reading_under_covers's reviews
1512 reviews

Six people (who are iconic in their own ways) are gathered together on a desert island where they will be competing on a reality tv show all with the hopes of being seen. Three weeks later, five of the six contestants are being investigated for a possible murder.

THEN THINGS WENT DARK by Bea Fitzgerald was a drama-filled story for anyone who loves reality tv!

I really enjoyed the drama and tension within the first half of the book and also had a strong love to hate feeling for most of the characters (aside from the ones that really seemed to have no redeeming qualities lol).

Bea sets up the story in a way where the suspense is felt almost immediately and you get to slowly see where things start to unravel. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of fans reacting to the “episodes” at the end of each chapter - it really added to the world.

I do think this one was on the longer side and, beyond the halfway point, the pace really started to drag for me.

This was a fine end of summer read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Just not vibing with it. 

lol at the emotional whiplash I have from book one to now

When the police show up on Eddy’s doorstep after finding a body at the bottom of the well, she reveals that her late mother was writing a multi-generational manuscript about a girl named Cat, which may lead to some answers for the police.

Huge thanks to the author, Aimee Hardy, for sending me an ARC of her upcoming debut POCKET FULL OF TEETH (out SEPTEMBER 13!)

This story was complex, intricately woven, and eerie to say the least.

In just over 300 pages, Hardy details the lives of three women through a written manuscript, journal entries, and a police transcript, creating a maze much like the one surrounding the manor house that is central to the story - but much more complicated to get to the center of!

This book is spooky, yet loaded with grief and imperfect humans, making it one that I will be unpacking for much time to come.

Gela Nathaniel, head of Royal Hastings University’s new Multimedia Art course, must find six students from all walks of life for her new master’s program before the university cuts her funding. The students are nothing but trouble from day one.

If you haven’t yet experienced Janice Hallett’s writing, go now!! Her formatting and storytelling is so unique and intricate, I must see what the inside of her mind looks like!

All that said, THE EXAMINER is only my second read by Hallett, but it was such a wild and engaging time.

Hallett writes epistolary novels - everything is told to us through letters, emails, texts, reports, etc. which makes for an extremely interesting read especially in the world of mystery!

In addition to having to read between the lines, we have to choose whether or not to trust what is being said in this media - making it the ultimate reader as detective experience.

Hallett also has a twisted mind, which really shows in this story, and she throws in some twists that will have you questioning everything!

Definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thanks to Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: September 10

As a fan of Mean Girls who doesn't know much of what happened behind the scenes, I found this book to be really interesting and nostalgic!

I did listen to the audio, which I think helped keep me engaged with the amount of facts and background that can be a bit drone-y in the written format - so would definitely recommend going the audiobook route on this one for max enjoyment.

Thank you to Libro.fm and Simon and Schuster Audio for an early listening copy for review!

After hearing that their father fell from a cliffside to his death, estranged siblings Nora and Sam come together to find out what really happened - there’s no way this was an accident. What they uncover will change everything.

Laura Dave is back at it again with the suspenseful family drama, THE NIGHT WE LOST HIM.

This book alternates between the present day from Nora’s POV and the past from her late father Liam’s POV - an element I loved and that really built up the mystery and intrigue.

I really enjoyed how the family dynamics played out and JULIA WHELAN NARRATES THIS!!! 10/10 no notes!

This one didn’t have as strong an impact as THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME (loooved the drama in this one), but was still an enjoyable family drama regardless.

Publication Date: September 17

Taking place eleven years after the cheerleader murders in Kara Thomas' book THE CHEERLEADERS, we dive back into the small town of Sunnybrook in this follow-up novel that offers up a new set of characters and a new mystery to solve.

THE CHAMPIONS by Kara Thomas was such a dark, bingeable YA thriller.

I could not put this book down - I loved getting to know our new lead character Hadley and her evolving relationships with her classmates (Peter especially)!

Like I said, this book gets dark, but still feels very true to life, making it all the more horrifying for it.

Definitely one to pick up if you enjoyed THE CHEERLEADERS!

Thanks to the publisher for an early copy for review.

While this one did have some really fun character moments, it dragged a bit and the reveal was also ~convenient~