Review: Whisper Island by Carissa Ann Lynch

Whisper IslandWhisper Island by Carissa Ann Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars **

Riley doesn’t have any close friends until she meets Scarlett. The fellow art student is vibrant and sweeps Riley under her wing almost immediately upon meeting her.

Riley really isn’t sure why, but she’s not going to protest. Riley is now part of a group. The rest of Scarlett’s inner circle includes the most talented girl at school, Mia, and her long-time best friend, Sammy.

With the school year coming to a close, the girls discuss possibly traveling together. They want to get out of Tennessee and focus on their art; a real adventure.

When Sammy presents them with the opportunity to go stay on a private island off the coast of Alaska, how can they say no?

They would get to stay for three months and it won’t cost them a thing. The island belongs to the family of one of Sammy’s brother’s close friends. His family isn’t using it, so it is open for the taking.

Some of the girls require more convincing than others, but ultimately they decide to do it. To live in the moment and go on the ultimate adventure.

Upon arrival on Whisper Island, the girls are in for a surprise. Sammy’s unreliable brother, Rob, and his new girlfriend, Opal, are already there, when they weren’t suppose to arrive for another day.

Let the uncomfortable fun begin. Rob and Mia are ex’s and it did not end well. Mia was beyond miffed when she learned, at the airport, that Sammy had invited her brother along.

But none of them had any clue Opal would be there. Who even is she?

As they start to explore the island and settle in, they make a haunting discovery. After that a lot of disturbing events take place, leaving the group wondering if they are actually alone on the island.

Once the bodies start dropping, they know they need to get to the bottom of the mystery of Whisper Island, or risk never leaving again.

This was a fun little book. It reads just like a campy Slasher film; something I personally really enjoy.

It’s not perfect. Some of the interactions are cheesy and I definitely had some eye roll moments, but overall it’s a fun escape from the world.

It kept me entertained. I had some theories and one of them definitely panned out, but that didn’t deplete my enjoyment level at all.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes Teen Slashers, remote locations, locked-room mysteries and/or toxic friend groups.

Thank you so much to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I definitely had fun with it!

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Review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal BlueRed, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the FSOTUS (First Son of the United States). His Mom, the first female president of the United States, is a hard-fighting Texas woman who knows how to get things done.

Alex is making his way through college and planning to sky rocket into politics straight out of school. He already has years of experience working on various campaigns and it is truly where he sees his life going.

We all know I love politics and political strategy in books, so right off the bat, I’m all like…

But Alex still has some growing up to do. As he should, he’s in his early-20s y’all! Give the boy a break. So he still parties a bit to hard and feuds with foreign dignitaries…

Oh yes, Prince Henry. Prince Henry is all sorts of swoony but Alex sees him as a bore and his #1 enemy. When an incident occurs at the Prince’s brother’s wedding, toppling over the super expensive wedding cake, the boys are forced to pretend to be friends in order to save face.

Alex would rather do pretty much anything else. Unfortunately, his wants are fairly inconsequential at this point, and so begins the relationship that is: Alex + Henry.

If you are reading this, I am sure you already know what this book entails. It is getting so much hype right now and for good reason. A mainstream title that is humorous and steamy New Adult romance, featuring a male/male, enemies-to-lovers relationship? What’s not to love?!

I personally was swept away from the very first pages. It is so fun. Pure fun on the page but also thoughtful in its presentation. I truly feel this is ground-breaking and we will all be talking about it for years to come.

McQuiston did such a great job of making this so contemporary without feeling forced in any way. The dialogue was super believable and the storyline provided a lot of food for thought.

I have heard a few people mention that it is too optimistic?? To me, I didn’t really think so. It is a happy story overall but our characters have struggles just like real people. As Alex and Henry both grapple with their sexuality and what that means in terms of their lives, what their family’s response will be, what the world’s response will be…they really struggled with that. They had hard decisions to make, just like in real life.

I applaud Casey for writing this. I think this will mean a heck of a lot to a lot of people and McQuiston is definitely on my list of autobuy authors after this spectacular debut! Bravo!

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I always appreciate the opportunity. I think this will be making a lot of reader’s ‘Best of 2019’ lists!

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