There's a hoping in my heart that says I'd brave the dark: FIVE SURVIVE.

Five Survive by Holly Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Red Kenny and her friends are headed on a spring break trip in a borrowed RV. It's Red; her best friend Maddy; Maddy's older brother Oliver; friend and classmate Simon; Red's secret crush Arthur; and Oliver's girlfriend Renata. On their way, the group gets lost and their RV breaks down in the dark woods with no cell service. Soon they realize they've been trapped there on purpose by someone who wants one of them dead. They have until dawn to escape: six friends, five will survive.

This is one of those rare books I enjoyed more than I thought I would--it's no classic, but it's a fun page-turner of a thriller. It's quite the locked room story, taking place entirely in the RV. There are so many secrets and lies, with tension building as the tale goes on. It's bloody and dark and keeps you guessing as you attempt to work out why everyone is trapped and who could be responsible. Oliver is such a classic bad guy that it's easy to point the finger at him, but there's a surprising amount of suspects. Everything winds up being a bit predictable but I still found this to be an enjoyable and suspenseful quick read. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 here.


View all my reviews

I'd have no home if you left me alone: THAT WEEKEND.

That Weekend by Kara Thomas
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Claire and her friends Kat and Jesse sneak away during prom to Kat's family's lake house for a camping trip. But everything goes wrong when Claire wakes up alone, covered in blood, with no memory of what happened over the weekend. Kat and Jesse are gone, and after a crazy series of events, the police and FBI declare them dead. The weekend plagues Claire and she sets out to figure out what happened to friends, only to realize she's not sure she wants to find the answers.

THAT WEEKEND is a definite page-turner; I flew through it. It starts off very exciting, as you desperately want to determine what happened to Kat and Jesse. Things get a little more convoluted as Claire returns home and starts conducting her own investigation. Soon you start wondering if and why the FBI cannot do what Claire is doing. Claire is also a bit of a listless character... she seems to have little personality beyond wanting to find her friends. There are also a lot of heartless characters, making it really hard to root for anyone here.

This is a fast read and it's interesting, but it lost the thread a bit for me as the story went on. Still enjoyed it overall. 3.5 stars.

Also, this was my first book of my 2023 random # generator shelves challenge, where I've numbered my bookshelves (in a spreadsheet) and used a random google number generator to pick the shelf and then the book!

View all my reviews

Stand closer to the fire: THE COUSINS.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

Easy-to-read twisty teen thriller

Cousins Milly, Aubrey and Jonah Story barely know each other, and they don't know their grandmother, Mildred, at all. Wealthy Mildred disinherited their parents before the cousins were even born. But now Mildred has requested the cousins' presence at her seaside resort. All the parents want their children to go, hopeful that being inherited again is back on the table. But when the three arrive on the island, it's pretty apparent that Mildred isn't keen on meeting her grandchildren. It's also clear that there are a lot of secrets and lies swirling around the Story family and history.

This is a quick read and an easy thriller, if that makes sense. It's a fun story with some good twists and several crazy surprises. There's not a lot of character development or in-depth plotting, but the tale kept me guessing and engaged. I'm always a sucker for inheritance stories and giant houses filled with secrets perched on islands.

Overall, this is fast read and a twisty thriller. It would be a great starter mystery for teens. 3.75 stars.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb

View all my reviews

You can't believe a word she says: A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pippa (Pip) decides to write her senior capstone project on the missing persons case of Andie Bell. Everyone in the town of Fairview believes popular Andie was murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh, who then killed himself. The story still haunts the town five years later--including Sal's family and his younger brother, Ravi. Pip knew Sal, though, and he was always so kind to her. As she starts digging into the case, with Ravi's help, hoping to cast some doubt on the investigation, Pip starts discovering evidence that could exonerate Sal--and a lot of dark secrets that people in Fairview do not want dug up.

"'Because I don’t think your brother did it—and I’m going to try to prove it.'"

This is a dark and twisty thriller with an improbable but immediately likable protagonist. While I found it a bit unlikely that this high schooler could become such an excellent detective, I soon put my doubts aside. Pip is tough and determined and while some of the plot bordered on implausible, I was there for it, because I quickly fell for her, and for Ravi, Sal's younger brother.

“'It’s not just that he’s gone. It’s that…well, we’re not allowed to grieve for him, because of what happened.'"

Forming a partnership, the two dig deep into Andie's case, interviewing friends, family, and turning their town on its side. The result is an incredibly twisty and dark story-its sad, but sweet too. I loved the pluckiness of Pip; her friendship with Ravi; and the way the clues slowly unfolded, allowing us to see the horrible secrets and lies that led to what truly happened to Andie.

All in all, this is a quick read, full of twists and turns, and featuring a strong protagonist. 4 stars.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb

View all my reviews

But lately all I do seems to wreck you: LITTLE MONSTERS.

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Kacey is new to the town of Broken Falls. After an explosive life with her mom and her endless string of boyfriends, life with her father; her stepmom, Ashley; her stepbrother, Andrew; and her half sister, Lauren seems rather docile. Kacey also has new friends, Bailey and Jade, who help make high school bearable. But then they start acting strange. When they don't invite her to the biggest party of the year, she knows something is up. But she doesn't get a chance to ask, because Bailey never comes back from the party: she has disappeared. Kacey finds herself obsessed with what happened to Bailey. And soon, it seems as if the town is wondering what role Kacey played in Bailey's disappearance.


"Girls are not princesses, and I know all the possible endings to the stories about girls in peril. They're rarely happy."


This was an interesting read that kept me guessing the entire time. I give Thomas points for its twistiness, as it was an engrossing read. These were some very complicated high school kids. I couldn't help but think that that Kacey was a little too involved in wanting to find her friend and that the high school drama seemed incredibly intense, even for the purposes of a novel. Maybe I'm just naive, but these girls were in deep. There is nothing quite so dark, at times, as the friendship of teenage girls.

Overall, I enjoyed trying to piece things together in this story, even if some of the overly dramatic parts turned me off a bit. 3+ stars.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram




View all my reviews