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✨Book Review✨ Happy Friday! Hope you’ve ha

✨Book Review✨

Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a great week! I finished this book last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Title: Middle of the Night
Author: Riley Sager
Pub Date: June 18, 2024

BRIEF SYNOPSIS

“The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul-de-sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.”

MY THOUGHTS

I was totally invested in finding out what happened to Billy from the very beginning. I think this story pulled at my “mama bear” heart strings in multiple ways.

I recommend this book to readers who are in the mood for a somewhat spooky mystery wrapped up in a story of friendship and 90’s summer nostalgia.

I loved the creepy setting of a suburban home that backs up to a forest. The dual timelines and the setting definitely added to the relatability for me. I was in high school in the 90’s and my current neighborhood backs up to a nature preserve so it was easy for me to immerse myself in the story. However, I would never let my kiddos camp out in my backyard (I’m not a camper)!!!😬 We regularly have deer, coyotes, and all kinds of other critters in our backyard.

Question: Do you enjoy camping? For me, it’s a no. My idea of camping is basically staying at a hotel. I don’t like sleeping with bugs or animals, or without comfortable amenities 😅

[Image Description: A copy of Middle of the Night is centered on a gold tray surrounded by green and black foliage, faux bones, tent stakes, and a green and black kid-sized baseball]

#bookrecommendations #bookreview #spookybooks #creepybooks #rileysager #rileysagerbooks #thrillerbooks #thrillerlover #spookyreading #spookythrillers #horrorreads

✨Book Review✨ TITLE: You Don’t See Me Autho

✨Book Review✨

TITLE: You Don’t See Me
Author: M. Marques
Pub Date: June 28, 2023
Genre: Horror, Short Story Anthology

It’s been a long while since I posted a book review, but I’m determined to get back into the swing of things. Mother Nature decided to play a not-so-fun “April Fool’s joke” earlier this spring. Long story short, those shenanigans led to having to box up 80 boxes of my books.🤪

The good news is that I didn’t lose any of my fiction collection and I finally got them unpacked and re-shelved last week.🖤

I read this little gem of a book back in April, and let me tell you, it was a nice little diversion from the chaos. This collection of short stories provided perfect quick breaks from reality.

Each story shares the common theme of people seeking connections with others in the most common, yet unexpected and deviant ways— all while hiding the dark and twisted side of themselves.

I highly recommend you check out this book if you’re looking for a quick read that makes you ponder how well you really know the people around you.

Thanks to author @mmarques.writes and @twinsandtalent for this copy of You Don’t See Me!

Image Description: A copy of the book, You Don’t See Me is displayed on a black and white surface surrounded by a skull, a white mum, and red and green eucalyptus.

#bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksofhorror #horrorbooks #horrorbooksofinstagram #indiehorrorauthor #thrillerbookslover #horrorbookstagram #booklover

🖤 You Like It Darker 🖤 Happy New Release T

🖤 You Like It Darker 🖤

Happy New Release Tuesday!!! My copy of Stephen King’s latest book, You Like It Darker, arrived today! I’m in love with this cover and can’t wait to start reading it! I’m especially excited to read the sequel to Cujo.

Is this one on your TBR? What other new releases are you looking forward to?

[Image Description: You Like it Darker is displayed on a beige background surrounded by monstera leaves, grass, and a white Kintsugi skull]

#youlikeitdarker #stephenkingfan #stephenking #horrorreads #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #horrorbooks #newbookalert #kintsugi #bookstagramhorror #booksofhorror #bookaddict #thrillerbooks

Happy Publication Day Tuesday! ✨Publication Day

Happy Publication Day Tuesday! ✨Publication Day Review✨

Title: Forgotten Sisters
Author: Cynthia Pelayo
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: 03.19.2024
Genre: Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Suspense

Brief Synopsis

“Sisters Anna and Jennie live in a historic bungalow on the Chicago River. They’re tethered to a disquieting past, and with nowhere else to go, nothing can part them from their family home. Not the maddening creaks and disembodied voices that rattle the old walls. Not the inexplicable drownings in the area, or the increasing number of bodies that float by Anna’s window.”

My Thoughts

Forgotten Sisters is an ambitious mixture of atmospheric gothic fiction, crime procedural, and Chicago history wrapped up in a modern dark fairytale. Pelayo takes you, the reader, on a journey where you aren’t really sure what’s happening but you keep reading out of sheer curiosity.

The storyline around the family home and the mystery surrounding the drownings kept me turning the pages. Some of the longer passages about Chicago history slowed the pacing considerably and I struggled a bit to push through. Other times, the passages worked perfectly.

I appreciated many of the fairytale references, but references to more recent fairytale retellings took me completely out of the story. I would have loved more focus on the two detectives and the storyline regarding their investigation of the drownings.

Overall, Forgotten Sisters is a worthwhile read. If you enjoy gothic fiction, haunted houses, dark fairytales, or learning about Chicago history, you may find this book to be right up your alley.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @netgalley and Thomas & Mercer @amazonpublishing for the electronic ARC for this review.

Is this one on your radar? Do you enjoy books that mix genres?

[image description: The cover of Forgotten Sisters is displayed on an iPad sitting on a glass table. Next to the iPad is an arrangement of tropical plants and flowers.]

#gothicfiction #gothichorror #ghoststory #forgottenisters #suspensethriller #horrorreads #horrorbooks #newbooktuesday #netgalley

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