bethreadsandnaps's reviews
2653 reviews

Did not like. Extremely predictable and implausible at the same time. 

 

WITNESS 8 by Steve Cavanagh has an incredible premise and is extremely riveting. 

Ruby Johnson is a domestic worker in Manhattan, but her family was once rich. After her father gambled away their fortune and fled, Ruby and her ill mother have been just scraping by. When Ruby sees her friend get murdered, she concocts a plan, but she doesn’t realize she’s going to have to contend with Eddie Flynn and his unconventional legal team. 

This is only my second Eddie Flynn novel. The conman-turned-lawyer is an innovative hook to the series, and I appreciate that each can be read as a standalone even though it gives the reader more depth to read as a series. This one has a few scenes in court with most of this story taking place outside of court and on the streets of New York. There’s a few more shootouts than I really wanted in my reading, but I must say this novel is very propulsive and you want to get back to it.  I would have liked to get to know some of the characters, like Bloch and Kate, a little more, but that might occur in other books in the series. 

As for the Ruby plot, which is a chunk but not all of the novel, I really liked it. The author included an interesting aspect about art (trying to be vague), and that really surprised me how that evolved. Also, I was intrigued by how the Ruby plot line ended. 

I really enjoyed the male friendship between Eddie Flynn and Harry. I know that it’s a very small plot line throughout the book, but it made me smile every time I got back to it.

I find Cavanagh writes really interesting morally gray characters (Eddie Flynn and Ruby, notably, in this novel). So if you like fast-paced action/legal novels with people with questionable morals, this one will be up your alley!  

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

WITNESS 8 publishes March 25, 2025. 

I thought this was an interesting exploration of a ghostwriter’s experiences and learnings after writing for D.C.’s elite, including Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Ben Bradlee, Bob Kerrey, and infamously Hillary Clinton. 

This memoir takes the reader through Feinman Todd’s career, starting with her first job in news. It is an easy read even if you’re not familiar with the players. 

I’m glad the author waited almost 20 years after Clinton’s book to write this. Some of the emotions have dulled, lending to more perspective and thoughtfulness. 

I think the audiobook narrator should have been more seasoned. She comes across as so young and doesn’t match any of the pictures I’ve come across of Feinman Todd.

I wasn't fond of THE FLOAT TEST by Lynn Steger Strong. I did like her previous novel FLIGHT. 

This is a wealthy (although “new money”) dysfunctional family that comes together after the death of their mother. I didn’t care for any of the characters. Now I don’t always need to root for or even like characters. Gosh, I love a despicable main character! But these weren’t despicable nor likeable characters. They were all blandly problematic and navel gaze-y. 

I wasn’t sure why the perspectives didn’t completely switch. Jude, the main character, is the third oldest sibling with a solid first person perspective. But when it’s from Fred or George’s perspective, it feels like it’s a close third person perspective, but then she would say “I” (as Jude) even in situations when Jude couldn’t have been there to observe the situation. It felt odd to me, but maybe it’s a higher literary technique that goes above my head.  

There was some information (what happened between Jude and Fred) that was kept from the reader until the end, and it felt like the author was being unnecessarily coy because it didn’t land as a big reveal (maybe it wasn’t supposed to be?).  And did the death at the end need to happen?? I think that’s going to put a bad taste in the mouth of many readers due to how it happened and to whom. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes April 8, 2025. 

3.5 ⭐️


I really enjoyed the beginning of WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy. The nature writing was exquisite, and Rowan’s arrival after a storm to the island of Shearwater intrigued me. With a rotating set of narrators, including Rowan, gruff caretaker Dominic, and his three children Raff, Fen, and Orly, I felt each perspective gave an interesting flavor to the story.  

The story got bogged down in the middle part of the novel to me, and then there were several far-fetched plot elements that seemed like they came out of nowhere in the last third of the novel (trying to stay away from spoilers). Throw in a romance that didn’t seem authentic. The novel felt very jumbled to me. 

The reviews on this novel are awesome. Maybe my expectations were too high? I actually didn’t really like the author’s ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES. I realized it was well-written, but I thought McConaghy brought in too many issues, and I didn’t feel the mysteries were threaded well. And I must admit that I thought the same thing with her latest novel WILD DARK SHORE. 

There was a tearjerker moment toward the end of the book, to which I did succumb, but - again - it wasn’t naturally woven through the book, in my opinion. And so it felt rather manipulative to me.

The audiobook narrators were all good (especially Dominic!), but I might have picked Orly to be narrated by a different voice. Orly is a 9 year old boy and is narrated by an adult male. I actually thought Rowan’s narrator did a good Orly voice when she did his voice in Rowan’s chapters, so I would have suggested a woman to do the young boy’s voice instead of an adult male. 

If you liked ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES, there is a good chance you’ll also like WILD DARK SHORE. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advance Listener Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 


It publishes March 4, 2025. 

CLAIRE, DARLING by debut author Callie Kazumi explores a familiar trope found in psychological thrillers but has an interesting execution. Main character Claire is happily engaged to Noah, and when she brings Noah’s lunch to him at work, she learns that he no longer works there. And then Claire can’t find him. She’s been ghosted by her fiance. 

And that leads the reader to debate with one’s self whether Claire is unhinged or if she is being played by her fiance. Claire’s deceased mother plays a big part in this novel, hence the title being how Claire’s mother addressed her (“Claire, darling”). I found the mother parts a bit suffocating, but I think that was the point. 

What tugged at my heartstrings is that Claire’s first friend in life was her fiercely loyal co-worker Sukhi. Everyone needs a Sukhi in their life. 

I must admit that I ate this novel up like it was my favorite chocolate. The second half of the novel features court testimony by a plethora of characters, and I really liked how the author crafted each piece coming together. 

While this isn’t high literature, I found it extremely compelling and I didn’t want to put it down. Unlike a lot of psychological thrillers, though, I feel like the author laid a lot of groundwork for the “why.” I did find a few things related to the plot a bit difficult to believe, but I think that’s pretty typical with this genre. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam/Random House Publishing for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 


It publishes March 11, 2025.

4.5 stars

This novel about a robot becoming more and more sentient was extremely thought-provoking. Greer is very skilled at writing, and a number of times I thought I knew where the story was going and got it wrong (which I like!). 

Doug purchased Annie by a robot manufacturer and had her made to look like his ex. He's embarrassed by being in a relationship with a sex robot, but that doesn't stop him from using Annie for her intended purpose. 

While Doug isn't likable, he's not a "bad" guy. If technology was far enough along, I think we all know many Dougs in our lives that would do something like this. And I think Doug does want more from this relationship with Annie, so he does give her more freedom than many other men would. 

Annie's journey throughout the book is very compelling, and again I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. 

Tiffy and Leon share a flat but don’t meet because they are using it for opposite shifts (not very realistic but oh well). They exchange notes for months, and sparks fly when they finally meet. Tiffy helps Leon find a lawyer for his brother, and Leon helps her out with her ex. 

Maybe it’s the premise that didn’t work for me? There was more melodrama in this novel than I expected. 

I WOULD DIE FOR YOU by Sandie Jones was a bit of a disappointment for me, but it might be the ideal read for another reader.

It’s 2010, and Nicole Forbes is focused on saving the beach with her husband Brad and 8 year old daughter Hannah. When a woman named Zoe comes to her door, it forces her to confront what happened back in London with the band Secret Oktober back in 1986. 

This dual timeline takes the reader back to 1986 where teenage Cassie is obsessed with Ben Edwards from Secret Oktober, and she and her friend Amelia become immersed with the band.  

I had a problem with the characterizations. Everyone had such a superficial lens on them, including Cassie, and I wanted to know more than the superficial. Especially when Cassie is dealing with a mental disorder, I thought the author could have done more than just paint her in an unfavorable light. The problem bled into other characters as well, with many not formed as multi-dimensional as I think they deserved to be. I didn’t “get” Nicole and Brad’s marriage. And who was Hank? He was mentioned several times, but I didn’t understand who he was. 

Thankfully, the mystery didn’t have twist after twist, which I appreciated. I liked that the reader could see how plot points were building. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

It publishes March 25, 2025. 

4.25 stars

I really enjoyed this novel about Texas Rangers-turned-cowboys. While Gus is the main character, I loved the women Lorena and Clara in this novel. I'm so glad I spent my time with this one, as it was a good journey with a lot of sadness at points.