cults

Review: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

~ megs14malloy

Forget Me NotForget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Claire’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared 22-years ago. This was a traumatizing event for young-Claire, and she’s carried heavy feelings regarding it ever since. It severed their family and nothing was ever the same.

In fact, after leaving home for college, Claire has never returned. She was more than happy to leave the past in the past, where it belongs.

She moved to a city and worked her way up as an investigative journalist. Recently, after not receiving a promotion she should have been a shoe-in for, she gave up her position and decided to do freelance work.

Unfortunately, securing that work has been more difficult than she anticipated, so when she receives a call from her Dad saying her Mom has been injured and can use her help, she decides to go to her aide.

Returning to her hometown after such a long period of time away churns up all sorts of buried emotions. Additionally, her estranged mother doesn’t seem all that happy to see her, like not at all. It hurts.

With nothing but time stretching ahead of her, and restless where she’s at, Claire decides to do a little digging. She’s an investigative journalist, after all.

She decides to go to visit Galloway Farm, the vineyard in South Carolina where Natalie had a Summer job just prior to her disappearance. The visit ends up turning into temporary work for Claire, who although she’s never been a farm hand, is excited about the offer of free room and board.

The idyllic escape quickly moves in a more mysterious direction though after she stumbles across the owner’s wife’s old diary stashed away in her cottage. Originally thinking it’s just a tale of young love, Claire is surprised when the diary reveals much darker truths involving unsolved crimes and missing persons.

I really enjoyed my time reading Forget Me Not. Stacy Willingham definitely knows how to write a compelling and suspense-filled story. I always anticipate her latest releases, and so far, I’ve never been let down.

I read this via audio, and it does feature dual narration, with one of my favorite voice artists, Karissa Vacker, voicing Claire, and Helen Laser voicing the diary bits. I appreciated that the publisher chose to use the two narrators as it really helped to make the separate sections distinct.

This also features a couple of my favorites tropes, the MC returning to her hometown after a long-time away and the found diary, so it was sort of fated to work for me.

I also tend to love mystery stories that follow journalists, because it feels natural for them to be digging into things the way they do. It doesn’t seem forced, or far-fetched. It’s literally part of their jobs and they have the training and experience to do so.

I felt bad for Claire as a character. My heart definitely went out to her. She lost her sister, a person she idolized, and through that also ended up losing her Mom and Dad. They separated, and her family unit all went their separate ways. She felt very alone.

The intensity builds steadily throughout. It pulls you in and while I did guess a few of the big twists that were revealed, there were many more that I didn’t see coming.

This is def entertaining and I would recommend it to Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Readers. I’m not sure how memorable it’ll be for me long term, but it was very fun.

It’s a bit culty, a bit cringey domestic drama and dark family secrets. It’s got a lot going for it, honestly, for those of us who love messy relationship dynamics.

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

I’ve enjoyed all of Willingham’s books and will be anxiously awaiting whatever she writes next. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us.

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Review: How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

~ megs14malloy

How Bad Things Can GetHow Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

How Bad Things Can Get, which features an online influencer hosting a retreat on a private island, started out mildly intriguing for me and then promptly fell right off the cliff into eye-rolling, when will this be over, territory.

Glancing over some other reviews after I finished, I’d definitely say I’m in the minority opinion on this one, so please take this review with a grain of salt, because that’s what I am: salty.

I’m starting to think Darcy Coates maybe just isn’t an author for me, and that’s okay. This is the 3rd-book I’ve tried from her, and they’re not going well.

This had a bit of promise in the beginning, as our characters arrived at this island, I liked the excitement of that. As it started unfolding though, it felt so all over the place; chaotic and not ever able to capture my attention.

It was a bit Beast Games, mixed with the Fyre Festival and just a little sprinkling of the live-action Scooby Doo, when the gang heads to Spooky Island.

If this sounds like a mess, it is. It is.

There was one really fun, creepy scene on a beach though, involving naked people and some deaths. I liked that bit, but one scene does not a successful book make. The characters drove me nuts, the direction it took made my eyes glaze over, it just didn’t work for me.

Nevertheless, others are enjoying this one, so don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m sure many Readers will love this one. Sadly, it just wasn’t for me.

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Review: Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward

~ megs14malloy

Nowhere BurningNowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Nowhere Burning is a dark, melancholic novel set deep in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains.

Although told via three main perspectives, the perspective that kicks off our tale, and really serves as the heart of the story, is that of Riley, a young girl, who saves herself and her brother from the clutches of their abusive Uncle’s home.

Running away in the middle of the night, Riley has one plan in mind, to join a group of unhomed teens squatting on the abandoned grounds of a infamous movie star’s ranch, aptly named, Nowhere.

I don’t want to mention the other two perspectives, as the Publisher’s Synopsis leaves them out, therefore I don’t want to be accidentally giving things away.

Just know this story is much more complex and nuanced than the synopsis may lead you to believe. One of the most interesting aspects of this novel, in my opinion, was trying to figure out how all three were going to ultimately connect.

Initially it seems Nowhere is the only connection, but is that actually true?

This novel is quite stark and gritty. It feels bleak, the tone of which reminded me a bit of the 2010 movie, Winter Bone. It’s also a very slow burn, that sneaks up on you emotionally.

I didn’t realize how much it had captured me until the very end. I begrudgingly admit this book made me cry actual tears and they seemed to come out of nowhere.

I was shocked at the emotion Ward was able to draw out of me. It was like a punch in the gut. I feel like the way she pulled everything together, it was just beautifully done. It was hard to not feel emotion and empathy for this set of characters that life seemed to be so unkind to.

The world isn’t always an easy place, but beauty, hope and love can often be found even on the darkest of days. This story felt like moving through a deep, unending fog, but it’s worth the darkness; it’s worth the trudge.

I would recommend this to Readers who like a dark, emotional slow burn. It feels very Literary Horror, with plenty of dark subject matter to really sink your teeth into. For fans of Ward, this is a must read.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I feel like this one is going to stick in my mind for a long time to come!

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Review: The Last Session by Julia Bartz

~ megs14malloy

The Last SessionThe Last Session by Julia Bartz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Last Session is a slow burn, psychology-fueled, suspense story following a social worker named Thea.

Thea works on a psychiatric unit and one day, when a catatonic woman arrives, having been picked up on the streets, Thea feels moments of deja vu looking at her. She swears she knows her, but can’t figure out from where.

Even more strange is how similar the woman looks to her. Once out of her catatonic state, the woman claims she can’t remember the events leading up to her memory loss, and her being in the psych unit in the first place.

When Thea finally places who the woman is and how she knows her, she can hardly believe it. This person played a huge part in Thea’s own traumatic past. She offered her a sense of comfort and inspiration.

But just as suddenly as the woman appeared on the unit, she disappears. People claiming to be her parents came by and picked her up. Shortly thereafter though, her real parents arrive. So, who took her and where did they go?

What is going on here? Is this woman still in further trouble? Thea feels compelled to help her. She cannot let it go. She feels too strong a connection to her.

Following a trail of clues, Thea ends up in a Wellness Center in a remote area of Southwestern New Mexico. It’s there that a charismatic, New Age couple counsel individuals through a 1-month retreat focusing on romance and intimacy issues.

Thea enrolls herself in the program, and while she gets closer to finding answers for her missing patient, she’s maybe even more importantly, edging towards answers about her own past, and resulting hang-ups.

The Last Session is yet another story that immediately intrigued me, but started to lose me as it went on. Don’t get me wrong, Bartz did succeed with a lot of things here, but it veered too far into fever dream territory at the end for my liking. Ultimately, that did sour my experience a bit.

I did appreciate how bold the content was. The conversations about sex, and in particular, the MC’s explorations of her own issues surrounding sex and intimacy. I really enjoyed that side of the story.

I also loved Thea’s determination and how the whole mission evolved into not just being about her saving this mystery woman, but also saving herself; aiming to regain her own power and self-confidence.

I feel like the retreat, and the characters involved in that, were also really well-developed conceptually. It reminded me a lot of the cult of Mother God, or even Heaven’s Gate. I feel as far as cult stories go, it’s a good one, so if that’s something you enjoy, you should absolutely check it out.

Overall, I enjoyed this. While it was a little uneven for me, as far as my personal interest level goes, I still can appreciate its many strong attributes. Yet again, I am impressed by the risks that Julia Bartz takes with her stories.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to seeing what Bartz comes up with next!

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Review: Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride

~ megs14malloy

Red in Tooth and ClawRed in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Red in Tooth and Claw is a very original and quite strange YA story. I loved the overall tone, but didn’t find it particularly compelling. Therefore, it’s a tough one to rate.

It took me what felt like forever to read, over 2-weeks for 400-pages is a long time, but I would still say I enjoyed it. I think maybe the pacing was a little off for me. That was my biggest issue with it, and that’s not bad.

This story follows Faolan Kelly after her beloved grandfather, her sole guardian and only remaining family member, passes away.

She’s now alone in the world, and essentially homeless, as the local powers that be don’t feel like a young person of 16 is mature enough to take over the family homestead.

They also think Faolan is a young man, which is how her grandfather wanted it. Life was too dangerous for girls then, and if they found out, she would be married off as soon as possible. Her life no longer her own.

After his death, Faolan continues on with the charade. She’s not ready to expose her true self. It would change everything, and her life is already in enough turmoil as it is. She can only take one step at a time.

The mayor, appointing himself as the decider of Faolan’s fate, decides to have them shipped off to the Settlement; a remote outpost, home to many societal outcasts. The place is mysterious, and Faolan has no idea what to expect.

She goes though, because honestly, she’s out of options. Paired up with a gunslinger, to ensure her safe passage, Faolan decides to just keep her head down and bide her time until she can hopefully get her Grandfather’s property back.

Once she’s there, the mysteries of the Settlement only expand. The people she meets, the rules, their leader, it’s all so strange. What is the point of this whole thing? Why all the rules, and what’s lurking around at night?

While this wasn’t a touchdown for me, there were definitely many aspects of this story that I felt the author did really well and that I thoroughly appreciated.

First and foremost would be the atmosphere and overall vibe of the Settlement itself. I loved the slow build of the world and was fascinated with the idea of the Settlement. It’s clear it was meant to have a sort of quasi-religious component, and I felt like the author portrayed that really well.

It felt cultish. I feared for Faolan’s safety from the moment she got there. The unsettling feelings were only enhanced when Faolan begins hearing crazy noises at night.

It’s not all bad and scary though. Faolan does make some allies at the Settlement, including the fabulous Ms. Moon, and young loves, Jesse and Dai Lo.

With these new friends, as well as a few others, a lovely found family element is eventually established, which I always love to see.

There is a bit of a mystery too, as some people end up dead under very mysterious circumstance and Faolon investigates what was the cause of those deaths. Trust me when I say, I never could have predicted the direction this eventually took.

It was so bizarre, but I still really enjoyed it. I loved the Western feel and concepts. It was very different, unlike anything I’ve ever read and I walk away impressed with this author’s creativity and vivid imagination.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This won’t be the last I read from Lish McBride!

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