Tag: book nerd

Mothered by Zoje Stage 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Okay… prepare yourself! This is the post-pandemic book I’ve been waiting for. Thrilling. Covering many topics that I shared worry over, but making my trip through 2020 look like an all year spa vacation in comparison. But, importantly, highlighting where that year took many Americans and others mentally but with a horror/supernatural twist.

Grace has just bought a house when the pandemic begins. She is frustrated with work and even more so when her mom kind of forces her way into her home. Her mom seems to go between a manic overwhelming kindness, helping vibe, to being more sullen and hateful. Grace experiences some horrifying dreams during this time, all while once again facing her childhood past with her dead twin.

So, yeah, it’s a hard read but it also kept my eyes glued to the pages with this need to figure out the puzzle of what is happening. Grace seems to be an unreliable narrator leaving me confused at times but riveted to the story.

Definitely recommend this as a dark thriller/horror!

Out March 1, 2023!

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

I’m not crying! My eyes are just watering….

I knew what I was getting into with this novella because I’ve read different variations of the folktale The Crane Wife, and it always leaves me devastated.

This, though? This, in particular, really got inside and had my heart beating for this family. A 15 year old girl is narrating in first person through this story. I think the author’s choice to leave this character so open to interpretation made her more relatable, not just to me, but I imagine, to many other readers as well. This is a hard-hitting quick read.

This 15 year old girl lives on a farm with her younger brother and artist mother. Her mother is quite flighty and has different men over for sleep-overs frequently. But, when the Crane man comes, everything gets bad fast.

The narrator takes care of the household and her little brother, even her mom’s finances and artwork sales. When this giant Crane appears, her mother is infatuated with him, although he leaves her bruised and bloody. This story is about domestic violence and child negligence, and I’ll admit, it’s difficult to read at parts, but this story ends with a powerful message and strength.

I loved this so much and highly recommend it. There are content warnings for physical abuse and child negligence.

Out February 28, 2023!

Such Pretty Flowers by K.L. Cerra 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

This was one of those weird, creepy thrillers, and I loved every second! Give me the weird and strange with a Savannah setting and goth goth gothic style, and I am happy!!

Holly recently lost her brother to suicide and she has been picking apart the possibilities, the reasons why, nonstop. When she begins thinking of Dane’s girlfriend that he moved in with right before the tragedy, she feels not only suspicion but an attachment to this girl, Maura.

Holly soon finds herself interacting with Maura, trying to parcel together clues for her brothers sudden decline. However, when she decides to move in with her to further along her chances of figuring this out, everything seems to start slipping sideways. Maura seems to all at once to be in and out of control while Holly realizes she has stumbled into something beyond her understanding. Something so strange and unthinkable that she may follow the same path as her brother.

This was so fun! The author didn’t hide that Maura was a suspect, so I really felt like I was being led into the finale very purposefully. But, the finale itself!!! I am so glad I got to dip into this author’s creative and creepy mind! And, I’m looking forward to their next book!

The Drift by C.J. Tudor 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!


This ominous thriller definitely gave me some horror vibes along the way. Needless to say, I was not disappointed!

This is a terrifying story of the absolute worst-case scenario for our world dealing with a dangerous virus. This has the gore, the twists and turns, and a surprising ending that kept me on the edge of my seat!

There are three storylines in this book. All of which are equally interesting. Hannah finds herself waking on a coach that has crashed. Luckily, her knowledge as a medical student keeps her and the other survivors mostly alive. Meg wakes in a groggy state on a cable car with five others on their way to be test subjects. Carter is at The Retreat, or what is left of it, and is living with some strange roommates who all seem to have secrets.

Definitely a riveting thriller that I could not put down! Content Warnings for gore, death and murder.

Out January 31, 2023!

The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

This is an incredibly beautiful story of finding peace in the very far away future.

This story has three parts, all of which take place several hundred years from each other on a planet named Sask-E. It took me through one of the beginning stages for this world, and throughout the book, I could see the changes happening over a long period of time.

Terraformers is about just that, terraforming. This showed detailed processes to an incredibly eco-friendly world. It also showed the politics that take place surrounding the company owning this world, and then, creation of government for these people.

I thought this book was incredibly interesting and insightful about our world today and many of our challenges. However, it was a bit slow going for me. But, the whole picture this author presents is daring and beautiful, which left me feeling fulfilled as a reader.

Out January 31, 2023!

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

This is a really mind twisting and fairly disturbing thriller about how an imaginative and open mind can be manipulated by the wrong person to cause harm.

This was a really intriguing read.  I saw in the acknowledgements that this author was inspired to write this from their thesis for their MFA.   I absolutely love that little piece of information because it adds a bit of background to where this story came from within the author.

The main character,  Maya, is going through so much right now.  Klonopin withdrawal mixed with some irresponsible drinking.   She sees a video online of a woman dying seemingly from nothing except the fact that this woman was with a man that was familiar to Maya and a history she’s been trying to forget.

Out January 3, 2023!

Bookish thoughts…

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Pictured is the book Kaikeyi by Vaisnavi Patel. I loved this story. Gorgeous retelling and what really caught my attention was not only the look at the gods and goddesses but many mythical stories about them.

So, I joined BOTM in March because I felt like it was a really inexpensive and easy way to get books. However, the prices have risen in this short amount of time! It’s not that big of a deal but it’s getting closer to what I would pay for a nice new copy at the bookstore. And, while it’s great to buy new releases, I personally feel like I would rather spend the money on just the new releases that I’ve been looking forward to. Which, are not usually in BOTM. So, I canceled. And, that is my story of the short period I was a member.

Current Reads

These are my current reads. People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix and A Shadow In the Glass by Jia Harwood. I’m loving these and can’t wait to tell you more!

We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison 🌟 Arc Review 🌟

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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

I really loved this story. Told in a “then” and “now” storyline it created a unique way to pull everything together at the end while being incredibly mysterious throughout its entirety.

Celeste moved from Montreal to a small town in Montana. She comes with a loaded past and finds herself in a new friendship with the quirky Vivvy. They begin creating fanfic about a couple of boys at their school and somehow the lines blur between fiction and reality. When one of the boys is found dead, fingers start to point, rumors are made, and everyone is looking at Celeste… the new girl.

I really loved this read and recommend it as a dark thriller.

TW: violence, alcohol use, sexual abuse, stalking.

Out July 12, 2022!

Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne 🌟 ARC Review 🌟

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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

I really enjoyed this read and for reasons more than just the horror aspect. Laurel is living and working on her family’s tobacco farm in Kentucky. She has a unique hobby of working with bones and an ability to read them in the sense that she can see the death of the owners of these bones. However, one day her bones walk away and she begins to understand the evil at work on her land.

While being a creepy read, especially the ending, I found the author’s look into grief and hopelessness really intriguing. Kilcoyne told this story with a bone jarring passion that cannot be ignored. I was lost in the author’s winding storytelling style and it felt amazing to be so wrapped up in a book that is so honest about how many new adult’s deal with change and decision making during difficult times. I definitely would say this is worth a read!

The author has a link on their book review on Goodreads for all the trigger warnings. There is abuse, violence and disturbing imagery in this, but check the link if you can because it’s more detailed. Also this list is available in the book.

Out July 12, 2022!

One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke 🌟 ARC Review 🌟

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Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

I’m just going to say it: This is a must-read for thriller lovers!!! It was more than just a thriller while keeping me on the edge of my seat and guessing at every new chapter.

Six friends go on a hen weekend to celebrate a bride to be in a beautiful villa on the gorgeous seaside cliffs of Greece. However, they have no idea what is in store for them. What each singular person brings as her past, her present, her future, that can bring about all kinds of drama when they learn of each other’s secrets.

I loved the emotion in this book. I was so suspicious of every character. Sometimes hating them but then there would be a twist and I could somehow relate. And, then, that ending!! It’s brilliant. And, I want to add that the last line in the book was the absolute perfect ending.

Highly recommend!

Out June 28th!

TW: Alcohol use, violence, grief