Novel but Nice

Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman My rating: 5 of 5 stars A slow build to a shocking discovery, this book will have you wondering what you would do!!! What an incredible debut novel this is for Catherine Steadman! While the book starts with a bang, the next 30% is a slow build as you get to know the characters. Then at about 35% the story takes a turn and readers will find themselves holding on for the ride, unsure of where they’ll end up!!! I was unsure about this book at first, but I have to say I ended up really enjoying it and found it to be a tantalizing premise for a story. I don’t even know what I’d compare this book to… Its really quite unique from other psychological thrillers, though I’m sure some comparisons (Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins) are bound to come up. I don’t want to make those though because I don’t think readers should go into this book expecting something similar to what they’ve already read. Enjoy this one on it’s own merit! Eri...

Last Girl Gone by J.G. Hetherton My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fantastic debut novel and an exciting start to a new series! I am drawn to books with a journalist as the lead (perhaps related to the fact that my grandfather was a notable journalist) because I think journalists are a great mix of detective and every-day person—and isn’t that all of our dream?? Laura Chambers is the lead character in what has been promised as a new series (they are calling this Laura Chambers #1 so I made the assumption) and she is a truly wonderful lead. She’s bold, uninhibited, vulnerable, driven, and empathetic. Just a truly wonderful mix of traits and Laura is a character I really connected with! I thought I’d enjoy this book, but it surpassed me expectations! Laura Chambers is down on her luck... Laura is back in her hometown in Hillsborough, North Carolina—a town she hoped she had left behind for good after high school. Working for the local paper is a big setback for Laura’s...

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris My rating: 5 of 5 stars Unsettling in the best possible way!!! Does anyone put the “psychology” into psychological thriller quite as well as B. A. Paris??? Paris really has a way with messed up characters and disturbing situations. This book is a mind game from the first chapter right through the very last page. I finished this book two days ago and the story is haunting me! What a great read! As happens with Paris, early reviews are largely positive, with a mix of “did-not-finish”. Most of those seem to struggle connecting with the characters. I urge readers to give this book time! You don’t always have to like all of the characters to enjoy the ride. And I think some characters will ultimately surprise you—all are not telling the full story right away, which made the development points for each character so compelling. This is a book that grows in suspense and makes you uneasy, right along with the characters. 12 years ago Finn is...

The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen My rating: 5 of 5 stars A wonderful, psychological thriller that will make you wonder what you would do if this happened to you!!! I am a big fan of Mary Torjussen’s last book Gone Without a Trace . As a psychologist, I always find books that deal with the character’s mindset effectively to be so compelling, and this is an area Mary really excels in as an author. This book was one I read in two days (which, for someone who works full-time and has a dissertation to write is quite an endorsement). The steady building of suspense in this book had the reader feeling slightly off-kilter along with the protagonist—and that is what made it so hard to put down! I found myself skipping my lunch break to read a bit more, and turning down plans for drinks after work because I just had to know what would happen next! Plot Gemma owns her own real estate business and loves her career. She has a wonderful husband and a beautiful son, but...

The Neighbor by Joseph Souza My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars Wow!!! Wtf but wow!!! 4.5 Stars! The Neighbors by Joseph Souza just really took me on a ride! This is absolutely a suspense/psychological thriller with some domestic noir and neighborhood noir thrown in the mix. I have seen this book compared to a mix of The Couple Next Door and Gone Girl, but it really is more than that (and different). I can understand why they marketed it that way, but there is a whole extra plotline not captured by those comparisons. I have seen mixed reviews, and so I want to state upfront that this book is a psychological thriller/domestic noir/neighborhood noir/suspense novel with an additional element of racial issues in this country. I don’t say this to spoil (this, I promise you, is not a spoiler), but I do want readers to be aware of that because it can be a controversial topic that some readers love, and others dislike. Plot Teaser Leah Daniels and her husband Clay have moved t...

The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow! The number of twists in this book had my head spinning! Jessica Knoll brings us a wonderful but terrifying portrayal of the dark side of sisterhood, leaving the reader wondering if the drama we see on Reality TV is actually less twisted than the truth. I found this novel absolutely captivating! Jessica’s use of alternating narrators kept me on my toes—I didn’t know who to trust or believe. Once I thought I had the dynamics and characters figured out, the narrator would change and everything I thought I knew was turned over. I have followed Jessica Knoll’s work since her days at Cosmopolitan Magazine, when she wrote her Josie stories. From there, I followed her blog as she kept Josie alive. Though I liked the Josie stories, it was really when she began writing about Elizabeth that I saw what is so special about Jessica as a writer. She writes damaged characters so well; I hate them, I love them, they...

Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison My rating: 5 of 5 stars Better than I could have imagined! This book was truly fantastic and worthy of the domestic noir/psychological thriller genres. I finished this yesterday and my head is still spinning from all of the twists and turns. I went into this book with some pretty big expectations, because so many of my favorite bloggers spoke highly of it. I have to say, it exceeding my expectations. Plot Teaser (Spoiler Free) A perfect couple... Ethan and Sutton Montclair are both successful authors, and the darlings of the literary world. They seem like the perfect couple, but there is so much darkness and deception lurking behind the doors of their beautiful Victorian mansion in Tennessee. There's is a marriage so full of passion, that at times it it becomes unhealthy. And then one day, Sutton disappears... Ethan awakens to find Sutton missing. Her normal routine has been broken, and he finds a note from her. Sutton says sh...

Silent Lies by Kathryn Croft My rating: 5 of 5 stars My first Kathryn Croft book (but not my last)! This is my first Kathryn Croft book, and I enjoyed it so much. I had seen a few of my Goodreads favorite reviewers post about it in the fall around publication, and I ordered it from Amazon right away. It went into my growing stack of books to read, and I'm so glad I finally picked it up. The pacing of this book is good, I didn't have parts that felt slow or too drawn out, which surprised me with the changes in time and perspective. Plot Teaser (Spoiler Free) 5 years ago... Mia's husband Zach is a college professor who teaches writing. They have an adorable daughter, Freya, and seem happy. But then, to Mia's surprise, Zach commits suicide. His body is found in the apartment of one of his college students, and the student has gone missing. The public goes after Mia, they know her husband is to blame for the girl's disappearance, and without hi...