Off The Deep End by Lucinda Berry was a page-turner! Lucinda’s writing keeps you completely hooked from beginning to end as always. She’s such an incredible author, every one of her books is a four-star read. You cannot go wrong with picking any of her books to read but one of my absolute favorites is The Perfect Child.
Therapist-turned-stay-at-home mom Jules Hart’s idyllic suburban life shatters when she crashes her car into an icy lake. Her son and another teenage boy plunge into the water with her, but Jules can only manage to save one—the wrong one.
Reeling from the death of her son, Jules spirals into a violent and unstable mental state. Ten months after the accident, she’s still trying to reckon with the fact that she rescued Isaac Greer, another woman’s child, when Isaac suddenly vanishes.
Jules finds herself at the center of a massive police investigation. While she harbors her own dangerous secrets, Jules is adamant that she didn’t take Isaac. But then who did? Is Isaac the victim of a dangerous killer who’s been targeting boys in the Midwest? Or is someone else pulling the strings in this deadly game?
Off The Deep End is out now!
In the mood for something dark? Then pick up The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent. Just pause and look at that cover, isn’t it beautiful?
This novel takes place in Scotland, it’s quite atmospheric and chilling. There isn’t much mentioned about school though it takes place at a university. I love these types of books that contain secrets and hidden pasts threatening to be discovered.
Take a look:
Edinburgh, Scotland: a moody city of labyrinthine alleyways, oppressive fog, and buried history; the ultimate destination for someone with something to hide. Perfect for Clare, then, who arrives utterly alone and yearning to reinvent herself. And what better place to conceal the secrets of her past than at the university in the heart of the fabled, cobblestoned Old Town?
When Clare meets Tabitha, a charismatic, beautiful, and intimidatingly rich girl from her art history class, she knows she’s destined to become friends with her and her exclusive circle: raffish Samuel, shrewd Ava, and pragmatic Imogen. Clare is immediately drawn into their libertine world of sophisticated dinner parties and summers in France. The new life she always envisioned for herself has seemingly begun.
Then Tabitha reveals a little project she’s been working on, one that she needs Clare’s help with. Even though it goes against everything Clare has tried to repent for. Even though their intimacy begins to darken into codependence. But as Clare starts to realize just what her friends are capable of, it’s already too late.
This is out now!
Stacy Willingham is an amazing author, I enjoyed her first book A Flicker in the Dark, and hoped her next one would be as good and IT IS!
One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally.
Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.
Isabelle’s entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle’s past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust… including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.
When a book keeps me guessing through every chapter and I’m really not sure in which direction things will go, that’s my favorite. I want to be taken on a literary ride and lose myself in the story. You will devour this novel and will be left looking forward to whatever else Stacy writes.
Out now!
It was the cover of this book that grabbed my attention. The Ideal Man by T.J. Emerson is a suspenseful story that centers around a father convicted of a crime, his daughter who believes he is innocent, his girlfriend who doesn’t believe it, and the “other woman.” There are multiple points of view that keep things interesting. Who to believe?
The Daughter.
My father is innocent. He’s spent almost four years behind bars, but now he’s getting out. I gave up everything to be there for him, just like he was always there for me. It’s all going to be worth it now.
The Girlfriend.
As soon as I opened the paper that day and saw that picture of Sandy, I didn’t care about the story surrounding it. There’s no way he hurt that girl. Now he’s out, we’ll get married and I’ll finally get to meet his daughter. There’ll be no more hiding our love.
The Other Woman.
No one knows what happened all those years ago, and the life I built depends on no one finding out. Now he’s getting out, my secrets may soon see the light. I can’t let that happen.
One Loves Him.
One Needs Him.
One Wants Him DEAD.
This just came out, its hot off the press and you can read it now!
I was hooked from the first couple of chapters and then…WHAT? I did not anticipate the story turning in the direction it did. And as a mother, what an absolute nightmare this would be.
The Engagement by Samantha Hayes is a totally gripping, wild ride of a book that made me cringe so hard! I don’t want to spell it out for you, I want readers to be as shocked as I was. But here is a little peek…
There’s someone I want you to meet,’ Belle says, as a man draws up to her side. He’s tall with dark hair and stubble on his square jaw. He’s dressed in expensive-looking clothes – tan trousers and a fitted navy shirt. He’s not exactly smiling, but the corner of his mouth curls upwards as he slides his hand around my eighteen-year-old daughter’s waist.
I grab my husband’s arm to steady myself as my heart kicks into a thunderous gallop.
I’m frozen.
It’s as though I’m under water. The room spins around me.
I stare into his eyes – jet black. Nothing and everything hidden behind them.
Fear prickles my skin as I remember what he did.
How I only just escaped.
All the lies I’ve had to tell since.
‘I want you to meet Jack,’ Belle says, bouncing up and down with excitement. ‘He’s my fiancee.’ She rests her head on his shoulder. ‘Isn’t it exciting? We’re engaged!’
I have to stop this.
If I don’t, I’ll lose everything…
This is out now!
The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao was a fun and entertaining story that was a nice break from my heavier suspense and thriller books. I liked the glimpse into Singapore’s high society and could relate to Sam’s big dreams and struggles. It is a light read and if you liked Crazy Rich Asians, you won’t want to miss this one.
For as long as she can remember, Samantha Song has dreamed of writing for a high-society magazine—and she’d do anything to get there. But the constant struggle to help her mom make ends meet and her low social status cause her dream to feel like a distant fantasy.
Now Samantha finds herself working at a drab PR firm. Living vicariously through her wealthy coworker and friend, Anya Chen, is the closest she’ll get to her ideal life. Until she meets Timothy Kingston: the disillusioned son of one of Singapore’s elite families—and Samantha’s one chance at infiltrating the high-society world to which she desperately wants to belong.
To Samantha’s surprise, Timothy and Anya both agree to help her make a name for herself on Singapore’s socialite scene. But the borrowed designer clothes and plus-ones to every glamorous event can only get her so far. The rest is on Samantha, and she’s determined to impress the editor-in-chief of Singapore’s poshest magazine. But the deeper Samantha wades into this fraud, the more she fears being exposed—especially with a mysterious gossip columnist on the prowl for dirt—forcing her to reconcile her pretense with who she really is before she loses it all.
And I just finished:
The Hike by Lucky Clarke asks the question, what happens when four friends decide to set off for a four-day hike in Norway? Keep in mind these are not experienced hikers, just some women who want to get away from the stress of day-to-day life.
Each woman is battling something and hopes the trip will clear their mind and give them answers.
Of course, it’s not smooth sailing, they head directly into a storm, stumble upon a stash of cocaine and meet some men who may or may not have nefarious intentions.
It was a good read, not my favorite of the authors, but towards the end, I was reading quickly, trying to figure out what was happening, who was the bad guy, and who we could trust. I think the second part of the book moved faster than the first.
The author creates atmospheric tension and I closed the book knowing one thing for certain- I will not be going on any four-day hikes in Norway anytime soon.
Coming out in April.
Throughout the whole book, I just kept saying, WHAT? I was really kept guessing in The Wrong Mother by Charlotte Duckworth. Take not one but two unreliable women with secrets, throw in a newborn baby and a small house with an overgrown backyard and mix it up, then you get this book. I stayed up way past my bedtime to learn what on earth was going on and how things were going to get wrapped up nicely.
Charlotte is really on her A-game with this story. You have to read it if you are drawn to characters you absolutely cannot trust. I enjoyed the dual timeline of what Faye is going through now and what in her past, brought her here.
Faye is 39 and single. She’s terrified that she may never have the one thing she always wanted: a child of her own.
Then she hears about an online co-parenting app. For men and women who want to have a baby, but don’t want to do it alone. When the app matches her with smooth-talking, wealthy Louis, it feels as though the fates have aligned.
But just one year later, Faye’s dream has turned into a nightmare. She’s on the run from Louis, with baby Jake in tow.
In desperate need of a new place to live, she responds to an advert from an older lady, Rachel, who’s renting out a room in her cottage in a remote Norfolk village. It’s all Faye can afford – and surely she’ll be safe from Louis there?
But is Rachel the benevolent landlady she pretends to be? Or does she have a secret of her own?
This is out now if you are in the UK, and coming in March if you are in the US.
LOVED IT. The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden was so good, it’s the sequel to the amazing novel The Housemaid. I don’t know how the author is able to constantly churn out such good books but I’m glad she does because I have enjoyed every single book she’s written.
The Housemaid’s Secret is fun and gripping and intense with a huge twist that left me asking, WHAT!?
“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job—not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…
It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want.
It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything…
That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe.
Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go…
This comes out on February 20, pre-order now so you don’t miss it.
