2023 releases

Review: The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

~ megs14malloy

The Forest Demands Its DueThe Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️💚🖤❤️

The first thing that attracted me to The Forest Demands Its Due was the stunning cover. It’s 100% my go-to aesthetic.

The colors, the imagery, even the font, I had to know what it was about. After reading the synopsis, I wanted it ASAP.

In this story, set in Winslow, a small town in rural-Vermont, we follow Douglas Jones, a recently enrolled student at the prestigious Regent Academy.

Douglas differs from the other students. He’s there because his Mom works there and he got in a bit of trouble elsewhere. He’s a scholarship kid. He’s not rich like the other kids, and really doesn’t expect to get the same experience out of Regent as they do.

Douglas simply wants to keep his head down and quietly make it through the year. Unfortunately, some of his peers are bound to make that goal challenging.

Douglas is on edge at Regent as it is, but after the mysterious death of a fellow student, one which only he seems to remember, Douglas is more sure than ever that something is off at the ivory-towered school.

When he meets Everett, the groundskeeper’s son, and discovers that Everett remembers the murdered boy too, Douglas decides he needs to find the truth. What in the heck is going on at Regent?

In his search for answers, Douglas uncovers a giant horde of secrets kept by the locals. Not only that, he’s awakened the horrific entity hiding at the heart of the forest surrounding the school.

Will Douglas be able to harness his inner power and defeat this formidable enemy before all of Winslow is destroyed?

He doesn’t know, but he’s certainly going to try and his new friend, Everett, plans to be with him every step of the way.

This isn’t a perfect book, but I did enjoy a lot of what the author created here. Douglas was great MC to follow and learn about. I loved his narrative voice. Additionally, the ideas behind the Horror elements were strong.

I enjoyed the blending of Social Horror with the Folk Horror-evil forest elements. The private school setting was well done and Jackson successfully set an ominous tone from the start. I think this truly deserves a higher overall rating, which is why I decided to round up.

At the beginning, it was giving me heavy We Don’t Swim Here vibes, which I enjoyed a lot, so that really helped to grab my attention early. The way Douglas was noticing things at Regent that other people either weren’t noticing, or weren’t admitting to noticing, was hella intriguing.

It felt menacing and heavy. What was going on?

I will admit, some of the plot was hard to track, particularly towards the end when the pace increased. I think some of the confusion came from the magical elements. I never felt like I had a full grasp on the magic system.

Overall though, I felt like the characters and setting were well done, and I enjoyed thinking about the different social topics explored.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA Social Horror, or Haunted Forest stories. Also, if you are looking for a Diverse, or Queer YA Horror read, this is a strong recommendation.

Thank you to the publisher, Quill Tree Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am looking forward to reading more from Kosoko Jackson.

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Review: Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear

~ megs14malloy

Five Bad DeedsFive Bad Deeds by Caz Frear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

💜💙💕💜💙💕💜💙💕💜💙💕💜💙💕💜

Five Bad Deeds is suspenseful Domestic Drama from one of my go-to authors, Caz Frear.

I really enjoyed all the books in the Cat Kinsella series by this author, so was looking forward to this standalone novel. The synopsis sounded intriguing and luckily, it delivered.

We do get a few different perspectives in this story, but our main perspective is that of Ellen; a wife, mother, and by all appearances, a good person.

Ellen has a lot on her plate, raising a head-strong teenage daughter, as well as toddler twin sons. She’s currently job-hunting and undertaking a fairly significant renovation on their beautiful family home.

She’s also balancing time with her sister and friends, just trying to keep all the balls in the air.

When the first sinister note arrives, Ellen can hardly believe it. Is someone threatening her? Who could possibly dislike her so much they would be this cruel? What has she ever done to deserve this kind of ire?

The anonymous enemy doesn’t stop with notes though, it seems this person is truly out to trash Ellen’s life and her reputation. As the threats intensify, Ellen scrambles to figure out who is behind it all and stop them, before it’s too late.

I had so much fun with this. I read 43% in the first sitting. I couldn’t put it down once I started. I loved the perspective shifts and how they were used to build-out the story.

As mentioned above, Ellen is our MC and we are getting her perspective the majority of the time. But every once in a while, mixed amongst the Ellen sections, we get the perspectives of various side characters in her life.

Their perspectives are pretty much solely providing their personal commentary on Ellen. So, in this way, it’s very how you see your life, versus how outsiders see it. It was interesting to me to have it formatted this way.

Ellen’s sister, Kristy, plays a big role in the story, and her thoughts on Ellen were some of the most enlightening, IMO. It’s very true that there are two sides to every story, and it was never more evident than in the sister’s thoughts about one another and their relationship.

This is just the kind of secret-laden, spite-filled Domestic Drama I love. I was captivated by the twisty storyline. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any crazier, it did.

The structure felt unique and I loved how the truth was revealed. It was a bit of a jaw-dropper. Well done by Frear!!

While I understand this type of Domestic Suspense/Drama may not be for everyone, I tend to have a lot of fun with this type of story. I eat it up like cake; it’s so good.

If you are the type of Reader who loves small town stories, with a cast of characters harboring a ton of secrets, than this story may be for you. Also, if you are reading for fun, or escape, and are mainly looking for something to take your mind off life for a while, this could fit the bill.

If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, give it a go. Hopefully, you’ll end up enjoying it as much as I did.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Paperbacks, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Caz Frear is a go-to author for me. I’m definitely looking forward to whatever she delivers next!

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Review: Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

~ megs14malloy

Business or PleasureBusiness or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Truth be told, I don’t actually read a lot of Romance. It’s not really a genre I actively seek out, or stock my shelves with. Not because I see anything wrong with it, it’s just not a genre I tend to gravitate toward on the regular.

With this being said, however, I do have a handful of Contemporary Romance authors that I gel with quite well. I do seek out their stories and pick up everything they put out. Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of them.

I love RLS. It’s her character work and dialogue that really does it for me. I enjoy how well-rounded her characters are and how they aren’t perfect. Each one will have flaws, or personal challenges, that they are navigating through in addition to the romance elements.

Business or Pleasure follows Chandler Cohen, a ghostwriter, who after penning a memoir for a social media influencer has become unsatisfied with her current career path. She’s not sure how much more she can take of being pushed to the shadows and overlooked.

Leaving a business event feeling down on herself and unsure of her future, Chandler heads to a bar. Relatable.

It’s there she meets an extremely charming man. He seems interested and she definitely is. One thing leads to another, and the most awkward hook-up ensues.

His moves left her cringing, but he did try. Feeling unsatisfied, Chandler takes off while he’s asleep; less uncomfortable that way.

She blames her bruised ego from the night before for allowing it to get that far and then vows to just get on with her life. It’s too bad, he was really cute though.

Her ability to get on with her life starts sooner than she expected when she gets a call from her agent, offering her a new project, to ghostwrite a memoir for a C-list actor, Finn Walsh, best known for his role in a cult classic werewolf television show.

We’re talking full on CW here, people.

Finn spends most of his time now traveling around to various conventions, where his fans still come out in droves. He’s had some other work, direct to television movies, that kind of thing, but he’s sort of stuck in a rut of his own.

This memoir will allow him to tell his story. To help people to see who he really is, versus his character’s persona.

Chandler never watched the show, but she definitely knows Finn. The man of the awkward one-night stand. How can this possibly be her life?

Nevertheless, awkward moments aside, Chandler accepts the assignment. She’s really going to get to know Finn now, whether she wants to or not.

The two end up traveling together, as he keeps up with his convention commitments and works on his memoir at the same time. There’s a huge elephant in the room and they decide to talk about.

When Chandler admits their encounter was well short of mind-blowing, Finn is mortified. No one has ever told him that he wasn’t performing as well as he could, or should. Trusting her, Finn requests Chandler school him in the art of satisfaction and she’s more than ready to teach.

I thought this one was a lot of fun. I always enjoy Solomon’s characters and romance plots. This one is extra steamy and promotes a message of sex positivity, as well as open and honest communication amongst partners.

I thought the relationship between Chandler and Finn was cute, although I could have done with more focus on the emotional areas and less on their sexual relationship.

That’s purely personal taste though. This is still an above-average Romance read, IMO.

This story includes some mixed media elements that added to the fun, such as excerpts from Finn’s show. I love fandoms and those excerpts definitely helped to build out that vibe surrounding Finn.

As a couple, these two are off the charts cute. I actually felt there could have been a bit more tension, miscues, or miscommunication between them.

I know that sounds crazy to say, as we all always complain about the pointless miscommunications, but it does add a bit to the basic problem/resolution format.

There was a little bit of that, but this almost seemed too easy. Either way, it was a ton of fun, I am glad I made time for it and I can’t wait to see what RLS comes up with next!!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Solomon’s characters and witty banter will keep me coming back each and every time. Well done!

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Review: Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry

~ megs14malloy

Good Girls Don’t DieGood Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good Girls Don’t Die was quite unique in both its construction and content. I had fun going on this journey and trying to figure out what in the hell was going on.

This was a 5-star read for me for the majority of the book. Unfortunately, the last portion lost me a little bit. Honestly, I found it to be a bit anti-climactic after the exciting build.

Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed it, and ended up only dropping a star due to my discontent with the ending. A 4-star read is still highly enjoyable and I would recommend it to fans of Christina Henry’s quirky and creative writing.

Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This pitch from the publisher’s synopsis is a great way to sell this story and it’s accurate. We love to see that.

This story is told in four parts, the first three each follow a different character: Celia, Allie and Maggie. The fourth, ties everything together.

The three women’s perspectives were captivating. They each find themselves in a bit of a personal nightmare, but it’s clear that they’re awake. They’re confused, they don’t know what’s going on, and are desperate to figure it out.

I found it so easy to empathize with these women. To feel their fear and desperation. In fact, I started to feel it myself. I was intrigued by the goings-on; so creepy. There seemed to be a relation to stories, as each perspective felt like a perilous journey through a different genre.

When you think about it, it was such a great example of Henry’s skill as a writer. To be able to capture these different genre-feels in such a short space of time. It was really cool.

The fourth section, again, was a bit of let down for me, but it was eye-opening and interesting as to how these women were ultimately connected.

Sadly, I just felt the villain was a bit of a joke; cookie cutter. They felt like an animated movie baddie, or something of that ilk. Also, the messaging around the who and the why was a bit heavy-handed for my tastes.

Overall though, this is well worth the read. A lot of fun. A unique twist of a Thriller, impressive in its creativity. I’m glad I finally got around to picking it up.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll continue to look forward to any book wit Henry’s name on the cover!

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Review: Assistant to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #1) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

~ megs14malloy

Assistant to the VillainAssistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

I had zero expectations going into Assistant to the Villain. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. Vibes: cute and cozy!

The ending was a wee bit of a cliffhanger, so I will definitely be reading the sequel. I can’t wait for it actually. There’s something about this type of Cozy Romantic Fantasy that screams Winter Read to me.

In this story we meet Evie Stage, who due to an ill family member is in desperate need of steady employment. So when a mishap, or perhaps we should call it a Meet Cute, with a local Villain leads to a job offer, she can’t turn it down.

Keep in mind, this Villain is a Fantasy World Villain, so there’s torture, killing, mayhem and chaos involved in Evie’s new work environment. But that’s okay. No job is perfect.

When Evie starts feeling attracted to the Villain though, she realizes she may really in trouble. It’s not just that he is her boss, there are other things to consider.

I mean, who finds sexy, darkly brooding, powerful, quietly sensual and possibly evil men attractive?

There is more to the story than that though. Someone seems to have it out for the Villain and the sabotage attempts seem to be coming from the inside.

Evie is determined to get to the bottom of it and save her crush before it’s too late.

As mentioned before, this is super cute. The pace is energetic and you want more. The synopsis comps this to Once Upon A Time meeting The Office and I think that is quite apt.

There was something so delightful about that mix. The fantastical office setting was completely unique and I can’t wait for more of it. Additionally, there was a great sense of humor to it and I enjoyed watching the chemistry build.

I also appreciated the romance that Maehrer created within this story. It was more about pining, getting to know one another and mutual respect, versus steam, steam, steam. I gotta say, compared to a lot of the things I’ve been picking up lately, it was a nice change of pace.

I think leaving the steam out allowed me to really focus on getting to know these characters. I feel attached to them after a very short time.

I was delighted that we ended up getting the perspective of the Villain, Tristan, as well. Oh my goodness, did I enjoy my time with him.

We definitely spend more time with Evie, but learning about the Villain through his own thoughts and feelings was really sweet. I liked reading what he was thinking about Evie’s presence in his world and watching that change over time.

I did enjoy the mystery, although admittedly, that did play second fiddle to the romance element, but I feel like Maehrer intended it to be that way.

Overall, I thought this was adorable. I’m definitely looking forward to getting my hands on the next book. I am wondering if it will go more in depth with some of the side characters, who I enjoyed, but I didn’t really feel like I got to know that well in this installment.

Counting down the days until Apprentice to the Villain!!!

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Review: My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

~ megs14malloy

My Darling GirlMy Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had the pleasure of Buddy Reading My Darling Girl, the latest from Jennifer McMahon, with my fabulous niece, Lyss.

Having both loved earlier McMahon works, we were stoked to get to this one. Happily, it didn’t disappoint. I found this to be wickedly atmospheric. McMahon sure knows how to deliver the creep-factor I desire.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m an Atmosphere Girlie first and foremost. That’s what I am looking for when I open the pages of a book. I want to be transported and I want to be unsettled by it.

In this novel, we mainly follow Allison, an artist and children’s author, who lives with her husband, two daughters and family dog in a cozy farmhouse in Vermont.

As Christmas approaches, Allison receives a phone call that’s about to shake things up.

Allison’s estranged mother, Mavis, also an artist, is gravely ill with cancer. Mavis is expected to live for only a few more weeks and she has requested that she spend her last days in hospice care in her daughter’s home.

Allison is surprised her mother would make this request. Their relationship has been troubled for many, many years, to say the least. Perhaps her mother wants to repair their bond prior to her death?

Allison’s husband knows about his wife’s traumatic childhood and he’s a little worried her mom’s presence could trigger her, but he also feels like it could be very important to her healing process.

After a family discussion, Allison agrees. They’re going to do it. They’re going to open up their home to Mavis, providing her a safe and loving space for her last days.

Shortly after Mavis is settled in though, mysterious things start happening. Things Allison can’t explain. Mavis is barely recognizable to Allison, her behavior is so different.

What is going on here? She’s being nice to the girls, particularly the youngest, Olivia? Is Mavis suddenly a nurturing old woman who wants to spend time with her grandchildren and daughter, or is this all a deception?

Allison feels it, she knows something is off, but what?

This story was so enjoyable to watch unfold. It begins with a little section, set 27-years in the past, that sort of provides the building blocks for Allison’s relationship with Mavis. That section took my breath away. It freaked me out.

It was so unsettling. I needed answers. That sense of unease that McMahon captured there, in those first few pages, never left me. I never got that scene out of my head and it truly set the stage for this entire story.

I feel like McMahon has a knack for setting an ominous tone. I’m frequently scared and I don’t even know of what. I absolutely LOVE that feeling!

As mentioned in the synopsis, Allison suspects demonic possession and the way McMahon played with that idea and allowed it to evolve in the story was fantastic. Possession stories are one of my favorite subgenres of Horror, so I was intrigued and elated to read that idea explored here.

There are some sections from Mavis’s perspective, reflecting back on her life and earlier relationships. The back-and-forth was interesting and definitely helped to build out the overall narrative in a pleasing way.

The events in the second-half of the book definitely accelerate in speed. Before you know it, you’re racing towards the conclusion, and what a conclusion it is.

There was a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming and it made me ridiculously giddy. I loved it. McMahon continues to slay. You know I will be picking up all future works.

I definitely recommend this one to anyone who has enjoyed McMahon’s work in the past. Also, to anyone who loves a overriding feeling of dread that lasts throughout the story. Finally, to anyone who enjoys a dark and creepy atmosphere. This one is for you!

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Review: Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror, Edited & Intro by Jordan Peele

~ megs14malloy

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black HorrorOut There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror is a project brought to us by writer and director, Jordan Peele.

I’m sure you’re aware of Peele’s work. He has left quite the stamp on pop culture with his brilliant movies and television work. His popularity catapulted this collection onto many TBRs before it released this past October.

I was highly-anticipating this Anthology and am so happy to report, it’s great! Peele was able to bring together an impressive list of authors to contribute to this collection.

I loved how unique each story felt. Within the Horror genre, you really have almost every subgenre represented here. There’s something for everybody.

I’ve written before on the difficulty of rating Anthologies super highly. You’ll always have some stories you connect with more than others. I try to base my rating on the reading experience as a whole.

It’s clear, every contributor here is a gifted storyteller, and whether or not you vibe with the exact content of each story, you’ve got to appreciate the level of skill and heart that each author brought.

Whether you are a fan of SF-Horror with futuristic concepts, Speculative Horror with supernatural elements sprinkled throughout regular life, Mermaids, Historic Horror, or Social Horror; you will absolutely be able to find a story within this collection to sink your teeth into!

If you are interested, some stand-outs for me were: Eye and Tooth by Rebecca Roanhorse, The Other One by Violet Allen, Lasiren by Erin E. Adams, Dark Home by Nnedi Okorafor, Flicker by L.D. Lewis, The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World by Nalo Hopkinson, A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree by Nicole D. Sconiers and Hide and Seek by P. Djèlí Clark.

While these are the stories that resonated the most with me, as I mentioned before, this collection truly has stories for every type of Horror Reader.

It’s super diverse, extremely fast-paced, well-arranged and will keep you on your toes throughout.

Overall, this is a well-rounded collection. Every person who reads this is going to have a different experience. I think it would be really fun to read this with friends, or a book club. There would be so much to discuss!

That’s what it’s all about; making your own connections and interpretations, having fun and learning from others perspectives, cultures, traditions, folklore and experiences.

I think all of the contributors to this Anthology should be proud of the work they put forth here. Everyone was bringing their A-game.

I’m happy to have been introduced to a some new authors that I can follow, as well as getting to read more from some of my tried and true favorites like P. Djèlí Clark, Nnedi Okorafor and Rebecca Roanhorse.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys Anthologies, Horror stories, or Speculative Fiction in general. I’ll remember this collection for a long time!

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Review: What Waits in the Woods (Detective Rita Myers #2) by Terri Parlato

~ megs14malloy

What Waits in the WoodsWhat Waits in the Woods by Terri Parlato
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What Waits in the Woods is the 2nd-book in Terri Parlato’s Detective Rita Myers series. This is an Adult Police Procedural Mystery following, you guessed it, Detective Rita Myers.

I actually didn’t read the 1st-book, All the Dark Places, prior to reading this one, but I enjoyed this so much, I started the 1st-book immediately after and have already finished it.

It’s fair to say, I will continue to pick up each book in this series as they’re released. Keep ’em coming, Parlato!

This is a dual perspective story following Detective Myers and Esmé Foster, a young woman directly connected to the mystery investigated in this book.

I listened to the audiobook and the dual narrators truly brought these two perspectives to life.

Esmé left her small hometown of Graybridge, 11-years ago to pursue her ballet career. After an injury and a recent break-up though, she decides it’s finally time to return after she gets a call from her brother stating their father isn’t well.

The day that Esmé returns, a body is discovered on her family property. She arrives home to police cars and questions, not exactly the homecoming she was expecting.

Making matters worse is the fact that the dead body isn’t just some stranger, it’s Kara Cunningham, one of Esmé’s closest childhood friends.

Esmé is devastated by the loss of her friend, but there’s something else needling her as well. Esmé and Kara looked a lot alike, what if she was actually the intended target?

Esmé has her reasons for believing this could be the case, but it’s going to take her processing a lot of old baggage to actually figure it out.

Detective Rita Myers gets called to the Foster property after the discovery of Kara’s body and immediately digs in to her investigation. Detective Myers has a lot of experience and genuine care in her work.

There’s no doubt she is going to get to the bottom of this grisly crime, no matter what it takes.

I had so much fun reading this. The mystery was intriguing, the plot was fast-paced and the reveals were exciting and more often than not, unexpected.

I think Detective Myers is a fabulous main character and I know I am just going to become more and more attached to her as the series continues.

She’s a seasoned detective, no-nonsense and smart. She works with a lot of younger detectives and cops and you can tell that they look up to her as a leader.

I also enjoyed getting to know her more on a personal side outside of work. She has some interesting neighbors and even a potential love interest that I am hoping to learn more about in subsequent books.

As with many Mystery series, I don’t feel like you need to necessarily read these books in order. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything going into this because I hadn’t read the 1st-book yet. It’s a complete story unto itself.

I do feel, though, that this is the type of series where the longer you stay involved with this group of characters, the more attached you become, and the higher your enjoyment level will ultimately be.

I knew right away that I would continue on with this series. The writing is compelling, the mystery is well-formatted and the characters are likable.

This is a very solid Police Procedural Mystery. I would recommend it for fans of Caz Frear’s Cat Kinsella series, or Gytha Lodge’s DCI Jonah Sheens series, as I feel like the tone here and quality of the mystery are very similar to those.

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

I’m so excited to have a new Mystery author to follow. I hope this series keeps going for a long, long time!

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Review: That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

~ megs14malloy

That's Not My NameThat’s Not My Name by Megan Lally
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

That’s Not My Name was a great start to a new reading year. If this is what 2024 has in store, I’m a happy girl!

I’ve been on a holiday for the past 10-days. My house needed cleaning, I needed to unpack, organize, it was a whole day affair. Thanks to Megan Lally, that day was a breeze.

I started this one as soon as I started cleaning this morning and could not stop. It’s super compelling, with fabulous narration for the audio. Before I knew it, it was done.

This story follows two perspectives, Mary and Drew. There are dual narrators for the audio and they were each perfect for the character they were portraying. They were convincing as teens, which isn’t always the case.

When we meet Mary, she is injured and in distress. She is taken to a police station and expresses that she has no memory of who she is, or how she got injured.

As she and the kind Officer who picked her up try to decide what their next steps will be, a frantic man arrives at the station looking for his daughter.

She doesn’t remember him, but really, she doesn’t remember anything. He is able to provide the Officer with everything needed to prove she’s his daughter, Mary Boone. He has School IDs, family photos, even her birth certificate.

The Officer leaves Mary in his care, but does promise to check up on her soon, after she’s had a chance to rest.

Drew’s whole life changed weeks ago after his girlfriend, Lola, disappeared. He hasn’t been 100% truthful about the last night he saw her, not with anyone, not even the police, and now the guilt is eating away at him.

Making matters worse, the whole town, even people he considered friends, seem to think he is responsible for her disappearance. It’s always the boyfriend, right?

Drew tries to stay positive and focused. He knows he didn’t do anything to Lola and he’s determined to find her before it’s too late. He needs to prove his innocence, but he also feels he owes it to her after what he did.

The longer Lola is missing though, the more his chances of finding her diminish. He knows that, he’s realistic, so clearly time is of the essence. Along with a couple of friends Drew begins some sleuthing of his own, following leads to a place he never would have suspected.

When I tell you I was drawn in from the very start of this story, that is not an exaggeration. Getting Mary’s perspective as she struggles to recover memories and figure out what happened to her, that whole narrative was so freaking compelling.

Then with Drew, I was equally transfixed by his story. He doesn’t reveal everything right away and you can tell he is second-guessing some things. I needed to stay with him until the end.

I love how Lally paced this out. The perspective shifts were so well done. It’s definitely a ‘one more chapter’ kind of read. Each chapter left me wanting more in such a fun way.

The intensity builds at a nice steady pace as you are given more and more information about what the truth actually is for these two. By the end, I was racing along and felt so many emotions by the end.

I loved the conclusion and am just so very pleased by the overall experience. I am absolutely blown away that this is a debut. Lally knocked this out of the park, IMO and I am super stoked to see what she delivers us next.

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a tense, fast-paced, emotional YA Thriller. I think this would work well for fans of Kit Frick, Laurie Faria Stolarz, Mindy McGinnis, or even Natalie D. Richards.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Megan Lally is going on my autobuy list for sure. I can’t wait for more!

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Review: Notes on a Murder by B.P. Walter

~ megs14malloy

Notes on a MurderNotes on a Murder by B.P. Walter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

This was wild. It’s like The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Hostel and in all the most sinister of ways…

This book first came onto my radar when I started seeing trusted book friends reviewing it favorably. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if I see a friend reading and liking a book, I want to be reading and liking that book!

FOMO is real, so I scurried out and was luckily able to acquire a copy fairly quickly.

I don’t want to say anything about the plot or characters. The publisher’s synopsis is equally as vague, so you may as well just suck it up and jump in.

Notes on a Murder pulled me in from the start. I read the first 1/3 in one sitting. I was so captivated by the narrator of the audiobook, and the way that Walter formatted the story.

There are past and present sections, some cleverly incorporated 2nd-person narrative, and plenty of provocative intrigue to keep you turning pages.

I loved the Greek setting and felt like that was really well played out. That backdrop set the perfect tone for this OTT-tale that definitely went places I wasn’t expecting.

This got dark. These characters, wow, they surprised me with the lengths they went to in this story.

The sinister feel got deeper and faster as it went. It was like a snowball rolling down hill, building momentum, before it finally took out everything in its way at the bottom.

This is the first of Walter’s works I’ve read, but if they are all this disquieting, I will definitely be reading more.

Thank you to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I recommend this one to Readers who enjoy dark, twisted Thrillers.

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