“You Are Not Alone” by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

New this week!

Folks, Hendricks and Pekkanen have done it again. I loved The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl, so I knew You Are Not Alone would be a hit.

Hendricks and Pekkanen have a knack for writing compelling thrillers that aren’t boring in the build-up. (That’s one of my recent beefs with thrillers. I get sick of reading 80% of the book confused, then finding out all the answers at the very end.) With these authors, they give you the whodunit thriller that you want, but throw in interesting pieces to keep you guessing and not completely in the dark. I will read anything these two put out without hesitation.

You Are Not Alone bounces between several characters’ points of view. Shay Miller is a young woman living in New York, just stumbling through life, trying to figure out where she belongs. On the way to an interview one day, she witnesses the suicide of another young woman on the subway platform. From that day forward, Shay’s life will never be the same.

Cassandra and Jane Moore are two sisters that get what they want in life. They have a tight-knit group of friends that are like family to them, and they’ll protect each other no matter the cost. So when a mysterious girl (Shay) shows up at their friend Amanda’s memorial service after her suicide, they aren’t sure what her motives are. Did Amanda tell Shay something about the group’s secret? Does she know too much?

The sisters take Shay under their protective wing to find out more — they need to see if Shay should be taken care of (in a good way or a bad way). But no one is who they seem in this book, so you’ll keep guessing until the very end.

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Buy the book here.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

“The Holdout” by Graham Moore

The Holdout was one of the Book of the Month picks for February, and as an avid true crime fan, I knew this was one for me. (Join Book of the Month here and get your first book for $5! It’s one of my favorite book clubs in the world.)

Maya Seale was the titular “holdout,” the only non-guilty voter at the start of months-long deliberations in the case of The People vs. Robert Nock. Bobby Nock had allegedly killed his teenaged student, Jessica Silver, after having an alleged sexual relationship with her. However, the details were not clear, because Jessica’s body was never found. The defense argued that because of this lack of a body, as well as many other unclear details, Bobby Nock should not be found guilty of murder. There was a reasonable doubt. Maya believes this, and argues ad nauseam with her fellow jury members, until they all agree. There was enough reasonable doubt to conclude that Bobby Nock should not be found guilty.

Flash forward 10 years. Having been fascinated by the procedures of the court, Maya Seale is now a highly-sought defense attorney. She’s defended some of the most notorious alleged criminals in Los Angeles. But one day, one of the other jury members, Rick, seeks her out to ask her to come back to the Omni Hotel, where they were sequestered for months, to film a documentary with the help of a popular true crime podcast.

Maya is hesitant, because she knows Rick still harbors major resentment for her due to her “cajoling” the rest of the jury to change their verdicts to not guilty. He thinks Bobby is guilty, and he claims to have new evidence that will prove he is right. After initially declining Rick’s invite, Maya decides that it’d be better to be there, to be involved, than to see the results later and not have any way to share her feelings, regardless of if she was “right” or “wrong” 10 years ago.

This book has TWISTS for days. I read it in under 24 hours, and it’s been quite a while since I’ve been sucked into a story like that! If you like true crime, mystery, whodunits, you’ll like The Holdout. Think Serial meets Twelve Angry Men meets And Then There Were None, and you’ll only have part of this roller coaster of a story.

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Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

“Slayer” by Kiersten White

It’s no secret to many who know me — I absolutely *adore* Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’ve watched it several times (PSA: It’s on Hulu!) and it never ceases to make me laugh, cry, laugh again, and cry some more. (I’m looking at you, “The Body”.)

So when I heard there was a Slayer book coming out, I knew there was no options. I was going to buy it, and I was going to buy it immediately. The stakes were high (pun intended) — would it hold up? Would it make me furious, another adaptation of my faves gone wrong?

Turns out, I LOVED IT.

Slayer starts out after the last season of the show ends, where Buffy rids the world of magic. Or something. But here’s where it’s different from the show, and a wholly awesome new perspective into the Slayer world. The story is told from the

 perspective of Nina, a teen girl who has grown up in the Watcher’s Academy and has spent her life learning how to become a healer. Her twin sister, Artemis, is also there, and she is more of the violent Watcher “type”, always feeling Nina like she is a bit of an outsider.

But then everything changes. Because (and the synopsis says it better than I can) “Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.”

Talk about pressure.

So you’ve got a Slayer, Watchers, teens and adults, demons, romantic interests, the works! And most importantly, the “who is the bad guy” trope. Is it him? Is it her? It’s her! No wait, is it him? I love this type of storyline so much — it keeps you guessing from beginning to end.

Anyway — If you loved Buffy Summers, you’ll love Nina and Artemis and all of their friends (and foes). There is supposedly more of this story to come, and I can’t wait for them to SLAY me like this one did. 😉

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Buy your copy here!

[Bonus: I listened to the audiobook of this book, and it’s killer!]

Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

Blog Tour: “In Another Life” by CC Hunter

I’m pleased to be a part of the blog tour for In Another Life by CC Hunter, releasing today!

Check out the book’s description:

What would you do if your whole life was a lie and learning the truth could cost you your life?

From New York Times bestselling author of the Shadow Falls series comes C. C. Hunter’s new YA thriller about a girl who learns that she may have been kidnapped as a child, and must race to uncover the truth about her past before she winds up a victim.

Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of déjà vu from her early childhood start haunting her.

When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they’re kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth.

As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?

How awesome does that sound?! Questions and intrigue everywhere! You can buy your copy here.

[A Personal Note From Ellie: With the recent flooding in my home state (NE) and helping my family clean up their water-damaged basement, I was unable to finish the entire book by today, but what I read so far was definitely intriguing! This post is a spotlight on the book to recommend it to my readers, but I won’t be including a rating as I normally do until I finish reading completely.]

I was given a copy of this book by Wednesday Books in exchange for my honest opinion. Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

Blog Tour: “White Stag” by Kara Barbieri

New release Tuesday!

I’m so excited to ring in the new year by participating in the blog tour for White Stag!

Janneke has spent 100 years as a thrall (basically a human slave) to the young goblin lord Soren. Previously, she “belonged” to Lydian, Soren’s cruel and sadistic uncle, and before that, lived in her family’s village before Lydian burned it down. When the goblin king dies, the hunt begins to have a new power on the throne, and Janneke is determined not to let Lydian become the new Erlking. The first to find the mystical white stag and kill it to claim the throne wins.

White Stag is a YA fantasy that takes a new spin on Goblins and changelings and adds a quest or hunt-like feel similar to Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and also feels like a better-written cousin of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas — a young human woman coming into her own and discovering that she is just as powerful as the magical beings around her.

(Also, I do want to note a few quick content warnings: Physical and emotional abuse, several graphic rape scenes/memory sequences, gore, mutilation. This list is not comprehensive and I urge caution if this content may negatively affect your well-being.)

Purchase the book here.

I was given a copy of this book by Wednesday Books in exchange for my honest opinion. Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

Blog Tour: “What They Don’t Know” by Nicole Maggi + Giveaway!

I’m excited to be a part of the ~*Official Blog Tour*~ for What They Don’t Know by Nicole Maggi, out today!

When their high school teacher assigns journal entries as homework, Mellie and Lise find they have plenty to offload into their diaries.

Mellie is the daughter of the mayor, who makes it well-known that he is super conservative — plus, now he’s running for senate. Mellie’s family is in the spotlight all the time, and it becomes increasingly more urgent that she deal with her secret. She was raped. And now she’s pregnant.

Lise has always felt that she was intuitive to people’s feelings. When her grade-school friend, Mellie, starts behaving differently, Lise is the only one who notices. She’s the only one that reaches out. And to Mellie’s luck, Lise is just the friend that she needs during this difficult time in her life.

What They Don’t Know takes a good, hard look at what it is like for someone to go through the tough decision to have an abortion as an unwed teen in a conservative world. Plus, Mellie has the added trauma of her pregnancy being a result of a rape. Stories come out daily of these abuses against women (and others, too), so it’s a poignant topic.

In these political climes, with laws restricting the bodily rights of cis female, non-binary, and trans individuals, books like this will become increasingly important. Abortion is a difficult life choice to make, and Nicole Maggi explores the feelings Mellie has — the knowledge she obtains, that no one can know how this situation feels until they find themselves in it. The decision to control one’s own body, to be free to make their own choice.

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Buy the book here.

You can also click here to enter to win a copy in this giveaway sponsored by Sourcebooks Fire!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

“The Night Before” by Wendy Walker: An Official 2019 Pre-order Recommendation

This year, I’m going to be highlighting some 2019 titles available for pre-order that I’m completely nerding out over. Today’s post covers the first of these!

Wendy Walker slammed onto the thriller scene with All is Not Forgotten, and followed it up with the incredible Emma in the Night.

Now she’s gearing up for the release of her third, The Night Before. Here’s the description for the book:

A shocking, twisty novel that has the biggest names in the thriller community buzzing…

Rosie Ferro and Laura Heart are sisters, but as different as it is possible to be. One is lucky in love and has a conventional family: a husband, and a small son. The other has a troubled past she is still struggling to break free from.

When Laura disappears after going on a date with a stranger she met online, Rosie, her protector since they were young, springs into action to look for her. But as she slowely uncovers more about the situation, Rosie begins to fear that her sister might have been more of a danger than the man she went out with.

Told in duel timelines – the night of and the night before, Wendy Walker’s new novel is a riveting examination of family loyalty, obsession, and how just how far we will go for love.

I was provided an early copy of the book to provide my honest feedback, and boy oh boy. This book is just too easy to devour.

This baby bookling is so newborn that it doesn’t even have a cover yet! You’ll have to wait on the edge of your seat for my full review and the book itself, but here’s a little nibble of my thoughts!

“This book is a master class in the unreliable narrator, the alternating-time chapters, in leading you down the road only for you to find it wasn’t taking you where you thought.”

I gave The Night Before an unreserved four stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The book comes out in May 2019, but lucky you! You can pre-order the book on Amazon here!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

“Sadie” by Courtney Summers

It’s no secret to those who know me — I love a good mystery. I enjoy true crime books, shows, and podcasts (My Favorite Murder 😍), not to mention mystery books and detective stories, be they true or fiction.

So at BookExpo in May, when I heard about a YA mystery called Sadie, I was all in.

The story follows two threads:

The first thread is Sadie’s story, in which she vows to avenge her younger sister Mattie’s unsolved murder. Growing up in a trailer park with an addict mother, Sadie was neglected early in life. When Mattie was born, Sadie took over the role of mother, promising herself that Mattie would have a loving childhood to look back on.

The second thread follows a podcast called The Girls that reminded me of Serial and Up and Vanished. The host, West McCray, does his best to track down Sadie, doing research and interviewing those who knew her before, as well as those who meet Sadie on her quest for justice. Another cool thing to note: the podcast is actually real — it’s called The Girls: Find Sadie (find it anywhere you listen to podcasts). It follows the first several “podcast chapters” in Sadie, and man, is it chilling and well-done.

Sadie is equal parts thrilling, tragic, fascinating, and horrifying. There’s a murder, all kinds of abuse, road trips, new friends, new enemies, and ultimately, a mystery that you won’t be able to put down.

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Buy the book here.
Listen to the podcast on Apple here.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

“Not Her Daughter” by Rea Frey

New release Tuesday!

Not Her Daughter is an interesting mystery/thriller that explores the interesting moral question of When is kidnapping okay? Is it okay if the daughter doesn’t get enough fun and mental stimulation? Is it okay if the younger brother gets more love and attention? Is it okay if the mother is abusive?

Sarah is the CEO of a new educational tool called TACK, and spends much of her time in schools, presenting the product and researching new innovations. When a massive coincidence puts Sarah near little Emma twice, both times when she seems to have a horrible family, she decides she must take action. She must take Emma away from her sad, painful life, and give her a happy, fulfilled, and fun life.

Amy, Emma’s mother, is just so tired. Tired of the fights, of her lack of self-confidence, of her lack of caring anymore. One evening, Emma just won’t listen. She just wants Emma to behave and not make messes or do anything to disturb the family. When Amy snaps and slaps Emma’s face, Emma runs into the woods in the backyard that she frequents as a hiding spot. Mentally exhausted and angry, Amy locks the back door to punish Emma, then accidentally falls asleep in the bedroom from pure tiredness.

Sarah, who was in the woods during Amy and Emma’s fight, decides that her chance is now or never. She takes Emma, gets her new clothes and toys, and begins the most dangerous adventure of her life: Keeping Emma safe, and keeping herself out of jail when the family finally realizes their daughter is missing.

Told from the Amy and Sarah’s perspectives, plus mixed between “Before,” “Now,” and “After,” this book has many threads and twists that will keep you glued to the page. It’ll have you asking the same questions Sarah has — When is kidnapping okay? Would I do the same thing in her situation? Would I turn her in? — and you’ll keep wondering long after turning the last page.

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Order Not Her Daughter here.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.

“The Book of Essie” by Meghan Maclean Weir

Told in three perspectives, The Book of Essie is the story of what happens when a Christian reality TV family finds out one of the daughters is pregnant. They will go to any length to protect their reputation, celebrity, show, and ultimately — power and wealth.

Essie, 17, is pregnant. Her parents have decided that the best way to deal with the situation is to marry her off quickly and pretend the baby belongs to the husband. Essie doesn’t like her life in the spotlight and disagrees with what her parents are doing. She knows how fake everyone is in her world and is generally disillusioned with the world, ready to escape her small town.

Rourke, a year older at Essie’s high school, is “chosen” to be Essie’s husband. He is appalled at what his parents are willing to do to save their business and be set for life. But at the same time…he really wants to go to Columbia. And he wants his parents to be financially stable. But he really also doesn’t want to be a celebrity, and he really doesn’t want to marry Essie and be a part of the strict, religious family he’s grown up watching on television and in real life.

Liberty Bell, now a journalist, earned her spotlight for being an escaped member of a cult. The cult leader is not only in jail now, and has Liberty’s mom petitioning for his release, but Liberty hates him with everything she is because he is responsible for her sister’s death so many years ago. Essie knows about Liberty’s story, and she asks to be put through interviews on Liberty’s show to give an “inside look” to the viewers before her whirlwind marriage.

Full of twists, shocking moments, and horrifying revelations, The Book of Essie is one of the most bingeable books I’ve picked up this year. I initially got it as my June Book of the Month, but ended up listening to the audiobook. The audiobook has amazing narrators and I could not turn it off!

If you like celebrity drama, teenage angst mixed with real problems, journalistic investigations, and a real, down-to-earth American story, this one is for you.

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Buy the book here.

Sign up for Book of the Month here. I love it so much!

[It should also be mentioned that there are a few content warnings: rape, homophobia, murder, general bad treatment of children. However, these things are not condoned in the book.]

Links in post are affiliate links whose proceeds go toward the maintenance of this blog.