I don’t get to read many books these days, other people’s that is. Usually, I’m so entrenched in reading, re-reading and editing my own that I don’t have much time.

I also have that weirdo thing of thinking I’ll absorb the book and sometime down the track start writing it myself. So I try to refrain from reading everyone else’s books when I’m writing.

But, in a train of thoughts and ideas, one led to another. I was trolling Book Depository for Nancy Drew books when I saw the “people who also bought” section underneath. I clicked on book after book after book and most of them sounded really interesting, so I made a list.

These next two books were on that list.

One Of Us Is Lying, by Karen M. McManus, may have been released in 2017, but I’ve only just hear about it. It sounded interesting, and so I borrowed it. I gotta say, it’s one of the few rare books that actually made me 1 – want to buy it after I’d read it, and 2 – want to know more about what the characters got up to after the end.

For those who haven’t read it, here’s the blurb...

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.

I’ve never read Pretty Little Liars, but have seen The Breakfast Club, and this book has been described as a mix of both, and it definitely has that Breakfast Club vibe going on. In an interview with Karen, she said – “I actually got the idea while I was driving and listening to the radio,” McManus said, noting that she gets lots of ideas that way. “I think there’s something about having half my brain engaged in a mundane task that kind of gives the other half freedom to roam.” During her drive, the song “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds from the Breakfast Club soundtrack came on. “I started thinking it would be fun to write an update of that movie, which I loved, but with some sort of a twist,” she said. “And the phrase ‘The Breakfast Club with murder’ popped into my head and it just stuck there.”

You can read the rest of the interview here at Publisher’s Weekly.

It’s a fairly easy read and described as a thriller. I wouldn’t call it a thriller, not like Jonathon Kellerman, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Lee Child etc, I’d call it more of a teen young adult suspense novel. But then I guess it all depends on what publishing houses call thrillers these days.

The story is told from the views of the kids involved, so it can get a little confusing when you try and remember whose point of view you’re in and who’s currently talking. There were some twists and turns even I didn’t guess, thinking I’d guessed right and it was the detention teacher. Nope, not him. Then I thought it was Maeve. Nope, not her. I kinda fell in love with Nate, guessed what Cooper’s secret was, was surprised by Addy’s change, but could have kicked her for the ending, and was completely surprised by who actually did it.

I’m not sure if I will buy this book. I generally don’t re-read books, and don’t really have the room for my own books and the collections I do have, but who knows. I might one day.

I’m definitely getting Karen’s new book, Two Can Keep A Secret from the library and will be doing a review on that too.

And google the book here, you’ll see all the versions of the cover from around the world.

I highly recommend this for a read. 9/10.

 

 

The next book was Friend Request by Laura Marshall, another book found on BD and the concept seemed really interesting. Here’s the blurb…

When Louise Williams receives a message from someone left long in the past she feels sick.

Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.

Because Maria Weston has been missing for over twenty-five years. She was last seen the night of a school leavers’ party, and the world believes her to be dead. Particularly Louise, who has lived her adult life knowing herself responsible for Maria’s disappearance. But now Maria is back. Or is she?

Overall, the book dragged on. I became bored and couldn’t wait to get to the end. Another “psychological thriller”, which I’m sick of because they all sound the same and all have girl or women in the titles, it was only the twist in the story kept me going. I had to find out what happened to Maria. Henry (god bless that name), was adorable for a four year old, but alcoholic women who don’t get their shit together, or blame themselves for something they don’t actually know they did, shit me up the wall. I do not want to read about pathetically piss weak women.

I give the book 5/10 for the twist alone. Coz I did not see that one coming.

I have ordered her follow up Three Little Lies, but even though it sounds good, doesn’t mean it is actually good.

 

I’ve read two books in recent months, The Key by Kathryn Hughes and the, apparently, wildly popular The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn.

First up…The Key (available at Amazon here)

1956 
It’s Ellen Crosby’s first day as a student nurse at Ambergate Hospital. When she meets a young woman admitted by her father, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change both their lives for ever…

2006
Sarah is drawn to the now abandoned Ambergate. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who entered Ambergate fifty years earlier. The shocking contents, untouched for half a century, will lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy and lost love, and the chance to make an old wrong right . . .

I can’t remember how I found this book, I think I was looking for something else and saw the blurb and became interested. 

It’s sad, I’ll put that out there now. I cried a lot at the mistreatment of Amy (won’t tell you who) and found the small twist to be surprising, but understandable since I figured someone’s father was someone of importance. I’m surprised it turned out the way it did, and yes, again, it was sad so have tissues ready.

It held my interest, had large print, even though it wasn’t a large print book, and I managed it in 2-3 hours. I may also read some of her other books as they seem along the same line and genre as this one.

Next up, The Woman in the Window (available at Amazon here)

 

It isn’t paranoia if it’s really happening . . .

Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble—and its shocking secrets are laid bare.
I found out about this book when the author appeared on an Aussie tv morning show. It seemed really interesting so I got it from my local library, and while it’s just another one of “those books with woman/girl” in the title, and it is, there was a twist I didn’t see coming, BUT…

Within the first five chapters I figured out what happened to the husband and daughter.

By page 180 I wanted to punch the female lead in the head.

By page 200 something I wanted her dead she was annoying as hell. She was to blame for what had happened and quite frankly, who the fuck did she think she was, so, I take it the guilt trip she was laying on herself was the reason she stayed a drunk.

I understand WHY she was doing what she was doing BUT…it became all about her needing a crutch and not wanting to deal with what had happened even though she was seeing a doctor.

I cannot stand women, or people in general, who wallow in their self-pitying bullshit. Which she did.

I know this is being made into a movie with Amy Adams, but I have no need to watch it since I’ve read it, and don’t want to see the stupidity of this character on the screen.

I also think this book has been put in the thriller category, but it’s not actually thrilling. You can guess the storyline, and except for that one twist near the end which will leave you wondering about another tiny twist, it’s still not a thriller. I’d put it in the adult contemporary genre. It’s not horror, and not a thriller, but I guess publishing houses put anything under a genre these days. They’re not as picky as they used to be.

Have you guys read these books, and if so, what did you think?