reading_under_covers's reviews
1509 reviews

"My heart thumps hard in my chest, adrenaline and fear coursing through me. A killer, here at Meadowbrook Academy. The idea is impossible."

It's only the first week of their senior year at their fancy boarding high school when Sarah and Ryan are found murdered in Sarah's bed. Suspicion immediately turns to Amy, Sarah's roommate, so when school reporter Liz has the chance to get close to Amy, she'll do anything she can to get the story and hopefully solve the case.

I've read all of Jessica Goodman's books, with THE MEADOWBROOK MURDERS being the latest. All of her books are YA and most feature an academic setting, which I really enjoy!

THE MEADOWBROOK MURDERS had all the intrigue AND an elite boarding school in New England, which should have made this a new favorite for me, but it, unfortunately, fell flat.

The pacing was extremely slow and the lack of depth to the characters didn't help in moving the story along.

While the mystery is what kept me reading, it ultimately left me feeling underwhelmed by the end.

Will this be the last Goodman novel I pick up???? Only time will tell 😬

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: February 4

"Hate is loud. We are louder."

T.J. Klune does it again (made me sob and yearn for a better world 🥲) with SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA.

This story puts a high emphasis on being yourself despite what others might think, and finding those who love you for every part of you.

Stories like this one are more important now than ever before and I'm happy a world like this one exists upon the Cerulean Sea. I hope hope hope we get more books set in this world!

Now, I'm off to step up my fun socks game 🧐

Thanks to Atria for the early copy for review - this book is out now!

This was a cute and cozy winter romance following a ghost writer who's hunkered down at a fancy ski resort to write the memoir of a famous boyband member.

I loved how the mystery genre was incorporated into the story (even if I guessed what was going on immediately lol), and the snowy setting is always so cozy to me, which proved to be the case here!

All in all, a very low stakes, sweet romance for any of you winter mood readers!

Kagan and Hazel haven't been close since becoming adults, but when their mother dies in a suspicious manner and their names rocket to the top of the suspect list, they have to set aside their issues and come together. Neither of them were ever particularly close to their stepfather, but the further the siblings dig, the more things start coming up "conman." They'll do anything to get their inheritance back and out his endgame.

TRUST ISSUES by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands is a cat and mouse thriller full of lavish lifestyles, sibling rivalries, and rich women getting conned.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book and the amateur sleuthing was such a hit for me! The beginning of the story is also set in New York (and the Cloisters!), which is always a fun thing to see.

Despite this story having some of my favorite things, the characters were extremely immature for being in their late 30s and the slow pacing didn't have a payoff that felt worth the arduous journey.

A cool cover with an interesting plot, but the execution just wasn't fully there for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the early copies for review!

Publication Date: January 28

Gad’s anecdotes about Frozen and becoming Olaf were easily some of my favorite parts of this book! Just talking about it all brought out a childlike quality in Gad that was sweet to listen to.

I really enjoyed Reginald  being a main character in this one!

There were similar moments of FMC naivety, which made me cringe a bit, but overall a fun world that Levine has created! 

Every year during the rainy season, the Rainfall Market comes to town. For those who are granted a ticket, they can present at the market where they have until the end of the rainy season to change the course of their life. This year, Serin manages to get a ticket (and a cat companion to boot!) and will realize what is truly important in her life.

THE RAINFALL MARKET by You Yeong-Gwang is a relatively low-stakes cozy fantasy.

The story was exceptionally easy to visualize and the characters felt a bit like home.

While this novel didn't feel groundbreaking in any way, it did add just a little bit more light into my heart.

Thanks to Ace Books for the ARC for review - this one is out today!

It's Halloween of 2001 in the small town of Crooks Corner. A small group of teens sets out to film a horror movie for a school project at their local Halloween Haunt, but all of a sudden, the Haunt becomes real and nobody is safe. Teens, parents, teachers, and the local sheriff all must come together to put an end to Helloween before it's too late.

HELLOWEEN by Duncan Ralston had a very nostalgic feel, full of murder, gore, and a whole lot of friendship.

Coming in at a whopping 572 pages, it's hard to believe that most of this story takes place over the course of one night, and I found that to be one of this book's main downfalls (the other being some of the language used that was more commonplace in the early 2000s).

We follow at lease five different storylines throughout this book, which kept me engaged, though some of the characters felt a bit cumbersome to follow. The "entity" also didn't feel fully fleshed out to me, despite having so many pages for its entire backstory to be established.

A fine Halloween read, but could have been much better if it was combed through a few more times.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Work Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press for the listening and physical copies for review!

I loved the full cast narration of the audiobook - it made it so easy to switch between the characters' POVs and immediately know whose story we were in, and it made the drama of the story that much more bingeable!

Despite the entertaining aspect of this book, I did find the latter half to be very eye roll worthy and not super believable, which took away some of the joy I originally felt when diving into THE BUSINESS TRIP.

Definitely a fun thriller, but lacking with the overall execution.