I know you want to be brave but I don't make it easy: EVERY SWEET THING IS BITTER.

Every Sweet Thing Is Bitter by Samantha Crewson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel as if thrillers lately are getting incredibly dark and violent.

At age 17, Providence backs over her mom using the family car, badly injures her, and goes to prison. Very few people know, however, that she meant to run over her abusive, alcoholic father. Providence is now out of prison, but hasn't seen her family in years. Her mother has been reported missing, and Providence returns to help with the search. This means confronting not only her father but her younger sisters, Harmony and Grace, who blame Providence for their mom's descent into addiction.

The trope of bitter daughters returning to their hometowns to deal with family issues seems to pop up a lot. This debut handles it fairly well, though it is very dark and gritty. The theme of abuse is threaded throughout the story, and there are very few sympathetic characters, starting with Providence's utterly hateful father. We see how the small town closes around him, though, even if it's because they are too scared to stand up to him and prevent the horrific abuse he reigns upon his family.

As an ex-con, Providence is wary and unable to trust, with only a tentative friendship with a fellow inmate, Sara, who lives near her hometown. She's lost a chance to know or have her sisters in her life. Many things in the story feel a bit unfinished--a storyline with Sara's brother Daniel; Providence's childhood lesbian relationship with Zoe, now a local politician; and a lead not followed up on.

If you like your protagonists angry and damaged, along with creepy stories rife with drinking, addiction, and evil, this book will be right up your alley. I will say, despite how violent this book is, it's quite poetically written. 3.75 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in return for an unbiased review.

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You know you're doin' better on your own: HURRY HOME.

Hurry Home by Roz Nay

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

A twisted although sometimes predictable thriller

Alex Van Ness has a good life now in the Colorado mountains. A loving boyfriend, Chase, her dream job as a social worker, and a beautiful loft she and Chase share. It's a far cry from the dysfunctional childhood she's tried to put in the past. Now Alex helps kids avoid such trauma. But when her older sister Ruth shows up on Alex's doorstep, Alex's perfect life is threatened. Ruth was the one who destroyed her family so long ago. But she's still Alex's sister, and she agrees to take her in, under one condition: they don't discuss the past. But secrets are hard to keep buried, and soon both sisters must confront their childhood.


"Ruth left the farm when she twenty, seven years after she tore our family apart."


I absolutely loved Nay's previous book, OUR LITTLE SECRET, which was utterly engrossing, different, and a total page-turner. She proves again with HURRY HOME that she's a wonderful writer. I flew through this book as well.

It's told from the perspective of Alex and Ruth, alternating between the two sisters. We're never quite sure who to trust or to believe, and we are slowly doled out facts about their childhood. Unfortunately, I did find this novel to be more predictable than Nay's first. There are certainly a lot of great twists and turns, but I did guess a lot of them. I do think some of that is due to my large appetite for thrillers, though. A more casual reader will find this book quite shocking and twisty.

The action stays mainly focused on the sisters, so it can get a little repetitive as they hash through their dramas. But it's a compelling read, with some shocking reveals. Nay is certainly good at capturing the diabolical. While I did find some parts easy to guess, I enjoyed this thriller overall. I'll certainly be on the lookout for Nay's next book. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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Take me back to the night I could feel: THE SECRETS THEY LEFT BEHIND.

The Secrets They Left Behind by Lissa Marie Redmond

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Shea O'Connor is twenty-three, working as a patrol officer in the City of Buffalo Police Department. She's gone undercover successfully before for the FBI and that's why she's called on again when three girls go missing in the small town of Kelly's Falls, New York. Three college freshmen have disappeared, leaving behind their phones and purses. As weeks turn into months without a lead, something needs to change. So the youthful-looking Shea is planted undercover as a transfer student at Harris Community College, arriving in town as the "niece" of the local police chief. But Shea quickly realizes Kelly's Falls is full of secrets and whomever is responsible for the girls' disappearance will do anything to keep those secrets hidden.


"Three young girls, all college freshman, just disappeared. No clues. No traces. They just went to one girl's house after a party and vanished."


At first I was disappointed this was not one of Redmond's excellent Cold Case novels featuring detective Lauren Riley, whom I love, but that disappointment was short lived. I quickly took to Shea O'Connor, a young but feisty and enjoyable officer who will stop at nothing to solve her case. We realize that Shea clearly had a close call with a serial killer the last time she was undercover and she's still recovering from those wounds. Our girl is hurting, but she's also focused--Shea will do anything to find those girls.

Shea is in a tough spot. She's a young, female officer in a male-dominated profession, and she's often mistaken for a teen. However, her youthful appearance pays off undercover. But is the FBI using her? There's more than a simple mystery to solve here, as we must unravel if Shea can trust those around her.

The central mystery itself, of the girls' disappearance, is engaging and fascinating. I had a fairly good inkling early on who might be involved, but it didn't stop my interest, and I flew through the book. There are, of course, plenty of dirty secrets in Kelly's Falls--as in most small towns--and Shea digs up plenty of them. There's also an interesting angle where she becomes close with one of the missing girl's brother. Shea excels at immersing herself in her undercover role, and it was fun to see her play the young, naive college student (with a knife hidden in her back pocket).

The writing is a little simplistic at times, but overall this is a compelling thriller with an engaging protagonist. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 here. I'd love to see another book featuring Shea.

I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in return for an unbiased review.

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I get so tired of getting tied up in my thoughts: MOTHER KNOWS BEST.

Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Claire Abrams' world crashed when her mitochondrial DNA passed along a mutation that eventually killed her son, Colton, when he was eight. It devastated Claire and her husband, Ethan. But then Claire discovers Dr. Robert Nash, a fertility doctor who is working with his young research scientist, Jillian Nash, to create the first baby with three genetic parents. This allows Claire to have a healthy baby. The fact that it's currently illegal doesn't stop the trio, but eventually news of their feat leaks, and Claire goes into hiding, joined by Robert. Years later, young Abby lives a sheltered life with her parents, including a mom who barely wants to leave the house. And then there's Jillian, who served a prison sentence for her work on the experiment. She's determined to get credit for her science, and nothing will stop her.


"It is impossible to tell that my beautiful girl is the first of her kind. Even she doesn't know."


I found this book totally addictive. Yes, it's a little crazy at times, but it was a real page-turner, and it had me glued to the pages. I loved Abby, who gets her own turn at telling her story, and I even liked Claire, even if I questioned some of her decisions at times. As someone who has been through IVF, a lot of this story hit close to home, and I could understand and empathize with what was going on, even if the plotline was far more far-fetched than anything that has occurred in my own life. But the ultimate themes of family, searching for a place to belong, and the desire to have safe and healthy children--those are universal.

The book certainly raises some interesting ethical questions. It keeps the science fairly simple, so it's easy to follow along and understand. It makes you think, and with Ethan and Claire on two starkly opposing sides, it lets you put yourself in their shoes and wonder what you would do in a similar situation. The multiple narrators--including Abby, Claire, and Jillian--work well, too.

At the same time, much of the book is an adrenaline filled thriller, with crazy characters and wild situations. I figured out some of the pieces, but it always kept me guessing and interested. I was definitely fascinated and mesmerized, wondering what on earth was going to happen next.


"But someone out there will never give up searching. Someone who's long out of prison, whose name I can't bear to utter or think."


There were a few slightly crazy moments, and I think the ending wrapped up a little too easily, but I liked it, so all is well. This book was exactly what I needed--an addictive read with an interesting story that kept me interested. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley in return for an honest review.


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And I asked the ethereal girls if they were floating yet: LIES SHE TOLD.

Lies She Told by Cate Holahan

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


Liza is a struggling writer given an ultimatum by her editor: write a thriller for me in a month. It's been ages since Liza was on the bestseller list (truly, only her first novel was a real success). Meanwhile, she's a mess of fertility drugs and hormones, as she and her lawyer husband, David, are trying to start a family--and getting nowhere. Even worse, David's best friend and business partner, Nick, has been missing for over a month. David is increasingly frantic and distracted, and the police have no leads. So Liza pours her heart and soul into the story of Beth, a new mom who suspects her own lawyer husband of cheating on her. Beth catches him the act and makes a split-second decision that will change their lives forever. As Liza continues to write, the lines between fact and fiction become increasingly blurred.

I was excited to finally pick this one up, as so many of my friends had enjoyed it, but alas, I'm going to be the killjoy here who stands against the popular wave of public opinion. Please note that most people really loved this book and who knows, maybe I'm just getting cranky in my old age. ;) Or maybe I got too caught up in all the hype.

Either way, this one was a let down for me. The clues left along in the story for the reader stand out as huge glaring red flags, basically just screaming the plot twists out. Nothing came as a surprise, I had the entire thing worked out in about the first 15 minutes. Now, I won't lie, this is still an incredibly readable book - it's a fast read for sure. You immediately realize that Liza is an unreliable narrator and a ticking time bomb. I never really warmed to her, but she's somewhat fascinating in trying to figure out what she's up to and what's truly happening.

I've seen some complaints about it being hard to figure out what chapters were Liza's and which were Beth's--I didn't have that problem. They alternate and in my version, Liza's were marked. I occasionally had to remind myself who had which backstory, but I believe that was part of the idea--of Liza blurring the reality around her. And, truly, it was a great idea in concept.

Unfortunately, I found both women to be somewhat frustrating and didn't really buy all of their actions or relationships. Liza's quick attachment to Trevor, for instance, or some of Beth's bizarre decisions. That made it harder to root for them. And, again, absolutely nothing that occurred was a surprise. That was my biggest issue. I want my thriller to surprise me, but none of the twists were shocking whatsoever, right up to the end. Sigh.

Still, as I said, it's an oddly compelling read with the blurred parallels between Liza and Beth and you "wondering" what happened to Nick. At the end, I pondered for a moment whether it was brilliant or awful, but I just couldn't enjoy something I found so predictable, even if it was a page-turner at times. But, I'm certainly in the minority here, so take my review with a grain of salt!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review. It's available everywhere as of 09/12/2017.

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