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Review: A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

~ megs14malloy

A Killing ColdA Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Killing Cold is tense and fast-paced. It’s also the epitome of a Winter Thriller. I loved the setting and atmosphere most of all. It felt cold and claustrophobic the entire time.

Theo is trapped at her new fiance’s family retreat and it’s clear someone doesn’t want her there. When she discovers a clue to her past at the property, she’s flabbergasted.

How can this be? Has she been here before?

I liked following along with Theo as she was thrust into the lion’s den that is her fiance, Connor’s, family. They’ve had a whirlwind romance, so Theo hasn’t had much opportunity to meet them and she’s nervous as heck.

As she should be…

It’s clear from the start Theo isn’t being completely transparent with them about her past, and as the story progresses, you learn a lot more about that.

Regardless of where she came from though, her upbringing was very different from Theo’s and his siblings. Their family is extremely wealthy, and as with most wealthy families, they’re used to getting away with a certain amount of things.

While I was reading this, the dynamics amongst Connor and his brother and sister, kept reminding me of the sibling relationships in Succession. If you are a fan of that show, I definitely recommend you check this one out. I think you’ll understand pretty quickly what I mean.

I also loved and appreciated how much the weather and landscape was made a part of this story. It felt dark and very cold. Also, due to inclement weather, they do get literally trapped at the estate.

This gave it an air of desperation and suffocation it may not have had otherwise. Atmosphere is my number one want in any book, and it was definitely delivered here.

Marshall kept me on my toes with this one and successfully kept me guessing. While I thought the ending had some moments where it veered into convoluted territory, overall, I think it was a fun and intriguing story.

I would highly recommend the audiobook, as well, should you have that format available to you. It’s narrated by one of my all-time faves, Karissa Vacker, and I feel like she did a fantastic job bringing Theo’s perspective to life!

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to whatever KAM writes next!!

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Review: Carving Shadows into Gold (Forging Silver into Stars #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

~ megs14malloy

Carving Shadows into Gold (Forging Silver into Stars #2)Carving Shadows into Gold by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carving Shadows into Gold is the 2nd-book in Brigid Kemmerer’s Forging Silver into Stars series. If you’re unaware, this is a companion to Kemmerer’s popular Cursebreakers series, which began with A Curse So Dark and Lonely.

This immersive YA-Fantasy world started off as a loose reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, but oh baby, has it come a long way since then!

I really enjoyed my time with the entire Cursebreakers trilogy, but I gotta say, I feel like these books in the Forging Silver into Stars series feel much more substantial and mature.

Personally, I feel like it’s Kemmerer’s writing. It just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Every time I pick up a book by her, I’m instantly reminded what an insane talent she is.

For example, picking this up, I was concerned I wouldn’t remember enough from the 1st-book, because it had been months and months since I had read it. I shouldn’t have worried. I was immediately invested and it felt as if I had never left. I remembered everything.

As with the 1st-book, we are following Jax, Tycho and Callyn. In this one however, the three are sort of thrust into different parts of the kingdom, all set on different paths. Though apart, their connections to one another feel as strong as ever.

As dangerous events begin to strike the kingdom with increasing frequency, our cast is forced to make difficult choices fighting for their lives and the ones they love.

The debate over the use of magic gets put to the ultimate test as war looms forever closer.

I have been anxiously awaiting this continuation and it was everything I wanted it to be. I’m so pleased with everything that unfolded over the course of this 2nd-book.

I love this world and these three main characters. I’m truly attached to them and was surprised how easily I found myself completely re-immersed in this story. I feel like I’m a part of this world when I’m reading it.

I already cannot wait for whatever Kemmerer has in store for us next. It feels like everything is coming to a head. I’m scared and excited and all the other emotions.

While you can certainly read this series on its own, I would recommend reading Cursebreakers prior to picking this up. This is written in such a way that you wouldn’t feel lost without that background, but it definitely adds to the experience if you have read that trilogy.

Thank you to the publisher, Bloomsbury YA, for providing me with a copy to read and review. You know where to find me when the third book drops!!!

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Review: Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

~ megs14malloy

Beautiful UglyBeautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Did I just read my favorite book of 2025?

I’m gagged, I’m gobsmacked, I’m elated. I had so much fun reading this. I highly recommend the audiobook, fabulously narrated by Richard Armitage and Tuppence Middleton.

It’s like Feeney wrote this with me in mind.

The very start of this novel gripped me so hard I could barely breath. That’s how you start a story. I can’t remember if it was a Prologue, or just the first chapter, but I was immediately hooked.

This story follows author, Grady Green, who we meet when he is on the cusp of receiving some excellent news for his career. His wife, Abby, is running late for dinner and he is anxious for her to return home, so they can hear the news together and celebrate.

They end up on the phone on her drive home, and while speaking, she comes across a person laying in the road. He tells her to keep driving, but she insists on stopping. He hears her get out of the car, with him still on the line, but never hears anything from her again…

Picking up a year later, Grady is an absolute mess. He can’t sleep, he can’t concentrate, and he certainly can’t write.

There are so many unanswered questions. Abby’s car was found, all of her belongings still there, but she was just gone without a trace.

Worried about his state of mind, his agent, Kitty, who was Abby’s Godmother, offers Grady an escape. The use of her cabin, a verifiable Writer’s Retreat, on the remote Scottish island of Amberley.

By remote, we’re talking only a handful of people live on this island year-round. Grady is willing to try anything, he needs to get his mind straight, so along with his lovable Labrador, Colombo, he sets off for Amberley.

From the very start, things do not go as planned. Once there, even he is shocked by the remoteness. It’s a bit like traveling back in time. The atmosphere, the solitude, the quiet, it ends up getting under his skin and into his mind.

Complicating matters further, he keeps seeing a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife? How can this be? Is it just the island playing tricks with his mind, or is Abby alive and well on Amberley?

Beautiful Ugly has everything I love. I was beyond immersed. I barely remembered the synopsis by the time I picked it up and I loved the directions Feeney took this one.

Not to mention, the ending left me with that exquisite little evil grin on my face that I love so much at the end of any Thriller story. It was brilliantly-executed.

I’m an Atmosphere Girlie, first-and-foremost and the atmosphere in this is off-the-charts.

The island itself was so interesting. We get to meet quite a few of the regular residents and they had me scratching my head. It’s an odd group of people.

There were aspects that reminded me a bit of Thomas Olde Heuvelt’s Hex, just in regards to the overall mystery of this little community. In fact, this did feel like she was toeing the line into Horror territory on more than one occasion with the haunting descriptions of this location.

As an island resident myself, I feel like Feeney truly nailed the island vibes, from the troubles with getting a ferry to and from, to the isolation over the off-season months.

The mystery and suspense of the story also kept me guessing and kept me wanting more. I read this so quickly, because I needed to know the truth of what was going on.

I know some Readers are not going to like the truth behind the mystery, but for me, I felt it was really fun and I’m happy with how it all turned out.

I would absolutely recommend this story to any Mystery-Thriller Reader, particularly if you’ve enjoyed other works by Feeney. I feel like it’s a must-read for 2025. I loved it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I consider Feeney to be an absolute Queen of Suspense, and she didn’t disappoint here!

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Review: But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

~ megs14malloy

But Not Too BoldBut Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

But Not Too Bold is so odd, and so beautiful and so compelling. It’s oddly, beautifully-compelling.

I am almost at a loss for words. It felt at times like I didn’t understand it, but I did, at the same time. The themes, the descriptions, the gorgeous characterizations, it felt instinctual, though I can’t necessarily explain it coherently.

In fact, this is much less of a coherent narrative style than I tend to enjoy, but I fell in love with the writing instantly, so just decided to roll with it and I’m so glad I did!

But Not Too Bold is a Queer Fantasy Horror novella, of which I shall say nothing of the plot. It’s only 112-pages and well-worth the read.

The synopsis lays out everything you need to know going in, but even with that, I feel you’ll still be surprised at the depths to which this story will take you. It felt like falling down a dark, whimsical, dangerous rabbit hole, from which there’s no escape.

I loved the main character, Dália. There was something so relatable about her. I was also surprised at how intrigued I was by the mystery that Dália is trying to solve.

More than that, I was shocked by the emotional impact this little story has. How is it possible to pack this much punch into such a small space?

Somehow, Pueyo succeeded in doing just that. The conclusion was gorgeous. My only small gripes would be that there were a couple of details I felt weren’t adequately fleshed out, and also, I wish this were a little longer.

Overall though, I am so pleased with this. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Fantasy Horror, or stories that feel like modern folklore. Also, a bonus if you are looking for Queer, or female-centered dark fiction.

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Review: The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

~ megs14malloy

The Meadowbrook MurdersThe Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amy and Sarah are best friends, just entering their Senior year at the prestigious Meadowbrook Academy, a private boarding school set in a tiny Connecticut town.

It’s the week prior to the official school start, but the Seniors have all returned to campus. It’s expected to be a great year filled with parties, laughs and their last bit of teenage freedom before becoming adults.

All hopes of that are shattered however, when Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan, are brutally murdered in Sarah and Amy’s dorm suite. Shockingly, Amy slept through it. She didn’t hear a thing, but she does discover the bodies the next day.

She tells the police she was the only other person in their suite that night, even though that’s not quite true. Everyone on campus and in the surrounding community is shocked, and they look at Amy now with suspicion.

Liz is also a Senior at Meadowbrook. She’s a scholarship kid, who writes for the school newspaper. Honestly, her entire life revolves around the paper. She’s dead-set on becoming a successful journalist someday and her time at Meadowbrook is the first step on that path.

Meadowbrook can open doors for her. She doesn’t come from a wealthy or powerful family, like the majority of the other kids, and she hasn’t always fit in.

Liz breaks the story of the murder. It’s too juicy to pass up and this could help her land the scholarship she needs for college. She’s determined to crack this case.

Liz and Amy have never been friends, but they’re thrust together when the school assigns Amy to be Liz’s new roommate. Clearly, Amy can’t return to her regular suite, it’s a crime scene and tainted by the trauma.

Nonetheless, Amy is none to happy to be forced to room with the random girl digging around into her best friend’s murder; exposing it to the world.

After a bit, with Amy still high on everyone’s suspect list, she decides she needs to figure this out as well, and Liz may be her best chance to get to the bottom of it.

Two worlds merge as the girls eventually thaw a bit of the ice wall between them and start to share information. Some truly fun and engaging amateur sleuthing follows.

I flew through The Meadowbrook Murders in one straight shot. I had quite an enjoyable little Saturday reading this.

As YA Thrillers go, Jessica Goodman is one of my favorite authors, and you can definitely tell this is one of her books. If you’ve read from Goodman before, you know what to expect going into this, and you won’t be disappointed.

We all know I love a private school setting and murder mysteries set a private school are my cake. I enjoyed Liz’s character arc most of all. She was one determined cookie.

I also appreciate how well Goodman frames these ‘haves v. haves not’, or ‘locals v. outsiders’ situations. This is a theme I have noticed in some of her other works, and as a person who lives in a resort community, I can relate to a lot of those dynamics and it feels very genuine to me.

Although I enjoyed Liz’s perspective a little more, Amy’s perspective added so much drama and backstory as far as the mystery into Sarah’s death went. I did grow to like Amy more as the story went on and I’m glad that Goodman wrote this using the dual perspective.

I found the who a little obvious, but the why and how, I was way far off from. Overall, I thought this was highly-entertaining and I would recommend it to any YA Mystery-Thriller fans out there.

Particularly if you’ve enjoyed Goodman’s work in the past, or if you enjoy books from Kara Thomas or Alexa Donne. Also, a must for fans of private school stories.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The Meadowbrook Murders will be available this coming Tuesday, February 4, 2025!!

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Review: Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel

~ megs14malloy

Listen to Your SisterListen to Your Sister by Neena Viel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Listen to Your Sister follows three siblings: Calla, Dre and Jamie. They lost their father to an accident, and their mother wasn’t able to properly care for them.

Calla legally became guardian for Jamie, the youngest, with Dre’s promise that he would help her. Unfortunately, Dre, the middle-child, hasn’t really followed through on those promises. He cares, but doesn’t take it seriously enough.

Jamie, at 16, is a strong-willed and energetic teen, who is getting more difficult to parent by the day. He has many positive attributes, but Calla feels at wits end. She’s only 25-years old, and has already sacrificed so much trying to keep this family together.

Her job is at risk, as she has had to miss so much time due to being called away after Jamie gets up to one mischief, or another. She’s also finding it difficult to maintain any sort of healthy adult relationships.

After Jamie gets into serious trouble at a protest, the siblings must go on the run, taking refuge in a remote cabin. It’s there that Calla’s worst nightmares become reality.

No, seriously. Calla has been plagued by nightmares for years. Horrific dreams in which her brothers die because she’s unable to protect them.

Also, in these dreams, the worst iterations of Calla come to life. Alternate versions of herself that embody the worst things people have said, or assumed, about her; the worst feelings they’ve made her feel. It’s truly frightening stuff.

Now as Calla is pushed to the brink, by her brothers and their unstable circumstances, the things of nightmares are manifested into reality, and they’re after the trio.

Will the siblings be able to come together, move past their past traumas and be able to defeat these nightmares, or will the nightmares win out, ruining them one-by-one?

Admittedly, this is much more Fever Dream than I tend to enjoy, but there was something about how raw and real these characters felt that had me by the throat. I ended up really being drawn into the dream-like qualities.

I loved the topics and themes that Viel explored and look forward to seeing what other Readers think. Speculative stories tend to drum up a wide range of opinions.

The audiobook is very good, with three narrators matching each of the MCs. I definitely recommend that format. It brought this story to life; a great production.

I was really so impressed with the character work. The siblings and their relationships were the star of this show for me. They had been through so much and I love how they related to one another. It’s not all perfect, sunshine and rainbows, but you could feel the love and dedication.

I feel like this has some great Social Horror aspects as well, I just hope the right Readers end up picking it up. The cover is giving very Haunted House vibes, and while there is a creepy cabin, it’s much more of a Literary Horror-feel than that cover may lead you to believe.

Regardless, I had a fantastic time with this one. It’s hard-hitting and memorable. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with in the future. I’m hoping for more along these lines.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I would recommend this to Horror Readers.

This is very Feminine Rage with a Twist. We love that.

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Review: Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

~ megs14malloy

Cross My HeartCross My Heart by Megan Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Holy Hades, Cross My Heart was an absolutely insane, jaw-dropping, eyebrow-lifting, wilddddddd ride!!!

This was wickedly-entertaining. I couldn’t put it down. IMO, this is a true Psychological Thriller. My head was spinning so fast, I’m surprised I didn’t lift off.

In this story we meet Rosie Lachlan, who received a heart transplant from a donor who had unexpectedly passed away after a tragic accident.

Through an online platform that anonymously connects donor’s families with recipients, Rosie virtually-befriends her donor’s widower, Morgan. Morgan Thorne happens to be a well-known local author, who Rosie quickly becomes smitten with.

A string of heartbreaks, of the romantic variety, haven’t soured Rosie on the idea of finding The One. It would be ironic if her actual broken heart led her to true love, but that’s definitely what she starts imagining as correspondence with Morgan heats up.

As Rosie digs further into Morgan’s life, and learns more about his wife, there are rumors and accusations she can’t ignore. Perhaps he isn’t her innocent dream guy after all.

Admittedly, I wasn’t crazy about The Family Plot by this author, and was hesitant to try anything else from her. After seeing this one everywhere however, I had to check it out for myself, and man-oh-man, am I glad I did!

Even though the MC, Rosie, drove me so batty that I wanted to shake her, I can’t help but doff my cap to Collins, because damn, was she well-written.

Honestly, reading this feels like having the rug ripped out from under you. I did think it was dragging a bit at the end, but that final scene put the sinister grin on my face I always love to have at the conclusion of this type of story.

I had so, so, so many guesses, so many theories over the course of this book. It was completely intriguing. It felt very cat-and-mouse, but it was unclear who was the cat and who was the mouse. I loved that.

You do get Morgan’s perspective, in addition to Rosie’s, and they both felt equally unsettling. There were many times that I was uncomfortable by what was happening, but I couldn’t look away. Flies on the wall were cringing.

These two are OTT in the most unhinged ways and I was eating it up. My popcorn was popped and my ass was in the seat for the duration.

I absolutely recommend this one to people who enjoy dark, twisty Thrillers. If you like reading books where you suspect everyone, including yourself, you def need to pick this up.

Thank you so very much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll 100% be picking up more from Megan Collins!

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Review: The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

~ megs14malloy

The Really Dead Wives of New JerseyThe Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

‘Footage first, feelings never.’

Hope is the newest cast member on the popular reality television show, Garden State Goddesses.

After her cousin, Eden, the program’s showrunner, introduced her to Leo Fontana, of the show’s infamous Fontana family, the two fell in love and their wedding kicked off the first episode of this latest season.

Garden State Goddesses mainly focuses on the Fontana family, Sicilian-Americans located in Shady Grove, New Jersey.

Soft-spoken, doe-eyed singer/songwriter, Hope, who originally hails from Northern California, is a fish out of water amongst the rest of the cast. She’s struggling to find her place; uncertain and self-conscious.

Hope’s new sister-in-law, Carmela, is the Queen Bee of the family, and the show. She’s less than elated by Hope’s presence and doesn’t pull any punches, making Hope uncomfortable at every turn.

Drama is top on the menu throughout this story, until eventually, someone ends up dead. Everyone has motives. Everyone is acting suspicious, but whodunit and is anyone else in danger?

I was sucked into this story fairly quickly. The set-up was interesting and I loved meeting all the characters. Dahl had me grabbing my popcorn early and often.

I love how she chose to include Confessional sections, which makes perfect sense with regards to the reality show production. I thought Eden did a good job of digging information out of these cast members.

I felt like Hope was a bit of wet noodle, so I agreed with Carmela on that one, but it was fun watching her try to fit in and get along. It’s clear she had a bit of shady history and I liked watching as all that was revealed.

While some things I thought seemed obvious, I was never sure and loved guessing what was actually going on. It kept me engaged and flipping pages at a frantic pace.

Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where I was loving it for the first 80-85%, and then it lost my interest at the end. Admittedly, I was slightly-disappointed with the way it wrapped-up.

I did like some elements of the conclusion, including a last minute mini-reveal, but I also felt like certain aspects were drawn out unnecessarily.

For most of it though, oh my word, was I having fun. The ‘propulsive page-turner’ comment in the synopsis is spot-on. I never knew what was going to be revealed next.

I don’t watch reality television, but I can see how it could be addictive. I feel Dahl absolutely succeeded in bringing those vibes to the page. I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy OTT-drama and intrigue.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me a copy to read and review. I appreciated how Dahl really leaned into the reality show concept. It was a lot of fun!

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Review: Beast of the North Woods (Monster Hunter #3) by Annelise Ryan

~ megs14malloy

Beast of the North Woods (Monster Hunter #3)Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

💚💛💛💚💛💛💚💛💛💚💛💛💚💛💛💚

Beast of the North Woods is the 3rd-installment to Annelise Ryan’s Monster Hunter Cozy Mystery series. These quirky stories successfully combine two of my favorite things: creepy vibes and cozy mysteries.

These books follow MC, Morgan Carter, a cryptozoologist and specialty bookstore owner, who along with her adorable dog, Newt, investigates cases that may be linked to potential cryptid activity.

In this story, Morgan agrees to help her long-time store employee, Rita, after her nephew is accused of murder. He claims he is just a witness, having stumbled across the mutilated body of a local fisherman in the woods.

He also claims he saw a creature of many local legends, a Hodag, leaving the scene. He accuses the creature of being responsible for the gruesome crime.

The thing is, although his town of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, embraces the idea of the Hodag, incorporating it into their community, it’s also widely believed to be a hoax.

Even though she doesn’t believe Hodags to be real either, Morgan agrees to travel with Rita to Rhinelander to try to get to the bottom of it and clear Rita’s nephew’s name.

Once there though, Morgan’s presence causes a stir with the townsfolk, and the deeper she digs, the more danger she seems to be in. If a Hodag didn’t kill the fisherman, and Rita’s nephew didn’t either, who did?

This series is a bit silly, NGL, but it’s also super-duper fun. I’ve grown so attached to this cast of characters, (I’m looking at you, Newt) and am definitely hoping for more installments. There’s so many other cryptids to explore.

I had never heard of a Hodag before, so actually had to look it up. I liked how the author chose to use a lesser known cryptid this time. In the 1st-book, we had a Loch Ness Monster-like lake creature, and the 2nd-book revolved around Bigfoot, so this one was a surprise.

I also really love Morgan as an MC. She’s smart, daring and most importantly, a great Dog Mom, always putting Newt’s needs first. I never have to worry about him while reading, because I know Morgan is keeping him as safe as possible.

This was a solid mystery, that got increasingly complex the more we learned. I also appreciated that we dappled a little more into Morgan’s past as well, so it felt well-rounded. I liked learning more about her.

As with many cozy mysteries, we do follow along with Morgan’s personal life as well. She’s in a budding relationship, and it’s very new, so they are exploring those boundaries within this book, which was nice to see.

There were some fun twists, although a few things seemed obvious and it took Morgan longer to figure out than I would’ve thought. Otherwise, it did get more complicated than I expected and took some surprising turns. I had fun going along for the ride.

I would recommend this series to any Cozy Mystery fans, but particularly those looking for something a little different in their Cozy. It’s one-of-a-kind.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to whatever comes next for Morgan and Newt.

Please don’t let this be the last!

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Review: You’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker

~ megs14malloy

You're Dead to MeYou’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️

Ruby Toller, a high school Senior, lives in Florida with her single-Mom and her Mom’s annoying boyfriend, Hunter. They reside at and run at a small Nature Park, that was passed down to Ruby’s Mom from her parents.

Ruby loves working at the Park, taking care of the animals. It’s her home and she plans to always be there. Unfortunately, demand for these types of attractions isn’t what it once was, and they struggle to stay afloat.

Thanks to a generous scholarship, Ruby is able to attend the very prestigious Oleander High School, a private school full of richy-rich teens.

Just because she attends though, doesn’t mean she fits in, or is accepted and Ruby has grown a bit of a chip on her shoulder. One thing she has been successful at though is her thriving anonymous-local gossip blog, ReputationKiller.

Ruby digs up dirt on the most elite families and community members and blasts them on her blog. Thus, aptly doing just as the blog title states, killing reputations.

When Ruby is outed as the force behind ReputationKiller, the whole town turns against her, except for her best friends, Anton and Xavier, and shockingly, an attractive rich boy named Alexander.

More of an outcast now than ever, Ruby feels isolated and like her life is out of control, but at least she has a life. Even that comes into question however, when Ruby starts being haunted by her own ghost.

That’s right, she’s being visited by her dead self, in a horrible state of decay, clad in a tattered prom dress.

It’s clear from the ghost’s appearance, she didn’t get that way due to natural causes. With the prom just days away, Ruby and her friends must figure out who is going to murder Ruby, and stop them, before it’s too late.

You’re Dead to Me was a super fun reading experience for me. I haven’t read a YA Horror-Thriller with such successful Supernatural aspects in a long time.

I found the story to be fast-paced and engaging, with some great Horror imagery. It kept me wanting more and guessing. There were some truly intense moments.

I also loved the way the Florida setting was used and the stark contrast between the Haves and Have-Nots within this community. It felt realistic.

It is super-dramatic, as you would expect from a Teen Scream, but all that drama was really well-executed in my opinion. It had me reaching for my popcorn, versus rolling my eyes, which is always a good sign.

I appreciated the way the author steadily built the intensity throughout. The stakes keep getting higher and higher as the days tick down until the prom.

I also liked the relationships between Ruby and her best friends, as well as her budding relationship with cute boy, Alexander. The friends supported each other very well, even through all the crazy things they go through in this book.

Ruby’s relationship with her Mom was rather complicated and I did like the exploration of that as well. Families are messy, you know?

Overall, I thought this was a super solid YA Horror-Thriller. If you love a Teen Scream, full of drama and danger, you should absolutely check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Content Warning: Animal death on page.


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