family drama

Review: The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall

~ megs14malloy

The Girls BeforeThe Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Girls Before is a twisty, fast-paced Thriller from one of my go-to authors, Kate Alice Marshall. For me, KAM has such variety with her writing and I love getting my hands on each of her books as they’re released.

This story follows Audrey, a Search & Rescue expert, and a kidnapped woman, Stranger. The narrative transitions back-and-forth between them, slowly revealing connections and the truth of Stranger’s captivity. I loved that back-and-forth as the larger picture starts to become clear.

Audrey was a great main character. She has a lovable pitty named Barry, who I loved having involved in the story. Audrey was portrayed as a good dog mom and we do always appreciate that in a story.

In addition to following Audrey’s work in SAR, we also get to see a bit going on in her personal life and I liked that aspect. I felt like I really got to know her and it made me connect to her more and care about her as the story progressed.

Stranger’s perspective was rather horrifying. Everything she had gone through. Her struggles felt real. It was just awful to think about, to imagine being in that circumstance. Of course that made me empathetic to her in a different way than I was to Audrey.

I loved trying to figure out what was actually going on. There ended up being a lot of different players that comes into the action in a heavy way.

I’m sure this won’t be for everyone, but for me it was very entertaining. I listened to the audiobook in a day, a format I would recommend. The narration by Ina Barrón and Karissa Vacker brought the story to life. I felt sucked into this world and I wasn’t stopping until I had all the answers.

I love nothing more than digging into the secrets of a really toxic family or disturbing small town, and this definitely satisfied that itch. I did feel it got a little convoluted in the second half, however, I still liked it a lot.

I’m confident I followed all the lines KAM was setting and I was happy with the conclusion. I would recommend this for Thriller Readers, particularly if you’ve enjoyed KAM’s work in the past, or if you enjoy stories featuring missing persons.

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

I had a lot of fun reading it. Kate Alice Marshall’s work is always a good bet for entertainment!

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Review: These Familiar Walls by C.J. Dotson

~ megs14malloy

These Familiar Walls: A NovelThese Familiar Walls: A Novel by C.J. Dotson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

These Familiar Walls is a Paranormal Horror Thriller from C.J. Dotson. This story follows our MC, Amber, in two timelines.

The present is 2020, and Amber, along with her husband, Ben, and their two children, move into Amber’s childhood home. Amber has inherited the house after her parents have been murdered, inside the house, by Nathan, one of Amber’s friends from her teen years.

Amber also lost her sister, Hannah, along with her brother-in-law, in a house fire not long ago. It’s clear from the start that Amber is working through some things, and perhaps her childhood home, full of unpleasant memories, isn’t the best place for her during this difficult time.

We also get Amber’s perspective from 22-years before, in 1998, when she first befriends Nathan, the boy who would grow up to become a murderer.

Nathan exhibits classic signs of the homicidal triad, including cruelty to animals (on page) and fire-setting. I’m not sure what his proclivity for bed-wetting was, but I’m gonna guess it happened once or twice.

Needless to say, Amber’s parents weren’t crazy about her hanging around with the disturbed boy next door, and it cause a lot of contention in their household. A fact Amber has never forgotten.

These scenes from 1998, while interesting, particularly the interactions involving Amber’s little sister, Hannah, did slow down the pace for me a little bit.

The spooky stuff in the house kicks off fairly quickly, and the sections of the past sort of brought it down for me until about the 60% point.

I did really enjoy the unsettling things happening to Amber within the house in the present perspective. There were a lot of visions connected to the past, and creepy scenes involving the mirrors that definitely got under my skin.

I was torn initially on how to rate this, because I found portions of it to be distasteful. This needs explanation, but I’m not sure how much I can say without spoiling things. The more I’ve thought about it though, the more I have to doff my cap to the author in my uncomfortableness.

I found one of the violent, pivotal scenes in this book abhorrent. However, I am a Horror Reader. I’ve definitely read wayyyy more messed up stuff than this, so I have to think that the author did a great job eliciting these emotions from me. I must have been so sucked in, so involved in the lives of this family that it made it extra impactful. Either way, it’s uncomfortable, or was for me.

I do believe that was the intention of the author, of course, for me to feel this way. Therefore, I can’t hold it against them, my own emotional hangups. They did what they set out to do, and well done for that.

I just needed to get over that mental hurdle and appreciate the novel’s ability to put me in an uncomfortable place and keep me there. By the time everything is revealed though, that emotion lifts and then we get to the heart of the paranormal of the story.

I felt that was executed well. It’s hard sometimes to translate those kind of concepts, what may be in author’s head onto the page, but I think Dotson did a good job. While some aspects were predictable, I think overall it’s an engaging and gripping read.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read from Dotson so far, and am looking forward to more in the future!

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Review: Adrift by Will Dean

~ megs14malloy

AdriftAdrift by Will Dean
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Adrift follows the tumultuous lives of a family living aboard a cramped houseboat in a desolate canal. Drew and Peggy, husband and wife, were both aspiring writers. Drew even had a glimpse of some early success, but since has struggled, working blue collar jobs and barely making ends meet.

Peggy is the glue that holds the family together. She’s a loving mother to their 14-year old son, Sam, and she spends some time, when she’s not cooking and cleaning for her family, volunteering at a local library. Secretly, she’s also been continuing to write.

The story follows the family through their day-to-day and it is bleak, my friends. I’m talking non-stop hardship, dissension and isolation. Though it initially reads like a straight Literary Fiction/Family Drama, it does take a sharp turn in the second half.

Admittedly, this is a very difficult read. The drama is powerful and painful. In fact, I had to put it down for a couple of days just to get a break from it more than once. Around 30%, I wondered, why am I reading this, it’s depressing AF, but I couldn’t give it up.

Something was holding me there with these characters.

But as challenging as it was to get through, I also think it’s an important read. Dean did an incredible job with these characters and their toxic dynamic. It felt incredibly realistic, which is sad to say due to the content.

I was fully immersed and it was pretty painful, not gonna lie, but I walk away so impressed with the quality of this storytelling and what Dean was able to achieve here.

I think if you’re in the right headspace going into this, and you are aware that it’s going to be a challenge, that you could walk away appreciating it as I did. It gets intense, almost claustrophobic feeling and I started to feel as desperate as the characters, but the payoff was worth it.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This novel felt like a gut-punch. Dean should be proud.

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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: A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

~ megs14malloy

A Box Full of DarknessA Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙

Beloved author, Simone St. James, returns to Fell, New York, in her latest Paranormal Mystery, A Box Full of Darkness.

For avid fans of St. James, you may recognize Fell as being the same location as her earlier novel, The Sun Down Motel, which I adored when it released in 2020.

The start of this reminded me so much of The Haunting of Hill House. The Netflix show, not the book. We follow three siblings, Violet, Vail and Dodie, who are essentially called back to the house they grew up in, alongside their younger brother, Ben, who disappeared years before.

There are reports that the property is being haunted by a spirit, at least according to the recent landscaper’s reports. The siblings agree to go back, deal with the past and try to figure out, once and for all, what really happened to Ben all those years ago.

I was really intrigued by this set-up. I liked meeting all the siblings and learning about them. They’re all vastly different, but you can feel the love and support they have for each other.

It’s with great apprehension that the three return to the Fell house and you can feel that uncertainty through the page. The vibes of the house were rich and unsettling. I wanted to know everything about it, and what happened not only to Ben, but everyone else in the family around that time.

I loved this mystery and was completely hooked into it. There were also references alluding to events at The Sun Down Motel, and also, I believe, The Broken Girls, which was really fun. I love little Easter Eggs like that connecting author’s various works.

Overall, I found this very engaging and entertaining. I loved this group of siblings and their complicated family history. I won’t claim it’s a perfect story, but I think if you are looking for something to keep your attention and keep you guessing, this is a fantastic option.

It’s got St. James’s signature style of ‘is it paranormal, is it not paranormal‘, which I really love about her stories. I’m so happy with my experience with this one and look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always look forward to Simone St. James’s new releases and this one didn’t disappoint!

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Review: The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong

~ megs14malloy

The Haunting of Paynes HollowThe Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow follows Samantha Payne, who is shocked to learn upon the death of her Grandfather that she’s received a very valuable lakefront property that’s been in the family for generations.

It’s an extremely prized piece of real estate, a summer retreat on Lake Ontario, that the whole family has enjoyed for years. Samantha is left scratching her head as to why he would have bequeathed it to her of all people.

The property also has a bit of a lurid past though, one Samantha would rather not think about. It was at that lakefront cottage that her father was thought to have killed a local child. Sadly, he ended up taking his own life as a result of this horrific incident.

Since that time, 14-years ago, Samantha has been practically estranged from that side of the family, except for her Aunt Gail, who she’s remained quite close with.

As it turns out, the inheritance does have one small caveat. Sam needs to reside at the cottage for a month before the property will be officially conveyed into her name. There are very strict rules applied to this as well.

Needing the money the property could some day grant her, Sam decides to take on the challenge, and along with her Aunt, heads back to the property she hasn’t revisited in over a decade.

From the start things seem slightly off, like someone is trying to scare them away. Not only that, being back at the site, stirs up all sorts of long-buried memories and emotions for Sam. It’s a lot.

When Aunt Gail goes missing a few days into their stay, Sam begins to question everything she thought she knew, both about her past and their family.

Exhausted from nightmares and plagued by paranoia, Sam swears she sees lights and shapes moving under the rippling waves of the lake. Can the truth of what lies below also be the truth at the heart of her family legacy?

I had fun reading The Haunting of Paynes Hollow. This was my first Kelley Armstrong, and I was excited to check out her work. The initial set-up was fantastic, hooking me quickly. I always love an inheritance story.

I loved also that we follow a Niece-Aunt duo. I’m so close with my own nieces, seeing that relationship dynamic explored was extra special. It’s not one you see often.

I also tend to enjoy when people return somewhere from their past and try to solve old mysteries, which in a way, this is as well. Sam was just a child when everything went down with her father, so she has some repressed memories that start to bubble to the surface once she’s living there.

I liked all of those things. However, there’s also just A LOT going on. At times it bordered on being too much. I feel like it did come together for the most part though.

The lore of the family was interesting, as well as all of the long-buried secrets that were revealed. I think for me the setting was the best part, and the unsettling atmosphere created by the odd goings-on was a close second.

Though I did feel it started to get a bit repetitive towards the middle, the ending was worth getting through all that. I would definitely recommend this to Readers who are looking for something a little different in the Creepy Reads space.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m definitely looking forward to picking up more from this author!

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Review: House of Beth by Kerry Cullen

~ megs14malloy

House of BethHouse of Beth by Kerry Cullen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

After a rough break-up and an upsetting incident at her job, Cassie, an overworked assistant at a literary agency, decides to take a break. She needs some space from her life.

She retreats to her hometown in New Jersey, where she ends up running into her high school best friend, Eli, now a widowed father of two young children.

Their relationship quickly takes a turn, and before she knows it, Cassie is giving up her high-octane life in the city for homeschooling Eli’s children, exploring nature, and perhaps forming a new friendship with the eccentric next-door neighbor, Joan.

While on the outside, it may appear Cassie has truly moved on, on the inside she’s not so sure. She has misgivings about the whole situation, but it’s more than that.

Cassie suffers from harm OCD, where her thoughts are frequently plagued by graphic and gory images. Her thoughts scare her, but she can’t run from them. She’s constantly on edge.

Her violent thoughts aren’t the only thing haunting her though. There’s also the shadow of Eli’s deceased wife, Beth, looming over her every day.

As Cassie starts to hear the voice of the house, narrating the family’s secrets from before her arrival, Cassie can’t help but wonder what really happened to Beth?

House of Beth is an unsettling and unique little story. I enjoyed the overall tone. It felt ominous, even when I wasn’t sure why. It went in a direction I wasn’t expecting as well, and for that I give it extra props.

It came across as a bit of a toned-down version of Maeve Fly for me. There’s something in the delivery of Cassie’s narrative voice that reminded me so much of the way Maeve Fly would relay what was going on around her.

It also felt a bit Jayne Eyre but, obviously much more modern. The circumstances aren’t the same, just the overall feel. If that’s a tone you enjoy, you should definitely check this one out. I think it’s worth the read, just to see the new feel that the author has brought to that type of tale.

At the end of the day, I’m not quite sure I got out of this what the author intended though. I’m left with lingering questions on what kind of story this was truly trying to be.

I’m seeing some bigger picture things, but I don’t know if that is intentional, or if my mind is just trying to find logic amidst the greater puzzle. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the journey and am looking forward to more from Kerry Cullen.

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Review: Fiend by Alma Katsu

~ megs14malloy

FiendFiend by Alma Katsu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Fiend focuses on the Berisha family, who own one of the largest and most powerful import-export companies in the world. The patriarch of the family, Zef, rules the family, and his company, with an iron fist.

His three children, Dardan, Maris and Nora, all know their place within the family. As the only boy, Dardan is slated to take over the company, with Maris, just a girl, having a more minor role, and Nora, the baby of the family, basically excluded from it all.

This family, powerful as they may be, is dysfunctional as all get out. Basically, think Succession, but more messed up…

For most of their lives, the children believed the family was blessed, but as they grew, they come to understand the aura surrounding the family’s success may actually be a curse.

When things stop going as planned, the family splinters and cracks, revealing the dark underbelly hiding at the heart of the family. They didn’t become one of the richest family in the world without spilling a little blood, but this time, it may be their own to hit the ground.

Alma Katsu is well-known for her Historical Horror novels, of which I’ve read two, but this is actually her first foray into writing a modern-set Horror story.

I liked this one. I loved the super messy family dynamic and how it included Then and Now sections. There’s no way I could read this without thinking of Succession, so if you were a fan of that show, you should give this one a go.

I also like the ideas behind the Horror elements of the story, though the highlight for me was the family itself. We mainly get the story told through Maris’s perspective, and she did have an interesting role within the family.

I also enjoyed learning about this business. I do like stories that include business activities. I know that may seem strange to some, but it’s a personal interest of mine, so I do enjoy the rare book that includes those details.

I think for me, the reason I couldn’t rate this higher is that I wanted more of everything. It felt very surface level. Coming in at just over 250-pages, I honestly would have been happy with another 50-pages of content.

Especially towards the end, as the pace increased, I would have loved to have spent more time with those concluding events. I also would have loved a bit more of the family history. Further, the supernatural elements could have been descriptive as well, IMO.

Overall though, this is an entertaining story. It reads very quickly, and is worth picking up. I think if you are someone who enjoys family dramas, or stories that involve business dealings, you could have a lot of fun with it.

Katsu did a great job with this modern setting, and I’m hoping she writes more stories like this one. Even though this won’t make my Favorites List for 2025, I’m still really glad that I read it, particularly during Spooky Season.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Katsu is an author I’ll definitely be reading more from in the future!

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Review: Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

~ megs14malloy

Not Quite Dead YetNot Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Not Quite Dead Yet follows 27-year old, Jet Mason, who lives in Woodstock, Vermont with her wealthy family. Jet’s currently spinning her wheels a bit, her life in a rut, but she’s got time so she’s not too concerned.

That is until she’s attacked in their home on Halloween night by an unseen intruder, leaving her with a catastrophic head injury. Upon awakening in the hospital, a doctor informs her that he’s certain, within a week, her injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm.

Jet is in shock. This is obviously tragic news, but it does give her 1-week to find her killer. She was attacked with purpose; the person knew who they were attacking.

Jet’s never thought she had any enemies, but someone must hate her enough to want her gone. She needs to find out who before her time is up. She’s determined to bring the truth to light, even if it’s the last thing she’s ever going to do.

This was such an interesting set-up, and Jackson wastes no time getting into. I appreciated how quickly we got to the heart of the matter; Jet’s attack, resultant injury and subsequent investigation.

Initially, Jet’s personality took some getting used to. She has a different way of viewing the world around her, and a fairly dry delivery of her thoughts and emotions. I was slightly taken aback with her at first, but I really came to love her.

There were so many questions regarding Jet’s family, their pasts, their construction company and their influence in the town. I loved learning about all these different facets of their lives via Jet’s investigation.

If you’re concerned Jet’s all alone in these pursuits, don’t be afraid, her closest friend, Billy, is also along for the ride, helping in all aspects of the investigation.

I loved him too. He was such a great side character. Their relationship was supportive and seemed to help Jet, well both of them really, process through a lot of stuff that they discovered while digging through everyone’s dirty laundry.

There were some shocking twists and turns, but once certain evidence was discovered, things began to slot into place rather quickly. It was well done, and the more I think about it, the more it impresses me.

Overall, I loved the originality, as well as all the twists and family drama that Jackson included. I feel like this will stand out for me long term due to its uniqueness, and how fun it was to try to figure out.

Additionally, the bittersweet ending gave me actual feelings.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I always look forward to Holly Jackson’s new releases and this one did not disappoint!

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Review: No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams

~ megs14malloy

No Rest for the Wicked: A NovelNo Rest for the Wicked: A Novel by Rachel Louise Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Almost 20-years ago, Dolores Hawthorne fled her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin. She attended college, worked hard, and became a successful forensic pathologist.

She never planned to go back, until she gets a phone call from the FBI, telling her that her father, Little Horton’s former mayor turned US Senator, has gone missing under mysterious circumstances.

In spite of everything, Dolores cares for her father and returns to help in the investigation in any way she can.

Her reunion with her remaining family and the town is mixed, but before long, she’s coming to grips with her past and aiding the FBI with the search.

Other startling occurrences hit the town hard and it becomes clear, something sinister is haunting Little Horton this Halloween season.

Confession time. When I was offered an ARC of this book, I took one look at the cover, read the title, and thought, yes, absolutely, yes. It just looked like something I would enjoy, and luckily, that was true.

However, I had no clue what it was about, but made certain assumptions, and they were all wrong. I actually Buddy Read this with a friend and we both commented quickly that we both assumed it was YA, which it’s clearly not.

If you read the synopsis, unlike me, you’ll have no problem understanding that, but I just felt like the cover, though one of the most gorgeous covers that I’ve set my eyes on lately, really doesn’t portray the feel that I took from this Adult Mystery/Thriller novel.

With this out of the way, my head scratching at the cover art choice really has nothing to do with the book, or the story. I really enjoyed the twisted nature of this and all the dark small town drama. It was captivating and also contained one of my favorite tropes.

I absolutely adore when an MC returns to their hometown, after a number of years away, and ends up digging into some sort of mystery from their past. It’s even better when there are past and present mysteries intertwined, and that’s exactly what Adams delivered here.

It was interesting watching Dolores reintroduce herself to the home she left behind. The interactions among her family were interesting, and I liked how we learned about the past via various timeline/perspective shifts.

We also get a front row seat to the investigation into her father’s disappearance, as well as the other incidents happening around town.

Little Horton was a fun setting. It’s a self-proclaimed Halloween town, so they really lean into the holiday. It gave a lovely, moody backdrop to our overriding mysteries.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with this. It was intriguing and fast-paced. I was surprised by it in many ways, and look forward to reading more from this author. I actually would love another book with Dolores as a main character. I grew very fond of her over the course of the story.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

Everything from the tone, setting and characters, to the mystery itself, was engaging for me. Rachel Louise Adams is definitely an author I’ll be reading more from the future!

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