book reviews

Everything I Read – February 2025

1. Kill For Me, Kill For You

There is a twist in the middle of this book that completely turned the entire story upside down! I absolutely love when that happens! Two women suffer horrific events and find themselves together in a support group hoping to find comfort and companionship. Amanda and Wendy end up meeting for drinks after group one evening and share bits of their stories to each other. A friendship begins but soon turns dangerous when the idea of killing for each other so as to give each an alibi comes up and a plan is formed. But the plan does not turn out well and secrets are revealed that will have your mouth on the floor from surprise. Rating: 9

2. The Friend Zone

An absolute adorable rom/com type book that will make you feel all the things. I love Abby Jimenez books and this is actually a three part series that I read in succession. This is the first part of the series, though you can read each book alone and still follow the storyline easily. Kristen is helping to plan her best friend’s wedding while becoming recently engaged herself. Her fiance is deployed so the distance makes things difficult but they have made it work for years. That is until Kristen meets the friend of her best friend’s soon to be husband named Josh who she feels she has an instant connection with. The only problem is her relationship status andddd a major health complication that could prevent Kristen from ever having children. You will laugh and cry throughout this entire book. It’s soooo good! Rating: 9

3. The Happy Ever After Playlist

This is the second book of the series and follows the life of Kristen’s best friend, Sloane, whom she was helping to plan her wedding. Without ruining anything, it follows Sloane’s life after some tragic life events and how she finds her way back to happiness. Rating: 9

4. Life’s Too Short

This is the third book in the series though it is my least favorite out of all three stories. But still really good just not AS good as the prior two. LOL Justin (from The Friend Zone) has a friend named Adrian that is successful in his career but not in his personal life. He struggles to find the right woman and feels like he can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to relationships. Then he meets his next door neighbor Vanessa one night when her baby won’t stop screaming and Adrian offers his help. They quickly become friends but Vanessa’s life is a lot more complicated than Adrian may want to deal with right now. Once again, you will laugh and cry at this story – an overall great read. Rating: 8.5

5. That’s Not My Name

Almost every book this month was a hit but sadly this one was not. It kept my attention but wasn’t a favorite. A young teenage girl is found on the side of the road with no memory of who she is or how she got there. When the police take her in and reach out to the community to see if anyone knows her, a man shows up at the police station claiming to be her father. He seems to know a lot about her and has pictures/documentation to back up his claims. So the police release her to this man and feel they have successfully reunited this lost girl with her father.

At the same time this is happening, a teenage girl has gone missing in another part of the state and authorities have no leads as to where she could have gone. Their first suspect is Drew, the boyfriend. But he is firm in his statement that he had nothing to do with her disappearance. The police don’t have enough evidence to arrest Drew so he vows to go look for his girlfriend himself. Though they don’t know it at the time, these two cases are linked but not in the way that everyone thinks. Rating: 7.5

6. The Arrangement, The Amendment, The Atonement

I am part of a psychological thrillers book FB group and someone posted asking for book recommendations with twists that left your jaw on the floor. This series was recommended time and time again so I had to dive in. And let me tell you…….the twist that comes in the first book literally left me speechless!!! Whoa! It’s best to read the entire series and read them in order to really get the full effect.

Ainsley and her husband Peter have been married a long time but have hit a rough patch in their relationship. So Ainsley suggests something shocking and asks Peter if he would be ok with trying an open marriage. Each one would be allowed to date whomever they want but they must never speak about it at home. Peter isn’t sure he is ok with this but wants to do whatever he can to fix his marriage so he agrees to it. But shortly after each of them begin seeing someone else, an event occurs that forces them back to each other for comfort. However, that comfort doesn’t last long when a massive jaw-dropping secret is revealed. Trust me you will not guess this twist!! Rating: 9

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Everything I Read – January 2025

1. Under the Whispering Door

I am a huge lover of TJ Klune books but sadly this one was not a favorite. It was a tad hard to follow and I got confused with many of the characters. Wallace is a successful lawyer who passes away and ends up at Charon’s Crossing – a stop between death and the after life. He is confused as to how he can cross over and is forced to look back at his life and reevaluate his time spent living. While the concept of the book seemed really intriguing, the actual storyline was hard to get through. Rating: 5

2. The Last One at the Wedding

This book was truly a wild ride in the best way!! Frank is estranged from his daughter, Maggie, but has reconnected with her after she calls him to invite him to her wedding. Maggie is marrying the son of a successful billionaire and seems so happy about her upcoming nuptials. However when Frank begins to ask Maggie more about the family she is marrying into, Maggie is very vague and does not want to share too much. When the wedding weekend arrives, Frank hopes he can connect with the fiance’s parents and get to know them better but that isn’t possible. The mother hides herself away in a hotel room and the father is very guarded and private. Frank is worried that Maggie is making a huge mistake but Maggie doesn’t see it. This story will keep you guessing until the very last page! Rating: 9

3. The Neighbor

Another good mystery (not great though, but good) that kept me entertained until the end. Sergeant D.D. Warren is investigating the case of a missing mother where the only possible witness is her four year old daughter. The husband is cooperative but everything seems too perfect about their life and Warren is wary the full truth isn’t being told. Lots of twists and turns which I always love. Rating: 8

4. Bad Liar

While I do prefer psychological thrillers and mysteries the most, sometimes the storylines can be complex and hard to follow at times. I did really enjoy this book. But I had to keep reminding myself of the characters and how they were all connected to one another. LOL Nick and Annie are both sheriff’s detectives and married to one another. Annie is recovering after suffering a horrible injury during her last investigation. So she is trying to keep herself busy until she is approved to go back to work full time.

While at the office one day, she meets a mother who is distraught that she hasn’t heard from her son in a few days and is terrified something has happened to him. No other detective will take the case so Annie offers to look into it further for the mother. As she begins her investigation, she realizes that it could be related to another case that her husband Nick is currently investigating. Together they try to uncover the truth but things are becoming more dangerous by the day. Rating: 8.5

5. Middle of the Night

Though this book was technically a mystery (and somewhat a supernatural mystery), it had some really emotional moments that made me cry at the end. Ethan has returned to his childhood home to housesit while his parents are spending time at their other out of state residence. However, since Ethan has returned he has been plagued by nightmares and a feeling of dread because of an incident that occurred 30 years ago.

Ethan and his friend Billy were camping in Ethan’s backyard. And sometime during the night someone came, cut open the tent and lured Billy out. Billy was never found again and Ethan has lived with the guilt of this for his entire life. Ethan is then contacted by law enforcement to let him know that human remains have been found nearby and they believe they could be Billy’s remains. Ethan must face the memories from that night and try to see if he can remember what happened in order to help bring Billy’s killer to justice. While the story is not very fast moving in terms of suspense, the ending is really touching and emotional. Rating: 8

6. The Marriage Lie

Frankly, I had no idea where this book was going for most of the story. The twists and turns kept me guessing the entire time! Iris and Will have been happily married for seven years and planning on starting a family. Will leaves for a business trip one morning but Iris receives a message that a different plane than the one he was supposed to be on crashed and Will was killed. Iris is confused because she doesn’t know why Will was on that plane and where was he going? Why did he lie to her? The only thing that can make Iris feel better is to try and go to where Will was flying to and see what was waiting for him there. What she uncovers makes her question her entire life and who she was actually married to. Rating: 8.5

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