Book Review: "The Sideways Life of Denny Voss" by Holly Kennedy

This was such a wonderfully special book with one of the most memorable narrators I’ve found in a long while. I’m so thankful to my dearest friend Amy for putting this book on my radar!!

“I guess that’s just how life works. Some days it’s like a fast-moving TV show and some days it’s not, and when things go sideways—like they usually do for me—you might find yourself going in a whole new direction, and when you’re doing life, going in that whole new direction, some things will change, but some things will stay a lot the same.”

Thirty-year-old Denny lives in Minnesota with his elderly mother and their deaf and blind dog George. While an issue at birth left him with some developmental challenges, he’s always felt loved, even when he hasn’t made the right choices.

Sometimes Denny has the best of intentions, but things tend to go awry. This has led to his arrest after kidnapping a neighbor’s ornery goose, and another time he unwittingly helped a bank robber. His challenges with finding the right words or expressing his emotions often get him into trouble.

But now, Denny is under arrest for the murder of a businessman in town who is running for mayor. And it certainly didn’t help that he was found with a sled full of guns, including the murder weapon. He swears he’s innocent, but can that be proven?

This book is full of humor, emotion, and charm, and it’s very heartwarming. Denny may cause chaos, but he also can be so empathetic and sweet. Check out the world from his perspective.

Book Review: "The Break-In" by Katherine Faulkner

Whoa. I might need some Dramamine to help me with the motion sickness I’ve gotten from all the twists in this book! I had no idea how things would get resolved, but I wasn’t going to stop reading until I found out!

One afternoon, Alice is hosting her friends and their kids for a playdate at her fancy London home. Suddenly, a young man breaks in, screaming and heading for the room where the kids are playing. In a split second of panic, Alice hits him in the head and he dies.

The police determine Alice acted to defend her daughter and the other children and clear her of wrongdoing. But she cannot seem to shake the memories of that day, or the questions about everything that happened, which no one wants to answer?

Was this really just a random break-in, or was the young man looking for something in particular? Why does it seem as if everyone in her life is acting strangely, as if they have something to hide? Will she and her family be safe?

Alice starts getting strange phone calls and text messages, and threatening comments show up online accompanying articles about the break-in. She needs to know the truth, so she does some investigating on her own, with the help of a friend. But she has no idea just how tangled the truth is with all of the lies.

This was one of those books where you have no idea which characters to trust. Alice is a bit naive and does some things you want to slap her for, but ultimately, she wants the truth to come out. And there is a lot going on, but I was hooked!

Book Review: "Killer Potential" by Hannah Deitch

What a crazy, fun debut this was! This book definitely read like a movie at times, and I mean that as a compliment.

Evie was one of those kids with bucketloads of promise. She was super smart and dreamed of making her mark on the world. But despite graduating from a prestigious college, she now spends her days as an SAT tutor for privileged kids in Los Angeles.

One day when she arrives at the home of the Victor family for her appointment with their daughter Serena, she walks into a nightmare. She finds both parents dead, obviously murdered, and as she’s trying to make sense of it all, she finds a young woman tied up in a closet. Evie frees the woman and they escape before the police arrive.

Of course, it’s not long before law enforcement and the media are determined to find Evie and her “accomplice.” Suddenly she’s being called a brutal murderer, a smart girl gone bad, even Manson-like. But Evie doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life hiding or on the run. She hopes to find the real killer so she can have her life back.

What ensues is a race against time, as Evie and her new companion —who refuses to speak—try to keep ahead of the authorities. Their escape plan takes them across the country and makes them wonder where things will end for them.

I definitely had high hopes for this book. It was a quick read and it hooked me completely. Of course, parts of the plot require you to suspend your disbelief, and I thought the ending didn’t quite match the promise of the rest of the book, but this is still really enjoyable!

Book Review: "Starter Villain" by John Scalzi

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at this book and thought about reading it. The cover cracks me up every time, so I took the plunge.

This is a creative book that is wacky as hell. Charlie used to be a happily married business journalist. Now he’s a divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in his late father’s house, which his siblings would like to sell from under him. He dreams of taking over the neighborhood pub—if only he can get $3.4 million.

Then he learns that his Uncle Jake, whom he hasn’t seen since he was 5, has died. There are lots of people who are happy he’s dead (once they’re sure he’s not faking it). It turns out that Uncle Jake was a billionaire, but his fortune wasn’t entirely legitimate.

Charlie suddenly finds himself in charge of his uncle’s super-villain empire. Now, he’s the target of all of those who wanted Jake dead. Figuring out what to do isn’t easy, but he can’t just hide out in his uncle’s secret volcano lair, can he? Luckily he has intelligent cats who can type, unionized (and foul mouthed) dolphins, and a few dangerous masterminds on his side.

“A stupid villain threatens, Charlie. A smarter villain offers a service.”

The book started out fairly normal but it gets crazier and crazier as the plot unfolds. I’m always amazed at the creativity of writers who can think of wild stories like this. I enjoyed it—although at times I felt like it was trying too hard—and thought it was a great change of pace from the heavier books I usually read.

Book Review: "Tell Me What You Did" by Carter Wilson

When you see that two of your friends said that this will be one of their favorite books of the year, you get it as soon as it is released. Now I can see what they mean!!

“See, that’s the thing about trauma. You never get to quit it. You never get to walk away from it and rediscover the innocence and joy you felt just before The Thing happened.”

Poe is the host of a popular true crime podcast, one in which people anonymously confess the crimes they’ve committed. She doesn’t guarantee that these “guests” won’t face arrest or prosecution, but the opportunity to unburden themselves to an unseen audience seems to outweigh any potential downsides.

Her most recent guest seems strangely familiar to her but she cannot seem to place him. Then he makes a shocking claim: he murdered Poe’s mother. Of course, Poe knows that can’t be true, because the man who murdered her mother is already dead. And because Poe killed him.

This man has information that only the real killer would know. Did Poe unknowingly kill an innocent man? And when the alleged murderer demands that Poe record his interview live—and she must confess to her own crime—she starts to wonder what is true and what is a lie.

I’ve said before that I think the whole podcast angle in thrillers has been played out, but it really worked here. This is a story of regret, revenge, fear, guilt, and courage under fire. Carter Wilson had me hooked from the first page and I completely devoured this book. I couldn’t wait to see how everything tied together.

Book Review: "Holmes, Marple & Poe" by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Many thanks to my friend Mandy for putting this series on my radar. What a fantastic and fun book this was!

Brendan Holmes, Margaret Marple, and Auguste Poe are best friends and private investigators in New York City. Beyond the connection of their last names to famous people, their pasts are untraceable. Are these even their real names?

Whatever their background is, however, there’s no denying their investigative abilities. And when the trio is able to solve a missing person’s case before the police even have an inkling of what happened, their PI firm suddenly gets much busier.

NYPD Detective Helene Grey is both intrigued by the three investigators and irked that they always seem to be a step ahead of the police, and they’re not eager to share their findings. But even when she forbids them to get involved, they seem to find a toehold into a case, and information breaks their way. So she realizes it may be easier to join them, since she can’t beat them.

The trio finds itself in the middle of an assortment of cases—art fraud, kidnapping, the discovery of multiple skeletons beneath the city streets. They always try to have each other’s backs, but sometimes what faces each of them is more formidable.

I really thought this was a great book. It was full of twists and action and the characters are far more layered than I would have expected. The second book in the series just came out and you can bet I’ll be snapping that up!

Book Review: "This Girl's A Killer" by Emma C. Wells

This was a wild read! When I heard that the main character was being called a female Dexter, I knew I had to pick this up, and I was utterly hooked.

Cordelia is a successful pharmaceutical sales rep who knows how to manipulate the system. She’s beautiful, fashionable, ambitious, and loved by her best friend Diane and her goddaughter, Samantha.

She’s also a killer. She’s made it her job to get rid of sexual predators and pedophiles who cross her path. She doesn’t consider it murder; to her, it’s karma.

“Once upon a time, I’d been a broken girl, unable to protect herself from the scary things. Now, I was the scary thing.”

But when things at work start going awry and she realizes her foolproof plan for getting rid of monsters isn’t quite foolproof, her attention to detail starts slipping. And when Diane starts dating a man that rubs Cordelia the wrong way, she starts to worry that her perfectly managed life may fall apart.

Although the book gets a bit graphic at times, it’s more about the chaos around Cordelia than the murderous acts. As the walls start closing in, the suspense and tension increase, and I couldn’t wait to see how Emma C. Wells tied everything up. What a great character and a great book!

Book Review: "The Lake of Lost Girls" by Katherine Greene

“It’s hard to escape the memory of someone who has become perfect through the very act of remembering them.”

In 1998, Jessica was a freshman at Southern State University in North Carolina. Like many new college students, she was struggling academically and emotionally, and partying a little too much.

The university was rocked by the disappearance of three female students. One evening, when Jessica was home (she lived in the same town as the university) for her younger sister’s 6th birthday, she went out to get the cake from her car, and disappeared. No trace was ever found.

Now, 24 years later, a new true crime podcast starts looking into Jessica’s disappearance as well as those of the three other students. Her sister Lindsey, whose life was forever changed the night her sister went missing, is hoping the new attention to the mystery might finally lead to answers.

When bodies are found at a local lake, Lindsey hopes they may find Jessica’s remains. But the discoveries highlight the ineptitude of the initial investigation, as well as some secrets that might have been better left submerged.

The book is told in dual timelines: by Lindsey in the present day and Jessica in 1998. The pacing was a bit slower than I would’ve liked, although there were some good twists. But I think it’s time to put the true crime podcast story angle to bed for a while. I’ve read at least four mystery/thrillers this year with this gimmick, and IMHO, that’s three too many.

Book Review: "Tell Me Everything" by Elizabeth Strout

What does anyone’s life mean?

Elizabeth Strout’s latest book is another masterpiece of storytelling, and it’s tremendously thought-provoking at the same time. We return to Crosby, Maine, and some of her favorite characters from other novels: Bob Burgess, Lucy Barton, and the irascible Olive Kitteridge.

“People did not care, except for maybe one minute. It was not their fault, most just could not really care past their own experiences.”

Lucy and Bob have become close friends; they go on long walks almost every day, and talk about everything from the superficial to the super-serious. Their feelings for each other intensify the more time they spend together, and each acts as a sounding board, a shoulder to lean on. But Bob is married and Lucy lives with her ex-husband, William. Are either of them the type to blow everything up?

Meanwhile, when a crime occurs in town, Bob swiftly moves to help the accused. The case is far more complicated than meets the eye, full of emotional issues and past trauma. But Bob believes it’s his responsibility to protect his client, which impacts him profoundly.

Olive, now 91, has stories to tell, so she tells them to Lucy. And after a while Lucy shares her own stories with Olive. A friendship blossoms, built around shared untold stories ripe with lessons to be learned.

These characters are flawed, big-hearted, and so memorable. Strout can make you love the prickliest people and be fully invested in their stories. I’ve been a fan of most of her books which explore Amgash and Crosby, and hope we’ll get another chance to visit!

Book Review: "The Accomplice" by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Aaron Philip Clark

I’ll admit that of all the celebrity authors out there, I never would’ve expected a crime novel from Curtis Johnson, aka rapper 50 Cent. And while I’m often dubious about celebrities writing books, when I saw a blurb from S.A. Cosby, how could I resist?

From a young age, Nia Adams was fascinated by law enforcement and crime scenes. Her dream was to become a Texas Ranger, and now, she’s the first Black female Ranger. It’s not always easy under that kind of scrutiny but she’s really good at what she does.

It’s 2004. Nia and others are called in to stop a bank robbery in progress. While the other law enforcement officers present try to keep Nia from intervening, she steps in just in time to prevent total disaster.

When she is sent to a remote Texas town to investigate another bank robbery, she can’t understand why a Ranger needs to be involved. There are things about this robbery that perplex her, and despite the fact that the local sheriff has no concerns, she decides to do some more digging. But she has no idea of the web she’s stepping into.

Desmond Bell is a veteran of the Vietnam war, still haunted by what he saw back then. He’s more than a bank robber; his preferred currency is secrets that his employer can use as leverage for blackmail. But when Desmond targets a powerful family, which includes a potential presidential candidate, he’s taken on enemies that will stop at nothing to protect their interests.

Nia finds herself caught in the middle of two powerful nemeses. Every step forward puts her life and career in danger, and puts others in the crossfire. Who will blink first?

While I’m always a bit dubious when a book by a celebrity is co-authored so you don’t know how much of a part they actually played, I enjoyed this. Although the pacing was uneven and the ending felt a bit rushed, I’d definitely read another of Jackson’s crime novels.

Book Review: "What Have You Done?" by Shari Lapena

“Nothing ever happens in Fairhill, Vermont. It’s a small town, surrounded by farmland, with the Green Mountains in the distance. Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. Until it does.”

Early one morning, a man sees a group of turkey vultures swarming around his field. He figures they’ve found a dead animal, but he goes to investigate, and what he finds horrifies him: the naked body of a young woman, mangled by the carrion birds.

Diana Brewer, a popular, pretty, high school senior, was the one murdered. Strangled to death. But for a young woman that everyone says was an angel, well-liked by her peers and teachers alike, who would murder her?

The major crimes investigators quickly dig into the circumstances surrounding Diana’s murder, and find a number of suspects. At the same time, Diana’s mother is dealing with grief and guilt over the fact that she worked at night and left her daughter alone, and her two best friends, Riley and Evan, want to do all they can to help Diana’s mother while dealing with their own shock and sadness.

The net tightens around each of the potential suspects, and the ramifications ripple throughout Fairhill. Secrets are uncovered that might have saved a life, and people are finding it difficult to trust their family and friends.

I thought this was a very compelling mystery, full of twists and red herrings. Shari Lapena knows how to ratchet up the suspense. There’s a bit of a supernatural component that I didn’t necessarily care for (and it seemed kind of incomplete), but this was still a good read.

Book Review: "Breaking the Dark" by Lisa Jewell

I’ll admit I was a bit dubious when I heard that a book series featuring the grittier side of Marvel superheroes was being launched. But being a Marvel fan, I couldn’t resist the idea of a thriller featuring Jessica Jones written by Lisa Jewell. And I thought it was great!

Jessica Jones is still reeling from some serious psychological trauma, which she’s nursing with alcohol. By day, she’s a private investigator; by night, she’s drinking herself into a stupor.

She is visited by a distraught mother, who claims that her 16-year-old twins returned visiting their father in England and are now acting strangely. Their skin is flawless, they’re strangely serene and don’t look at their phones at all, and they claim that everything is “perfect.” When Jessica spies on Fox and Lark, she does observe that something isn’t right.

Jessica travels to the UK to try and figure out what might have happened to the twins while they were visiting. She can’t shake a strange feeling she’s having, and when she visits an old farmhouse to find the girl Fox was smitten with, she realizes that this girl, Belle, is being kept captive. Can she get Belle out of her captor’s clutches?

What Jessica finds is far more disturbing than she imagined. And she must solve the mystery at the core of what is happening before it’s too late. But Jessica is battling her own demons as well as the feelings that this mystery has evoked in her.

I thought this was a bit creepy but I was hooked completely. Jewell is in great form once again, and she really fleshed out Jessica’s character well. I’ll be looking forward to the next book in the series, which will feature Luke Cage, written by S.A. Cosby.

Book Review: "Assassins Anonymous" by Rob Hart

I loved this concept and this book so much!

Mark was a hired assassin, one whose accomplishments were spoken about in terms of reverence. Known as the Pale Horse, his reputation invoked fear and admiration in other assassins as well as those his victims left behind.

But after he loses control of a situation, Mark realizes how exhausting it is to be a monster-for-hire. He knows he doesn’t really deserve a “normal” life given all he’s done, but he’d like to give that a try. So he walks away from his life as the Pale Horse, and joins a 12-step support group for former assassins, where they vow to channel their energies in different directions to keep them from killing.

Following the 12 steps is therapeutic for Mark, although it’s certainly strange not to use violence anymore. But a few days short of his 1-year anniversary, he is attacked at the end of a meeting. He doesn’t know his assailant but fighting him does reawaken the dormant feelings he has squelched during his recovery.

The attack sets off a chain of events which signal to Mark that his identity has been compromised. But who wants him dead? He goes on the run from New York to Singapore to London to try and find answers and those responsible, but he can’t kill anyone, no matter how much he wants to. But whom can he trust?

This was a fast-moving, whip-smart, intense thriller that I absolutely devoured. I’d love if this was the start of a series, because Mark is a great character, as were many of the supporting characters, including P. Kitty. (IYKYK)

Book Review: "A Talent for Murder" by Peter Swanson

“Getting away with murder doesn’t make it special.”

Martha is a librarian in Maine, living a fairly solitary existence. She’s resigned herself to never getting married, but then she met Alan, a traveling salesman, and shockingly, they fell in love and got married.

Alan’s job has him on the road a lot, going to various conventions. While Martha is fine with that, and Alan makes her happy, sometimes she feels like she barely knows him. One day, she finds a blood stain on a shirt he wore during a trip, and he can’t really explain what happened. She starts to become more suspicious of Alan, and after doing some research, she discovers that five women have been killed in five different cities while Alan has been in each.

Is her husband a murderer? Martha doesn’t want to go to the police or confront Alan, so she calls Lily, her old friend from college, to see what she thinks. Lily offers to do some digging into the murders and Alan’s possible involvement. But what Lily discovers is far beyond what either suspect.

I’m a big Peter Swanson fan, and really loved The Kind Worth Killing and The Kind Worth Saving. It was great to have Lily and Henry appear in another book (although I wanted more Henry). You don’t need to have read the first two books to enjoy this one, but you should!!

I loved the twists in this book, and I just love the way Swanson writes. I’ll be patiently waiting for his next book!!

Book Review: "The Hollywood Assistant" by May Cobb

Holy twists and turns, Batman! May Cobb’s upcoming thriller definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. While not everything was a surprise, there was a lot that kept me guessing.

Since the end of her last relationship, Cassidy has been struggling emotionally and professionally. An aspiring novelist, she can’t seem to find the right story to hook a publisher. So her best friend Lexie convinces her to move to Los Angeles, and she lines up a job for Cassidy, as the personal assistant to a famous couple, Nate and Marisol Sterling.

Cassidy quickly realizes the job is a dream come true. She does a lot of shopping, runs errands, and organizes Marisol’s stuff, but there are a lot of perks, including being gifted a large amount of clothes that Marisol doesn’t need. And when Nate offers her the opportunity read a script and share her opinions, she gets to do that fairly often.

With Lexie shooting a film in Prague, Cassidy is pretty lonely, so she enjoys the easy camaraderie she feels with the Sterlings. They are a tempestuous couple, often fighting and then making up, which is awkward to watch, especially the more Cassidy feels a connection to Nate.

And then things start to go off the rails for the Sterlings, and Cassidy finds herself entangled in the mess. Amidst the chaos, she learns that things aren’t what they seemed. But is Cassidy, for that matter?

This definitely reads like a movie, and it is twisty and melodramatic. It’s fun when you don’t know whom to trust or how things are going to unfold. Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy. The book will publish 7/9.

Book Review: "Blood in the Cut" by Alejandro Nodarse

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, or if detailed descriptions of butchering might make you feel squeamish, you’ll probably want to skip this book. You could also skim those scenes as I did, but there are more than a few.

Iggy Guerra is released from a Florida prison and returns home to chaos. His mother has died, his father is healing his grief through alcohol and mysterious activities late at night, and the family butcher shop, La Carnicería Guerra, is in financial trouble. Iggy’s father doesn’t want him around, but he promised his mother he’d try to be patient with his father, so he’s doing the best he can.

It’s not long before Iggy discovers there are threats from all sides. There’s a new high-end restaurant/butcher shop scheduled to open just down the block, his father is in debt to a dangerous big-game hunter in the Everglades, and there’s an animal rights vigilante looking to make people pay for their wrongdoings.

The last thing Iggy wants is to go back to prison, but he keeps finding himself in situations that test his patience, his hunger for revenge, and his need to protect the family business. Orin, the big-game hunter, wants Iggy to take over the business deal he had with his father, a deal that is not only illegal and unethical, but immensely dangerous. But what will refusing Orin lead to?

This is a raw, tense, brooding book, with moments of surprising emotion among the violence and suspense. It definitely has glimpses of S.A. Cosby’s books in the ways it looks at how flawed people are forced into decisions they don’t want, but might be compelled to make.

Blood in the Cut is Alejandro Nodarse’s debut, and I definitely look forward to seeing what he does next. The pacing is a bit uneven, but I found Iggy to be a fascinating character I couldn’t help rooting for.

Book Review: "Veridian Sterling Fakes It" by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

In her upcoming book (which is an Amazon First Reads pick this month), Jennifer Gooch Hummer takes us on a fun romp through the art world, where it’s often hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t.

Veridian Sterling is a recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and a talented artist. She’s ready for a show in a prestigious New York gallery (or even a not-so-prestigious one), but no one is interested in her work. It’s hard watching others you feel are less talented getting the breaks you think you deserve.

She is able to land a job as assistant to a high-maintenance gallery owner, who doesn’t seem to be the most ethical of people. And when Veri overhears that there is a lost Van Gogh painting for which another art dealer will pay a hefty finder’s fee, she figures she can get into the game.

Yet in her secret schemes with the dealer—who believes she has real artistic talent—she gets in way over her head. It doesn’t help that the dealer’s chauffeur is immensely handsome and seems to like her. Before she knows it, she’s being pushed into a scheme where the payoff can be high, but so are the risks. Can she keep faking until she gets what she wants?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read and yet I was fascinated by the supporting characters, many of whom are much more complex than you think. I definitely would like to see more of Myra, Major Cohen, Charles, Tate, and Veri’s mom—I know there are some fascinating stories there!!

I’ve been a fan of Jennifer’s since loving her first book, Girl Unmoored. I’m grateful to her and Lake Union for the advance copy of this; it really was an enjoyable ride!! The book publishes 7/1.

Book Review: "Providence" by Craig Willse

“Before I completely destroyed my life, I taught English at Sawyer College in Ohio. I wasn’t the world’s greatest professor, but I also wasn’t the worst—although it’s possible I would become that.”

Mark is growing weary of teaching, of the pressure to publish and schmooze. He’s definitely one of those people who is happiest alone, which isn’t particularly satisfying for his boyfriend, a mathematics professor at Sawyer, or his fellow professors he considers his friends. He knows there’s got to be something better out there.

Two weeks into the semester, Tyler comes into his class. He’s a sophomore, a scholarship student among an immensely wealthy student body, yet he’s highly intelligent, as Mark witnesses when Tyler participates in a class lecture.

Little by little, Mark finds himself growing obsessed with Tyler, even though he knows pursuing a student is the last thing he should be doing. But one night, Tyler makes the first move, and they wind up having sex. It becomes a strange relationship, alternately attracting and repelling Mark, yet he starts losing sight of everything but Tyler.

Mark starts to realize Tyler hasn’t been entirely truthful with him. But while the red flags should be a sign to stay away, Mark winds up getting manipulated by Tyler into helping with something unspeakable. Can Mark take control of his life before it goes fully off the rails? Does he even care?

I loved the concept of Providence, and the idea of a teacher obsessed with a student. But while this book is marketed as a thriller, I didn’t find it particularly thrilling; while there is a bit of mystery, the pacing of the plot drags for three-quarters of the book and then leaves you hanging a bit at the end. While these issues dampened my enjoyment, I did like the intense mood of the book.

Book Review: "Swiped" by L.M. Chilton

Every time I talk to a friend who is looking to start dating, I hear about another dating app. There’s always at least 2-3 I’ve never heard of before. (And for my friends just looking for, umm, fun, there are apps for that, too!)

Ever since she and her boyfriend broke up, Gwen has been trying to find the magic with someone new. And with her best friend and roommate getting ready to move out and get married, Gwen has become addicted to swiping on Connector, and enjoys the thrill when she is notified of a match.

Unfortunately, while many of the men she matches with seem terrific, in reality, they’re all just different degrees of awful. There’s the one who’s still hung up on his ex, the racist yet handsy woman-hater, the secretly married guy, etc. But still, she keeps hoping that she’ll luck out and find the right guy.

Then she finds out one of the guys she went out with was found dead, and all signs point to murder. As more men die, the only thing that connects them is they all went out on one disastrous date with Gwen. The police are starting to wonder if Gwen might be a dangerous killer, but she’s determined to figure out who’s really responsible, and why they’re targeting her.

This is a fun thriller that definitely does keep you guessing. Gwen is really a mess, but you feel for her as her life is imploding. Sure, you have to suspend your disbelief at times, but it didn’t bother me that much. I just enjoyed this look at how crazy the online dating world can be!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advance copy of this one. The book will publish 5/21.

Book Review: "The Return of Ellie Black" by Emiko Jean

I’ve definitely had FOMO seeing so many people rave about this book. But now that I’ve raced through it, I can unequivocally say: Believe. The. Hype.

More than two years ago, 17-year-old Ellie Black disappeared during a party. Her broken phone was found a short time later, but the clues stopped there. Her family never stopped hoping, but everyone knew the odds of a missing girl being found after so much time had passed.

Yet one evening, Ellie sees some hikers in a Washington forest. She is haggard, malnourished, afraid, overly sensitive to light, but she is able to remember her name.

Detective Chelsey Calhoun investigated Ellie’s disappearance, and she cannot believe that the young woman is still alive. As she tries to figure out what happened to Ellie, where she was held captive, and who was responsible, she starts to believe there’s so much more Ellie isn’t telling her. She’s determined to figure out what Ellie is hiding, no matter that her bosses, Ellie’s family, and Ellie herself try to convince her to stop digging.

For Chelsey, this case is so much more than the return of a missing girl. This is also about her older sister, Lydia, who vanished when they were teenagers. And this is about trying to protect other girls from being taken.

"She would ask the media, the world: When will it be enough? How society accepts women dying at the hands of men. Chelsey mourns girlhood."

Tension-filled and twisty, this is a fantastic book. The characters were really complex and will stick in my head. It’s quite dark, and it may be triggering for some, but Emiko Jean has written a thriller with a heart, a book which makes you think.