📖 Christmas Presents ✍️ Lisa Unger

 

📖 Christmas Presents ✍️ Lisa Unger • Published 24th October 2023 
Format: Paperback #kobo ebook 
📝 My Rating 🌟🌟🌟½  / 5🌟

Lisa Unger's 'The Christmas Presents’ is a wonderfully easy and quick read. I would round this up to a 3.5 stars. This is my first read from Lisa Unger and I will move on to her other books after this. The book grabs you with a compelling start and keeps you hooked all the way to the end. I loved the short chapters and how the story flowed so smoothly without dragging.

The plot centers around Madeline Martin, a young bookstore owner who has built a new life for herself despite a traumatic past. Years ago, Madeline was the sole survivor of an attack by Evan Handy, who was convicted of murdering her best friend, Stephanie, and is suspected in the disappearance of two other friends, sisters Ainsley and Sam Wallace. This unresolved tragedy has haunted Madeline and obsessed her father, the former sheriff, until a stroke impaired him.

The past resurfaces when Harley Granger, a popular true-crime podcaster known for his sometimes unethical methods, arrives in Madeline's small town of Little Valley. He is keen to investigate the cold case, believing there's more to the story. His presence forces Madeline to confront memories she'd rather keep buried.

Complicating matters, since Evan Handy's imprisonment, three more young women have gone missing in the same area, the latest being a college dropout named Lolly. As a blizzard approaches and Christmas looms, Madeline, along with her childhood friend Badger, try to find the missing Lolly and uncover the truth behind the disappearances. The story explores themes of survivor's guilt and the inability to move on.

The ending didn't quite land for me as I feel it could do better somehow. The plot twist was kind of a giveaway and missed the element of surprise. However, I'd still wholeheartedly recommend this book as a perfect read for cozying up by a fireplace beneath beautifully illuminated Christmas trees. 😌

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📖 Rock Paper Scissors ✍️ Alice Feeney

📖 Rock Paper Scissors ✍️ Alice Feeney 

• Published 19th August 2021 Format: Paperback #kobo ebook 

📝 My Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟/ 5🌟

Alice Feeney's Rock Paper Scissors is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that keeps readers guessing until the very end. I’ve finally got around to do this review and it’s the first novel I had read from Alice Feeney that led me to pursue her other titles. This thriller revolves around the troubled marriage of Adam and Amelia Wright. Adam, a screenwriter, suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness), rendering him unable to recognize people, even his own wife. The novel's strength lies in its intricate plot, unreliable narrators, and a series of shocking twists.

The couple wins a weekend getaway to a remote, converted chapel in the Scottish Highlands, a trip that seems like a last-ditch effort to save their crumbling relationship. Each year, Amelia writes Adam a letter for their anniversary, detailing her true feelings, but never lets him read them. As the weekend unfolds, it becomes clear that this trip was not a random prize, and hidden secrets and resentments come to the forefront. The isolated location and a looming sense of unease amplify the tension, making them question whether they truly know each other and if their marriage can survive.

Rock Paper Scissors is a page-turner that delivers a satisfying and unexpected conclusion. And I will definitely recommend this to anyone intrigued by mystery and suspense 🤩

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📖 Good Bad Girl ✍️ Alice Feeney

📖 Good Bad Girl

✍️ Alice Feeney • Published 29 August 2023

Format:  #kobo #ebook

📝 My Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟/ 5🌟

*** Spoiler Alerts ***

“Three Suspects • Two Killers • One Murder”

This is the tagline of the "Good Bad Girl" by Alice Feeney is a compelling novel that dives deep into the complexities of family dynamics and human relationships. The story revolves around the lives of Frankie and Patience, two characters whose intertwined destinies create a tapestry of emotions, secrets, and revelations.

Feeney masterfully crafts her characters, making them relatable and multifaceted. Frankie, a character with a troubled past, seeks redemption and a sense of belonging. Patience, on the other hand, is a beacon of hope and resilience, navigating her own challenges with grace and determination. Their journey together highlights themes of forgiveness, growth, and the enduring power of love.

The narrative is both engaging and thought-provoking, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with unexpected twists and turns. Feeney's writing style is fluid and evocative, painting vivid pictures of the settings and emotions that drive the story forward.

Overall, "Good Bad Girl" is a captivating read that explores the grey areas of morality and the strength of familial bonds. Alice Feeney has delivered a story that is as heart-wrenching as it is uplifting, making it a must-read for fans of thriller and mystery fiction.

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The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden

 Time to share my review 😍

📖 The Boyfriend

✍️ Freida McFadden • Published 1 October 2024

Format:  #kobo #ebook

📝 My Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟/ 5🌟

*** Spoiler Alerts ***

”The Boyfriend“ is my first Freida McFadden book, and I devoured it in one sitting during my recent Maldives trip! The story alternates between past and present, gradually building the background and unveiling a surprising twist at the end. Sydney, a thirty-something accountant, searches for love in modern Manhattan after breaking up with her police detective boyfriend. She meets her dream guy, Thomas Brewer (Tom), on a dating app. Little does she know, Tom harbors a dark personality and an even darker past. The plot reveals the mysteries behind the murders of Tom‘s high school classmates and Sydney’s best friend two decades later. I must say, the ending‘s twist caught me completely off guard—and it was brilliant. It turned out to be quite the twisted fairy tale ending... I think 🤔

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