nzlisam's reviews
1100 reviews

Christian White got me again! How does he keep doing this?

He remains one of the Master’s of the jaw-dropping twists. The Ledge sure packed a punch – an emotional gut punch. The clues were there – but of course I didn’t see them for what they were.

The Ledge is his best book yet. All his thrillers have been 5 star reads for me, but this one was even better than my previous favourite – The Wife and the Widow.

The present (2023) and past (1999) dual timeline were equally engrossing, complex, and fast-paced.

At just 352 pages The Ledge is a quick read, so perfect for the approaching busy holiday season.

Christian White captured the vibe and nostalgia of childhood, friendship, and innocence lost when violence explodes into the lives of four teenage boys in a small Victoria, Australia town. Loved the homage to Stephen King’s, It and Stand By Me (1986) with kids riding bikes and walking train tracks.

Just read it! Or listen! I toggled between the physical book and the audiobook, and Nic English’s performance was superb.

I don’t know how I’m going to narrow down my 2024 favourites list?

As the old saying goes: A Problem Shared is a Problem Halved.

4.5 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Even before they were thrown together to plan a school fundraising event, three PTA wives and mothers have more in common than they realise.

Each is hiding one big secret.

If revealed it could upend their lives, and the lives of those they hold dear.

But they should know, nothing ever stays buried forever.

At its core Things We Never Say was a novel about the empowering nature of healthy female friendships, and that when you have supportive women in your corner you can endure and overcome even the most devastating hardships life throws your way. The idioms ‘Appearances Can Be Deceiving’, and Behind Closed Doors’ as well as the saying ‘Never Judge a Book by its Cover’ were all applicable here. Also, the shame and guilt women still place on themselves to be perfect, even in 2024! Just like Caitlin Weaver’s debut novel, Such a Good Family (June 2024), this one also contained copious amounts of marriage and family drama and strained and toxic relationships.

Chapters cycled between Anna, Rhea, and Maggie, and all three were keeping secrets (one more serious than the others) – from their husbands, and children, as well as each other – unaware that their significant others also had things to hide. I enjoyed all three characters, and I liked that they had very distinctive personalities to set them apart from one another – there was never any doubt who was narrating – but that they also shared a lot of commonalities. I was more invested in Anna and Rhea’s chapters, as I found Maggie’s plight the least interesting. Although she did have more to do with uncovering the white-collar crime going on at the private high school all the teens in this novel attended (a variation on the college admissions scandal) which was a compelling subplot.

Audiobook narrator, Jesse Vilinsky, did a brilliant job of bringing all three women, and every supporting character, to life, and nailed every emotion in her performance. Her submissive, quiet voice for Anna, Rhea’s Southern accent, and her dramatic overreacting emotional rants for Maggie’s teenage daughter, Pen, were the standouts!

This review would be amiss without commending Caitlin Weaver for releasing not one, but two, exceptional contemporary domestic dramas dealing with serious, life-changing real-world issues. Other authors take note and write faster because this is how it’s done. I will be eagerly awaiting anything this author writes next.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Caitlin Weaver for the advanced audiobook.

This audiobook is only days away from being released (12th November 2024), and I have no hesitation in recommending Things We Never Say.

The Ex-Vows was somewhat of a contradiction as everything I liked or disliked about it contained a ‘but’.

2.5 rounded up to 3.


Five years ago, couple Georgia and Eli broke up. Now their close friend Adam is getting married, and Georgia and Eli are his designated ‘best people’. When the wedding venue burns down, Georgia and Eli are unwittingly thrown together to save the wedding. Old hurts resurface and new sparks begin to fly.

Unfortunately, nothing about The Ex-Vows really stood out for me therefore this one was only average for me. The chemistry between Georgia and Eli was undeniable, and the open-door romance was smouldering hot. But there just weren’t enough internal or external struggles standing in the way of them being together in the present, so their conversations and interactions grew repetitive and caused the novel to drag. This is probably an odd thing to say about a romance, but there were far too many one-on-one scenes devoted to Georgia and Eli. When I think about the romances that I have loved this year they have all contained plenty of situations and instances of the main characters relationships, and baggage, with supporting characters. There were side characters in this, but they were largely relegated to the background. I enjoyed the wedding setting to a point, but the various wedding disasters did grow tiresome. Finally, and this is picky, but I abhorred Eli referring to Georgia as ‘Peach’, as in ‘Georgia Peach’. Yuck!

I listened to the audiobook, and I have zero complaints regarding the narrator. And I will say that given the light content and easy-to-follow plot, The Ex-Vows was great to listen to on my morning walk, in transit, and while doing household chores. Be sure to check out other reviews for this contemporary romance, as my opinion is very much in the minority.

An inviting and intriguing premise for both a mystery and a romance!

After a falling out with her childhood best friend/college roommate halfway through the semester, Freshman Aleeza Kassam is forced to change not only rooms, but campus dormitories.

Unbeknownst to her, her new digs in Room 225 of East Hall, was formerly occupied by Sophomore Jay Hoque, a student who has been missing for the past 5 months, last seen in the very building Aleeza now lives in.

If that wasn’t disconcerting enough, Aleeza opens the campus resident app – ResConnect – only to find a message from Jay demanding to know what she’s doing in his room. At first Aleeza thinks it’s a prank, a joke, a technical glitch – but the more they chat, Aleeza soon realises she’s talking to Jay several weeks before he went missing, and that he has no idea he’s in danger. They need work together to get to the truth of what happened to Jay that fateful night, and prevent it from happening, before Jay disappears again.

Remember Me Tomorrow was a heartfelt, poignant, emotional roller coaster, time-crossed romance, mystery, fantasy, sci-fi, and magical realism in an academia setting with themes of independence, identity, friendship and toxic friendship, race, prejudice and discrimination, class, privilege, and secrets. The slow burn romantic plot was everything I could’ve wished for – every message exchanged between Aleeza and Jay was either sweet, sexy, fun, amusing, natural, profound, or a mix – I felt their chemistry, and understood why they were drawn to each other from the get-go and the bond between them that strengthened over time was lovely. The time-shift and mystery subplots contained twists aplenty, a myriad of clues, and subtle use of foreshadowing. It was also uniquely clever having Jay the victim able to assist (and hopefully alter) present-day Aleeza’s investigation in the past, and it definitely added another layer of tension, perplexity, and urgency to the novel. I’ve marked this as magical realism, but I liked how both Aleeza and Jay were initially skeptical regarding the magical elements, that they both sought to uncover rational explanations, and halfway through the book Aleeza still had her doubts.

Every character was relevant, with distinctive traits and personalities, and age-appropriate behaviours and actions. I warmed to sole narrator Aleeza within the first paragraph, and to Jay from his first introduction, as well as the side characters. Since the character’s were college-aged I would subcategorise this novel as New Adult, but to be honest given the tame nature of the story overall it read more like YA, therefore I feel it would be fine for teenagers. My only trigger warning would be for swearing, but bad language is a part of pretty much every YA book these days. The setting, particularly the architecture of East Hall, a building steeped in history, was atmospheric and ominous.

I urge you to sqeeze Remember Me Tomorrow into your busy reading schedule, as it is a must read. Farah Heron is a new-to-me author that I’m thrilled to have discovered.

Never a Dull Moment!

Chloe Cooper likes to observe people.

Especially neighbours.

Her living room window in her tiny apartment offers her the perfect view of her new neighbours – glamorous socialite Jemma Spengler and her surgeon husband Adam.

Chloe knows their routine.

She’s been inside their house.

She’s learn’t their secrets.

She’s developed a recent beach fetish.

Every morning like clockwork Jemma goes for a swim, and Chloe is lurking nearby.

But this morning will be different.

Because Chloe watches in horror as Jemma is deliberately mowed down by a jet-ski.

What lead up to this murder?

No one could predict the fallout that follows.

The Swimmer was my first read by Loreth Anne White and I was sorely impressed by this domestic/marriage/neighbours thriller. It was a quick, fast-paced read, with nothing too eye-rolling or unbelievable. The multitude of twists and fake trails were exciting, inventive and ingenious, none of which I figured out. I had no idea where this was going or how it was going to end. The story unfolded via our three main players – Chloe, Jemma, Adam – with chapters alternating between ‘before’ and ‘after’ the hit-and-run. There were also chapters dedicated to a podcast titled ‘It’s Criminal: The Chloe Cooper Story’, interviewing people on the periphery of the crime, dropping hints and tiny reveals of what really happened. I love a good podcast in my crime fiction, and the format of this one reminded me a lot of Lisa Jewell’s 2023novel, None of This is True.

I’ll definitely be exploring Loreth Anne White’s backlist!

Don’t let the lighthearted title fool you, this one gets very dark!

45.

Patricia Campbell is a dutiful and sheltered housewife in a Southern small town in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Her one night of escapism is her monthly book club with four other housewives from her neighbourhood, where they drink wine, gossip, and discuss gruesome true and fictional crime reads. When James Harris moves to town, Patricia tries to be a welcoming and friendly neighbour, but from their first meeting there’s just something untrustworthy and off putting about him that she just can’t shake. And the more James inserts himself into her life, and those of her family and friends, the more uncomfortable Patricia feels. And children are changing…

An engaging, absorbing, riveting read. The prologue sucked me right in, and the references and tie-in to My Best Friend’s Exorcism has me even more excited to read that one. The author excelled at writing tense, nail-biting, claustrophobic, heart-pounding, nightmarish scenes. But then the next chapter would see me snorting out loud, which I was grateful for as it gave me a chance to calm down. The final showdown had me glued to the audio, and the ending was poignant and satisfying. The variation on the vampire myth was unique and different. It could’ve been a 5-star read, but unfortunately there were a couple of scenes that were too much for me (see next paragraph), although I understand why they were included as James was a vicious blood-sucking creature with zero humanity who relished exerting control and power over the main characters. I really warmed to Patricia and her friends, and their struggles to come to terms with the evil surrounding them, their setbacks, and struggles to remain loyal to one another. The novel was set mainly in the 90’s, although the first two chapters took place in 1988 explaining how the book club came to be. These characters submissiveness to their husbands and the misogyny of the men reminded me more of the 1950’s although I understand that there were pockets of the South like this in the 90’s and it worked well for this novel further isolating the women, and fuelling their fear that they wouldn’t be believed, and that there was no help to be found outside of one another.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires was something of an enigma. Because if you happened to sample the first couple of chapters on say Amazon, you could mistakenly buy it thinking it was going to be on the lighter side of horror because a lot of the novel was entertaining, fun, and amusing. Until it wasn’t. Things took a turn in the third chapter, we’re talking blood, gore, and mutilation. And it didn’t stop there. There was a chapter straight out of James Herbert’s first novel (true horror novel fans will get this reference and it was a cool tribute), and for those who are squeamish or phobic when it comes to cockroaches, spiders, or bugs in general, I advise you to give this book a wide berth. And there’s more. Around the 75% mark, the novel went in an even darker direction, and I now understand why some readers/reviewers gave up at this point. 

I listened to most of the book via Libby and the narrator, Bahni Turpin, completely and utterly brought these characters to life. Bravo! For those who can get past the above trigger warnings I highly recommend The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires on audio. I am thrilled to have found a new horror author in Grady Hendrix.

A luxury villa in the breathtaking, picturesque Tuscan countryside. Sounds sublime, right?

But for Anna Pace – early thirties, working a dead-end job at an ad agency in New York – a once in a lifetime vacation is upset by two major obstacles:

1. Her toxic and frustrating relationship with her dysfunctional family – her parents, twin brother Benny, sister Nicole, brother-in-law Justin, and Benny’s new boyfriend Christopher. The saving grace is Anna’s two nieces – Waverly and Mia.

2. From the moment Anna steps inside Villa Taccola she is plagued by an uneasy feeling. Cold spots, footsteps, strange voices speaking Italian, objects moving around, doors slamming, and every night brings vivid nightmares.

And then there’s the tower room – the door leading to the staircase is locked, concealed by a tapestry. The locals have warned the Pace family not to open it – ever! But the key is beckoning, calling out to them…

Diavola was unnerving, macabre, spine-tingling gothic horror at its finest. I loved the subtlety of it. And there were several nail-biting twists. It may not be fast-paced or exciting enough for some horror reader fans, as a lot of time was spent on the Pace Family’s vacation experience and familial drama. But for me the scariest part was them doing normal touristy things one minute and then being confronted with something supernatural the next. One of the creepiest notions was that the haunting probably couldn’t have taken hold if this family dynamic had of been healthier – their lack of communication, selfishness, and various resentments were their ultimate downfall.

Disturbing cover art aside, content-wise there was some body horror, blood, and descriptions of rotting food. I would characterise Diavola as mild horror, and any regular readers of thrillers who want to dip a toe into horror this October would be able to handle this just fine. The novel was narrated entirely by Anna, and I loved her particular brand of sarcasm and humour right down to the mocking chapter titles. Both her plights - family and paranormal - made her a sympathetic, relatable character, although not particularly likeable. No one was loveable in this, except for the two children, and the cats, neither of which were harmed in this book.

I know we are only thirteen days into the month, but Diavolais currently my top pick horror read, and it is a tale that will stay with me for a long time to come.

Wrong!

Because the night of a wild teen party in an isolated barn, someone dressed as Frendo the Clown (Kettle Springs mascot), emerges from the surrounding cornfields, armed with a crossbow, intent on punishing the local kids for their sins.

A long night of terror has begun!

Clown in a Cornfield was a YA, small town, slasher/horror/mystery/suspense with no supernatural elements. As a slasher it exceeded my expectations – the remote setting and the various reasons why the teens could neither escape nor be rescued were sound, the kills were creative, the kill count was high and the deaths were gruesome without being too gross or descriptive, some characters were resourceful and empathetic, worked as a team, while others made dumb decisions, were mean and selfish, only out for themselves, and were willing to sacrifice others to stay alive. The main characters were likeable, the teens acted and behaved like young people, and thorough backstories and past secrets and traumas were given for all characters and the fictional town of Kettle Springs. There was a good build up to the party, but equally plenty of time was devoted to the never-ending, horrific night itself.

My only wish was that there had of been more to the main mystery. The overall motives, and the culprit behind the murders, were fairly predictable. Thankfully, there were enough other shocks and surprises to satisfy me, particularly one that I probably should’ve guessed but didn’t, and I enjoyed the unique twist. Adam Cesare is a talented writer, and this first instalment in a trilogy was fast-paced, action-packed, and heart-pounding. I look forward to reading the two sequels, Frendo Lives, and The Church of Frendo.

Creature Feature is a collection of six Amazon-Original scary stories, each focusing on a different monster, penned by well-known authors in the horror and thriller genres. This is story 6/6.

Big Bad by Chandler Baker – 1 Pumpkin 🎃

A family of four fight for their lives one never-ending night when evil from outside and within invades their isolated farmhouse. The wolves are circling.

Aside from the ending, which was decent, this was predictable, meh, with awful characters who I didn't care what happened to. Even the kids were whiny and irritating. Scenes were choppy and ended abruptly. The writing was gross rather than scary or creepy – overly gory with revolting descriptions of bodily functions – gag! I'm crossing this author off my list. My least favourite of the Creature Feature collection.

In conclusion, now that I have read all six stories, I rate the collection overall, 3.5 Stars! 

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Amazon, and Chandler Baker for the e-ARC.

Available Now!

Creature Feature is a collection of six Amazon-Original scary stories, each focusing on a different monster, penned by well-known authors in the horror and thriller genres. This is story 5/6. 

Best of Luck by Jason Mott – 5 Pumpkins 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃 

In the darkness of Barry's kitchen his best friend Will holds him at gun-point. How did things get to this point? Will has a gruesome tale to tell. It starts with a story of luck. 

Jason Mott was the only Creature Feature author I had never heard of, and Best of Luck was a riveting, chilling story with notes of black comedy. I was glued to the pages from the first sentence to the last, and both sentences were exactly how you want your horror story to start and finish. The author's writing, and use of metaphors, were exceptional. I'll definitely be checking out what else he's written. My top favourite of the Creature Feature Collection. 

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Amazon, and Jason Mott for the e-ARC. 

Available Now!