Review: Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison

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Kiss Slay ReplayKiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

🖤❤️💙🖤❤️💙🖤❤️💙🖤

I feel seen. Rachel Harrison, I love you. You have no idea what your books mean to me.

Thank you for writing with honesty and intention, whilst also bringing the horror and the humor.

Going into this novel, I knew nothing about it. I hadn’t read the synopsis, and apparently hadn’t even looked at the cover that closely. There’s a hint on the cover, a line about what kind of novel this is. I had no clue.

I pick up all Rachel Harrison’s books. It doesn’t really matter to me what they’re about. I’m going to read them regardless. As I started getting into it, as it became clear to me what kind of story it was going to be, I was elated, as it centers around a trope I adore.

The story follow Willa, who has recently broke off her engagement. In the wake of her decision, she’s been left unmoored. Her life doesn’t look how she expected it to look. She’s questioning her choices, and if it’s too late?

Her friends have all been supportive, but it’s been a minute and she worries they’re growing weary of her spiral. With all of this going on, it’s time to attend one of her best friend’s weddings, and her ex will be there. It’ll be their first time seeing each other, and Willa is sick with anxiety.

She can’t ditch out on her besties though, no matter how hard it’s going to be. They’ve been through so much together and she’d never forgive herself. She needs to suck it up, buttercup, and try to make the best of it.

Once at the gorgeous destination wedding location, on a lake in upstate New York, things don’t seem quite so bad. She’s reunited with her besties and has even met Danny, a handsome friend of the groom. Things are looking up.

But after Willa and Danny sneak away for a little private time, they discover a masked killer stalking the reception hall. From there the night quickly devolves into the nightmare Willa always imagined it was going to be.

That’s all you’re getting out of me in regards to this story. From this point on, it’s best if you just sit back and let Rachel Harrison do her thing. I was delighted, frustrated, concerned, moved, and obssessed by Willa’s journey. Oh my lands, does our girl go through it.

I love Harrison’s main characters; all of her characters, really, but the MCs always stick out to me as being highly-relatable. None of them are perfect. They’re just all out there trying to do their best, and trying to survive a world that often doesn’t deliver to them in a way they thought it would.

I particularly like characters like Willa, that have gone through recent break-ups, or disappointments of that kind. I could see my past self in so many of the things Willa was thinking and trying to process.

I loved that Willa’s character goes through so much though, because her journey overall was so satisfying. She learned and she applied what she learned to her circumstances. She didn’t give up, even in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds, and I loved that. What a great example it sets.

I know some Readers might not enjoy Willa as much as I did. Maybe if you haven’t been through similar things, it could hit differently, I don’t know because that’s not the place I’m coming at this from. I can only speak to my own personal experience with this book, and I thought it was fantastic.

Compelling, heartwarming and oozing with Horror goodness in a cozy, relatable way.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Clearly, Rachel Harrison is one of my favorite authors and I will continue to anxiously-anticipate every book she writes!

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Review: Pictures of You by Josh Malerman

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Pictures of YouPictures of You by Josh Malerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Most of the time that I land on Outlier Island it’s because I dislike something most other Readers are enjoying, but in this case it’s the opposite.

Almost everyone I know who has read this, has hated it. It’s with pride I say, I really enjoyed it.

Am I deluding myself thinking I’m right though, and everyone else wrong? Not at all. I understand why people aren’t having a great time with it. Further, reading is subjective. IMO, there’s no right or wrong.

This story follows a couple, Emily and Jack, who are in a fairly new relationship and they’ve taken a weekend trip to a small Michigan town for a little fun and romance. They head out on the town, bar-hopping, having drinks and that’s when their nightmare begins.

The next morning, as Emily wakes up, she finds herself in a strange room with no memory of how she got there. She may be groggy, but it’s pretty clear it’s not their hotel room and Jack is nowhere to be found.

Staring at her through an empty picture frame is a woman who claims she’s an artist, and that Emily is her latest masterpiece. Emily is trapped. For reasons I won’t go into here, she’s unable to free herself, and where is Jack?

As mentioned above, I enjoyed my time with this. I felt it was unique, and yes, macabre, a goal of the artist in the story. I was fully committed to this story once I started and man, did it make me think.

By this I mean, I was putting myself in the shoes of these characters. What would I do if I was Emily? It’s something you could actually picture ((no pun intended)) happening. The world is strange, with a lot of strange people in it and you just never know, do you?

As a Horror novel exploring a nightmare scenario, I feel like Malerman did a great job bringing this to life. Sure, there’s a lot of artsy talk in it, but I do tend to enjoy narratives following artists, so that wasn’t really a bad thing for my tastes. Even though I’m by no means an artist, the process and psychology behind art and artists does fascinate me.

I read the majority of this in a day. It’s the type of weird I enjoy, and explored topics I enjoy. I also liked Emily and Jake’s relationship. It brought me back to the early years in my own relationship, when the world was our oyster.

Overall, not everything Malerman writes may be for me, but in this case, I consider this a win; a work of art.

Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Malerman certainly took a risk with this one, and I appreciate the efforts.

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Review: Written in Red (The Others #1) by Anne Bishop

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Written in Red (The Others, #1)Written in Red by Anne Bishop
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

After asking a group of friends with different book tastes than my own for some book recs, I ended up picking this one up. My friend loves this series and I’ve been seeing it around for years, and have been curious.

This was a great rec for me, because while outside of my comfort zone as far as genre, it did have a dark atmosphere and some dangerous vibes that are in my lane. I feel like if I would have picked this up as they were being released I would’ve been obsessed with the series.

I thought Bishop did a great job with world-building in this first installment, and I also found the characters interesting, and for the most part very likable.

I did wonder in the first half what the point was. I was enjoying the build, but it felt like it lacked a plot. First books of any series can be that way though, especially in a world as complex as this one. I did start to enjoy it more in the later half of the book.

If I had more time I would definitely continue on with the series, because the action in this picked up in the 2nd-half and I would be interested in what comes next.

Unfortunately, I do need to prioritize other reads right now, particularly through the Fall, but I’m absolutely keeping this on my radar and will hopefully have time for it in the future!

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Review: Black Point by Jacqueline West

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Black PointBlack Point by Jacqueline West
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Black Point follows Lucia Sorenson, a teen living in a small Wisconsin town set on the banks of the Mississippi River. Lucia’s Mom has been pushing her hard to apply to colleges for next year and to get out of town as soon as she can, but Lucia doesn’t want to leave.

Lucia’s aging Grandfather runs a local Viking Museum that houses a record of the town’s history and Norse traditions. Lucia feels it’s important for her to remain in town and to help keep the Museum running.

There’s no doubt the town is changing, and Lucia wants to do her part to help keep the memory of where they came from alive. One significant change is the fact that the Black Point Hotel, a 150-year old landmark property, that’s been vacant for decades, has recently been purchased by an outsider (boo, hiss) and is being renovated.

Lucia meets the new owner’s teenage nephew, Max, and they have a bit of an instant attraction. As the two grow closer, chatter around town increases about these newcomers. That’s sure to happen in a small town, but Lucia finds getting to know Max a fascinating prospect. Maybe the outside world does have something to offer afterall.

Max ends up discovering some unsettling things within the hotel, but Lucia doesn’t want to believe her beloved town could be harboring sinister secrets. As the river rises though, more secrets are brought to the surface, and it’s clear the town’s dark past can no longer be denied.

Will Lucia ignore the truth, or will she finally be the one to bring it to light? And will her new friend help her, or end up being her biggest liability?

This was good. I found it entertaining and enjoyed the classic creepy town vibes that West delivered. I liked the characters and overall concept, but would have like almost everything to be a bit more well-developed. It felt a bit too surface level, especially in the later half, IMO.

I feel like West could have leaned even more into the development of the mysteries of the town, and actually even more into Lucia and Max’s new friendship. It all went very, very quickly, and then the concluding bits got slightly muddled once the action picked up.

At the end of the day though, it was an entertaining read targeted perfectly for the YA crowd. I think a lot of Young Readers will really enjoy this one, particularly those who already enjoy Horror Fiction.

I do actually think this could translate well to the big screen. I’d definitely watch this movie. I think the atmosphere alone could make a fun flick. Maybe that’ll happen someday. Great concept; not my favorite execution, but a really strong showing, nevertheless.

Thank you to the publisher, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

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Review: Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick

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Thoughts Be BloodyThoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Thoughts Be Bloody is a Queer Hamlet retelling with a lush Dark Academia atmosphere, full of magic and mischief. While greatly outside of my comfort zone, I’m not a Dark Academia girlie, the concept caught my attention, as did the title and gorgeous cover.

This novel follows Horatio Bithersea, as he navigates school, magic, complicated friendships and identity. We learn the previous year, Horatio walked in on golden boy, Carson Hamlett, cradling the dead body of his father, a professor, in the University library. The death was ruled an accident, but a lot of mystery surrounds the incident still.

When the ghost of Hamlett’s father appears to Horatio, he believes he’s been cursed. Driven to figure out what actually happened to Hamlett’s father, and the reasons for it, Horatio and Hamlett become very close. The two work together to solve the mystery and possibly get revenge for the murder.

I liked this. I really did. I was torn on how to rate it based on my personal experience. My head says it’s a 3, or a 3.5-star, but my heart says to give it less than a 4-star isn’t doing it justice. This is an ambitious novel, and though it had moments that were stronger than others IMO, overall, I do think it’s a great book.

I found the magic very interesting, how there were different types of magic, and Horatio’s was very unique. I also liked the mystery behind what happened to Hamlett’s father, and Horatio’s visions involving his ghost.

I did feel it was ofttimes confusing, however. There’s a lot to do with mind magic, and dreams, and visions, and people being trapped within their own minds, and while I think those are fascinating concepts, they’re really challenging to execute on the page in a concise and clear manner.

Particularly in the later half, as we approach the conclusion and the action picks up, it became difficult to follow. It also, just in general, did take a minute to get used to the rhythm of the narrative. It’s definitely different, but interesting.

The highlights for me were the dynamics among the characters, specifically Horatio, Hamlett and Lia, and the dark academic setting, which I feel Patrick knocked out of the park. There was just a foreboding tone throughout that I found really enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher, DAW, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Even though this isn’t my typical read, I’m so glad to have picked it up, and to have been introduced to a new author.

I’d definitely read more from Auden Patrick!

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Review: The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson

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The Hill in the Dark GroveThe Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Hill in the Dark Grove is a debut Folk Horror novel that has stuck with me long after I turned the last page. This story is deep, dark and honestly, sort of devastating.

We follow an older couple, Carwyn and Rhian, who’ve lived a quiet life as sheep farmers in the remote Welsh moutains. The land they live on, and work, is a family legacy, having been in Rhian’s family for generations.

Over the years, Carwyn and Rhian have found their social circle shrinking, as they’ve lost many friends and neighbors to old age and the pull of the city, and greater world. For the most part, they keep to themselves, grumbling about rising prices and the influx of English tourists.

Before you go thinking they’re just old people complaining about a changing world, they’re really not. For them, from their perspective, the changing world is threatening their way of life, and their land that they’ve poured blood, sweat and tears into over the decades.

Their world has become very small, but how long will they be able to maintain even that? And once they can no longer, what will become of them then?

When Carwyn finds a peculiar stone head in a little used corner of the farm, he believes he’s uncovered something remarkable. He soon realizes the artifact is just a small part of something much larger from deep history.

Even though Rhian urges him to leave it be, Carwyn becomes obsessed with uncovering the object, all while his daily farm chores go neglected. When sheep start falling ill, and an accident makes it even more challenging for the couple to survive, Carwyn insists uncovering the object and learning its original purpose could be the key to solving everything.

Something he didn’t consider though, is perhaps it’s buried and stayed that way for a reason. Perhaps the ancestors of the past have intended for it to be so. What’s gonna happen when he actually digs it up? What exactly is he unearthing?

I haven’t stopped thinking about this novel since I finished it a couple of weeks ago. There’s something very The Tommyknockers about it, whilst also being completely its own thing. I really liked it, even though I’m confident I didn’t pick up on everything the author intended.

I’m in awe. It’s not really a complicated story, but there are layers, and there were moments that I was a little unclear on where we were in time, and who exactly I was following.

One thing that never changed though was the pace and rhythm of the story. The writing is lush and beautiful. Higginson is an artist with words and The Hill in the Dark Grove does feel like a work of art.

I loved the unsettling atmosphere of the story. The uncertainty in Carwyn and Rhian’s life channels through the pages directly to the Reader. I felt for them. They were isolated and facing some real daunting challenges, and at such a time in their lives. It was difficult to read at times.

Aging, and what happens to us as we age, the way a person’s world can shrink, these are real world horrors that I think can be scary for a lot of us to think about. Though there was more going on in this story than that, I did appreciate Higginson’s exploration of those topics.

The incorporation of Welsh folklore and the mystery surrounding this object, and it’s pull on Carwyn, were also so compelling. Overall, it’s a great story.

I feel like I need to get a hard copy for my collection, so I can read it again and annotate. I would recommend it for fans of Gothic Fiction, or Folk Horror, but really I feel like it’s a story that could enjoyed by Readers of any genre.

Thank you to the publisher, Hogarth, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to more from Liam Higginson.

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Review: Swipe Bite by Alexandra Vasti

~ megs14malloy

Swipe BiteSwipe Bite by Alexandra Vasti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Swipe Bite follows badass corporate heiress, Sophronia Vega, who is also a vampire. As the heir to HemoCorp Industries, Sophronia takes her work responsibilites seriously and wants the business to continue to grow and be successful.

Most recently, she has led the charge on the creation of Stokr, a dating app that pairs vamps with the right humans that they won’t accidentally eat. Thus far the launch of the app has been wildly successful, that is until the glitch occurs.

When Stokr’s matching technology goes haywire, and vamps start literally draining the life out of their dates, Sophronia’s well-honed career starts going up in flames.

In order to solve the problem, Sophronia calls on Casey Amato, the human software engineer who lead the team that programmed Stokr. Casey’s confident the Stokr failure was no normal glitch. He’s insistent that it’s sabotague.

Further, Casey believes the sabotague has come from the inside, a fact Sophronia doesn’t want to believe. Has someone in Sophronia’s inner circle actually betrayed her?

In order to save the app, and its users, Sophronia and Casey must team up to fix Stokr and weed out the rat, but long hours working together leads to a burning attraction.

Can the two stay focused enough to succeed, or will they end up giving in to a temptation that could be deadly?

While this wasn’t a perfect read for me, I did end up having fun with it. There were a few little quirks that drove me batty, such as nicknames, and the way they swapped Abraham for God a million times, but I think the story itself was fun and I liked getting to know the main characters.

You may be like, Abraham for God, what do you mean?? The vampire characters would say it, like instead of ‘oh my god’ or ‘good god’, they would say, ‘oh my Abraham’, or ‘good Abraham’. It really got me in the sexy scenes though, her just shouting ‘Abraham’. I’m like, who’s Abraham? I thought his name was Casey.

I think it had something to do with Bram Stoker. There were definitely references to him, and in this world he was a vampire, so I don’t know. I guess he was their version of God, but it just felt very forced and would take me out of the story every time it came up, which was a lot.

Besides that though, I thought the plot was fun and I did end up growing to love both Sophronia and Casey. I also liked how much the business and the behind-the-scenes on the app were incorporated into the story.

It looks like this is going to be a series, and the series title is Corporate Bloodsuckers, which is such a fun concept to me. As someone who is interested in business, I do tend to enjoy when an author includes those details.

This was definitely a case of the further I got into the story, the more I enjoyed it. As Sophronia and Casey start to develop their relationship, I found myself becoming quite invested. I also loved the mystery behind what actually happened to the Stokr app.

The ending was fun and left off in a great place for the continuation of the series. I’m looking forward to whatever comes next. It sounds like it’s going to be intense.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I wasn’t sure about this in the beginning, but I’m really glad I stuck with it.

A light and entertaining read, perfect for Fall Romance!

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Review: The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt

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The October Film Haunt: A NovelThe October Film Haunt: A Novel by Michael Wehunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The October Film Haunt is a fascinating novel, but really hard to rate. I was so interested in the content and ideas being explored here, but also felt unmoored in the story and frequently confused (not in a good way).

I listened to the audiobook and it was a great production. There’s dual narration, with effects, and creepy voices for the monsters. The atmosphere, as well as Wehunt’s ability to get under my skin in certain moments, were my favorite aspects of this, enhanced via the audio format.

I did really enjoy Jorie’s perspective. Her life in Vermont with her young son was compelling, as were her reasons for being there. I found her perspective the easiest to track by far and also found the creepiest moments centering around what was happening to her in the present.

I also enjoyed the other perspectives and sections that Wehunt included, but they did feel more like vignettes and each time one would arise it would sort of kick me out of the story and then I had a difficult time recentering myself.

I think maybe the most effective way for me to have read this would have been to immersion read it; listen to the audio while following along in my hard copy. This was the method I used for Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and I feel like that was such an exceptional experience. It definitely could have helped me here as well.

I believe this was Wehunt’s first full length novel. I could be wrong on that, but that’s my understanding. I know he’s had great success with his short fiction, and I am planning to check some of that out. I do own his collection, Greener Pastures, which I’ve heard excellent things about.

I feel like this had so many great things going on, but perhaps too much. A bit more focus on Jorie and the main events, with glimmers of what led her there, could have been a more successful construction for me.

Overall, I did enjoy this. I’m jazzed to read more from Wehunt, because clearly he has a passion for Horror and a limitless imagination. The imagery is also excellent. Should I round up? I’m gonna think on it. I might. Don’t be surprised if you see an update on this at some point in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I put off reading this for a while due to some early mixed reviews, but I’m so happy to have finally picked it up.

I’m looking forward to Wehunt’s upcoming release, Nightjars, and plan to read it soon. It sounds amazing. I have no doubt Wehunt is going to deliver all the creepy vibes!

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Review: The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club (Hu Done It #1) by Gloria Chao

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The Ex-Girlfriend Murder ClubThe Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is a humorous Cozy Mystery following chemist, Kathryn Hu. Kat is a little socially awkward and hasn’t made a lot of friends in Boston, where she works in a research lab.

She does have a boyfriend though, Tucker Jones, who is the light of her life. At least until she finds out that he has two other girlfriends, Olivia and Elle.

The women decide to team up to teach the cheating jerk a lesson, but when they enter his apartment to exact their revenge, they end up discovering his very dead body.

Crap. Their DNA and fingerprints are everywhere in his apartment. They did arrive there hoping to do him dirty. They’re innocent though. They swear they’re innocent, but who is going to believe them?

In order to clear their names, Kat, Olivia and Elle need to find the real killer. They go undercover and end up finding a lot of folks that may have wanted Tucker dead.

With a hot detective sniffing around, will they be able to uncover the truth before they go down for the crime?

This was really cute. I put off reading it for so long and now I’m kicking myself. I was surprised at how invested I became in this mystery and characters. I would equate the humor and coziness to the Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto, so if you liked that series, this could be for you.

Admittedly, it did take me a minute to get used to Kat’s narrative voice. She’s quite quirky, and makes a lot of Dad Jokes, but I ended up coming to love her. I feel like when you realize her awkward silliness is 100% genuine to who she is, she becomes incredibly likable.

For me the star of this show is the relationship that develops between these three women. All of them were in positions where they could really use a friend and the way they bonded over this toxic man was just so satisfying.

Particularly for Kat. I feel like as the Reader, it’s easy to become so empathetic for Kat’s experience. She’s not close with her parents. She has no real friends in Boston, where she moved for her job, and her colleagues unfortunately just don’t understand her.

The way she grows as a person through her friendships with Olivia and Elle was so beautifully-executed by Chao. While the mystery was fun, the way Kat grew as a character was the highlight for me.

I would recommend the audiobook for this one. The narration by Carolyn Kang brought so much life to this story, and she definitely delivered the comedic timing as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m excited to continue on with this series. I’m interested to see how Chao is going to build it out from here.

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Review: With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee

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With Friends Like TheseWith Friends Like These by Alissa Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars**

With Friends Like These follows a group of women, all adults currently living their lives in and around NYC, who met while roommates at Harvard. For decades they’ve been playing a secret game that they call the Circus.

Since they’re all highly-competitive, the Circus, which I would describe as a bit of a Murder Game, has a tendency to get slightly dangerous. In fact, the death of classmate is alluded to throughout the story in connection to the Circus.

Our MC is Sara. She wants out of the Circus and is prepared to break the news to her friends. Sara also finds herself strained financially though, so when the group discovers that a small fortune is awaiting the winner of this round, she decides to suck it up and play one more time.

Needs must and all that.

As the Circus begins, Sara believes the others may not be playing by the rules. The higher stakes could be pushing people to new extremes.

As the danger turns real, and people start pointing fingers, Sara discovers those closest to her may be dangerous. Will their fake kill game turn deadly, or will all the women be able to make it to the end unscathed?

This story was fine. IMO, it’s a little basic, and certainly not as exciting, or intriguing, as I needed it to be, however, I’ve also read a lot worse. I think maybe for someone just branching out into Thrillers and for someone who likes stories involving complicated friend groups, this could definitely work.

We get the entire story from the MC, Sara. I didn’t mind that. It was actually refreshing to focus on one perspective, as it feels like most stories lately pull out all the stops with regards to perspectives, and even timelines.

Unfortunately, Sara wasn’t a particularly compelling lead. She sort of reminded me of that girlfriend you have, who is a lovely person, but tells the longest and most rambling stories, providing details you in no way need. The whole time she’s talking, you’re smiling and nodding, while you’re internally screaming, get to the bloody POINT!!!

I believe this is a debut for Alissa Lee, and it does show a lot of promise. I don’t want to be all doom and gloom. Do I wish I had enjoyed this a little more? Sure, but I also will not be writing off Alissa Lee as an author at this point.

I’d pick up whatever she writes next. I’m sure with more time and experience her stories will come to deliver all I’m looking for in a gripping Thriller novel. This story had a great concept, it just needed a bit more bite for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will be keeping an eye out for future works from Alissa Lee.

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