“I know what you’re thinking. How can a whole person, a kid, disappear and no one say a word? Like if the sun just up and left one day, you’d think someone would sound an alarm, right? But Ma used to say, not everyone circles the same sun. I never knew what she meant by that until Monday went missing.” – 4.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: go-go music, dyslexia, nail polish, braids, friends from church, and good, caring teachers.

Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.

As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

This was tough to read at times… but it’s an unbelievable book.
In this book, we follow Claudia, our main character, who is trying to find her best friend, Monday, who vanished from the face of the Earth… and no one else seems to have noticed. They have a very strong bond, and they are very close, so Claudia feels lost without her and confused about where her friend is and why she didn’t tell her anything.
As far as characters go, the author did an amazing job developing every character with complexity and depth. They had very solid backstories, and they seemed… real. Which is very impressive!
The writing was very good! The only thing that threw me off a little was the “Before” and “After” chapter titles, because I assumed it was related to the time when Monday was found, but it turns out it was not related to that. I believe the author made that creative choice on purpose, but I personally think that didn’t work very well for this book. I found that very confusing and a weird addition.
Another thing I found interesting about this book is how it’s both a mystery/thriller story but also a coming-of-age story for our main character, Claudia. She was very dependent on her best friend, but she had to learn her way of navigating through school and growing up without her.
To conclude my thoughts on this book, I have one last thing I want to mention: I found out that this is a banned book in some schools in the USA. This is just my opinion, but I found this very odd. I understand this is a difficult book to read, but this would be a great opportunity to educate younger readers to be alerted about these very real situations. I did some research on this book, and I found out that this story was based on two popular murder cases: the Banita Jacks case and the Mitchelle Blair case. Both of these women murdered their own kids, and after learning more about them made me sick. If you are interested, check out the cases and see what was the inspiration behind them for the author. I’m glad the author used this book as a way of shedding some light on what happens to so many children every day. But I was a little disappointed to know that a lot of people are trying to ban this book in schools.
This was a very touching book that perfectly balanced the heartbreak of a loss, the search for the truth, and also the beauty of true friendship. It is a very impactful book, but not for the faint of heart! Highly recommend it.

“Stepping into her fire is a foregone conclusion. All I can hope is that the world doesn’t burn down around me when I do.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: auburn hair, event coordinators, world championships, complicated teammates, peppermints, and exes.

You don’t mess around with a teammate’s ex. Ever. But that’s easier said than done when it comes to Blair Carmichael. She’s sexy, intelligent, gorgeous, and one hundred percent off-limits.

And I’ve never fallen harder.

But I can’t touch (when I most definitely want to).

My team’s success and my chance at a new contract for next season depend on me keeping my hands on the wheel. And off her curves.

As the season progresses, we secretly steal as much time as we can together—in hotel rooms, after races, anywhere we can’t be found out. A real romance out in the open would risk her job in the industry, her reputation, and my image–not to mention my strained relationship with my teammate.

I’ve lived my whole life with one mantra. Team first. What I want outside of my racing career hasn’t factored in.

Until now.
Until Blair.

She deserves the world and I plan on giving it to her. Even if I have to walk away from the biggest contract of my career.

A forbidden, Formula 1 romance.

This was probably my favorite book from the entire series!
The story was incredibly sweet, and I loved the chemistry between this couple. I really liked Lachlan, the Aussie love interest whose main focus is to win the world championship, and Blair, the girl who is focused on her career. The plot was very interesting because it puts them in a sticky situation: Blair was on/off dating Lachlan’s teammate Rossi, who is a bit of a villain and doesn’t treat her well because he knows she always comes back to him. It’s definitely an interesting plot!
As you can tell, of course, Lachlan and Blair fall in love and connect deeply! They talked a lot, and they shared their dreams and stories… something Blair was not used to doing with Rossi. And that’s the beauty of this book: her finding what true respect and love are!
And you know the best part? The next book is about Rossi (the teammate) and his love story! I’m very curious to read about his story next, knowing that he appeared several times in previous books and that other characters don’t like him. Could there be a redemption arc on the horizon? This is 100% my cup of tea, so I’m expecting the next book to blow me away!
Definitely my favorite book in the series so far. Who knew Formula 1 books could be this fun?

“If every story had a happy ending, then we’d have no reason to start again. Life is all about choices, and learning how to put ourselves back together when we fall apart. Which we all do. Even the people who pretend they don’t.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: old chapels, dog shelters, snowstorms, handwritten letters, red kimonos, smiley faces in dust, prosopagnosia, movie adaptations, creaking steps, wedding anniversary gifts, paper cranes, cute dogs, thriller authors, vintage scissors, and sapphire rings.

Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.

Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.

Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.

Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.

This was INSANE!
I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while, and now that I have read it, I can’t believe I didn’t pick it up sooner because this book was hard to put down. After I finished the story, I needed a few minutes to sit in silence to process what I had just read because my head was spinning. There were so many crazy twists up to the very end!
It’s difficult to write about this story because I don’t want to spoil anything! It’s funny how I thought I knew what was going on throughout the book, but when that big plot twist came… I was floored. And the best part is that it kept going! It was plot twist after plot twist until the very end.
I really liked the writing in this. The atmosphere was very eerie and creepy, so it set the perfect tone for the story, which is already unsettling. I really liked the alternating chapters between Adam, Amelia, Robin (all in the present), and then the wedding anniversary letters (in the past). My only complaint is that the pacing is a little slow for the first half of the book. As far as characters go, most of them suck and are very unlikeable, but I still liked reading about them (is that weird?). Well, Bob, the dog, was the most likable character, I’m sure other readers would agree on that!
Another thing that I’m not sure what to think about is that there are some ambiguous parts left on purpose by the author. It’s definitely not regarding for most of the plot, which is awesome because it would drive me crazy, but there are a few things that were left for the reader to decide what the truth is. Again, I didn’t mind this too much because most ends are not left loose, but there are a couple of things that were left open on purpose – so I’m warning you, in case that’s something that would bother you while reading this.
And as a last note… was Henry’s character inspired by Stephen King? I couldn’t help but imagine him as Henry 🙂
It was a really clever thriller, I’m very surprised! I have to start reading more from Alice Feeney, because she writes phenomenal stories.

“I didn’t want him morally grey. I wanted someone with a soul as black as night. Someone who would burn the world down for me and not lose a single minute of sleep over it.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: morally grey heroes, social media, security cameras, trauma nurses, cute cats, masks, knives, fake blood, and a lot of stalking.

“I don’t need another kink.”

That thought pops into my head whenever I pull up my favorite social media app, but alas, every time I scroll, I learn something new about myself, and another one is born. And yes, I know I’m responsible for what the algorithm shows me, but I’m trying to ignore that fact.

Lately, my feed has been dominated by masked men. I’ve favorited videos with them dressed in full cosplay, decked out in futuristic military apparel, and wrapped up like ghouls.

But more than anything else, my FYP is filled with shirtless men wearing ghost masks. Bonus points if they’re heavily tattooed, wielding a knife, or covered in fake blood. At night, I dream about being chased by them, of them catching me and doing deliciously dark things to my more than willing body.

I never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become my new reality.

Lights Out is a fast-paced dark romance with a morally grey male lead. Some themes and scenes may be disturbing to readers. Please check the TWs at the beginning of the book.

A very interesting taboo romance!
Yup, TikTok made me read it… and I’m surprised to say that I enjoyed it very much. I’m usually not very into social media-themed books, but I didn’t mind that aspect in the book that much because the romance and plot made it great.
I really liked the dark romance and the dynamics between the 2 main characters. There was so much tension mixed with curiosity! I liked their banter and chemistry, and how safe he made her feel at all times.
The writing was engaging, and it was hard to put the book down from the very start. The only reason why I didn’t rate this higher was because of the last 1/3 of the book. The plot gets a little too crazy for my taste (and not in a good way).
It was definitely a very interesting and unique book to binge on! I know the next book in the series has been out since June, so I think I’ll pick it up soon.

“Sugar, you deserve to go out on your own terms. Just because you got dusted doesn’t mean you’re done.” – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: small towns, riding acidents, ADHD, town bars, muscle tees, and… cheesy nicknames.

She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.
For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.
Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.
Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

This was a fun, quick read.
I think I judged this book too soon, because I looked at the cover and thought this would be like an old cowboy romance book. It turns out it was a contemporary read, so I was wrong. A little disappointing, but that’s on me for not reading the synopsis.
Honestly, there’s nothing too interesting about this book. It was a forgettable kind of story if I’m being honest – not bad, just kind of forgettable. The romance was… okay? It’s an instalove kind of story, which it’s not really my favorite trope to begin with, and full of smut that was not really entertaining because there was little romance development. Honestly, I was more interested in the sparks between Teddy and Gus (the brother and the best friend).
It was an okay book, not a mind-blowing book, but I still had fun reading it. Hope the next books have better plots!

“One thing I learned a long time ago is that even if you think you’re meant to be with someone, that doesn’t necessarily mean you get to be with them.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: quarterbacks, scholarships, injuries, and heartbreak.

ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she’s ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he’s also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan’s feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart’s on the line?

This was cute.
I was in the mood to read a really soft and easy YA romance, and this did the trick! But maybe I had high expectations, given that so many people love this book – but in the end, it was just okay for me.
I’m a huge fan of sports romances (especially YA and NA), so I really thought I would love this one. Also, the main character is a bit of a tomboy, so extra points for that! I liked the main plot of the book, but I think the execution wasn’t the best. The romance with Ty annoyed me a little, so that’s also part of the reason why I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would.
Again, it was okay. It was still entertaining, but I’ve read better books with similar plots. For example, Kasie West has a book named “On the Fence” that is similar in nature (that one with soccer), and that book was a 5-star romance for me. With that said, I’m pretty sure my younger self would’ve eaten this up, though!

“She remembered a story from childhood, a frog getting boiled alive in water that was slowly getting hotter and hotter, so slowly that he didn’t notice. Maybe that was her excuse. There were signs, but they were little ones. And now the water was boiling.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: isolated resorts, weddings, woods, honeymoons, rich husbands, bachelorette parties, and big mistakes.

A bride’s dream honeymoon becomes a nightmare when a man with whom she’s had a regrettable one-night stand shows up in this psychological thriller from the author of Eight Perfect Murders.

Abigail Baskin never thought she’d fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. But right before the wedding, Abigail has a drunken one-night stand on her bachelorette weekend. She puts the incident—and the sexy guy who wouldn’t give her his real name—out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life.

Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears—and Abigail’s future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something special and he’s tracked her down to prove it.

Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss… including her perfect new husband.

I enjoyed this!
Sure, the story was a little predictable for the most part, but that didn’t bother me that much because there were still some twists I didn’t see coming. So, I still found enjoyment and experienced surprise while reading this book. I definitely understand why there are people who didn’t like the story, but personally, I was entertained.
The main character was not very likable – actually, in reality almost no character was likable here if I’m being honest. The writing was okay, but it dragged a little sometimes. At some point while I was reading, I thought to myself, “yeah, this situation is pretty scary”, and I immediately thought how this story almost became a horror book because of the tension and fear I felt.
I’ve learned that Peter Swanson’s books can be either hits or misses for me… this was in the middle. Not the best Peter Swanson book out there, not the worst as well, but still enjoyable.