family drama

Review: How to Solve Your Own Murder (Castle Knoll Files #1) by Kristen Perrin

~ megs14malloy

How to Solve Your Own Murder (Castle Knoll Files, #1)How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

Annie Adams has had her presence requested at a meeting hosted by her wealthy and reclusive Great-Aunt Frances. Annie doesn’t really know Great-Aunt Frances, so the invitation stirs up some anxiety, but also a lot of intrigue.

Unfortunately, by the time Annie arrives to the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, where her Great-Aunt lives, Frances is already dead; murdered.

In a way, it almost seems fitting. Frances was a woman literally obsessed with her own death for close to 60-years.

This began in 1965, at the local fair, when a fortune-teller predicted Frances would be murdered. Disturbing, sure. The prediction also included clues as to how it would happen. Frances, unsurprisingly, had a hard time living her life without seeing connections to those clues everywhere.

Most of the long-time residents of Castle Knoll were well aware of Frances’s preoccupation with her impending murder, and they have a lot of opinions on that and her.

Annie is thrust into this world, where everyone seems to know a lot more about her Great-Aunt than she does. Now it’s up to Annie to solve the murder first; there’s an inheritance on the line, and of course, her Great-Aunt’s legacy and reputation.

How to Solve Your Own Murder was a fun an engaging mystery. It was the exact tone I needed at the time I picked it up just prior to Thanksgiving holiday.

The slow-build and seamless back-and-forth between the past and present perspectives were exactly what I needed to take my mind off real life stressors.

It felt cozy and thoughtful, though I did struggle at times to keep track of some of the characters. With this being said, it’s still a very fun story featuring a likable new amateur sleuth, Annie, who I’m looking forward to getting to know even more as the series continues.

As mentioned above, this story does have both past and present perspectives. The past perspective follows Frances as she receives her fortune and the events that follow shortly thereafter. Our present perspective is of course, Annie.

I thought the way Perrin presented both of those perspectives was really well done and I did enjoy both equally. I thought it was layed out in a way that allows the Readers to piece things together in a natural way.

I also loved the quaint village atmosphere, my absolute favorite setting for a mystery. I feel like as the series continues, we’ll get to know the villagers more and that slight confusion with who’s who will go away.

I’m so excited to continue on with this series. I’m not sure what the plan is for it, but I think this was such a solid 1st-book and I know that the 2nd-book will be just as exciting. Annie is already a character I can’t wait to meet again.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait for more Annie and the Castle Knoll Files!!!

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Review: Devils at the Door (Shana Merchant #5) by Tessa Wegert

~ megs14malloy

Devils at the Door (Shana Merchant #5)Devils at the Door by Tessa Wegert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤

Devils at the Door is the 5th-book in Tessa Wegert’s Shana Merchant series. I’ve really enjoyed all the previous novels, and was excited to get to this one.

I’m happy to report, this is just as engaging as all the rest. It was so good for a number of different reasons, but my favorites were the overall mystery and the fact that Shana’s niece, Hen, is in town and plays a starring role.

If you are unfamiliar with this series, it follows Senior Investigator, Shana Merchant, and her partner, Tim Wellington, delivering solid Police Procedural action and intrigue throughout.

The setting is the Thousand Lakes region of upstate New York, which sits on the border to Canada. In this installment, as mentioned above, Shana’s teenage-niece, Henrietta, known as Hen, comes to live with her following a rebellious streak leaves Shana’s brother and sister-in-law at wits end.

Shana is happy for Hen to come stay, but is surprised by the changes she sees in Hen once she arrives. Gone is the cheerful, sweet little girl she remembers. Taking her place is a sullen, secretive teen, who seems obsessed with the macabre and displays odd behaviors.

The mystery begins when a local teenager drowns on the shores of the uninhabited Devil’s Oven Island, a frequent, yet dangerous, party spot for young people.

Responding to the call of the unresponsive teen, Shana is shocked to find Hen there, along with a couple of other teens. Hen just got to town, Shana didn’t even realize she had made friends yet, and she snuck out at night? Shana is left reeling by all these developments at once.

The circumstances surrounding the drowning are so unclear, and none of the teens at the scene are talking. How is Shana going to get to the bottom of this before the suspicions fall on Hen? She’s the outsider, a loner, a bit unusual, the one people aren’t going to believe.

Shana digs in and ends up discovering a few buried secrets that the adults of the town would rather keep buried, but how is any of that related to the recent drowning?

I loved this mystery, especially having the added pressure of Hen being involved. The stakes were particularly high for Shana, and you could feel that pressure reverberating throughout her life.

Subsequently, there was some exploration of Shana and Tim’s relationship and all that sort of shined a light on how Shana’s past may still be negatively effecting her.

Her traumas are certainly a lot to get over, so it’s no surprise. I think maybe Shana had thought it was more put to rest than it actually is though, so it was nice to see her examining that closer.

I frequently find myself saying about Adult Mystery series that they can be read in any order. And while that’s true here, it is a standalone mystery, this is one of the cases where I believe you are best served to start this series at the beginning and read them all the way through.

Wegert has taken great care developing her characters and sense of place. Shana in particular is such a well-fleshed out MC. She is on such a journey in this series and it would be most impactful for you, as the Reader, to start at the beginning with her.

Trust me, they’re all so good, you’ll be happy you did. Personally, I’m excited to get my hands on the 6th-book. I hope this series continues on for a long, long time. 25-books wouldn’t be enough. Keep ’em coming, Wegert!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Severn House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was a great mystery featuring one of my favorite detectives.

I can’t wait for more Shana Merchant!!!

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Review: No Road Home by John Fram

~ megs14malloy

No Road HomeNo Road Home by John Fram
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙

In No Road Home we meet Toby Tucker, who along with his young son, Luca, is traveling to Texas to meet his new wife, Alyssa’s, family for the first time.

The Wright family is well known. Alyssa’s Grandfather is a famous televangelist whose powerful Old Testament sermons have made the family millions. Toby has no idea what to expect from the visit, but he is concerned that his Queer son Luca may become a target for their religious zeal.

The family compound is lavish, and packed full of questionable characters. Even Alyssa begins acting shady once they are at the property. What’s she all about?

The more Toby interacts with the Wrights, the more unsettleded he becomes. Something is off here. Luca is seeing things and saying things that cause Toby further concern; like the man in the suit lurking in the shadows that only Luca can see. That’s abnormal, right?

After inclement weather strands the family at the property, essentially cutting them off from the outside world, the elder Wright is found murdered on the roof. Who would dare to take him out, and why?

Suspicions immediately fall on Toby, but he knows he had nothing to do with it, so who did?

He needs to figure it out before the authorities arrive, or he could be the one to take the fall. It’s a race against the clock as Toby tries to unravel the truth of the Wright family.

With his mind focused on protecting Luca, Toby knows there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to save his son from the vicious den of vipers they find themselves in.

No Road Home is the first novel I’ve read from John Fram, an author I have heard great things about.

This story successfully sucked me in and even though it took me a minute to get used to the writing style, it took me no time at all to be hella intrigued with everything happening.

There was a period of time in the later half where I felt things started to get a little muddled, there were a lot of Wrights to keep track of, but Fram definitely pulled it off in the end.

I really enjoyed Toby as a main character. I feel like I haven’t read too many stories following single-fathers and I feel like it’s a unique and compelling perspective to get.

Toby’s own family history, and his relationship with Luca, were quite nuanced and I loved how Fram revealed the truth of all that over the course of the story. It wasn’t as I initially expected, and I feel like it will be memorable for me.

I also just really appreciated the overall tone Fram set within this story. The setting of the Wright family compound was well done. It felt sinister and eerie, even if you didn’t quite understand why.

It’s a bit of a slow burn, but the intensity and stakes do steadily climb throughout. By the end, I was completely immersed. It was definitely a story I needed the conclusion too ASAP, which is why I read it in a day.

I would recommend this to fans of Social Horror, or novels such as Mister Magic. It’s thoughtful, sinister and cerebral; very well developed by Fram.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

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Review: The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak

~ megs14malloy

The Last One at the Wedding is the latest from Jason Rekulak, author of the well-received, 2022-release, [book:Hidden Pictures|58724923].

I really enjoyed the overall vibes of Hidden Pictures and was excited to see what Rekulak would deliver with this next release. I never even read the full synopsis, TBH, the author’s name alone was enough to sell it to me.

In this story we follow Frank Szatowski, a veteran UPS-driver from rural Pennsylvania. Frank is a widower who lives alone. Sadly, he’s been estranged from his daughter, Maggie, for the past three years.

Maggie left her hometown for college and never returned. She’s always been very driven and now has a successful career in tech and lives in Boston.

Frank is shocked when he receives a call from Maggie out of the blue, not just because of the fact that she’s calling, but because of her news. She’s getting married and she wants Frank to be there.

Determined to make things right with his only child, Frank readily agrees. He’s excited to meet his future son-in-law, Aidan Gardner, and get to know his family. Who is this man who seems to have swept his daughter off her feet?

The weekend-long event is set to take place at a lakeside estate in New Hampshire, owned by the Gardners. As it turns out, Aidan’s father is a titan in the tech industry and the family is ridiculously wealthy.

Even though that level of wealth tends to make Frank uncomfortable, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to reconnect with Maggie. Thus, he makes the long road trip, along with his sister, Tammy, and her foster child, Abigail, with good intentions.

Arriving in New Hampshire, Frank has a couple of interactions with some locals that leave him unsettled. They seem downright hostile towards the Gardners, and rumors swirling around Aidan seem to be at the heart of it.

The property itself is a virtual fortress, complete with intimidating security personnel. Frank tries to relax and just be there for Maggie, but it’s not going well. She seems too busy for him. In fact, his presence seems merely perfunctory.

Frank tries not to let it all affect him, but he is highly suspicious of the Gardner family, and seems to get more suspicious with every forced interaction. What exactly is going on here, and is Maggie in over her head?

It was so easy to get engrossed in this story. I loved Frank from the start and hearing everything from his perspective. I listened to the audiobook and the narration by John Pirhalla truly brought Frank to life.

It’s unclear in the beginning what has gone on in the past between Frank and Maggie; you know of their estrangement, but not how it ended up at that point. I liked the way the author chose to play out that part of the narrative.

There’s also so much mystery surrounding the Gardner family and the depth of Maggie’s involvement in the family affairs. It felt dangerous, even without openly knowing why.

The mystery involving the locals though was really where my brain started to stand at full attention. There’s a missing local girl, who was allegedly dating Aidan, though he denies it.

Frank has communications with them that lead him to believe they’re telling the truth, but everyone in the Gardner family denies involvement of any kind. Scared for his daughter’s safety, Frank can’t let it go and continues to dig.

There are some crazy reveals and I loved getting caught up in all the suspense. There are some characters that are a lot of fun to hate as well. Rekulak created some strong villains here!

I had such a great time going on this journey with Frank. This is a completely different feel to Hidden Pictures, but I actually enjoyed this one even more. I loved the character work, the setting and the non-stop level of intrigue.

While subtle at times, and a bit of a slower burn, I think this is a very well developed story that a lot of Readers will enjoy. I definitely recommend the audiobook as well. It was very well done.

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

I’ve had a great relationship with Rekulak so far, and I cannot wait for more!!

Review: What We’ll Burn Last by Heather Chavez

~ megs14malloy

What We'll Burn LastWhat We’ll Burn Last by Heather Chavez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

I always look forward to new releases from Heather Chavez. After I finish one, I’m immediately on her author page, checking to see if there’s info on the next release.

What We’ll Burn Last is her 2024-release and it follows a few different perspectives. It’s set in California and is a Missing Persons-based Thriller. Our main perspectives are Leyna, Meredith and Olivia.

Leyna was my favorite. She had an older sister, Grace, who went missing years before. At the beginning of this story, she has an interaction with a young woman that stirs all sorts of memories about Grace.

Shortly thereafter, she sees the news that this young lady, Ellie, has disappeared. Not only did Ellie greatly resemble Grace at the time of her disappearance, but she also went missing from the same spot that Grace did. This cannot be a coincidence, can it?

Leyna has been active on true crime forums since Grace disappeared and she uses those platforms to begin to dig into Ellie’s case. This string of events eventually leads her back to the hometown she left years prior and back into the circle of people she’s been trying to avoid.

Her Mom, Meredith, is a hard perspective to follow. She wasn’t likable, but I never feel like I need to like a character in order to enjoy their perspective, but I will admit to finding Meredith’s POV to be a real slog.

We also follow a woman named Olivia. She is the Mom of Grace’s boyfriend, Adam. Boyfriend, as in, they were a couple at the time that Grace went missing. By-the-by, Adam went missing at the same time. The two families have been at odds ever since.

You follow along with these three perspectives as the truth about the past, about what happened to Grace and Adam, as well as the current mystery of Ellie, and the drama between the two families is all worked out.

Honestly, it was a lot to follow. I really enjoyed the first half. As mentioned above, I had a great time following Leyna’s perspective. The beginning was so intriguing, as she met Ellie and then learned of her disappearance.

This stemmed her investigation into Ellie, and it also rekindled her interest in what happened to her sister. This brought her back to her hometown. The trope of an MC returning to a hometown after a long period of time away, to look into some old mystery, is one of my favorites.

Unfortunately for me, the other perspectives brought this story down for me. They weren’t as interesting to me as Leyna and my mind began to wander during their sections.

By the 60%-point, my interest was down. Whereas one would think my interest would only increase as the story went along, that really wasn’t the case here.

I still feel like this is a solid story and that first half was def a 4-star read for me, but I had to drop my rating a bit, as went my level of interest, in the later half.

With this being said, even though this wasn’t my favorite of her books, I’m already chomping at the bit to see what Chavez is going to deliver us next.

In comparison to her earlier books, I didn’t find this one quite as pulse-pounding, but I still feel like it had a good plot and included strong character work.

I did like the setting and the initial build-up of the mystery as well. It did bring to mind the real-life tragedy of Gabby Petito, and that case was mentioned briefly within this story. I’m not sure if that case inspired Chavez to write this or not, but the relationship between Grace and Adam did have a similar vibe.

At the end of the day, this is a solid Missing Persons Thriller and I would encourage others to pick it up. I think if you’re able to connect in some way to all three perspectives, this could be a very intriguing read for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Mulholland Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Chavez is a gifted writer and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

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Review: One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day

~ megs14malloy

One Big Happy FamilyOne Big Happy Family by Jamie Day
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

One Big Happy Family is an entertaining Summer Thriller set in a small town, Jonesport, on the rocky coast of Maine. I adore that setting, so was sold on this one by that fact alone.

This novel is an inheritance story of sorts, with murder to boot. We’re transported to The Precipice, a family-owned hotel, in Jonesport. The elder, George Bishop, has recently passed and his daughters, Iris, Vicki and Faith, are arriving for a weekend to hear his Will and claim what is now theirs.

The three sisters bring with them a whole host of dangerous secrets, heavy baggage and more. Tensions are running high. It’s not exactly a lovey-dovey family reunion.

Also in the mix, are a few employees of The Precipice, including 19-year old chambermaid, Charley, who desperately needs to hold on to her job.

This is the kind of book so full of drama that once you start, it’s hard to stop. I found it to be incredibly fun with the toxic family relationships that I love to watch play out.

I was gnoshing my popcorn the whole way through!

The setting was fantastic, made better by the fact that a hurricane stranded the characters at The Precipice. I love inclement weather stories and I feel like Day absolutely nailed that vibe here.

I actually listened to this audio while I was on vacation in Maine, so that’s a bit fortuitous. In a way, that made it extra fun, but in another way, I actually think I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t had vacation brain at the time.

I did find the narration by Saskia Maarleveld to be a perfect fit for the story. She def succeeded in bringing it to life. I highly recommend that format should it be available to you.

Overall, I was really impressed with this. I found it to be gripping, entertaining, fast-paced and dramatic. The setting and set-up were both fantastic.

My only small gripe would be that I sometimes found it hard to distinguish between the sisters. With this being said, that could be 100% attributable to the aforementioned vacation brain. It’s hard to tell. Either way, I am looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I think a lot of Readers are going to love this one!

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Review: Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

~ megs14malloy

Daughter of MineDaughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

💚💙💛💚💙💛💚💙💛💚💙💛💚

It’s been a while since I last picked up a Megan Miranda novel, but once I read the synopsis for Daughter of Mine, I knew it was one that I would need to pick up right away.

I listened to the audiobook in a day and recommend that format. I got completely sucked into the story.

This story follows Hazel Sharp, as she returns to her hometown of Mirror Lake after close to a decade away. Her father, the town’s long-time detective has passed away, and Hazel returns to attend his services and see to his estate, along with her two estranged brothers.

Hazel has solely inherited her father’s home, which comes as a huge surprise to her brothers. As the tension rises amongst the Sharp family, the water level in town lowers.

The area is in the grips of a drought. When it hits Mirror Lake, the lake water level drops, and long-buried secrets are revealed.

As more comes to light, it seems that Hazel will finally get answers regarding her mother’s mysterious disappearance when she was just a kid. The story she was told has never sat right with her, so this could be her one chance to clear everything up.

Even though Hazel had only planned to stay in town long enough to pay her respects to her father, she decides to stay longer. She has unfinished business in Mirror Lake.

The Publisher’s synopsis keeps things rather vague regarding the content of this story, and I think that’s perfect. It gives you just enough to make you want to pick it up, without giving away anything significant that will ruin the mystery.

I went into this just knowing the info in the synopsis and I ended up being completely enthralled by all that unfolded in Mirror Lake. This story went so much deeper than I was initially anticipating.

I loved learning about Hazel. I thought she was a fascinating main character. Her life had a lot of different layers to it and I enjoyed unpacking it all right along with her.

The mystery of what is revealed as the water levels drop was also so interesting. I really wanted to know what had gone down in this town.

It’s true that sometimes the smallest towns house the biggest secrets. I feel like anyone from small town America, or elsewhere in the globe, can probably relate to that.

I feel like Miranda really showed off her writing chops in this one. The characters were great. The history of the town and the relationships amongst all the characters were extremely well developed, and the reveals were perfectly timed for maximum impact.

Perhaps some Readers may find this to be slow, but I loved the build. I thought it escalated nicely and the build in tension was perfect for me.

I also LOVED the clever way in which in the weather mirrored the plot progression; so good!

I still have a few Megan Miranda novels left to read. This has definitely motivated me to go back and check off some of those backlist titles.

I would recommend this to Megan Miranda fans, Readers who enjoy small town mysteries, Readers who enjoy characters traveling back to their hometowns to solve an old mystery ((one of my all-time favorite tropes)), or people who enjoy tense family mysteries.

I was really impressed with this!

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Review: Fire Exit by Morgan Talty

~ megs14malloy

Fire ExitFire Exit by Morgan Talty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars rounded up**

Fire Exit is a realistic Literary Fiction novel that falls completely outside of my comfort zone. I picked this one up because of one reason, and one reason only: Morgan Talty.

I’ve read short-fiction from him and loved it. Additionally, he’s an Assistant Professor at my alma mater, University of Maine, Orono. His stories take place around that area, so there’s also that connection.

This book is about life. More specifically, it’s about Charles Lamosway’s life. The story-telling feels very Coming of Age. Although this isn’t that type of story, Charles takes us through certain portions of his life in a way that makes it feel like that subgenre.

There’s a lot going on in his life, which he focuses on in his narration. First and foremost, is the fact that he has a daughter, Elizabeth, the result of an affair, who doesn’t know the true nature of her parentage.

For years, this has weighed on him. He’s watched Elizabeth grow up, as she lives just across the river from him.

As she comes of age, and his life transitions into its later stages, he starts to feel compelled to share the truth with her. He feels she has the right to know. She has the right to know her true history, who she is and where she came from.

He’s not trying to negate all her parents have done for her, he doesn’t want anything from her really, but Elizabeth’s mother, Mary, doesn’t see it the same way as Charles.

Then there’s his relationship with his mom, Louise. That’s complicated too. He loves his mother. He’s dedicated to her, but it’s not always easy.

Louise has struggled with depression for many, many years. Charles and Louise have also experienced a terrible trauma together, which they never discuss. He has unresolved guilt from that event that continues to haunt him.

Louise is now succumbing to dementia and she’s more reliant on Charles than ever. She’s not always kind, and rarely recognizes him, yet he is 100%-committed to her care. It’s a situation he wasn’t prepared for.

The whole journey he’s on with his mom has caused him to confront a lot of issues from his life. Such as distant moments of his childhood, his relationship with his Mom and step-Dad, Frederick, and of course, his nonexistent relationship with his daughter, Elizabeth.

I thought everything about this was beautifully-done. I loved the writing. I loved the delivery of Charles’s voice and story. I felt like I was sitting with him at a bar in Old Town and he was just relating moments of his life to me.

It amazed me how invested I got in each of the different aspects that Charles was exploring. As mentioned above, this isn’t normally a type of story that I would pick up, but I’m so glad that I did. It was emotional, yet so enjoyable.

I would recommend this to all my Literary Fiction friends out there, or Readers who enjoy the quality of storytelling in a Coming of Age narrative. Also, the audiobook is fantastic. I def recommend that format as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Morgan Talty is such a talent. I can’t wait to read more from him!!

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Review: The Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh

~ megs14malloy

The Night of the StormThe Night of the Storm by Nishita Parekh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Night of the Storm is a debut novel from Nishita Parekh. Honestly, I’ve been a little scared to pick it up, because of the mixed reviews. However, I’m very happy to report that I’m part of Team Really Enjoyed It.

Sure, I see flaws, but at the same time, it worked for me. I found it entertaining. I loved the set-up that left me feeling claustrophobic and unnerved. I love complicated family relationships, and this checked that box extremely well.

In this story, we’re following Jia Shah, an Indian American woman who has recently separated from her husband and moved herself, as well as their 12-year old son, Ishaan, from the family home in Chicago to Houston, Texas.

This is a big deal in her traditional Indian family, and she’s definitely received blow-back stemming from her choices. In spite of other’s disapproval however, Jia did what she knew to be right for her son and herself. She wasn’t willing to live the rest of her life in an unhappy marriage.

It hasn’t been easy though, especially for Ishaan, who she worries about constantly. In fact, Ishaan has newly been suspended from school after being in a fight.

With all this going on, the last thing Jia needs to worry about is a mandatory evacuation order from their apartment building, but with Hurricane Harvey bearing down on the city, that’s exactly what they get.

Luckily, Jia’s sister, Seema, who lives in an fancy house not far away in Sugar Land, has invited them to stay with her and her family to ride out the impending storm.

Jia and Ishaan make it to the house just in time, where they join Seema, her husband, their daughter, Seema’s mother-in-law, as well as her husband’s brother and his wife. It’s a lot of people, but it’s also a big house. They’ll be okay.

Unfortunately, you put that many people together in a house, with severe weather blazing outside and no means of escape, you’re bound to see the tensions rise. Just as things start heating up inside the house, someone ends up dead…

Was it an accident, or is there a murderer amongst them?

For me, and this is completely my unprofessional opinion, I feel like this is more a case of people going into this expecting one thing and then getting another and feeling disappointed, than this being just a 3.21-star book.

I’ve been there many times myself. I get it. When you’re expecting an intense Thriller and you don’t get the thrills, or even necessarily the intensity, your disappointed, and potentially leave an average, or lower, rating because of it.

I really enjoyed this, but I went into it without any real expectations. I feel like this is an engaging Domestic/Family Drama, with an underlying Mystery subplot.

The gem in this for me was getting to know Jia and following along with her tumultuous journey. The storm and being trapped in the house were great bonuses, as I love those elements in any story, but yeah, the real hero of this is Jia.

She’s a woman who has made a very difficult choice and who has had fallout from that. She lost her home and her friends. She’s had to uproot her life.

She’s second-guessing her choices, while getting judged by everyone around her. She’s trying to do what is best for her son, and her own mental health, all while navigating the not always kind outside world. I think everyone can relate to this in one way or another.

When we meet Jia, with the storm moving in, she’s almost at wits end. Being trapped in the house, with these particular people, pushes her even further to the edge.

I like complicated families and this story definitely delivers in that area. I loved the set-up of the storm creating a forced proximity situation and I do feel like Parekh did a great job of revealing all the underlining things going on.

The murder mystery was interesting as well. There were quite a few people acting suspicious, so I did like being with Jia as she tried to figure it out. The more it progressed, the more unsettling it became, leading up to the wild conclusion.

For a debut, I think this was very well done. I think Parekh should be proud of their work and I will definitely be picking up whatever she writes next. Do I think this book deserves a higher-rating? Absolutely.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. We love supporting new authors in this house, and I can’t wait for more from this one!

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Review: The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

~ megs14malloy

The Reappearance of Rachel PriceThe Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

16-years ago, Rachel Price, wife and mother, went missing. There were a lot of odd details surrounding her disappearance, such as her car was found abandoned with her 2-year old daughter, Bel, still inside.

Ever since, the mysterious disappearance of Rachel Price has remained a well-known case with many speculating on what could have happened to her.

All these years later, a documentary filmmaker has decided to revisit the disappearance and create a film. He’s asked the Price family to participate and they’ve agreed.

Even though Bel wishes everyone would just move on, she amiably participates, as she knows it’s something important to her Dad. He was initially suspected, but since cleared. It’s remained a touchy subject for the family, as you can imagine, ever since.

The crew has established themselves in the Price’s area and are doing regular interviews and filming. During this process, the unimaginable happens. Rachel reappears.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Rachel returns with an unbelievable story. It’s so unbelievable, Bel doesn’t believe it’s true. If Rachel is lying though, where has she been all this time and why come back now?

We follow along with Bel as she tries to figure out what happened all those years ago, and more importantly, what the heck is going on now.

I enjoyed this a lot. The set-up is great. I loved the idea of a long unsolved mystery being explored afresh by a documentary film crew. I felt like Bel was a good sport about the doc and I did feel empathy for her in regards to everything she had to deal with in her life.

The Price family is complicated and I do love a complicated family dynamic. I had fun getting to know the family and learning all of the details surrounding Rachel’s disappearance.

Even though Rachel’s reappearance was expected, I still found it to be eerie. Her story was just so bizarre, it didn’t make any sense and she didn’t seem to be able to provide clarity.

Bel is uncomfortable with Rachel being back. She feels like she’s being forced to live with liar, and it’s difficult for her to interact with Rachel as Rachel tries to reconnect with her.

I was right there with Bel. I didn’t trust Rachel either and my Horror Heart was screaming, CHANGELING, even though I knew that probably wasn’t the case.

A lot of the focus of the story is this back-and-forth between Rachel and Bel. Jackson definitely succeeded in keeping me at the edge of my seat during all of that. It raised my pulse, not going to lie.

I will say, the first 3/4 of this was better for me that the closing sections. The tension and intrigue of the build-up and center portions held more weight for me; it kept me more engaged and excited. The ending, with some of the reveals, started to lose me a bit.

I wasn’t crazy about some of the explanations and ultimate outcomes, but getting there was fun. Also, keep in mind, this is personal taste. The outcomes didn’t quite mesh with what I wanted for these characters, but others may enjoy it more.

It must be tough being Holly Jackson actually. She stormed onto the scene with a MONSTER of a debut, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which just so happens to be my favorite YA Mystery of all time.

That debut novel, and the rest of the series, has been incredibly popular. Absolutely OTT-levels of hype and love surround that series and has for years.

I feel like everything she’s put out since naturally gets compared to that and it’s gonna be real difficult to surpass. It’s not that I don’t think she can do it, I know she has the talent, but it’s gonna be tough.

Neverless, she’s a queen of twists and bringing solid, page-turning drama. While this one didn’t reach AGGG level for me, it was still darn good and a heck of a lot of fun to read. I would definitely recommend it, and look forward to whatever Jackson writes next!!!

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