for Roos, and found myself wishing I had a spirit companion. It was set in the 50s and kind of gave me Rebecca vibes. If you enjoy gothic horror, or atmospheric and dreadful reads, 𝗠𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 should be on your TBR! Thanks to @poisonedpenpress and @sourcebooks for my eARC. This will be published next week! 𝗤𝗢𝗧𝗗: If you had a spirit companion, would you embrace it or try to get rid of it?
● Book Feature & Review! When She Was Me • Marlee Bush Pub Date: 5.7.2024 Thank you so much @poisonedpenpress and @marleebushwriter for sending me this e-arc to read and review! Ok. Wow. This book keeps you sitting in the shadows of secrets and suspense from beginning until the end when the truth bursts through making your jaw drop and drool on the floor. I am still processing everything I read and questioning my own brain's ability to absorb the twistiness. The atmospheric setting is creepy and cringy and absolutely perfect for the story of these sisters, hiding and running from someone? Something? Multiple pov’s and flashbacks add to the intense mystery of it all. Overall, it is an outstanding and addictive debut thriller from this author, who I am sure will give us more nail-biting thrill rides in the future! 📖 Summary: There's only one way out of these woods… Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, their refuge on an isolated Tennessee campground, they manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies. Just the two of them, Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost. Until a teenage girl camping at the neighboring cabin goes missing, and the memories come rushing back. As the crime becomes ever more recognizable—they know better than anyone that so-called 'happy families' can be anything but—each sister suspects the other knows more than she's letting on. Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened—and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts—before it's too late. #WhenSheWasMe #MarleeBush #PoisonedPenPress
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 - 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝑴𝒆 "𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒆. 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆." Since that ominous night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have remained inseparable, residing as the solitary permanent occupants of Cabin Two, their sanctuary in an isolated Tennessee campground. Shielded from prying eyes, intrusive questions, and the fascination of true crime enthusiasts, they face the world together. The serene ambiance almost lulls them into forgetting the haunting events of their past—almost, until the disappearance of a teenage camper from a neighboring cabin triggers a rush of memories. As the crime unfolds with eerie familiarity, both sisters suspect the other harbors secrets. Surrounded by the oppressive wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must unravel the truth of their past and confront the sinister secrets lurking within, before it's too late. For a debut novel, it has a very interesting premise which really piqued my interest. Although this book is sort of a slow burn for me, I enjoyed every bit of it. The storytelling of each other’s perspective builds the suspense and tension between Cassie and Lenora. Phenomenal! Marlee Bush successfully brought the creepiness of the story to life. It kept me guessing until the very end. And I would also like to point out that all the questions that I have formulated were answered towards the end. 🆁🅰🆃🅸🅽🅶: ★★★★ This book by @marleebushwriter will be published on May 7, 2024. Thank you @poisonedpenpress for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. . . . . . #arc #arcreader #arcreview #netgalley #netgalleyreads #poisonedpenpress #whenshewasme #marleebush #bookstagram #bookstaph #readersofinstagram #rannewithbooks #bookcommunity #bookish
Nate and Eve Bennett are a married couple and both teachers at the same high school. Last year, the school was rocked by a scandal involving a teacher and a student. This year, Addie, the involved student, has both Nate and Eve for teachers. One of them thinks she’s smart and misunderstood, the other is skeptical of Addie. But neither spouse in this academic couple is perfect either. Even though I flew through The Teacher in two days, it’s an over-the-top story, with an “ick” factor. There are alternating POVs in this fast-paced story with some predictability, although there was one particular twist I definitely didn’t see coming — ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #TheTeacher #PoisonedPenPress #SuspenseStories #ThrillerBooks #2024releases #bookreview #readersofig #igreads #MoreBooksLessAlgorithm
Just getting into this ARC from @poisonedpenpress because, well…life 😆 Seems like the perfect slow-burn summer thriller 🏚️👯♀️ Pub date May 7th ✨ ABOUT THE BOOK Ever since that night, Cassie and Lenora are inseparable—they’ve been on their own, and that’s how they like it. As the sole permanent residents of Cabin Two, the twins manage to stay away from prying eyes, probing questions, and true crime junkies but when a teenage girl in a neighboring cabin goes missing, the memories come rushing back. Each sister suspects the other knows more than she’s letting on—but what happens when the person you trust most is the person you’re most afraid of? #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #advancedreadercopy #whatimreading #whenshewasme #marleebush #poisonedpenpress
⭐️Review- When She Was Me by Marlee Bush⭐️ Rating: 3 Stars Genre: Mystery/ Thriller Format: eARC (Netgalley) Published: May 7th, 2024 by Poisoned Pen Press My Thoughts: I was so excited when I received a copy of this eBook from Net Galley. Poisoned Pen Press always releases book that peak my interest. When She Was Me definately peaked my interest. The biggest selling point was the twin aspect, there’s so many ways that that trope (does twins count as a trope? lol) can go. Now unfortunately me and this book didn’t jive for some reason. I enjoyed the alternating time frames and it definitely tricked me (I can’t tell you more or it would spoil it). I have guessed the ending, but the other half I didn’t see coming. And this was a quick read for me. I would still recommend it to mystery/ thriller lovers. I think other readers will have rated it higher. The characters I didn’t really connect with. Like I previously stated I enjoyed the twin trope. I think I was a bit confused at the whole “why?” The story is actually unfolding and some of the parts I got lost. Sometimes I couldn’t remember which twin was who when they were doing things so it would confuse the storyline for me. The Tilly part still seems weird to me because we don’t really get the details even when we find out. And Lenora’s like nightmares/ dreams parts were confusing and they actually made me believe that the book was going to have a supernatural element (which I don’t like so I’m glad that was a incorrect guess on my part). The character that was the most interesting to me is Wayne and we learn nothing about him lol. Like I mentioned earlier I think a lot of people will love this story it just wasn’t the best I have read but it was still a good read. Thanks again to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy to review. #read #talkwordytometeam #review #bookreview #reviewer #bookreviewer #books #booksta #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ilovebooks #ilovereading #booknerd #bookworm #bibliophile #whenshewasme #marleebush #poisonedpenpress #mysterythriller
First of all, thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for providing an arc of the book. This book will be released on 5th March 2024. 🌱🌱 Step into the intense world of “The Inmate,” where nurse practitioner Brooke Sullivan navigates the treacherous corridors of a men’s maximum-security prison, bound by three strict rules. With tension as thick as the prison walls, Brooke harbors a dangerous secret: her intimate past with Shane Nelson, a notorious inmate serving a life sentence for heinous crimes. As Brooke struggles to uphold professionalism, Shane’s vengeful gaze follows her every move, threatening to expose the truth. 🌱🌱 It was an enjoyable, quick read that kept me interested in the plot. Startled, I dreamed of diving into this novel to bring some logic to it, or hoping to God that Freida would soon make more intelligent heroines. The protagonist was often far too trusting of this man, which drove me a bit insane. I also felt that some of the story twists were so obvious that they almost had me roll my eyes. 🌱🌱 This has it all: thrills, crime, mystery, suspense, and chillingly dark secrets! Heart-pounding, nerve-racking, and never-ending suspense. I believed I had this thrilling thriller figured out from the start! Despite this, I found the novel to be engaging and read quickly. I had a hard time putting the book down after devouring it in two sittings. My brain was spinning, especially the last ten chapters. She writes twists like no other, therefore I’ll be reading her other works! 🌱🌱 Rating of the book- 4.5⭐/5⭐ 🌱🌱 For the full review, click the link in the bio! 🌱🌱 #qotd🌸 - Do you prefer reading books that are part of a larger literary canon or those that stand alone? #advancereadercopy #digitalarc #friedamcfadden #NetGalley #penguinindia #poisonedpenpress #reviewcollaboration #reviewcopy #theinmate #thriller #thrillerbook #thrillerreads #thrillersandsuspense
Episode 132 of Making It Up is out and features Danny Cherry Jr. Danny is a Customer Service Representative with an MBA, and he writes political and personal essays; novels; narrative nonfiction; and short stories. He has written for Buzzfeed News, Politico, The Daily Beast, and more; and fiction for Apex Magazine, Fiyah Lit Mag, amongst others. His first novel, The Pike Boys, came out in January 2024 and is a 1920s organized crime drama set in New Orleans. His story “Brief Life Story of Lila” was added to the Locus Magazine recommended reading list for 2022, as well as the BEST AMERICAN SCI-FI & FANTASY 2023 notable stories list. Among other things, Danny and I discuss how a business degree helps writers appreciate the craft of writing, how writers can take inspiration from television, and the process of self-publishing. At the end of our conversation, we make up a short story using a line from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Like all episodes, this is available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. #makingitup #makingituppodcast #carterwilsonauthor #poisonedpenpress #podcast #writingpodcast #thrillerbooks #mystery #currentreads #bookstagram #booknerd #instareads #readersofinstagram #thriller #lovetoread #bookcommunity #thrillers #authorinterview #authors #bestsellingauthor #thrillerauthorublishing #readingisfun #bookclub #bestauthors #DannyCherryJr #DannyCherry #DannyCherryauthor #ThePikeBoysnovel #ThePikeBoys #DannyCherryThePikeBoys
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 🗝️ I always have a good time reading Freida Mcfadden. 😊 I love the Housemaid series and Millie especially. Millie’s character is always doing shocking and unexpected things. I didn’t see most of the twists coming. 🗝️ Thank you so much @poisonedpenpress for the ARC, I fangirl for you guys always 🫶🏻🥰 This book comes out June, 11, 2024 💕 Description: I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve. Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills… The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors. Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here? I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all? #freidamcfadden #thehousemaid #thehousemaidiswatching #poisonedpenpress #sourcebooks #thrillerbook #thrillerbooks #thrillerbookrec #thrillerbookrecs #bookreviews
Thanks to @NetGalley, @PoisonedPenPress, and @Sourcebooks for this copy of "When She Was Me." Cassie and Lenora are identical twins who are living? hiding? in a cabin in a campground in Tennessee. Lenora's unreliable memories and PTSD have caused agoraphobia but she does leave the cabin when she sleepwalks at night. When a new family rents one of the cabins and their teen daughter is found dead, Cassie and Lenora are afraid the past may be repeating itself. The ending was explosive and completely unexpected. I understand now why part of the story felt disjointed, so if you feel that it's moving a little slowly, just know that the end is worth it. #NetGalley #PoisonedPenPress #Sourcebooks #WhenSheWasMe
Finished this today. Easily 5 stars. This book takes place 11 years in the future, following Millie and Enzo. The characters are *chefs kiss*. The plot is phenomenal, and the TWIST OMG. I can’t wait for this to be released in June! @fmcfaddenauthor @poisonedpenpress @netgalley #arc #advancedreaderscopy #freidamcfadden #poisonedpenpress #thriller #thehousemaidseries #books #bookstagram #bookrecommendation #booklover #booknerd #bookaddict #bookcommunity
✨When She Was Me ~ Book Review✨ By Marlee Bush Publication Date: May 7, 2024 I feel like my mind is swirling down an endless drain. Not knowing what just happened or who is who. The story slightly blurred, making for an intensely dark read that will leave you racing up the basement stairs. Knowing someone is watching, every hair on your body at attention. The need to close your eyes and feel safe mounting with every step. Cassie and Lenora have been tucked away in Cabin 2, at a campground in Tennessee. Hiding out and trying to recover from their traumatic childhood. Which is being feed to you piece by piece. The puzzle coming slightly into focus, but just out of reach. Lenora does not leave the cabin, only venturing to the bathhouse. She watches everything from the safety of their cabin windows. Cassie feels the draw outside. The crisp, icy air fills her lungs, her bare feet numb as she walks around the deserted campground. When Wayne, the eccentric owner passes away. His son is eager to make a quick sale. Making the future shaky for Cassie and Lenora. When a young teenager disappears from one of the three cabins, a search begins. Ending in tragedy with everyone questioning who did it. This is a highly intense family drama. That plays out before your eyes with a dual timeline. Bringing you back to that horrifying day that led the twins to living in this desolate campground. The lies people bury deep, the lines family cross, and the truth finally setting everyone free. That final twist making my jaw drop and question everything I just read. Thank you to @marleebushwriter and @poisonedpenpress for this heart pounding read. Today is my birthday! What is your dream birthday❓ Eating out with friends, traveling, reading, clubbing… #WhenSheWasMe #MarleeBush #thriller #mystery #review #reviews #bookreviews #poisonedpenpress #diveintoagoodbook #fiction #bookish #weekendread #fridayishere #booklove #coverlove #booksbooksbooks
~ THE DROWNING HOUSE by Cherie Priest 🥀 • Publication: July 23, 2024. An atmospheric horror! I enjoyed the majority of the book, it was slow-paced and the mystery kept me glued until the very end. Told in 3rd person with different well done POVs and timelines. It had some really creepy moments. Where it lost me? There was very little character development. Not many things were answered and I feel the ending was more fantasy than anything else, I could not take it seriously at all. The build up was good but not so much the delivery. It’s more of a 3.5 rounded up to 4 since I did enjoy the majority of it. Like always, opinion is my own so do give it a try if the premise interests you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Thank you to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. ~ Synopsis ~ A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a rural Pacific Northwest beach, stopping the heart of the only woman who knows what it means. Her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes in the aftermath, leaving two of his childhood friends to comb the small, isolated island for answers—but decades have passed since Melissa and Leo were close, if they were ever close at all. Now they’ll have to put aside old rivalries and grudges if they want to find or save the man who brought them together in the first place—and on the way they’ll learn a great deal about the sinister house on the beach, the man who built it, and the evil he’s bringing back to Marrowstone Island. • Q: What’s your current read? • • #cheriepriest #thedrowninghouse #poisonedpenpress #arc #netgalley #goodreads #bookstagram #bookcommunity #bookrecommendations #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookrecs #horror #horrorreads #thrillerbookstagram #thrillerreads
Starting When She Was Me by @marleebushwriter Pub date is May 7th Pages: 336 Publisher: @poisonedpenpress "Trapped in the isolating, claustrophobic wilderness, Cassie and Lenora must piece together the truth of what happened—and the sinister truth lurking in their own pasts—before it's too late." Isolation/ wilderness is one of my top tropes, so I'm really looking forward to this one. . . . #grimdreadful #currentlyreading #marleebush #mysterybooks #thrillerbooks #psychologicalthriller #psychologicalfiction #bookstagramcanada #bookstagram #bookrelease2024 #poisonedpenpress #books #reading #thrillerbookstagram
WHEN SHE WAS ME ✨Coming Soon! 5/7/24✨ ⭐ 5 ➡ Description I read my share of thrillers and this one definitely is at the top for jaw dropping twists that I never saw coming. Cassie and Lenora are twins who are inseparable, especially after that fateful night. Now they live in a cabin in a remote cabin campground. When a young girl nearby goes missing, they are forced to remember events they've tried so hard to forget. This is a fantastic book! It's the perfect creepy thriller that keeps you anxious, nervous to read at night, and checking that your doors are locked It's full of twists and secrets that you don't see coming up until the last page. The connection between Cassie and Lenora was so well woven together. The side characters were well thought out, and every interaction served to propel the story forward. The story is told in dual timeline and this format served the story so well. The setting is immersive and you feel like you're there with the characters trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the girl. What book still makes your jaw drop when you think about it? (For better or worse 😂) Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for an early digital review copy. . . . #whenshewasme #psychologicalthriller #bookreview #whattoread #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #fivestarread #lnpxpoisonedpen #poisonedpenpress
This book has become my new favorite for 2024! It’s dark and beautiful. It will haunt you long after you have finished. I cannot get it out of my mind and keep coming back to it. It published on May 14th 2024. #arc #netgalley #booktok #gothic #beautifulbooks #haunting #mydarlingdreadfulthing #johannavanveen #poisonedpenpress
When She Was Me by Marlee Bush Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. It releases on May 7th, let's dive in. 💜 The prologue had me instantly intrigued, and it was very hard to put this down. I did figure out the one twist about half way through, but it didn't take away from the overall greatness of the book for me. It is told from multiple POVs, which I did really like! Overall it was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 read for me 💕 "There's only one way out of these woods... Ever since that night, twin sisters Cassie and Lenora have been inseparable. It's Cassie and Lenora against the world. The peace and quiet of cabin two, located on an isolated campground, is almost enough to make them forget what happened all those years ago. Almost." #netgalley #arcreader #poisonedpenpress #momswhoreadthrillers #bookstagrammer
☔️ A P R I L 🌷 W R A P U P 🦋 April, you were such an incredible month for 5 star reads! Was I ever on a hot streak 🔥! This month I crushed 10 arcs and 4 books off of my towering TBR shelf! My Netgalley is now sitting pretty at an 89% feedback ratio 🫶🏻!! I am so thankful to the tagged authors, publishers and Netgalley for all of my advanced copies! I truly had an amazing month of reading 🫶🏻!! Thank you also to @sarahskindleshelf for the adorable reading tracker! Total Books Read: 14 Physical Books: 6 E-Books: 8 Total Pages Read: 4239 April F A V E S: If Something Happens to Me, A Lovely Lie and This Summer Will Be Different Please see below 👇🏼 for my rating breakdown on all of my April reads! PS. Don’t forget to check out my full reviews on them: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 -IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME @alexfinlayauthor -THE PARIS AFFAIR @pipdrysdale -MURDER ROAD @simonestjames -A LOVELY LIE @jaimelynnhendricksauthor -THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT @carleyfortune -A FRIEND IN THE DARK @sbaileybooks 🖤🖤🖤🖤 -HIGH SOCIETY @danielkallawrites -THE OFF SEASON @ambercowie -WHEN SHE WAS ME @marleebushwriter -WINTERKILL @ragnarjo -ONE PERFECT COUPLE 🖤🖤🖤 -THE LIES AMONG US @sarahbethdurst -BAD APPLE @alicehunter_author -DEVICE FREE WEEKEND ⁉️ WHAT were a couple of your favourite books read in April?? Any 5 stars?? #aprilwrapup #aprilreadingwrapup #aprilreads #thatsawrap #bookbloggers #bookbloggersofinstagram #bookbloggerlife #bookbloggershub #bookinfluencers #bookreviewers #bookreviewblog #bookreviewblogger #bookreviewersofig #thrillerswineandchill #simonschusterca #minotaurbooks #stmartinspress #netgalleyreads #berkleypublishing #penzlerpublishers #penguinrandomhouse #lakeunionpublishing #poisonedpenpress #amazonpublishing #orendabooks #grandcentralpublishing #advancedreaderscopy #canadianbookcrew
#CurrentRead: When She Was Me by Marlee Bush! 📚❤️ #NetGalley #ARC #AdvanceCopy #PoisonedPenPress #BookLover #BookNerd #BookWorm #Bookstagram #ReadersOfInstagram #IGReads #SoManyBooksSoLittleTime Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰✨ The Inmate - Freida McFadden “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐬… 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦-𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬: 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭.𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬. 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝-𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭―𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭.” Thank you @RaincoastBooks & @PoisonedPenPress for the copy! McFadden has cemented herself as the psychological thrillers queen amongst bookstagram and TikTok and this one certainly helps solidify that! She has a knack for creating popcorn thrillers that are always incredibly entertaining and easily bingeable! Are the plots sometimes a bit far fetched? Certainly. But if I’m intrigued enough to fly through it, I can effortlessly move past that. McFadden also knows how to flawlessly execute a jaw dropping epilogue and this one will surely leave you shook! 💭What book are you finishing the month off with? ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Goodreads - 4.08 Genre - Thriller #TheInmate #FreidaMcFadden #RaincoastBooks #PoisonedPenPress #PsychologicalThriller #PopcornThriller #ThrillingRead #Thriller #MysteryThriller #ThrillerBookAddict #ThrilledByThrillers #ThrillerBookBabe #BookLover #BookedUpBabe #BookishCanadian #ThrillerThursday #LitChick #CanadianBookstagram #PlantsAndBooks #BooksAndPlants
Episode 131 of Making It Up is out and features Peter Blauner, who is the author of nine novels, including Slow Motion Riot, winner of an Edgar Allan Poe award for best first novel from Mystery Writers of America, and The Intruder, a New York Times bestseller and a bestseller overseas. He began his career as a journalist for New York magazine in the 1980s and segued into writing fiction in the 1990s. He has been a staff writer for several television shows, including Law & Order: SVU and Blue Bloods. His new novel, Picture in the Sand, which spans sixty years and the distance from Hollywood to Cairo, was published in January, 2023 and is his first work of historical fiction. Among other things, Peter and I discuss writing for television and how it differs from writing novels, the transition from journalism to fiction, and complications when writing historical fiction. At the end of our conversation, we make up a suspenseful story using a line from John Grisham’s The Rainmaker. Like all episodes, this is available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. #makingitup #makingituppodcast #carterwilsonauthor #poisonedpenpress #podcast #writingpodcast #thrillerbooks #mystery #currentreads #bookstagram #booknerd #instareads #readersofinstagram #thriller #lovetoread #bookcommunity #thrillers #authorinterview #authors #bestsellingauthor #thrillerauthorublishing #readingisfun #bookclub #bestauthors #PeterBlauner #PeterBlaunderauthor #PictureintheSand #PictureintheSandnovel #SlowMotionRiot #TheIntruder
Through the Midnight door🚪 If you love creepy haunted house vibes and a great story about sisters, this is one you won’t want to miss! A story about grief, trauma, and a little bit of supernatural. @katrinamonroeauthor always writes the most unique books. Pub. Day: August 13! Thankyou so much @katrinamonroeauthor @netgalley @poisonedpenpress for the advanced copy. . . . #throughthemidnightdoor #katrinamonroe #poisonedpenpress #netgalley #netgalleyreads #bookrecommendations #bookreview #booklover #readersofinstagram #igreads #socalbooksta
“I was never a happy child. I think that, if I had been, things would have gone very differently with me. For one, I don’t think Ruth would have become my constant companion. Spirits like her are not drawn to the happy and carefree; they want salt, be it blood or be it tears.” My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Thank you @PoisonedPenPress and NetGalley for my copy of #MyDarlingDreadfulThing . This has climbed to one of my favourite books of the year, yes I know it’s only April. This is the authors debut novel, and this gothic love letter was beautifully disturbing. It’s given to us in two POVs, the main character Roos and the doctors interviews. Roos and her spirit companion help her mother make money by performing seances, until she is whisked away by a beautiful widow who has more in common with Roos than she could have expected. This is defiantly a book for gothic fans to keep an eye ont for and pick up when it comes out May 14th.
Celebrating Independent Bookstore Day with bookseller Art Kieres, owner of the incomparable Bergen Book Studio @bergenbookstudio in Hillsdale, NJ. If you love reading, you’ll love this store 📚📚📚 #indiebookstoreday #indiebookstore #independentbookstoreday #independentbookstore #mysterywritersofamerica #authorsofinstagram #booktour #sistersincrime #poisonedpenpress #sourcebooks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tricia and Ethan are headed to view a house for sale, when a snow storm blows through leaving them stranded at the house overnight. When Tricia finds a secret closet filled with audio transcripts of the therapy sessions the old owner conducted, she can’t help but start listening. something is off, will she be able to get to the bottom of it? Freida is always a quick and enjoyable read! I listened to this one on audio and as always with Freida, I enjoyed every second! you certainly have to suspend a little disbelief, but the story immediately pulled me in and kept me listening until the very end. If you have enjoyed Freida’s other books, look no further than Never Lie! Thank you to @poisonedpenpress for my gifted copy of this book! #NeverLie #FriedaMcFadden #PoisonedPenPress #BookReview
Book Review: Emma C. Wells "This Girl's a Killer". Cordelia Black is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Cordelia's has a simple life including her job, her best friend Diane, and Diane's daughter, Sugar. Cordelia considers these two people are her family. Sugar, is her goddaughter. Another thing Cordelia is devoted to in her life is "killing dangerous, bad men." This Girl's a Killer reminded me of Dexter from its first chapters. However, I guess I don't generally read many novels written from the killer's perspective. I'm more used to getting to know a killer through the detectives' eyes. For this reason, the novel will be more satisfying to those who like to read the whole process from the killer's eyes. Some scenes may be disturbing while reading. Because Cordelia also explains how she get rid of the men's body that she killed. If you don't generally enjoy reading or watching scenes of detailed physical harm, you may find it difficult to read at sometimes. There are not many characters in the novel. Characters other than Cordelia are described as much as how Cordelia feels towards them. The main person the author wants to introduce to us is Cordelia. And her hatred towards men. Her hatred for bad men. Chapters are short. There are quick-read chapters, short paragraphs and sentences. The novel progresses in a very "active" way. There is constant movement. Thoughts constantly move together with physical movement. It's easy to focus on the novel while reading. There were moments where I felt like someone who had trouble concentrating was explaining something quickly. Thank you to #NetGalley, the author, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. . . #karelervesayfalar #thisgirlsakiller #poisonedpenpress #book #bookreview #serialkiller #crime #crimebooks #crimefiction #suspense #books #bookaholic #booklogger #bookcover #booknerd #arc #bookrecommendations #bookish #bookcommunity #bookishfeatures #read #readingtime📖 #igreads #readersgonnaread #readersofinstagram #readers #bookoftheday #bookaddict #kitap
That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NetGalley Review 'A building is a building. Sticks and stones. Concrete and steel. It wishes its inhabitants no harm. A building doesn’t dream or weep or hope, any more than the carved lions that stand in front of it do. It has no ideas, no opinions. A library is a building full of ideas and opinions. A contradiction!' (Davey) Seven students meet in their rare books library to perform a ritual to free themselves from the fear of death. No one is allowed in the library after closing, so when the lights go out and only the seven of them remain, the night turns deadly. It's a great locked room mystery told from seven povs with a twisty end. The characters are insufferable, so I do think you need to try and put this aside to enjoy the book because it is great. In this library, you don't just work and read your consumed by it. "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, your secret movements make me wary" Publication Date: 11th June 2024 Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers @poisonedpenpress for the digital copy. #netgalleybookreview #netgalley #netgalleyarc #netgalleyuk #netgalleyreview #netgalleyuk #poisonedpenpress #thatnightinthelibrary #evajurczyk #bookreview #review #lockedroommystery #thrillerread #multiplepovs #recommendthisbook #justreadthis #justfinishedreading #readandreviewed
📕📘REVIEW: THE COWORKER BY FREIDA MCFADDEN ❓️ #QOTD Turtles are symbolic in this novel. What animal is symbolic to you? 👠Published in 2023 by Poisoned Pen Press, The Coworker by Freida McFadden is a tale of revenge, the ripple effects of bullying, past trauma, a toxic workplace, mental illness, self-harm, dark deals and violence. Consuming, twisty and tense, this is a signature Freida McFadden read. 👠The Coworker is the story of two women who both work at the same company named Vixed. Things get out of hand when the company's strange accountant and the popular sales rep become involved in a dangerous cat and mouse game. But just who is the victim here? 👠The Coworker presents the fourth Freida McFadden I have read in a row. It is safe to say I'm pretty much locked in a mighty Freida McFadden reading binge session. I have read book after book of these highly readable stories from the bestselling author. The Coworker is delivered via multiple points of view with the inclusion of a number of email segments woven throughout. The Coworker offers readers a suspenseful and intriguing narrative of a long-standing crime. It took me a little longer than usual to warm to this one and I’m not entirely sure if I fully connected to the characters in this particular Freida McFadden release. I felt that Dawn was portrayed very well, she was super quirky possibly on the spectrum, but I can’t say that I sympathised with her. Same with Natalie, the other main character the side cast, but I applaud McFadden for her cast relations. The Coworker is a slow burn style thriller, with plenty of cogs set in pace before the full turn to the finale begins. Be prepared for plenty of slippery dips along the way. The Coworker represents another addictive read from psychological thriller royalty Freida McFadden. 🌟🌟🌟🌟4 stars
Book Review 🪵 📖 When She Was Me by Marlee Bush Thank you @poisonedpenpress for the gifted ARC. Blurb: “A nail-biting story of sisterhood, suspicion, and suspense. When She Was Me weaves together past and present seamlessly to create a twist you won’t see coming.” — Tracy Sierra ✨My thoughts: I loved this! It was a fast an ominous read that I couldn’t put down. Deep diving into sister bonds, the unreliable narrator was the star of the show for me. I truly did not see that twist coming. Deep in the woods, isolated, and creepy… Marlee Bush really gave us a backdrop to be unsettled in. I haven’t read too many books using the twin trope but if they’re anything like this, sign me up to read more! I loved the story, loved the writing, and I can’t wait to read more by this author. This is a book I want to get a finished copy of to keep on my shelves! When She Was Me is out 5/7/24! You won’t want to miss it. Happy reading 📖🪵✨ #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #arcreview #arc #bookreviewersofinstagram #bbeccamarie #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #whenshewasme #poisonedpenpress #marleebush #debut #mustread
Have you ever just been in a terrible mood and somehow ended up in a bookstore? A little book-buying therapy goes a long way. Thank you to the wonderful cashier at Barnes and Noble who laughed with me at the vast difference in genre. I was feeling a little bitty stabby and a little bit sappy. #booktherapy #thecarrowhaunt #darcycoates #delilahgreendoesntcare #ashleyherringblake #horrorbooks #lgbqtbooks #berkleypublishing #poisonedpenpress
ARC REVIEW 👯♀️WHEN SHE WAS ME👯♀️ Author: Marlee Bush Genre: Thriller Pub Date: May 7, 2024 Rating: 4⭐️ This is a very solid debut novel from Marlee Bush! There were many elements that I really enjoyed in this: unreliable narrators, dual timelines and POVs, suspense, isolated setting, and it was super atmospheric. I really loved the strong bond between twin sisters Cassie and Lenora. The exploration into their bond and the idea of “the twin thing” was well done. The addition of the dark past timeline was fun, because it wasn’t ever specified whose perspective we are reading. This kept me interested and constantly guessing whose perspective I was reading. Much of the middle of this novel kind of lulled for me in terms of twists and action, but there were some sprinklings of mysterious figures appearing and ominous dreams and flashbacks. The last bit of the story does pick up and ends pretty strong with a twist I didn’t see coming. It moves quick, but I found it to be pretty effective. Overall, this was a very fast read, and I really enjoyed this debut! I am so excited to see what else we’ll be getting from Marlee Bush! Thank you @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! ❓Would you rather live in a secluded cabin in the woods? 🌲🏡🪵 Or would you rather live in a secluded beach house? 🏠🌊☀️
About to dive into this ARC from @poisonedpenpress and @staciegreyauthor and I can already tell I'm going to love it. Keep an eye out for a review soon! Releases May 14th. Blurb: Twenty years ago, she survived. This time she may not be so lucky. On the night that changed everything, Amy Brewer walked out of a house party, trudging angrily away from the friends who made her feel like she didn't belong. Within the next hour, all five of those friends would be dead. The Memorial Day Massacre, as it came to be called, rocked their small California community and Amy—the girl who had walked away just in time—couldn't escape the media circus...or the guilt. Twenty years later, ten people with connections to the crime have been invited to a remote cliffside house by a journalist looking to do a story on the murders. But the group quickly learns the event is not what it seems. As a storm closes in and guests begin to die, Amy realizes there is someone in the house who knows more than they admit about what happened that night long ago… and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. #sheleft #staciegrey #novel #thriller #mystery #bookstagram #arcreader #arc #poisonedpenpress