A review by amateur_bookworm
Pen Pal by J.T. Geissinger

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

First of all, Bookstagram made me do it. Second of all, I read nothing about this book before stating it so I *thought* I was diving into a smutty dark romance. But it’s actually an amalgamation of a smutty psychological thriller with a good amount of romance, mystery and spookiness. 

The style of writing pulled me into this book right away. I found myself pretty captivated given that I had no actual clue about what was happening through most of the book. I don’t read a bunch of thrillers anymore so I always feel super gullible to any plot twists. I had inklings of how it would turn out and I really wasn’t correct at all—so, I love that I was a bit surprised by the way everything shook out. I totally plan on a reread (maybe by audiobook) now that I know what happens. 

Overall, I almost couldn’t put this down and really enjoyed the suspense of it (despite it not being anything like I expected by judging it purely by the cover). I did not, however, enjoy their nicknames for each other and found it a bit grating. That being said, I absolutely recommend it—especially if you have Kindle Unlimited. 

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