Book 95 of 2024 🎧 Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll (5/5🌟)
📚GENRE: Crime Fiction
🗓PUBLISHED: 19 September 2023
Masterfully blending elements of psychological suspense and true crime, Jessica Knoll—author of the bestselling novel Luckiest Girl Alive and the writer behind the Netflix adaption starring Mila Kunis—delivers a new and exhilarating thriller in Bright Young Women. The book opens on a Saturday night in 1978, hours before a soon-to-be-infamous murderer descends upon a Florida sorority house with deadly results. The lives of those who survive, including sorority president and key witness, Pamela Schumacher, are forever changed. Across the country, Tina Cannon is convinced her missing friend was targeted by the man papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer—and that he’s struck again. Determined to find justice, the two join forces as their search for answers leads to a final, shocking confrontation.
Oof. This was good. Though it is a fictionalized account of one of the most prolific serial killers, it was still unique to hear the story from the victims POV. I like how he was never referred to by name, only my The Defendent. And though fictionalized, it was still hard to listen to knowing the reality behind the story. I had to wait a long time for this one to be available on Libby - I definitely recommend!
Book 96 of 2024 🎧 A Talent For Murder (Henry Kimball/Lily Kitner #3) by Peter Swanson (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Thriller
🗓PUBLISHED: 11 June 2024
Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her work as a librarian in Maine. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured salesman whose job took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.
A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.
Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . .but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.
This one took me a little while to get into, but I think that’s because I was so into the last audiobook that I had just finished. Once I did, though it seemed like the book was over pretty quickly. I looked at it at the five hour mark and couldn’t believe I was already that far into the book. is an author that I read often, and his books never let me down. I did enjoy the story,. This is the third and a series and I enjoyed the two main characters, which is why I continue the series.
Book 97 of 2024 🎧 Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (4.5/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Thriller
🗓PUBLISHED: 9 April 2024
When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel’s not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.
This was a good one! Probably one of my favorites by Miranda. I listened to the whole thing in a day while I crafted and was captivated the whole time. She honestly kept me guessing until the very end as to what ACTUALLY happened and who ACTUALLY did it.
Book 98 of 2024 📖 Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Memoir
🗓PUBLISHED: 22 October 2024
In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.
An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister—a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders” assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership” were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.
Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith.
Having seen One Tree Hill so many times I could probably quote every episode of all nine seasons, I was shocked when I heard Joy was coming out with a memoir about her time in a cult. I don’t keep up on pop-culture, like at all, but I would have thought something as bizarre as this would have infiltrated my social media feeds or something at some point. It was kind of infuriating reading all the things she fell for. Though I know hindsight is 20/20 and it’s probably harder for a reader to feel the manipulation in a retelling of the story than it was for the manipulated to feel they were doing what was right in the moment. Anyway, I will never be able to watch OTH the same again, knowing what Joy was going through in those exact moments in her real life.
Book 99 of 2024 🎧 Suicide Med by Frieda McFadden (3/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Thriller
🗓PUBLISHED: 4 July 2014
When Heather McKinley dreamed of becoming a doctor, she imagined curing sick kids and sporting pink stethoscopes. She never anticipated the sleepless nights, grueling exams, and endless labs. And she certainly never knew that her medical school earned the nickname Dead Med thanks to the tragic history of students overdosing on illegal drugs.
But Heather would never consider doing anything like that. That is, until her longtime boyfriend dumps her, she finds herself failing anatomy, and her world starts to crumble.
Everyone has a breaking point.
Then, on the night before the final exam in anatomy, a shot rings out through the hallways of Dead Med.
The school has claimed yet another casualty. One of Heather's classmates has done the unthinkable, and before her desperate 911 call even connects, it will happen again.
And the night is just beginning.
Hmm. This one was interesting. McFadden was kind of venturing into Dean Koontz territory with this one. Honestly, the characters weren’t super likable. The main girl was really annoying and her boyfriend was kind of a jerk. I did like how the story was told in parts with multiple perspectives. The structure definitely felt unique. It was different from her usual thrillers, and while I didn’t love it, I also didn’t hate it.
Book 100 of 2024 🎧 Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Thriller
🗓PUBLISHED: 23 April 2024
For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.
But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?
A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it was over before I knew it! I wondered throughout if it would have a happy ending or not. The varied perspective was a bit confusing, but also I under art and why Hepworth wrote it that way.
Book 101 of 2024 🎧 Behind You by Mike Omer (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Thriller
🗓PUBLISHED: 15 October 2024
Seventeen-year-old Theodora Briggs left home in the dead of night, after a brutal crime shattered her life. Thirteen years later, she’s made a name for herself as Gemma: beautician, wife, and mother. But the trauma still lingers…
And then one day, it’s more than just a phantom pain.
Gemma is suddenly accosted by stranger after stranger, all of whom seem to know the truth about her. They confront her with her real name and ominous allusions to the tragedy that drove her out of town. When her family begins to have their own strange episodes, Gemma is rattled. There’s no one left to trust but herself―except Gemma can’t even remember what happened that night.
Accusations and danger lurk around every corner, and Gemma’s not sure where to turn. But if she can’t put together the pieces of her past, the new life she’s built might disappear just as quickly―and violently―as her old one.
I’ve devoured everything Mike Omer has put out, and this one was no different. This was a standalone book (so far anyway) and different from his typical police procedural. I did peg the ending, but I enjoyed the story to get there nonetheless. I really liked the main character, and rooted for her throughout. I tend to prefer to read the digital copies of his books, but I’m running low on audios, so I decided to go that route for this one.
FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
Book 102 of 2024 📖 The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Contemporary Romance
🗓PUBLISHED: 29 August 2024
When a secret message turns up hidden in a book in the Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, Hazel can't understand it. As more secret codes appear between the pages, she decides to follow the trail of clues… she just needs someone to help her out.
Gorgeous and outgoing fisherman, Noah, is always up for an adventure. And a scavenger hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Even better that the cute bookseller he's been crushing on for months is the one who wants his help!
Hazel didn’t go looking for romance, but as the treasure hunt leads her and Noah around Dream Harbor, their undeniable chemistry might be just as hot as the fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns the bookstore sells…
I’m still struggling to picture this as an east coast setting. My brain still pictures it along the gulf coast. Regardless, it was a sweet story and a fun read. I enjoy the characters in Dream Harbor, and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Book 103 of 2024 🎧 Don’t You Dare by Jessica Hamilton (4/5⭐️)
📚GENRE: Thriller
🗓PUBLISHED: 16 May 2023
When best friends Hannah and Scarlett meet Thomas in college—the chemistry is instantaneous. They grow closer while playing the Daring Game, where each dare is riskier than the last. As the trio's friendship begins to cross boundaries between the platonic and the illicit, jealousy and secrets quickly develop. As tensions between the three grow, so do the stakes in the Daring Game, resulting in tragedy with Scarlett’s final dare to Thomas. When Thomas gets expelled from school and leaves without a trace, it seems like the Daring Game has finally ended.
Sixteen years later, Hannah is unhappy in marriage and in life. That is, of course, until she gets a mysterious letter about the Daring Game from none other than Thomas himself. With Scarlett out of the picture, and a renewal of the dangerous game, the sparks begin to fly between them once more. Until the day Hannah and Thomas are called to the secret meeting place of the Daring Game, where they’re welcomed by a single dare—“to tell the truth.”
Someone else has joined the game and knows about their affair, going as far as leaving a cryptic message in Hannah’s house: Don’t You Dare. Hannah’s list of suspects is long: Could it be her nosy neighbor, Libby, who has a few secrets of her own? Or did her husband plan this as revenge for the torrid affair? Is Scarlett back and ready to play again?
The truth may set Hannah free—but only if she dares to risk everything she knows and loves.
I really enjoyed this story. Despite her being kind of a terrible person, I was rooting for the main female character the whole time. I didn’t love her male bestie, however. He gave me ick vibes until the very end. The ending was not believable. (Spoilers likely to follow!) I feel like the bad guy in a story needs to exist. Like they can’t just make a few brief appearances and BAM! be the one who has been causing chaos throughout. That was what happened here.
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(Summaries are from Amazon, but all thoughts about them are my own!)
Reading Challenge: 103/120 books read in 2024
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