There's a weight on my shoulders: FOR BETTER AND WORSE.

For Better and Worse by Margot Hunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a fast read that pulls you in with the tension and "what ifs."

In law school, on their first date, Will and Natalie joke about committing the perfect crime.

Who knew that once married, with a ten-year-old son Charlie, they'd find themselves needing to carry out said ideal crime. Their son's principal--a friend of theirs--has been accused of child molestation. Natalie makes plans to kill him, but when things go awry, Will gets involved too. Suddenly, Natalie must rely on her criminal defense law skills to keep them from being suspects, while Will finds himself breaking down out of fear and guilt.

In some ways, not a lot happens in this story beyond Will and Natalie's bickering and cover-up, but it's a tense and suspenseful story nonetheless. Neither character is likable; their marriage is falling apart and you can't really feel much sympathy for them (just their son, truly). But it's easy to get caught up in the story and wanting to know what will happen--will they be caught? Hunt makes the reader ask what they would do in such a situation and has you wondering if you ever truly know someone... There is a lot of focus on marital issues and family problems. Please note a large trigger for sexual assault.

This is a quick read for thriller fans that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

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There's shadows in my mind: THE GUESTS.

The Guests by Margot Hunt
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

It's been a long time since I read a book in one day, but I did it with THE GUESTS!

This is a great, quick read that flies by: a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Celeste, pounds down on the Davies family-Lee, Marlowe, and their teenage twins. It feels like the hurricane is truly happening and the tension building as the storm hits. Just before Celeste arrives, a boat docks at the family's home, and three strangers (brothers Bo and Jason and Bo's girlfriend Darcy) arrive. Since Celeste changed track, they need a place to stay.

What ensues is a totally wild read. Some of the characters reveal a few surprise connections, and the book feels like a locked room thriller, with the family, the new arrivals, and a few others (a friend, an assistant, a handyman) all stuck in the house. I felt like I could hear the wind howling and rain pounding down. Things get a little preposterous by the end, with a few predictable turns and some not at all, but the result is still a fun, exciting, and often violent (!) thriller.

I received a copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. Look for THE GUESTS on 01/09/2024!


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Must be something in the water or that I'm my mother's daughter: LOVELY GIRLS.

Lovely Girls by Margot Hunt
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Kate Turner and her daughter Alex are attempting to start fresh in Florida after the death of Kate's husband (Alex's father). Moving from Buffalo is supposed to give them both a new start. Kate quickly makes friends with a trio of local moms, but their daughters dislike Alex immediately. When Alex displaces one of the girls from the lead spot on the tennis team, tensions rise, and Kate realizes that her daughter is a victim of bullying.

LOVELY GIRLS is a quick read that captures your interest from the start. I'm not sure it covers any new ground, but it certainly keeps you reading. It opens up with a dead body and then we hear the story from Kate's point of view and Alex's video diary.

The mean girls in GIRLS are way mean. Wow. And their moms are just as bad. Be prepared for some immense bullying and intensity. GIRLS takes everything to the extreme to the point that you are very afraid of everything and about what will happen to Kate and Alex. (And scared to send your children to high school, in my case.) As the action unfolds, we learn more about Kate's complicated relationship with her late husband--as well as how Alex related to her father. The book gives us an in-depth look at how women raise their daughters, as well as how kids treat each other--and how parents affect that treatment.

GIRLS gets crazy at the end (okay maybe it's crazy for a while) but it's an addictive train wreck kind of insanity. 3.5+ stars.

I received a copy of this book from Thomas&Mercer and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. Look for LOVELY GIRLS on 03/01/2023!

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