suspense

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: Ladykiller by Katherine Wood

~ megs14malloy

LadykillerLadykiller by Katherine Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gia and Abby, childhood best friends, have grown estranged slowly over the past 12-years, since the tragedy that occurred in Greece when they were both 18-years old.

After the tragic events of that summer, Abby threw herself into her studies, while Gia, a wealthy heiress without Abby’s common-woman concerns, writes a salacious memoir chronicling what had happened.

All these years later, Gia is back in Greece with her new husband. She’s at their family property prepping it for sale after her father’s death. She and her brother, Benny, have been forced to downsize their lifestyles a bit and the Greek property needs to go.

In spite of how heartbreaking losing the property will be, life must go on. With Gia’s birthday approaching in September, she reaches out to Abby and Benny and asks them to join her at a luxury Swedish resort to see the Northern Lights.

It’s something they had discussed when they were younger and always wanted to do. Now is the time. Even though she’s a little hesitant at first, Abby accepts Gia’s invitation.

The day of her flight though, Abby receives a cryptic email that gets her hackles up. It’s not exactly the vibe she was looking for heading into her first vacation in a while. Nevertheless, she proceeds and she’s looking forward to being reunited with her friends.

Once she meets Benny, and gets to the resort though, Gia isn’t there. After days of odd messages from her and placed calls that go unanswered, Benny and Abby get worried enough to travel to Greece and check on her.

Arriving at the family estate, they find it deserted. Gia has disappeared. The only clue, a manuscript she’s left behind detailing the events leading up to her disappearance.

Through shifting perspectives between Abby’s present and Gia’s manuscript, Katherine Wood creates a fast-paced and engaging story of domestic suspense.

I love messy rich people drama, so this definitely scratched that itch, and it did successfully keep me guessing throughout. I found all the details and character interactions just so intriguing.

Additionally, I loved the setting on the beautiful coast of Greece and how the author used Gia’s manuscript as a way of piecing together the story. I thought that was very fun, because what is truth and what is fiction? The lines are often blurry, aren’t they?


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Overall, I was impressed with how Wood pulled this all together. I thought it was very clever and well-plotted. I would recommend this to anyone who loves rich people drama, a luxury setting, or popcorn thrillers.

Thank you to the publisher, Bantam, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am really looking forward to picking up more from this author!

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Review: The Last Room on the Left by Lean Konen

~ megs14malloy

The Last Room on the LeftThe Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Recently, Kerry’s life has been falling apart. She’s completely lost control. Her marriage, career and friendships are in shambles, but her drinking is stronger than ever.

With a deadline looming, Kerry knows she needs a change if she’s ever going to finish her book. Thus, she ends up accepting the position as an off-season Caretaker at a refurbished motel in a remote area of the Catskills.

Arriving at the motel, wholly-unprepared, I might add, for her assignment, Kerry immediately feels something is off. The motel is supposed to be abandoned, but someone’s stuff is littered throughout her room.

Feeling unsettled, but not quite sure what to do about it, Kerry tries to ignore the red flags blowing all around her. With a blizzard bearing down on the motel as well, she’s essentially trapped at the motel.

Circumstances go from bad to disastrous once Kerry notices a lifeless hand poking out of a snowbank. She thinks she may have found the owner of all those belongings, but who is it, and how did they end up dead and buried?

The Last Room on the Left had its moments. At times, it had me intrigued enough to think that it could turn out to be a 4-star read. By the end though, it just felt lackluster, predictable, and don’t even get me started on Kerry.

Additionally, I wish that it hadn’t been the comp to The Shining that sold this one to me, because it’s absolutely NOTHING like The Shining.

It’s funny, the more I think about this one, the less enthused I feel about it. I wanted so much more of an atmosphere and eerie/claustrophobic vibe, of which I got none.

Additionally, it left me with unanswered questions. Were there plot holes, or does my brain just not want to think about this one anymore?

From the very start I was annoyed by Kerry. Stupid mistake, after stupid mistake, had me feeling like, whatever happens to this woman, she deserves it.

I know that sounds awful. It’s a terrible thought, but you have to understand, I was compelled to feel that way because of the ridiculous stream of choices. Nevertheless, Kerry wasn’t the only character, LUCKILY, and I did end up enjoying the others.

As mentioned above, this did have moments and when I was in it, I was in it. I also felt it entertaining to try to figure out what the heck was actually going on. While certain portions felt quite predictable, others def took me by surprise.

I think perhaps the downfall of this was that I felt it was pitched to me a certain way, so my expectations were high, and focused in a particular direction, and when I didn’t get that, I was disappointed.

I don’t believe the comp phrase, a feminist take on The Shining, is being used anymore, at least I’m not seeing it in the current synopsis, and for that I’m grateful. I wouldn’t want others to go down the same route that I did with this one.

With all this being said, and with apologies for my grumpiness, I do believe I’m a minority opinion on this one, so if it sounds intriguing to you, please do pick it up.

There’s a book for every Reader and a Reader for every book. Sadly, this just wasn’t the best fit for me. In spite of that, I do very much want to thank the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I have enjoyed Leah Konen’s work in the past, and look forward to picking up future releases. This slight disappointment certainly isn’t enough to stop me!

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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 Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

~ megs14malloy

The Business TripThe Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Business Trip is a novel told in Parts. In Part I, we meet our two main women, Jasmine and Stephanie. It’s a tame start, considering the craziness that follows!

Jasmine and Stephanie are quite different and don’t know each other. That is until they end up in the same row on a flight. Stephanie is headed to a business conference and Jasmine is secretly-fleeing an abusive relationship.

After that fateful flight, their lives will be intricately entangled. Days later both women have vanished and both mentioned the same man, Trent, in text messages to friends and loved ones, shortly before they disappeared.

Who is Trent McCarthy, and how did he end up tied to both of these women?

I found this story to be intriguing from the very start. We’re introduced to a lot of characters, but I felt like the full-cast narration of the audio definitely helped to keep everyone straight. I highly recommend that format.

This is certainly a wild ride, and although I feel like this story sort of fell victim to the ‘one twist too many’ issue, I still feel like it was a really enjoyable experience overall.

It kept me guessing and took some turns that I was not in the least expecting. It’s full of unlikable characters, except for Stephanie and her neighbor/friend, Robert. I loved them.

The two men that are given the most time in this story, Glenn, Jasmine’s abusive partner, and the aforementioned, Trent, are both terrible, but in such a way that they almost feel like caricatures of what a bad guy is. That did irk me a little. It felt a touch lazy, TBH.

Even with that being said though, I still feel like the twists and turns were exciting enough to make this one worth rounding up my 3.5-star rating.

Garcia did a great job with the structure of this. I loved how all the Parts played off one another seamlessly to build out the full picture of what was actually going on here. That’s where I felt this story was the most successful.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audio production was fantastic and lends itself well to the format of this story.

This is the first time I’ve read from Jessie Garcia, but I would absolutely be interested in reading more. This was fun!

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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: Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon

~ megs14malloy

Only One SurvivesOnly One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Easily, McKinnon’s most twisty work yet. I’m absolutely delighted with this one and would even read it again. That’s says a lot for a Psychological Thriller.

There was something so Crime & Punishment in this character work. It was very well executed, IMO.

In Only One Survives, we follow Vienna and Madison, long-time friends who end up following their childhood dreams and successfully create their own all-female rock band.

Unfortunately, just as the band, The Bittersweet, is gaining traction in the music scene, the van they’re traveling in on their way to an event, loses its traction and careens off a mountain road during a blizzard.

After the vehicle settles, they discover one bandmate dead and another severely injured. Luckily, the girls are able to locate an abandoned cabin nearby and take shelter there from the storm.

What should have been a safe haven though, ultimately results in even more death. The final shock is Madison actually disappearing into the night, her outcome unknown.

The trauma of that horrific night has messed with Vienna’s memories. She can hardly decipher the reality from her nightmares. Unsurprisingly, the tragedy of The Bittersweet becomes a bit of a legend in pop culture.

The Reader alternates back and forth through time and characters. There’s some interesting mixed media elements, with online platforms discussing the mystery behind what actually happened to The Bittersweet.

There are a lot of theories, of course, as there often are after a tragedy such as this, but no one really knows. Only the survivors would know, or would they?

I absolutely loved my time reading this book. It felt like an experience. I did end up listening to the audiobook and felt the narration was perfect for the story.

These characters were super engaging. I was hooked into Vienna and Madison’s friendship. We got a lot of details from their earlier lives and really got to see their relationship blossom and their reasons behind their sort of codependency. It was fascinating.

Additionally, I do tend to love stories featuring music, or musicians, so this definitely played right into those tastes.

I know there are a ton of wonderfully-talented individuals writing in the Adult Thriller space, but IMHO, Hannah Mary McKinnon is thus far underrated.

One of the things I love most about her work is that she’s constantly improving. Each book, she’s just crushing it, taking risks and doing different things. This one is a journey, and she def got me with some of the reveals.

I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

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

I would recommend this one to all the Thriller Readers out there who love the use of mixed media elements, strong character development and jaw-dropping twists!

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Review: Red River Road by Anna Downes

~ megs14malloy

Red River RoadRed River Road by Anna Downes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Told via three different perspectives, as well as expertly-placed mixed media elements, Red River Road is a gripping and suspenseful Psychological Thriller that successfully kept me on my toes throughout.

I had the pleasure of Buddy Reading this one with a friend, and we were guessing and throwing out theories the entire time. I loved how Downes put this one together.

We learn about Phoebe, an up-and-coming Travel Influencer, whose solo vanlife trip along the coastal road of Western Australia was followed by people all over the world. That is until the day she goes quiet.

Phoebe has disappeared without a trace. We hear about these types of things all the time, but it was still shocking and sad for those who followed, knew Phoebe, or even loved her IRL.

Katy is on a solo van trip of her own. Following Phoebe’s social media posts, Katy is desperate to find her. It’s during this journey that her path jarringly crosses with Beth’s, a woman on the run, full of desperation of her own.

As the two get to know one another, Beth realizes who Katy is; Phoebe’s sister. Katy realizes that Beth’s knowledge may be the key she needs to reach her goals.

The two agree to work together and travel together, getting Beth farther away from her past, and Katy closer to finally finding Phoebe. At least that’s what they hope.

We also follow Wyatt, a boy who lives with his brother and father in the same remote area through which our two women are traveling. How is Wyatt connected to this story?

You’ll have to read it, because there’s no way I’m telling.

Full of Anna Downes’s signature twists and turns, Red River Road reads like a Road Trip Gone Wrong movie come to the page. It’s my fave from this author to date.

Once I started, it was nearly impossible to stop. I had to know what was happening. I had so many theories over the course of this, I even began to suspect myself…

Downes keeps her chapters short, and the inclusion of the mixed media made this story even more intriguing. It was like watching a giant puzzle come together.

Each consecutive chapter added one more piece to the bigger picture. I was reading this so fast. I had to get to the bottom of what was going on.

I loved meeting both Beth and Katy. They were so interesting, and while I was captivated by both of their stories, I didn’t trust either of them. I kept expecting betrayals and backstabs. I just did not know who to trust.

The conclusion was wild and IMO, readership will be divided on how this ends. For me, I really enjoyed it, although there were some details I got a little confused on towards the end.

I’m pretty sure it is just me though. As in, I missed something as I was rushing through, because I am left with a couple of lingering questions, or things that I think I understand, but am just not 100% sure on.

With this being said, this is one of those rare Thriller/Suspense stories that I would actually read again.

I know Thrillers tend to be best appreciated the first time round; like, once you know, you know. In this case though, I actually would like to reread this knowing the ultimate outcome from the start.

It’s a detailed story, with great character work and a lot of different layers. I think I would appreciate the skill it required for Downes to pull this off even more upon reread.

I had a fabulous time with this. The setting was exciting and the twists were off the charts. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced Travel Thriller. Also, I highly recommend the audiobook format!

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. I can’t wait to see what Anna Downes comes up with next!!!

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Review: Murder Road by Simone St. James

~ megs14malloy

Murder RoadMurder Road by Simone St. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Greetings from Outlier Island!!!

I want to start this off by saying that I loved The Broken Girls, The Sun Down Motel and The Book of Cold Cases. I fully expected to have the same experience with this one.

In fact, upon learning the title and reading the synopsis, I expected to enjoy it even more than those previous novels, as it sounded like this was going to be toeing over the line into my favorite genre: horror.

Unfortunately, here we are, 3-stars. My lowest rated St. James to-date; such a mixed bag for me. I’m sad about it, but feel like it is bound to be a one off.

It has to be. I find it hard to believe that it’s not. For me, this felt completely different than her other books and not in a good way. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.

I really hadn’t read any reviews prior to picking this one up, so after I finished it, shocked by how I didn’t love it, I scurried over here and was even more shocked to discover I’m almost the only person who didn’t love it!

I fully expected to find a mix of reviews. Those who loved it and those who didn’t as much. I started to doubt everything. What did I miss? I can understand it’s objectively still a good story, but it didn’t deliver me the vibes, tension, or mystery I’m accustomed to with this author.

I felt I was being generous giving 3-stars, but apparently I am being the biggest Debbie Downer in the book community. So, apologies all around for that.

I am going to move on. I’m going to pretend it never happened. I’m looking forward to whatever Simone St. James writes next. I still love her and her work. For some reason this one just did not work for me.

I think it started off bad. I don’t want to get too far into it, but the police suspecting these two MCs right away, the way they were treating them for assisting an injured woman was bizarre, to say the least. It was like, what?

It made no sense whatsoever for them to be treated with such hostility. Even though, ultimately we get a bit of an explanation for this, I wasn’t buying it. Too little, too late. It felt so contrived on the part of the Officer involved.

I think that opening left a sour taste in my mouth that left me judging the rest of the story too harshly. I admit that. I can appreciate some of the aspects of the story, but for me, I just wish it had been told differently.

Nevertheless, I’m glad I gave it a shot and as mentioned, I look forward to more from this author. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion. Even though it didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t for you.

If it sounds interesting to you, please pick it up. You’d do well to just ignore everything I just wrote. You most likely will not find yourself on Outlier Island with me. But if you do, bring drinks!

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I love you and appreciate you.

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Review: One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

~ megs14malloy

One Perfect CoupleOne Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙✨️💙

One Perfect Couple is the latest from one of my favorite Mystery/Thriller authors, Ruth Ware. As I normally do with Ware’s books, I did listen to the audio, narrated by the always fabulous, Imogen Church.

Church’s narration style if perfect for Ware’s stories, IMO. I believe she’s narrated all of them. She always has a bit of trepidation in her voice, which works so well for Ware’s MCs.

With format notes out of the way, let’s get into what this one is about, shall we?

Blending a classic Christie’s And Then There Were None set-up, with the chaos and drama of modern-day reality television, One Perfect Couple, follows five couples trapped on a remote island with a killer on the loose.

Our MC is Lyla, who has begrudgingly agreed to join her boyfriend, Nico, a struggling actor, on a new reality show, The Perfect Couple. Nico is hoping it will be his big break, with nothing but stardom following shortly thereafter.

Lyla, a research scientist, is opposite to Nico in many ways. She thinks the premise of the show sounds terrible, but she wants to be supportive of him, so she agrees.

The show itself is quite mysterious. Since it is new, the creators don’t want any information leaking out about it, its filming, prizes or participants. Lyla and Nico are whisked away to a private tropical island, where things immediately seem off; at least to Lyla.

It’s not half as lush as she was expecting and the show is run with minimum crew. Each couple is given their own villa, that’s a blessing at least, and the full expectations of their participation is finally revealed to them once they are settled in. It all sounds quite icky.

There’s immediately tension amongst the couples, with individuals seeming to be vying for Alpha status, and Lyla is feeling incredibly out of place. It is a competition show, and honestly, Lyla cannot wait to be eliminated.

The first challenge takes them by surprise. Things get a little nasty and everyone leaves shaken and angry. They retreat to their villas for the night, ready to unwind after the stressful and tiring events of the first day.

Mother Nature has other plans though, and a devastating storm wracks the island overnight. The contestants find themselves cut off from the mainland with no means of communication, their phones having been confiscated.

There’s also no crew remaining on the island, as they had retreated to the mainland for the overnight, so the contestants must band together and try to survive for God only knows how long.

When no crew or rescue shows up after the disastrous storm, and the days go by, their resources dwindle. Fresh water is in very short supply, truly making this a life or death situation.

With those sort of stakes, the already tense relationships are taken to a dangerous level. All agree, this is not what they signed up for. Will anyone make it off this island alive?

Apparently, Reality TV show-based Thrillers are something I am super into now. This is my third one this year, and I’m loving them all. This had a great, mysterious set-up.

I enjoyed how secretive the creators of the show were about what participation was going to entail, yet everyone was chomping at the bit for the opportunity to be selected.

Lyla was the only one who seemed to express any doubts, and she ended up ignoring her own instincts in order to try to make her partner happy.

I know some Readers may disagree, but I loved Lyla. I vibed so well with her perspective. I enjoyed being with her on this insane adventure that she didn’t even want to be a part of.

I loved the island setting and felt it was so well done. It did feel remote and as the tension climbed into the stratosphere, it gave me such a sense of unease. It felt claustrophobic. I could feel how desperate the characters were.

I also found all of the relationships interesting. Each couple had its own dynamic, and then watching how they evolved, and how the contestants came to relate to one another over the course of the story was enthralling.

Ware did include a mixed media element as well via journal entries that take you through the events happening on the island. They way this was used to enhance the plot, and help to bring it to its ultimate conclusion, was so clever and satisfying. I loved that part.

My only slight critique, is that I was let down by the why. I loved the who, the where, the what was happening, but the why, after all that occurred, just seemed silly and anticlimactic. 100% personal opinion though, so take it with a grain of salt.

With this being said, the rest of it was so enjoyable and I would highly recommend this for your Summer TBR. If you are an audiobook person, I def rec that format as well!!

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