Title: The Boyfriend
Author: Friday McFadden
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Length: 368 pages
Release Date: October 1, 2024
Source: Library (Audiobook)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Find it Here: Amazon // Goodreads

She's looking for the perfect man. He's looking for the perfect victim.

Sydney Shaw, like every single woman in New York, has terrible luck with dating. She’s seen it men who lie in their dating profile, men who stick her with the dinner bill, and worst of all, men who can't shut up about their mothers. But finally, she hits the jackpot.

Her new boyfriend is utterly perfect. He's charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Sydney is swept off her feet.

Then the brutal murder of a young woman―the latest in a string of deaths across the coast―confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them.

Sydney should feel safe. After all, she is dating the guy of her dreams. But she can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems. Because someone is watching her every move, and if she doesn’t get to the truth, she’ll be the killer’s next victim...

A dark story about obsession and the things we’ll do for love, #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden proves that crimes of passion are often the bloodiest…

My review: 

I am a big fan of Frida McFadden and I have listened to many of her audio books. I really enjoyed listening to The Boyfriend and found myself listening on the edge of my seat (the driver's seat because I was always driving while I was listening!). 

I really enjoyed the back and forth format of the book, Tom's perspective from when he was a teenager and Sydney's present time point of view. I really though I knew what was happening and how the characters were correlating from past to present but it turns out, as usually, I was very wrong! 

Sydney was a god character but I felt like she was dramatized at times. It was almost like I was watching a horror movie in my head and I would be yelling at the main character, "why did you set down your phone!!!" She was dumb at time, especially since she knew there was a killer out there and the killer was somewhat close to her. She didn't' have a very good gut instinct and she didn't make very smart decision. 

Overall, it was a pretty entertaining book! My only criteria for mystery/thriller type books is that they are fast-paced and that the ending surprises me. The Boyfriend by Friday McFadden has both of those checked off so it was four stars in my book!

Book Review: None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Title: None of This Is True
Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: August 08, 2023
Length: 380 pages
Source: Purchased
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Find it here: Amazon // Goodreads

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

My Review: 

Lisa Jewell is one of my auto buy authors and I'm trying to read all the books she has written. I love the way she weaves a thrilling story together and has me guessing the whole time. I really never know how her books are going to end.

None of This Is True is the perfect title for this book because by the time I was finished reading it, I really didn't know which part of the story was true or who the liars were. 

I love the way Alix and Josie meet in the beginning because it is very realistic. How many times have I been out at a restaurant somewhere and my attention is sucked into the big birthday party a couple table over? Being an introverted person, I can understand the draw Josie had to Alix. Like a month to a flame. Josie was craving something different in her life that she just put it all out there and basically became a stalker. I love how characters change throughout books. Even if the book is taking place over a short period of time. Josie seems super nice and introverted and then becomes something completely different by the end. 

The parts of None of This Is True that intrigued me the most were the backstory parts about the daughters. But she didn't flesh out the characters enough for me and I would really have liked to know more about them. I think the daughters were very important to knowing more about Josie and her husband Walter and the whole family dynamic. 

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell is a great thriller and a mind-binding what is going on type of book. I highly recommend this read if you love Lisa Jewell's other books and enjoying reading light thrillers. 

WWW: February 8, 2023

WWW is hosted at Taking on a World of Words.

The three W's are:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

Currently Reading: The physical book I'm currently reading is Not a Happy Family by Sheri Lapena. I really loved The Couple Next Door (by the same author) when I read it a couple years ago! She writes great thrillers and I will most likely read everything she writes! I'm also continuing my Harry Potter Series re-read by listening to the audio books for the first time. I just started listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets and, even though Chamber is my least favorite book of the series, I'm still loving it! 

Recently Finished: I've recently finished quite a few books. On audio, I finished The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins and it was okay. I liked the fact that it was a thriller but it wasn't super shocking at the end which is what I usually like about thrillers. I also listened to Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey. So good! I loved more than It Happened One Summer. I will definitely be reading more of her books! I did a DNF of Jade City by Fonda Lee. I thought the book was good but it was just so slow. I was already 250 pages in and I

felt like I was slogging through it. I knew I couldn't do another 250 pages at the pace the story was moving. I also read Hounded by Kevin Hearne. It was so fast paced and full of adventure and magic. I loved it and I can't wait to read the next one! 

Reading Next: My next audio book will probably be The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer and then another Tessa Bailey book because they are so fun to listen to on audio! I'm really excited to get started on Hexed by Kevin Hearne, the second in the Iron Druid Chronicles. I'm also really excited to re-read The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson, the second in the Fire and Thorns series. 

Have you read any of these? Let me know what you think!

Audio Book Review: It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

Title: It Happened One Summer
Author: Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Harper Audio
Release Date: July 13, 2021
Series: Bellinger Sisters #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 10 Hours and 48 minutes
Source: Library
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Find it Here: Amazon // Goodreads

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father's dive bar... in Washington.

Piper hasn't even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won't last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can't do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She's determined to show her stepfather--and the hot, grumpy local--that she's more than a pretty face.

Except it's a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there's an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn't want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan--and this town full of memories--may have already caught her heart.

My Review: 

I have been chomping at the bit to write my review of It Happened One Summer by Tessa Baily. I listened to this book on audio and I loved it so much! I literally could not wait until I could listen to it again! It has almost everything I love in a contemporary romance and I can't wait to get into it! 

Now, I don't usually read contemporary romance; it's not the genre that I generally gravitate towards. But I had been seeing it on BookTok pretty regularly with a lot of glowing reviews so I tucked it away in the back of my mind. When I was browsing through Hoopla's instant title, It Happened One Summer popped up and I bumped it up to the top of my audio book list. 

I pretty much loved It Happened One Summer from the moment I started listening. The main character, Piper, messes up pretty badly while in LA, so her step-father cuts her off and ships her off to her home town in Washington State. In this little tiny town she meets Brendan, a local, grumpy, good-looking fisherman who tries to stay away from her, but fate has other ideas. 

I would have assumed that a character like Piper would bother or annoy me, but I found her to be charming and kind. I really enjoyed the grumpy-sunshine trope. I think it may be the first I've ever read. As much as I loved the (which I really did), I found it to be a little unbelievable. Like a rich girl getting cut off and then falling in love with a man who is secretly wealthy. And the whole ending scene in LA just rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. Other than those few points, I really did love the book and I am really looking forward to diving into the next one and many more Tessa Bailey books! 

February 2023 TBR

Every year, January just feels like the longest month ever, especially after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I knew this year that I wanted to get back into reading now that my children are no longer babies and I have some extra time to pick up a book. January felt slow and fast at the same time but overall, I'm glad it's over. 

I discovered I have a lot of time in the morning, getting ready for the day, making lunches and doing the dishes while the rest of my family sleeps. I've been getting a lot of good audio book time in the morning and also during my work commute. Most of these books on my list are audio books that I can listen to instantly from my local library on Hoopla. 

Here's what I would like to read this month:

Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey (Amazon // Goodreads)

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare (Amazon // Goodreads)

**Loved the Infernal Devices series, hated the Mortal Instruments so I hope I at least like this** 

Hounded by Kevin Hearne (Amazon // Goodreads)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (Amazon // Goodreads)

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson (Amazon // Goodreads)

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (Amazon // Goodreads)

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica (Amazon // Goodreads)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (Amazon // Goodreads)

Even though these are the books I would like to read this month, I'm very much a mood reader so I'm not sure what I will actually read. But it makes my organized brain happy to have a list and a plan of what I would like to read. I'm curious to see if I can actually stick to it or if I will go completely off course. 

What are you reading this month? Have you read any of these books yet? Would you recommend them?

Audio Book Review: The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

Title: The Perfect Mother

Author: Aimee Molloy

Publisher: HarperAudio

Release Date: May 01, 2018

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Length: 9 hours, 29 minutes

Source: Library

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Find it Here: Amazon // Goodreads

They call themselves the May Mothers—a collection of new moms who gave birth in the same month. Twice a week, with strollers in tow, they get together in Prospect Park, seeking refuge from the isolation of new motherhood; sharing the fears, joys, and anxieties of their new child-centered lives.

When the group’s members agree to meet for drinks at a hip local bar, they have in mind a casual evening of fun, a brief break from their daily routine. But on this sultry Fourth of July night during the hottest summer in Brooklyn’s history, something goes terrifyingly wrong: one of the babies is abducted from his crib. Winnie, a single mom, was reluctant to leave six-week-old Midas with a babysitter, but the May Mothers insisted that everything would be fine. Now Midas is missing, the police are asking disturbing questions, and Winnie’s very private life has become fodder for a ravenous media.

Though none of the other members in the group are close to the reserved Winnie, three of them will go to increasingly risky lengths to help her find her son. And as the police bungle the investigation and the media begin to scrutinize the mothers in the days that follow, damaging secrets are exposed, marriages are tested, and friendships are formed and fractured.

My Review: 

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy is about a young mother who's infant son goes missing and chronicles the events before and during the incident. 

The main character, Winnie, joins a group of expecting women called the May Mothers, all of their babies expected to arrive during the month of May. Winnie is very reserved and doesn't really become friends with any of these women but one night they force her to leave the baby with a babysitter and go out with them for some drinks. While they are out, her 4 month old baby goes missing. The women, who don't even really know Winnie, take it upon themselves to find the baby and so the book is told from their four perspectives. 

While on the whole the book was good, I found most of the characters to be unlike-able, especially Nell, who just seemed to act like she knew better than everyone else. There was also a POV who turned out to be someone else entirely. I was also shocked at the ending but that's pretty much the point. I had originally given the book 4 stars but after I sat on it for a while, I ended up switching it to 3 stars. The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy was a really fast paced audiobook that had me guessing until the end!

Monthly Wrap Up: January 2023: I Love Audio Books!!!

I'm so excited to do my monthly wrap-up for January! I've had such a great reading month with lots of audio books and a lot of books in general! I never thought that I would have read this many books in one month. So here is a quick glance at what my reading looked like this month:

Total Books: 13

Physical Books: 4

Audio Books: 8

E-Books: 1

Here are the books and their ratings:

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard (⭐⭐⭐, my review)

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (⭐⭐⭐, my review)

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy (⭐⭐⭐)

A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Pawsitively Poisonous by Melissa Erin Jackson (DNF)

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, re-read)

Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 (⭐⭐⭐)

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, re-read)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (⭐⭐⭐)

Hope everyone had a great reading month, as well! Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments!